NHL Will Not Require Blanket Quarantine Period For AHL Recalls
Alongside the news of three teams opting out, four teams temporarily relocating, and realigned divisions for the coming season, more information continues to emerge following today’s AHL Board of Governors meeting. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that NHL clubs and their AHL affiliates have been informed that there will be no blanket quarantine period for player recalls and reassignments this season. Instead, quarantine measures will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis considering the totality of the circumstances. This will include team protocols, travel logistics, and accordance with local COVID-19 health guidelines.
As Johnston notes, this will make AHL recalls much easier for those teams whose affiliates share a city or even a state or province. Short, safe travel ability and uniform local policies will allow for much shorter quarantine periods. Teams in this situation may even ask their affiliate to maintain the same NHL-level of day-to-day quarantine protocols to make recalls even easier, perhaps even without any quarantine. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, and San Jose Sharks (if and when the team returns home from Arizona) all share a city with their AHL affiliate, as do the New Jersey Devils temporarily. The Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins (temporarily), Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins all have their AHL affiliates within state or provincial lines as well.
For those teams with some distance between themselves and their minor league clubs, recalls could remain difficult. Especially for those Canadian teams whose affiliates remain in the U.S. – the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Vancouver Canucks – quarantine logistics will be a struggle. Johnston points out that for these teams and the American clubs with affiliates elsewhere in the country, travel will be a major obstacle. The one blanket policy for all NHL and AHL players this season is that a seven-day quarantine period is required following a commercial flight. This could also stand to effect any team on a long-term road trip that is desperate enough to make a recall.
However, while this policy will help a great number of teams, it is important to remember that taxi squads were established for this season to reduce the reliance on AHL recalls, at least as a frequent measure. Regardless of each NHL team’s location relative to their AHL affiliate, most teams will largely use their six-man taxi squad for emergency substitutions and will have options in the meantime should they decide to recall a player who must quarantine.
Former Avalanche CEO Pierre Lacroix Passes Away
The Colorado Avalanche fans received some bad news today when TVA’s Renaud Lavoie announced that former longtime Avalanche president and general manager Pierre Lacroix passed away at the age of 72.
The Avalanche released a statement:
It is with great sadness that the Colorado Avalanche organization has learned of the passing of Pierre Lacroix. Pierre was the architect of the Avalanche’s two Stanley Cup championships, which included the city of Denver’s first major sports championship in 1996. Pierre was instrumental in not only the team’s on-ice success but also building the Avalanche brand into what it is today. His legacy reaches far beyond the NHL level and his impact can be felt throughout all of youth hockey in the Rocky Mountain region. Our thoughts are with the Lacroix family during this difficult time, his wife, Colombe, his sons Martin and Eric, and his three grandchildren.
Lacroix was the master builder of two Stanley Cup Champion teams in both 1996 and 2001. He was known as a GM who was only focused on winning during his tenure. He might be best known for his big-time deals before both Stanley Cup championships, including trading for goaltender Patrick Roy during the 1995-96 season and then acquiring Ray Bourque during 1999-2000 and Rob Blake in 2000-01.
The GM was actually named general manager of the Quebec Nordiques in 1994 and traveled with the team on its move to Denver the following year. Lacroix eventually stepped down from his general manager role in 2006 and stayed on as president of the team until 2013 before taking on an advisory role with the team.
Everyone at PHR wishes the best to the family and friends of Lacroix and all who he touched during his life.
Former NHL Star, Hockey Night In Canada Icon Howie Meeker Dies At 97
Howie Meeker, a four-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Toronto Maple Leafs and longtime broadcaster with Hockey Night in Canada died Sunday at the age of 97 at Nanaino General Hospital in B.C.
Meeker was the oldest living Maple Leaf and was an NHL star, winning the Calder Trophy back in 1947 when he scored 27 goals and 45 points in 55 games, beating out Gordie Howe in his rookie campaign. He played in a total of 346 NHL games (all with Toronto), scoring 83 goals and 185 points. His NHL career ended at the age of 30, but he continued to play throughout the next 15 years in different leagues.
Once retired, he did coach the Maple Leafs for one season, replacing King Clancy in April of 1956, but struggled behind the bench with a 21-34-15 record before moving upstairs as general manager the following season.
However, it was his broadcasting career with Hockey Night in Canada, that made him legendary. Meeker worked for 30 years between CBC and TSN, earning the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 1998 and was famous for phrases like “Jiminy Crickett,” “Golly gee willikers,” and “Stop it right there!”
Pro Hockey Rumors joins in with the rest of the hockey world with thoughts for the Meeker family during this difficult time.
Travis Roy Passes Away At 45
The hockey world has lost one of its most inspiring icons today, as Travis Roy has passed away at the age of 45. It was 25 years ago this month that Roy, then a freshman at Boston University, was paralyzed 11 seconds into his first shift of the first game of his collegiate career. Rather than let this tragedy define him, Roy spent his life raising money to help fellow quadriplegics and other victims of spinal cord injuries and to support research that will help countless more in the future. Roy sadly struggled with complications related to his injury over the years and recently underwent surgery in September. An issue related to that procedure required emergency surgery on Tuesday and led to his death this afternoon.
Roy, a native of Maine, played prep school hockey at nearby North Yarmouth Academy and then at Tabor Academy in Massachusetts before enrolling at Boston University in 1995. He was a member of a roster that included future NHLers Chris Drury, Jay Pandolfo, Shawn Bates, and Mike Grier, as well as an NHL head coach John Hynes and current Terriers head coach Albie O’Connell. However, Roy had very little chance to play with this talented team. On October 20, 1995, Roy made his BU debut against the University of North Dakota; it lasted just 11 seconds. Roy fell awkwardly against the boards while delivering a check, breaking his fourth and fifth vertebra. The injury left him almost completely paralyzed from the neck down for the remainder of his life.
While Roy’s pro hockey dreams were dashed, he showed inspiring strength and resiliency by making it his life’s work to help those with similar injuries. The Travis Roy Foundation, created in 1997, has raised millions of dollars to fund research and to assist those struggling with spinal cord injuries. Roy himself was always on the front lines, serving as an inspiration to all those in need of light during their dark times.
An amazing ambassador for the sport of hockey, Roy has been honored for his charitable work by numerous organizations. In 1999, his number was retired by Boston University and is joined by only one other man, his former coach Jack Parker. In 2015, his hometown NHL team, the Boston Bruins, signed him to a one-day contract, bringing the former promising young hockey player closer to his life’s goal than he possibly could have imagined following his life-altering accident. Bruins President Cam Neely has released a statement on all that Roy has meant to so many, both in the New England hockey community and to spinal cord injury victims worldwide. All of these accolades for Roy pale in comparison to what he has provided to so many others and for the hockey community as a whole as a true beacon of hope and perseverance.
For more information on the inspiring journey of Travis Roy, please consider reading his obituary by Boston University or his autobiography, Eleven Seconds. You can donate to the Travis Roy Foundation here.
Everyone at PHR wishes the best to the family and friends of Roy and all who he touched during his life.
Snapshots: Boeser, Miller, Caufield, Langlois
With plenty of trade speculation that has surrounded Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser over the last few months, there are quite a few people who have connected the dots of the Canucks sending their promising 23-year-old forward to Minnesota, Boeser’s hometown, to beef up their defense. With a new contract in the hands of Jonas Brodin, general manager Bill Guerin needs to trade Matt Dumba and a swap of the two players make sense, according to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.
However, Canucks general manager Jim Benning said recently that he isn’t trying to trade Boeser, who has scored 71 goals in the past three seasons.
“Lots of GMs call us about our players,” Benning said. “I listen and sometimes we have a conversation. That’s my job as a GM. If I’m not listening to other GMs, then I’m not doing my job. But we’re not trying to trade Brock Boeser. I have not had a conversation with Minnesota about him.”
Another reason for the trade speculation is that Vancouver has three key unrestricted free agents it would like to re-sign and don’t have the cap space at the moment to do it. Boeser has a $5.88MM contract for two more years and while not an albatross of a contract, the team could save some cap space if they were willing to move one of their forwards to bring in defensive help. Dumba makes $6MM, so the contracts would even out, but then could allow the team to try to focus on re-signing Tyler Toffoli to replace Boeser in the lineup if the Canucks could make that swap.
- The Athletic’s Eric Stephens writes (subscription required) that the Anaheim Ducks still are waiting for backup goaltender Ryan Miller to make up his mind on coming back for a 18th season. Miller told Stephens that he has been on the ice approximately seven times now and is just trying to see if his body can adjust to sitting for as long as he has. Regardless, the 40-year-old has yet to make a decision, but the long layoff (he last played on March 10) has definitely made him think twice about returning. “You have things that you’re used to doing and when they stop, it’s shocking to the system,” said Miller. “I tried to install a little bit of normalcy so I can kind of get my sense of direction … I just thought that it was best not making any decisions either way if you’re sitting on the couch.”
- After a report from SportExpressen Saturday that Edmonton Oilers prospect Raphael Lavoie was cut from Rogle of the SHL after the Oilers loaned him to the top SHL team, a new report this morning suggests that they have set their sights on Lavoie’s replacement. HockeyNews.se reports that Rogle is now in negotiations to recruiting Montreal Canadiens star prospect Cole Caufield to join the team. ESPN’s Chris Peters reports that Caufield has been looking for a place to play with his college season at the University of Wisconsin delayed, although the rumor last week was that he was headed to Switzerland. Rogle has declined comment on the situation. Caufield, the Canadiens top pick in 2019, scored 19 goals in his freshman year at Wisconsin.
- The Montreal Canadiens announced the passing of three-time Stanley Cup winning defenseman Albert “Junior” Langlois, who died at age 85 on Saturday. He helped the Canadiens win Stanley Cups in 1958, 1959 and 1960, the last three of their historic five-straight Cup titles. He also played for the New York Rangers, Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins. The stay-at-home defenseman played 497 games in his NHL career with 21 goals and 112 points. PHR offers our condolences to his family.
Nashville Predators Officially Name Dan Hinote As Assistant Coach
As anticipated, the Nashville Predators have made the official announcement that former NHL forward Dan Hinote has joined the team as an assistant coach. Hinote has spent the past two season as an assistant with the U.S. National Team Development Program and ironically is set to replace Dan Muse on head coach John Hynes’ staff after Muse was named a head coach for the USNTDP. Hinote rounds out a staff that also includes Dan Lambert and Rob Scuderi. Hynes said of his new addition:
Hinote’s character, personality, as well as playing and coaching experience will be a great fit for our team and players. As a player, Dan brought energy and leadership to his teams, winning a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, and his experience as a coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets and USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program will be of great value to our organization.
GM David Poile, who has always had a soft spot for the USNTDP, added his own support for Hinote’s hire, stating:
In this assistant coach position, we were looking for a former player who was fairly recently retired but still had coaching experience, and Dan fit that description perfectly. He builds strong connections with players – including Ryan Johansen in his time in Columbus – and has played with Predators alumni and Hall of Famers Paul Kariya and Peter Forsberg in Colorado, as well as Predators Director of Player Development Scott Nichol, Preds broadcaster Chris Mason and Kariya again in St. Louis. Dan complements John and the rest of our current staff nicely, and I trust he will be a tremendous asset to the team.
As mentioned, prior to his time with the USNTDP Hinote spent eight seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, splitting his time between working as an assistant coach and a pro scout for the organization. Hinote joined Columbus immediately after retiring in 2010. While he spent his final playing season in Sweden, Hinote spent nine seasons in the NHL as a hard-working and intelligent two-way forward. He hopes to bring those same hallmarks to his position with the Predators and impart them on the players.
Dale Hawerchuk Passes Away At Age 57
The hockey world is in mourning today as Dale Hawerchuk passes away at the age of 57 after a long battle with cancer. His son Eric announced the news on Twitter, receiving an outpouring of support from all around the hockey community.
One of the greatest, and perhaps most underrated players of all time, Hawerchuk played 16 years in the NHL. In 1,188 career regular season games he scored 518 goals and recorded 1,409 points, good for 20th on the all-time list. Though his Winnipeg Jets were routinely ousted from the playoffs by powerhouse Smythe Division opponents, there was never any doubt in Hawerchuk’s status as one of the game’s greats.
A Calder Trophy winner in 1982 after scoring 45 goals and 103 points as a rookie, Hawerchuk would record five more 100+point seasons in his career. A mid-career move to the Buffalo Sabres made him one of the greatest for two franchises, while he finished things with time in St. Louis and Philadelphia.
In his post-playing career, Hawerchuk had been a long-time head coach of the Barrie Colts of the OHL and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
From everyone at PHR, we wish the best for the Hawerchuk family and mourn the loss of one of hockey’s giants far too early.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Notes: Stamkos, Voracek, Blue Jackets
The continued unavailability of Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Steven Stamkos continues to be one of the biggest background stories of the NHL re-start and it isn’t going away. Head coach Jon Cooper told TSN that Stamkos will not be available for the team’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers today, which decides the No. 1 seed and home ice in the Eastern Conference. However, he went one step further by stating that Stamkos is out “indefinitely”, which calls into question whether there is any timeline for Stamkos’ return. The scoring center has been skating and per Cooper is “working his tail off” but it might not be enough for him to be ready for the start of the first round. The Athletic’s Joe Smith details the struggles that some players have returning from core injuries, particularly core surgery, so Stamkos’ delayed recovery is not a total surprise even five months removed. However, Smith writes that the concern is not that Stamkos has far exceeded the six-to-eight week timeline from back in March, but that the player and team both seem to have no idea of when he might be ready to return. Especially after having months off to recover, the fact that Stamkos is not ready could mean that he might not make it back for this postseason period.
- The Bolts’ opponent tonight, the Philadelphia Flyers, will also be missing one of their top forwards for the crucial seeding game. With a chance to go from fourth to first in the conference seeding, the Flyers will have to do so without Jakub Voracek. Head coach Alain Vigneault told NBC Sports Philadelphia that Voracek simply “is not available” for Saturday’s match-up and did not share any further details. Without any pre-existing injury and the agreement between the NHL and NHLPA not to disclose any medical information during these playoffs, this is the most that might be out there about Voracek. The star forward played a standard amount of ice time in the Flyers’ last game and did not appear to suffer an injury, but for one reason or another will not be in the lineup. Fortunately for the Flyers, the team’s depth up front is impressive, allowing promising rookie Joel Farabee to replace Voracek on the first line while veteran James van Riemsdyk returns to the lineup in his stead.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets hoped to shut the door on their qualifying round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, but a last-minute three-goal collapse led to an overtime loss and a Game Five date on Sunday. It is not a coincidence that young standout defenseman Zach Werenski was not on the ice for any of the Leafs’ four goals against last night, as he missed the final nine minutes of regulation and all of overtime. Werenski appeared to suffer the injury while being tripped in the offensive zone, but then was seen having his neck examined and massaged on the Blue Jacket bench. Neither head coach John Tortorella nor GM Jarmo Kekalainen have had any update on Werenski’s condition or his availability for Sunday. The Athletic’s Alison Lukan points out that Ryan Murray, who is a constant injury risk, missed Game Four and the combination of both defensemen being out for Game Five would be a major hit to Columbus’ strongest position.
Maple Leafs’ Eddie Shack Dies At Age 83
He played 16 seasons with six different NHL teams, but Eddie Shack was considered to be a Toronto Maple Leaf. The team announced that the forward, who helped lead the Toronto franchise to four Stanley Cup Championships in the 1960s, passed away Saturday after a long fight with throat cancer. He was 83 years old.
Shack was a popular player in his time in the NHL, who held several nicknames throughout his career, including “The Entertainer,” “The Nose,” and even had a novelty song written about him called “Clear the Track, Here Comes Shack.” However, his on the ice play, especially in his years with the Maple Leafs was what stood out. Shack played nine seasons with Toronto, including a seven-year run from 1960 to 1967 where he played on four Stanley Cup title teams in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967. He also scored the game-winning goal in 1963 to capture the cup and was well known for his celebrations on the ice after scoring a goal.
He did get traded five different times throughout his career and spent time with a number of other teams, including the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, before finally wrapping up his career with two more years in Toronto before retiring after the 1974-75 season. He was even almost traded to the Detroit Red Wings in a package in 1960 for Red Kelly, but the trade was cancelled after Kelly opted to retire rather than be traded. Shack played in 1,047 games, scoring 239 goals and accumulating 1,439 penalty minutes over the course of his career. He was just a handful of players to score 20 or more goals for five different teams.
Everyone at PHR wishes the best for the family and friends of Shack at this time.
Oilers Forward Colby Cave Passes Away
Oilers forward Colby Cave has passed away at the age of 25. The family released the following statement today:
It is with great sadness to share the news that our Colby Cave passed away early this morning. I (Emily, his wife) and both our families are in shock but know our Colby was loved dearly by us, his family and friends, the entire hockey community, and many more. We thank everyone for their prayers during this difficult time.
Oilers GM Ken Holland and team chairman Bob Nicholson also issued the following statement:
On behalf of the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club and the Bakersfield Condors, we wanted to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends after the passing of our teammate Colby Cave earlier this morning. Colby was a terrific teammate with great character, admired and liked everywhere he played. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Emily, his family and friends at this very difficult time.
Cave was placed in a medically-induced coma on Tuesday after suffering a brain bleed overnight and underwent emergency surgery to remove a colloid cyst that was causing pressure on his brain soon after. While the procedure was successful, he remained in a coma until his passing today.
Cave played in 67 career NHL games over parts of three seasons between Boston who signed him as an undrafted free agent back in 2015 and Edmonton who claimed him off waivers in January of 2019. Earlier this week, his agent Jason Davidson indicated that Cave’s situation did not appear to be linked to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The entire staff at PHR joins the rest of the hockey world in sending our condolences to Cave’s family and friends.