America's most respected infectious disease expert is recommending the NHL employ its backup plan for the 2020-21 campaign rather than the league's favored strategy.
"I'm told that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has sought the counsel of Dr. Tony Fauci from the National Institutes of Health over the course of this pandemic, and one of the recommendations that Dr. Fauci had made to Gary Bettman over the last number of weeks was, 'If you want to pull this off and start the NHL season safely, the best way to do that would be in hubs,'" TSN's Frank Seravalli reported Thursday on "Insider Trading."
"That's not the preference of both clubs and players, but I'm told that hubs very much remain a Plan B and are on the table," Seravalli added.
The NHL and NHLPA are in the midst of talks seeking to establish terms for the upcoming season. While the two sides reportedly prefer a 56-game schedule, Bettman says putting the players in a bubble for longer than the duration of the 2019-20 return to play wouldn't be ideal.
"(Playing in home arenas) will not be as risk-averse as being in a bubble or a hub, but for an entire regular season, even if it's abbreviated, we didn't think we could put the players in a bubble for six months," the commissioner said Wednesday, according to NHL.com's Nicholas J. Cotsonika. "That just wasn't practical."
However, Bettman acknowledged the league is exploring the possibility of using hubs in some capacity.
"If enough teams can't play, again, without fans, in their own facilities, then we may have to move more and more toward a hub," he said. "It may be that some teams are playing in other buildings. It may be that a whole group of teams have to play in other buildings."
Potential hubs could be Columbus, Newark, Vegas and Edmonton/Toronto. But, as Bettman indicated, not permanent bubbles as we saw last summer
In the lead-up to the 2021 World Junior Championship, we're taking a look back at each of the 18 Canadian teams to capture the gold medal, culminating Dec. 25 with the start of the latest edition of the tournament.
The 20th world juniors was held in Massachusetts. Canada entered the 1996 event looking for its fourth consecutive gold medal and ninth overall to tie Russia/ the Soviet Union, which held both records.
The tournament marked the first time teams were split into two groups and a knockout stage to determine each medalist followed round-robin play.
The roster
Player
Position
Age
Jarome Iginla
F
18
Christian Dube
F
18
Daymond Langkow
F
19
Hnat Domenichelli
F
19
Alyn McCauley
F
18
Jason Podollan
F
19
Jason Botterill*
F
19
Robb Gordon
F
19
Mike Watt
F
19
Jamie Wright
F
19
Brad Larsen
F
18
Curtis Brown
F
19
Craig Mills
F
19
Jason Holland
D
19
Nolan Baumgartner*
D
19
Denis Gauthier
D
19
Wade Redden*
D
18
Chad Allen*
D
19
Chris Phillips
D
17
Rhett Warrener
D
19
Jose Theodore
G
19
Marc Denis
G
18
*Denotes returning player All ages are as of the start of the tournament
The tournament
S Levy / Bruce Bennett / Getty
Canada faced little adversity while absolutely dominating. The team kicked things off with a 6-1 drubbing of the United States before beating Switzerland, Finland, and Ukraine to finish a perfect 4-0 in round-robin play with a 19-4 goal differential. Canada advanced directly to the semifinals following its superior play.
With Russia carrying momentum after a 6-2 win over Finland in the quarterfinals, Canada faced a tough task. The team needed a hero while struggling to find its game, and Theodore was up to the challenge. The Quebec native bailed out his country with an incredible 43-save performance against a high-powered Russian squad, allowing the Canadians to squeeze out the 4-3 victory.
The final test for Canada came against Sweden, and the contest was never in question. Canada took an early 1-0 lead and never looked back during a convincing 4-1 victory to claim the gold medal.
The Canadians allowed just eight goals over six games, setting a tournament record at the time. The team's grit made up for its lack of firepower.
The stars
S Levy / Bruce Bennett / Getty
Canada's roster wasn't full of stars, but it featured some obvious standout talents.
Iginla was dominant from a young age, as the Alberta native was named the best forward of the tournament after leading the event in goals (five) and points (12) over six games. Langkow, Iginla's future teammate with the Calgary Flames, finished tied for second in team scoring with Dube. Three of Lankgow's six points - including two goals - came in the gold-medal game.
Baumgartner led one of Canada's most stifling blue lines ever. The 6-foot-1 rearguard was named to the tournament's All-Star team, along with Iginla and Theodore, after tallying one goal and an assist. Future NHL fixtures Redden and Phillips were the only defensemen under 19, but the youngsters made a strong impression.
In the crease, Theodore was simply outstanding. The future Hart Trophy winner posted a perfect 4-0 record while leading all netminders in save percentage (.960) and goals-against average (1.50) to earn best goalie of the tournament honors.
The key moment
S Levy / Bruce Bennett / Getty
It's only fitting that Canada's key moment came from Iginla. The team's tournament would have ended early if not for Theodore's brilliance and Iginla's clutch strike against Russia in the semis.
The game reached a pivotal point with the Canadians up 3-2 in the third period, and Russia's power play was getting another opportunity after scoring earlier. However, rather than netting the equalizer, Russia saw its deficit double when Iginla picked off a pass before breaking in for the shorthanded marker.
Russia would trim the lead back to one minutes later, but Iginla's goal held up as the winner in the 4-3 victory to push Canada through.
The fallout
Derek Leung / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Only a handful of players off the 1996 roster went on to produce lengthy NHL careers, with one talent ascending high above the rest.
Iginla now sits 34th in all-time scoring after amassing 1,300 points and 625 goals over his storied career. He also captured a pair of Rocket Richard trophies, one Art Ross Trophy, and one Lester B. Pearson Trophy (now the Ted Lindsay Award). The longtime Flames captain is the only player from Canada's 1996 world junior squad to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (2020).
Langkow skated in 1,090 NHL games while racking up 672 points. The only other players from the team to record 100-plus career points were Domenichelli, McCauley, Brown, Redden, Warrener, and Phillips.
No players off Canada's '96 roster went on to win a Stanley Cup. Iginla, Langkow, Denis, and Warrener came close with the Flames in 2004, losing in the final to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
Canada, meanwhile, went on to clinch a fifth straight gold medal at the 1997 world juniors before failing to medal in 1998 for the first time in six years. That forgettable performance was the start of an eight-year podium drought.
"What a year!" Lindblom's girlfriend, Alma, posted Tuesday on Instagram. "369 days ago we found out that Oskar had cancer, and today we got to know that the scans are clear after his second checkup."
Lindblom, 24, was leading the Flyers with 11 goals through 30 games before leaving the team after receiving the diagnosis last December.
The Swedish winger finished his treatments at Penn Medical Center on July 2 and was able to suit up for the Flyers in the postseason.
Lindblom averaged 17:06 of ice time over two games during the club's second-round series against the New York Islanders in September. He credited the support of his teammates for giving him the strength to return.
"It's been everything," he said, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "They talked to me like I'm still with the team even if I'm not there. Those tough weeks, when I felt so bad and trying to think about life and they'd call me, text me, help me get more energy. It helped me through the whole process."
The 6-foot-1 forward was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The Flyers gave him a three-year, $9-million contract in July, just weeks after the end of his treatment.
Marner - and Auston Matthews - formed a strong friendship with Marleau during his two years in Blue and White. As a longtime teammate of Thornton's with the San Jose Sharks, Marleau gave Marner the rundown on Jumbo Joe.
"Throughout Patty's time here, he's talked to me and Auston a good amount about Jumbo, just says ... (he) keeps everything light, has a great time, but on the ice, he's a competitive guy. He plays hard, and he wants to win," Marner told Sportsnet's Tim and Sid on Tuesday.
"I'm excited. I mean, everything I've heard about him, he just seems like an unbelievable dude, and Patty's always relayed that back to us. I'm excited to get talking to him, and as soon as he signed, I sent him a big text saying, super excited to have him, and I think he's going to do a lot."
The Maple Leafs signed Thornton to a one-year contract for the league minimum of $700,000 this offseason. The 41-year-old tallied 31 points in 70 games with the Sharks last season, but he's just one year removed from a 51-point campaign.
Thornton also played 12 games with HC Davos of the Swiss League this year and registered 11 points. He left Davos on Monday to head to Toronto for the Leafs training camp.
While Thornton projects to serve as Toronto's third-line center, it remains to be seen what kind of impact he can still have on the ice. Off the ice, however, there's no questioning Thornton's character and leadership.
The Western Hockey League pushed back its targeted Jan. 8 start date due to public health restrictions that remain in place across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest U.S.
"We continue to make every effort to get our season started, but our first priority has always been the health and safety of our players, and everyone associated with the WHL," commissioner Ron Robison said in a statement.
"Given the public health restrictions that are currently in effect, we are not in a position to determine a new target date for our season. We will continue to consult with health authorities to determine when it is safe and responsible to get our season started."
The board of governors will meet in January to discuss a new target start date, and the league will continue to work with government and health authorities to establish a plan for the 2020-21 season.
The WHL, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the Ontario Hockey League - which all fall under the Canadian Hockey League umbrella - ended their 2019-20 seasons early due to the pandemic and didn't hold playoffs.
Of the three, only the QMJHL began its 2020-21 season. However, the league suspended play in November and aims to resume on Jan. 3.
"I played in Montreal for 10 years, so this is lightweight stuff," Pacioretty said Tuesday regarding a recent report that suggested Vegas is looking to trade him, according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "I've heard a lot worse. ... This is nothing."
Team owner Bill Foley denied the rumors, but the Golden Knights are nearly $1 million over the salary cap, and Pacioretty's contract carries a $7-million hit for three more seasons.
Pacioretty's production would be difficult to replace. The 32-year-old led the Golden Knights in goals (32), points (66), and shots (307) in 71 games last season.
The former Canadiens captain played under constant trade rumors during his final season in Montreal. Pacioretty insisted he never wanted to leave, but Habs general manager Marc Bergevin claims he asked for a trade. Pacioretty was eventually dealt to Vegas in September 2018 for Nick Suzuki, Tomas Tatar, and a second-round pick.
Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer is well aware of the level of competition his club may have to face next season should the NHL's reported realignment plan remain as is.
The Golden Knights, who finished atop the Pacific Division in 2019-20, are slated to be in a group featuring the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas Stars. Those three clubs sat first, second, and third respectively in the Central before the season was paused.
“That’s the group of death, to use a soccer term,” DeBoer said Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
Vegas is somewhat familiar with the three Central Division giants. DeBoer's club knocked off each team in last summer's round robin to determine the top four seeds in the Western Conference playoffs. The Golden Knights were eventually eliminated in five games by the Stars in the conference finals.
Despite DeBoer's declaration, the division's other half would feature the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Arizona Coyotes. Each of those clubs finished in the bottom 10 of the NHL last season for points percentage.
Though the reported divisions aren't official, the NHL will be realigning teams to mitigate travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
