NHL 103 (2019/2020 season) pre-season thread

Cocaine is not considered performance enhancing by the NHL. Kuznetsov apparently will meet with the commissioner. No suspension is expected.

Wanna bet? :dubious:
(Although as much as I hate the Caps, what’s wrong with goal celebrations? That’s one thing I like about hockey. In the NFL, you get fined if you so much as do a fist pump)

And I’m glad it’s not considered performance-enhancing, despite its many other negative characteristics. Cool that the league will have him undergo substance-abuse education and a counselling program, and has agreed to undergo regular testing - a bit more progressive than suspensions / bans that the other pro leagues stupidly resort to. Especially testing for pot - like, WTF?

TNV was referring to the NHL.

My bad, although I didn’t think there was one coming up.

In my previous post I meant to say, instead, ‘suspensions / fines for pot - WTF?’

(an aside…to their credit, the NFL, through collective bargaining, has considered - well, last Dec. anyway, so they better darned well follow up on it - lifting the pot ban, especially since it’s a proven pain reliever, as some of the players have been maintaining, and could probably use.)

Cam Ward retires.

“Cam Ward is retiring as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes after signing a one-day contract with the team that gave him his NHL start.”

Wow, a player in this day and age having played for the same team for 14 seasons.
Definitely becoming an increasingly rare bird.

Gigantic news today: NHL informs union it won’t terminate labor deal. The NHLPA now has until 15 September to decide if they want to terminate the current deal early.

Personally, I think the NHLPA will opt to keep the current deal, but I understand the escrow issue is frustrating. It’s really hard to disagree that the sport is undergoing a huge momentum push at the moment tho, and it’d be great to see that continue.

Oh please no, I do NOT want to see another lockout. That would be what, the fourth?

I still cannot believe Bettman was allowed into the HOF.

There will not be a lockout. There theoretically could be a strike.

Well, there is SOME good news:

Report: Pierre McGuire removed from NBC’s No. 1 NHL team in favor of Brian Boucher

Now, they just have to ditch Milbury and Roenick. (Especially Milbury)

Good news, everyone!

ETA: Actually, I don’t hate Mr. McGuire. But I don’t particularly like him either.

I predict that this season the Ottawa Senators will play 82 regular season games.

Hopefully Nik has taught one or two young defenders the finer points of a proper “Kronwalling.”

This could be a bold prediction depending on your definition of “play”. I will concede that they will be officially listed as participants in 82 regular season games, but I think it’s a stretch to say that the team as currently constituted has enough talent to play NHL hockey.

Here I am defining “play” as “to participate in a contest or game,” which I think is a safe bet, though, knowing Eugene Melnyk, there is a nonzero possibility they could screw that up.

In the sense of “play” meaning to engage in a competitive sport at a reasonably competitive level, I agree that the hopes are dim.

In the sense of “play” meaning to engage in something that is fun, I can’t speak to whether the Senators will find it fun. I am very certain their fans won’t.

I get the feeling the players don’t like him all that much.

Plus he once had a Penguins fan kicked out of a game simply because the guy was carrying a sign with a picture of him that said “Regis” on it. The guy was a very well-known and beloved fan, who was a cancer survivor. (Unfortunately, it returned and he didn’t make it)

So suffice to say, he’s not a very popular figure around these parts.

I like Pierre a lot better than Boucher. (And I like them both better than Milbury.)

6 days until pre-season games!

25 days until the season starts!

Ah yes - taking out a page from the venerable books of Rob Blake and Scott Stevens.:slight_smile: