It’s remarkable what can be accomplished when both sides in a negotiation put their heads together and get on the same page to come up with an agreement. We’re seeing that right now with the NHL and NHLPA during unprecedented times – the COVID-19 crisis that put an end to the season back in March.
The thing about awards or honors that are voted on, like induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, is that, aside from obvious first-ballot guys like Jarome Iginla, there is going to be debate. Not only among the 18 voters comprising the HHOF committee, where 14 voters must agree before a player is inducted, but…
We know that Jarome Iginla is a mortal lock to be named to the Hockey Hall of Fame by the selection committee in his first year of eligibility Wednesday. But what about former Edmonton Oilers’ captain Kevin Lowe, in his 20th year of eligibility, and other candidates like Theoren Fleury, Alexander Mogilny, Marian Hossa and…
Even within the context of the number of shocking revelations that have made headlines across the Canadian Hockey League in years past, accusations made by Daniel Carcillo and Garrett Taylor about systemic abuse in major junior hockey as contained in a lawsuit filed in Ontario Superior Court Thursday are nothing less than a bombshell.
I’ve got to admit I hadn’t given Jesse Puljujarvi much thought since last August – even with what seemed like daily updates about his progress playing in Finland from JP Fan Club president Dustin Nielson – until yesterday. For me, it was out of sight out of mind, at least until Puljujarvi appeared to soften…
I come from a place of white privilege, so I can’t fully understand the depth of the rage and pain we’ve seen since four police officers murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis May 25. I’ve never been the victim of racism. I’ve never walked in those shoes. I don’t know what that feels like.
I know this will come off as homer-ism in the extreme to some, but when I look at the 10 cities on the NHL’s shortlist to be hubs when play-ins and playoffs finally get underway, I don’t see a better hub candidate than Edmonton. Tell me I’m wrong.
The old saying is that time flies. That seems especially true as today marks the 30th anniversary of the Edmonton Oilers’ fifth, and unlikeliest, Stanley Cup on this sunny Sunday – the first and only sip from the silverware of the post-Wayne Gretzky era.
We still don’t know exactly what the rest of the NHL season and playoffs will look like for sure – how many teams and how many hub cities would be involved, for starters – but we do know the Edmonton Oilers and Alberta premier Jason Kenney are in there pitching with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman…
Ryan Rishaug of TSN has been doing some solid reporting during this COVID-19 pandemic about what measures it might take to get the Edmonton Oilers and the NHL back on the ice, including talks between the Oilers and the province of Alberta about establishing protocols for testing and mitigating risk.
There’s still a lot more questions than answers regarding when and if the NHL season could resume, and what that might look like if it does. As time ticks on, we still don’t have anything more than bits and pieces and ideas about getting started again.
So, Curtis Joseph turns 53 today. That, in itself, is noteworthy, given the relatively short but definitely spectacular time the man they call Cujo spent tending goal as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. So, Happy Birthday, Cujo. Of course, there is more.
