Senior NHL Writer, The Athletic | Co-host, The Athletic Hockey Show | Co-host, Powers & Laz | Old enough to feel ways about stuff
Chicago(land)
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For everyone clutching their pearls over the anthem booing, the American president is literally threatening (or, at the very least, mercilessly mocking) Canadian sovereignty on a daily basis. What the hell do you want them to do?
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Voting early should come with some kind of code you can enter into all the streaming services that removes all political ads through the election. Guaranteed record turnout.
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A reporter asked Sidney Crosby if there's a problem with hockey's culture. Crosby said he didn't think this huge scrum of "15-second soundbites" was a good venue for such a topic, and said he'd be happy to talk privately with the reporter after. Then he actually did. Good on him.
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Rocky Wirtz very angrily berates me for asking about what the Blackhawks are doing to empower players in the future in Kyle Beach's situation.
"We're not going to talk about Kyle Beach. We're not going to talk about 2010. We're moving on."
That is the WRONG answer.
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The way Canada rallies around the Blue Jays and the Raptors so thoroughly and so beautifully makes it that much funnier how much most of this country despises the Maple Leafs.
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Seeing Mike Eruzione in a Johnny Gaudreau jersey drives home the point that it would have been really cool if this tournament had been about Johnny Gaudreau instead of Donald Trump.
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Still bugs the hell out of me that they stopped painting "Stanley Cup Final" on the ice just to clear space for digital ads.
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So, @WindhorstESPN, what'd you think of the Paul George trade?
Windhorst: "Wheeeeeeeeeee!"
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Connor Bedard has played 15 more NHL games than Tyler Tucker.
Tyler Tucker to Connor Bedard: "Welcome to the show." #stlblues
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Says the guy who retweeted Tomi Friggin' Lahren into his timeline. #StickToWhateverTheHellItIsYouDo
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A few years ago, Robin Lehner had Donald Trump on his mask. Today, he knelt during the national anthem to protest racism and racial injustice in solidarity with a Black teammate, Ryan Reaves. People can open their minds. People can assimilate new information. People can change.
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Lyft driver on the way to the airport: *I don't know much about hockey, but the Golden Knights can kiss my ass for trading the goalkeeper, Fleury. Loved that guy."
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If one more person laments to me the "wussification" of sports, of boys, of men, of America, I'm going to scream.
Being an asshole is not manly. Inflicting pain is not inspirational.
You know what takes strength? Empathy. Kindness. Humanity.
GTFO with your backward bullshit.
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I have no time for people who openly hate and hide behind "religion." If your religion preaches hate, your religion is bullshit.
And I'm disappointed in Tortorella, who famously said he'd bench a player for protesting peacefully during the anthem in the wake of Colin Kaepernick.
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The NHL, NBA, MLB and NCAA are all in full swing, and Chicago's two biggest sports stars at the moment are an accountant and a nun.
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I feel like it's my obligation to share all the Stanley Pup player cards.
Don't say I never did anything for you.
Thread:
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The Bears are 6-3.
The Bulls are 6-3.
The Blackhawks are 8-5-3.
The Cubs were 92-70.
The Sox, uh, well, the Cubs were 92-70.
Things are looking up in Chicago after a long handful of years.
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I once heard Joe Rogan described as a "stupid person's idea of a smart person," and it can't be said any better than that.
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Dallas fans chanting "USA!" in support of their team, which is composed of like 746 Finns.
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Jonathan Toews is back.
Marc-Andre Fleury's in net.
Seth Jones is here.
Jake McCabe-Connor Murphy is your shutdown pair.
Tyler Johnson's your 3C.
Kirby Dach is healthy.
Patrick Kane is still good.
Who knows if it'll work out, but it'll certainly be worth watching.
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Sidney Crosby just slid over to chat up Connor Bedard, who grew up idolizing Crosby.
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NEW: Rocky Wirtz's childish, unprofessional and staggeringly tone-deaf outbursts when asked about Kyle Beach call into question his fitness to lead the Blackhawks.
My column: theathletic.com/3108634/2022…
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Kid got interviewed over the PA during intermission.
"Who's your favorite Blackhawk?"
Kid: "Jonathan Toews. Because he's the captain and he's good."
"What are you going to be for Halloween?
Kid: "A football player."
"Which player?"
Kid: "Mitch Trubisky."
Crowd: "BOOOOOOOO"
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Connor Bedard: "Those tickets aren't cheap. ... I feel bad for our fan base, coming out to this and laying an egg." Said the Blackhawks got "dog-walked."
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The team just settled two sexual-assault lawsuits.
The team is losing.
Attendance is down.
And Rocky Wirtz is irate that reporters are asking questions about negative things.
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Bruins fans watching the team led by the coach they fired pummel the team that knocked them out of the first round after the best regular season in NHL history:
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I get Toews and Kane wanting to be loyal to people who played a big role in their lives and careers and with whom they've had meaningful friendships and business relationships, I really do, but heaping praise on Bowman and MacIsaac right now is not a great look.
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Y'all whiny-ass dudes complaining about having to hear — gasp! — a woman's voice during your manly man-fest are the same ones calling everyone else snowflakes. My daughter might actually *want* to watch a hockey game tonight. So STFU. Just go outside and be manly. It's nice out.
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Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith were just scrapping at the morning skate. Toews had Keith pinned down on the ice. and had most of his jersey off. Sheldon Brookbank broke them up. A few stick-taps from around the team and back to the usual morning skate. That was... interesting.
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Blackhawks have contacted the ejected fans from Saturday night and told them they are banned from future games. Via a team spokesperson: "Racist comments and other inappropriate behavior are not tolerated by the Chicago Blackhawks."
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The Golden Knights asked me to leave their practice facility and revoked my credential because I asked one of their players about the Hockey Canada 5.
Their sensitivity underscores the dicey nature of the decision VGK and Carolina are facing.
My story:
nytimes.com/athletic/6656048…
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Steven Stamkos brought his kid to the podium for interviews, but had to leave early because the kid kept saying, "Go see Zamboni, pweeze? Go see Zamboni?"
"We gotta go see the Zamboni," Stamkos said.
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DeBoer: "I didn't blame it all on Jake, but the reality is if you go back to last year's playoffs, he's lost six of seven games to Edmonton. And we give up two goals on two shots in an elimination game. ... That's a pretty big sample size."
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And for the record, my question was about what the Blackhawks are doing NOW and in the FUTURE. Just an unbelievable, unprofessional response from someone who should know better.
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Read that slogan on the wall in this picture. It should have commas, not periods. It's saying something very different (perhaps more accurate?) with periods. Punctuation matters!
Craig Berube meeting media today. Players to follow.
Berube with some opening remarks. Talks about how much he enjoyed coaching this team. The buy-in from players was excellent, he said. Obviously nobody happy with Game 7 but he’s proud of the many good things they did this year
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Eddie Olczyk, on NBCSN: "I got the call on March 14 at 5:07 p.m. letting me know my scans were clear. And never heard a better phrase in my life. I’m now 10 days on with the rest of my life."
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We shouldn't lose sight of how it's the FLORIDA PANTHERS that are on the verge of winning the Stanley Cup in utterly dominant fashion. The Florida. Freaking. Panthers. One of the most buffoonish franchises in sports history for so long. There really is hope for any fan base.
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The Blackhawks acquired Marc-Andre Fleury, Tyler Johnson and a second-round pick today for... nothing. Absolutely nothing. Literally nothing.
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The confederates lost. They were literal traitors and literal losers. Definitionally the least patriotic Americans ever. That's on top of being despicable racists who brutalized and dehumanized their fellow humans.
But tell me again about your pride, patriotism and heritage.
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Every time an NHL player is miked up:
"LET'S GO, BOYS!"
"HERE WE GO, BOYS!"
"COME ON, BOYS!"
"*grunts of effort*"
"GO, BOYS, GO!"
"*silence*"
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John Tavares ended the Islanders' 23-year drought without a series victory.
John Tavares ended the Leafs' 19-year drought without a series victory.
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I'm pro-abortion. Not just pro-choice, but pro-abortion. It's a necessary and important medical procedure that probably should happen more often, if anything. I have no qualms about it, no qualifiers, no misgivings. No moral concerns whatsoever. No fear of discussing it.
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Here's the full exchange between me and Rocky Wirtz.
I honestly thought it was kind of a softball question.
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Max Domi on Christmas break: "I'm pretty excited, actually. My whole family's here. I was in Columbus for two years, so I didn't get many visitors. All of a sudden I'm in a nice city, so my whole family wants to come. I don't know if it's me or the city."
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There once was a player named Rudy.
He touched our recorders quite rudely.
His hands were unclean,
He had COVID-19,
Now all sports are canceled. Well, doody.
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Just once, I want someone to be drafted and have someone on the broadcast shake their head and say, "Terrible kid. Total jackass. Teammates hate him. Comes from a horrendous family, too. Just a bunch of drunken hillbillies. Awful, awful pick. I hate it."
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What's "disgraceful" is writing a story based on a premise that's not at all true.
Former Canadian women's boxing coach says females fighting men 'disgraceful' torontosun.com/news/local-ne… via @joe_warmington
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Oh, crap. Now I have to like Troy Aikman. This goes against everything I believed as a kid.
That’s total bullshit Doug. What qualifies you to decide how someone should live their life? So you’re now the authority on what motivates Andrew Luck? And if his decisions don’t fit into what you think is best for him then you rip him? Guess that keeps you employed on FS1. Nice
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I'm shocked — shocked! — that Jack Nicklaus (a very rich, very old white guy who has spent most of his life in country clubs) and Jay Cutler (a science-denying, anti-vaxxer putz who hangs out with Tomi Lahren) support Donald Trump. Shocked!
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I like Biz. Genuinely. I think he's turned himself into a really good analyst, too, not just a "personality."
But I'm not gonna lie; the Leafs shtick on every. single. broadcast. has been a little too much for me.
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Feels pretty deliberate that Vegas is using the Blackhawks' secondary logo on the ice and on the scoreboard. I know half of you don't want to have this discussion, but that's probably gonna happen more and more.
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Jacob Trouba is making $8 million this season. This is the equivalent of a $37.50 fine for someone making the national average of $60,000. This has to be addressed in the next CBA. These fines are toothless and useless.
Jacob Trouba has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for high sticking Trent Frederic nitter.app/BR_OpenIce/status/1728…
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Kid at Blackhawks practice, loudly calling to his parents to buy him a hot dog: "I WANT TO WATCH CONNOR BEDARD PLAY HOCKEY, AND I WANT TO EAT A HOT DOG WHILE DOING IT."
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No way to know if/when Corey Crawford might play again, but given the severity of his last concussion, the concern is less about hockey and more about his long-term health and well-being. He's a young man with a 1-year-old son. Here's hoping he's OK in the short and long run.
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My kid just asked Alexa to tell her a hockey joke, and Alexa said, "What do the Toronto Maple Leafs and Charlie Chaplin have in common? You can only watch their best moments in black and white."
Savage.
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Dolly Parton has put more than 100 million books into the hands of children. She should have a statue in every damn city.
Dolly Parton statue may replace KKK leader memorial at Tennessee Capitol: consequenceofsound.net/2019/…
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Might not seem like much, but a nuanced 1-on-1 conversation with a player of Crosby's stature is not a thing that happens at All-Star games, especially for unfamiliar reporters. It's a nice, mature gesture by Crosby.
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For nine years. For three elections. This is the best they could come up with. For nine years. For three elections. This guy.
Send him to the dustbin of history. Let the years of work of undoing the damage begin in earnest. Let's be done with him, once and for all.
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The NHL used to be a leader in inclusion — not great at it, but ahead of the pro sports curve. Incredibly disappointing to see the league continue to cave to a handful of homophobes.
The NHL has created its own 'Don't Say Gay' policy, with a ban on Pride Tape.
Disgraceful. Despicable. Outrageous. Petty.
outsports.com/2023/10/9/2390…
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Can't believe I have to say this, but apparently this is the tin-foil-hat world we live in.
Toews' Long Covid symptoms predate the vaccine by several months, and he believes he had Covid when he was sick back in February of 2020, before most of us knew what the coronavirus was.
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Patrick Kane on Kirby Dach's recent surge: "I’m not surprised. What is he, 21? 22? It takes some time sometimes, and he was probably rushed into the league. And playing fourth-line minutes, getting sat out games, it’s probably not the best thing for your development."
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I hope Justin Fields takes over QB1 quickly and just lights it up for the next 12 seasons.
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Penguins PA guy keeps saying "Welcome to Pittsburgh" when introducing new Penguins. When introducing Jansen Harkins, who played in Winnipeg last season, he said, "Welcome to civilization." 🤨
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Scott Foster: "I’m an accountant by day. So a few hours ago I was sitting on my computer typing on the 10-key, and now I’m standing in front of you guys just finished 14 and a half minutes of NHL hockey."
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Nathan MacKinnon said he was "shocked." Said it's the worst loss of his career.
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Kirill Kaprizov, after declining to take part in any individual event last night, had no points and was a minus-2 in a 6-4 Central win.
He's super-excited to be at All-Star weekend, guys.
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Tom Wilson is a disgrace to this league. How many times does this have to happen? And he has the talent to not have to pull this shit. He just can't help himself. He's just a dirty, dangerous, disgraceful player.
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I asked Artemi Panarin if he's been lobbying for the Rangers to add anyone in particular at the trade deadline, wink wink nudge nudge. He smirked.
"I have a Nokia phone. I don't read the news."
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Is Nick Foligno a little corny sometimes? Sure. But look at him bust his ass during a practice at the tail end of a miserable season to work with a rookie half his age who needs exactly this, then applaud the kid's effort afterward. There's a reason he's so respected in the NHL.
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Alex DeBrincat: 100 goals, 100 assists in 255 games.
He's too small, though. Probably won't make it.
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Remember when the Seattle Kraken could have had Vladimir Tarasenko for free and they were like, nah, we're good? Good times.
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Sarah Nurse was asked if it was extra special to pull off the Forsberg on Igor Shesterkin, "a top-three-in-the-world kind of goalie."
Hilary Knight interjects: "And she's a top scorer."
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I didn't start covering the Blackhawks until 2013. That said, I did write a book that put that 2010 team on a pedestal. John McDonough included. I own that. No, I never heard about it; it never came up in my book interviews. No, that doesn't absolve me of blindly glorifying them.
Mark, I have to ask.
Did you or the other beat writers around this really have no idea of what occured or heard rumours about?
Given you wrote. I assume your access to the team was pretty deep.
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┻┳| •.•) This wasn't
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A lot of people are saying it's "sad" that Corey Crawford is retiring. I don't think I agree.
I'm happy for him. He was determined to play again after the two major brain injuries he suffered and he did. And he was great. He has two little kids at home. He's ready to move on.
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Artemi Panarin was asked what his favorite English phrase is. His answer, with a smile: "What the fuck."
#Blackhawks
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Thatcher Demko referred to the left circle as Alex Ovechkin's "honey hole."
This completes my coverage of NHL All-Star media day.
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What could possibly be the purpose of this slash to the wrist/hand other than intent to injure?
Connor Bedard had some words for the official after this Josh Manson whack went uncalled. #Blackhawks
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I sat down with both Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar yesterday in Calgary to talk about their friendship, rooming together, and what their aspirations are for the Blackhawks.
Oh, and memes.
It went off the rails a few times. Read our conversation here:
nytimes.com/athletic/6785363…
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Blackhawks are going to have to send a SWAT team to extract Connor Bedard, Wyatt Kaiser, Kevin Korchinski Lukas Reichel and some of the other young guys off the ice after practice here in Denver. Bus is waiting. Corey Perry just came out and yelled, "OK, Connor wins. Let's go!"
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Hockey fans: "We need to grow the game!"
*franchises in nontraditional markets put smart people in charge, build really good and fun-to-watch teams, beat the teams from traditional markets in the playoffs*
Hockey fans: "No! Not like that!"
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