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#exposforever Jack Johnson’s goalless drought ended at 159 games last night. Courtesy @EliasSports the longest active goalless streaks in the NHL:

Nathan Beaulieu 105
Niko Mikkola 104
Ryan Murray 103
Patrik Nemeth 87
Mark Borowiecki 86 I may or may not have been aware of the latest @rayferrarotsn mishap when I sent the earlier tweet. @DarrenDreger I’m getting concerned that I am starting to channel @rayferrarotsn . Last night I didn’t know what time the game started and two weeks ago I forgot my laptop on a plane. If I am unable to find my way around Vancouver, I’ll know that all hope is lost. Peter Zezel, who passed away in 2009, was my neighbour for two years in Toronto. He was a terrific guy who left us far too soon. First rule of attending a game as a fan: check the start time. 7:30, not 7:00 🤦🏻‍♂️ https://t.co/Z1mSlvTfm8 Health is a huge difference. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Dougie Hamilton missed extended time last year, and the Devils used seven different starting goaltenders. “She’s brought a ludicrously capacious bag. What’s even in there, huh? Flat shoes for the subway? Her lunch pail? I mean, Greg, it’s monstrous. It’s gargantuan. You could take it camping. You could slide it across the floor after a bank job.”

—Tom

@succession @CraveCanada https://t.co/UlRpZUlGEQ Darryl Sutter used to mock the NHL’s “loser point”, but if the Flames make the playoffs, their league leading 21 OT/SO games will be a major factor, despite Calgary having a 6-15 record. The Flames are only two points behind the Jets despite having seven fewer wins. https://t.co/tjU3uVhSQM I would eat sand. Never. @brock_mcgillis And so humble! The other issue is Russia. As long as there are Russian soldiers on Ukrainian soil, it’s hard to imagine any international sanctioning body permitting a Russian team to play under their flag. It could be a decade before we see that again. Is the NHL prepared to go there? 100% agree. The Olympics are preferable, but if there is to be a World Cup, it has to be true international hockey, no “Team Europe” or “Team North America.” The NHL has to accept that some of it’s stars won’t be able to play and that some non-NHL players will take part. Pittsburgh’s current run of 16 straight playoff appearances is the longest active streak in the four major North American sports leagues. Longest Active NHL Playoff Streaks:

Years Currently
Pittsburgh 16 9th East
Nashville 8 10th West
Washington 8 11th East
Boston 6 1st East
Toronto 6 2nd Atl This made me laugh. While sitting out a 90 minute delay tonight at @TorontoPearson Happy 75th birthday to the one and only Bobby Orr. https://t.co/plBhdKvWtb Sláinte.

#StPatricksDay2023 Be nice @gtconway3d, or we’ll set the White House on fire again like we did in 1814. @thatgirlkristyn @JulioHashem I’m gonna sit this one out 😂 Never play pool or cards for money against someone whose nickname is a city or a state. The only thing left from the old arena is the roof. https://t.co/UisduHsH2D First time at the new Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Last time I called games here was at the 1992 Memorial Cup in the old Key Arena on this site. https://t.co/rVN8Cfhzu1 Here’s my suggestion to avoid “Salary Cap Laundering” especially when it comes to the trading of players on LTIR:

-an LTIR contract can’t count against the cap if the player was not playing for that team.

-a player on LTIR cannot be traded if he was not playing for that team. For Canadian fans planning to go to Gothenburg, tickets will need to be purchased here. The Canadian tour operator, Destiny Tours, has sold out its’ inventory and has several hundred people on a waiting list. @melanie_korach Unkindness is rampant on social media, unfortunately. Soar above it and don’t let the haters drag you down into their unhappiness. #StarfishClub #mentalhealth Mary Simon, Canada’s Governor General, with some powerful words about the power of words. @GGCanada Remember this name. On #InternationalWomensDay, a shout out to @KateBeirness @Tessab25 @SarahDavisTV @LauraDiakun @Kayla_Grey @Linz_Hamilton @clahanna @jenniferhedger @KenzieTSN @KayNurse11 @cherylpounder @Kara_Wagland and many other talented women who make TSN a great place to be. Great initiative, congratulations to @janice_ubc for her work on the project. @IndigCards @UpperDeckSports Indeed it was nearly 35 years ago, August 1988, outside the Forum in LA covering the Gretzky trade. It was obviously very serious. @KeithOlbermann https://t.co/Qk9evTvmvd I don’t know what @rayferrarotsn is talking about. My hair is still thick and luxurious. Sounds like a deal, @djpoulin20!

I love Chicago…my only disappointment this morning is that one of my favourite diners anywhere, @LouMitchells, isn’t open on Mondays. The package clocked in at a whopping 2 minutes and 45 seconds, leading a bemused weekend sportscaster (the late Peter Watts) to crack; “Did you leave the national anthem in? This needs to be one minute or less, thank you.” Peter was a wonderful mentor. 40 years ago today, this fresh faced 17 year old started out in broadcasting, working weekends at CBC Edmonton putting together highlight packages. My first assignment was the game between the New Jersey Generals and LA Express on the inaugural day of play for the USFL. https://t.co/lXVpTTYTyj Reinforcements are on the way! @mike_p_johnson and I grabbed a red eye from Calgary last night, we arrived an hour late but will be in studio by mid morning. Discussing what the Turning Point was on the intercom while calling a game was always a lot of fun. @RealKidPoker The press box walk in Calgary. https://t.co/Yly9EEHLZ4 I guess pre-printing that Toronto Maple Leaf roster before I went from Ottawa to Calgary wasn’t such a good idea after all. https://t.co/ZtGONK8C4q Hopefully Colorado brought him in to defend. At 131 games, Jack Johnson is riding the longest active goalless drought in the NHL. Congratulations to @cherylpounder! OK, so not everyone was thrilled with Toronto’s win in Buffalo Tuesday night. https://t.co/PoAinMh9mU Warmup under way in Buffalo, here with ⁦@mike_p_johnson⁩ for Leafs/Sabres on TSN4 in the Leafs region. Toronto’s first game here since November 2021 (the second Sabres “home” game last year was the outdoor game in Hamilton). https://t.co/61i9nwPS3m 😳 https://t.co/yTirlApPzB I was really looking forward to taking these brand new @BauerHockey skates for a twirl on the @NCC_Skateway in Ottawa this weekend, but it doesn’t look that will be possible without a wetsuit and a snorkel. https://t.co/5bithMYBHS A post-script: Kevin Mandolese had friends and family at the game, his parents and two brothers drove 8 hours from Montreal to Long Island yesterday. They visited with him afterwards, then drove right back overnight, they had to be back at work/school this morning. Destiny Tours, which has run trips to European based World Junior Tournaments for years, has sold it’s allotment of 1500 tickets for the 2024 event in Gothenburg, and has several hundred more people on a waiting list. They’re not taking any more bookings. Every. F******. Time. A pleasure to join @FadooBobcat and @JShannonhl on their podcast today. The ratings story is not as straightforward as it first appears, nor is the 1-8 conference playoff format. https://t.co/Y3RoCPrHa3 Best ways to help:

Turkish Red Cross/Red Crescent:
https://t.co/jXDB65oH93

UNICEF:
https://t.co/c0wdj7QOO3

Doctors Without Borders:
https://t.co/XWDX0N8woY The Ukrainian Hockey Tour was a remarkable experience for everyone involved. The story behind it is even more compelling…and difficult. Count me in. Maybe I wasn’t reading too much into it last week after all. By the way, Horvat explained his choice of #14, as #53 was taken.

4+1=5
4-1=3

Horvat wore #53 in honour of G Ian Jenkins, a fellow London Knights OHL draft pick who was killed in an accident in 2011 (Jenkins wore #35) Bingo, much the same as the Pageau deal, Lamoriello gives up a lot for a pending UFA and then quickly gets deal done. Bronco Horvath. Got my Special Olympics donut today at my local @TimHortons. Today’s the last day, 100% of the proceeds go to @SpecialOCanada. #ChooseToInclude https://t.co/qf0srBfLKg There is no perfect solution, but the current system isn’t working on several levels. Can a compromise of a 1-8 playoff format work with a more division heavy schedule? The NHL has some games worth 3 points (OT/SO) and others worth 2 (regulation) so anything is possible. /end Expanding the playoff field from 16 to 20 teams has been talked about for a while, but has not gained much traction. The “play-in” format has met resistance, most notably from commissioner Gary Bettman, who has been vocal in his opposition, both privately and publicly. That’s where the proposed“play-in” format comes in: the top five teams in each division would make the playoffs, with the 4th and 5th place teams in each division meeting in a best of three play-in round. (As of today, the series would be Buf/Fla, Pit/Wsh, Col/Nsh and Cgy/Edm.) So what if the 5th place team in one division has more points than the 4th place team in the other division and misses the playoffs? That’s why the NHL has the wild card system, with the top three teams in the division making it, followed by the next two with the best records. The issue with that schedule format is the question of whether 1-8 conference playoffs would be fair, since teams are playing very different schedules. Some are willing to live with that, others argue that if you’re pushing divisional play, more divisional playoffs make sense. Under this proposal, teams would play home and away vs the other conference (32 games) along with the other division in the conference (16). That would leave 36 games against divisional opponents, meaning they would play division rivals five times with a sixth additional matchup. A proposal is circulating to boost divisional rivalries by 1) reducing the number of pre-season games from eight to five and expanding the regular season from 82 to 84 games, and 2) going to a strictly divisional playoff format for the first two rounds, with a possible “play-in.” This season for example, the Islanders/Rangers and Flames/Oilers play each other only three times. Worse yet, they don’t meet again this season. The Islanders and Rangers played for the last time Dec. 22, while Calgary and Edmonton finished their season series Dec. 27. However, that format, combined with scheduling issues, has caused problems: including a relative lack of intra-divisional games, which regardless of the strength of the teams are the biggest sellers at the gate and for the most part are the biggest drivers of TV ratings. As it stands now, teams play clubs from the other conference twice (32 games), the other division in their conference three times (24) and their own conference 3 or 4 times (26). Under this format, 1-8 conference playoffs make sense, as teams are playing very similar schedules. Two hot topics of conversation during the NHL All-Star Break were 1) declining TV ratings and 2) Sidney Crosby (and others) calling for a return to the 1-8 conference playoff format. Is that format compatible with the growing calls for a schedule with more divisional games? Years ago, a player was deeply disappointed that his NHL team sent him back to junior after he had played nine games. Their message to him was simple: “If you think you’re too good for that league, go prove it. Be a dominant player every night. It’s harder than you think.” D Brandt Clarke’s first 10 OHL games since being returned by the LA Kings.

Players don’t get hurt by spending too much time in junior, college, the AHL or Europe. Being a dominant player every night is difficult, and this kind of development builds a foundation for the future. https://t.co/OaajY9Qjqf Shane Wright’s first seven games with Windsor in the OHL. https://t.co/5PbXwMN4lz In Canada we suntan in those temperatures (-4C). Sometimes a mailman DOES go for a walk on his day off… https://t.co/Vy1lafvvpQ May you have someone in your life who loves you as much as @jamiemclennan29 loves popcorn. https://t.co/GEEw20luGN The best part of it is that Pat could have stayed on longer, but elected to step aside to save a position at the Montreal Gazette for someone newer in the business. A selfless act by a great guy. His retirement takes effect in five weeks. Pat can turn a phrase with the best of them (“If Enrico Ciccone is the answer, what in God’s name is the question?”) but most of all he’s great company. Dining with him and the late Red Fisher before games in Montreal was an absolute treat. It won’t be the same without Pat. If you asked central casting to send you a rumpled, colourful and sometimes curmudgeonly sportswriter, they would probably have sent my pal Pat Hickey @zababes1 of the Montreal Gazette. Pat announced his imminent retirement this morning after 58 years in the newspaper business. https://t.co/lm0osOY2X4 Then again, #53 is taken (Cizikas) and while #35 isn’t, it’s an unusual number for skater. So yes, I’m probably reading too much into it. Time for a pre-game nap. Horvat wore #53 with the London Knights and the Vancouver Canucks in honour of former London draft pick Ian Jenkins, who died in an accident at the age of 15. Jenkins was a goaltender who wore 35, Horvat reversed it as a tribute to him. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I’m thinking that Horvat taking #14 is an indication that he’s at the very least considering a long-term extension. Lamoriello acquired J-G Pageau without permission to first talk about an extension and got one done in a matter of days. Some of the other #LouRules:
-no facial hair (except the in playoffs)
-no long hair (past the collar)
-no jewelry (necklaces/earrings)
-jackets/ties must be worn to games and on the team bus/plane
-no broadcasters/media permitted on the team charter (including team broadcasters) Among the many #LousRules from Lou Lamoriello (although this one has some wiggle room): he doesn’t like numbers higher than 40. Two exceptions: Casey Cizikas (#53) pre-dates Lamoriello with the Islanders, Jean-Gabriel Pageau (#44) was allowed to keep his number from Ottawa. Meeting of the @jamiemclennan29 fan club, disappointed that he passed on the optional morning skate. Aatu Raty: AH-too RAH-too Just a reminder today: don’t report a person’s death until their family, their employer or a doctor says they have passed away. Ever have the feeling someone’s watching over your shoulder? https://t.co/wI1J8vdEpN A rare Sunday 5pm start for Washington/Toronto, I’m here with @mike_p_johnson on TSN4 in the Leafs region. John Tavares plays his 1,000th NHL game. https://t.co/g6bLyyoWyw Corrected a mistake in the east, Pittsburgh is the first wild card by points %, Buffalo second, Washington is bumped out. In the west, Colorado is a wild card team, Calgary drops down. At the end of the season, ranking by pts and pts % will be the same, they aren’t now. NHL East Standings by pts %:
Atlantic
1. BOS .833
2. TOR .680
3. TBL .670
Metropolitan
1. CAR .729
2. NJD .694
3. NYR .633
Wild Card
1. PIT .594
2. BUF .573
——————
3. WSH .569
4. DET .521
5. NYI .520
6. FLA .510
7. PHI .490
OTT .490
9. MTL .449
10. CBJ .337 NHL West Standings by pts %:
Central
1. DAL .647
2. WPG .630
3. MIN .596
Pacific
1. SEA .635
2. VGK .610
3. LAK .608
Wild Card
1. EDM .592
2. COL .585
——————
3. CGY .570
4. NSH .562
5. STL .500
6. VAN .439
7. SJS .390
8. ARI .378
9. CHI .362
10. ANA .357 Keys are in the mailbox, shovel’s in the shed. @clahanna Twitter has some very odd ideas about what’s “For Me.” Interesting note from Canadian Hockey League president Dan McKenzie at the Top Prospects game: this year, more than 1,000 former players are enrolled in the CHL scholarship program, which provides tuition for university, college or trade school. Getting ready for the CHL Top Prospects Game tonight in Langley, BC. I think I have the last names down, it’s the “C-note” first names I’m struggling with: Caden, Calum, Carey, Cameron, Carson (x2), Charlie, Colby, Connor (x2) and Coulson. Not to mention Koehn and Kalan. https://t.co/5saEktGfvU The IOC announces that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be permitted to compete in international events (including Paris 2024) under a neutral designation with no national flag or anthem. The ban on the two countries hosting sanctioned events remains in place. Just a little interest in North Vancouver’s Connor Bedard prior to tomorrow’s CHL Top Prospects Game in Langley, BC. https://t.co/b7BCSejYJX After 3+ weeks in North America, the Ukrainian U25 Men’s Hockey team is heading home from the World University Winter Games #LakePlacid2023, which followed a four game tour of western Canada. Funds raised from that tour are going to humanitarian and hockey assistance in Ukraine. https://t.co/U9JVXQ2RUU Ukrainian hockey team stages own miracle on ice in North America
Sent with @NHL https://t.co/ALJ7PLgNYi @Buccigross Criminal. Since there has been so much interest in this, here is the Leafs entire pronunciation guide from their game notes package. (Of note: it doesn’t reflect Ilya Samsonov asking for SAM-son-awv) instead of sam-SAWN-awv). https://t.co/D4SwJeZKHl My Toronto-Washington-Pittsburgh connection this morning actually worked! Here for the Sens and Pens with @jamiemclennan29 on TSN5 in the Senators region tonight. https://t.co/DVaWQCM0m6 My Twitter feed took a strange turn today, filled with vicious messages from places not normally associated with hockey. The poster’s profiles showed interests in vaccine conspiracy theories, Hunter Biden, the WEF and…gas stoves? An American friend sent me this. Mystery solved. https://t.co/3rIjigA6Jb Little known fact: his nickname was “Bugs” @jayonrait @MarkBunting_ Funny background: since Michael Bunting’s arrival in Toronto, I’ve had to remind myself not to call him “Mark” (Mark Bunting was a colleague on the 90s). So of course tonight I called @markhmasters “Mark Bunting.” 😂 The Leafs pronunciation guide: https://t.co/YtMsFW6wOO @EastlinkMattB It’s a Microsoft Word document. Hopefully your handwriting is better than mine #heiroglyphics Correct (courtesy @EliasSports). Kovalchuk scored for MTL, LA and WSH in 2019/20.

Almost as good as Dave McLlwain playing in all four NHL divisions in 1991/92 (and to my knowledge being the only player in NHL history with five straight consonants in his last name). Getting ready for Jets/Leafs on TSN4 in the Leafs region tonight. Toronto’s Dryden Hunt scored his first as a Leaf on Tuesday, giving him goals with three different teams (NYR/COL/TOR) this year. Who was the last player to score for three different teams in one season? https://t.co/kRw15Xrgrg You mean the ones African nations boycotted (Montreal, 1976), the ones most western countries boycotted (Moscow, 1980) or the ones the Soviets boycotted (Los Angeles, 1984)? Yes, those were the days… If fans or sponsors started to express concerns the team could send the player home (it’s been done in recent years) but they still have to pay him. Ultimately, if the situation became untenable and the team was unable to trade or waive the player, they could buy him out. There are clauses that allow contracts to be voided in the case of breaking the law or conduct that brings the organization or the league into disrepute. It’s a very narrow standard, in most cases that sort of behaviour is handled by the league via suspension. This is where people are missing the point: as I said last night, Provorov has every right to his views, but when he expresses them in a public way, there are consequences. If he was asking to be traded, that has become much more difficult now. His next contract will be as well. That said, what happened last night was free expression in action: Provorov decided not to take part in the warmup and must now face the consequences (reduced trade value/effect on future earnings) while the Flyers chose to let him play, and may have to deal with fans/sponsors. I shut off the comments to this Tweet because a few bigots hijacked the comments to spread hate. I’m all for free speech and healthy debate, people have the right to say what they want to their followers. They don’t get to use my platform to spread bigotry to a bigger audience. Should point out that those projected cut lines could go up as teams lower in the standings jettison players at the deadline (“Fall Hard to Get Bedard”). Ouch. Now that every NHL team has passed the midway point of the season, here are the projected playoff cut lines:

East: 95 points
West: 93 points

To make it in the east, Florida would have to go the equivalent of 24-12. In the west, Colorado needs the equivalent of 23-17. 1. Ivan Provorov had the right to refuse to participate in the Pride Night activities in Philadelphia.

2. The Flyers should have responded by not allowing him to play in the game.

3. Freedom of expression doesn’t give you freedom from the consequences of your words or actions. It’s also quite possible that some of these players agree to extensions with their current teamsat a number below the amount of the Qualifying Offer, but like Tkachuk, the player has the leverage in this scenario. If any of those players do get one year deals, they could join what looks like a monster UFA class in the summer of 2024, which might include (age as of July 1, 2024): Auston Matthews (26), Sebastian Aho (26), William Nylander (28), Mark Scheifele (31) and Connor Hellebuyck (31). Those “sign and trade” scenarios could play out at the deadline, but are more likely to happen in the off-season, which was the case with the Tkachuk deal. Sign and Trades make sense, as the team trading the player is the only one that can give him an eight year deal. This year’s list includes Timo Meier (SJ, $10m QO) Alex DeBrincat (OTT, $9m QO), Pierre-Luc Dubois (WPG, $6m QO) and Jesper Bratt (NJ, $5.5m QO). In the Meier and DeBrincat cases, the trade scenario would likely involve a long extension being done followed by a pre-agreed trade. With #TradeCentre getting closer, a cohort of players is worth a look: players who, like Matthew Tkachuk last year, are restricted free agents (RFA), have a big qualifying offer (QO) due this summer and are one year away from unrestricted free agency (UFA). Source: @CapFriendly Canada in international hockey tournaments since last summer:

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