NHL players will return to the Olympics if the league's modified CBA is finalized, pending an agreement with the IOC, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that the proposed CBA extension could include participation in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Games.
The NHL didn't partake in the most recent Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018. It was the first time since 1994 that NHLers didn't participate.
Canada has won back-to-back gold medals in Olympics that featured NHL players.
The NHL and the players' union agreed on an interim extension for all contracts that would've expired at midnight on Wednesday, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli, and the agreement also allows players to opt out of the league's return-to-play plan.
The pact is pending completion of the new collective bargaining agreement and agreements on Phase 3 (training camp) and Phase 4 (games).
NHL players aren't paid for the postseason, so there are no financial repercussions for those who decide to opt out.
However, players will reportedly receive their 2020-21 signing bonuses as scheduled on Wednesday.
Andersen told reporters during a conference call Tuesday that he's "not 100 percent confident" in the league's ability to return to action, according to The Athletic's Joshua Kloke.
"We don't have enough information yet," Andersen added. "The league and (players' association) are still ironing things out. The 11th hour is coming up here."
Though he's not convinced it will happen, Andersen was adamant about his desire to return.
"I want to play," he said, according to The Athletic's Jonas Siegel. "I don't want to just sit and waste the summer and the season."
Andersen had been isolating in Arizona with Auston Matthews, who reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. He added that he left the state before its virus spike to train in California and is now quarantining in Toronto, according to the Canadian Press' Joshua Clipperton.
The 30-year-old is coming off his worst regular season with the Maple Leafs. He went 29-13-7 with a .909 save percentage, a 2.85 goals-against average, and three shutouts.
San Jose Sharks forward and Hockey Diversity Alliance co-head Evander Kane believes the league does a poor job of promoting diversity.
"As minorities in the NHL and coming through hockey, we've been undervalued and we've been overlooked," he said Monday during a video call with the committee, per UNINTERRUPTED. "It's baffling to me that that's still going on. And it's gone on ever since I've been in the league."
"I look at the group that we have here on the screen, and it's concerning," Kane continued. "You would think that you would want to use us and present us as minorities in such a white sport in a great light and use it to your advantage to create a more diverse game because that, at the end of the day, is what is going to sell."
Kane thinks the NHL's lack of diversity is part of the reason why its the least profitable league among the four major sports.
"You look at other leagues like the NBA and the NFL and how diverse they are and why they are generating significantly more revenue than our league. Because I'll be the first person to tell you hockey is by far the greatest game. It's the hardest sport. I think we as athletes deserve to get paid the most. And why is it that we aren't? Part of that issue, and a big part of it, is because we are not a diverse sport."
NHL players made an average of $2.69 million in 2019-20, according to Statista, trailing behind the NBA ($8.32 million), MLB ($4.03 million), and NFL ($3.26 million).
The greatest discrepancy is seen among each sport's highest-paid athletes.
Fifteen of the 250 players who reported to training facilities for Phase 2 of the NHL's return-to-play plan have tested positive for COVID-19, the league announced Monday.
An additional 11 players who didn't report for voluntary workouts have tested positive since the opening of Phase 2 on June 8.
All players who tested positive have self-isolated and followed CDC and Health Canada protocols.
Training camps (Phase 3) are scheduled to open July 10, and the NHL does not plan to quarantine teams in "bubbles" during that time.
Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn't mind if Toronto serves as one of the NHL's two hub cities.
"We've played well in that rink in the playoffs, for the most part," he said, according to WEEI's Scott McLaughlin.
The Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the past two postseasons, clinching each in a Game 7. Three of Toronto's last four playoff appearances ended in a Game 7 loss to the Bruins in the opening round, including the 2013 contest in which the Maples Leafs were up 4-1.
Cassidy became the Bruins' head coach in 2017, and the team owns a 3-3 playoff record at Scotiabank Arena since his hiring.
The NHL's hub cities are expected to be announced sometime this week, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie. He adds that Las Vegas and Toronto appear to be the front-runners, though it's still a "fluid process."
Toronto's latest proposal reportedly featured players and team personnel living in a 40-acre bubble on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition just outside the downtown core.
The Eastern Conference's No. 1-seeded Bruins received a bye to the first round of the playoffs and will jostle with the conference's other top-three teams for seeding while clubs ranked fifth through 12th partake in the qualifying round.
Only production staff for television and radio broadcasts are expected to be allowed inside the two hub-city bubbles if the NHL resumes play, which means play-by-play commentators and color analysts will likely work remotely.
"It's different," vice president of Sportsnet and NHL Production Rob Corte told CBC's Jim Morris. "A lot of the energy they draw is from within a building and the crowd. When you're in an arena you see everything. There's going to be things that will be missed or not seen just because it's not available to their eyesight."
Corte added that one feed will likely be produced for each game and supplied to all NHL rights-holders. Sportsnet will have its commentators watch games on monitors in Toronto, where a score bug and graphics will be added.
Many media-related details have yet to be finalized, though.
"Part of the challenge is, there's been so many different ideas and potential ways to do this," Corte said. "We've been having so many discussions, and when you think you're moving in a certain direction, then about 10 more questions come up that actually disqualify everything you have been thinking before.
With the Hockey Hall of Fame announcing its class of 2020 on Wednesday, it's time to examine the players who will make their debuts on the ballot in their first year of eligibility in 2021.
It's important to note that in order to be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a player must not have played a professional or international game in any of the three seasons leading up to his or her election. This means that although Jaromir Jagr hasn't played in the NHL since 2017-18, he's not yet eligible because he was still playing professionally in the Czech Republic during the 2019-20 season.
It's also beneficial to understand the exact criteria for selection, as detailed by The Athletic's Eric Duhatschek, who served a maximum 15-year term on the Hall of Fame committee from 2004-18: playing ability, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to his or her team or teams and the game of hockey in general.
With no disrespect to Brian Gionta, Patrick Sharp, Scott Hartnell, or Mike Fisher, here are five first-year eligible players who have a shot at the Hall of Fame in 2021.
Daniel and Henrik Sedin
Reuters/Action Images
Daniel Sedin
GP
G
A
P
1306
393
648
1041
Henrik Sedin
GP
G
A
P
1330
240
830
1070
No two players in hockey history have had greater chemistry than Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who seemingly used twin telepathy to find each other on the ice. Some of these passes are ridiculous:
Watching the Vancouver Canucks icons in their prime truly felt like watching a pair of Hall of Famers. The numbers back that up, too. Over two NHL seasons from 2009-2011, Henrik ranked first in the league with 206 points and fourth with 1.26 points per game. In that same span, Daniel ranked fourth with 189 points and second with 1.30 points per game. Henrik won a Hart Trophy and an Art Ross Trophy, while Daniel won an Art Ross Trophy and a Lester B. Pearson Award (now the Ted Lindsay Award), and had a second-place finish in Hart Trophy voting.
The twins never won a Stanley Cup, but they came within one win of a title with the Canucks in 2011. They also won an Olympic gold medal with Sweden in 2006. Remember, it's the Hockey Hall of Fame, not the NHL Hall of Fame; international contributions are part of the discussion.
But while their overall resumes are impressive, first-ballot inductions aren't guaranteed. By Hockey Reference's era-adjusted numbers, Daniel and Henrik rank 50th and 57th in all-time points, respectively. Fellow Swede Daniel Alfredsson, who ranks 33rd all time in adjusted points and was superior on a per-game basis, was passed over on Wednesday for a fourth straight year.
Still, in light of the individual hardware and their contributions to the city of Vancouver and the Canucks franchise, it would be surprising if the twins don't get in on their first chance. Given that they did just about everything together during their careers, it's only right they be inducted side by side.
Prediction: First-ballot induction
Henrik Zetterberg
Gregory Shamus / Getty Images Sport / Getty
GP
G
A
P
1082
337
623
960
Zetterberg was one of the premier two-way forwards of his generation. He won a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy, and although he was a Selke Trophy finalist only once, he had four other top-10 finishes in voting for the award. The former Detroit Red Wings captain never finished higher than 10th in Hart Trophy voting, however, suggesting he wasn't among the game's truly elite even in his prime.
Induction into the Hall of Fame usually requires either an outstanding peak or absurd longevity. Zetterberg had neither. Even after adjusting for the era in which he played, he ranks 79th on the all-time points list. It seems as though someone like Rod Brind'Amour, who won two Selke Trophies and sits 41st on the era-adjusted points list, should get the nod ahead of him. Alfredsson and Alexander Mogilny may have more compelling cases, too.
As one of 29 players in the Triple Gold Club, Zetterberg could see his time come eventually, but he'll have to be patient.
Prediction: Inducted in 10th year of eligibility
Rick Nash
B Bennett / Bruce Bennett / Getty
GP
G
A
P
1060
437
368
805
Nash was arguably one of the best power forwards and top goal-scorers of his time. Injuries often held him back though, and he ultimately retired following his age-33 season due to concussion issues. The 6-foot-4 winger was also hamstrung by weak supporting casts throughout his prime years with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
He was a co-winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 2003-04, but he never had an extraordinary peak, garnering just one top-10 finish in Hart Trophy voting during his career.
Nash's international resume will boost his case after he won Olympic gold with Canada in both 2010 and 2014, but it likely won't be enough to offset his lack of counting numbers and longevity.
Prediction: No induction
Caroline Ouellette
Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Ouellette is one of the most decorated female players of all time. Along with Canadian teammates Hayley Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford - both of whom are Hall of Famers - she's one of five athletes ever to win a gold medal at four straight Olympic Games. She also captained Team Canada in Sochi in 2014. In addition to her Olympic accolades, the 41-year-old owns six IIHF Women's World Championship gold medals, eight Four Nations Cup gold medals, and four Clarkson Cup Championships.
Ouellette's individual statistics further illustrate her winning pedigree. She's Canada's fifth all-time leading scorer at the Olympics and third all-time leading scorer at the worlds. The forward is also the CWHL's all-time leader in points (346), goals (143), and assists (203).
Only two women's players can be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a given year, so Ouellette may have to wait behind the likes of Canada's Jennifer Botterill and the United States' Julie Chu. But her time will come.
Prediction: Inducted in second year of eligibility
Conclusion
Denis Brodeur / National Hockey League / Getty
With the Sedins the only projected first-ballot Hall of Famers, up to two more male players could be inducted in 2021. Players who fell short in 2020 - such as Mogilny, Alfredsson, Brind'Amour, Theoren Fleury, and Sergei Gonchar - could be in for better results in 2021.
Theoretically, their chances should be slightly improved now that Kevin Lowe and Doug Wilson are set to be inducted. Those selections specifically help Gonchar's case, since he arguably had a better career than both of his fellow defensemen. Mogilny's 11-year wait remains particularly puzzling, but perhaps 2021 will be his time.
Carey Price is torn on the NHL's return-to-play plan.
"I have, I think, about an equal amount of optimism and pessimism," the Montreal Canadiens goaltender said, according to Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "It's a very unusual situation. I want the opportunity to be able to play for a Stanley Cup, but I want to be able to continue living life normally."
Price is currently in Washington State training out of a WHL facility, but he plans to return to Montreal for camp, which starts in 15 days.
"We have, obviously, a unique situation right now. The NHL and NHLPA are trying to make the best of a very difficult situation. Moving forward I'd like to play, but we have a lot of questions that need to be answered," he added.
Price added that a good friend of his mother died from COVID-19.
The Habs were gifted a spot in the qualifying round as the Eastern Conference's 12th seed despite posting a record of 31-31-9 in the regular season. Without Price, their chances of an upset over the high-flying Pittsburgh Penguins would be highly unlikely.
Despite posting a negative goals saved above average for just the fourth time in his career, Price won the Molson Cup as the Habs' player of the year for the ninth time. The 32-year-old went 27-25-6 with a .909 save percentage, a 2.79 goals-against average, and four shutouts.
A former Western Hockey League player has filed a complaint with the league regarding sexual and physical abuse he said he experienced during his junior career, according to TSN's Rick Westhead.
The former player emailed the league on Saturday, requesting anonymity. This includes his name, the teams he played for, and the years he played in the WHL.
"The WHL takes matters such as this very seriously and we have indicated to (the complainant) we will be in contact with him immediately to begin our investigation," WHL spokesperson Taylor Rocca said, according to Westhead.
The player said that during one incident, two teammates attacked him on a road trip.
"The abuse occurred while I was unfolding the rookie cot," he wrote. "I was attacked and pinned down face first by the two assailants, my hands at my side, with one assailant kneeling on each of my shoulders with his crotch against the back of my head and the second assailant sitting on my upper back. I was pinned helpless and unable to move; my face was pushed into the mattress. The only way to breathe was to move my head from side to side to get a gasp of air. The first assailant sitting on my shoulders removed his penis from his pants and proceeded to slap his penis off the side of my face when I attempted to get air while both assailants laughed saying, 'Not so tough now, hey rookie.'"
He said that on another occasion, the same two teammates forced several rookies to strip naked in the dressing room and play tug-of-war with a string tied to their genitals.
The former player detailed multiple other incidents in the complaint. He named the alleged assailants, several of whom currently have prominent roles in the hockey industry.
He said the abuse transformed him from a "driven, happy, engaged young man and a solid NHL hockey prospect into a black mass of anger, untrust of people, self-isolation, and alcohol abuse."
Former CHL players Dan Carcillo and Garrett Taylor filed last week a class-action lawsuit against the league over alleged abuse. Days earlier, police began an investigation after a former Kitchener Rangers player said a teammate forced him to try cocaine as a rookie.
