USA Hockey and Hockey Canada officials are making contingency plans, combing European rosters for players who might be able to don their nations’ jerseys and throw down for gold. You’ll see some of Team Canada’s thinking on display with its entry in the Spengler Cup later this month, which will mostly feature Canadians who are […]
Continue reading“I’m Brendan Shanahan, the National Hockey League’s senior vice president of player safety …” Shanahan was 42 years old in 2011. He had retired from a Hall of Fame career two years earlier, taking a job with the NHL. In June 2011, he helped create the league’s first Department of Player Safety. It wouldn’t just […]
Continue readingMy father grew up in the city. His first attempt at a pronunciation was “Lufthansa.” The Canadian hamlet of Saint-Eustache produced an exquisite French Canadian moniker — Alexis Lafrenière. On the tongues of New Yawkers, it’s going to sound like a Claude Debussy suite performed by an orchestra of accordions. The second worst thing about […]
Continue readingIf only there were a formula that could determine Hall worthiness … Well, three years ago, we created one. It’s a simple four-quadrant test that one can apply to prospective Hall of Fame candidates to see whether they have the stuff of legends, and here it is: 1. Individual production: This encompasses a player’s statistical […]
Continue readingIt’s created by a coach attempting to mesh three players together into a cohesive unit; it’ll stick around for anywhere from a few periods to a few games; and then it’s either broken up, with the spare parts added to different lines, or it passes the chemistry test, living on for months or perhaps for […]
Continue readingIt’s nondescript, the brick painted white, the roofing a greenish-gray. At first glance, it looks like it could fit into any old business park. Then its sign explains the size: Black Rock Bouldering Gym. The marquee on this day is inspiring. It reads, “Resolutions don’t stop in February!” It was inside those walls, however, long […]
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