#toronto also has a game against boston at boston on the 18

[the-physicality]

well we did it folks. gonna have another massive game against toronto

[x]

[couldawouldashoulda50]

From Completely Different Worlds - William Nylander

The Sweden Chapter - Part One

A/N - This is a continuation of the above mentioned series between William Nylander and Loren Girard. Link for the all previous chapters are here.

it is also an early birthday submission for my dear @misshoneyimhome in advance of her actual birthday in October. Since she has been a such a big part of this William x Loren journey, I wanted to dedicate these final parts to wrap up this story (for now at least) to her. I just hope I can get Part Two done in time 😉💕

As ever, thank you for taking the time to read, like, send in comments and asks. It's beyond encouraging and is very much appreciated. I hope you like these final parts.

Warnings/Notes - this goes along the lines of the Leafs, and William himself stating he suffered from migraines at the start of the playoffs. Additional warnings based on symptoms (severe headaches, nausea, vision impairment), profanity, allusions to sex/smut

Word Count 8.6k (sorry) 18+ only please.

Recap - In March of 2024, after meeting at the Easter Seals Skate charity event in Toronto, a bittersweet romance unfolded between hockey superstar William and personal support worker Loren. Their chemistry was undeniable, and they quickly fell for each other, creating a whirlwind between them that felt so incredibly right.

For Loren, each encounter with William felt like it might be her last with the hockey star. She approached their time together with a mix of excitement and caution, trying to balance a level of detachment. She knew his star was too big, too bright for a small-town girl working two jobs to pay the bills. Yet, she couldn't help but fully embrace the amazing person he proved to be.

As the NHL season progressed, William's performance on the ice—which had already been declining—became increasingly noticeable. The mounting pressure left him at a crossroads. Under intense scrutiny from both himself and the media, William made the difficult decision to limit distractions and focus solely on his game.

William and Loren parted ways with heavy hearts. Despite her attempts to remain detached from William's magnetism, the breakup deeply affected Loren, leaving her full of sadness. William, though seemingly despondent while delivering his decision to Loren, maintained a cool demeanor afterward, as if nothing outside the arena bothered him. Despite his scoring slump in the final stretch of games, William had already surpassed his career-best point total by a double-digit margin. He finished just two points shy of 100—an impressive season for him overall.

And so it went, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be facing the Boston Bruins in Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The city seemed nervous but hopeful the team would be able to trounce the Bruins and make it to the second round of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

April, 2024.

As the season drew to a close, Loren couldn't bring herself to watch the Maple Leafs' final games when she turned them on for Gary during her shift at the group home. The team struggled against their remaining opponents and William’s lack-luster performances added even more discourse, leaving everyone seemingly wondering what had gone wrong in the end.

As always in Toronto, playoff season evoked either excitement about the possibility of winning more than two rounds or dread, as if the team were already doomed to failure.

Just before the playoffs began, Toronto media reported that William, citing an undisclosed issue, didn't skate with the team for their final practice held in Boston. His absence sparked speculation and worry among fans and sports analysts alike. The concern was particularly intense given that William did not seem to be playing through an injury and hadn't missed a single regular season game in years.

The timing of William's mysterious absence, coupled with his recent poor performance, fueled rumors about his physical state. Some speculated about a possible injury, while others wondered if the coach, Sheldon Keefe, was so livid about William’s poor performance in game 82 that Keefe was possibly benching him for Game One of the playoffs.

The speculation intensified when William was notably absent from the team's morning skate on the day of the crucial playoff opener. Fans and media alike were left wondering about the true nature of his situation, with theories ranging from a hidden injury to illness. The uncertainty surrounding William's status added an extra layer of tension to an already high-stakes game, leaving everyone questioning how the team would fare without one of its star players.

As the playoff game approached, the uncertainty surrounding William's status cast a shadow over the team's abilities to compete against their rival. The lack of transparency from the Maple Leafs organization only served to intensify the speculation, leaving everyone to wonder about the true nature of William's absence and its potential impact on the team's playoff performance.

As the media cries of “Where’s Willy” saturated every sports channel, Loren tried - and failed - to not get sucked into all of the inflammatory opinions that somehow showed up in some of her social media feeds. She tried to stay off of her phone altogether but with her new self-employment venture hitting the ground running, the use of her cell phone was a necessary evil.

As she scrolled through her notifications, a headline caught her eye: "William Nylander's Mysterious Absence: Injury or Something More?"

It certainly got her rattled.

Despite her best efforts to move on, she couldn't help but worry about William. The thought of him potentially being injured or facing some other issue made her realize that, despite everything, she still cared deeply for him.

She quickly reminded herself “not your sink, not your dishes” and resumed getting Gary ready to take him for a stroll in his wheelchair.

But sometimes, the nagging worry about what was going on with William got the better of Loren. She couldn’t stop her mind from thinking about why he appeared to be MIA at that moment. Even if she wanted to forget about it, she couldn’t because every Toronto media outlet that was in her feed was talking incessantly about it.

Later that evening as she slid into her bed, the “Where the F*ck is William Nylander” headline appeared on a reel for a popular hockey podcast that Loren occasionally listened to. The two ex-hockey players further fueled rumours surrounding William’s absence with saying he may have hurt his back in the “champagne room” of a Miami strip-club while celebrating the end of the season.

Loren’s heart dropped and shattered as she visualized William plowing a beautiful and stacked bombshell in the back room of a Florida strip bar. It was one possibility out of many, and Loren had to accept that.

Maybe it would have been better to have never met William in the first place.

Loren tossed and turned in her bed, unable to shake the intrusive thoughts about William. She knew she shouldn't care, that their relationship was over, but her heart refused to listen to reason. As she stared at the ceiling, she was completely consumed by regret and self-doubt.

The bitch of the situation was she still cared about what was going on with him. It was so out of character for him to miss a game, let alone the all-important Game One of the playoffs, and that fact gnawed at her conscience.

"Fuck's sake…" Loren muttered aloud.

With severe trepidation, she reached for her phone, her fingers hovering over William's contact information.

Loren typed a short message, apologizing for texting him, let alone sending it in the middle of the night. She simply wanted to know if he was going to be okay.

As she hit send, a wave of anxiety washed over her. She placed her phone face down on the nightstand, trying to calm the ache that had settled into her stomach, as she played the whole "will he/won't he" game in her head.

Loren lay there, cheeks blazing, mind racing and becoming more agitated with herself for being so fucking foolish with getting tied up with William. Why the fuck did she still care?

That question plagued her endlessly.

And she came back to the same conclusion. That's just simply who she is and what she does. She cares about people.

Just because William was more or less a memory at this point, she still needed to hear that everything would be okay with him—and hopefully soon.

Eventually, somehow, something in her musings lulled her to sleep.

The next morning, Loren awoke feeling tired and unsettled. She rolled onto her side and stared into the emptiness of her bed and throughout her bedroom. The quietness in her home, which she normally loved, bothered her this morning. She couldn't quite place why she felt so irritated—she had a much-needed day off with no pressing events on her calendar. She was caught up with errands and bill payments. She slept well, once she fell asleep that is. She had nothing in front of her that day to warrant her crusty mood.

Then it all came flooding back in her mind. Thoughts of William possibly blowing out his back after being serviced at a strip club. His poor performance. His absence. The fact that he still had never left her brain since they met, hung out, and broke up—with everything in between those moments still lingering too. She then remembered the text message she sent him.

Oh fuck… the text message….shit…..

Loren coached herself in her head. Okay, Loren. Just be prepared. Please be prepared that he may have blocked you. He may never respond. Please. Do not spiral if there’s no response.

She swiped her phone open. The text message icon appeared, indicating multiple messages received. They all had William's name attached to them, with the first messages being sent not long after she had fallen asleep.

Anxiously, she read each one. She had to read the messages multiple times as her sudden increase in blood pressure made her head ache and her eyes blur.

His messages were sent with a small period of time between each one.

He told her how glad he was that she reached out.

He told her he was okay but he had some “medical issues” going on

Then he told her not to worry.

Loren slowly laid back down resting her head on her pillow and closed her eyes. She laid her phone, screen side down once again next to her on the bed.

Placing her hand over her heart that was galloping, she tried to get a hold of every thought running wild in her head. Images that were a mix of intimate moments spent together and then the low moments that came when he left that fateful morning with his sweet dogs happily in tow.

Her phone buzzed and chimed which made her stomach lurch. It’s not that she thought it was William, or even hoped it was him. It was the fact that she was already overwhelmed with an influx of unsolicited emotions, and it was barely 8am.

Loren hesitated for a moment before picking up her phone again. She knew she should check it, but part of her wanted to stay in this bubble of uncertainty just a little longer. Taking a deep breath, she flipped the phone over and glanced at the screen.

It was another message from William. Her heart raced as she read his words: "Can I call you?"

Loren stared at the screen. More dots bounced as William continued to type. She set her phone back down, and pressed her hands against her face. She really did not like that William could send her reeling like this.

For fuck sakes Loren….this is bullshit. He’s just a fucking hockey player. He’s not a God…stop acting like he is.

Her internal reprimand gave her enough piss and vinegar to remind her that she’s got a fucking backbone.

She slowly typed that he could call, her thumb hovered over the “send’ button for an extended period of time. She hit the button before she could talk herself out of it.

Within seconds, her phone began to ring.

Loren sat up in bed with her legs crossed, straightened her back, took a deep breath and tapped to accept the call from William.

"Hey," William's voice came through, soft and hesitant. There was a brief pause before he continued, "I'm sorry for calling so early. I sorta saw that you read my messages so….yeah. How are you?”

Loren's breath caught in her throat, her initial resolve already beginning to falter.

“Good, William. I’m good. I’m sorry to hear about - …if - that you’re not doing well,” Loren’s words stumbled a little as she spoke. She could feel heat blotching her neck and her cheeks were blazing red.

“Yeah - it’s not great. I can’t really talk about it much right now but I’ll be ok.”

“I’m glad, William. Hoping you’ll be cleared soon…give Pasta a little run for his money.”

William chuckled at Loren referencing his good friend and fellow number 88 for the Bruins, David Pastrňák.

“That’s my plan.”

There was a hesitation at William’s end but despite her desire to avoid awkward pauses, she simply waited for him to speak.

“So, I was wondering if I could ask a big….I mean - a huge favour, really. I know I’m probably the last person you would want to help but I’m really hoping you can.”

“That’s not true. If I can, I’d be happy to help you out.”

The warmth in Loren’s response made William’s heart crack.

“So, the stuff I’m going through sort of prevents me from getting around on my own sometimes. I’m in Boston right now so I’ve got the medical staff nearby but I think I might need help when I get back to Toronto. There’s kind of a lot of stuff going on right now and I need someone close to me that I can trust and keep everything private.”

If they were on a video call, William would have immediately seen Loren's confused expression.

“…..okay….so - what exactly can I do to help…?” Loren asked cautiously. She had no idea where this was going.

“The thing is part of what’s happening involves - what can I call it…”

Loren thought about what he might mean. “Like do you need….personal care?”

“Yeah….exactly. I know that sounds kind of, I don’t know…like something else. The thing is, part of what happens when I have migraines…I tend to….well, like nothing stays down….”

“Vomit…?” Loren clarified.

“Pretty much, yeah. I just need some help getting through the next 4 or 5 days maybe? I know how bad it probably sounds with me asking you this. I mean….I’ve wanted to talk to you anyway but -”

“I get it…” Loren wasn’t sure if she wanted to sound curt or not, but she didn’t want to hear that “he’s been meaning to call.”

Loren rubbed her forehead with her fingers. “Hmmm…let me see what I can do. When do you get back?”

“Tonight. There’s kind of a lot to explain -,” William paused for a moment, unsure how to broach the next subject. “There’s going to be a camera crew around me at some point this week as well. Fucking shitty timing.”

Loren just shook her head. This was all too strange.

Loren chuckled. “Jesus William, I’m not even going to ask…but I swear this shit can only happen to you.”

This is exactly why William often missed Loren. She could poke fun at life a little and ease some of the tension. That’s what he needed right now.

She heard his hallmark giggle softly through the phone before adding “Fuck - tell me about it.”

“Well, okay….I can’t say yes right at the moment. I’ll see if I can juggle some stuff around. I’ll message you back when I know more.”

“Or…you can call. I’d like the company - if you can….things have been really fucking shit lately.”

She rolled her eyes mockingly but then felt bad. “I can imagine,” she said, sounding as sympathetic and supportive as she could.

There was a pause - so Loren decided to wrap the conversation up. “Alright then, I’ll be in touch one way or the other once I know more. Take it easy William - ok?”

“Wait - Loren….look, I’m s - I’m really sorry.” William’s hesitation between his words and his low tone softened Loren a little more.

“William - you’ve not done anything wrong. There’s no need for an apology…. not in my mind anyway.”

“Yeah, but I am sorry for the way things turned out. Bad timing I guess.”

Loren wasn’t sure she believed in bad timing. Despite how she felt for him, she had faith that things happen in life the way they’re supposed to. Bad timing had nothing to do with it.

“Well, then…I’m sorry too William.” Loren paused again and then tried to sound upbeat. “Okay, let me get going on this and I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Hey - uh, thanks Loren. I really appreciate it….for sure, talk to you soon. Call, okay?”

Loren mumbled a half-assed acknowledgement before ending the call. Hanging her head, and then looking up at the ceiling, all she could mutter was “what the fuck - really?”

She flopped back on the bed. Her head was hurting and her stomach was a mess.

Her phone buzzed and chimed once more. Loren’s irritation was beginning to simmer.

Swear to God - if this is William again….I’m going to fucking scream….

It was William. He sent a picture he took of Loren, Pablo and Banksy on his couch that was taken weeks ago. She remembered that moment when the dogs were vying for her attention but never knew William had witnessed it, let alone taken a photo.

His caption read “I meant to send this to you awhile ago. Really great picture. Hoping you can come visit. The boys would be happy to see you.”

Seeing the still shot of a memory which William kept for whatever reason, helped soften her mood.

Hopping into the shower, she visualized her calendar for the next week, making mental moves in her head like a chess game. She had no idea why she was even doing this other than the simple fact she liked to help people in need, first and foremost.

Within the hour, schedules and plans had been altered, financing for the missed hours from work was accounted for, and she placed the call to William, asking him when he'd like her to come.

"Tonight, if possible?" was William's response. "I haven't been feeling that great today and this stuff might hit me harder when I get home," he added for clarification.

Loren was apprehensive, but she agreed to stay.

Later that day, after William confirmed he was en-route to the airport in Boston, he asked if she could start venturing down to his place.

It seemed that "fuck me" was her mantra that day. Loren repeated her mantra again and again for the entire drive down to Yorkville.

◇◈◆◇◈◇◆◈

William had already secured Loren parking in the visitors section at his building. Pulling into a well-lit spot, she hurriedly grabbed her bags from the trunk. Despite the level of security the underground garage had, she was still a little nervous being in a parking garage at night by herself.

Loren rode the elevator to the main lobby and approached the security desk to advise which tenant she was visiting and the make and model of her vehicle. Having seen her previously, one of officers, by the name of Warren, advised that William had requested that she be escorted and given entry to his place prior to his arrival. There had been a fog delay at Boston’s Logan Airport and William’s arrival was far behind schedule.

Warren smiled warmly at Loren as he handed her the key fob for William's unit and the two chatted amicably during the elevator ride to William’s floor. "Mr. Nylander mentioned you might be staying for a few days. It’ll be nice to see another friendly face around here.”

When it came to William’s day to day goings on, the only other people that would know what he did and who he saw would be the security officers at his building.

Loren chuckled and smiled, but felt a twinge of unease wondering if the guard was secretly implying something. She wondered how much the security staff had witnessed of William's personal life and visitors. As she stepped out of the elevator, she pushed the thought aside, focusing instead on sounds of Pablo and Banksy slight whimpers at the door. Loren asked Warren what time the dogs’ caregiver would have dropped them off, trying to understand if they would be desperate for to go outside. Warren informed her that the dogs had been dropped off about an hour ago, so there shouldn’t be an urgent need. Loren had never taken the pups out by themselves, and she wanted to ask William before she went ahead anyway.

Loren thanked Warren for his help as she unlocked the door to William's condo.

As she stepped into the apartment, Pablo and Banksy greeted her with enthusiastic yips, both standing on their hind legs to accept Loren’s affectionate rubs. Loren knelt down to pet them cooing at their sweet faces and accepting their voracious wet kisses in return. It was so bewildering to be standing in William’s place without him there, and she felt a little out of sorts.

She scouted out where it would be best to sleep, talking softly to Pablo and Banksy as they followed her room to room. It was difficult not to feel something as she carefully padded through William’s space. Loren tried to breath deeply to calm her nerves, but instead, she would catch a scent that belonged to William, and her stomach would flip once more.

Her phone chimed which startled her. William messaged her that he would be home soon. The messages were just a few words that barely made a sentence and it had her wondering what kind shape his was in.

Loren sat in the dimly lit living room with the memories of their first meeting, their first meal, their first glass of wine.

Their first kiss.

That kiss is why there are love songs, poetry, and Hallmark greeting cards.

It was a small part of what made her insides hurt that things ended between them. The other part was simply him. William’s exterior was one thing, but what lived inside his head is what she missed the most. He was a little bit of everything. Quirky. Nerdy for sure. Intelligent in many things but undeniably clueless with others. His curiosity. If he was interested in a topic, the long list of questions he asked were thoughtful and thought-provoking.

She had not experienced being around a man like William before. But now that she had, at the very least, she has a better idea of what she’s truly looking for in the future.

With her body stretched out on the couch, and both dogs lying lengthwise on her, Loren eventually drifted off to sleep.

With the sound of voices approaching from the hallway, the dogs leapt off of Loren’s body and bolted towards the door.

As Loren stood up from the couch, there were two things she was not expecting when the door opened.

The first was Calle Järnkrok leading William inside while carrying his bags, and the second was William's alarming appearance. His typically bright blue eyes were bloodshot and sunken, with dark circles underneath.

Loren greeted the men softly, taking William's bags and placing them by the hallway. The look of concern on her face was very apparent, and Calle quickly explained that the combination of fog delays and the flight itself had triggered a severe migraine in William. With the shuffling from airport, to plane, to car, the pain in his head had reached excruciating levels. Along with feeling terribly nauseous, his vision was blurred and compromised.

Calle thanked Loren for being there and taking over. He quickly mentioned instructions in William’s bag for his home care requirements as he headed for the door. It hurt for William to speak but he managed to thank Calle, his voice low, gravelly and almost slurred.

Once Calle had left, Loren suggested she help him into bed. William didn’t object, but he before he moved, he grabbed Loren’s hand and pulled her into him.

The same despondency he showed on her doorstep weeks before could be felt in his embrace. Loren gently wrapped her arms around his broad frame, whispering that he should get into bed. As she began to reposition herself by his side, his grip around her waist was firm, and stopped her from moving as he pulled her even closer to him.

She felt his warm breath against her cheek as she stood motionless, unsure and caught off guard with the way he held her. He began to thank her, but instead he grit his teeth as a wave of throbbing pain traveled through one side of his head.

Loren gently coaxed him to walk slowly to his bedroom, her voice sounded both melodic and soothing as she guided him down the hallway.

Passing the guest bedroom, William saw Loren’s bags just inside the door.

Loren followed William’s gaze. Although nothing verbal was said, she sensed his dismay.

Entering his room and stopping at the foot of the bed, Loren stood in front of William, groaning inside her mind knowing that she might need to help him undress.

She instructed him to sit on the bench at the end of his bed, helping him lower himself down. She knelt down in front of him and began untying his shoes, removing them silently as William watched every move she made.

She looked up at him and smirked. “Don’t get any ideas…I’m just down here to take off your shoes.”

William only smiled. It hurt to laugh.

“It the pain still really bad? Can you see anything?”

“Vision’s coming back. Fucking head though…and my stomach.”

Loren gave him a sympathetic nod, saying she’d get him into bed in a second.

With minimal movements, she removed his hoodie and t-shirt underneath. His scent made her hungry to kiss every bit of bare skin that she just exposed.

Removing his sweatpants was worse. Way worse. She scolded herself mentally when she kept glancing towards his concealed dick. She hated the fact she still craved it as badly as she did. It was literally making her salivate.

She gently helped William into bed, leaning over him to adjust pillows supporting his head and neck. Once he was settled, she pulled the covers over him.

The light from the hallway provided just enough illumination to see William's face as he closed his eyes. Loren told him she would turn off all the lights once she got the cold gel compress she brought and a lined bucket to set next to his bed in case he needed it.

As she turned to exit the room, William's hand lightly clasped onto two of Loren's fingers. "I don't know many girls who would look after me like this. Thank you so much." His voice sounded dry and croaky, and Loren made a mental note to get him some fluids.

She looked at William for a moment before a faint smile spanned her face. "Well, then I guess you're Snapping the wrong girls… I bet I could find a thousand and one ladies in 30 minutes or less who would shank their own mother to be in my position right now. Could have them here faster than a Domino's pizza."

William smiled, but his eyebrows furrowed. "I'm trying to say thank you, y'know…"

"You're not supposed to be talking at all." Loren stroked his hand with her thumb, acknowledging in her own way that she appreciated him saying it, but it wasn't necessary. "I'll be back in a sec."

She pet the pooches that had already nestled between William's legs on top of the comforter and glided out of the room. William opened one eye enough just to glance at her backside as she left the room.

She quickly dissolved the electrolyte package that had been sent home in William's home care package from the medical staff on the team. She retrieved the gel compress mask from the refrigerator and a few other items. But as she entered the room, William was leaning over the edge of the bed, groaning that he was going to be sick. Loren quickly set everything aside and went to William's side just for some support. She leaned over next to him and quietly asked him if she should stay by his side. He nodded his head.

After his dry heaves had subsided, she helped him lay down, and sat next to him on the edge of the bed as he drifted off to sleep. Once she heard his breathing slow into a specific rhythm, she moved quietly about the room, disposing of the contents of the bucket and replacing the bag, setting the strong electrolyte mix next to him with a straw, and plugging in his phone.

It was around 4 a.m. when she had cleaned and tidied everything up and decided to head to bed. She turned off all the lights, closed the blinds, and ensured William's room was now completely shrouded in darkness. As she closed his door, he quietly called her name.

She stepped lightly to his bedside, and he asked if she would sleep there with him.

Loren was exhausted and knew he had the most comfortable bed imaginable. She quietly agreed, citing "just in case he's sick again" in her head as an additional excuse to stay.

She quickly got ready for bed. She wondered if she could get away with just sleeping on top of the comforter, but the condo was far too cold for her light pajama set.

She crawled in next to William, asked him if he was okay, and as he nodded, she wished him a good sleep.

He thanked her once again for everything she'd done. He thought to himself how amazing she had been to him so far, and he felt like he didn't deserve her kindness and care.

He moved his hand close to her bent leg under the covers. Just having her there next to him was good enough for tonight.

—

The following morning, Loren awoke to a dog barking. The sound came from nearby, not from the dogs that she felt were still nestled between William and her.

She looked around slowly, getting her bearings. She saw William’s bedroom door slightly open which let some light in from the main living space.

She didn’t want to shift and wake William up, who’s body seemed to a little closer to her than she remembered when she fell asleep.

Turns out, she needn’t worry.

A low "good morning" purred behind her. Before she could stifle it, a soft giggle escaped her lips as a smile spread across her face.

She turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of William's face. His eyes still looked heavy and tired, and his five o’clock shadow had added 6, 7, and 8 o’clock to it too. A soft grin teased his lips as he looked at Loren while laying on his side.

This was not faring well for Loren as part of the getting over William Nylander program that she was on.

She shifted onto her side, pulling up the blankets to cover her boobs that appeared much more voluptuous in this position bunched in her tank top.

God, he is so fucking beautiful Loren thought.

Fuuuuck me….look at her William thought.

Loren peeled her gaze off of William and onto the dogs - Banksy had flipped onto his back while Pablo looked unimpressed and pouted at the end of the bed.

She motioned for Pablo to come up towards her, which he did. Licking her face, she quietly told him how smart of a boy he was.

Hers eyes met William’s again, behind his glasses this time, and she asked him how he was feeling.

“Much, much better. My eye sight seems to be pretty normal…. have a little headache but nothing like last night.”

“Good, I’m so glad - I can’t imagine that pain.”

"Fuck—yeah, the headache was really starting to build in the plane, so I just leaned my seat back and closed my eyes. When we were landing, that's when it hit badly—I couldn't see out of my one eye."

He then backtracked to the point where his recent headaches had begun.

"Pretty much right after I left your place, I could feel one side of my head starting to ache," William confessed.

Loren looked perplexed. "It started right after you left?"

William looked at Pablo and began scratching him under his collar. Pablo's hind leg began to thump as he scratched himself in sync with William's fingers.

"I was thinking about it all the way home. It wasn't your fault that my scoring fell off a cliff. I'm pretty sure I made you feel like you were the problem. Y'know… with the whole distraction thing."

Loren's eyes remained cast downward as she lightly stroked the tufts of fur on Pablo's back. "I don't really remember anything, other than feeling — I know it sounds juvenile maybe but — feeling just really sad. I think you're a pretty good guy… I knew I was going to miss hanging out with you." Loren's cheeks flushed with her admission.

"Wait — just pretty good? Not a great or awesome guy… I only get a pretty good?" William teased.

"Never got the chance to fully find out before you ditched me," Loren deadpanned, followed with a little snicker.

William hung his head in defeat. "Ok — yeah… take it easy… I'm not well…," he smiled.

Loren mockingly whispered at Pablo as he craned his head around to sniff her face. "You hear that Pablo — your Dad can dish it out but he can't take it…"

Pablo wagged his tail at Loren as she scratched under his ears, telling him how great and awesome he was.

She heard William giggle and scoff at her.

William grabbed his phone from the nightstand, unplugging it as he adjusted his body in bed. "I'm guessing you plugged in my phone — thanks for doing that. I actually don't know if I remember much, other than you being here when Calle walked me up."

"You were in pretty rough shape… it was not at all prepared to see you like that actually."

William scrolled through the gazillion messages, finally selecting one to read through. He turned to Loren, adjusting his glasses as he glanced back at his phone. "So seriously, how long do I have you for? Think you can drive me to the arena today? They want to do another check-up."

Loren smiled and turned onto her back, stretching her arms over her head while yawning. "That's what I'm here for… you definitely shouldn't be driving." She looked at William, eyes bright and wide. "You wanna take my car?" she asked, and then giggled. Her car was essentially a shit box and not nearly as nice as William's—for some reason, she was geared to egg him on a little today.

William shook his head and chuckled. "We'll take my car—your car....well, it does enough travelling." He thought for another moment. "You never answered my question… how long do I have you for? And don't change the subject…" he said light-heartedly.

"You said four or five days, so I took five. But I don't think you'll need me for that long… you already seem a million times better."

"Don't get upset at me for asking but… you ok with not getting paid for that long? We can figure out something to get you reimbursed—you just need to tell me."

"I'm okay. It'll be okay."

"Loren—seriously—please…"

"I promise… I got a little side business going....there's been a little extra money coming in lately. So, I'm good… but thank you. Truly… I appreciate the offer."

"What is it—the side business?"

Loren looked away sheepishly. "OnlyFans," she replied quietly.

William's head nearly swiveled off of his shoulders and his mouth dropped open.

Loren's face turned red. "What—you told me once that I should try it—that I would do well on there…"

"Fuck—I—really—I didn't… are you serious?"

Loren looked down at Pablo and then back toward William, before she grinned at his shocked expression. "No, I'm not serious. My side gig is tutoring French—conversational and otherwise."

William looked up at the ceiling. "Fuck… shocked the shit outta me. Ow—fuck…" William winced, squinting his eye and pressing his palm over top of it. "Thanks for the jolt, my headache is back."

Loren sat up. "Oh fuck… oh no—shit—really? I am really—I'm so sorry!" she said panicking. "You see why I never joke around much? My timing sucks…"

William laughed. "Ha—gotcha…"

◇◈◆◇◈◇◆◈

If there was a word that would describe the 2024 Leafs versus Boston series, it would be "dramatic."

Add in pre- and post-game media scrums, plus a camera crew following William at certain points during his illness, there was rarely a moment in his life that wasn't complicated.

What was unsurprising, but perhaps unexpected is how Loren naturally provided a buffer between William and his professional life. There was a sanctity with her presence in his home. She brought warmth, comfort, and offered unwavering and nonjudgmental support when he allowed himself to unload some of the thoughts that clogged his mind.

William discovered the friendship side of his relationship with Loren. She slept in his bed the first night, but stayed in the guest bedroom for the nights that followed. It's not what William had wanted, and if Loren was being honest, she still deeply desired William too. But, for that moment, she did what she felt was best for both of them and kept their reunion platonic.

However, after Game 4, where it seemed all but over for the Leafs — the game where William was caught on camera clapping back at his teammates — William arrived home in an abysmal mood.

Although he was quiet, Loren sensed he was like a pressure cooker ready to pop. The vein in his neck, the one she had once kissed while William gripped onto her from a powerful orgasm, jutted out under his skin. Loren treaded lightly, and gave him time to process how the game unfolded now that he was home.

It was when he grabbed his phone and saw how many notifications there were, on top of the millions he already had, that totally set him off. He whipped his phone at the adjacent plush chair, yelled expletives, shoved some furniture around and paced around the living room, letting every single thought he had — unfair or not — out into the universe.

Banksy curled onto Loren's lap but Pablo stood on the arm of the couch and watched William devotedly. Each time William passed Pablo, he would rub him or kiss his head, but he continued to unleash whatever he had pent up. There was a lot. Far more than Loren ever suspected.

She listened intently. If he asked her for her thoughts, she somehow balanced being supportive while remaining neutral.

One of many benefits of having an open concept kitchen and living room space is that one can still listen to a person vent and make them something to eat while not missing a beat. Which is exactly what Loren did as William let out all of his frustrated thoughts, then finally sat down at his kitchen island as he wound down.

With the sourdough bread that Loren bought the day before, she stood in William's kitchen making him a light meal of Croque Monsieur.

The day before, William and Loren had taken the dogs on a long walk to a bakery Loren was eager to visit. Though she'd offered to go alone, William insisted on joining her. The beautiful spring day began cool and crisp but quickly warmed as it progressed.

During Loren's stay, William had noticed a change in her demeanor. While still kind and caring, the wide-eyed excitement she'd once shown when they first met had dimmed. She now seemed guarded, as if holding back her emotions.

However, as they entered the bakery together, William watched Loren come alive. Her eyes lit up at the sights and smells surrounding them. She looked absolutely radiant—this was the Loren he remembered.

William watched her finish up at the stove, and she plated the French style sandwich and handed it to him. William's eyes widened at the sight of it -- the bread was toasted perfectly golden and the rich cheese slightly oozed onto the plate.

"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck…" William groaned.

Loren's back was turned as she washed the dishes. Hearing his groan, her first thought was that he saw something upsetting on his cellphone. She turned around with a concerned look, just to see William taking another massive bite of food.

His mouth was still partially full as he rolled his eyes at Loren. "This is so fucking good… like — fuck… oh my god."

William eyed the pan that she was just about to clean. "Wait — could you pretty please make me another one? Pretty please? I'll do whatever you want me to…" William said wryly, but there was a suggestive flavor to it too.

Loren blushed as her thoughts turned sinful.

Fucking guy, she laughed to herself, shaking her head.

After making another, in no time, he was already halfway through the second Croque Monsieur. Loren suddenly felt a grumble of hunger in her stomach. "Think I could have just the tiniest bite — if you can spare it…" she said with a little wink.

William had this look. It was a combination of pretty boy, frat boy, fuck boy, cocky boy and sweetheart rolled into one, and it made Loren weak.

He lifted the piece of bread up and motioned for her to go ahead and take a bite. It had unnerved her a little, with his eyebrow cocked and raised, but she was hungry now. There was a small window of opportunity to look as sexy as she could while sinking her teeth into the sandwich. If not sexy looking, she would at least try for not awkward.

She gently wrapped her hand around his which held the base up, and took a slow bite.

Goddammit — that is fucking good, she thought.

She swiped some crumbs from the side of her mouth while William watched how pretty she looked with her cheeks flushed.

"Wait — there's a bit of mustard still left."

She wasn't sure if there really was or not — she was too busy kissing William back. He had pulled her into him and mumbled something about "being so amazing", and began kissing her urgently.

They remained in a lip lock the entire way to William's bedroom.

There in the low light from his bedside lamp, they undressed each other, their hands worked in sync as pants were unfastened and clasps were undone. Their hands smoothed over each other's skin which filled them each with profound desire and admiration.

They both knew what they yearned for from each other, and neither was willing to try and fight it.

Still, Loren worried about William overexerting himself. She had experienced William's voracious sexual appetite before — it was a marvel to experience his level of cardio and stamina. Given he had just made his first appearance in the playoffs after his blinding migraines, she was not going to be the reason he missed out on the rest of the series.

He pulled her in tightly, her hands raked through his hair as he kissed and nipped her neck.

"I think it might be too much if you…" — Loren's voice trailed off into a moan as William's mouth made contact with her nipple — "…I think you should lie on your back… fuck William…" she groaned.

He was almost lifting her off the ground with the way he held and kissed her.

Loren smoothed his hair as he latched onto her nipple again. "William… please… your head… don't overdo anything… let me — here… lie on your back." He kissed back up her neck, stopping to look at her face.

The way she cared for him was extraordinary.

After he lied down for her, the way she worked his cock in her mouth was indescribable.

But the way she rode him until the muscles in his thighs quivered was otherworldly.

Once again, in the still bliss afterward, William's world felt calm as he lay with Loren sleeping next to him.

The next morning, William opened his eyes and saw the silhouette of Loren's side profile. Her eyelashes, her nose that turned up at the end. Fuck, that mouth of hers.

He could tell that she was awake as she lazily glided her hands through Pablo's fur.

"What are you thinking about?" William's low, morning croak made her smile while her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling.

"Just thinking about your next game. Maybe you should pull a Marchand and go up and lick Pasta on his face. Get him off his game."

William laughed, moving closer to kiss Loren's shoulder. He motioned for her to turn into his chest, knowing how much she loved it there. "Nah, Pasta might like it and try and kiss me back. I think I've been in the news enough lately anyway — don't need anything else for them to write about."

Loren kissed and nuzzled his chest. "I guess. It'd be something to see though."

It was quiet in the room, save for the drone of traffic from the streets below.

"I got a text from my manager at the home. The person covering for me dislocated his shoulder. They could really use me, and it seems like you're on the right track."

William knew at one point she would need to go back to her own life. It was a hard pill to swallow though, after all she had done for him. "Oh wow. Yeah, ok… I understand. Although… I'm feeling a little light-headed, dizzy… and my back's sore — and I've got a toe cramp…" William chuckled.

Loren smiled against his skin. "Oh — okay…well, in that case…" she purred, gliding her hand up his bare back, "you better tell Paul and the med staff when you go in for practice this morning." She giggled knowing that wasn't the response he was aiming for.

"Ooof — okay… was I that big of a pain in the ass?"

Loren reached up to kiss him along his jawline. "The biggest," she responded, her voice just above a whisper.

—

Loren had agreed to drive William to practice before she headed north to go home. The drive to the rink was understandably quiet as William thought about the aftereffects from the dumpster fire of Game 4 the night before. Added to that was the uncertainty of what the future held for the two of them.

As they inched along in traffic nearing the rink, William started to fidget a little, rubbing and scratching his beard as he often did while talking to reporters. Loren noticed it, but remained quiet. She was lost in her own thoughts anyway.

"Are you nervous?" Loren finally asked.

William's eyes seemed like a pale blue that morning as he looked toward Loren. They were still gorgeous she thought, but they were a little sullen. Tired.

"A little. Just don't know what the mood is going to be like in there. Cameras are going to be on me and Mitchy, I think." William leaned his head back on the headrest. "So, what happens next — you know… with this?"

Loren smiled and shook her head. "I wish I knew." William couldn't help but laugh at her expression — her bright smile, biting her lip and with a look of "fucked if I know."

Loren pulled into the entrance of the rink and into a parking spot. Looking to William, she continued her thought. "I guess for you, either you'll be going on to the next round, or you'll be packing up to go home for the offseason. Either way, I am excited for you, and I'm so glad you asked me to come help you."

William looked down and smiled. "You know I'm bad with words, but this time we just spent was really… amazing. The fact you even said that you'd help me after… after I… after things ended the way they did."

"William — stop saying it like you did something wrong a few weeks back. You did nothing wrong. You were faced with a decision and you made one."

"Yeah but it really fucking sucked. For both of us."

"Well, you still get to be you so… I guess it sucked more for me, but whatever… I won't argue," Loren laughed, nudging William.

William smiled and started to unbuckle his seatbelt. “Alright, I'll message you later," he said as he opened the car door and slid out of the seat. He came around to Loren's side, leaned through the open window and kissed her tenderly. He leaned his forehead against hers, and sighed. "Better go. Talk soon."

Loren grinned and nodded, giving him a wink and wished him luck.

As she drove away, she felt an unexpected feeling of peace. It was almost like closure somehow. She had no illusions about William. She had another quick glimpse into his world, and she was not sure - given the chance - if being a WAG is something she would want to entertain. But she truly was grateful to be there for William when he needed someone, and that he trusted her with his very private life.

All Loren knew is that she would return home, resume her life and let the chips fall where they may.

[pinersp]

Make character slide stencyl

#MAKE CHARACTER SLIDE STENCYL SOFTWARE#

#MAKE CHARACTER SLIDE STENCYL SERIES#

Bitmap (Christine Kim) has its roots in the classic snake game ubiquitous on last-century cellphones. Cuddlegeddon (Gillian Blekkenhorst), an amusing look at communication in relationships, is a quirky variation on Pong. Une semaine de bonté: The Game (Julia Ediger) is a concentration-style memory matcher that uses the surrealistic art of Max Ernst. Both the charming mythology-inflected Golden Fall (Yuliya Boublikova) and the sardonic sixties-styled Having It All (Miriam Verburg) are two-dimensional platform games. Several of the games have immediately recognizable mechanics. Now, after an intense six weeks, six new games and six new creators have emerged. Faber and Carver co-ran Jeuxly with the help of many volunteers. “That incubator, as well as Jeuxly, was heavily based on the Difference Engine Initiative incubator model, and resulted in eight games.” In March, Zoe moved to Boston, and Jennie Faber and Alex Leitch stepped in to fill her shoes as co-directors. “Zoe and I co-ran DMG Toronto’s first incubator, JAMuary, in January 2012 with significant support from Henry and Jennie,” Carver continued. Through that conference they met many of DMG Toronto’s future supporters and collaborators, including Henry and Jennie Faber, who were just getting ready to open Bento Miso. In December of that year, the two were panelists at the TIFF Nexus conference Women in Film, Games, and New Media Day. “We both found the process of making games so exciting and satisfying that we wanted to give the same opportunity to more women, as well as build a strong community of game-inclined women in Toronto,” said Carver. Organizations like Dames Making Games Toronto are trying to change that by providing workshops, seminars, and incubators in an attempt to bring a new generation of women game designers and programmers to the fore.Ĭarver founded DMG Toronto in 2011 with Zoe Quinn, after they participated in a program called the Difference Engine Initiative (run by the Hand Eye Society in collaboration with TIFF Nexus). These attitudes towards women frequently extend to characters and dynamics within the games themselves.

#MAKE CHARACTER SLIDE STENCYL SERIES#

This past summer, we’ve seen outrage against Anita Sarkeesian’s proposed video series analyzing games from a feminist perspective, sexist terminology in the description of certain cooperative gameplay modes, and assertions that sexual harassment is “just part of the game” when playing competitively. In the face of numbers like these, it’s not surprising that those who want the game industry to remain a male-dominated preserve are resisting inevitable change.

#MAKE CHARACTER SLIDE STENCYL SOFTWARE#

The latest figures from the Entertainment Software Association show that 47 per cent of women play video games, and that adult women represent a greater portion of the game-playing population (30 per cent) than boys aged 17 or younger (18 per cent). “Her mother brought her here,” Guthrie continued, “to show her that lots of different people are into programming, all kinds of people make games.” All kinds of people, including women.Įven though a number of women played pioneering roles in the early days of computer, arcade, and video gaming, for the last few decades there has been a scarcity of women in significant creative roles in the industry-this despite the growing number of women buying and playing all genres of games on all platforms. “She loves to code-but she doesn’t really like the other kids at school, so she doesn’t get into coding activities with others.” The teen stood, arms crossed, surveying the room. “She’s 14 years old and she loves games,” Guthrie said. Stephanie Guthrie, who has faced intense hostility from certain corners of the gaming community, pointed out a slight and serious Asian girl and her mother. They had also come to show their support for female game designers, who are a relative rarity in an industry often criticized for its negative attitudes towards women and general lack of diversity, both in the workplace and in games themselves. Programmers, writers, graphic artists, musicians, students, and players from all over Toronto’s gaming community had turned out to see the results of the six-week initiative, organized by Dames Making Games Toronto. There, the first-time female game designers involved in the Jeuxly (pronounced “July”) game development incubator were presenting their work. It was a warm evening in August and the room was packed at Bento Miso, a collaborative workspace for game and web developers nestled at the far west end of Richmond Street. 190589 Bitmap (Christine Kim) bitmap 640 242 bitmap 0 0

[disney-prince-quinn-hughes]

So you've probably heard from many Habs fans by now  that this playoff run "Feels like '93"  but what does that mean exactly  and is there an equivalent we have already seen some twenty eight years after Canada's last Stanley Cup victory?

As an '97 born Montréal Canadiens fan (most likely due to the Jonathan Drouin trade with Tampa Bay ) brought up in New Zealand and now currently living in The UK, I didn't know a lot about the 1993-1994 Montréal Canadiens team or what it had meant for Habs fans until I spotted a YouTube video commemorating the 25th anniversary in 2018 .

That exact same video then popped up just before Game One of the first round of this year's playoffs - against  one of the best assembled .  So I , wanting that "Playoff Hype " clicked on it and soon realisation hit . I saw similarities with the team then and the team now .

The similarities side by side are eerie .

First up , in 1993 - it was a season of change after the Canadiens heartache of the two prior off-seasons . A new coach Jacques Demers believed in his players and in his 1st meeting at the beginning of the regular season of that year ,  He echoed " We're going to shock the world . We're going to win the Stanley Cup ." 

So where does that sound familiar with the Montréal team of today ? Well , Dominique Ducharme was brought in under relief for Claude Julien - who was relieved of his coaching duties at the beginning of this year (February 2021 )

Like coaches leading the team to success , General Management also have an equally important role and that's just what Marc Bergevin did , adding important pieces to the puzzle such as  Cup winners Jake Allen,Joel Edmunson , Tyler Toffoli ( Longest 8 game point streak since Vincent Damphousse in 1993 ) , Eric Staal as well as Corey Perry - fresh off the previous years Stanley Cup finals with the Dallas Stars .  Young playmaker studs like Josh Anderson (First Habs Player to score a game tying and Overtime winning goal since 1993 ) and Cole Caufield ( A 5 game point streak )  also slotted into Bergevin's master plan .

However the regular season back then and now weren't that flash .  Goal tending was a struggle especially with Carey Price suffering a concussion late in the regular season  and the Habs of '93 lost the last 5 and 6 of regulation games before the playoff that season .

Losing the first two playoff games against the Quebec Nordiques, (Now Colorado Avalanche ) Montréal Canadiens began to be written off and underestimated by Nordiques players and media . What a bad mistake that turned out to be . (HEY TORONTO! ) 

Another question I had noted was if there had been any equivalent we had already seen in terms of the 1993-1994 Montréal Canadiens and the Canadiens we are watching right now? I say , Yes!

In 2018-2019 , The St Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins in seven games to win their first franchise Stanley Cup after a 38 year wait . It has now been 28 years since Montréal's last Stanley Cup victory so there's the waiting game .

St Louis had a real rough season that year with a 15-18-4 record before a change of coach pulled them out of being last place in the league and the odds as favourites to win , were definitely never in their favour -like what we see with the Montréal Canadiens in 2021.

Overall to end this little word dump of my feelings and research, it's a great time to be  Montréal Canadiens fans and to get behind this incredible underdog team . Here's to proving them all wrong . Here's to '93

[edsgsdg]

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Of course he wants Jeremy back, you silly geese. Of course he wants Jeremy back, you silly geese. brassiere garcon From Rod Boone of Newsday:"I hope we get it done, man," the Knicks forward said Monday night after Team USA's 80 69 win over Brazil at the Verizon Center, the team's final tuneup in the United States before heading overseas Tuesday to continue preparations for the Olympics later this month.. Vince Carter: si Julius Erving y Elgin Baylor ghete galbene pielesupusieron una primera revolución en el mundo del mate en la NBA, Jordan y Wilkins supusieron la segunda, con Carter llegó la revolución con mayúsculas. Los mates de Carter (entonces en Toronto Raptors) eran algo fresco en la liga, nadie había volado como él. Cada partido de los Raptors era una exhibición de 'Air Canada'. Una vez realizado esto, queda lo más importante: realizar el pago. Para realizar el pago suelen existir diversos métodos: PayPal o tarjeta de crédito / débito son los más frecuentes y con los que trabajaremos. En ambos casos el proceso es similar: insertamos nuestros datos, sea el e mail de PayPal y su respectiva contrasea o la tarjeta de

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crédito y su respectiva confirmación, le damos a aceptar y ya habremos pagado el producto en cuestión.. Se entiende bien con DeRozan y Amir Johnson. De echo ellos 3 suelen ser los mas regulares del equipo. Barbosa tiene sus dias y Weems tambien. BG no llega al tiro de Malone o casi ninguno de esos, cierto, pero no tiene mal tiro y lo más importante, lo selecciona bién. Recuerda que es su segundo ao!. Lo de las estadísticas no lo pongo para dar lecciones ni nada de mal rollo, solo para defender mi opinión de que ya es mejor que Pau. El número 49 del draft Norman Powell aporrea las puertas de los Raptors para hacerse un hueco en su roster, y en el triunfo 95 87 ante los Rockets logró 19 puntos y 5 rebotes, llevando sus promedios en la Liga de Verano de Las Vegas a 19,3 puntos. El que volvió a destacar en la pintura fue el brasileo Lucas Nogueira con 6 puntos, 13 rebotes y 4 tapones. Glen Rice,

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que anotó 24 de sus 28 puntos en la segunda parte fue el mejor de los Rockets. Evan Turner logró su mejor puntuación en su carrera con 34 puntos y logró 11 rebotes en la victoria

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de los Sixers, que vencieron a domicilio 106 110 a los Knicks, que sumaron cinco derrotas seguidas y siguen en plena crisis de juego. Thaddeus Young y el novato Michael Carter Williams anotaron 19 puntos cada uno. Carter Williams también logró un doble doble al capturar 12 rebotes y repartir 7 asistencias, que lo dejaron como el jugador más completo de los Sixers. Eddy Curry afirma que sólo durmió dos horas pensando en fantasmas. Según cuenta, era el único habitante de la planta décima, desde donde se dice que se lanzó la mujer suicida. "Me pasé casi todo el tiempo en la habitación de Nate Robinson. Mientras que el escolta Avery Bradley llegó a los 18 puntos y el base Isaiah Thomas esta vez no pudo ser factor ganador al quedarse con sólo cinco tantos y falló siete de los nueve tiros de campo después que en los dos primeros partidos había conseguido 22 anotaciones. A ver que contrato le damos, a segun que precio, puede ser otra ganga como Isaiah. Isaiah, Sully, Smart y Jae. This nike hypervenom all black season she has three goals and an assist. The couple shared careers bring added challenges to parenthood. Not even the balance of being a mom and playing soccer. He's not as raw as the Thunder's Hasheem Thabeet and he's a more fluid athlete, but for a guy who's likely to be chosen first overall, Noel reminds me of the former second pick. This is not a good thing. There are concerns about Noel recovering from an ACL injury, and the fact that he's lost 25 lbs. Not "bad" or "ineffective," just "weird." He'll pace that Dallas offense without picking up the same sort of ball dominating stats he used to, but he still seems absolutely in control of things even if he's just relegated to making the lead pass, or penetrating enough to start a wave of extra passes. And even though his Mavs are down 0 2 in their playoff series (and title adidas fg defense) to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kidd still seems like a game changer of baby nike trainers the highest order. A free agent of the highest order, in Kidd's estimation, who will probably play his last game as a Dallas Maverick whenever the Mavs play their last game sometime later this week, or in late June. yeezy off white boost They set higher expectations in New England. The stunning news of the Pierre Paul fireworks mishap led to a variety of story lines, from a stubborn resolve to return to dominance (he has) to a lawsuit against ESPN and Adam Schefter for invasion of privacy arising from the publication of medical records relating to the amputation procedure (the case was settled). dupla bejárati ajtó ára Although Pierre Paul, who was operating under the franchise tag in 2015, lost millions due to his inability to play for much of the year, a one year deal for 2016 coupled with a strong performance last season led to another franchise tag and, eventually, a four year, $62 million deal.. Report: Umpire Angel Hernandez files discrimination lawsuit against Major League BaseballJames Pilcher of the Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that umpire Angel Hernandez has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Major League Baseball. He also claims that there is racial discrimination in baseball's promotion and post season assignment policies. Hernandez claims that, despite being rated highly in evaluations, he has been passed over to work the World Series. La primavera un trifoglio verde in un giardino del Massacchussets, un parquet incrociato sul quale pendono i drappi di 17 titoli di campioni del mondo. La primavera di Luigi Datome da Olbia una maglia dei Boston Celtics con un numero speciale e una nuova vita fatta di sogni e opportunit. Pi minuti, pi punti, pi fiducia.

[beersfromthebleachers]

2020 Wild Playoff Predictions

The trade deadline arrived and teams are gearing up for the final run in the last month of baseball. In a shortened season that feels like it only started yesterday, the current 2020 season is locking in for the playoffs that follow in October. With the new playoff format shifting to 16 teams in each league, the race is on to see who will be punching their tickets to the postseason. There are a handful of teams who are obvious contenders to make a run in the playoffs; however, with the recent trend of the Nationals and controversial Astros winning their first titles, it would be nice to see other teams try to accomplish that feat. There are also some teams that have been surprising, as their fans had no expectation of them making the playoffs at all. It will be great to see a 'Cinderella story' or a franchise win their first World Series, let's should definitely look at some of the possible contenders to weigh their odds of doing so at the end of the playoffs.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers were particularly quiet at the end of the trade deadline yesterday and made only one move by acquiring David Phelps from the Phillies. They also released Brock Holt and let Logan Morrison elect free agency, which in turn demonstrates that they are losing fire power as far as hitting is concerned. It looks like the Brewers chances are hanging more by a thread of returning back to the playoffs after representing the National League Central over the past two seasons. Still, their playoff odds have not completely gone out the window with their current chances over fifty-percent. What plays more into their favor is who is left on their schedule and which teams they are matched up against. The hardest matchups are against the Cubs, Indians, and the makeup games against the Cardinals. The Brewers should be able to handle the Tigers, Royals, and challenge the Reds on a decent level. The key to returning to the playoffs is outplaying the Cardinals, who will be restless from making up the games they missed from the beginning of the season. Winning those games will be essential for building momentum into the playoffs, and possibly making a deep run trying to win their first World Series.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have been demonstrating how well their farm system has developed and how competitive they can be in their division. They have also been hungry to return to the playoffs since their Wild Card berth in 2016. Currently holding the bottom seed in the playoff of the American League, the Blue Jays have the best tests ahead of them to see if they are ready for the playoffs and possibly gain a higher spot in the seeding. They have yet to play the Yankees all season, who are battered and bruised with injury and are not the same team they were from last year, and are relying on backup players. There is a total of ten games that have to be played between New York and Toronto and if the Blue Jays can win the majority of those games, they could possibly move ahead of the Yankees for second place. Other challenges the team has to face are the Phillies and the surprising Marlins who are current contenders. The rest of the teams the Blue Jays have to face are the Orioles, Red Sox, and Mets; which will not come easy but they can definitely outplay them. The Blue Jays have not lifted the World Series trophy since their last win in 1993, they also won the year before that. It would be great to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, and Hyun-Jin Ryu become champions in the young service time, making this team a bigger threat for their age.

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are always considered a fringe contender, yet they always seem to lose their footing before the season comes to an end. The Rockies started hot within the first fifteen games of the season going 11-4, but they seemed to be brought back into reality with one game under .500 at 18-19. At a current spot in sixth and behind the Padres and Dodgers, the team will have to do everything possible to win as many games as they can in order to remain a contender for the playoffs. Easy matchups for the Rockies include the Giants, Angels, and Diamondbacks who sold everyone at the deadline on Monday. Harder matchups for the team includes seven games with the Dodgers, a series with the Padres, and two short games with the Athletics. The Rockies have only been to one World Series after winning the National League pennant in 2007. Unfortunately, the team was swept by the Boston Red Sox and have never been back since. The Rockies are another team that could make a 'Cinderella story'.

Miami Marlins

It is funny how things work into your favor after being under the weather for a few days, and the Marlins are no exception to this rule. A true Wild Card in this whole shortened season, this team was not even considered anywhere a part of the competition and has been winning games to remain relevant in the playoff picture. Playing well into their opponents, the Marlins have a decent series against the struggling Red Sox, Yankees, and title hungover Nationals that can be taken advantage of. Their major obstacles include the Braves, Rays, and the Phillies. The series with the Phillies will be a true difference maker on staying relevant in this playoff race, which happens to be makeup games and have yet to display the talent of the two teams playing each other this season. The Marlins won their last title in 2003 during their Wild Card that shocked the world. Will they shock the world again and win a third World Series title? Only time will tell.

San Diego Padres

This is a team that is a definite playoff contender and it could be highly possible that they represent the National League in the World Series. The Padres have broken the "unwritten" rules of baseball and have taken the pedal to the metal in competing into their competition. What is even far more impressive is that they are the team that indefinitely won the trade deadline by acquiring a great deal of talent without sacrificing too much of their farm system. The Padres added Mike Clevinger into their rotation, which can definitely separate them in their division and help them run away with it. They can easily handle the rest of their opponents and all eyes will be on them when they host the Dodgers for the last time of the season in the middle of September. They also have a road series in Oakland, which will test their versatility on who they can challenge from the American League. Like the Blue Jays, this team is young and full of youth; however the Padres have never won a World Series and this would be the team to do so by breaking all the rules.

Tampa Bay Rays

A hot take that no one ever considers from the season prior is that had the Astros scandal surfaced before the postseason, the Rays would have beat them in the opening round of last season. The difference, the Astros represented the American League in the World Series…imagine if the Rays were the team instead of the Astros. No one likes to talk about the year prior, and that goes double for the Rays this season. A team that retooled even better than they were before last year, this team is firing on all cylinders and is sitting atop the American League with the best record. The Rays have also dominated their competition in their division, not losing a series since the beginning of August against the Orioles. Even more to their advantage, their schedule is not too difficult with the last month of baseball, with the Rays having the best chance of finishing the season winning 40-plus games. The Rays only had one trip to the World Series in 2008 and lost to the Phillies. Winning the franchise's first World Series title is everything this team needs to hold a strong presence in baseball, especially if it means saving the franchise from leaving the Tampa Bay area.

In an interesting match-up, the San Diego Padres and the Tampa Bay Rays would make a World Series to see which franchise is hungrier for their first title. Other teams that were not included on the list include a lethal Chicago White Sox team who just earned first place of the American League Central. With their crosstown rival also in first, an all Chicago World Series is more likely to happen than a Subway World Series featuring the city of New York. The Dodgers have been major favorites to win the title since the trade that brought the team Mookie Betts. They have not won a World Series title in 31-years when they beat the Oakland Athletics with the famous Kirk Gibson home run. Of all the teams that will make the playoffs, it will be a wild season to see who will be a part of the first 16-seeded playoffs of baseball, and hopefully it is one to remember.

[kikiskeysgame]

Kiki's Game Preview to the Chicago Blackhawks-Carolina Hurricanes Game (10/26/2019)

Previously in the Blackhawks' last game: The Blackhawks will be coming off a 4-1 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night, making it their third consecutive loss. Their all-time record against the Flyers drops to 47-64-30-1. The Blackhawks' 414 goals against the Flyers are the third-most goals scored against an opponent from the Metropolitan Division in franchise history. Entering Thursday's game, the Blackhawks committed the 4th-fewest penalties in the NHL with 24; their 50 PIM (penalty minutes) were also the fourth-fewest in the league. After recording two penalties in the game, they are now tied for second for the fewest penalties committed in the NHL this season with 26. Brandon Saad scored his third goal of the season & his 151st NHL career goal, making it the fifth time in his career that he has registered at least 5 points in the first eight games of the season. Kirby Dach got his first NHL career assist on Saad's goal, making him the eighth-youngest player in Blackhawks history to record an assist (at 18 years and 276 days old); of the youngest Blackhawks to record an assist, he was the fifth-fastest Blackhawk to do so in three games. He currently shares second with NHL rookies Jack Hughes & Kaapo Kakko for the most points tallied by a 2019 NHL Entry Draft selection this season. Dach's two points in three games makes him the second fastest 2019 NHL Entry Draft draft selection (behind Ville Heinola) to record his first two NHL points. Andrew Shaw got his first NHL assist of the season and his 123rd NHL career assist on Saad's goal. It is also Shaw's first point since October 10th and his first assist since April 6, 2019 against Toronto while he was with the Montreal Canadiens. He also led all Blackhawks forwards with 3 hits in the game. Calvin de Haan paced the team with a season-high of four blocked shots in the game; before Thursday's game, de Haan was second in the NHL with a hits-per-game average of 4.6 (min. 5 games). Olli Maatta led all Blackhawks defensemen with four hits in the game; Maatta is currently 6th on the team in hits. Robin Lehner was the losing goaltender; he made 19 saves out of 23 shots on goal during the game. Lehner currently has a record of 1-1-2 with a goals against average of 2.44 and a save percentage of .922. Blackhawks vs. Hurricanes: Today will be the first of two games that the Chicago Blackhawks and the Carolina Hurricanes will face each other this season; the next time will be on November 19th. Last season, the Carolina Hurricanes finished in 4th place in the Metropolitan Division and 7th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 46-29-7 with a home record of 24-13-4 and a road record of 22-16-3. The Hurricanes qualified for the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Blackhawks were 0-1-1 against the Hurricanes last season; they hold an all-time record of 36-32-7-2 against Carolina. The Carolina Hurricanes will be coming off a 4-3 overtime loss against the Columbus Jackets on Thursday night, making it their third consecutive loss. Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Dzingel and Sebastian Aho each scored a goal in the game; Warren Foegele, Jaccob Slavin, Martin Necas, Brett Pesce and Lucas Wallmark each got assists in the game as well. Petr Mrazek was the losing goaltender; he made 27 saves out of 31 shots on goal during the game. Mrazek currently has a record of 4-1-1 with a goals against average of 2.86 and a save percentage of .888 so far this season Players To Be Aware Of: Dougie Hamilton (who currently leads the team in points; he has gotten 4 points with 3 goals & 1 assist in 4 out of his last 5 games; he scored a goal in the Hurricanes' last goal) Ryan Dzingel (who has gotten 4 points with 3 assists & 1 goal in 4 out of his last 5 games; he scored a goal in the Hurricanes' last game) Erik Haula (who currently leads the team in goals; he has gotten 4 points with 3 goals & 1 assist in 4 out of his last 5 games; he did not have any points in the Hurricanes' last game)

[flickwatches]

M-V-P!

I’m going to be listing (ranking?) the MVPs for each team regardless of there League MVP potential.  Some teams have multiple players and I’ll be lucky to find at least 1 for some teams so lets go. 

20. Florida Mayhem

Hagopeun

Most consistent player on the roster.  The support back line for this team is pretty strong considering how bad the front line has been all season.  They have one of the worst Dva players in the league in my opinion.  

19. Washington Justice 

Corey

Not many good things to pull from this team but Corey has shown some strong flashes all season.  If anyone else could be mentioned it would be Ark.  Corey is easily the best player for the Justice this season. 

18. Houston Outlaws

Muma and Danteh 

Its hard to pick a player for this team considering how inconsistent the team and the players have been. Muma had strong flashes early in the season while Danteh struggled early on with his new team.  Could even argue Jake or Rawkus.  There all so evenly under performing to be honest. 

17.  Los Angeles Valiant 

Space and Kariv 

I’m not a big believer in Space but his talent can’t be denied.  He’s been playing strong all season.  Kariv hasn’t played for parts of the season so I didn’t want to include him but he is hard carrying lately.  Valiant could sneak into the season playoffs on a hot streak. 

16. Atlanta Reign 

Dafran

Pokpo and Massa

The most consistent parts of the Reign this season.  The glue that’s been holding this roster together in game.  Hopefully we get to see the power of Erster soon as DPS start to sneak back into the meta. 

15. Guangzhou Charge

Shu

With a better record we would easily be talking him as one of the best flex supports this season.  Each of the DPS have been popping off this season but Shu has been consistent and strong all season.  His front line needs to start performing better so he can shine.  

14. Boston Uprising

Fusions

This one is easy.  Was an MVP candidate till stage 3.  Right now he’s looking mortal but what he did the first 2 stages can’t be denied. One of the best Reinhardt players in the league. 

13. Paris Eternal 

Greyy and Nicogdh

Hard to judge such an under performing roster.  But Greyy and Nicogdh have been as consistent as possible.  Players like Danye, Finnsi, and Lhcloudy have been playing well at times thru out this poor season. 

12. Toronto Defiant

None

11. Chengdu Hunters

Ameng

1 trick.  Ball superstar.  Savior of the season.  We all know about his abilities on Hammond.  But the fact he played the other main tanks well is what gave Chengdu so many chances to win games.   Has been doing all he is capable of this season. 

Yveltal

Support god.  The mercy player challenging Neptuno.  This boy don’t care about no DPS players and is out gunning them down. 

Jinmu

Craziest DPS player.  He doesn’t do crazy flanks or overly aggressive pushes.  He just explodes at random during fights and finds huge amounts of value.  People question Chengdu in a pure DPS meta but I’m confident Jinmu would hold his own and than some. 

10. Dallas Fuel

None

Joking Joking.

OGE AKM

Consistent and strong.  This is honestly the strongest meta for a player like OGE but I feel like there must be an issue with coms for him not to be able to play well.  Either he isn’t comming strong or his team won’t let him.  AKM continues to have a strong season on a bad team.  Dallas has a lot of strong players not to mention Unkoe.  I can see why there fans are upset with them.  

9. Seoul Dynasty

Ryujehong

Well this one is stupid hard considering they play all 12 players.  They’ve all been playing well.  Marve1 has had a strong season also.  Both the lucio players have been consistent.  Wish they would of let some players become specialists and played a more solid group of players instead of 2 teams. 

8. Philadelphia Fusion

Carpe

Carpe at 50% power is still the best part of this team.  The longer this season has lasted the lower his play has gotten.  He tried to keep up his mentality in stage 1.  But you can tell he’s telegraphing his play in goats meta at this point. 

7. Shanghai Dragons

Gamsu

Everyone will want to talk about the DPS. And everyone will want to talk about the Supports.  But this team doesn’t have the record and the chance to make the playoffs it does without Gamsu.  He should be considered an MVP candicate after the Shock and Titan players. 

6. Hangzhou Spark

Guxue and IDK

IDK is one of the Lucio players that should be considered a real MVP candidate in my opinion.  Guxue has been strong and consistent since the middle of stage 1.  Could mention Adora but I feel like these 2 are the strongest part of this team so far this season.  

5. London Spitfire

Gesture and Fury 

Somehow still underrated in season 2.  Gesture if one of the best main tanks in OWL and possibly the best outside of goats.  Fury has been strong even on different roles this season.  I would be scared of these 2 late season as goats starts losing power.   

4. Los Angeles Gladiators

Hydration and Shaz and Biggoose 

Of all the DPS players the Gladiators could of showcased this season I did not expect it to be Hydration.  Has been strong inside and outside of goats.  The support back line has been strong and consistent as always. Its so easy to overlook them because they rarely make mistakes.  One of the best support duos in the league without a doubt. 

3. New York Excelsior 

Nenne

A lot of people would want to mention Jjonak and Meko.  But I would want to focus on the fact Nenne is the best player on this team RIGHT NOW.  Jjonak is Jjonak and Meko was a monster in parts of stage 1.  But Nenne is getting better every stage and been placed into a hyperbolic time chamber while being on the same team as all these world class DPS players.  As soon as he’s let off of Zarya you’re going to see the league’s strongest DPS player.  Watch out for stage 4 McCree meta. 

2. San Francisco Shock

Sinatraa and Moth and Super and Viol2t 

Crazy how each of these 4 players could win league MVP.   I think Sinatraa is blinding some people because he does that Sinatraa thing where he builds ults in 10 seconds.  And Super is the unmovable front line for this team.  But Moth is fucking crazy with his positioning how much he outperforms the opposing Lucio.  The power of the Shock is the support back line that out frags, builds ults faster, and just has better position than the opposing supports.  Viol2t is has been starting to hard frag since the end of stage 2.  

1. Vancouver Titans

Twilight and JJanu and Slime

All 3 are MVP candidates.  I really hope we don’t get stage 4 of DPS and have MVP voting for the entire season ruined by 7 games of what some popular player did.  Twilight is the top of the flex support players right now but he’s being followed hard by rest of the top players.  Slime and Moth are the 2 best Lucio players in the league without a doubt.   JJanu has been a super strong off tank player. Once Vancouver and San Francisco learn how to play off of goats and when to swap back to goats they won’t another game unless its against each other.  The kings won’t soon be dethroned.  

[tysonbearie]

here it is folks, my new passion project and hopefully weekly newsletter

also if you guys are interested i’ll be doing a poll soon on what to call it

So, I wanted to try my hand at some good old fashioned Sports Journalism™ and also maybe help newer hockey fans by making news and information more accessible to those still learning the lingo; plus, this was fun to make.

Weekly Recap:

NHL All-Star Weekend Last Man In voting ends January 10th, so head on over to nhl.com and vote for your favorites up to 10 times a day.

On January 1, the Boston Bruins faced the Chicago Blackhawks in Notre Dame Stadium under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus for the 11th annual Winter Classic. The Bruins won 4-2 in regulation.

Anaheim Ducks prospect and Team Canada captain Maxime Comtois has been repeatedly harassed on social media following Team Canada’s departure from the IIHF World Junior Championship.

The Edmonton Oilers recently acquired Brandon Manning from the Chicago Blackhawks, who you may remember as That Guy Who Broke McDavid’s Collarbone and Knocked Him Out of Calder Contention; more on this next week.  

Alex Ovechkin, of the Washington Capitals, was named captain of the Metropolitan Division for All-Star Weekend, but later announced he would not be attending. The NHL plans to penalize him by forcing him to sit out the first game immediately following All-Star Weekend.

The Philadelphia Flyers claimed goalie Mike McKenna off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks on Friday; McKenna is the seventh goalie the Flyers have had this season. While McKenna is expected to back Carter Hart, there is a chance he could be starting in net at some point in the near future.

Play of the Week:

During the December 31 matchup between the Dallas Stars and the visiting Montreal Canadiens, who beat the Stars 3-2 in Overtime, defenceman Jordie Benn (a former Star himself) incurred a penalty which resulted in a Power Play Goal scored by his own brother, forward Jamie Benn, captain of the Stars.

Players to Watch:

Forward Nikita Kucherov leads the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the league, with a total of 69 points; that’s 20 goals and 49 assists in 41 games, 17 of these points were notched in the last five games he’s played. Kucherov has a career total of 403 points in 406 games played.

Defenceman Tyson Barrie of the Colorado Avalanche became the all-time leader in scoring by a defenceman in franchise history on Friday. Barrie has 25 assists and 5 goals in 38 games this season. He has a career total of 278 points in 444 games played.

San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones has 17 wins, including 1 Shutout, and 4 Overtime Losses in 30 starts this season. Jones has faced an impressive 827 Shots Against this season, and has played a total of 1,751 minutes in 30 games played.

Prospect Watch:

Forward Filip Zadina, drafted 6th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in 2018, has 17 points in 27 games played this season. Zadina was recently loaned to Team Czech Republic for the IIHF World Junior Championship. He had a very successful career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, where he played for the Halifax Mooseheads. He won the Mike Bossy award as the league’s Best Professional Prospect in 2017-18. Zadina currently plays for the Grand Rapid Griffins of the American Hockey League.

Defenceman Nic Hague, drafted 34th overall by the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, has 17 points in 36 games played this season. Hague played for the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League. He led the Steelheads  in scoring with 35 goals and 78 points in the 17-18 season; he was awarded the Max Kaminsky trophy as Defenceman of the Year. Hague currently plays for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.

Forward Jordan Kyrou, drafted 35th overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2016, has 10 goals and 23 points in 23 games (in the AHL). Kyrou had a very successful career with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, tallying 109 points in 56 games during the 2017-18 season. He was awarded both the Red Tilson (Most Outstanding Player) and the Jim Mahon (Top Scoring Right Wing) trophies in 2017-18. Kyrou currently plays for the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League.

Team of the Week:

The New York Rangers, an Original Six team who are currently 5th in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, were founded in 1926 and play out of Madison Square Garden. They have won 4 Stanley Cups, most recently in 1993-94. Notable alumni include Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, Tim Horton, Guy Lafleur, Pat LaFontaine, and Marc Savard.

Outside the NHL:

The Calgary Inferno lead the Canadian Women’s Hockey League with 27 points in 16 games played. Rebecca Johnston leads the team with 10 goals and 25 points in 16 games.

The CWHL All-Star Game will take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on January 20.

The Boston Pride lead the National Women’s Hockey League with 14 points in 9 games played. Haley Skarupa leads the team with 4 goals and 11 points in 8 games.

The NWHL All-Star Weekend will take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville February 9-10.

Weekly Thoughts:

The Carolina Hurricanes made some interesting moves this summer, though it doesn’t really seem to have worked out so well for them. The Hurricanes had dealings with both the Buffalo Sabres and the Calgary Flames, who appear to have gotten the better end of these deals.

The Buffalo Sabres have been continuously improving their game this season, and currently hold the number one Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Sabres forward Jeff Skinner, acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes this summer, has 28 goals and 41 points in 41 games this season. Last season, Skinner finished with only 49 total points in 82 games.

The Calgary Flames are number one in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference and are, at this point, guaranteed to advance to Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Forward Elias Lindholm, acquired from the Hurricanes this summer in a package deal along with Noah Hanifin, currently has 20 goals and 48 points in 42 games this season with the Flames. Lindholm finished last season with 44 points in 81 games.

Defenceman Noah Hanifin, who was drafted 5th overall by the Hurricanes in 2015, currently has 21 points in 42 games. He tallied 32 points in 79 games last season.

The Carolina Hurricanes are 6th in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and are currently out of playoff contention.

Forward Michael Ferlund, acquired in a package deal from the Calgary Flames, has 12 goals and 19 points in 33 games. He tallied 41 points in 77 games last season.

Acquired in that same deal was defencemen Dougie Hamilton, who has tallied only 5 goals and 13 points in 40 games. Last season, Hamilton had 44 points in 82 games.

In exchange for Skinner, the Hurricanes acquired several future draft picks and prospect Cliff Pu, a forward, from the Sabres. Pu currently plays for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. He has a total of 3 points in 30 games this season.

In contrast to the Hurricanes, their AHL affiliate the Charlotte Checkers are having a fantastic season. The Checkers currently lead the Atlantic Division and the entire Eastern Conference with 53 points; that’s 25 wins at two points apiece, and 3 overtime, or OT, losses, which are worth one point each. That’s 5 more points than the second overall team in the conference, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (48 points), and 6 points more than the number one team in the Western Conference, the Iowa Wild (47 points.)  

In addition to being the top team in the league, two Checkers forwards, Nicolas Roy and Martin Necas, have been named CCM/AHL Player of the Week. Forward Janne Kuokkanen and defenceman Trevor Carrick have also been named to the AHL All-Star Classic; Mike Vellucci (Checkers) will coach the Atlantic Division.

Weekly Vocabulary:

Icing: When a player shoots the puck across both the center red line and the opposing team’s goal line with the puck remaining untouched.

Off-Side: When a player crosses the blue line in the attack zone before the puck.

Chirping: Mocking another player/ref/fan.

Body Checking: Using the hip or body to knock an opponent, sometimes against the boards or to the ice. Illegal in women’s hockey.

Hooking: The act of impeding an opponent by placing the blade of a stick into their body. Hooking incurs a penalty.

Slashing: The act of contacting an opponent's body or stick with one's own as a result of a swinging motion. Incurs a penalty.

Roughing: The act of contacting an opponent with the hand or fist when making a punching motion. Can incur either a penalty.

Boarding: Checking a defenseless player and causing them to violently impact the boards. Incurs a penalty.

Cross-Checking: The act of checking an opponent with the shaft of the stick held in both hands. Incurs a penalty.

Minor Penalty: Any penalty lasting 2-4 minutes.

Major Penalty: Any Penalty over 5 minutes.

Weekly Trivia:

Every year during the NHL Awards, the Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded to “the player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team." Winners are selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association in all NHL cities at the end of the regular season. Wayne Gretzky was awarded to Hart Memorial Trophy a total of nine times throughout his 20 season career, eight of which were consecutive from 1980-87. His ninth and final win came in 1989. Gretzky is one of two players who have won the Hart with more than one team; Mark Messier is the second.

Weekly Standings:

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division

Washington Capitals -- 52 points

Pittsburgh Penguins -- 52 points

Columbus Blue Jackets -- 49 points

Atlantic Division

Tampa Bay Lightning -- 66 points

Toronto Maple Leafs -- 54 points

Boston Bruins -- 50 points

Western Conference

Central Division

Winnipeg Jets -- 52 points

Nashville Predators -- 51 points

Dallas Stars -- 48 points

Pacific Division

Calgary Flames -- 54 points

Las Vegas Golden Knights -- 54 points

San Jose Sharks -- 51 points

*Note: all information was obtained prior to 12pm on Saturday January 5. Information occurring after the 12pm deadline will feature next week.

[yunsangelic]

captaindboss’ Hottest NHL Players Survey Responses

I’m demonkonecny bc it’s halloween!!! Happy Halloween!!! Anyway I’m finally posting the results of my hottest players per team survey, (it’s closed now so u can’t take it anymore, sorry) which included ur fav ugly hots like jack eichel and connor mcdavid. Y’all had some colorful write-in responses for me, I included my favorites! Anyway, as not to clog dashes I put it under a read more. If you have questions about how I compiled this data or how I organized it, feel free to ask! Also some of y’all didn’t put an answer for like half the teams???? who raised you.

Montreal Canadians

Carey Price (55.02%--126 of 229 votes)

Jonathan Drouin (23.58%--54 of 229 votes)

Shea Weber (13.10%--30 of 229 votes)

Other* (8.30%--19 of 229 votes)

*= Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

“PK Subban...oh wait...Lars Eller... Oh wait...Drouin...oh wait...Alex Galchenyuk...oh wait shit fine Shea Weber”

“Everyone who has escaped”

“their ‘attitude problem’“

Boston Bruins

Brandon Carlo (30.26%--69(lol) of 228 votes)

Patrice Bergeron (Cause y’all would kill me if I didn’t put him) (29.82%--68 of 228 votes)

David Pastrnak (yum i lov carb) (25.88%--59 of 228 votes)

Other* (14.04%--32 of 228 votes)

*= Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

[About Carlo] “He’s  a baby but also like has an ageless vampire quality which appeals to my ovaries, long conditioned by teen vampire novels”

“Brad Marchand's tongue (only the tongue)” [this ain’t it chief]

“I love my alien father tuukka rask” [r u ok]

Bonus, cause I’m weak:

“no one THINKS pasta is hot COME ON i hate us” [it’s okay, he is VERY hot, that’s why I put him lmao]

“Zdeno chara babey” [R U OK]

Bl*ckh*wks

Girl as if (44.80%--99 of 221 votes) 

Jonathan Toews (22.62%--50 of 221 votes)

If you put pk*ne here i’ll come to your house and murder you*^/other (17.65%--39 of 221 votes)

hahahahaHAHAHA (14.93%--33 of 221 votes)

*= tie between Nick Schmaltz and John Hayden.

^= 3 people want me to come to their houses and murder them, unfortunately it’s still illegal to do so, therefore I will not be doing that.

Write-ins

“toews player portrait makes him look like a human condom”

“i live in chicago and am willing to take 1 for the team and take out k*ne” 

“Bitch you funny but also Alex Debrincat”

New York Rangers

Brady Skjei (46.32%--107 of 231 votes)

Henrik Lundqvist duh (31.17%--72 of 231 votes)

Brett Howden is the right answer despite not being on the roster yet^ (11.69% (lol)--27 of 231 votes)

Other* (10.82%--25 of 231 votes)

*= Inconclusive results.

^= funny enough, like 2 days after I made this Brett made the final cut lmao.

Write-ins

“Chris Kreider (have you seen the golf pic???) [LMFAO yeah I have (it’s probably too NSFW if ur in public fyi if u wanna google it)]

“i'm horny for like half the gd rangers roster!!!!” [lol girl I know, y’all actually have a few cuties I was a lil shocked]

“this is a hot team too bad they suck”

Toronto Maple Leafs

Y’all are demons okay Nikita Zaitsev is a fuckin gem idk why I was surprised about this but I was lmao.

Other* (39.37%--87 of 221 votes) [just know that I hate u all :/]

William Nylander (25.79%--57 of 221 votes)

Nazem Kadri (24.89%--55 of 221 votes)

Nikita Zaitsev (9.95%--22 of 221 votes)

*= Freddie Andersen. 

Write-ins

“william nylander isn't a leaf, firstable, and second it's motch murner” [sjdhkdlsjdj everything about this]

“i'm putting rich clune even tho he's on the marlies. SOMETIMES HE COMES UP. he could benchpress ever leaf on the roster.” [ur valid, when u sent this I was like “FUCK they’re right.”]

“None they look like 25 year olds who smoke crack in the parking lot” [this is low-key mean but I still laughed, cause yeah, white dudes. But I’m not condoning drug abuse or jokes about drug abuse, as this person had no intention of doing, I’m sure. Just wanted to put that because I know some people might be concerned.]

Bonus, again, weak:

"Jxhn Txvxrxs” [jhkhfoij why did u censor his name sis??]

“nobody’s attractive on the leafs” [this isn’t true but I’m petty and it’s funny.]

Detroit Red Wings

I was so fucking offended by some of the dylan larkin SLANDER up in these write-ins, y’all can come to my house and fight me thx.

Dylan Larkin (48.23%--109 of 226 votes)

Henrik Zetterberg (im crying) (31.42%--71(CRYING) of 226 votes)

Other* (11.95%--27 of 226 votes)

Andreas Athanasiou (8.41%--19 of 226 votes)

*= 12 votes for “No one/Not Dylan Larkin” (yall r annoying lmfao), 10 votes for Filip Zadina (he’s a CHILD how dare u)

Write-Ins

“Luke glen denting is hot look at his arms and he’s not too old for ME” [girl when I tell u this shit killed me, I mean I SQUAWKED a laugh out and sent it to the fps gc, I was DEAD] 

“I don't know what any of the red wings look like and it's probably better that way” [????????????????]

“ion know anyone on the wings except zadina and he scored a gwg against the bruins yesterday so my answer for this one is none 😤😤” [(this was in reference to a pre-season game) lmao sis yall are okay. it was yalls babies against our roster players, I would have offed myself had the outcome been any different lmao]

Bonus

“Does anyone actually play for the red wings” [no]

“filip "thot" zadina” [don’t....]

Los Angeles Kings

The only right answer is Alec Martinez (41.56%--96 of 231 votes)

Adrian Kempe (38.10%--88 of 231 votes)

Anze Kopitar (12.12%--28 of 231 votes)

Other* (8.23%--19 of 231 votes)

*= Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

“jeff carter would snort a line of coke with gritty” [uhhhhh WHAT]

“uhh wayne gretzky...” [jvfluhddsf sis...]

“I couldn't name anyone on this team if you PAID ME” [fjldfdhfh god I wish that were me, sorry annie u know I joke....]

Philadelphia Flyers

Claude Giroux (44.78%--103 of 230 votes)

Travis Konecny (HAHAHAHAHA that’s my ugly hot gremlin) (24.78%--57 of 230 votes

Other* (22.17%--51 of 230 votes

Wayne Simmonds (8.26%--19 of 230 votes)

*= Nolan Patrick is apparently who y’all think is the 3rd hottest flyer, even tho he Looks Like That rn lmao. fuckin’ lettuce head.

Write-ins

“Gritty's googly eyes are the windows to the soul”

“andrea helfrich” [ur right]

“tk, because country boy i LOVE you 😛”

Bonus

“hey don't make threats abt gritty like that” [I put “if you put gritty i’ll block you”]

“My hellspawn son [Gritty,] is beautiful can’t believe Voracek and G had a son tho” [HDKUHEDKJFHD BITCH]

Pittsburgh Penguins :(

Kris Letang (55.17%--128 of 232 votes)

Other* (19.40%--45 of 232 votes)

Not Sidney Crosby [this is the option for Sidney Crosby] (16.81%--39 of 232 votes)

Tristan Jarry (8.62%--20 of 232 votes

*= different variations of “none” won but only by one vote, the person right behind was Jamie Oleksiak.

Write-ins

“the penguins roster came into my home and killed my entire family, but jamie oleksiak is 6'7" 255 lbs of A Man” [NDKFHSJRFDRBSKRFH valid]

“no penguin has ever been hot. As soon as they put on the jersey the hotness evaporates. Tragic.” [wow look at all that truth right there]

“as a heterosexual i chose letang, and as a flyers fan i choose the penguin mascot” [lmao girl letang is not the answer either]

St. Louis Blues

Colton Parayko (67.11%--151 of 225 votes)

Alex Pietrangelo (17.33%--39 of 225 votes)

Other* (8%--18 of 225 votes)

Ryan O’Reilly (7.56%--17 of 225 votes)

*= Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

“this [’other’] box shouldn’t exist there are no valid arguments against the angel colton parayko” [tru, but the blues have other hotties so I made the box to be fair to those of us who don’t like Big Blonde Sexies]

“uh valid i guess? idk any of the blues lmao” [LMAOOO I think they meant Vladdy, but “valid” cracked me up]

“ROR can lay me down” [ur so valid lmao]

Buffalo Sabres

Jeff Skinner (60.18%--136 of 226 votes)

Rasmus Ristolainen (17.26%--39 of 226 votes)

Other* (14.16%--32 of 226 votes)

Jack Eichel (8.41%--19 of 226 votes)

*= Inconclusive results. [Y’all big mad that I put Skinner on here. HE’S HOT!]

Write-ins

“Idk but not these lmao” [*instert that gif of the kardashians like “DON’T BE FUCKING RUDE”*]

“Why is Jeff Skinner an option he looks 12″ [who else tho sis. I looked at the roster!]

“If anyone says eichel i will come to their house and steal their toothbrushes. Its conor sheary.” [I took my own survey and picked Eichs but I still have my toothbrush so I guess......... I’m right.]

Bonus:

“Rasmus Ristolainen kinda looks like a creepy half-alive Ken doll, but I'll stand by my choice. Hire an exorcist.” [JDFKHRFWEH GIRL]

“They lost their only cute player when O’Reilly got traded sorry” [boom. roasted]

Vancouver Canucks

Brock Boeser (67.56%--152 of 225 votes)

Other* (13.78%--31 of 225 votes)

Jake Virtanen (12.44%--28 of 225 votes)

Ben Hutton (6.22%--14 of 225 votes)

*=Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

“[about Jake Virtanen] all that ass...........” [sjdkfhdkfhdkhfi yeah]

“the city of vancouver” [?????????????????????]

“I keep forgetting that the canucks actually exist” [I’m reasonably sure this is annie lmfao]

Bonus

“I don’t know how any of this team looks either” [idk if I follow Nucks blogs or what but how do u not know Boeser???]

“i don't care enough about this team to even attempt to answer” [this is my brain @ me on the last 5 questions of an exam]

New York Islanders

Mat Barzal (67.69%--155 of 229 votes)

Tito Beauvillier (14.85%--34 of 229 votes)

Jordan Eberle (10.48%--24 of 229 votes)

Other* (6.99%--16 of 229 votes)

*=Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

“you say put full names but then u go and say tito??” [LISTEN I was tired at this point and forgot that I was trying to be at least a little bit professional about my thirst survey alright? yeesh]

“Its Matt Martin my dude” [LMAO u funny]

“idk how anyone pays attention to mat when tito is always there looking better barzal looks like every attractive jock ive ever met and i dont trust that”

Calgary Flames

Noah Hanifin (37.95%--85 of 224 votes)

Elias Lindholm (32.59%--73 of 224 votes)

Matthew Tkachuk (20.54%--46 of 224 votes)

Other* (8.93%--20 of 224 votes)

*= Sean Monahan wins 4th hottest.

Write-ins

“[Hanifin] looks like the bad guy in a teen movie. the guy the Main Girl is dating in the beginning but is a real dick to her. you look at him and you KNOW he has a trust fund and votes republican. god he's so hot though” [hanny......... yeah.... yeah....]

“Why do I find Tkachuk attractive? I don't know but I love him” [me too]

“James 'The Real Deal' Neal” [lol I got this answer multiple times]

Washington Capitals

Tom Wilson (31.33%--73 of 233 votes)

Andre Burakovsky (29.18--68 of 233 votes)

Braden Holtby (24.03%--56 of 233 votes)

Other* (15.45%--36 of 233 votes)

*= Michal Kempny and Nicklas Backstrom tied for fourth hottest.

Write-ins

“literally no one, i s2g if i see anyone say ovi is attractive..... jfc god help them” [.... but ovi is dad-hot, also he got 3 votes]

“YOUR STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS! Everyone btw just a hot team of hot ugly men and Tom Wilson” [kskdjskdjksks]

“my sweaty swedish sweetheart; Nicklas Backstrom” [I’m too illiterate to read this right the first time thru lol]

Colorado Avalanche

Gabe Landeskog ( 55.95%--127 of 227 votes)

Other* (22.47%--51 of 227 votes)

Erik “Horsegirl” Johnson (14.1%--32 of 227 votes)

Mikko Rantanen (7.49%--17 of 227 votes)

*= Tyson Barrie won by more than double of all the other write-ins, but honorable mentions go to Nate MacK, Colin Wilson, Tyson Jost, Phillip Grubauer, and The Avs Tumblr People.

Write-ins - I (jokingly) got called bitch so much in these write-ins, y’all feel some type of WAY about this team lmfao.

“but also the tysons. i would buy a whole farm just so those boys could plow me into the ground.” [i’m SCREECHING. this killed me lol]

“only attractive b/c of his proximity to horses? maybe so.” [.... girl what]

Okay, so instead of a third quote, cause I couldn’t pick, I’m gonna put all the other funny EJ comments I was contemplating:

“ej is soooo ugly in the hottest way possible”

“erik "big horny" johnson”

“oh my god Ej was included for once I'm weeping tears of joy”

“What that mouth do EJ?”

New Jersey Devils

Miles Wood (36.12%--82 of 227 votes)

Taylor Hall (33.48%--76 of 227 votes)

Brian Boyle (19.82%--45 of 227 votes)

Other* (10.57%--24 of 227 votes)

*= Nico Hischier with the majority of the write-ins, even tho he’s still a CHILD (under 20).

Write-ins, aka Mostly Taylor Hall Commentary.

“Does Michael McLeod count” [YES girl i love that boy]

“Gucciiiiiii”

“DSL GUCCI”

“Nico Hischier (Taylor Hall I still love you)”

“i chose taylor and i don’t even need a gucci purse”

“If Taylor Hall gave me a Gucci purse I'd vote for him”

“catch me w/ a gucci purse, girl!!!! for real tho miles wood”

Dallas Stars

DISCLAIMER: I mean no disrespect to Katie, she’s fab and I made this survey a month or so ago. If you don’t know what I mean by this--do not ask me, I will delete the message. Thank you!

Tyler Seguin (46.96%--108 of 230 votes)

Katie Hoaldridge (im gay) (35.22%--81 of 230 votes)

Other* (13.91%--32 of 230 votes)

Stephen Johns (3.91%--9 of 230 votes)

*= Jamie Benn.

Write-ins

“tyler seguin has no upper lip” [I screamed, not exaggerating]

“You have to choose [Seguin] but I do so under duress”

“Im gay too” [hell yeah, this is a mlm and wlw friendly survey!]

Edmonton Oilers

Jujhar Khaira (28.57%--64 of 224 votes)

Other* (27.68%--62 of 224 votes)

Contract McMoney (he is hot) (25.89%--58 of 224 votes)

Darnell Nurse (17.86%--40 of 224 votes)

*= Leon Draisaitl won by more than 5 times anyone elses write-in lmao.

Write-ins ft. “The Draisaitl Quotes”

“McMoney’s money- just his money” [lmao ok sammie, HE’S HOT!]

“cannot mcwingames went off in the gq shoot i admit” [*annie voice* OHMYGOD]

“He’s [Khaira] like a romance novel cover like, f me” [tru]

Drai Quotes

“Drai but like lucic cause Momma needs a man that could kill me” [HDGFDHDGFHDH]

“leon dreisetl (is that his name, is this how you spell it?)”

“Leon Draisaitl and his contract that he doesn't deserve” [backhanded compliment lmao]

“the one w the longass name. dry saitl or whatever” [girl. lmfao]

Winnipeg Jets

Jets/laine fans are funny so I’m adding all the funniest ones instead of just 3 or 5. Sorryyyyyy I’m here to entertain.

Blake Wheeler (44.04%--96 of 218 votes)

Mathieu Perreault (but specifically in his newest headshot) (21.56%--47 of 218 votes)

Other* (19.27%--42 of 218 votes)

Connor Hellebuyck (15.14%--33 of 218 votes)

*= Patrik Laine, even tho I said NOT TO, demons.

Write-ins

“Their logo so I can fly away from this stupid team”

“Nobody but I just needed to point out Connor Hellebuyck looks like a stage magician and that is Not Hot” [i respectfully disagree with the last bit but the first parts made me snort]

“I don't know who windy pegg is”

“Boeing 747″ [sjdjsljlshgdu]

“they’re all second to jacob trouba’s dog Donnie”

“Patty Laine, but like, without the demon beard”

“Let me live my life! Laine has a good voice and i have a LANGUAGE KINK!”

“Laine WITH the beard because I don't fear death”

“Sorry, Laine but only with his beard” [I love the halfhearted apology]

“Goatboi”

“ALL HAIL THE GOAT DEVIL”

“laine come at me bitch lol” [denny’s parking lot. 3 am. be there.]

“laine looks like a goat”

“Laine’s Beard”

“LAINE I like the beard but hockey Satan is good to hellebuyck” [I really felt like I was tripping balls while reading all these but, ESPECIALLY this one lmfao]

Arizona Coyotes

Oliver Ekman-Larsson (30.32%--67 of 221 votes)

Jakob Chychrun (28.05%--62 of 221 votes)

Dylan Strome (26.24%--58 of 221 votes)

Other* (15.38%--34 of 221 votes)

*= Alex Galchenyuk, with the majority of the votes.

Write-ins

“pls date me Chych” [annie, that’s my BF!]

“ 🐼 there is no raccoon emoji >:(”

“[Chychrun] [a]lso has a vampire quality but like trust fund baby vampire who has no morals. I’m...into it??” 

Honorable mentions: The 2 people who put Biz lmaoooo I love yall.

Carolina Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov [he’s a baby but I didn’t know who elseeee] (38.29%--85 of 222 votes)

Haydn Fleury (35.59%--79 of 222 votes)

Other* (15.77%--35 of 222 votes)

Dougie Hamilton (10.36%--23 of 222 votes)

*= Sebastian Aho wins the write-in vote [he ain’t it!]

Write-ins

“Justin Faulk (I’m old so svechnikov is out)” [ugh ur right I didn’t make this more inclusive to people not my age, i’m (genuinely) sorry!!!]

“Formerly Eric ‘the hottest Staal' Staal” [only on the cane’s write-in would I have this happen...]

“[Jordan] staal terrifies me but that's hot” [true!]

San Jose Sharks

Erik Karlsson (70.04%--159 of 227 votes)

Martin Jones (17.62%-- 40 of 227 votes)

Other* (11.01%--25 of 227 votes)

Justin Braun (idk) (1.32%--3 of 227 votes)

*= Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

“Daddy shark (doo doo doo)” [just so yall know this is, of course, annie, as in anzekopistar, an actual demon, she’s talking about Erik Karlsson :)]

“Brent Burns, you know im right” [are you tho?]

“Okay sometimes I have needs I think Joe Thorton sans beard could fill” [this is why joe shaved. he felt this person in the universe wanting him to, so he did, wow thank u joe]

Ottawa Senators (lol)

Matt Duchene (33.63%--75 of 223 votes)

The entire team (cause they’re a dumpster fire) (30.94%-- 69 [it’s that tkachuk fuckboi energy] of 223 votes)

Other (there are none)* (22.87%--51 of 223 votes)

Spartacat (12.56%--28 of 223 votes)

*= Inconclusive results (because a lot of you took my “there are none” joke a little too seriously and just chose that, no write-in lmao)

Write-ins

“[about Duchene] he's traitorous but it's like that sometimes i guess” [sjdhdjfhkdhf girl it’s okay.]

“.... we're a team“ [i-]

“the senator on their jerseys is p cute ig”

Bonus:

“oh so spartacat is an option but not gritty huh” [LISTEN the flyers are a HOT team, the sens are NOT. that’s why lmao]

“Just based on headshots I’m going with Ben Sexton like also how do you go wrong with that name”

Tampa Bay Lightning

Brayden Point (55.25%--121 of 219 votes)

Other* (22.83%--50 of 219 votes)

Mitchell Stephens (11.87%--26 of 219 votes)

Steve Yzerman (10.05%--22 of 219 votes)

*= Inconclusive results. Although there were a lot of responses none of them added up significantly sooo....

 Write-ins

“am i the only one who thinks stevie y was a bit of a twink when he was younger?” [jdhslihdalskdjefh]

“Worst team in the league i hate them and theyre all hideous” [u sure bout that, bud?]

“Stamkos (I love his tiny eyes)” [????]

Florida Panthers

 Aaron Ekblad (71.75%--160 of 223 votes)

Aleksander Barkov [r yall ok???] (11.66%--26 of 223 votes)

Other* (10.31%--23 of 223 votes)

Vincent Trocheck (6.28%--14 of 223 votes)

*= Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

“who are the panthers” [sometimes a team is a dog captain, a(n extremely hot) 27-year-old lawyer, and not owen tippett because the panthers hate me specifically]

“Roberto Luongo during Parkland speech” [... valid]

“barkov is literally the only player i know on this team” [shey would be happy to teach u about the panthers!]

Anaheim Ducks

Adam Henrique (52.47%--117 of 223 votes)

No one else (29.6%--66 of 223 votes)

Other* (10.76%--24 of 223 votes)

John Gibson (7.17%--16 of 223 votes)

*=Inconclusive results.

Write-ins-Ducks fans don’t @ me but i’m pretty sure half of these were submitted by y’all anyways....

“if i look @ anyone on the ducks roster for more than 5 seconds i BLACK OUT” [KSHDGJDHSKH Adam tho....]

“Quack Quack go lay your eggs somewhere else you feathered FUCKS” [sjdjfhdjsksj]

“legal 2 say kesler?” [no. go to jail]

Bonus

“Henrique is fine I have no qualms about your selections” [thnk u]

“jared coreau!!! GOOGLE HIM i’m right” [I said this, and we’ve talked, but I need people to know that I, after seeing this, subsequently found out that the Wings didn’t sign coreau back this offszn lmao] 

Nashville Predators

Roman Josi (39.39%--91 of 231 votes)

PK Subban (37.66%--87 of 231 votes)

Kevin Fiala (13.42%--31 of 231 votes)

Other* (9.52%--22 of 231 votes)

*= Pekka Rinne for 4th hottest. [My mom loves him for his name lol. she says it’s “fun”]

Write-ins 

“pk wears cool hats. I like that in a man”

“I don't find any of them hot (Josi used too be hot and then I learned he was illiterate and now I feel nothing but pity towards him)” [GIRL]

“preds are also ugly. pk subban would be attractive if he werent a pred” [lmao. what’d they do to u ?]

Columbus Blue Jackets

Pierre-Luc Dubois (50.22%--113 of 225 votes)

Zach Werenski (20.44%--46 of 225 votes)

Josh Anderson (16.89%--38 of 225 votes)

Other* (12.44%--28 of 225 votes)

*= Alex Wennberg is 4th hottest [lmao]

Write-ins

“Can I put werenskie and Anthony Duclair” [valid]

“Just to be clear CBJ is by far the hottest team exemplified by the fact that you left Seth Jones and Alexander Wenneberg off this list when they're like top 20 in hotness. Also Nick Foligino wins if we include looks and personality.” [I didn’t include them cause this is a mix of hot and ugly hot fam, the avs are 100% the hottest team in the NHL, and that’s coming from me, a Wings fan, destined to hate the Avs for my entire life. Also???? The hotter Foligno is def Marcus lmao]

“[About Werenski] only with the scar though otherwise seth jones” [GIRL scars don’t disappear??? WDYM only with the scar??? Are you a time traveler??? lmfaooo]

Minnesota Wild

J.T. Brown (46.46%--105 of 226 votes)

Other* (21.68%--49 of 226 votes)

Eric Staal (20.80%--47 of 226 votes)

Jason Zucker (11.06%--25 of 226 votes)

*= Charlie Coyle. Honorable mentions to Zach Parise and Matt Dumba.

Write-ins

“Charlie Coyle man! V hot, could kill you, gently waves at babies, 10/10″ [exactly my type! wow]

“ Not JT[,] Lexi is the hottest[,] Eric Staal from a few years ago is also hot” [I added commas to your thing cause.... girl it took me a sec to understand what u were tryna say. But also ur right it’s Lexi.]

“love a #wokebae jt” [yaaas]

FINALLY this legit took me like 10+ hours of work cause I had to transcribe all the info cohesively and then go thru all the responses lmao.

Vegas Golden Knights

William Karlsson (40.52%--94 of 232 votes)

Marc-Andre Fleury (30.60%--71 of 232 votes)

Max Pacioretty (16.81%--39 of 232 votes)

Other* (12.07%--28 of 232 votes)

*= Inconclusive results.

Write-ins

“[Karlsson] because he looks like young Bill from Mamma Mia” [shfhdjdhf girl]

“fleury isn't hot you absolute monster” [???????? drink ur bitterness tea somewhere else pls]

“let's find out just how wild this boy is” [pftd dtduftdhjfgdjfghdjf]

Bonus/Honorable mentions:

The TWO people who put “colin miller’s eyelashes” lmfaoooo

Alrighty this is The End! If you’d like to see another survey by me let me know in my messages/ask!!! Also sorry for stealing de la Rose from u, habs fans

[martinnecas]

Everything You Need To Know About William Nylander

See what other players I’ve done a EYNTKA on

Name: William Andrew Michael Junior Nylander Altelius

Nickname: Will, Willy, Sniper, 1/3rd of the ‘Three headed monster’

Born: May 1st, 1996 (age 22) Taurus

Birth Place: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Height: 6’ft

Position: Centre/Right wing (Shoots right)

NHL Draft: 8th overall, 2014 Toronto Maple Leafs

       i.          William was born in Calgary while his father played for the Calgary Flames.

      ii.          His younger brother is Alexander Nylander, who was selected 8th overall in the 2016 draft by Buffalo.

     iii.          William was raised in several different cities in the U.S., following his father’s professional career to Tampa Bay, Chicago, Washington, Boston and New York.

     iv.          His family later moved to Sweden when he was 14.

      v.          Although Will was born in Canada, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said Nylander was able to represent Sweden.

     vi.          He played with Team Sweden at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge. He helped them win a gold medal, scoring a tournament high with eight assists.

   vii.          While living in Sweden he focused on bettering his hockey skills. Playing on teams Sodertalje, Rogle and Modo of the SHL.

  viii.          On February 14th, 2013, Nylander made his Allsvenskan debut where he was able to play with his father on Södertälje SK.

     ix.          William joined team Sweden again in the 2014 IIHF World U-18 Championships, scoring an impressive 16 points in 7 games.

      x.          He was selected 8th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2014 NHL Draft.

     xi.          Nylander scored a pre-season goal against the Philadelphia Flyers.

   xii.          Maple Leafs then decided to send him to the Toronto Marlies (AHL). 37 games into the season, William gave Toronto a good first impression scoring 14 goals and 32 points.

  xiii.          In the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, William finished 5th in tournament with scoring, which was the highest of any player not on Team Canada.

  xiv.          William went back to playing in the SHL, but on January 12th, 2015, William was sent to the Marlies again to help develop his game. Despite only playing the first half of the season with Modo, he was still mentioned as a possible candidate for rookie of the year.

   xv.          Even though he only joined the team in January, he still registered 32 points in 37 games. The Marlies were at the bottom of the standings, but since Nylander’s return, they were able to make the playoffs.

  xvi.          February 29th, 2016, William made his NHL debut alongside his friend from the Marlies, Kasperi Kapanen.

xvii.          He scored his first goal on March 5th, 2016 against the Ottawa Senators.

xviii.          His first NHL goal was assisted by Brooks Laich, who assisted Will’s father on his last NHL goal

  xix.          The next season, Nylander made the Maple Leafs roster full-time

    xx.          William was named Rookie of the Month for the month of October 2016

  xxi.          He had recorded 11 points in 9 games, becoming second in league for scoring and first among rookies.

xxii.          Named rookie of the month again in March of 2017

xxiii.          April 3rd, 2017, his brother, Alex, made his NHL debut, which happened to be against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

xxiv.          William recorded 61 points for the season helping the team reach the playoffs, although they were eliminated in the first round

xxv.          William joined Team Sweden for the 2017 IIHF World Championship, where they won gold. He was first on the team in scoring, with 14 points in 10 games and was named tournament MVP.

xxvi.          He also almost killed Lundqvist after winning gold  

xxvii.          During the 2017–18 season, Nylander was again placed on the top line with Matthews and Hyman.

xxviii.          He ended the regular season with 61 points, just as he did his rookie season. Helping the Leafs qualify for the playoffs again, however, they were eliminated after the first round again.

xxix.          He did not join team Sweden again, he took the summer off. However, we have received some beautiful pictures of him this offseason, enjoy.

xxx.          Bonus Fact: His go to Karaoke song is Single Ladies by Beyoncé

xxxi.          Bonus Fact x2: He has a tendency to chew, here is a lovely video

__________________________________________

That’s all I have I hope you enjoyed!

~ALL gifs made by me~

~All photos and information were easily found throughout google~

~All videos were easily found on YouTube~

~I was going to make a resource page, but it was getting extremely long. If you want any specific links let me know.~

[blackkudos]

Willie O'Ree

Willie Eldon O'Ree, CM, ONB (born October 15, 1935 in Fredericton, New Brunswick) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, known best for being the first black player in the National Hockey League. O'Ree played as a winger for the Boston Bruins. O'Ree is referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of ice hockey" due to breaking the black color barrier in the sport, and has stated publicly that he had met Jackie Robinson twice in his own younger years.

Playing career

Midway through his second minor-league season with the Quebec Aces, O'Ree was called up to the Boston Bruins of the NHL to replace an injured player. O'Ree was 95% blind in his right eye due to being hit there by an errant puck two years earlier, which normally would have precluded him from playing in the NHL. However, O'Ree managed to keep it secret, and made his NHL debut with the Bruins on January 18, 1958, against the Montreal Canadiens, becoming the first black player in league history, appearing in two games that year, and came back in 1961 to play 43 games, playing with Boston centreman Don McKenney and right wing Jerry Toppazzini. He scored 4 goals and 10 assists in his NHL career, all in 1961.

O'Ree noted that "racist remarks were much worse in the U.S. cities than in Toronto and Montreal," the two Canadian cities hosting NHL teams at the time, and that "Fans would yell, 'Go back to the South' and 'How come you're not picking cotton?' Things like that. It didn't bother me. I just wanted to be a hockey player, and if they couldn't accept that fact, that was their problem, not mine."

In the minor leagues, O'Ree won two scoring titles in the Western Hockey League (WHL) between 1961 and 1974, scoring thirty or more goals four times, with a high of 38 in 1964–65 and 1968–69. Most of O'Ree's playing time was with the WHL's Los Angeles Blades and San Diego Gulls. The latter team retired his number, now hanging from the rafters at the San Diego Sports Arena. O'Ree continued to play in the minors until the age of 43.

Impact on hockey

After O'Ree's stint in the NHL, there were no other black players in the NHL until another Canadian player, Mike Marson, was drafted by the Washington Capitals in 1974. There were 23 black players in the NHL as of the mid-2010s, the most prominent being Canadian (and current Nashville Predators defenseman) P.K. Subban. Art Dorrington was the first black player to sign an NHL contract, in 1950 with the New York Rangers organization, but never played beyond the minor league level. NHL players are now required to enroll in a diversity training seminar before each season, and racially based verbal abuse is punished through suspensions and fines.

Honours/inductions

O'Ree was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1998, O'Ree was working at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California when the National Hockey League approached him to be the director of youth development for its diversity task force. The NHL/USA Hockey Diversity Task Force is a non-profit program for minority youth that encourages them to learn and play hockey. As of the mid-2000s, O'Ree lives in Berkeley, California.

On the afternoon of January 19, 2008, the Bruins and NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly honoured O'Ree at TD Garden in Boston to mark the 50th anniversary of his NHL debut. In addition, The Sports Museum of New England located in the TD Garden, established a special exhibit on O'Ree's career, comprising many items on loan from his personal collection.

Those in attendance included a busload of friends from O'Ree's hometown of Fredericton. Two days earlier, the City of Fredericton honoured him by naming a new sports complex on the North side after him. On January 27, 2008, the NHL also honoured O'Ree during the 56th National Hockey League All-Star Game in Atlanta, Georgia. On February 5, 2008, ESPN did a special on him in honour of Black History Month.

On October 29, 2008, San Diego State University presented O'Ree with an Award for Outstanding Commitment to Diversity and Cross Cultural Understanding.

In 2008, O'Ree was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the Breitbard Hall of Fame honouring San Diego's finest athletes both on and off the playing surface.[1]

On April 7, 2010, O'Ree received the Order of Canada, the highest civilian award for a Canadian citizen. He was honoured as a pioneer of hockey and dedicated youth mentor in Canada along with the U.S.

On June 28, 2011, The Sports Museum at TD Garden in Boston honoured O'Ree with the Hockey Legacy Award at the 10th Annual "The Tradition." Other honourees that evening included Larry Bird, Mike Lowell, and Ty Law.

As the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals was about to start, the San Jose Sharks' Barbadian Canadian-ethnicity star right winger Joel Ward was preparing to play against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ward spoke to ESPN, stating that O'Ree was one of his inspirations to play pro hockey, and should have his player number 22 retired by the NHL league-wide, just as Jackie Robinson, the first player of color in Major League Baseball has been honored - and whose own legacy Ward honors by using player number 42 himself in NHL play, as Robinson has famously had his own player number 42 retired league-wide in pro baseball.

Awards

WHL Second All-Star Team (1969)

Lester Patrick Award (2000)

Order of New Brunswick (2005)

Willie O'Ree Place (Fredericton arena, dedicated 2008)

Order of Canada (2008)

Breitbard Hall of Fame (2008)

http://wikipedia.thetimetube.com/?q=Willie+O%27Ree&lang=en

[fromthe-point]

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has acquired goaltender Michael Hutchinson from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Toronto's fifth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Hutchinson will report to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).

Hutchinson, 28, has appeared in four games with the Panthers this season. He has also appeared in eight games for the Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL). Prior to joining the Panthers organization, Hutchison appeared in 102 games for the Winnipeg Jets from 2013-18 where he had a 43-39-11 record, a .910 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average. As a member of the Manitoba Moose (AHL) in 2017-18, Hutchinson was selected to the AHL's Second All-Star Team and participated in the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic.

Hutchinson was originally drafted by Boston in the third round (77th overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft.

[prnanayarquah]

Golden State Warriors wins 4th NBA title beating Boston Celtics

New Post has been published on https://plugzafrica.com/golden-state-warriors-wins-4th-nba-title-beating-boston-celtics/

Golden State Warriors wins 4th NBA title beating Boston Celtics

BOSTON (AP) The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions once again, topping the Boston Celtics 103-90 on Thursday night for their fourth title in the last eight seasons.

Stephen Curry scored 34 points and was named the NBA Finals MVP as the Warriors claimed the franchise’s seventh championship overall. And this one completed a journey like none other, after a run of five consecutive finals, then a plummet to the bottom of the NBA, and now a return to greatness just two seasons after having the league’s worst record.

”We found a way to just get it done,” Curry said after the Warriors accepted the championship trophy and celebrated on the court.

With tears in his eyes and hoarse with emotion, Curry struggled to speak as he explained what allowed the Warriors to capture their latest crown.

”It’s part of a championship pedigree, our experience,” he said. ”We built this for 10-11 years. That means a lot when you get to this stage.”

For Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, it’s a fourth championship. The first three rings came in 2015, 2017 and 2018, when Golden State was dynastic and made five consecutive trips to the finals.

”They’re all unique, they’re all special,” coach Steve Kerr said of the multiple titles. ”This one might have been the most unlikely. … It takes a group effort to get it done and we had a great group.”

Injuries, including ones that sidelined Thompson for 2 1/2 years, and roster changes changed everything. But this season, with Thompson returning around the midway point, the Warriors were finally back.

Back on top, too. Champions, again, denying the storied Celtics what would have been their record 18th championship, one that would have allowed Boston to break a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most in league history.

This tale for the Warriors ended much differently than what was their most recent finals appearance against Toronto in 2019, one that saw Kevin Durant tear his Achilles tendon in Game 5 and then Thompson tear his ACL in what became the Raptors’ title-clincher in Game 6.

The aftermath of that loss was exacerbated by Durant’s decision to leave that summer in free agency to join the Brooklyn Nets and Thompson’s own Achilles injury while rehabilitating his knee injury.

”It all paid off,” Thompson said. ”It was dog days, a lot of tears shed. … You knew it was a possibility, but to see it in real-time. . It’s crazy.”

It thrust a Golden State team into a rebuild that became a reload. The Warriors used their two-year hiatus from the NBA’s biggest stages to retool their roster – adding a past No. 1 draft pick in Andrew Wiggins, who excelled in his first finals, along with another rising star in Jordan Poole.

”This one hits different for sure knowing what the last three years meant, what it’s been like,” Curry said. ”Injuries, the changing of the guard, rosters, the young guys. … Now, we got four championships. Me, Dray, Klay and Andre.

”Finally got that bad boy,” Curry added, referring to the MVP trophy. ”It’s special. … Everybody mattered in that process.”

Yes, it all clicked.

For Kerr, it’s the ninth championship overall after winning five as a player. He’s the sixth coach to capture four titles, joining Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, John Kundla, Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 34 points but Jayson Tatum finished with just 13, shooting just 6 of 18 from the field. Boston also committed 22 turnovers, dropping to 1-8 this postseason when committing 16 or more.

It was just the fifth defeat in 22 title-series appearances for Boston, which turned its season around to have a chance at this crown. Boston was 25-25 after 50 games, then went on a tear to get to the finals and nearly claim what would have been just the franchise’s second championship since 1986.

It was the third consecutive season where things were affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and while things were closer to normal, pictures and video of the championship celebration will serve as a forever reminder that the virus was still an issue.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver could not be at the game because he remained in the league’s health and safety protocols related to the virus. The redesigned Larry O’Brien Trophy – the golden souvenir given to the NBA champions – was presented to the Warriors by deputy commissioner Mark Tatum instead.

Boston trailed by as many as 22 points but battled back and cut the deficit to eight. A Jaylen Brown 3-pointer made it 86-78 with 5:33 to play, but the Warriors never relinquished the lead.

”Just couldn’t withstand their runs,” Celtics centre Robert Williams said. ”Messing up. They played harder and won tonight.”

Curry sent Boston fans streaming toward the exits with his sixth 3 of the night to give the Warriors a commanding 15-point lead, 96-81 – then clasped his hands against his face as he ran back down the court, signalling an end to Boston’s hopes of extending the series.

”We’ve had so many great players,” Kerr said, ”but Steph, ultimately is why this run happens.”

TIP-INS

Warriors: Went 19 of 45 from the 3-point line. . Improved to 20-1 when Green makes a 3-pointer.

Celtics: Boston’s 13-point loss marked the first finals without a single-digit game. … Former Celtic Ray Allen, a member of Boston’s last championship team in 2008, sat courtside. Hall of Famer Robert Parish was also in attendance.

A RUN, AND A RESPONSE

The Celtics came out firing, riding the energy from a deafening TD Garden crowd to take an early 14-2 lead.

Golden State wasn’t rattled and responded with a 35-8 run that stretched into the second quarter on the way to building as much as a 22-point lead. The Warriors outscored the Celtics 27-17 for the period and carried a 54-39 lead into the second half as some Celtics fans booed the home team as they left the court.

Boston fought back in the third, but the Warriors found their range from beyond the arc, connecting on six 3s in the quarter.

Courtesy: CBS Sports

[kikiskeysgame]

Chicago Blackhawks Player Reviews: Duncan Keith

Games Played: 82 Goals: 6 Assists: 34 Points: 40 Plus\Minus: 13 PIM: 70 Game Winning Goals: 1

Summary On October 7, 2018, Duncan Keith got his first multi-point game of the season with 3 assists in a 7-6 loss against Toronto. He skated in his 1,000th NHL career game on October 13th in a 4-3 win against St. Louis where he got an assist in the game. He had a career high of 8 shots on goal on November 24th in a 5-4 win against Florida.

On December 1st in a 5-2 loss against Nashville, Keith had a career-high of 29 penalty minutes and got a game misconduct after fighting with Miikka Salomäki which caused him to be ejected from the game.

On December 11th, Keith and Brent Seabrook played in their 1,000th game as teammates in a 6-3 loss against Winnipeg.

On January 1, 2019, he passed Bobby Hull for third-most games played in team history in a 4-2 loss against Boston.

January was a good month for Keith as he had a four-game point streak with 4 assists from January 3rd to January 9th. On January 6th, he scored his first goal of the season in a 5-3 win against Pittsburgh.

On February 12th, he had a multi-point game with a goal and an assist in a 6-3 loss against Boston. From February 22nd to February 27th, Keith had a three-game point streak with 4 assists.

On March 23rd, Keith got his 31st assist of the season and skated in 26:24 of total ice time in a 4-2 loss against Colorado; the next day on March 24th, he scored the game-winning overtime goal in a 2-1 win against Colorado.

On April 5th, Keith got his 34th assist of the season in a 6-1 win against Dallas. He also ended the season as the leader in ice time for the 14th straight season in a row.

Thoughts from my point with view Points-wise, I thought that Duncan Keith made quite an improvement; he went from having 32 points in the 2017-18 season to 40 points in the 2018-19 season. He also improved in scoring goals as well going from scoring two goals in the previous season to scoring 6 this season.

Keith’s statistics may not have been as high as they were back in the 2016-17 season (where he had 53 points), but he has shown that he can still be productive during his time on the ice and has proven to be quite helpful to the team, especially when he scored the overtime-winning goal against Colorado back in March. He also appeared to develop good chemistry with rookie teammate Henri Jokiharju when they were paired up together during the first half of the season.

Keith is still signed with the team through the 2022-23 season. If the Hawks are able to fix the struggles with their defense and Keith is able to continue to be productive on the ice, I have a feeling that he’ll do quite well next season.

[tysonbearie]

this weeks newsletter is here!! this week the spotlight shines on the underdogs

Weekly Recap:

Last Man In voting has concluded, and the winners are forward Jeff Skinner (Atlantic), forward Gabriel Landeskog (Central), defenceman Kris Letang (Metropolitan), and forward Leon Draisaitl (Pacific).

The IIHF World Junior Championship ended with a 3-2 regulation gold medal victory for Team Finland. Team USA was awarded silver; Team Russia took home bronze.

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Kings hosted “90’s Night,” during which they used glowing pucks. The glowing pucks originally debuted in 1996, but were later discontinued at the end of the 1997-98 season.

The Montreal Canadiens announced on Monday that goalie Carey Price would be opting out of All-Star Weekend. Price is currently recovering from a lower-body injury and the organization felt he should take the time to rest instead. He will be replaced by goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

All-Star Weekend will be hosted by the San Jose Sharks January 25-26. The NHL has partnered with Adidas to produce eco-friendly jerseys made from marine plastic waste materials. The jerseys will feature team logos for the first time.  

On Tuesday, Mike McKenna became the seventh goaltender to start for the Philadelphia Flyers this season. McKenna was claimed from waivers last week from the Ottawa Senators, after being previously acquired (by Ottawa) in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Blue Jackets have issued a statement as to why they opted to sit goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky; Bobrovsky apparently acted in a way that the organization did not agree with that is unrelated to his upcoming free agent status and they will not be saying anymore about the incident. Bobrovsky and the organization have since ‘cleared the air,’ and Bobrovsky may start against the Capitals on Saturday.

Rick Nash will be retiring from professional hockey after 15 seasons. Nash’s agent released a statement on Friday that cited lingering concussion symptoms and post-concussion syndrome as the reason for his sudden departure.  

Play of the Week:

On Sunday, forward Jesse Puljujarvi of the Edmonton Oilers beat out goaltender John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks with an absolutely astounding no-look backhand pass. It was by no means a pretty play, but it was impressive in its execution. The Oilers went on to shutout the Ducks 4-0 in their own arena.

Players to Watch:

Goalie Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings recently became the 5th American born goalie to tally his 300th career win. Quick has 300 wins and 58 overtime (OT) losses in 576 games played so far in his career. He has started in 30 games this season, winning 7.

Defenceman Robert Bortuzzo of the St. Louis Blues has tallied 1 goal and 5 points in 24 games played this season. He has a career total of 13 goals and 47 points in 300 games played. Bortuzzo recently signed a three-year contract extension with the Blues.

Forward Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers has 11 goals and 24 points in 44 games played this season. He has a career total of 46 goals and 99 points in 195 games played. He was selected in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft (24th overall). In his rookie season (2015-16) Konecny was awarded the E.J. McGuire Award of excellence by the NHL; this award goes to the prospect who “best exemplifies the commitment to excellence.” He is the first recipient of this award.

Prospect Watch:

Forward Alexandre Fortin, who went undrafted in 2015, has 2 goals and 5 points in 14 games played this season with the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League; he has 3 goals and 6 points in 24 games played this season with the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. Fortin played for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2014-17, during which he accumulated 52 goals and 135 points in 173 games played.

Defenceman Philippe Myers, who went undrafted in 2015, has 7 goals and 24 points in 36 games played this season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. Myers played for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2013-17, during which he accumulated 29 goals and 92 points in 203 games played. Myers was also a part of Team Canada during the 2016-17 World Junior Championship, though he was taken out early due to a concussion; the team went on to place second and bring home silver.

Defenceman Jeremy Lauzon, drafted 52nd overall by the Boston Bruins, has 1 goal and 6 points in 18 games played with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League this season; he has 1 goal in 15 games with the Boston Bruins of the NHL. Lauzon played for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2013-17, during which he accumulated 35 goals and 130 points in 200 games played. Lauzon was also a member of Team Canada during the 2016-17 World Junior Championship; he tallied 2 goals and 1 assist in 7 games played.

Team of the Week:

The Detroit Red Wings, an Original Six team founded in 1926, who are currently 8th overall in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference and play out of Little Caesars Arena. The team was originally known as the Detroit Cougars form 1926-30; they were the Detroit Falcons from 1930-32. In 1932, they changed their name to the Red Wings. The Red Wings have won the most Stanley Cups (11) of any NHL franchise in the United States, most recently in 2008. The Wings previously played in the historic Joe Louis Arena from 1979-2017. They have the very distinct and recognizable tradition of throwing an octopus on the ice for luck during playoff games. The NHL has yet to successfully prevent this from occurring. Notable alumni include Brett Hull, Steve Yzerman, Ted Lindsay, Sergei Fedorov, Gordie Howe, and Nicklas Lidstrom.

Outside the NHL:

The National Women’s Hockey League All-Star Weekend will take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville February 9-10.

The Canadian Women’s Hockey League All-Star Game will take place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on January 20.

The American Hockey League All-Star Classic will be hosted by the Springfield Thunderbirds January 27-28.

Weekly Thoughts:

From fistfights between teammates, to frankly dangerous slashes aimed at opposing players, to players yelling at coaching staff during games, to CEOs taking cheap shots at top performers, frustrations are piling up this season. Perhaps after All-Star Weekend teams will be rested and ready to go.

The St. Louis Blues can’t seem to catch a break this season. The Blues are currently 6th in the Central Division of the Western Conference and it’s taken its toll on the team. On December 10, defenceman Robert Bortuzzo and forward Zach Sanford exchanged blows at practice.

On January 11, Florida’s Keith Yandle delivered a horrifying slash to the stick of Calgary’s Sean Monahan, barely missing his arm/hand. Monahan had just released the puck for what became the game winning empty net goal.

On January 9, forward Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche took his frustration out on coach Jared Bednar on the bench. MacKinnon later apologized and Bednar said that it hadn’t bothered him at all.

In December, Dallas Stars CEO Jim Lites had some choice words about the Stars top scorers Tyler Seguin and captain Jamie Benn. Lites called their performance ‘f-cking horsesh-t.’ When asked Benn responded “I don’t play for him. I play for every player in this room, the coaching staff.”

It’s clear that struggling teams are becoming increasingly frustrated as the season continues. Every team wants to compete for the Stanley Cup, but not every team has had the season they hoped for. With the trade deadline fast approaching, we might see some big moves from the teams at the bottom of the league. There have already been some big names appearing in trade rumors this season, and it’s going to be interesting to see how accurate those rumors are. It’s also going to be fun watching teams start to prepare for next year with new acquisitions.

Hopefully these teams will hit their stride and start performing better this season, but if they don’t there’s always next year.

Weekly Vocabulary:

Man-Advantage: When one team is penalized, and one of its players is sent to the penalty box, the second team maintains a man advantage for the duration of the penalty (major penalty) or until a goal is scored (minor penalty). If two penalties are called on one team there will be a two-man advantage. If more than two penalties are called on one team the man advantage is limited to two men. If both teams are penalized, there is no man advantage; it becomes a four-on-four.

Empty Net: When a team pulls their goalie in order to have six skaters (a man advantage).

Extra Attacker: A player who has been substituted for the team's goaltender on the ice.

Too Many Men: When one team has too many men on the ice during a shift change.

Own Goal: The act of a team unintentionally shooting the puck into their own net instead of their opponent's. For statistical purposes, the last player on the opposing team to touch the puck is awarded the goal.

Scrum: When players from both teams are piled up against the boards/goal posts, shoving and hitting at each other.

Delay of Game: Deliberately causing a stoppage of play; player is penalized with a minor penalty.

Coach’s Challenge: If a coach disagrees with a call on ice, he is able to challenge the call. This results in a video review of the play; if the coach was right and the call on ice was wrong, the goal is overturned, if the coach is wrong and the goal stands, that coach loses the ability to call a time-out.

Turnover: When the team in possession of the puck gives it up to the opponent; alternatively, the team who does not control the puck can force a turnover by ‘stealing’ the puck mid pass, or by taking it directly from the opposing player’s stick.

Face-Off: The two teams line up in opposition to each other. One player from each team attempts to gain control of the puck after it is dropped by an official between their sticks onto a face-off spot on the ice. A face-off starts every game and occurs throughout the game after every stoppage of play.

Weekly Trivia:

The Calder Memorial Trophy (not to be confused with Calder Cup of the American Hockey League) is awarded annually to "the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League." The winner is selected by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the end of the regular season. Players are eligible for the Calder only if they are no more than 26 years old by September 15 of their rookie (first) season. The Calder Memorial is dedicated in memory of former NHL President Frank Calder, who bought a trophy every year to present permanently to the outstanding rookie of the season. The award is now kept in perpetuity. The Toronto Maple Leafs lead all teams with 10 players who have won the Calder.

Weekly Standings:

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division

Washington Capitals -- 58 points

Pittsburgh Penguins -- 56 points

Columbus Blue Jackets -- 53 points

Atlantic Division

Tampa Bay Lightning -- 70 points

Toronto Maple Leafs -- 58 points

Boston Bruins -- 54 points

Western Conference

Central Division

Winnipeg Jets -- 58 points

Nashville Predators -- 58 points

Dallas Stars -- 50 points

Pacific Division

Calgary Flames -- 62 points

San Jose Sharks -- 59 points

Las Vegas Golden Knights -- 58 points

*Note: Information was obtained prior to 12pm on Saturday January 12. Information occurring after the 12pm deadline will feature next week.