Stingers' defender Léonie Philbert taking a shot in a game against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sept. 23, 2022. MARIA BOUABDO/The Concordian
The Stingers’ women’s hockey team got a victory in their first game of the Theresa Humes Cup tournament
The Concordia Stingers were able to come back and score two goals in the third period in a close game against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night at Ed Meagher Arena.
Concordia annually hosts the Theresa Humes Cup tournament, a six-team tournament from Sept. 23 to 25. The four other participants are the McGill Martlets, the University of Montreal Carabins, the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds, and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds.
After a scoreless first period, in which the Stingers limited the Varsity Blues to five shots on goal with multiple blocked shots, there was a bit more action in the second frame.
Defender Emma Potter opened the scoring for the Blues with about five minutes remaining in the period.
The Stingers found themselves down by a goal going into the final 20 minutes, but that didn’t stop them. The message was to be grittier and play more physical.
“We have to find ways to win whatever the style of the game, and I think this game was a little bit choppier,” Stingers’ head coach Julie Chu said. “When you play in games like that it’s easy to get frustrated because everyone likes to flow and feel good and move… We had to stay a little bit more patient when maybe it didn’t feel as good.”
It was forward Jessymaude Drapeau who tied the game from a pass by her linemate Emily Fecteau. Drapeau also went on to score the game-winning goal later.
“We started the third period with a good shift and it gave us a lot of momentum,” Drapeau said. “And I think they were important goals so I was happy to contribute to the comeback.”
Stingers’ goaltender Alice Philbert, who made huge saves for her team, had to stay sharp until the dying seconds of the game as the Blues pulled their goaltender for one last chance to tie the game. But Philbert said she wasn’t too worried.
“I really trust the team and my teammates,” she said. “We’re here to learn during pre-season so for me, making mistakes right now doesn’t matter too much, so I’m just having fun. I know everything the girls did and they worked hard so I’m happy with the results.”
In this tournament, each game is worth nine points. A regulation win is worth six points. It’s followed by four-on-four overtime, three-on-three overtime, and shootouts, each worth one point. This point system is used to rank the teams and determine the winner by the end of the third day.
After the 2-1 regulation win for the Stingers, the four-on-four overtime ended in a 0-0 tie. Toronto got the point in three-on-three, with a goal by forward Nikki McDonald. However, Concordia won the shootouts thanks to yet another goal by Drapeau, and the other one by forward Émilie Lavoie. On the other hand, Philbert stopped both of Toronto’s attempts.
Concordia will be facing UNB today in their second game of the tournament. Chu said the team will have to match UNB’s intensity, if not more, as they’re a really structured, disciplined, and hard-working team. Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m.
The role of the enforcer in the NHL has changed throughout the years.
Once upon a time, NHL teams took great pride in having a tough fighter on their roster. These intimidating figures, known as enforcers, were not necessarily the most skilled players, but were physically imposing competitors who would stand up for their teams and fight.
For many years, enforcers played a crucial role in the sport by protecting the team’s best players and spending a lot of time in the penalty box as a welcomed consequence. Having a tough guy would boost the morale of the team, and give teammates confidence while offering a sense of safety by not hesitating to get their hands dirty.
With time, the game of hockey changed, as well as the role of the enforcer. Following the 2004-05 NHL lockout, teams began to search for more complete players, who were faster and displayed more skills. Nowadays, teams are leaning away from having that one-dimensional fighter, opting to instead use their cap space for players who can add to the scoresheet.
TSN’s Calgary Flames reporter and Concordia University journalism alumni Salim Valji said having someone whose sole purpose is to fight is not needed to win in today’s game.
“The game doesn’t revolve around fighting quite the same way as, say, 20 years ago. I think that you need players who have some skill but are also able to be physical and occasionally fight. So the enforcer role isn’t as common, instead it’s hybrid players like Tom Wilson, who can impact a game on the scoresheet in addition to bringing extra physicality, that are seen today,” he explained.
It’s no secret that the Montreal Canadiens, last season’s Stanley Cup finalists who fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games, have been struggling this season. Despite the underwhelming season, Valji said the Habs should emphasize building a winning culture instead of looking to toughen up the roster.
“I don’t think that would make a real difference for a team like the Montreal Canadiens, since they are clearly going through a rebuild. Instead, they should bring in veterans who work hard, are good professionals, and can mentor and guide the young players,” Valji said.
With the evolution of the role in modern hockey where fighting has become more frowned upon in today’s day and age, Valji doesn’t think that the evolution of the role takes away from the fans. “Everything in life changes and evolves. The game is faster, more skilled, and more creative than a few years ago — and I think that’s a great thing. And who knows, maybe in five seasons it reverts back.”
While old-school enforcers are few and far between in the NHL today, Valji said the player archetype is not yet extinct.
“I think there are still a few old school enforcers […] Nicolas Deslauriers of the Anaheim Ducks comes to mind. He plays on their fourth line, stands up for teammates, and is really well liked by the organization. Zach MacEwen is another one whose job description is just to be physical and fight. There are far fewer enforcers now than 10 years ago, but some are still around.”
Over time, hockey has certainly changed, but enforcers continue to impact the game. As time goes on, we’ll see how the game continues to evolve, and whether there’s a potential resurgence with enforcers down the line.
Anthony Beauregard, Concordia Stingers, 2018. Brianna Thicke/Concordia Stingers
Anthony Beauregard reflects back on a hockey journey that’s taken him across the globe
At three years old, Anthony Beauregard put on a pair of skates for the first time.
Throughout childhood, he was obsessed with hockey. He still remembers his mother buying him little cars, and him playing hockey with them instead. He spent his childhood around arenas, either playing, or watching his father’s games.
Fast-forward 23 years to June of 2021, where Anthony Beauregard was the top scorer for the Wichita Thunder, and was named the East Coast Hockey League’s (ECHL) Most Valuable Player for 2020-2021. He was second in the league in scoring with 22 goals and 71 points in 62 games playing in Wichita, Kansas.
Beauregard said that although he had an incredible season playing centre at Concordia in 2017-18 – in which he amassed 19 goals and 60 points in 28 games – to accomplish something as big at a professional level in Wichita was even more significant.
Bruce Ramsay, the Thunder’s head coach, said that Beauregard was a key factor in the team’s success in making it to the 2020-21 playoffs.
“He was a great motivator, he played with his heart on his sleeve, he wanted to win as much as anybody, and he was actually a physical player for his size. He played a hard physical game,” Ramsay said, referring to his 5-foot-7, 165-pound star. “He brought a lot of great attributes to our organization and was a huge reason for our success last year.”
Beauregard expressed that he wasn’t thinking about any awards during the season, but being named ECHL MVP was like a pat on the back.
“It was big for me because there aren’t a lot of Quebecers who accomplish this,” he said.
Another big achievement that Beauregard will always remember was playing for the Montreal Canadiens’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket, in 2017-18, after the Stingers’ season had ended.
“It was really fun. The experience of playing in the AHL, especially near home, it’s an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life. In my first game, there were about 60 or 70 people who went to see me there. I’ll never forget it.”
However, it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows for the Quebecer.
The following year, Beauregard signed a contract with the Brampton Beast, which was the Ottawa Senators’ ECHL affiliate, with the hopes of being called up to the AHL. After having an excellent season with Concordia, winning the Most Outstanding Player award in U Sports, and playing in the AHL, he was expecting a big role in Brampton, but that didn’t happen.
“I didn’t play a lot in Brampton, the coach didn’t really trust me. It was hard, it was a difficult year for me, personally,” Beauregard said. “It was a disappointing year, but the fact that I went to Dundee after, had a good season and loved it there, it made me want to play hockey again and be an important part of a team.”
He spent the 2019-20 season in Scotland with the Dundee Stars of the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Beauregard had re-signed another year with the team, but with the risk of the season getting cancelled because of COVID-19 and being stuck in Europe, Beauregard decided to go play in Wichita, which was only a two-and-a-half-hour flight away from his parents’ and childhood home in Saint-Damase, Quebec.
“It was a decision based on COVID, but if you look at what happened, it was a good thing,” he said.
Beauregard is now a winger for Sierre-Anniviers in the Swiss League. He is one of the team’s two imports (who both happen to be Quebecers), with the other one being Eric Castonguay.
“There’s a bit more pressure on us because the fans expect us to deliver and help win games,” he explained. “So, we have some pressure, but it’s a fun kind of pressure to handle because you know the fans are behind you, so for the moment I’m loving it, I’m very happy here.”
Beauregard said he feels good about his season so far. He’s racked up six goals and 25 points in 32 games played.
Anthony Beauregard, HC Sierre, 2021. Justine Eyer/Propulsion
Although this isn’t the first time he’s played in Europe, it’s the first time he’s played in such an offensive-oriented environment.
“The style of play in the U.K. is really close to the style in North America. There were a lot of hits, there were fights, it was a physical game, so I wasn’t disoriented with respect to that,” Beauregard recounted. “Here [in Switzerland] it’s a less physical game, there can’t be fights, and it’s a more offensive game, so my style of play is adapted to the style here.”
Ramsay expected Beauregard to adjust well to the offensive style of play in Switzerland.
“He’s an elite player,” Ramsay said. “I think no matter what country or what situation he’s put in, if he’s put on a sheet of ice, he’s going to play his heart out and have success.”
Beauregard has always wanted to play hockey in Switzerland.
“It’s an amazing country, and I know a lot of people who played in Switzerland and who’ve told me positive things,” he said. “The lifestyle is different than in North America. You play fewer games, so your body has time to recover, and on the monetary side, it’s better in Europe than in the East Coast (ECHL). I loved the time I spent in Dundee, so from there, I told myself ‘let’s give it a go in Europe.’”
He is currently on a one-year contract, but said he would like to stay in Switzerland for another year or two, if given the opportunity.
His goal remains to play at the highest level possible, so he hasn’t forgotten about the possibility of playing in the AHL or National Hockey League (NHL). However, he said he has to be realistic. At 26 years old, Beauregard realizes he’s a bit old to switch over to the NHL. So, his main focus is to take things one year at a time, to finish this season and see what happens from there.
As he reflected on his journey, Beauregard emphasized that one of the most important things is to never give up.
“I’m not a big player, so during my childhood, I kept hearing that I was too small, that I couldn’t play with men,” he said. “I always wanted to prove people who didn’t believe in me wrong.”
He added that he always tries to change negative comments into positivity.
“So for young players who are told the same thing, take those negative comments and use them as motivation,” he said.
“Never give up, no matter the situation. You’re never going to have an easy road, except if you’re an exceptional player. You’ll always have a year where you get cut, and you ask yourself if you should continue or stop.”
However, the lesson that we can take from Beauregard’s career is that when it comes to our biggest dreams, stopping is never the solution.
Montreal Canadiens fans are rightfully upset with the team’s start to the 2021-22 season, but should they be surprised?
The Montreal Canadiens — last year’s Stanley Cup finalists — are a bottom-feeding team in the NHL through the opening stretch of the 2021-22 regular season. The storied franchise that was on the precipice of glory last spring can’t even muster two consecutive periods of quality hockey today.
Canadiens fans are rightfully upset, but should they be surprised? More specifically, was last year’s postseason run simply a fluke, or are the Habs wildly underachieving through the first 10 games of the season? Both perspectives to the aforementioned question carry real weight.
On one end, the Canadiens limped their way into the playoffs last season, showing little to no signs of life before they went on to defeat Toronto, Winnipeg, and Las Vegas in successive playoff rounds. They went into every series as underdogs and played a low-scoring, physical defensive style that relied heavily on Carey Price’s heroics and reputation. And he delivered, despite the inconsistency he displayed through most of the regular season.
The truth is, among the major sports, hockey has the most parity. A hockey team can essentially go from near mediocrity to greatness in the span of a few weeks, a notion that is so rarely seen in other sports like basketball, for instance. Last season’s Habs were the latest example of how unpredictable hockey can be. Ultimately, the sport’s parity is what draws many fans to it.
Losing team captain Shea Weber, veteran two-way forward Phillip Danault, and Price to start the season for varying reasons meant losing the Canadiens’ anchors of stability, so a regular season dropoff was to be expected. As a result, this year’s offence is being manned by young, unproven talent into unknown waters. So far, Montreal’s key players — namely, Nick Suzuki and Jeff Petry — simply haven’t shown up and met expectations.
Despite the fact the current Canadiens roster barely resembles the veteran squad it suited up during the postseason, there is reason to believe the Habs shouldn’t be as bad as they’ve been. As things currently stand, the Canadiens find themselves situated next to the NHL’s worst teams in the standings, many of which have embraced losing in their hopes of rebuilding.
On the other hand, the Habs are in a unique and dangerous circumstance, one where they fully intend on remaining competitive but are continually failing to tally wins. This team is teetering between mediocrity and success, and considering the fact that they’ve already dug themselves into a near insurmountable hole, at some point Montreal needs to forget about last year’s Stanley Cup run and think towards the future.
With the return of hockey in our lives, it’s never too late to draft a fantasy squad
As a sports fan, fantasy leagues are one of the most exciting ways to consume your favorite sport. Living the full general manager fantasy by meeting up with your friends and drafting your teams one by one, then facing off on a weekly basis against other rosters to assert your dominance over them is pure bliss.
Fantasy sports websites like to rank players based on their statistics. Most of the time, it accurately reflects players’ performances, but occasionally, players are left higher or lower than their real-life value. For hockey, the NHL website itself has a fantasy section, where they recently released their “Fantasy hockey top 250 player rankings”.
This list cumulates players’ projected statistics in a panoply of different categories for head-to-head leagues, but not for points leagues. With that said, here are five underrated players you should watch out for in your last-minute fantasy league draft.
Taylor Hall, LW, Boston Bruins
Projected ranking: 133
At 29 years old, the first overall pick in 2010 is coming off an abysmal season with the joke of an organization that is the Buffalo Sabres. With a poor two goals and 17 assists with a -21 plus/minus in 37 games compared to his standards, Hall picked it up when he got traded to the Boston Bruins with a hopeful 14 points in 16 games to end the season. After re-signing with Boston over the summer at a very reasonable price, (four years, $24 million), this contract will most likely be looking like a bargain at the end of this season. The 2017-18 Hart trophy winner is going to bounce back this year by bringing some second line scoring to a stacked Bruins’ offence and you can definitely expect Hall to outperform his projected ranking by quite a lot.
Darnell Nurse, D, Edmonton Oilers
Projected ranking: 83
With Oscar Klefbom’s injury last year, Nurse really seized his opportunity to become Edmonton’s most reliable defender by having an incredible season. In 56 games, the 26-year old put up an impressive 36 points — including 16 goals, the second-most for a defenseman last year. Fantasy-wise, Nurse had an even better season by averaging 25:38 minutes of ice-time per game, having a +27 plus/minus differential and by being in the top 20 for defensemen in shots, hits, and blocked shots. While Klefbom is still out this season, Nurse is looking to repeat what he achieved, and with Edmonton having a weaker defensive core than last year, the Ontarian could very well surpass these astonishing numbers by filling in an even bigger role this year.
Tyler Seguin, C, Dallas Stars
Projected ranking: 112
Having only played three games last year due to a hip injury, it’s hard to guess how well Seguin will perform this year as he will be entering his 12th season in the league. One thing is certain, Seguin has always been an impactful player and a pure offensive beast when healthy as he has put up more than 70 points in six separate seasons. Seguin should also benefit from the emergence of young talents in Dallas with players like Roope Hintz and last year’s Calder Trophy runner-up Jason Robertson. The second overall pick in 2010 will remind people of how good he was before his injury and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Seguin add another 70 point season to his already imposing resume.
Neal Pionk, D, Winnipeg Jets
Projected ranking: 131
From being a defensive liability to becoming one of the most underrated young blue-liners in the league since joining the Jets during the summer of 2019, Pionk has completely shut down critics and was able to become a quiet force in Winnipeg. Pionk is not a flashy player, so he is severely overlooked by poolers. Last year, he registered 32 points in 54 games, 10 of which were scored on the first powerplay unit. He also finished 10th in hits and with a +6 plus/minus differential. Ranked at 131, Neal could very much look like a steal early on in the season.
Linus Ullmark, G, Boston Bruins
Projected ranking: 79
Ullmark has never had a real chance to show off what he really is capable of, simply because the Sabres were atrocious during his time with the team . He has gone under the radar for quite some time now but last year he quietly put up a 0.917 save percentage and a 2.63 goal against average in 20 games on a Sabres team that ended the year with a 15-34-7 record, the worst record in the league. He was able to steal games all by himself last year. After signing with the Bruins over the summer, Ullmark is going to have his shot at being a number one goalie to a consistent playoff team and people are finally going to see his true value. If he falls in the draft, grab him if you can, you won’t regret it.
The National Hockey League’s regular season will start on Oct. 12
The 2021-22 NHL season is upon us, marking the start of another promising run at the Stanley Cup for some franchises and their fanbases, and continued suffering and anguish for others.
Here are the teams you should keep an eye out for in the exciting weeks of hockey to come, for better or worse.
Montreal
Of course, I have to start things off with the local band. I just wish I had an inkling of a clue of what to expect from them.
The Montreal Canadiens are coming off their most successful postseason in over two decades, ultimately losing in the finals back in early July to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Stanley Cup champions of the last two seasons. Their regular season, however, was the epitome of inconsistency and turmoil.
That’s easy to forget, given how well the team performed come playoff beard-oil time, but the Habs were scrapping for a playoff spot — an absurd notion considering the Canadiens started the season off incredibly hot.
Cinderella runs like last season are few and far between, but there’s still reason to believe their chemistry last postseason wasn’t a fluke. That being said, the Habs will be relying heavily on their young guns Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki to take the reins and produce on a consistent basis.
Toronto
I don’t need to remind Maple Leafs fans about last season, right?
Since the emergence of Mitch Marner, the acquisition of John Tavares in free agency in 2018, and the drafting of Auston Matthews in 2016, the pressure has been on for Toronto. They have an undeniably skilled core that most NHL franchises would kill for, and the results have been fairly positive in the regular season.
But the postseason has been riddled with annual disappointments, and now is the time to translate their regular season success into postseason accolades. For the sake of my father — a long-time Leafs fan who has never seen them win it all — I’m admittedly rooting for them to return to glory. Yikes.
Seattle
On paper, the newest expansion team’s roster looks to be average at best. After all, the Seattle Kraken should be near the bottom of the league in their inaugural season.
But remember when the Las Vegas Golden Knights made a historic run to the finals in their inaugural season under similar circumstances? Nobody had them pegged as contenders.
Seattle has some sneaky good depth at defense and should have an invigorated fanbase that could swing the momentum of games in their favour. Las Vegas’ feat in the 2017-18 season may never happen quite the same way again, but there’s a world where Seattle finds success right away while preserving their cap space for the future.
This is the year where the Montreal Canadiens should be buyers
It’s been a while since the Montreal Canadiens have had such an opportunity to go deep in the playoffs. With the realigned divisions for the 2020‒21 National Hockey League (NHL) season, the Habs are only playing fellow Canadian opponents in the regular season.
The best four of their seven-team division will qualify for the playoffs, and with those teams only playing each other until the Stanley Cup semi-finals, the chance to make it past the first two rounds is there for the Habs.
The Canadiens have started the season strong, but have had some trouble in the past month, even firing their head coach. Yet, they’re still in a playoff spot and seem confident on the ice against pretty much all their opponents. It would be fair to think that this season, for the first time in years, General Manager Marc Bergevin would try to improve his team by the NHL trade deadline, with hopes to shock the hockey world and win the Stanley Cup.
After adding key players Tyler Toffoli and Josh Anderson last offseason, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Bergevin add depth for his third and fourth lines. Bergevin doesn’t often make trades, but when he does, he rarely fails to improve his roster, either in the short-term or long-term.
An important player who could be traded is Phillip Danault. Despite being a great centreman and good defensively, Danault is in the last year of his contract, and hasn’t offered much offensively this season. Any team looking for depth at this position would give a lot for him, especially at the trade deadline, when teams often overpay.
Current interim head coach Dominique Ducharme may be the team’s next permanent man behind the bench
The Montreal Canadiens fired head coach Claude Julien on Feb. 24, after four years with the team. The Habs have missed the playoffs twice with Julien. Last season, the Canadiens were lucky enough to be the lowest-ranked club to qualify for the playoffs in a unique COVID-19 playoff format that saw 24 teams fight for the title.
Dominique Ducharme, who was already assistant coach, is taking the lead behind the bench for the rest of the season. However, it’s unsure if the Canadiens will look to bring in a new head coach for the upcoming seasons during the summer or if they will officially make Ducharme their new head coach.
This could depend on the team’s performances this season. After what looked like a solid start to this season, the team has been lacking consistency these past weeks, and losses have been more frequent than wins.
If Canadiens’ General Manager Marc Bergevin wants to sign a more experienced head coach this summer, there are some good candidates. However, we know that this Montreal market has always looked for bilingual coaches. In that category, options are very limited in terms of established coaches.
Gerard Gallant would be a familiar face to the Canadiens. He was an assistant coach with the team during the 2012‒13 season. He then coached the Florida Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights. He has experience with veterans and rookies.
Another candidate could be former Dallas Stars head coach and current St. Louis Blues Assistant Head Coach Jim Montgomery. While not as experienced as Gallant, Montgomery has a 67-49-10 record in the National Hockey League (NHL), and an impressive 125-57-26 record with the Denver Pioneers in college hockey.
No matter Bergevin’s decision, it will need to be for the long term, as this Canadiens team is packed with young players and a promising future.
Colder temperatures in January have allowed for outdoor skating
Up until the first week of January, many of Montreal’s ice rinks were closed, to the dismay of skating aficionados. While the city was able to install boards at most parks early in the winter season, flat ice never materialized due to inconsistent and mild weather conditions.
In recent weeks, however, temperatures have dropped to meet seasonal expectations, enough to finally support the upkeep of outdoor skating.
Sorbonne Park is a spacious public area that neighbours a public high school in Brossard. John*, a city employee who monitors activity there, said he was caught by surprise when the rink first opened.
“Within hours after the ice was made, it was packed with people,” John said. “It was clear from the beginning how much locals needed this to relieve their stress.”
According to the provincial government, site managers are responsible for determining the maximum number of people who can be admitted to the site at one time to comply with health measures concerning physical distancing and zero contact. In addition, they must facilitate the access to disinfection at site entrances, and must clean frequently touched surfaces.
Brossard has also installed several outdoor benches around many rinks this year to help people socially distance while gearing up, instead of relying on indoor facilities. City employees like John must ensure safety protocols are met by the locals, a process that proved to be rather difficult when traffic was abnormally high during the opening weeks.
When the weather was nice, the park had upwards of 50 people coming in and out, “John said. “At first, when the public was just eager to get outside, it was hard to manage everything at once.”
In the winter, a soccer field encompassed by an oval running track is made into an attractive skating ground. The park also has a separate ice hockey rink, a hill that suits tubing, and a playground for children, which makes Sorbonne a popular choice for Brossard residents looking to get some fresh air.
Hockey players will have to leave their sticks at home, however, as the municipality continues to ban the sport on community rinks until further notice. In order to minimize the temptation to form organized games, nets at community rinks have been removed.
According to John, he would have to warn people every couple of minutes to put away their hockey sticks and pucks when the rink opened in early January. After a couple of weeks, people eventually got the memo and the rink subsequently lost much of its appeal to hockey fans.
I still see people playing with a puck every so often,” John said. “Whether it’s in the oval track or hockey rink, unfortunately I have to enforce the rules and be the bad guy.”
Even the carrying of a stick or puck is forbidden, a notion that has sparked criticism from local hockey enthusiasts. John said that the rule is in place to ensure the proper management of activity in the park. Having individuals allowed to skate with a puck would create chaos that quickly escalates as surrounding people become encouraged to do the same.
“The disappointment from hockey players is well-documented, but Brossard believes we need to stick to this protocol so long as the pandemic remains rampant,” John said.
When the rink is closed, the entrance is closed off with a metal chain, and there is no public worker to oversee activity. John added that residents will occasionally pack their hockey supplies and make use of the rink after hours to indulge in the sport, running the risk of getting caught by patrolling city employees.
The city is handing out fines to people who play hockey when the rinks are closed,” John said. “I’ll usually give people a warning, tell them to put away their things and that will be the end of it.”
Fortunately, outdoor activities such as tubing, skating, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing are still permitted so long as participants follow COVID-19 guidelines. John said that activity is still plentiful, as people continue to look for excuses to be outside, especially once school ends next door. On weekends, families with young ones continue to make use of the space that is often overlooked compared to the hockey rink.
“More so than in previous years, people are snowshoeing in the forest and making better use of the park’s hill to toboggan and sled,” John said.
The rink in Sorbonne Park is open weekdays from 3:30 to 7 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on holidays and weekends.
*The name of this source has been changed for anonymity.
Could a condensed hockey season and a smaller number of opponents mean more questionable hits?
This 2020–21 NHL season is different than any season we have ever seen before. That includes modified divisions, including the all-Canadian North Division, in order to abide by travel restrictions between the Canada–United States border due to COVID-19.
Each team is expected to play 56 games exclusively against their respective division teams. This means that all American teams will be facing each team eight times, while Canadian teams will face their opponents nine or 10 times. This should be done in a period of five months, but could take longer because of postponed games due to COVID-19 protocols.
While this format should allow the regular season to be over by May 10, many questions have been raised about the short rest time for players, and the risk of injury.
This shorter season also means a lot of consecutive games between the same teams, which can create more tension between teams, compared to a regular 82-game season. This is looking a lot more like the playoffs; the rivalry, the hits, and the fights are all there.
There have been multiple cases of dangerous hits this season, leading to injuries and sometimes suspensions for the offending player.
The Montreal Canadiens and Vancouver Canucks faced each other for three consecutive games in Vancouver earlier this season. During the second game, when the Canadiens were up 6-3 with less than three minutes left in the game, Canucks’s defenceman Tyler Myers made a huge hit on Montreal forward Joel Armia and received a 5-minute major penalty and a game misconduct.
Armia was diagnosed with a concussion after the game, which raised many questions as to what kind of additional discipline Myers could get. The next day, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced that he would get none, as it was a “bodycheck.” This eventually led to Canadiens defenceman Joel Edmundson and Myers dropping the gloves in the first few minutes of the third game, adding even more violence to the situation.
St. Louis Blues forward Sammy Blais also made a dangerous hit on Colorado Avalanche defenceman Devon Toews. On the ice, the call made was a minor elbowing penalty. Toews left the ice after the hit, but later returned to the game.
However, the Department of Player Safety later made the decision to give Blais a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head. The calls given to Myers and Blais — on the ice and from the Department of Player Safety — were both different, which shows how hard it is to understand punishments of vicious hits.
Another big hit this season was Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie on Pittsburgh Penguins defenceman Marcus Pettersson, a few seconds after Oshie was tripped by Pettersson. The referees made the call on the ice for a major penalty, but then changed it to a minor interference after review. Oshie received no additional discipline.
Some might say that these consequences make sense, and some might argue they don’t.
While hits are an essential part of hockey, I think consequences regarding players’ safety should be more consistent, especially with such a condensed season where teams get even more competitive as they face the same six or seven teams for five months.
The return of an NHL regular season, and of Canadian normalcy
Today marks the start of the 2021 NHL season, which, for many of us, also marks the beginning of a return to normalcy. Like so many other Canadians, my life has always included a whole lot of hockey-watching, so when COVID hit nearly a year ago now (what the hell, right?) amongst all the crazy life changes that it brought, the weirdest by far was to be cooped up during the playoff season, with no playoff hockey to be seen.
This return of a “regular season” feels like a breath of fresh air to me. Although it’s not what I once knew it as, and I won’t be able to go home to Ottawa and sit in my family’s seats to enjoy a game in person (or not enjoy — I’m an Ottawa Senators fan so it’s touch and go), being able to watch hockey again is about as normal as anything has felt in the last 10 months.
Before COVID forced businesses to close down in March, I worked as a hostess at a busy restaurant near the Bell Centre. Our success was and is largely dependent on Habs games and big crowds flocking to the arena. Although I actively dislike the Habs, being in a busy, hockey-centric atmosphere is always fun. When the NHL stopped play in March, it didn’t just mean no more hockey, it meant no more work. It meant a massive loss in revenue to my workplace, and it meant myself and my coworkers losing our income and struggling to get government support. I’ll take this opportunity to thank Trudaddy for that CERB cash, despite the hours upon hours I spent on the phone with Service Canada in order to get it.
My restaurant finally opened their doors on Sept. 1, just for the news to come out on Sept. 28 that we would need to close again — the day of both my birthday and the Stanley Cup Final, what fun!
All of this to say, there have been highs and lows this past year. There has been time to reflect, rejuvenate and relax, and plenty of time to go a little stir crazy. So, now that we’re in the thick of it once again — government-imposed curfew and all — let’s take a moment to be grateful for being given back one piece of normalcy that we so craved. Stock the fridge with beer, put on your jersey, and celly from the comfort of your living room; hockey is back.
