Courage and Cowardice from the Blackhawks, COVID concerns, Eichel to Vegas Talks and More

While we await the Senators to grace us with some of their entertaining hockey, let’s take a look at what the rest of the league has been up to.

• It’s not easy for any person to see their own trauma on full display and being so publicly addressed with everyone having an opinion on a matter that is so personal. That is exactly what Kyle Beach has had to endure the past few months as more details of the Chicago Blackhawks’ sexual misconduct investigation come to light. Up until yesterday, Jon Doe 1 was unknown but Kyle Beach took the courageous step of identifying himself as one of the victims in the allegations during a TSN interview. Nobody can begin to imagine the pain he’s in and how much strength he needed to come forward with this interview, much respect to Beach.
• On the other end of the spectrum, Stan Bowman has stepped down as the GM in Chicago after he was identified as one of the main pieces to improperly respond to the incidents under investigation in 2010. Bowman has also stepped down as general manager for the 2022 US Olympic men’s hockey team.
• COVID-19 was a huge concern last season with the Vancouver Canucks feeling it the worst. While all active players are vaccinated this season, the COVID protocol is still in place with the Penguins losing Kris Letang and the Blackhawks losing Jonathan Toews, and Henrik Borgstrom and Patrick Kane due to illnesses . Now it seems, it is becoming a bit more widespread as the Minnesota Wild have cancelled practice due to COVID concerns. Will we be seeing cancelled games soon?
• Jack Eichel to everywhere and anywhere rumours have been circulating since early summer. It’s not surprising that he still hasn’t been traded as his health issues are without a question a huge risk. It does seem however, that the Las Vegas Golden Knights may be willing to take on that risk as reports of a potential deal for the star player are heating up, again. With only $6M in cap space, it’ll be interesting to see if the Knights make any major moves to make space for Eichel.
• With Alexander Ovechkin on a mission to break Wayne Gretzky’s goal record, The Score put together a list of the most difficult records to beat. It’s an interesting read and a reminder of the insane talent that we may never see again or possibly a different look at a game that has evolved into a completely different beast.
• We all remember staying up late in 2018 to keep up with the Pyeongchang time difference. We all remember the frustration when the US tied the game and the absolute heartbreak when our Canadian women lost that game in a shootout. The silver medal was still an honourable performance but you know that in 2022, Team Canada wants GOLD. They’re making it clear starting from the world championships last summer and now winning back to back games against the USA in a pre-Olympic series. Can Team Canada keep the momentum going through to the Olympics? How much of 2018’s result will impact their 2022 performance?/