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Subban calls out Messier and Chelios for ‘gloating.’

Since hanging up his skates as far as his playing career in the National Hockey League is concerned, P.K. Subban has made a quick and natural transition to a broadcaster for the NHL on ESPN.

Subban always showcased his personality during his time in the NHL and that trend has continued during his broadcast career, and not just when the show is on the air. On Saturday, Subban posted a short video on social media in which he called out fellow former players Chris Chelios and Mark Messier for ‘gloating’ with the Stanley Cup in studio.

“Big party for these guys huh?” said Subban via his Twitter. “Gloating over here, drinking out of the Cup, it’s crazy.”

While the words used by Subban here might suggest that he was genuinely irritated, the tone of his video and his comments left little doubt that he was anything but that. If anything, Subban appeared to be putting over the accomplishments of his legendary co-hosts, while poking a little fun at himself in self-deprecating fashion for never winning a Stanley Cup of his own.

If anything, the video might leave you feeling a little sorry for poor P.K. Subban who probably feels like something of a third wheel right now with the Stanley Cup in studio.

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Concerning update on injured Tanner Jeannot.

The Tampa Bay Lightning made a major move at the National Hockey League’s trade deadline to acquire gritty forward Tanner Jeannot from the Nashville Predators, but there is now real concern that Jeannot may not even get the chance to participate in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

Earlier this week, Jeannot was injured when he got tangled up with New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, an incident that resulted in both Mayfield and Jeannot himself falling awkwardly on top of Jeannot’s right leg. It was immediately clear that Jeannot was in considerable pain and he was unable to leave the ice under his own power, needing teammates Zach Bogosian and Corey Perry to help him off the ice.

Head coach Jon Cooper admitted following the game that he was worried about Jeannot’s status moving forward, and on Saturday we received more bad news regarding the injured forward.

The Lightning have now confirmed that Jeannot has returned to Tampa to undergo medical evaluation for his injury, one that the Lightning are surely hoping will allow him to return this season.

The Lightning of course made a huge investment in Jeannot at the trade deadline, giving up Cal Foote, a first round pick in 2025, a second round pick in 2024, and a third, fourth, and fifth round pick in 2023 to acquire him. The Lightning would of course hate to lose him for the Stanley Cup playoffs after such a major investment but, the silver lining here is that, with Jeannot being a restricted free agent they will likely have him in the lineup for many more playoff runs to come.

The Lightning will also be without defenseman Mikhail Sergachev tonight, who is anticipating the birth of his child and is away for personal reasons.

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Potential goaltending crisis for the Maple Leafs on Saturday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a potential goaltending crisis on their hands, one that appears to be of their own making.

On Friday, the Maple Leafs announced that they would be sending goaltender Joseph Woll back down to the American Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies, a move that was announced in conjunction with the callup of veteran forward Wayne Simmonds.

There is a belief that the move was made out of a desire to give the aging veteran in Simmonds one final game in front of the hometown Toronto crowd, a feel good idea to be sure. Unfortunately it may be one that has left the Leafs in somewhat of a pickle on Saturday.

Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has now confirmed that the plan was originally to have Matt Murray serve as backup for goaltender Ilya Samsonov tonight, a plan that may be in jeopardy due to Murray’s injury status. Not only did Keefe confirm that Murray’s status for tonight was now a question mark, but he also added that he was unsure of what the Leafs would do in the event of Murray being unable to play.

This is certainly a less than ideal situation for the Maple Leafs, and we will have to wait and see how it all plays out as the day wears on.

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Senators officially shut down 3 players on Saturday.

NHL/Twitter

The Ottawa Senators are throwing in the towel with any hope of making the Stanley Cup playoffs now officially out of reach.

The Senators have 3 games remaining on their regular season schedule with a a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday followed by a pair of games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres next week, but many of the team’s core players will not be present for those games.

On Saturday, the Senators announced that they would be shutting down 3 defenseman with Jakob Chychrun, Thomas Chabot and Travis Hamonic all wrapping up their seasons prematurely. Chychrun and Chabot are under contract for next season so it makes perfect sense to shut both players down and avoid any potentially serious injuries. Hamonic will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season but the Senators could look to resign him, or he simply could be banged up and in need of respite.

The Senators will, despite the huge blow to their blue line, still feature many of their regulars today including captain Brady Tkachuk and veteran forward Claude Giroux. Here is how their lines looked during the morning skate:

Tkachuk Stützle Giroux
DeBrincat Pinto Batherson
Joseph Gambrell Brown
Sokolov Kastelic Gauthier

Sanderson Zub
Brannstrom Holden
Kleven Bernard-Docker

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Nicklas Lidstrom throws 1st pitch in Tigers home opener

Twitter

As it always has been the first home game of the season for the Detroit Tigers is a giant downtown party, regardless of whether or not you’ll be in attendance at Comerica Park. And for those of you older readers, you’ll certainly look back fondly on the days of the legendary Tiger Stadium, which closed its doors in 1999. 

Traditionally, the host team will have a special guest for the ceremonial first pitch prior to the start of the game. And this afternoon in downtown Detroit, it was not only one Motor City sports legend, but a trio. Former Detroit Red Wings captain and multiple time Norris Trophy winning defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom was joined by NBA Hall of Famer Ben Wallace alongside Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson for the festivities: 

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PK Subban divides the hockey world with recent statements

Zuma Press

PK Subban has never been one to bite his tongue.

The former NHL superstar defenseman turned ESPN analyst has never had a problem holding back his opinion and has made more than his fair share of both friends and enemies thanks to his outspoken nature. Earlier this week Subban made headlines once again when he weighed in on the recent trend of players and teams electing to NOT support the NHL’s Pride celebrations that seek to increase inclusivity for LGBTQ+ community members.

Here’s what Subban had to say:

“We cannot push everyone to be an activist, we need to be very careful. I feel people pick and choose what they want to talk about and I don’t like it when we put the onus on athletes to be activists.”

“You can support the LGBTQ community without having to wear a hat, a T-shirt or a jersey.”

– PK Subban

Subban then turned his criticism to the media, stating that they “need to be held accountable” for pushing narratives and for ignoring much of the positive initiatives happening around the NHL.

“There’s many players in the league that have started programs — why aren’t the media talking about that?” Subban questioned.

To me, all of this makes perfect sense. But this is 2023 after all, so you just KNOW that people are going to have a problem with whatever stance is taken on this sensitive subject. For what it’s worth, I mostly agree with Subban’s sentiment. You can certainly support the LGBTQ+ community without donning a rainbow-tinged outfit. Am I offended when a player elects to opt out of Pride celebrations? Absolutely not because my self worth isn’t tied to a multi-million dollar professional sports franchise and their marketing strategy. At the same time though, I won’t tell someone else what they should or should not be offended by… even if I feel it’s silly.

The fact of the matter though is that Subban is correct. There are plenty of players across the NHL who have embraced inclusion and who have done wonderful things for the LGBTQ+ community. Let’s not let a few religious and political protests detract from the fact that the NHL is making a lot of progress in their quest to become more inclusive.

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Penguins announce emergency roster move!

NHL.com

The Pittsburgh Penguins are fighting for their postseason lives, and will need to pick up as many points as possible in the standings if they’re to punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 17th consecutive year. Of course, they’ll also need to be aided by the teams that they’re chasing for one of the two final Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference to do a bit of losing. 

And ahead of tonight’s Titanic matchup at PPG Paints Arena against the postseason bound visiting Minnesota Wild, the team has announced an “emergency” roster move. Forward Alex Nylander has been called up from the American Hockey League affiliate Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. 

While it hasn’t officially been announced, this almost certainly means that the Penguins are dealing with another injury up front, necessitating the call up from the AHL. Nylander has scored a career-high 25 goals along with 25 assists for 50 points in 55 games played with Wilkes-Barre, along with a plus-2 Plus minus rating. 

Tonight’s game against the visiting Wild will get underway starting at 7:00 PM EST. As it currently stands, the Penguins trail both the New York Islanders and Florida Panthers in the Wild Card standings by a single point. 

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Bruins receive the worst possible injury in tonight’s game against Leafs

Sportsnet

This just in, the Boston Bruins have announced that defenseman Charlie McAvoy will NOT return to tonight’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs after suffering an upper body injury.

McAvoy collided with teammate Patrice Bergeron in the 2nd period and hasn’t played since. 

This is obviously a HUGE concern given McAvoy’s injury history and his role on the Bruins’ back-end. Stay tune for more details in this developing story.

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All Hell breaks loose in Detroit, Larkin dusts Skinner at center ice!

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Who says old time hockey is done? 

Who says you need the playoffs for a good atmosphere?

Two non-playoff teams fighting for their lives can provide fans with the absolute best in entertainment. Which brings me to tonight’s game between the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings where a bit of a melee broke out following a high hit from Sabres forward Jeff Skinner on Red Wings sophomore Lucas Raymond.

Check it out:

Old time hockey, baby!

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Superstars Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and others have no clue what a VHS video tape is

NHL

Ladies and gentlemen, hockey fans of a certain vintage: Do you want to feel old?

Because I’m about to make you feel very, very, VERY old.

Watch and behold:

It’s a VHS tape, boys and it goes in a VCR…

Back in my day!!!