from Michael Mcarthy of Front Office Sports, The NHL’s return to ESPN after 17 years is supercharging advertising sales for Disney, which has nearly sold out commercial time for the season. The Mouse expects to sell more than $100 million in NHL-related sales this season, sources tell Front Office Sports. “We are very, very well sold,” said Rita Ferro, president of Disney advertising sales, who declined to comment on numbers. “We have a couple of positions left, mostly in the playoffs and Finals. There was a lot of demand for the NHL on ESPN — and across Hulu and ESPN+.” continue

NEW YORK (Oct. 20, 2021) – Florida Panthers forward Joe Thornton has been fined $1,875, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for slashing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Boris Katchouk during NHL Game No. 42 in Tampa Bay on Tuesday, Oct. 19, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today. Watch below.

via Sportsnet's YouTube page, Here's the top 5 player performances of the week in the NHL, including Connor McDavid's 8 points in 3 games, Alexander Ovechkin sniping twice vs. the Rangers to move past Marcel Dionne, and Tyler Bertuzzi scoring a 4-spot vs. the Lightning.  

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now, Tyler Bertuzzi is among a growing minority on the roster of the Detroit Red Wings. He was here prior to Steve Yzerman taking over as GM of the Red Wings – and he’s still here. Threre’s not many of them left. Bertuzzi is one of just eight holders from the pre-Yzerman era on Detroit’s current NHL roster that is off to a 2-0-1 start to the 2021-22 season. “Obviously it’s been a tough couple of years but that happens sometimes in sports,” Bertuzzi assessed of the team’s rebuild. “We have a lot of young guys coming in right now that are earning jobs and playing big roles that will help in the long run. “Just the chemistry and getting everyone together, building from the core and out. It feels good to get off to this start. We just gotta keep it going.” Let’s look at how rapidly Yzerman has reshaped this Red Wings team during his 2+ seasons in charge. continued

Daniella Bruce tweets, Tyler Bertuzzi said he’s really happy with his start to the season after missing almost a full year. Said it’s a great feeling. Bertuzzi confirms he can’t go to Montreal but will be in Chicago. Below find a video of Jeff Blashill and I will add Tyler Bertuzzi if available.  added 1:43pm, Bertuzzi now below too.

from Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette, The San Jose Sharks didn’t surprise the Canadiens with their fast start Tuesday night, but coach Dominique Ducharme said his team didn’t handle the situation well. “We knew they play fast and have lots of puck support and they throw everything at the net,” Ducharme said after the visitors crushed the Canadiens 5-0. “We needed to box out, we needed to be good coming back killing plays and we got beat on those plays. It’s a lack of execution, a lack of engagement on certain plays that cost us and that was the case in the first period.” The Sharks scored twice in the first 3:36 of the game and, given the lack of production from the Montreal offence, the game was effectively over. Brendan Gallagher hit the nail on the head when he said there wasn’t just one thing that needs to be corrected. The Canadiens are 0-4 to start the season, they have scored only three goals, are 0-for-13 on the power play and have given up seven power-play goals. “A lot of people are going to turn on us and it’s important in that locker room that we don’t,” Gallagher said. “We have to do the right things to find solutions. It’s never easy to get out of those things. It’s disappointing that it’s happening in the very beginning of the year, but this is when you’re challenged. You want to test yourself in tough situations and that’s where we are now.” There were signs that the fans were turning on the Canadiens before the loss. The announced attendance was 16,095, more than 5,000 short of capacity. continued Game highlights are below.

via the YouTube page of TSN, The TSN Hockey Insiders discuss the options the Sharks have with Evander Kane when he returns from his 21-game suspension, but explain why terminating his contract is not one of them. The Insiders also talk about Canucks GM Jim Benning saying he's not looking at the market for a defenceman, and much more.  

Four minutes long.  

* Joel Eriksson Ek scored the NHL’s fifth hat trick of the 2021-22 season and helped the Wild outlast the Jets in a feverish finish at Xcel Energy Center. * Leon Draisaitl reached the 200-goal milestone and aided the Oilers to a 3-0-0 record to start the season. He required the fifth-fewest games by an Edmonton skater to hit the mark. * Spencer Knight maintained his perfect record in the regular season and backstopped the Panthers to victory in their playoff rematch with the Lightning.

via Ansar Khan tweet, lines and D pairs in practice before facing Calgary tomorrow at ?@LCArena_Detroit? Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond Fabbri-Suter-Zadina Namestnikov-Rasmussen-Erne Smith-Stephens-Gagner Rowney DeKeyser-Hronek Leddy-Seider Staal-Lindstrom Oesterle-Stecher

Just under 3 minutes to watch.  

from George Richards of Florida Hockey Now, It’s not often that you see a contending NHL team have not one but two rookies perform in a starring role as was the case Tuesday when both Spencer Knight and Anton Lundell helped lead the Florida Panthers to a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Usually if a team has two standout 20-year-olds, that means the team is rebuilding. Not contending. Which is what the Panthers are. A legitimate contender. With two pretty good rookies. “They are great,” Florida team captain Sasha Barkov said following the game. “They are special, special players. We’re lucky to have those guys on our team.” The Panthers played a good game on Tuesday, with Knight getting his first start of the season and pretty much picking up where he left off when we last saw him. continued Watch the game highlights below.

from Michael Russo of The Athletic, The Minnesota Wild didn’t need Xcel Energy to pump any juice inside the arena that holds its naming rights Tuesday night. With a capacity crowd excited to pack the arena once again after such a small number of fans were allowed inside last season, the kilowatts of electricity flowing through the building for a home opener that became an instant classic was absolutely off the charts. Nearly 22 months passed since the last time the Wild hosted the detested Winnipeg Jets, but it didn’t take long for the rivalry to reawaken and, without a shadow of a doubt, reignite. In a physical, chippy game that saw the Jets target Kirill Kaprizov over and over again, the Wild pulled together, stood up for each other and kept attacking Winnipeg’s net. In the end, Minnesota managed to rally from three one-goal deficits and ultimately one final two-goal deficit by taking advantage of an overturned Jets empty-net goal to miraculously force overtime instants later. continued (paid) Below, watch the game highlights.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, “I had some really nice looks today and especially this time of the game you want to score to help the team,” Raymond said. “Of course, you want to get that first goal. It’s something real special and it’s awesome, a special night.” Raymond opened the scoring at 6:17 of the third period, taking a pass from Dylan Larkin and wiring a wrist shot over goaltender Joonas Korpisalo’s glove on the short side. Shortly after that, Raymond side-stepped a check in the neutral zone and made a nice touch pass to Larkin, who set up Tyler Bertuzzi’s goal at 8:53, his fifth of the season, which proved to be the winner. “Those are a couple of dynamic offensive plays,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “The one thing (Raymond) does pretty consistently is play a complete game. That earns trust and you get minutes. Are there parts of his game that have to get better? A hundred percent. And he knows it, especially moving his feet. He’s a real cerebral player, sometimes he can get caught just thinking his way through the game instead of thinking and moving his feet. “Him and (fellow rookie Moritz) Seider both have a real good combination of confidence but yet real calm people and real respectful, real good inner drive. They’re not entitled people. I think (Raymond) has got a maturity beyond his years. That’s certainly going to help him as he goes through any upcoming trials and tribulations he’ll face.” more Below, watch the extended highlights.

Head-butting  

If there's one thing to be said about the Wings this season, it's that they're fun to watch again. Not boring, not slow and old, and not the inevitable feeling of dread that we've all come to know in the last few seasons. These games are actually entertaining, and exciting.  Larkin is back in the lineup tonight, T-Bert is on fire, and, the youngsters are really putting on a good showing so far. Yes, there is plenty of room for improvement, and that will come in time, but for right now let's just enjoy the moment, and have a good time. I do realize it's only game three in a long season, but, bring it on!    It's a Live Blog!

I was getting a bit nervous after 40 minutes of play, thinking the only video I had was the Nick Lidstrom interview. In the 3rd period, Tyler Bertuzzi scored, follow by the first NHL goal from Lucas Raymond.  Columbus scored on the power play to make it 2-1. Namestnikov and Erne added an empty net goals to give the Wings a 4-1 win. Lidstrom interview and Detroit goals are below and team stats too. Next game is Thursday with the Wings hosting Cal-Gary.

Tyler Bertuzzi first, below Mickey Redmond and Lucas Raymond.  added 10:41pm, game highlights are below and Mickey explains the Hudson Bay rules.  added 10:47pm, Jeff Blashill is below too.  added 11:21pm, before my head hits the pillow, a picture below of Raymond and his puck   We hear from Tyler Bertuzzi after he scores his fifth goal of the season, which also turns out to be the winner Tuesday night. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/UkuIsr4yPS — Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) October 20, 2021

from Michael Traikos of the National Post, The timing was curious — if not more than a little coincidental. As Jesperi Kotkaniemi prepared for his much-anticipated return to Montreal after signing a contentious $6.1-million offer sheet with Carolina in the summer, a report surfaced out of a Quebec-based newspaper suggesting that GM Marc Bergevin’s tenure with the Canadiens is all but over. Not only that, but according to La Voix de l’Est, owner Geoff Molson has tabbed Patrick Roy as a possible replacement, having reportedly met with the Hall of Fame goalie several times already. C’est what? In case anyone forgot, we’re just a week into the season. And while the last-place Canadiens haven’t looked like the team that beat Toronto, Winnipeg and Vegas en route to the Stanley Cup final, you’d think that the team would be given at least until the end of the month before reporters and fans starting calling for Bergevin’s head. continued

from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, - Jack Eichel’s agents aren’t commenting on this one, but I think I see their strategy if this continues without medical resolution or trade: Eichel’s been seeing doctor after doctor in search of support for the artificial disc replacement. The more support they get, the more they will argue it is an acceptable practice and that the new CBA agreement is not meant to prevent what could be seen as a reasonable medical choice. I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t predict if that will work, but it’s definitely the basis for some kind of legal challenge/grievance should we get to that point. - Nikita Kucherov is going to see a specialist to determine the extent of his injury. So we may not get clarity on his situation for a few days. But head coach Jon Cooper said it isn’t as long-term as last year, while Mikhail Sergachev told The Athletic’s Joe Smith Kucherov is “going to get some rest, get ready for the Olympics.” - According to a couple of sources, Rangers’ coach Gerard Gallant personally called Vitali Kravtsov to ask the forward to consider returning. Kravtsov is in Russia, but several teams say they’ve been told he wants to play in the NHL, not stay overseas. He went home to find a comfortable spot to skate and be ready. Getting him to come back to New York will take some serious convincing, as it’s not his preference. He’d like a fresh start. New York is asking a high price for the 2018 first-rounder, but there’s legitimate interest. It’s a poker game. - Edmonton is 2-0. GM Ken Holland told Oilers Now propagandist Bob Stauffer “my history in Detroit was when the team was good and we have a chance, I’ll spend.” (Stauffer did specify not a rental, but someone with term or team control.) Probably not smart to make any judgments after two games, though. “If you’re in the top eight and you think you’ve a real chance,” Holland added, “the time is now, we’re trying to take another step.” - For a second time, Mark Howe is retired. The Hall-of-Famer ended his playing career in 1995 and, after last season, retired as a scout. “I remember asking dad when I was still playing, ‘How do you know when it’s time?’” Howe said Monday. “He answered, ‘You’ll know.’ He was right. It hit me then and it hit me again.” Howe said he wants to spend more time with his partner, Sharon, recognizing that is more important to him now than work. “I’ve been compensated very fairly. I strongly believe in Steve Yzerman and his plan. Steve is the hardest-working guy I’ve seen. He demands the same of others and he should. But I wasn’t just tired, I was burned out. It is time.” Howe went out of his way to praise the Red Wings and the Ilitch family. “They were great to me, and us. To share my father with the rest of the world when he passed made a difficult time very nice.”... more on Mark Howe plus other Thoughts...

Wishing all the best for #Isles great Mike Bossy, who, in an open letter, announced he was stepping away from his on-air role at TVA Sports as he's battling lung cancer. — Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) October 19, 2021

via the YouTube page of the Detroit Red Wings, Ken Kal and Daniella Bruce preview Tuesday night's game against the Columbus Blue Jacket at Little Caesars Arena. Scheduled to start at 4pm, watch below.

from Ansar Khan of Mlive, Seider’s start Rookie defenseman Moritz Seider has three assists in his first two games and is averaging 21:38 in ice time, second on the team to Filip Hronek (24:16). “He’s earned some trust coming in here with his game at the different levels he’s played at,” Blashill said. “I just thought he did a real good job (Saturday). He’s a gamer. He’s a guy wo wants those types of minutes. He’s big, he can defend, and he can play offense. “He’s going to have his growing pains; he’s got learning to do. But in the meantime, we’re going to keep putting him out there, let him learn and keep going through the trials and tribulations that young players go through.” Electric atmosphere Blashill noted that the atmosphere at LCA the first two games has been as charged as it has been since the building opened four years ago. “I think the atmosphere has been great. Both games were highly emotional, which is a positive,” Blashill said. “We want to play with lots of compete, lots of emotion. The crowds have been awesome. It’s a loud building. It’s been a while since we had that (due to COVID restrictions last season). The first game in this building (in 2017), we didn’t have enough people in the seats. There were lots of people here, but they were either in the club level eating or checking out how beautiful the arena is. Now everybody is in the seats, and it just seems really, really loud.” more plus other topics Jeff Blashill discussed today...

I'll post videos when available to this post, in the meantime...   What is the Red Wings' subjective criteria for a scoring chance? Shot location is part of it. So is the distance the goalie had to travel to make the save. "The more the goalie has to move, the greater the likelihood of the puck going in." — Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) October 19, 2021 added 11:42am, Blashill and Suter videos are below.

Red wings lines and pairs at morning skate: Bertuzzi-Larkin-Raymond Zadina-Suter-Fabbri Namestnikov-Rasmussen-Erne Smith-Stephens-Gagner Rowney DeKeyser-Hronek Leddy-Seider Staal-Lindstrom Oesterle-Stecher — Max Bultman (@m_bultman) October 19, 2021

from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, You get an eight-year deal. And you get an eight-year deal. And you get an eight-year deal. And you and you and you! Long-term deals have been in vogue the last few months in the NHL, with Charlie McAvoy, Ryan Pulock, Nick Suzuki, Mika Zibanejad and Aleksander Barkov all doing max extensions in the last couple of weeks while Brady Tkachuk did a seven-year deal. That comes after an offseason where Colton Parayko, Sean Couturier, Andrei Svechnikov, Darnell Nurse, Adam Pelech, Brayden Point, Gabriel Landeskog, Seth Jones and Miro Heiskanen also got eight-year deals while the likes of Dougie Hamilton and Zach Hyman did seven-year max contracts as UFAs.... “Most of these contracts are for young stars just out of entry-level signed through the prime of their careers. A few are D entering free agency in their 20s who also have many prime years left,” said veteran agent J.P. Barry, who did Hamilton’s mega-deal in New Jersey. “This is the low point of the cap and it will no doubt be higher when most of these players otherwise would be entering free agency.” As agent Todd Diamond points out, you have to separate the RFA deals from the UFA deals we’ve seen. But still, there’s max term being used in both instances right now. more ($$$)

from Kristen Anderson of the Calgary Sun, OK, so things are different. The ‘Mask Cam’ has replaced the ‘Kiss Cam,’ a no-brainer, clearly, given the way COVID-19 is transmitted, the classic ‘This or That’ game between periods included whether fans preferred nose or throat swabs, and, at one point, fans were asked if they were sick of Zoom meetings. Calgary also had a different mayor by the time fans left the building, but that’s another story for another section. Yet back at Scotiabank Saddledome, where fans hadn’t been to a regular season game since before the coronavirus pandemic began March 2020, things seemed very much the same. Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the visiting Anaheim Ducks happened because of fixable mistakes that happened at the wrong times, including a turnover from Noah Hanifin in overtime, ill-timed back-checking by Sean Monahan which led to Jamie Drysdale’s winner. Monahan and Hanifin are both coming off surgeries and have been singled out by head coach Darryl Sutter for needing to get up to speed. “We only got one point tonight,” Sutter said. “So Xs and Os, all that, may be alright, but individuals … You gotta question some of that.” continued Game highlights are below.

Match penalty  

I've been watching this grand game of ours for over a half century and have always wondered how the greats of the past would do in the current National Hockey League. Let's start with the greatest all around player ever to play, Gordie Howe. The younger generation paying attention to the game know who Gordie Howe is, but those who are casual fans or just follow their team have no idea how great #9 was.

* The Blues have scored 12 goals through their first two games after putting up seven on Monday, including five in a span of 5:07.    * Derick Brassard was one of six goal scorers for the Flyers and became the 11th player in NHL history to score at least once with nine or more franchises.    * Nineteen-year-old Jamie Drysdale capped a Ducks comeback by becoming the sixth-youngest defenseman in NHL history to score a regular-season overtime goal. 

When people ask me how do i get hockey news so quickly, my answer has always been Twitter.  The information is still there but now you may have to sift through tweets to get what you are looking for. Let me explain, I have a Twitter list consisting of about 400 people, from true hokey insiders, the beat writers and team sites.  Normally the hockey insiders (a group of around 20) break the news.  So why do I follow all the others?  I also look for interesting pieces, from injuries, highlights or team stories therefore I include in my hockey list those I believe who can supply the information I am looking for.

NEW YORK (Oct. 18, 2021) – The National Hockey League announced today that San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane has been suspended for 21 regular-season games, without pay, for an established violation of, and lack of compliance with, the NHL/NHLPA COVID-19 Protocol. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the forfeited pay goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. Kane will not be eligible to play prior to San Jose’s game on Nov. 30 (at NJD). The National Hockey League also announced today that its concurrent investigation into allegations of domestic abuse made against Kane by his estranged wife, Deanna, could not be substantiated. There will be no further comment. TORONTO (Oct. 18, 2021) – The National Hockey League Players’ Association is releasing the following statement at the request of Evander Kane: “I would like to apologize to my teammates, the San Jose Sharks organization, and all Sharks fans for violating the NHL COVID protocols.  I made a mistake, one I sincerely regret and take responsibility for.  During my suspension, I will continue to participate in counseling to help me make better decisions in the future.  When my suspension is over, I plan to return to the ice with great effort, determination, and love for the game of hockey.”? SAN JOSE, CA (Oct. 18, 2021) – The San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) today issued the following statement: “The NHL has advised our organization that Evander Kane has been suspended without pay for 21 games for an established violation of, and lack of compliance with, the NHL/NHLPA COVID-19 Protocols. While we are encouraged by Evander’s commitment to moving forward, we are extremely disappointed by his disregard for the health and safety protocols put in place by the NHL and the NHLPA. We will not be commenting further on Evander’s status prior to the conclusion of the NHL’s mandated suspension.”

Two weeks ago the hockey world was shocked when Carey Price, the goalie who carried the Montreal Canadiens to the Stanley Cup this past summer, announced he would be entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.  This came out of nowhere from one of the most consistent and quiet performers in the NHL.  It was a statement which came out of nowhere and surprised many people (including GM Marc Bergevin). I'm writing this post today because when I read the explanation from Carey's wife about the situation I could immediately relate.  People in the hockey world were shocked and incredulous that the Canadiens organization didn't know this was coming.  But I understood it.  I knew exactly where Carey was coming from.  I wrote a comment on that Kukla's Korner post where I explained my personal experiences - things I had only told a handful of people.  These were things I had previously felt embarrassed and ashamed to write, but it was so easy to identify with Carey that I had no hesitation writing a post about it. So what's my story?  In 2016 I experienced my first ever concussion.  I wish I had a great story about how it happened, but I don't.  According to my wife I passed out while I was standing in the bathroom at home and hit my head on the granite countertop.  She was asleep but woke up from the sound; she came into the bathroom and I do remember her screaming at me.  I thought I had done something wrong for her to be yelling at me, so what do I do?  I stuttered to get up, walked to bed, and then fell asleep. 

from Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now, Here’s the problem – by not punishing the offenders of the initial foul, the NHL is leaving the victims with no alternative but to take the law into their own hands. When it comes to biblical phrases, an eye for an eye is much more popular at the rink than turn the other cheek. The league does have to mete out discipline to combat vigilante justice. However, they look foolish doing so while allowing the original offender to continue to skate free. “When I talked to my son . . . when he was asking me questions like ‘Why is the punch with a glove on more dangerous than the other one?’ I had to explain to him that it’s not,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said.... The outside view is that the NHL looks to be moving in a direction where they are rolling out the welcome mat and accommodating the return of on-ice violence. And that means that they’ll be forcing more players to make like Larkin and take the law into their own hands. more

2 1/2 minutes to get caught up.