# NHL Dec. '21 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** hockey-nhl\ **Created:** [December 7, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600 "2021-12-07T00:58:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2021, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/1 "2021-12-07T00:58:30Z")
Is there a thread for this yet? If not, why not kick it off with the coaches on both my teams - Philly and Van - splitting the scene, like, _on the same freaking day?_ Not sure when that will happen again - hopefully not soon. Bruce Boudreau will be an interim coach for the 'nucks while assistant coach Mike Yeo will take over with the Flyers. Not sure if they’ll be the answers, but sometimes it’s just a matter of fresh eyes on fresh problems. The Canucks, though - they’ll take a while. (And Vancouver GM Jim Benning also got the boot, which I’m ok with, on that one) ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2021, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/2 "2021-12-08T23:19:21Z")
Yesterday. IMO the wildest assist of all time. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/LnyuB4ObXgc/maxresdefault.jpg "Trevor Zegras with a Michigan flip pass over the net to Sonny Milano. Absolutely disgusting.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnyuB4ObXgc) _And_ the eye-hand it took for Milano to actually score, too. Almost just as wild - Milano actually _called_ for the pass. Nuts. They _had_ to have been dinking around with that at practice. ETA: I disgaree with the officiating, though - I thought the blade of his stick was a gollum’s hair above the crossbar. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/3 "2021-12-09T04:02:40Z")
really for really reals this time? > **[Report: Coyotes could be locked out of arena for unpaid bills](https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/report-coyotes-locked-arena-unpaid-bills/)** > > The Arizona Coyotes could be locked out of their arena later this month if bills aren't paid, Katie Strang of The Athletic reports. Ya got till 5 pm. Dec. 20 to pay all yer debts, boys. This is just _killing_ Gary Bettman right now, me-bets. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/4 "2021-12-09T23:41:13Z")
Heh - they went and paid up a couple hours ago. _Still hangin in there!_ ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/5 "2021-12-16T01:58:29Z")
Hm, something’s getting repetitive about this thread. If only I could put my finger on it… The lowly Canucks set a team record with best start with a new coach, Bruce Boudreau. (5-0) Good interview I heard with their new President Jim Rutherford. Great to see the three-time Cup winner on board (heh - thanks, **Guin**!). When Boudreau played, his first goal was against Rutherford, who said that they were friends then, and let him score. 😉 72 now, JR coulda retired with all the accolades, but nope - wants to see if he can turn around a cellar team like the Canucks. Good on’im! (cool in getting their fifth straight win last night by coming down from a three-goal deficit - a feat they haven’t done in 12 years!) Anyhoo, what a mess… The Flames went from 0 to 28 players with covid. In four days. Strong speculation that they might not play again until after Christmas, and as I type this, the Canucks are contemplating following suit. 😢 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/6 "2021-12-17T18:25:09Z")
[Paul Maurice](https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/32889537/winnipeg-jets-coach-paul-maurice-resigns-9th-season) resigns as the coach of the Winnipeg Jets. A very solid regular season coach, he only ever had 2 deep playoff runs. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/7 "2021-12-17T19:30:15Z")
Huh - only eight seasons - I thought he was there, like, waaaaaaay longer. Too bad - never had qualms with him. Other than in extra-currricular ignominy, like Joel Quenneville, I can’t recall the last time an NHL coach actually resigned - takes quite some resolve to do that, I’d imagine. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2021, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/8 "2021-12-17T23:25:33Z")
Great, along with the Flames, we can now add the Panthers and Avalanche not playing again till new year. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/9 "2021-12-18T20:07:25Z")
To [sum up,](https://ca.yahoo.com/sports/news/maple-leafs-canucks-game-postponed-due-to-covid-19-192126204.html) now: > [@](#): > > Vancouver currently has six players in the league’s COVID protocol, while Toronto has four. They are just two of 17 NHL teams that have at least one player in protocol. There are a[total of 89 players](https://twitter.com/Marisa_Ingemi/status/1472267610876043265?s=20) on that list. _Plus_ 35 staffers on protocol. Obviously these numbers are going to climb over the h-days, and in turn this makes me wonder if the season will even continue next year, which might sound a little cynical and defeatist but manoman this is sucking. No clue how badly the other leagues are faring. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/10 "2021-12-18T20:29:59Z")
Half of the scheduled games for tonight and tomorrow have been cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/11 "2021-12-18T21:18:15Z")
I can’t even keep up with the cancellations. I assume the NHL will still shut down for the Olympics and we will be playing hockey in July to try to get the season in. Ideally, the NHL would pull out of the Olympics to help with the makeup games, but I’m sure they see China and its population and dream of $$$$. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/12 "2021-12-21T03:41:15Z")
Well, I’m glad I was wrong. It looks like the NHL won’t send players to the Olympics and they’ll use that time to make up all these cancellations. > ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2021, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/13 "2021-12-21T04:04:23Z")
For the Olympics, I’m guessing (wildly - who knows what’ll eventually happen) that Canada will eventually hobble together a rabble of Spengler Cup-level players with altered Oly uni: > **[Hockey Canada reveals three jersey designs for Beijing Olympics](https://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/hockey-canada-reveals-three-jersey-designs-for-beijing-olympics-1.5678700)** > > Hockey Canada has unveiled the jerseys its teams will wear next year at the Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing. It seems like week to week everything’s so totally up in the air - it wouldn’t phase me if at ‘the last minute’ we won’t be able to send _any_ kind of hockey team over there. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2021, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/14 "2021-12-23T00:09:52Z")
Actually screw the Olympics now, as far as top-flight competitive international hockey is concerned. For good, I say. I get it that the Olympic ideal of featuring the top athletes in a sport has always been a noble pursuit and whatnot, but IRT to the pinnacles of Lake Placid, Salt Lake City, and Vancouver, the glamour of all of that is done like dinner now - that ship has sailed. I am so ready to move on. Screw feeding the greasy coffers of the IOC anymore - I wanna see best-on-best now, which was abundantly served up in the Canada Cups, which featured the two greatest-ever line-ups, in '76 and '87. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/15 "2021-12-30T18:30:15Z")
This hockey-starved fool got my fix last night with the Canucks somehow continuing their winning streak (now to seven games) under new couch “Gabby” Bruce Boudreau. Great - three games in four nights on the road - nice way to hit the ground running again. Too bad Boeser’s on protocol but at least he’s the only one, thankfully. ---
**Author:** ![Rangerdanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/67e7ee/32.png) [@Rangerdanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rangerdanger)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/16 "2021-12-30T20:05:29Z")
Opposite reaction here - Last time the NHL decided they were more important than the Olympics, i dropped them for a year. Spouse continued to watch the local team and i suckered back in. I hope to make it at least 2 years of noNHL this time, if not a lifetime. I value the Olympics more than the NHL and they probably shouldn’t/won’t notice. BIG college hockey fan and very sad that Jrs was cancelled. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2021, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/17 "2021-12-30T22:25:16Z")
> [@Rangerdanger](#): > > …sad that Jrs was cancelled. At least we agreed about something! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/18 "2022-01-02T01:45:04Z")
Don’t see a January one yet, so I’ll just use this to comment that watching the Winter Classic makes me feel vicariously cold. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/19 "2022-01-02T02:11:08Z")
Heh, just _thinking_ of the first NHL outdoor one - the 2003 Heritage classic, with Edmonton and Montreal, in Edmonchuk, where it got to -18 C, with wind chill bringing it closer to -30. Apparently beers had to great drinken quickly before freezing. This was inspired by the “Cold War”, an outdoor game (74,544 in attendance) between Minnesota State and the University of Minnesota on October 6, 2001. (huh - must have been one of the first major post-911 events?) Next Heritage game is Leafs/Sabres Mar. 22 at Tim Horton’s Field in Hamilton. (first time an American team has played this.) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2022, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600/20 "2022-01-02T03:57:28Z")
I’ve not been following hockey for a couple of eyes now, but this story caught my eye and I think it deserves to be known: > **[Canucks employee says thanks to fan through viral letter](https://apnews.com/article/nhl-sports-hockey-vancouver-canucks-vancouver-7186c49de58c849ed9b0a223647f4b5e)** > > SEATTLE (AP) — Brian “Red” Hamilton was in the middle of moving equipment on the Vancouver Canucks' bench in between periods on Oct. 23 in Seattle when he noticed a woman behind the bench pressing her phone against the plexiglass. Good job, Nadia Popovici! Good job, Brian “Red” Hamilton! Good job, Canucks! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nhl-dec-21/955600.md?page=2)