Week 2 of The Chirp, a weekly-ish series about what’s happening in hockey
o1. Rule Breakers
This week, the Washington Capitals were fined $100, 000 for breaching Coronavirus regulations and the four Russians (Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Orlov and Samsonov) have been placed on the COVID-19 absent list for at least four games. So, what happened?
When the story broke, it was a bit baffling as to what rules had been broken, especially when we’d seen footage of Ovechkin and Oshie doing their shouting-in-each-other’s-faces pregame routine which, if you pay even the slightest attention to the transmissibility of COVID-19, is very high-risk behaviour. Apparently, the Capitals had already been given a talking-to about locker room behaviour, and the importance of wearing masks. Of course, examples of apparently acceptable high-risk behaviour include heavy breathing, shouting on the bench (particularly if, as I mentioned last week, a coach pulls down his mask in order to shout) and bodily contact. Hockey is, aggressively, a contact sport.
It turns out that the four Russians had been hanging out in the same hotel room, while on a road trip. Now, that seems a bit arbitrary as rules go, given that they, presumably, spend a lot of time together on the ice. I also can’t imagine that they’re the only players in the league to have done this, but trust the Washington Capitals to be the ones who got caught. This is made all the worse by the fact that Ilya Samsonov has tested positive for COVID-19.
Ultimately, they did break one of the league’s rules about COVID-19, and they’ve taken responsibility for that.
This pandemic has been brutal, and it’s still destroying lives and families. Having a hockey season at all is a bit iffy, to be honest, but we’ve got it and if the players want it to be a success, they’ve got to play by the rules.
o2. N-Dubble
This weekend has been pretty momentous for hockey. The NWHL 2021 season got started at Lake Placid, with the Toronto Six making their debut. It’s extraordinarily accessible, with the games being streamed live on Twitch.
This league has already been more vocal about the need to end racism in sport than the NHL’s rather toothless Hockey is for Everyone. End Racism patches on the NWHL team jerseys are a start, and some players kneeling for the anthems are another step in the right direction. It does feel, at least, that the NWHL is taking the Black Girl Hockey Club‘s campaign to Get Uncomfortable seriously. (Incidentally, I’m currently wearing my BGHC hoodie and I recommend supporting this incredible group if you can.) We know that some NHL teams have also taken this pledge and it’s past time that they showed some measure of leadership in the fight against racism.
The NWHL’s six teams have been putting on quite the showcase this weekend, particularly as they have had minimal preparation. It’s wonderful to see how engaged every team is and how hard they play and, honestly, I don’t even noticed the lack of hitting. The real question, of course, is who to root for. As a Washington Capital, I should probably support the Minnesota Whitecaps, who have the same nickname and, it seems, the same affinity for the penalty box. It might be fun to cheer for the Toronto Six as they make their debut but, when it comes down to it, I’m something of a Metropolitan Riveters fan (and I have an over-sized Rivs t-shirt that doubles as pyjamas when the weather isn’t absolutely baltic, as it currently is in Ireland).
As an aside, a great Twitter account to follow for up-to-date observations on women’s hockey, in addition to the fact that it’s run by a Penguins fan and a Capitals fan, is Saucy Rockets.
o3. Trading Places
Right before the season started, there was plenty of chatter that Pierre-Luc Dubois, a 2016 first round pick, was looking for a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets. He signed a two-year contract with the Columbus and the rumblings continued.
He has played like a man who wants to be traded away, in truth, and we all know that John Tortorella is not a man known for his gentle nature and equanimity in such matters. PLD’s final game for Columbus yielded a whopping three minutes and fifty-five seconds of ice time, and all of that was in the first period.
We had a few hours of wondering where PLD would sign, after numerous teams were reported to be interested in trading for him and, in something of a surprise, the Winnipeg Jets stepped in, trading Patrik Laine, their own 2016 first round draft pick, and Jack Roslovic for Dubois and a 2022 3rd round pick.
Broadly speaking, as a second and third overall pick in the same year, Laine and Dubois should be of approximately equivalent value. While neither was all that likely to be drafted ahead of that year’s number one pick (one Auston Matthews), it was Laine’s name that was most often mentioned as Matthews’ closest competition for that top spot. Neither has entirely lived up to their potential so I suspect both players may benefit from a change of scenery even if I must confess that my grasp of North American geography means I have no real idea how much of a change that might be for either of them.
whelmed.blog 