Hello gossipiers! It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for our weekly write up of what’s making waves around the hockey world. While this week was certainly quieter than last, there’s still plenty to chat about. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Leafs Lads (and sometimes Ladies)
Let’s start with the cutest news in Leafsland – Mitch Marner’s dog Zeus is ready to get back to hockey.
Zeus is ready for hockey season😂 @MapleLeafs pic.twitter.com/lzqHnNgNhC
— Mitchell Marner (@Marner93) October 16, 2020
Same, Zeus.
Elsewhere, Rasmus Sandin hung out with his brother and proud papa:
Kvalitetstid med @Rasmussandin och @Robbanhagg #leafs #flyers #almtuna pic.twitter.com/DLrGB0WMmX
— Patric Sandin (@psan1969) October 21, 2020
And Travis Dermott took some time to amplify BIPOC owned small businesses:
Atta boy Dermott pic.twitter.com/pn2iNzGdPD
— Spooky Arjun 👻 (@_marlanderthews) October 21, 2020
But of course the biggest news around Leafs world this past week was the signing of Joe Thornton! JUMBO IS A LEAF! Most fans seem excited at the news, but some hockey media (and fans of other teams) are questioning it:
What does it say about John Tavares as Captain of the Leafs that the team feels they need all of this extra leadership on the bottom of their roster?
— Dan Riccio (@danriccio_) October 16, 2020
Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza, the Maple Leafs are nailing bargain deals for a strong push to win the 2008 Stanley Cup
— Mr Booth (@MrBooth_7) October 16, 2020
The conversations were heated, but here at Page 6ix we’re on team Hockey Dads Are the Best, and we’re thrilled to welcome Jumbo to Toronto!
The Windy City
Over in Chicago, the Blackhawks posted a message to their fans that had many people scratching their heads. It is certainly A Choice:
A message to Blackhawks fans. pic.twitter.com/7wBXrJPDQ1
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 20, 2020
One of the head scratchers might be none other than Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews
On 31 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman talks about Jonathan Toews doing that interview with The Athletic really spoke volumes to how upset he is over the current situation with the Blackhawks. He mentions that the players weren’t thrilled about Saad and Crawford being dealt either…
— Wally Maz (@WallMaz35) October 13, 2020
Interesting situation to keep an eye on.
Canucks Chaos
Canucks fans have been struggling with some of the off-season decisions the team is making, and it seems that there might be good reason for that skepticism.
To recap: After ignoring him for weeks, Benning called Tanev personally as a last ditch attempt to sign him and Tanev didn't pick up the call, then he signed with the Flames within the hour.
Another item to add to Canucks lore.
(From Drance and Dhaliwal's column)
— Taj (@taj1944) October 15, 2020
Apparently there’s some bad blood brewing between Benning and current/former Canucks players. Might not bode well for a successful season.
Boston Betrayal
Former Bruin Torey Krug shared some new St. Louis swag on IG, and Bruins fans are Not Happy About It.
Might be time to stop following Torey Krug on Instagram. pic.twitter.com/36f4dtxlHx
— Ian McLaren (@iancmclaren) October 16, 2020
It’s one thing to leave and sign with a new team. Quite another to do so with the team that beat your old one for the Cup last season.
All Canadian Division?
And finally, rumours are swirling about the NHL format next season, with suggestions about an all-Canadian division:
There's also talk of an all-Canadian division, but whatever plans are in place when the season opens could change over time https://t.co/74sYn9PDMN
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) October 21, 2020
This could be fun. Or chaos. Or both.
One Final Note
As a female writer orbiting the hockey/sports world, I wanted to take a moment today (for no reason in particular) to give a shout out to all the amazing, brilliant, insightful, hilarious women on hockey Twitter, in the sports media space, and in sports fan spaces. It’s incredibly gratifying to be surrounded by and engaged with such talent every day. I’m thankful for the community of women I’m part of, and I value their voices so much.
That’s all for this week, folks. Don’t forget to check out our Twitter, and your columnist once again joined the Locked On Boston Bruins podcast this week, and managed to get some good Leafs chatter in there. Check it out!