from Dave Poulin at the Toronto Star,

Wednesday. In and of itself it doesn’t mean much. It’s not a favourite day, no one tells you they can’t wait for Wednesday, there is no acronym TGIW. The day doesn’t stand out. But it’s as important as any other day, connecting Tuesday to Thursday. It’s the glue in the middle of the week.

Which leads me to Wednesday Boys. I’m introducing the term to define a group of important players on a strong hockey team. These aren’t the superstars, the first-line guys or the headline-grabbers but they are good NHL players. They’re not the highest paid but they make a good living. They’re in the middle of your lineup, filling secondary roles as defensive specialists and penalty killers. But they can chip in a critical goal at a key time, almost like once in a while when Wednesday happens to have a big holiday fall on it.

The idea of attracting the spotlight is not part of the Wednesday Boys’ makeup. They are all about doing their job at a high level within the framework of the team. Quietly. They’re not the guys that the autograph seekers go after. The only time they’re really famous may be when they go back to their hometowns in the summer, and are recognized as NHL players. They quietly grow to learn and appreciate their importance to a team, and the others in the locker room recognize it as well.

I say this in a complimentary fashion.

continued

from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun,

- What Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have combined for over a two-year period with the Edmonton Oilers is remarkably rare and historically improbable.

Last year, Draisaitl won the NHL scoring title and the Hart Trophy as most valuable player. McDavid finished second in scoring.

This season, McDavid is on his way to the breathtaking figure of 100 points or more in 56 games and will be the runaway winner of the Hart. Draisaitl, meanwhile, will finish second in the NHL in scoring.

At no time in NHL history have teammates gone 1-2, 2-1 in scoring, rotating the Hart Trophy in the process. Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito came close with the Boston Bruins in the late 1970s, but timing and voting didn’t necessarily work in their favour....

- What McDavid, Matthews and Marner have yet to accomplish — a playoff run of any kind with dominant scoring by them. McDavid has one career playoff series win. Matthews and Marner don’t have that much. And, really, one of the Oilers or Leafs should emerge from the Canadian division. And after that, who knows? What if you draw Colorado, which just went seven games with Vegas? Or what if you draw Washington, which somehow got through Boston and Pittsburgh? It’s impossible to figure in COVID times which teams are going to be whole and which will be struggling come playoff time.

- You don’t fire exceptional people; you’re lucky to have them. You don’t fire John Davidson. That’s just pointless. If a general manager adds Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere, K’Andre Miller to his lineup in a relatively short time, he shouldn’t get fired the way Jeff Gorton was. He should get a raise.

- Turner Sports thinks it might be able to turn Wayne Gretzky into the Charles Barkley of hockey, which is admirable. I like Gretzky and have known him forever, but I don’t see him being Barkley outrageous. Thoughtful yes. Reasoned yes. Outrageous no. Chris Pronger, might be able to do that. Brett Hull, possibly. Glenn Healy, if you can explain who he is.

more on the first topic plus more notes...

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Yzerman may take Sunday off to celebrate: It is his 56th birthday, and it is Mother’s Day. But business beckons.

First up

The coaching situation appears to be first on Yzerman’s list, given that last month he said he’d “sit down very quickly after the season and discuss that” with Jeff Blashill. The perception within the organization is that Blashill has done a good job with what he has been given. The work ethic and culture, of which the Wings are so protective, has been maintained, and it speaks well for Blashill how hard the Wings competed, even as Tyler Bertuzzi, Bobby Ryan, Robby Fabbri and captain Dylan Larkin all suffered season-ending injuries.

Yzerman’s second task includes exit meetings with players, many of which will be conducted virtually. Young players such as Filip Zadina, Michael Rasmussen and Joe Veleno will receive feedback on their performances and what they need to work on over the summer. Meanwhile, the veterans will find out if they fit into next season’s plans.

Who to retain

A number of players are eligible for unrestricted free agency, but it’s unlikely all hit the market. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier figures to top that group, given how well he has played in two straight seasons. There’s no one in the farm system ready to push for an NHL job, and signing Bernier for two years provides a degree of stability. (Thomas Greiss is under contract through next season, as well.)

Luke Glendening is another clear-cut candidate to bring back — he’s a reliable defensive forward who is one of the best faceoff guys in the NHL and a big part of the locker room culture.

Forwards Sam Gagner and Ryan are likely to figure into next season’s plans, too...

read on (paid)

Who else but my Mother would wake up with me at 6:00am ro play catch with me on a warm summer morning?

Wo else but my Mom would take me to my first Wings game when I was six yeas old?

Who else would take my friends and me to a Saturday ladies day ball game at Tiger Stadium? My Mom knew a bargain too, 75 cents back then to watch the Bengals.

Who else would drive me to the local bars to collect their bottle caps from pop bottles? My Mom did, probably a hundred times, just so we could turn those caps in for a baseball or football.

My Mom treated me with kid gloves but on a few occasions, boxing gloves came in handy for her too.

I miss my Mom daily so give your mom a hug and one from me too.

If you are a mom, come here, allow me to tell you how great you are. This day is yours, but know you are special every day of the year.

THREE HARD LAPS

* Connor McDavid collected his fifth consecutive multi-point game, and fourth with at least three points over that span, to reach the 100-point mark in his 53rd contest of 2020-21.

* Only one playoff spot remains after the Predators defeated the Hurricanes to clinch the final berth in the Discover Central Division and set up a First Round series with Carolina.

* The Penguins (MassMutual East Division) and Maple Leafs (Scotia North Division) each locked up the No. 1 seed in their division. In the process, it was determined that the Capitals and Oilers would be the No. 2 seed in their respective divisions.

In 53 games, 1 goal and 3 assists tonight.

added 11:59pm, another view below...

First we have Danny DeKeyser and Jeff Blashill in one video, below are the game highlights. added 12:05am on 5/9/21, BSD did a 2 part season wrap and look ahead, Watch both parts below. added 12:24am, below is Steve Yzerman with his thoughts on the year and the future.

from Aaron Portzline of The Athletic,

John Tortorella will not return as coach of the Blue Jackets next season, multiple sources told The Athletic.

The winningest coach in franchise history decided to move on when his contract expires this offseason, ending a six-year run in Columbus that included four playoff berths, the first playoff series win in franchise history, and some memorable and turbulent moments along the way.

continued ($$$)

A recommended watch, it is after all our game.

via Sportsnet,

The Hockey Night in Canada panel discuss the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals aftermath, and was what Tom Wilson did acceptable in the NHL anymore.

Not a bad game for both teams playing their last game of the season. With nothing to play for but bingo balls, there was a bit of nastiness to this game.

With the sore tied 2-2 after forty minutes, the Blue Jackets scored first in the third, but the Wings evened the score.

Columbus scored with jus over five minutes left to make it 4-3. But Detroit tied it up with under four minutes to play.

You knew OT was in the plans for the last game of the season.

Blue Jackets win 5-4 in OT.

Team Stats

Detroit goals are below.

Now Steve Yzerman gets to work.

The HNIC panel discussed- The Canadiens discussing Marc Bergevin's future, the easing of Covid protocols, , the salary cap with the Leafs, Adam Larsson contract negotiations going well and Victor Hedman out tonight with a lower-body injury, is going to need surgery in the summer.

via Sportsnet,

To begin, I would like to thank Paul Kukla for giving us a home, and our Chief, Bill Houlihan. He is A2Y. Most of all, I would like to thank all 19 of you loyal Wingaholics that show up for game after torturous game. It's a wonderful thing that through think and thin, the 19 have stuck together here at A2Y. To say this season has not been the best season of Red Wings hockey would be a gross understatement. We all pretty much knew going in what to expect this year, and true to form, the Wings performance was as anticipated. There were ups and downs, but, that's okay, because it seemed to even out during the end of the season.

One upside was acquiring Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, and draft picks at the trade deadline from the Caps, in a surprising trade for Anthony Mantha, who was once considered part of the "core", and, the rebuild. Who said trades are hard?

Vrana continues to impress, making this deal look all the better. We have been able to watch some of the youngsters, who, going forward, will be a part of this team. Veleno, the most recent, looks good. We don't know yet who will be back as far as some of our familiar guys that have been on the team for years. So for now, the Yzerplan seems to be on track, but, only time will tell.

This one's for you, Mom.

For the next sixty minutes, its a Live Blog!

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Lost in the uproar created by the enfeebled Department of Player Safety’s failure to suspend Wilson, along came another example of inexplicable leniency from Parros’ office, which gave teh Flyers’ Shayne Gostisbehere just a two-game sentence for his cross-check that sent the Penguins’ Mark Friedman into the end boards after the Pittsburgh winger had scored an empty-net goal.

The puck was in the net. The play was over. Friedman began to swing away. Gostisbehere, one of two Flyers chasing, then delivered the gratuitous cross-check/shove. Not only was that dangerous, it was a breach of hockey etiquette, if not quite in the same territory as the 1993 Dale Hunter-Pierre Turgeon episode, but nevertheless entirely unacceptable.

Gostisbehere should have gotten 15 games to carry over into next season. Instead, he got two. That apparently was Parros’ statement.

more topics like this...

Finally, upon reading that the Rangers’ statement generated support for Parros among NHL general managers, I am reminded that was the august body of gentlemen who once gave VP of officiating Stephen Walkom a standing ovation.

Before the puck drop on the Wings' final game of the season tonight, I wanted to thank all of you for your visits to A2Y/KK and to let you know I will be here.

The last game of the NHL regular season is Wednesday, May 19th and the playoffs start shortly thereafter.

I will be around for all of it plus any news coming from the Red Wings.

We still have the draft lottery, the actual draft and UFA period to look forward to.

I expect to be able to rest starting the second week of July and I just may hibernate for a month.

Again, thanks to making A2Y what it is, it would not be the same without you.

If I hear back from them, I will let you know.

from Frank Seravalli of TSN,

The NHL will relax its COVID-19 protocol for fully vaccinated teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs, according to a memo distributed to clubs on Friday.

The modified protocol will allow playoff-bound clubs greater freedoms with regards to masks, testing, team meetings, social gatherings and travel - once 85 per cent of a team’s traveling party is fully vaccinated.

The NHL considers a person fully vaccinated once two weeks have passed since receiving the final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.

That is welcomed news to the 12 American-based NHL teams, many of which have already reached the 85-per cent vaccination threshold for their traveling party, which includes players, coaches and team personnel. But with slower vaccination rates and limited availability in Canada, the belief is none of the four playoff-bound Canadian clubs are anywhere close to that mark.

Here are the notable changes:

> Almost all of the accommodations made are for “fully vaccinated individuals.” As the NHL and its 31 clubs did not make the vaccine mandatory, there are believed to be one to two players per team - in many instances - who chose to not receive the vaccine. Any member of the traveling party who chose not to receive the vaccine must continue to abide by all of the previous (and stringent) preventative measures that were in place in the previous COVID-19 protocol.

continued

added 4:32pm, NHL/NHLPA statement is below.

Bettman is almost 70 and has been on the job since the winter of 1992. Many of his key people have been with him for at least 20 years. The overall leadership looks tired and out of fresh answers. Once-profitable international hockey has vanished. Bettman couldn’t arm twist the NHLPA into starting the season on Jan. 1 and had to wait another 12 days until the union gave the okay. J.T. Miller of the Canucks stared down the league over COVID-related scheduling and the league backed down....

The 2020-21 season has been a massive headache for the NHL, and some of the pain has been self-inflicted. At some point, the league’s board of governors is going to start wondering if new blood at the top is needed.

-Damien Cox at the Toronto Star where you can read more on this topic.

from Michael Traikos,

When the inventor of a new type of hockey skate claims that it can make Connor McDavid even faster than he already is, the first instinct is to roll your eyes and add it to the pile of failed gimmicks collecting dust in the back of your local pro shop.

But Per Mars is not just another snake-oil salesman. And Marsblade is not just another version of the Reebok Pump.

Since 2011, the former NHLer-turned-inventor has been disrupting the in-line hockey market with his unique roller skates, which employ a “flow motion technology” that mimics an on-ice stride. In the past year, more than 300 NHLers have been using Marsblades as an off-ice training tool. That includes McDavid, Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Evgeni Malkin, Roman Josi and Auston Matthews, with the latter becoming an investor in the company.

This week, Shane Wright, who is projected to go No. 1 overall in the 2022 NHL entry draft, was named an official Marsblade ambassador.

If it’s a gimmick, then it’s a gimmick that is fooling a lot of high-end hockey players.

continued

from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Anyone who was wondering how seriously the Wings were taking these final two games, got their answer the second half of the game.

Instead of calling it a night, the Wings scored five unanswered goals.

"This group has been a group that's fought and competed and worked on a daily basis," coach Jeff Blashill said. "That showed tonight. Listen, we know we're playing two games and at the end of the day there's not a lot on the line.

"But I've talked about the importance of every NHL game and our guys understand that. They way they played, they didn't fold or quit, but kept grinding and we grounded our way back into the lead and did a good job in the third (period) of finding a way to win the hockey game.

"I like our group. I've said it a lot this year, there's a lot of character in the room."

more

from Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press,

Joe Veleno showed what he can do with the puck, and Jakub Vrana continued to make Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman look smart.

Vrana set up Veleno for his first NHL goal Friday at Nationwide Arena and then scored one of his own as the Wings played the first of back-to-back games against the Columbus Blue Jackets to wrap up their season.

The Wings rallied from a two-goal deficit to win, 5-2.

"It was a great second period," Veleno said. "We didn’t have the greatest of starts but we found a way to bear down and put it in the back of the net. It was a good effort from all the guys on the team."

continued

Below watch Joe Veleno's post game, on ice interview, Mickey Redmond and the extended game highlights

THREE HARD LAPS

* The idle and NHL-leading Hurricanes became the first team to capture a division crown this season, securing the No. 1 seed in the Discover Central.

* All four playoff spots in the Honda West are now accounted for after the Blues locked up the No. 4 seed with one point and an Avalanche regulation win over the Kings.

* The Stars earned a crucial win over the Lightning to keep their playoff hopes alive. Dallas trails Nashville by two points in the Discover Central and both teams have two games remaining.

First up we have Joe Veleno and Jeff Blashill, below are the game highlights.

First time the two Florida teams will meet in the playoffs.

Columbus lead the game 2-0 and it looked like one of those games where Detroit competes but can't score.

3:02 changed all that when the Wings went on a scoring rampage with 3 goals.

After 40 minutes the Wings were up 3-2.

Detroit added two empty net goals in the 3rd and the Wings win 5-2

Goals are below.

Team Stats

from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post,

ESPN is out on Wayne Gretzky, paving the way for The Great One potentially going to TNT as an analyst for its NHL studio coverage, The Post has learned.

Gretzky’s role with Turner would be akin to Charles Barkley’s on Inside The NBA. If a deal is done, Gretzky, 60, is expected to command in the $5 million per year range, according to sources.

Even in a time when ESPN/ABC is trying to make many of its broadcasters’ contracts more reasonable, it was willing to go to the $2 million range for Gretzky, sources said. The bidding, though, has now gotten too high and ESPN has decided to bow out.

continued

Do the Wings end the season with a couple of wins? Will they lose the last two games for possible better draft position? We all know the draft is always a gamble.

There are 19 Wingaholics anxiously awaiting the outcome of these last two games, which we all know could end up being a lose, lose for the Wings.

We’ll soon find out...

It’s a Live Blog!