No he didn't.
— NHL (@NHL) March 28, 2016
Yes he did.https://t.co/oYqsK2DqYB
Oh, Boyes.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Brad Boyes was presented with a glorious opportunity to score early Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, only to be almost impossibly denied by goalie Ben Bishop.
This could have have been Boyes' ninth goal of the season.
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A Minnesota judge overseeing a concussion lawsuit against the NHL unsealed a number of emails in which high-ranking league officials - including commissioner Gary Bettman, deputy commissioner Bill Daly, and then-chief disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan - discussed fighting and head injuries, TSN's Rick Westhead reports.
The emails are from 2011, a year in which three enforcers - Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard, and Rick Rypien - died.
In response to an email from Bettman about staged fights and objections from fighters and the NHLPA to remove them from the game, Daly wrote:
Fighting raises the incidence of head injuries/concussions, which raises the incidence of depression onset, which raises the incidence of personal tragedies.
Bettman's response:
I believe the fighting and possible concussions could aggravate a condition. But if you think about the tragedies there were probably certain predispositions. Again, though, the bigger issue is whether the (NHLPA) would consent to in effect eliminate a certain type of "role" and player. And, if they don’t, we might try to do it anyway and take the "fight" (pun intended).
Shanahan weighed in as well:
The previous regime at the (NHLPA) definitely would fight it. But I thought their current position on illegal checks to the head is that it should encompass ALL contact, If we keep this simply about concussions and brain injuries then how can they argue against it.
Michael Cashman, a lawyer representing former players in the lawsuit, said the private emails show that the NHL has linked fighting and head trauma, something it has refused to acknowledge publicly.
"While the NFL has recently admitted the link between repetitive trauma in sport and long-term brain disease, the NHL continues to deny the link, insisting that hockey is not football," Cashman said to Westhead. "Contrary to those public denials, this internal email from senior NHL executive Bill Daly to commissioner Bettman acknowledges the link between head injuries, depression and personal tragedies."
Bettman and company knew these emails would be become public and was asked about them at the All-Star Game in January. He said at the time that didn't believe the emails would impact the case.
Additional emails released include those from NHL senior vice-president of communications Gary Meagher, who wrote in 2014 that the NHL, unlike the NFL, has "never been in the business of making the game safer on all levels."
Here's more of what Meagher wrote:
NFL invests hundreds of thousands of dollars each year around their pr campaign to deal with violence … They produce concussion websites, send former players around teaching young players how to play the game safer, they produce videos for young football players ... I could go on and on ... We do none of that and don’t view it as an important part of our mandate … NFL views their role as being leaders in the game of football …
According to Cashman, these emails again prove that the NHL isn't and "has never been serious about player safety at all levels of hockey and has been unwilling to spend the necessary money to be a true leader."
The lawsuit against the NHL was filed in 2013, and continues.
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Toronto's nominee for the 2016 Masterton Trophy is a goalie who no longer plays for the Maple Leafs, namely James Reimer of the San Jose Sharks.
Related: Dupuis, Gostisbehere, O'Reilly among Masterton Trophy nominees
The award is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, with a nominee named by each of the 30 chapters of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.
Despite being traded to San Jose prior to the deadline, Reimer emerged as Toronto's player of choice.
Reimer's second Masterton nomination as a Leaf. Played through another difficult year of job security, but supported mates until the end.
— Lance Hornby (@sunhornby) March 28, 2016
Reimer entered the season facing the final year of his contract with the club, seemingly set to battle Jonathan Bernier for the starting gig all over again.
Clearly he left an impression on local media in how he carried himself throughout.
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Shane Doan will miss at least one game with a suspected concussion.
The Arizona Coyotes captain won't play Monday against the Calgary Flames and will enter the league's concussion protocol, head coach Dave Tippett said, according to Arizona Sports 98.7 FM's Craig Morgan.
Doan left Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers after being driven into the boards headfirst by Radko Gudas, who didn't receive supplemental discipline.
The Coyotes have six games remaining following Monday's contest, and Doan said last week that he was "probably" leaning toward returning next season.
Arizona defenseman Michael Stone also left Saturday's game with an injury, and Tippett acknowledged Monday that the blue-liner likely won't be back in 2015-16.
"It's longer term than the season has left in it. I would say he would be done for the season," Tippett said.
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The St. Louis Blues will welcome Alexander Steen back to the lineup Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche, the team announced Monday.
Steen has been out since Feb. 20 after a collision with Arizona Coyotes defenseman Kevin Connauton caused him to fall awkwardly. He's missed the last 15 games.
"It was just a waiting game, that's all it was," Steen said. "I wasn't overly concerned about how many games (I'd miss) or if I was going to play before the playoffs. My main concern was getting it good enough to play again, and here we are. I'm excited to get back.
"It's been awhile, I’ve missed the boys and missed being a part of the action."
The 32-year-old is expected to center a line between David Backes and Patrick Berglund. He has 17 goals and 47 points in 61 games this season.
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Nail Yakupov's agent acknowledges the Edmonton Oilers tried to trade his client before the deadline at his request, and more than a handful of teams were involved.
NHL legend Igor Larionov, who represents the forward, confirmed Monday on Sportsnet 590 The FAN that both the Oilers and Yakupov's camp made an effort to find the 22-year-old a new team.
Related: Report: Oilers' Yakupov asked to be traded before deadline
Larionov said he talked to "maybe six or seven teams" about Yakupov before Feb. 29, after receiving permission from the club to do so.
The agent spent "a lot of time" with general manager Peter Chiarelli and also spoke to head coach Todd McLellan, at which point the agent and the Oilers brain trust tried to see what was available.
Larionov said having five head coaches in four years is "too much" for Yakupov and that his client needs to play with a skilled center.
"Nail loves the city of Edmonton, he loves the fans, and obviously he would like to stay there, but I guess at some point he needs a fresh start ... to move on," the agent added.
Larionov said he hopes there will be more opportunities to find his client "the right spot" at June's NHL draft in Buffalo, N.Y.
Yakupov has one more year remaining on his contract after this season at a cap hit of $2.5 million, and he's a pending restricted free agent in 2017-18.
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If all goes according to Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien, forward Brendan Gallagher and P.K. Subban will be back in the lineup this season.
The Canadiens took to the ice Monday one day before their game against the Detroit Red Wings, and Therrien insisted that Gallagher and Subban, who remain out with lower-body and neck injuries, respectively, will both be back before season's end.
Subban has been out since March 10 after taking an Alexei Emelin knee to the head, and though he has been practicing with the team, he still awaits full medical clearance from the team doctors, according to TSN's John Lu.
Meanwhile, Gallagher's lower-body injury has kept him out of the lineup since March 5. Despite the optimism of his head coach, he has yet to join the team for practice since the injury.
Goaltender Carey Price took the ice again Monday, but Therrien appeared less confident about a possible return this season, simply saying, "I hope so."
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Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise, St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott, and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel have been named the NHL's three stars of the week.
Parise took home top honors after leading the league with five goals and seven points in three games. His offensive outburst helped push his club's current winning streak to five games, moving them back into a playoff spot.
Elliott was named the runner up after a perfect week that saw him shutout the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks. His two goose eggs helped the Blues clinch their fifth straight playoff berth, while matching a career high with his third straight shutout.
Kessel's two best games since becoming a member of the Penguins earned him third place honors. The 28-year-old finished with seven points in three games, five of which came in 7-2 drumming of the Detroit Red Wings.
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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella is less than thrilled with the way his team has been playing.
The club was creamed by the Nashville Predators 5-1 on Saturday, and Tortorella wants to avoid another brutal loss when the Blue Jackets visit the Washington Capitals Monday.
"I do not want our team and our organization embarrassed again, and we were," Tortorella said, according to Todd Jones of the Columbus Dispatch. "There's nothing positive to say about our team right now based off last game."
Asked if the team's recent 1-3-0 record has made him the most disappointed since he joined the club, he was frank.
"I'm not disappointed, I'm pissed," Tortorella said.
Preparing for Monday's game against the Eastern Conference's top team, the outspoken coach didn't have a lot of optimism.
Asked who is playing well for #CBJ right now, Tortorella said: "No one. It’s based off of last game."
— Todd Jones (@Todd_Jones) March 28, 2016
The Blue Jackets currently hold claim to the second worst record in the Eastern Conference.
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