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.
Two people have been arrested in connection with the $500,000 worth of Wayne Gretzky memorabilia taken from his father Walter Gretzky's home, Brantford Police Services announced Tuesday.
The Ontario Provincial Police and Royal Mounted Canadian Police were involved in the investigation as well.
The Gretzky family contacted police in August after realizing several valuable artifacts from The Great One's career went missing. The three-month investigation concluded the memorabilia was sold to various collectors across Canada.
Multiple game-used sticks, hockey gloves, pants, jerseys, and a Player of the Year award were recovered and returned.
The investigation is currently ongoing. The police charged a 58-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman, both from Ontario.
Melker Karlsson will play the 2020-21 season on his home soil.
The forward, who's been an unrestricted free agent, has inked a deal with Skelleftea AIK in Sweden for the rest of their ongoing campaign, reports Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
Karlsson played the last six seasons with the San Jose Sharks, helping the team ice the NHL's best penalty-killing unit in 2019-20.
The Sharks signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Sweden in 2014. Before that, the 30-year-old spent parts of six campaigns with Skelleftea.
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.
Canada completed its three-peat at the 1995 world juniors, winning gold with a perfect record at the tournament held in Red Deer, Alberta. The roster was one of the most dominant the tourney has ever seen, loaded with first-round picks and players who went on to have impressive professional careers.
This edition of the world juniors was the last one to rely solely on a round-robin format. The IIHF implemented two groups and a medal round in 1996, which is still used today.
The roster
Player
Position
Age
Shean Donovan
F
19
Alexandre Daigle
F
19
Marty Murray*
F
19
Todd Harvey
F
19
Darcy Tucker
F
19
Larry Courville
F
19
Jason Allison*
F
19
Eric Daze
F
19
Denis Pederson
F
19
Ryan Smyth
F
18
Jeff O'Neill
F
18
Jason Botterill*
F
18
Jeff Friesen*
F
18
Jamie Rivers
D
19
Bryan McCabe*
D
19
Lee Sorochan
D
19
Nolan Baumgartner
D
18
Ed Jovanovski
D
18
Chad Allan
D
18
Wade Redden
D
17
Jamie Storr*
G
19
Dan Cloutier
G
18
*Denotes returning player All ages are as of the start of the tournament
The tournament
S Levy / Bruce Bennett / Getty
The 1994-95 NHL lockout gave Canada a big advantage, as several players who would be vying for jobs in the big leagues were available for the junior squad. The 1995 Canadian roster featured 13 first-round picks, eight of those chosen just six months prior in the 1994 draft.
Canada came storming out of the gates and beat up on their first three opponents, winning 7-1, 9-1, and 8-3 against Ukraine, Germany, and the U.S. From there, Canada's games got tighter, but four consecutive wins over Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden clinched a flawless tournament for the Red and White.
Canada's high-powered offense carried it the entire way, as its 49 goals were 13 clear of second-place Russia.
The stars
S Levy / Bruce Bennett / Getty
Although Canada was ripe with future NHL stars, Murray was one of the most productive players on the roster and led the tournament, along with Allison, with 15 points. McCabe, Daze, and Daigle each had double-digit points as well.
McCabe was named the tournament's top defenseman by the IIHF and media, while Allison, Daze, and Murray were the three forwards making the post-event media All-Star team.
The key moment
Since there was no medal round at the time, Canada clinched gold off the ice. After Canada topped Russia 8-5, it set up what could have been a gold medal game versus Sweden - their final opponent. However, Finland scored a pair of late goals to tie the Swedes 3-3. As a result, Canada was three points ahead in the standings with just one game to play.
The fallout
Canada cruised to its three-peat and eventually ran its string of consecutive gold medals to five. None of the players that carried the country in 1995 went on to have Hall of Fame careers, but a remarkable 11 skaters played at least 500 NHL games.
No members earned any significant individual hardware either, but Smyth and Jovanovski were part of Canada's gold-medal squad at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Perhaps the most famous name on the team is Daigle, considered one of the worst draft busts in NHL history. He was selected first overall in 1993 - ahead of Chris Pronger and Paul Kariya - and struggled to live up to the hype.
"(Anderson's) a great player. Obviously, last year he had an injury season and couldn't find his way back, but he's a big asset," the Blue Jackets captain Monday on TSN Radio 690. "It was, I'm sure, not an easy decision for (general manager) Jarmo (Kekalainen) to make, and for all of us - we all love Josh, he's a great teammate.
"I think he's going to fit in really well there and do great things. I'm really happy that he seems to be in a place where he's excited about, and we'll miss him."
Foligno added: "It was hard to see him go, but that's the business."
The Blue Jackets and Canadiens swapped the young forwards in October. Both players were restricted free agents at the time, and both have since signed fresh deals with their new clubs. Domi inked a two-year, $10.6-million pact with Columbus, while Anderson agreed to a seven-year, $38.5-million contract with Montreal.
Domi and Anderson both enjoyed their strongest NHL season in 2018-2019: Domi set career highs in goals (28), assists (44), and points (72), while Anderson also recorded personal bests with 27 goals, 20 assists, and 47 points.
But both forwards struggled in 2019-20. Domi, 25, often found himself in a reduced role with the Canadiens and finished with 17 goals and 27 assists in 71 games; Anderson, 26, battled a shoulder injury and managed just one goal and three assists in 26 contests.
Despite Domi's lackluster performance with Montreal last season, Foligno likes what he's previously seen from the 2013 first-round pick and is expecting him to return to form with the Blue Jackets.
"I think we gained a really good player coming back in Max Domi," Foligno said. "I know things maybe didn't work out the last year for him there, but I remember his first year there (in Montreal) and how dominant he was. For him to find that footing again and get all the opportunities that he's going to get here, it could be a really, really good thing for our team."
"(Anderson's) a great player. Obviously, last year he had an injury season and couldn't find his way back, but he's a big asset," the Blue Jackets captain Monday on TSN Radio 690. "It was, I'm sure, not an easy decision for (general manager) Jarmo (Kekalainen) to make, and for all of us - we all love Josh, he's a great teammate.
"I think he's going to fit in really well there and do great things. I'm really happy that he seems to be in a place where he's excited about, and we'll miss him."
Foligno added: "It was hard to see him go, but that's the business."
The Blue Jackets and Canadiens swapped the young forwards in October. Both players were restricted free agents at the time, and both have since signed fresh deals with their new clubs. Domi inked a two-year, $10.6-million pact with Columbus, while Anderson agreed to a seven-year, $38.5-million contract with Montreal.
Domi and Anderson both enjoyed their strongest NHL season in 2018-2019: Domi set career highs in goals (28), assists (44), and points (72), while Anderson also recorded personal bests with 27 goals, 20 assists, and 47 points.
But both forwards struggled in 2019-20. Domi, 25, often found himself in a reduced role with the Canadiens and finished with 17 goals and 27 assists in 71 games; Anderson, 26, battled a shoulder injury and managed just one goal and three assists in 26 contests.
Despite Domi's lackluster performance with Montreal last season, Foligno likes what he's previously seen from the 2013 first-round pick and is expecting him to return to form with the Blue Jackets.
"I think we gained a really good player coming back in Max Domi," Foligno said. "I know things maybe didn't work out the last year for him there, but I remember his first year there (in Montreal) and how dominant he was. For him to find that footing again and get all the opportunities that he's going to get here, it could be a really, really good thing for our team."
