I wasn’t the only person wondering yesterday if we were nearing the point in time that the NHL and NHLPA had conversations about facial protection. Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard broke his jaw this season and missed 14 games over six weeks. He had worn the bubble previously when playing for Canada internationally, so it wasn’t a big change for him. But, when asked if he was going to keep the bubble for any long period of time, he said he was going to take it off as soon as possible.
Which brings me to Sunday’s NHL playoff action. Unfortunately, we saw two scary moments in games that had towels being applied to faces on the ice and players getting helped to the room. The first came in the Avs’ 5-1 win over the Jets. In the middle of the third period, Colorado forward Vlad Namestikov took a shot to the face and went down in a heap. It was a scary moment for sure. He was taken to a local hospital for attention during the game.
Not very long after that in real time, Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers took a puck to the face as well. He needed medical attention immediately as well, though he didn’t need to leave the arena.
In the same game, Preds defenseman Roman Josi also took a puck to the ear area that led to a lot of blood and him missing time to get put back together.
Yeah, these are freak, one-off moments and those shouldn’t change the dynamic of the entire game; that would be an overreaction. But pucks, sticks and hands to the face happen frequently enough that one does have to wonder if, at some point, there’s a conversation about making full facial protection a more common part of the NHL game. It’s mandatory at some lower levels (including college). And the number of guys getting hurt on Sunday made me wonder that once again.
Happy 36th birthday to the greatest captain in Blackhawks history, Jonathan Toews. Here’s hoping you’re on the golf course enjoying the sun.
Congrats to the New York Rangers, who became the first team to punch their ticket to the second round on Sunday. They swept the Caps with relative ease, and completely eliminated Alex Ovechkin from the conversation. It was an impressive series for the Blue Shirts — but that’s what the Presidents Trophy winners should do to a team with the worst regular season goal differential in recent playoff memory.
Beyond Myers’ injury, the Canucks authored a game that may go down in their franchise history as one of the more important postseason performances ever. Vancouver erased a two-goal in the final three minutes of regulation; Brock Boeser had a hat trick in regulation. Then Elias Lindholm won it for the Canucks in overtime. The win puts Vancouver one win away from advancing. Vancouver started Arturs Silovs in net yesterday, their third different goalie already in the series.
The Avalanche and Oilers also took 3-1 leads in their respective series. Colorado has had no trouble beating likely Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck in their series; Edmonton was able to escape with a 1-0 win on Sunday.
On Monday night, the Florida Panthers can do the Blackhawks a solid and knock out the Lightning. That would provide Blackhawks fans — and the front office — a little more clarity on how early Chicago’s second pick in the first round will be on the clock. Florida has a 3-1 series lead.
Vegas will look take a 3-1 lead on Dallas tonight as that series finally reaches its fourth game.
Finally, this year’s MLB uniforms have been a laughing stock since the start of Spring Training. The laughter has become loud enough that MLB and Nike are now looking to make changes. But how soon can they fix the mess?
On Monday morning the Chicago Blackhawks announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Brett Seney on a one-year, two-way contract that runs through the 2024-25 season. The deal has a $775,000 salary cap hit. https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1792571429696725353 Seney, 28, led the...
The Blackhawks won't play another meaningful game until October, but that doesn't mean the world stops turning folks. There's plenty going on in Blackhawks-land between now and the start of August that will have my attention. One box has been...
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Game 6 of the Stars and Avalanche series was an epic one last night. The two teams battled into double overtime in Denver with the Avs facing elimination. Just over the halfway point into the second extra session, former Avalanche...
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A little Friday afternoon news dump from Toronto: the Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach. https://twitter.com/mapleleafs/status/1791574496282907024?s=51&t=ESwYjOKcGL_TWWx-NV4tsw Berube is reportedly getting a four-year contract and will be introduced on Tuesday in Toronto. From the Leafs' release:...
Lukas Reichel may have been late in joining Germany at the World Championship, but his impact was strong on Friday -- which also happened to be his 22nd birthday. Reichel scored twice in an 8-2 win over Kazakhstan. His first...
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A game after putting up 38 points in an 88-85 win over the Dream, Kahleah Copper leads the Phoenix Mercury (1-1) on the road against the Las Vegas Aces (2-0) on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The matchup tips at 10:00...
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A game after putting up 38 points in an 88-85 win over the Dream, Kahleah Copper leads the Phoenix Mercury (1-1) on the road against the Las Vegas Aces (2-0) on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The matchup begins at 10:00...
The Dallas Wings (1-1) visit the Atlanta Dream (1-1) after Arike Ogunbowale went off for 35 points in the Wings' 83-74 loss to the Sky. The matchup airs on BSSWX and Peachtree TV at 7:30 PM ET on Tuesday, May...
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Arike Ogunbowale leads the Dallas Wings (1-1) into a matchup against the Atlanta Dream (1-1) after putting up 35 points in an 83-74 loss to the Sky. The matchup is on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, tipping at 7:30 PM ET...
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The Atlanta Braves are on the road, beginning a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:40 PM ET.Cubs vs. Braves Series Info Braves @ Cubs Time: Tuesday, May 21 at 7:40 PM ET Cubs Starting...
The Colorado Rockies will be on the road, opening a three-game set against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday, May 21 at 9:40 PM ET.Athletics vs. Rockies Series Info Rockies @ Athletics Time: Tuesday, May 21 at 9:40 PM ET Athletics...
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