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    Agree on Quebec.

    Obviously, Bettman doesn’t want to admit any failures so he has an interest in keeping the southern franchises in place.

    But isn’t it the city of Glendale that’s bailing out the Coyotes moreso than the league? As long at the city is willing to throw good money after bad, I can see why the league keeps a team there. Something will have to give eventually, though.

    One objection to giving Quebec an expansion team last time is they want to balance east and west. Vegas has been a success so far and Seattle makes a lot of sense for all kinds of reasons, so maybe that makes sense. Maybe the Panthers will move to Quebec. I thought maybe the Hurricanes or the Islanders were also candidates but they seem to be staying for now.


    I worry hockey will disappear when global warming wipes out the natural ice and the only kids who get to play it properly are the ones whose parents have the time and money to put them in leagues that are increasingly built around a ridiculous level of competition and commitment. The NHL and USA hockey and Hockey Canada need to invest in in-line hockey and floorball, because that’s the only kind of hockey most kids can play.

    Or maybe climate change will lead to population booms in places like Duluth and Saskatoon and, umm, Yellowknife where they will still have ice in winter but it won’t be quite so brutal.

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      Originally posted by Hot Pepsi View Post
      I worry hockey will disappear when global warming wipes out the natural ice and the only kids who get to play it properly are the ones whose parents have the time and money to put them in leagues that are increasingly built around a ridiculous level of competition and commitment.
      That's already happening. Most of the high North American draft picks these days, typically Conor McDavid and Auston Matthews, went to special private schools where they play hockey more than half the day. The age of the rink rat has passed I'm afraid.

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        Yeah, that part of it is true for all team sports now.

        And I’m not sure how many kids know how to organize or join a casual pick up games even if they have the chance. They expect it to be organized and officiated, or they’ll just play video games online. That’s what they’re used to. And kids who live in suburban sprawl can’t always find another five or six kids roughly their age to put a game together the way we did.

        We used to play touch football every Saturday in the fall and lots of other days, plus we did floor hockey as often as we could. Just called up everyone we knew and made it happen. There wasn’t much else to do. I loved it way more than any “organized” sport I ever played.

        There is a movement to revive pick-up sports both for the mental and physical health of the kids and for the development of better players, but it’s pushing against a whole youth-sports/parental-anxiety industry.

        And some parents are on top of it. There are a couple of families around here that have backyard ice rinks. They didn’t get much use this year, but they tried. And I do see some kids riding their bikes or skateboards around aimlessly or playing pick up basketball or soccer. But not as much as we did.

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          Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post

          That's already happening. Most of the high North American draft picks these days, typically Conor McDavid and Auston Matthews, went to special private schools where they play hockey more than half the day. The age of the rink rat has passed I'm afraid.
          One of those schools, coached by an ex Denver U head coach and TBL assistant, made the Colorado high school hockey finals this weekend against a public school team of kids from Fort Collins, at the Pepsi Center.

          The private school won 1-0. In the 5th OT. (17 minute periods, 8 min OT's). Losing GK made 84 saves. That is not a misprint. His save percentage for the tournament was .976. Also not a misprint. 209 saves on 215 shots faced I think was the raw statistic.

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            Remarkable story of how Bobby Ryan isn't really Bobby Ryan. His dad took him on the lam and changed his name.
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRtMcH2CW2A

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              The night Cardiff Devils rocked UK ice hockey, 30 years on

              Some great Barry Davies action on the BBC highlights too.

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                Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post

                That's already happening. Most of the high North American draft picks these days, typically Conor McDavid and Auston Matthews, went to special private schools where they play hockey more than half the day. The age of the rink rat has passed I'm afraid.
                Both Tony Amonte and Jeremy Roenick came through Thayer Academy prep school. So did Brooks Orpik.

                https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/ushs-prep

                The USHS prep league has some real talent in it's alumni.

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                  USHS isn’t really a league. That’s just how things like hockey prospects refers to all US high school/prep teams. They mostly play in different regional or local leagues although Shattack St. Mary’s competes in national junior competitions rather than Minnesota high school hockey.

                  Most of even the best players from high school/prep teams will usually play junior hockey before playing in college or the pros. The US tries to get the best prospects to play in the residential junior US national team, which plays against USHL and college teams. Those players usually play in college, but some chose the major juniors.

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                    Jack “Tex” Evans . . . The Amman Valley Kid Who Became The Hard Man Of The NHL

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                      Thanks for sharing that. Great read.

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                        I had no idea he was Welsh

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                          NHL have released their "Return to Play Plan".

                          24 teams into the playoffs. (12 from each conference based on points percentage.)

                          Top 4 in each conference play each other once in a round robin to determine seeding.

                          Remaining eight teams play a best of five series to advance.

                          It's... not a bad setup considering. Still no idea where the games will be played, or even if they will be played.

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                            Smart money seems to be on Vegas as one venue. Quarantine restrictions will probably prevent any Canadian cities from hosting.
                            Last edited by Amor de Cosmos; 27-05-2020, 15:27.

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                              Does Alberta have the authority to exempt NHL personnel from the quarantine requirements?

                              It strikes me as the only province likely to take a chance in that respect.

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                                Originally posted by ursus arctos View Post
                                Does Alberta have the authority to exempt NHL personnel from the quarantine requirements?

                                It strikes me as the only province likely to take a chance in that respect.
                                Possibly — though border crossings themselves are a federal bilateral ban. It would potentially raise an issue with BC and Saskatchewan though. CMO of BC Dr Bonnie Henry has already said NHL games will not be exempted from provincial health regulations.

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                                  I can't see games being held in Canada. There are certainly arenas available that could host NHL games behind closed doors. They could expand to include AHL rinks, unless the AHL are planning on completing their season. Maybe split AHL or ECHL rinks as practice facilities. They'll also need to sort out something concrete for the draft - this year's draft class looks very good and there are a lot of players who will be very much sought after.

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                                    The AHL and ECHL are officially done. No point in them playing without fans.

                                    They have a plan for the draft, but I forget the details.

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                                      The draft is quite complicated, as it gives teams that are eliminated in the first round of the don't call them playoffs playoffs a chance in the lottery.

                                      https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...hing-need-know

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                                        This pod with Kevin Weekes is worth a listen. Talks about his experiences as a black player in the league and a black guy in Toronto.



                                        https://open.spotify.com/episode/4VE...i7zS1J8iLBMDDp

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                                          Daniel Carcillo and another former CHL player have filed a class action lawsuit against pretty much all of the junior leagues in Canada alleging things that go way beyond hazing into rape and sexual abuse of minors.

                                          The Islanders are putting a safe standing section in their new arena.

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                                            Originally posted by jefe View Post
                                            Daniel Carcillo and another former CHL player have filed a class action lawsuit against pretty much all of the junior leagues in Canada alleging things that go way beyond hazing into rape and sexual abuse of minors.

                                            The Islanders are putting a safe standing section in their new arena.
                                            Theo Fleury gives a pretty harrowing account of his abuse in his biography.

                                            As for the Islanders, it's crazy that their move to the Barclays Centre has been so shambolic.

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                                              UBS has the naming rights for the Belmont arena, $350M/20 years.

                                              Seattle announces name and such tomorrow.

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                                                https://twitter.com/icethetics/status/1286332587053473793

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                                                  They should have added "meth" to the end of the name to indicate what they were smoking.

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                                                    Not sure on the name. Love the logo.

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