🏒 You can be certain that the multitude of Maple Leafs’ haters out there are just thrilled to see that the first 35 pages of the most recent Hockey News issue are almost exclusively devoted to the rich dudes that own the Toronto franchise.
🏒 He’s out there somewhere. Whether the NHL knows what he’s doing is unclear. Whether they care is even less clear. He’s an NHL linesman. One of the many anonymous ones whose job description includes dropping pucks after a stoppage in play.
Except this one—more than any of the others—has turned ejecting centremen from the faceoff circle into an art form. Real violations, imagined violations… it hardly matters. If there’s a centre to be tossed, he’s your guy. Yes, hockey fans: he’s the reigning NHL ejection king!
Obviously, these faceoffs are a linesman’s moment. It’s their brief taste of authority, not to mention their best shot at some up-close camera time. And it’s also when fans — thousands of them, in the arena and at home — reach a rare state of total agreement and bellow the only words that matter: “Drop the friggin’ puck!”
So seriously, NHL: who is he? Asking for a friend.
🏒 Is the Ottawa Senators franchise cursed. Year, after year, it’s always something. Let us count the ways:
Expansion team whiplash: great early success, then endless resets
Eugene Melnyk ownership era: lawsuits, threats, chaos, public feuds
Daniel Alfredsson leaves over money… signs with Detroit
The Hamburglar Run (2015): magical goalkeeping, unsustainable, misleading hope
2017: one OT goal from the Stanley Cup Final… then collapse
Karlsson trade fallout: franchise identity suffers
Taxi-gate scandal (Uber video) becomes international embarrassment
Canadian Tire Centre location: great for tailgating, brutal travel issues for players/fans
Coaching carousel: short leashes, mixed messaging
Goaltending instability, year after year
Ownership transition delays everything (arena, vision, stability)
Arena downtown plan: announced, stalled, revived, stalled again, revived?
Star players want out—or get traded right before they reach their potential
This year: high expectations → injuries, suspensions, inconsistency, Linus Ullmark scandal
🏒 The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired defenceman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames. Of course they have. Vegas has spent first-round picks like casino chips for years, yet somehow always have the right assets at the right moment when another “can’t-miss” deal presents itself. Add in their uncanny mastery of the National Hockey League salary cap—LTIR timing, contract gymnastics, loophole choreography—and you’re left wondering: are they dealing from the bottom of the deck? Either way, the house keeps winning.
