TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger discuss the latest happenings around the NHL, including why the league extended its isolation period to April 15th, the Leafs being a front-runner to sign KHL forward Alexander Barabanov, and what NHL centralization would look like.

Watch at TSN.

added 9:32pm, Or you can watch it below.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive,

Here is a look at the 20 most notable Red Wings who never won a Cup in Detroit.

This includes only players who played multiple seasons with the Red Wings, so the likes of Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Modano, Darryl Sittler and Borje Salming weren’t listed. Their ranking is weighted heavily toward their accomplishments in Detroit.

1. Norm Ullman

He scored 20 or more goals 16 times during his Hall-of-Fame career. He joined the Red Wings one year after they won the Cup in 1955 and was traded to Toronto one year after the Maple Leafs won their most recent Cup in 1967.

2. Marcel Dionne

After four strong seasons in Detroit, he was traded to Los Angeles, where he signed the richest deal in the NHL at the time ($300,000 a season) and remained one of the game’s best offensive players for many years. He ranks fifth all-time in goals (731) and sixth in points (1,771). His teams won only three playoff series and never advanced past the second round.

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TORONTO (March 31, 2020) – After delaying its release due to the NHL season’s suspension of play, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) today has unveiled its 2019-20 NHLPA Player Poll results to help fans stay connected to their favourite players during this extraordinary time.

Visit https://www.nhlpa.com/player-poll/2019-20 to view the full results for each question.

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic,

In talking to people all over the hockey industry over the past week, player agents and team executives, there’s one growing sentiment at least some share and I agree with: The NHL and NHLPA need to find long-term CBA stability out of this to mitigate these turbulent times.

“If there is no (season) resumption then yes there will need to be a complex negotiation about moving forward,” veteran player agent J.P. Barry of CAA Sports said. “The fact that we are currently in the middle of CBA extension negotiations is probably fortunate timing. Different options could include a possible longer CBA term that would include working with the cap over the next few years to address the escrow situation. I’m optimistic that the current relationship between the parties will result in a creative solution.”

Imagine. Labour peace. For once.

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It doesn't matter if you did or did not, but you can watch all of them in just over 21 minutes.

In Floral, Saskatchewan the great Gordie Howe.

Below, an ESPN documentary on #9.

EDMONTON (March 30) – Due to the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19, Oilers Entertainment Group (OEG) today implemented a temporary staff reduction of 139 employees, effective April 13, 2020, as well as a compensation rollback for all continuing staff working from home. These actions were made necessary by the pause of the NHL and AHL seasons, the cancellation of the WHL season, and the postponement of all Live Entertainment events at Rogers Place enacted to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus, and protect the safety of fans and employees.

via the NHL PR department,

Click below to watch/download today’s video conference call featuring Zdeno Chara (BOS), Dylan Larkin (DET), John Tavares (TOR) and Brady Tkachuk (OTT):

Shared screen with speaker view

Shared screen with gallery view

Audio only

added 3:07pm, or you can watch mosti of it below...

from TSN,

Rimouski Oceanic left wing Alexis Lafreniere has strengthened his hold on the title of hockey’s best prospect, with his 112-point regular season further evidence that he belongs atop the latest edition of Craig’s List ahead of the 2020 NHL Draft.

With leagues around the globe cancelling the remainder of their seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button’s latest ranking serves as an end-of-the-season evaluation.

There will be one more Craig’s List before the 2020 Draft, whenever that may be. The NHL has postponed the draft from its original June 26-27 dates in Montreal.

The latest list is heavy on northern talent, with Canadians taking five of the top six spots and 18 of the 31 first-round slots. Lafreniere going first overall would end a drought for Canadian prospects that stretches back to 2015, when the Edmonton Oilers selected Connor McDavid with the first pick.

The shortened season was a stellar one for Lafreniere, who averaged more than two points per game with 35 goals and 77 assists in 52 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) contests and overcame a knee injury to help Canada win gold at the World Juniors.

continued with a top 103 list...

from J.J. Regan of NBCSports Washington,

NHL players can often seem larger than life. They are celebrities in peak physical condition who get paid millions of dollars to play in arenas full of tens of thousands of screaming fans in games that are broadcast on television often nationally. And yet, none of that matters in a time like this. With the coronavirus spreading throughout the world, all sports just don't seem to matter. At this moment, the real superstars are the doctors and nurses on the frontlines battling against the virus while the hockey players we view as superstars remain at home, suddenly rendered remarkably ordinary in the face of a global pandemic.

"It was just kind of weird to see the world kind of stop," New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban said....

"Lots of stuff to do at house," Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin said. "Play with the little one, we're expecting another one in a couple of months, I'm trying to do some more workout as well, but it's getting boring, obviously. First week was kind of good thing. We're relaxing, we chilling and right now it's kind of getting boring right now."

"That first week, you're just excited to be around the family," Columbus Blue Jackets forward Nick Foligno said. "We don't really get this time. Let's be honest, we don't really get at the end of March when you're gearing up for a playoff race, you're not really gearing up to be with the family. Your mind starts to stay with the team a little bit more. So I've enjoyed the past little while with my family and my kids. They definitely don't really understand why I'm home so much, but it's been nice. But it's getting to a point now where you just start to now feel like things aren't right."

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Deflectins and tip-in goals slowed down from this season in the NHL. 4 1/2 minutes to watch.

NEW YORK / TORONTO (March 30, 2020) – The National Hockey League (NHL^®) is launching two new fan engagement initiatives today as part of the League’s continued commitment to help hockey fans stay connected to players and the game. Greatest Moments of the 2019-20 NHL Season…So Far fan vote program and Live NHL Player Q&As will offer hockey fans daily interactive experiences via the NHL’s Twitter and Instagram social media channels. Watch the trailer here.

from Jack Harris of the LA Times,

Play-by-play announcer Alex Faust set the table at the top of Sunday afternoon’s show, dropping nuggets of research into his opening lines. Analyst Jim Fox took over from there, serving up a scouting report for a game that wasn’t supposed to be.

The two men weren’t previewing a real contest, the NHL season still suspended because of the coronavirus outbreak. Instead, talking into cameras from the safety of their homes, they were trying their best to make a virtual substitute feel like the real thing.

In this absence of live action, the Kings have turned to video game simulations to keep some semblance of routine. Every time a real Kings game is scheduled to take place, such as Sunday’s delayed meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team instead stages a virtual rendition viewed by thousands on an online stream.

Laugh if you want. Three weeks ago, the idea of livestreaming video games to a sports-deprived fan base would have sounded comical. But with almost all real sports postponed for the foreseeable future, the industry has turned to virtual simulations to help fill the void.

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from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,

It could be a heckuva job for somebody. Or a few people.

An absolutely enormous task, to be sure. But a necessary one, quite probably.

As we imagine how North American sports are possibly going to get themselves back on track with their respective seasons, it seems abundantly clear that if they attempt to do so solely by following their own individual plans it’s going to create one spectacular logistical and scheduling nightmare.

That means that instead of recouping lost dollars from the current suspension of play due to the coronavirus crisis, these teams could end up hurting each other even more by furiously competing for the same sports entertainment dollar in a severely compacted schedule.

Wouldn’t it make a lot more sense for these sports to work together to ensure maximum profitability for one and all? And couldn’t they get together and nominate an individual or individuals to work as a central office to help North American sports get rolling again in a logical manner?

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