Links, News, and Notes: NHL Awards Predictions, Carson Briere Charged, Hockey Hall of Fame Addition and More

Personally, I'm cheering for an unconventional secondary team this year: the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Why, must you ask? The answer is simple, we cannot have Matthew Tkachuk make the playoff while Brady is left out with the two now being divisional rivals. Brady must remain the favoured son!

That being said, there is always more news than just the standings so let's take a quick hockey tour for the latest and most exciting news.

• Perhaps NHL awards have lost some of their luster with so few Sens truly in the running in recent years, but it also won't be long before we see more Sens candidates working their way back into these conversation. That said, I think you'd find a lot of Sens fans pulling for Erik Karlsson to be rewarded for his renaissance campaign in San Jose with another Norris Trophy. Greg Wyshynski from ESPN has compiled a list of who he thinks is leading each category and other notable names. Other than a few new names, it seems to be the same players making the rounds every year. While I doubt it will be the case, I'm curious to see if Jake Sanderson gets any recognition for the Calder race because he deserves at least a nomination as far as I'm concerned.

• Over at the Athletic, Ian Mendes tackles some fan questions including whether a change in ownership necessarily means a change in management for the Sens. His answer: maybe, but if it does happen, it'll happen fast.

• A few weeks ago, footage of Carson Briere throwing a custom wheelchair down the stairs of a bar surfaced everywhere. The son of famous NHLer, Daniel Briere, many expected the incident to blow over quickly. Thankfully, it seems that Briere will be held accountable on and off the ice. Mercyhurst University has announced that Briere has been officially dismissed from the team after charges were laid on him for extensive damages done to the chair. At 23 years old, he should have known better and hopefully feeling some consequence will result in a true lesson learned for Carson.

• If you're a hockey fan, the Hockey Hall of Fame is always a fun trip to make. It highlights the magic of the game from its historical accomplishments to its modern days victories. However, it always seemed to be lacking in one very important area: Women's Hockey. This is where the Women's hockey exhibition is hoping to close the gap, with a new 600 square-foot exhibit that is made to celebrate the role of Women in hockey and truly signal the progression of the sport.

• Pride nights have been garnering a lot of attention this season and not always for the right reasons. In the past week, more players have elected not to participate in wearing pride jerseys and decals including Toronto Maple Leafs' Ilya Samsonov and the St Louis Blues who decided that the team will not wear any Pride themed attire but have some festivities for the event. It will be interesting how the league approaches the matter for next season.

• Can the Canadian Hockey Queens make it a 3-peat? The Canadian Women's hockey team began their World Championship tournament yesterday in Brampton, ON. This is the first time since COVID-19 hit where the tournament will be held in its usual timing and outside of the bubble environment. While the women played outside the bubble last year in Denmark, the tournament was pushed into the summer months, not the traditional spring timing it's usually played in. Regardless of timing, it should be another great tournament to watch.