Howdy, hockey gossip readers. It’s time for your weekly rundown of what caused a stir in the online hockey world these past few days. We’ve got some fun drama to dive into, so buckle up.
The Leafs Lads (and Lasses)
Last week, we were all *eyes emoji* about Kyle Clifford removing all traces of the Leafs from his social media. Well, either some PR person told him to put it back, or talks intensified to keep him on the team, because look who’s a Leaf again on Twitter:
👀👀 #LeafsForever https://t.co/iVGMBVyDCh
— Page 6ix (@Page6ix) September 13, 2020
***Author’s Note: Shortly after publishing this week’s column, we received word that Kyle Clifford is headed to free agency and will likely not be re-signing with the Leafs***
We’ve been following former Leaf Kasperi Kapanen’s drama with on-again/off-again girlfriend Paige pretty closely. After unfollowing each other on social media and taking down all pictures together, it seems Paige has moved to LA, and she posted a very interesting message on her way there:
Seems like Paige and Kappy are no more and she’s off to LA. pic.twitter.com/YxDAvf0efY
— Page 6ix (@Page6ix) September 11, 2020
Finally, in more wholesome news, Travis Dermott joined a kids’ hockey podcast this past week, because he is adorable.
Checking in on all our hockey gossip fans to mention that Travis Dermott joined a kids’ hockey podcast and it was adorable pic.twitter.com/7vHvc94Yh2
— Page 6ix (@Page6ix) September 13, 2020
In Leafs-adjacent news, rumours have once again intensified over Alex Pietrangelo joining the boys in blue once free agency opens up:
Darren Dreger on TSN1050 said he thinks Toronto and Las Vegas would be near the top of Alex Pietrangelo's list of preferred destinations if he does not re-sign with the Blues
— J (@Account4hockey) September 15, 2020
We at Page 6ix still believe that, if possible, the Pietrangelos and their four very young children likely don’t want to move to a different country, but stranger things have happened!
Dallas Does Dangle
There were definitely some *eyes emojis* earlier this week when noted Leafs superfan/podcaster/YouTuber Steve Dangle and the Dallas Stars official Twitter had a bit of a disagreement over a play involving Corey Perry in a recent Stars/Vegas Golden Knights game:
Ron Weasley voice: "Well – it's not funny really – but as it's Corey Perry…” https://t.co/qZobxYNy3B
— Steve "Dangle" Glynn (@Steve_Dangle) September 13, 2020
Did I find it? https://t.co/UmDhASvTOm
— Steve "Dangle" Glynn (@Steve_Dangle) September 13, 2020
Click the tweets to see the full conversation that unfolded.
Well, It IS Florida…
We’re back in Florida this week (seems like we’re always either in Florida or Arizona these days) to take a peek at what’s going on with the Panthers, redux:
Full story with details – #FlaPanthers are expected to part ways with assistant coach Mike Kitchen after he allegedly kicked a Panthers player on the bench during an #NHL game this season:https://t.co/RgxkAf6K3W
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 15, 2020
That sounds, well, Ungood.
On A Serious Note
Finally, to tie this week up, we want to close out on a more serious note. This week, a young hockey player named Yanic Duplessis came out publicly.
Yanic Duplessis hopes to inspire the hockey community by coming out. 🏳️🌈 #HockeyIsForEveryone
(Quote via @Eags37) pic.twitter.com/zbtXb4pnGt
— NHL (@NHL) September 16, 2020
We wish Yanic the very best, and hope the hockey community continues to support him as he embarks on his career.
There was also a serious conversation happening on Twitter yesterday about an alleged incident at the final Stars/Vegas Golden Knights game.
Disappointed in the @DallasStars for letting this go down, especially after Seguin took a knee. For a biracial person, the term "mutt" references mixed heritage and the convo around IF it was said and to whom are tired. Stop gaslighting Black hockey fans. It's racist. Address it. https://t.co/9cd0vNrSrb
— Black Girl Hockey Club (@BlackGirlHockey) September 15, 2020
There are conflicting reports and understanding of who said what, and to our knowledge there is not at this time an official investigation into the incident:
It’s important to me that we get this right.
As a matter of conscience, here’s my full account of the “mutt” comment overheard in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final. Sharing it so that hockey fans can make up their own mind with full access to the facts as I understand them. pic.twitter.com/BiHEShpafi
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) September 15, 2020
Both Yanic’s story and the Stars/VGK incident highlight the ongoing struggle for full inclusion and equality in the hockey world.
Though we ended on a more serious note, we’re still here on Twitter and with the weekly column for all your gossip and drama needs. See you next week!