The count is now 80. The league has postponed another match this week, this time between the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday. The Islanders continue to place new players in the COVID protocol–Brock Nelson went in today.
There have also been nine games postponed due to attendance restrictions in Canadian markets. The following will be rescheduled for later this season:
- Pittsburgh @ Ottawa, December 31
- Winnipeg @ Calgary, December 31
- Carolina @ Toronto, January 3
- Washington @ Montreal, January 4
- Toronto @ Montreal, January 6
- Buffalo @ Montreal, January 8
- Seattle @ Winnipeg, January 8
- Columbus @ Montreal, January 10
- Minnesota @ Winnipeg, January 10
The game between Bruins and Canadiens originally scheduled in Montreal on January 12 will now be played in Boston. A make-up date for the Bruins-Canadiens game that needs to be played in Montreal will be announced at a later date.
The Islanders are expected to get two players out of the protocol tomorrow but still will have Nelson, Anthony Beauvillier, Cal Clutterbuck, Zach Parise, and Oliver Wahlstrom unavailable tomorrow. The Red Wings, meanwhile, added Lucas Raymond and Nick Leddy on Sunday and have several other players still in the protocol.
For the Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets, in particular, moving home dates to later this season would give them a chance to collect some if not all of the expected revenue. With the players still owing a huge amount of escrow debt to the owners, keeping hockey-related revenues as high as possible is important if the league is to rebound to the high levels commissioner Gary Bettman explained earlier this month.
Get your screenshots of NHL.com while they’re hot! Greeted with the ominous, “No games are scheduled for the dates you selected.” And, who said it couldn’t get any worse? Anyone up for another 56-game season? I was going to post yesterday that maybe the league is trying to get to 100 cancellations by New Year’s Day. Counting the games until then, meant they wouldn’t…unless they cancel games into 2022 and announce them before Jan. 1st. Bettman really needs to learn to identify us joking vs us being serious.
@Mac – Word is that the remaining games will be played using EA Sports with each teams captain squaring off online with the gang in the Toronto war room monitoring the proceedings.
Damn, I think I just gave Bettman an idea!
Adam Silver is that you?
@Gbear – I *knew* I shouldn’t have been taking valuable “idea time” listening to the Leafs Lunch podcast today! As it turns out, though, Leafs Lunch podcast episodes may be what we’re left with once we sift through the NHL schedule debris… Have they at least made the game look like players *aren’t* moving like rickety robots? It’s the believability factor that concerns me here… :)
@Mac – For the fan experience, action from previous games will be spliced together to give it that realism effect. And if you’re listening on radio, you’ll never notice the difference! :D
@Gbear – I must disagree on one point. These satellite dishes on the side of my head are highly trained and tuned. Just the other day, while listening to one of the last Habs’ games (podcast) before their “involuntary” break, Dan was remarking that the guy doing the arena music was playing better stuff with nobody in attendance than when the barn is full. He said when the joint is packed, it’s like a 3-hour non-stop Rave party, with just noise. My ears agreed.
No worries, in video game NHL 2021/22 the music can be adjusted to each and every listeners taste. :D
@Gbear – This is good! My first requests will be “History” by Groove Armada and “Samba Tranquille” by Thievery Corporation. And, especially for the Habs this season, “Endless Road” by Lazybatusu. For those cross-town road trips to MSG, the Islanders might need David Arkenstone’s “Lost in Manhattan.”
@Mac – This season feels more like Moonlight Sonata for me T_T
@Mac – You have some eclectic tastes here, but the new virtual NHL can accomodate any requests. :)
Myself, I’m going with F.U.B.B. by Wishbone Ash as this seasons theme song (have to use your imagination to think what that stands for). :D
@Gbear – As I was reading that, I automatically substituted FUBAR in my head, as it also seems very appropriate for this season. :) At game’s end, we’ll celebrate with another gem by Thievery Corporation, “Music to Make You Stagger.”
@itsmeheyhi – “Moonlight Sonata”, in the key of “G” (for “Gerry”)
The most vaccinated professional sports league: postponing the most games. Way to go, NHL. Ran away with the race for worst run professional sports league.
Bingo !
Thats because nhl is operating in two countries. Cant really blame nhl when cuckistan govt literally wants to ban life itself.
Bingo Twice !
Screw Canada
That’s a Hat Trick !
Canada sure does suck right now
Move all the Canadian teams to U.S. cities that’s dont have NHL teams, whichever city gets the most attendance gets the coyotes