2017-2018 NHL Thread

[herman]

Speaking of principles:
https://twitter.com/scottcwheeler/status/911974424676532224
www.twitter.com/scottcwheeler/status/911974424676532224

Odd that they also don't include orientation.

 

[bustaheims]

Odd that they also don't include orientation.

They do, here's the full text of Principle # 8:

8. All hockey programs should provide a safe, positive and inclusive environment for players and families regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic status. Simply put, hockey is for everyone.

Wheeler's just highlighting the parts that apply to the situation at hand.

 

[herman]

Thanks. I was too lazy to look it up.

NHL not looking good on this.

 

[Frank E]

http://www.tsn.ca/a-new-no-1-mcdavid-edges-crosby-in-tsn-s-top-50-player-poll-1.867210

No debatable decisions on this list...none at all.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/icehockeystick/status/912749199330103296
www.twitter.com/icehockeystick/status/912749199330103296

I'm coming around on the Ho-Sang hype train, and it started even before this.

 

[disco]

Yes, yes everyone wants the NHL and it's players to protest the puppet on the right in office. Man, this is getting old. The police have been militarized, white people are bad. Got it. Looking forward to seven more years of this crap. Commence with the backlash because I made one political post in the NHL thread.

 

[Kin]

Joel Ward talks about his experiences with racism in hockey, says he may kneel for anthems:

http://deadspin.com/joel-ward-ive-experienced-a-lot-of-racism-myself-in-h-1818826102

 

[CarltonTheBear]

As it stands right now, it looks like Pittsburgh's 3rd line centre will be Greg freaking McKegg. I have no idea how he's even still kicking around.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Joel Ward talks about his experiences with racism in hockey, says he may kneel for anthems:

http://deadspin.com/joel-ward-ive-experienced-a-lot-of-racism-myself-in-h-1818826102

I'm sure he'd get absolutely torn into by talking heads like Cherry and Milbury and Roenick, but it'd be great for someone in the NHL to make the first move.

?It?s just been part of life that you always have to deal with,? Ward said of racism. ?So when people get into Kaepernick and some of these other guys, saying that they?re disrespecting the flag, it?s not about just that. It?s about creating awareness about what people, like myself, go through on a day-to-day basis.?

 

[bustaheims]

As it stands right now, it looks like Pittsburgh's 3rd line centre will be Greg freaking McKegg. I have no idea how he's even still kicking around.

Easy. Leg for an arm, arm for a leg. Do the math.

 

[Kin]

I'm sure he'd get absolutely torn into by talking heads like Cherry and Milbury and Roenick, but it'd be great for someone in the NHL to make the first move.

At this point I'm sort of half-hoping Ward does take a knee because I think it'd be a really powerful statement about how hockey isn't untouched by these issues and half-hoping he does it because it might cause Cherry's head to literally explode.

 

[herman]

During their playoff run, Karlsson was pretty open about his damaged ankle.

Leading up to this season:
https://twitter.com/PxPOttawa/status/913064451141664770
www.twitter.com/PxPOttawa/status/913064451141664770

 

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Half?

I know knee/back repair surgeries have come a long way in the past 10/15 years, but is there a similar cutting edge surgery for the ankle?

Losing 50% of your ankle bone seems significant for an elite athlete.

 

[cabber24]

During their playoff run, Karlsson was pretty open about his damaged ankle.

Leading up to this season:
https://twitter.com/PxPOttawa/status/913064451141664770
www.twitter.com/PxPOttawa/status/913064451141664770

Does his ankle injury have anything to do with the Cooke stomp? It's the same leg. I hate Cooke.

 

[bustaheims]

Does his ankle injury have anything to do with the Cooke stomp? It's the same leg. I hate Cooke.

Possibly indirectly. I can imagine the impact of the muscle damage caused more stress/strain on the joint.

 

[herman]

Karlsson's playoff (or pre-playoff?) injury was two hairline fractures in one of the ankle bones  that likely caused four (!!!!) tendons to tear. He carried the team into the Conference Finals with all of that going on down there.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Karlsson's playoff (or pre-playoff?) injury was two hairline fractures in one of the ankle bones  that likely caused four (!!!!) tendons to tear. He carried the team into the Conference Finals with all of that going on down there.

He is an amazing player (& athlete) in his own right.  Perhaps it speaks of his athleticism and tremendous skills that play into that.

 

[Kin]

And Georges Laraque on it now:

https://deadspin.com/georges-laraque-calls-out-the-penguins-decision-to-visi-1818860205

?I know hockey?s more conservative than other sports, but this time it?s just wrong,?? said Laraque, who was a black player in the predominantly white NHL. ?I?m surprised the NHL didn?t make a stand.

?To me, it?s an embarrassment that they?re going.?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Friedman brought up the Pens thing in his 30 Thoughts:

31. As I watched Pittsburgh celebrate its Stanley Cup win over Nashville, I wondered how on earth the Penguins would go to the White House. While it was reported owner Ron Burkle had a falling out with the Clintons well before last November?s election, he has a long history with the family and raised millions for them. President/CEO David Morehouse began his political career as a volunteer in Bill Clinton?s 1992 campaign, joining the White House staff during Clinton?s first term. He later worked on presidential campaigns for Democratic candidates Al Gore and John Kerry. Things seemed nowhere near as noxious then as they do now in the nexus of sports and politics, but I couldn?t imagine Burkle and/or Morehouse wanting any whiff of it. Dave Molinari of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posed the question and got an answer on June 13 ? in the form of a statement. ?The Pittsburgh Penguins would never turn down a visit to the White House and, if invited, we would go as a team,? Morehouse wrote. ?We respect the office of the presidency of the United States and what it stands for. Any opposition or disagreement with a president?s policies, or agenda, can be expressed in other ways.?

I have a theory about what happened last weekend. Things exploded with Donald Trump?s ?You can?t quit, you?re fired!? disinvitation of the Golden State Warriors, and LeBron James called Trump ?a bum.? Reporters, knowing the Penguins still had the opportunity to go, asked what they were going to do. In the eyes of the organization, the position taken three months ago hadn?t changed, so out went their statement. I don?t know if it happened because it was a Sunday or if it was because they were overly focused on the American version of Hockeyville, but what the Penguins lacked was someone to say, ?Time out. Things are insane right now, and, even if we do decide to go, this is not the day. Everyone take a deep breath, let?s really think about this.? I don?t think the Penguins are evil. You can make a case that given Burkle and Morehouse?s experiences that they are honest when they say that the office of the presidency is above Trump. That said, I can only judge people how I judge myself. Last year, I refused a politician?s request for a photo during the Eastern Conference Final, because I didn?t want it used on social media or being placed in a manner that in any way gave anyone the idea I endorsed them. He said, ?Once I take the photo it is mine,? so I declined. I didn?t know his policies, but I am so distrustful of politicians that I wasn?t taking the chance. I would just say to the Penguins, think about how that photo is going to be used and ask yourself, ?Am I really comfortable with that? Will I regret having to explain it for years to come??

Those last few lines are what's important. Mike Sullivan defended the decision by saying that they weren't taking a political stance. Even if we accept that as true (it's not), that doesn't mean that Trump isn't going to politicize the hell out of the event.

 

[Kin]

Those last few lines are what's important. Mike Sullivan defended the decision by saying that they weren't taking a political stance. Even if we accept that as true (it's not), that doesn't mean that Trump isn't going to politicize the hell out of the event.

There's another element to this now that can't just be ignored. The League never misses an opportunity to pat itself on the back for their values. They hold entire press conferences about it, start websites, talk about inclusivity...and then even your more cynical press folk will say "Yeah, it's corny but give them credit for trying".

Well, now Trump has endorsed a Senate candidate who thinks homosexuality should be illegal, who thought 9/11 was god's punishment for America's wickedness and who refers to Native people and Asians as "Reds and Yellows". And the NHL is going to let its most important symbol, the cup, be used as a prop by someone who thinks that's an acceptable person to be in the US senate.

Values only matter if you hold to them when it's difficult. The League not doing anything here is proof-positive that their entire "Values" nonsense was a complete and total waste of time.