NEWSLETTER
It was a weekend full of nostalgia and “you still got it 👏🏻-👏🏻…👏🏻-👏🏻-👏🏻” for former Blackhawks legend Marian Hossa. His career, cut-short due to a skin condition, culminated on Monday night with his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He joined fellow former Blackhawks legend Doug Wilson as part of the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Also heading the 2020 Class was Jarome Iginla, Kevin Lowe, Kim St. Pierre, and Ken Holland.
•  After 1,309 NHL games and three Stanley Cup Championships, Hossa will forever be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame as one of the greats.
Nicklas Lidstrom presents Marian Hossa with his Honoured Member plaque#HHOF2020 | 📸 Dave Sandford/HHOF pic.twitter.com/nzlIau9e4U
— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) November 16, 2021
•  It’s been sparse appearances for Hossa in an NHL or North American setting since his retirement four years ago. But over the weekend, seeing him back around the game and even playing again, was a sight for sore eyes. Everywhere he played, Hossa was a fan favorite.
Marian Hossa: "I’m grateful to the game I love for everything it has given me: the losses that taught me more than the wins, players and coaches who contribute so much to my success, the family who provided support … you don’t get to a place like the Hockey Hall of Fame alone."
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) November 16, 2021
•  Unbenounced to us all until his retirement, Hossa dealt with a serious skin condition his whole playing career. It reached its breaking point with Hossa during the 2016-17 season, which would end up being his last. Last night in his induction speech, Hossa thanked the medial and training staff in Chicago.
Marian Hossa shouts out the Chicago training staff in his Hall of Fame speech: "For putting me back together and keeping my skin condition at bay for as long as you did." #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 16, 2021
•  Hossa also made mention of late-Blackhawks equipment manager Clint Reif, who passed away during the 2014-15 season and the team dedicated their run that year to Reif and his family.
Nice touch by Marian Hossa to mention the late Clint Reif in his induction speech at the @HockeyHallFame #Blackhawks
— Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) November 16, 2021
•  Also joining Hossa in the Hall on Monday night was former Blackhawks defenseman Doug Wilson. From 1977-1991, Wilson played 938 of his 1,024 career NHL games with the Blackhawks.
Doug Wilson is welcomed to the Hall as his Honoured Members plaque is presented by Brian Kilrea#HHOF2020 | 📸 Dave Sandford/HHOF pic.twitter.com/EJ74fNVELy
— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) November 16, 2021
•  He was a four-time Norris Trophy finalist, winning the award for the league’s best defenseman once in 1982. Following his playing career, Wilson has been a member of the San Jose Sharks front office since the 1997-98 season, serving as the team’s General Manager since 2003.
"Stan Mikita … was my very first NHL roommate. He always had a saying that he would teach me: You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give."–Blackhawks defenseman Doug Wilson during his Hall of Fame induction speech
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) November 16, 2021
•  With Hossa and Wilson, that now makes 38 former Blackhawks players that have named to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
•  The night wouldn’t be complete with the NHL looking foolish, even when they believe they are doing the right thing. Closing his speech at the ceremony last night, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned Kyle Beach and the sexual assault he experienced while with the Blackhawks.
Gary Bettman addresses the Kyle Beach situation while on the podium at the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. pic.twitter.com/eGhWm3pTFU
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 16, 2021
•  Bettman and the NHL have dragged their feet to properly address the situation at every step of the way, including acknowledging fault in the way that Beach’s situation was handled by the league and the NHLPA. So fitting for Bettman to close a special night with hollow words.
•  Speaking of the poor handling of Kyle Beach’s allegations, the NHLPA has their legal team set to conduct its own independent review into Donald Fehr and the association.
The @NHLPA has retained Toronto based law firm Cozen O’Conner to conduct the independent review.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) November 15, 2021
•  More legal battles ahead. Fun stuff.
•  Want more fun? The NHL has had to postpone all Ottawa Senators games through at least November 20th.
NHL Postpones Ottawa Senators Games Through November 20thhttps://t.co/vw0k2YEFOK
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) November 15, 2021
•  The Senators have nearly a dozen players and coaches combined that are in COVID protocols. With the league postponing at least three Senators games, they have now initiated the ability to back-out of participating in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Contractually, with #Sens games now postponed, #NHL has triggered the ability to withdraw participation from #Beijing2022.
Will they do it? Probably takes more than 3 games.
But Bill Daly explained the language in a story with @DFOHockey in September:https://t.co/SEsTuIe6Bp
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) November 15, 2021
•  The league has until January to make the final decision whether or not to go through with participation, but having games postponed already in mid-November isn’t a great indicator of a sustainable path forward. It’s not a death-blow to NHL players at the 2022 Winter Olympics, but it’s the first punch.
•  Speaking of COVID issues, the majority of the league has seen attendance decreases to begin this season. A number of factors can be contributing, but I’d venture a guess that COVID worries and restrictions are keeping a good chunk of fans at home this season. The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro has more in a team-by-team breakdown:
Six weeks into the season attendance has been a key talking point for NHL teams as many fans have been staying home. On the good (Seattle, Carolina, etc..) and the bad (Ottawa, Buffalo…) and concerning (Philly, Edmonton…) when it comes to attendancehttps://t.co/rCDgxwJuDP
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) November 15, 2021
•  In which, the Blackhawks are their own category.
•  If the Blackhawks continue their winning ways, though, you could start to see more fans coming back to the United Center to support a wining team on the ice, even if off-ice issues will take more than winning hockey games to get over.
•  One thing that I wouldn’t put past the organization to attempt to put butts in seats is bring up a “marquee” prospect before they are ready. That prospect this year is 2020 first-round draft pick Lukas Reichel. He’s been playing very well in Rockford to begin the season and looked like he had a chance to make the NHL roster out of training camp. His progression has been going in the right direction so far in the AHL, but at what point does it make sense for him to be with the Blackhawks? The Athletic’s Scott Powers breaks it down:
Lukas Reichel has established himself as the Blackhawks’ top prospect and shown he can produce in the AHL. But should they bring him to the NHL soon? My story on the pros and cons to that: https://t.co/gof02zZ7Te
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 16, 2021
•  I’ll reiterate, I feel like Reichel will be with Chicago by Christmas. Think of it as a holiday gift to the fans. But a gift that I feel Reichel is on his way to deserving.
•  Speaking of the IceHogs, they have added another assistant coach to their staff with the addition of Jared Nightingale.
The Rockford IceHogs announce Jared Nightingale will join the team as an assistant coach. He played for them in the 2013-14 season. He was most recently an assistant for Flint in the OHL.
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 16, 2021
•  In other “prospect” news, Russia’s Max Shalunov noticed a hat-trick in his most recent game for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL.
https://twitter.com/KHLreplays/status/1460317116033286148?s=20
•  I can’t wait for the day that I can officially stop pretending to care what Max Shalunov is doing.
•  Closing today with the official closing of a career for former Toronto Maple Leafs Captain Dion Phaneuf.
Dion Phaneuf is calling it a career after 1,048 NHL GP in 14 seasons. The three-time #NHLAllStar and former @MapleLeafs captain tallied 494 regular-season points.
Full release: https://t.co/c5TlRf18Ur pic.twitter.com/mSSQ36RcWk
— NHLPA (@NHLPA) November 16, 2021
•  The former NHL 2009 cover athlete was once a top-five defenseman in the NHL over a dozen years ago, but that will unfortunately not be how many will remember his career.
We should remember Phaneuf for his exceptional tenure with the Flames as opposed to the "Pha-goof" years with the Leafs pic.twitter.com/6zsXDsmHYT
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) November 16, 2021
•  Either way, congratulations to Phaneuf on a memorable career!
• The Bulls are HOW GOOD now?!
Latest Power Rankings: Bulls Are THE SECOND BEST Team in the NBAhttps://t.co/PH7nPIWGhY pic.twitter.com/SwXStIyCql
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) November 15, 2021
