NEWSLETTER
I was prepared to talk about the Blackhawks and Calgary Flames tonight, but then the game was postponed due to a COVID outbreak within the Flames organization.
• So now what am I supposed to do with my Monday night?
NHL Postpones Tonight’s Blackhawks-Flames Gamehttps://t.co/zffcWN2gAd
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) December 13, 2021
• In all seriousness, well wishes to the Flames players and staff affected by this. Hopefully they can have a fast and full recovery. Not only is tonight’s game postponed, but the next two games after that are as well, so far.
Flames, concerned about border issues, did not travel to Chicago. If they had, players/staff who tested positive would not have been able to come back to Canada without lengthy quarantine. https://t.co/5yzN0G9qxK
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 13, 2021
• The decision to postpone the games because of six players and a staff member testing positive probably won’t sit well in Chicago for Bulls fans, who have had to see their squad forced to continue to play while having a legitimate full NBA roster worth of players in COVID protocols…
Make That TEN Bulls Players: Alize Johnson Has Tested Positive for COVID-19https://t.co/vwdM6VTvz0 pic.twitter.com/CyWPigBR3o
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) December 13, 2021
• I have no clue how the NBA can allow them to continue playing with so many players dropping like flies into COVID protocol. That’s not only keeping the Bulls at risk, but also the teams they are playing. It makes no sense. For once, it feels like the NHL is doing something better than the NBA.
• Important info if you did have tickets to tonight’s game…
Important info for anyone who had tickets to tonight's (NOW) postponed Blackhawks game: pic.twitter.com/9jhzUdpo3X
— Tracey Myers (@Tramyers_NHL) December 13, 2021
• We shall see when this one gets rescheduled.
• Tonight was supposed to be the night the Blackhawks honored Marc-André Fleury for his 500th career win. For now, this giant celebratory cake will have to do.
A little 🌸 family time celebrating 500 wins at home. pic.twitter.com/ou4QbIdKFz
— Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) December 13, 2021
• That’s adorable.
• In case you missed it yesterday, the Blackhawks made a number of roster moves. Notably bringing up MacKenzie Entwistle and Brett Connolly, and placing Reese Johnson on injured reserve.
Blackhawks Roster Moves: Entwistle and Connolly Recalled, Hardman Assigned, Reese Johnson Placed on IR https://t.co/523vxTGmhe
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) December 12, 2021
• Entwistle and Connolly were both on the ice this morning for Blackhawks practice. For Connolly, he had been sent to the Rockford IceHogs to begin the season in-part to bury his contract and there was no real room for him to begin the season. After recording 11 points in 16 AHL games, maybe Connolly gets into the lineup and provides some depth scoring ability to the Blackhawks.
• They sure could use it…
As ugly as this looks, it's way better than it was a month ago. Since the Hawks exchanged Jeremy Colliton for Derek King, they rank best in goals against and 2nd-best in expected goals against at 5v5.
Still no offence, but the bleeding has mostly stopped. #Blackhawks https://t.co/4skxzkLpzZ pic.twitter.com/8nVfSkfwFV
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 12, 2021
• The defense has gotten better this season under Derek King, but the offensive well is still very dry.
• This team sure could use Marian Hossa in his prime. Then again, every team in the NHL could use that.
𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟗 | 🚨
Marian Hossa catches the puck, then bats it out of mid-air to score a highlight reel goal!pic.twitter.com/8fk3hTEnUt
— This Day in Chicago Sports (@ChiSportsDay) December 13, 2021
• Miss that guy.
• When the Blackhawks faced the New Jersey Devils on October 15, they wore warmups that honored Jimmy Hayes. Those warmups for both teams are now up for auction to benefit the Hayes family and other charities of their choice.
Beginning at noon, we'll be auctioning off our warmup jerseys and the @NHLBlackhawks' from October 15, to benefit the Hayes family and their charities of choice.
Visit https://t.co/VUEV3QVodH to bid.https://t.co/dYmjsIzroS
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) December 13, 2021
• You can find the auction link here.
• We are just a few short weeks from the beginning of the Men’s World Junior Championships. Canada already has their team selected after this weekend’s selection camp, and 16-year-old phaeton Connor Bedard has made the team. He is now one of just seven 16-year-olds to make the team, a list that includes Wayne Gretzky, Eric Lindros, Sidney Crosby, and Connor McDavid.
Connor Bedard joins an elite group of 16-year-olds that have played for @HockeyCanada at the World Junior Championship. But the team had no other choice: he simply played too good, writes @theTonyFerrari: https://t.co/QjBQbtbvcA
— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) December 13, 2021
• Bedard is arguably the top prospect in the 2023 NHL Draft Class and hopefully a player the Blackhawks won’t have to think about in the near future because they will be having on-ice success and not in the draft lottery position.
• Want to feel old?
You ready to feel elderly?
In January 2005, Canada dominated the World Juniors with the best team the tournament had ever seen, including Crosby, Bergeron, Perry, Getzlaf, Weber, Seabrook, Phaneuf, etc.
Six months later, Connor Bedard was born.
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) December 13, 2021
• And Jeremy Colliton…can’t forget that.
• Team USA is looking to defend their 2021 World Junior Championships Gold Medal and they will have a few Blackhawks on their roster to help them do so.
Drew Commesso and Landon Slaggert are among 4 #Blackhawks prospects at Team USA's #WJC camp!
(📸 @usahockey) pic.twitter.com/F8mMe2P5Xr— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) December 13, 2021
• Drew Commesso, Landon Slaggert, Wyatt Kaiser, and Connor Kelley are in camp for Team USA and it appears that Commesso, Slaggert, and Kaiser may be locks to make the team, with Kelley on the roster bubble. If those three or four players make it, they will be the only Blackhawks prospects at the tournament, since Germany did not select Lukas Reichel due to injury and Czech defenseman Michael Krutil was selected, but is also dealing with an injury.
• Finally, we continue to monitor the Arizona Coyotes arena saga. As Craig Morgan reports, the team might be out of the woods from getting locked out of their current home, but they don’t have much time to find a new one following the end of the 2021-22 season.
There is still a widespread belief in team and league circles that the City of Glendale is bluffing with the Coyotes.
What isn’t being talked about nearly enough is this: Where will the Coyotes play if Glendale is not bluffing?
Via @PHNX_Coyotes https://t.co/uDIF8ryA9b
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) December 12, 2021
• As you’ll come to find in Morgan’s story, there’s not many options for hockey in the desert. Who would have guessed?
• That will do it for today. Hope you enjoy your Monday and find something to fill the void left by the postponed Blackhawks-Flames game tonight.
