from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

- Maybe it wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference across this country, but maybe it would. Maybe some of those invited to participate would decline because they do not believe in the message. Shame on them, but that would not scuttle the initiative.

Because when 12 NHL teams convene in Toronto in just over a week, their 24 goaltenders will all be wearing masks when they go to work. And when the 12 other tournament entrants convene in Edmonton — guess what? — their 24 goaltenders will also all be wearing masks.

So why not open each telecast to what should be impressive (and perhaps even impressionable) audiences with a PSA in which goaltenders, one by one, simply say, “I wear a mask. So should you.” Or, “I wear a mask. I’m asking you to wear one, too.”...

- Sixth Avenue did it again, tweaking a regulation or reversing a ruling to benefit a favored franchise or owner. This time the NHL redrew the cap-recapture clause of the CBA in order to help Nashville avoid ruin in the event of an early Shea Weber retirement in Montreal.

This is the league, you recall, that reversed the Devils’ forfeiture of a first-rounder tied to the Ilya Kovalchuk circumvention finding when the current ownership group took control. This is the league that created cap-recapture carve-outs for Mike Richards and Jeff Carter of the late “Mr. Snider” for no reason other than — the Flyers.

In the word of Tevye: Tradition.

- Finally, the next time that Jere-ME Roenick attends an NHL game, hopefully he will have to buy a ticket to gain admission.

more on the first topic plus other notes...