Monday LNN: A New Sens Podcast, Ian Cole Investigation Concluded, and Players Scoring With New Teams

The Ottawa Senators have not had the start we’d all dreamed of, but the season is young. Let’s take our minds off the slow start with a tour around the hockey world in our Monday edition of Links, News, and Notes:

• The Steve Dangle Podcast Network has been gradually rolling out their “game over” shows, where fans of a particular team host a liveshow after their team’s games. The hosts of “Game Over: Ottawa” were announced ahead of Thursday’s season opener, and they’ve now had the chance to host two shows. They’ve done a great job, and it’s great to have new voices in the Sens online community. You can watch their shows live on the SDPN Youtube channel after each Sens game, or listen to them as a podcast the next day - you can find them under “Game Over: NHL.”
• For anyone looking for a fairly succinct writeup of what’s going on with Hockey Canada, Thomas Williams over at The Hockey News identified the key topics from Justice Thomas Cromwell’s interim report reviewing Hockey Canada’s governance.
• On that note, Rick Westhead spoke to a young woman who claims that London police pressured her not to press charges after she was sexually assaulted by two hockey players in March 2018. This woman wanted to share her story because she was concerned about how victims can be re-traumatized by investigations into sexual assault cases. Heed the trigger warnings at the top of the article, but it’s well worth reading.
• Also, an update on the situation with Tampa Bay Lightning player Ian Cole: after a 6-day investigation, the NHL has failed to find evidence to substantiate the allegations that were made in a social media post. Cole will continue to play for the Lightning. I sincerely hope that due diligence was done in this case, but I do find it hard to trust the NHL’s decisions on these matters given how the league has historically handled sexual assault.
• The NHLPA put out a statement about the decision, expressing disappointment that Cole was suspended - with pay, it is worth noting - during the investigation. This is, of course, the same player’s association that did nothing to help Kyle Beach when he was being assaulted by a video coach. It’s disappointed if unsurprising to see the lack of concern for survivors of sexual violence./

The NHLPA has issued a statement regarding the NHL's recent investigation. pic.twitter.com/Ee3eOWNGmD

— NHLPA (@NHLPA) October 15, 2022

• Going back to on-ice stuff, the Leafs are speed-running through the Matt Murray experience. As you may have heard already, Murray was injured before Saturday night’s Battle of Ontario, and has been placed on LTIR. This has given the Leafs two things: more goaltending problems, and cap space, which they’ve used to call up a few players from the AHL.
• One of the weirdest free agent storylines this off-season was Sonny Milano, who may not be a star but is certainly an NHL player (he tallied 34 points in 66 games last year), somehow not having a contract. After Calgary released him from his PTO, he has finally found a home in Washington.
• By the looks of things, Matthew Tkachuk is already having a great time on his new team. By this I mean that he is putting up points and pissing off the Atlantic division. I’m sure the Sabres are really looking forward to having both Tkachuks in their division.
• You know who else has been enjoying their new team? Nazem Kadri, who scored a big goal against Edmonton for his first as a Flame.
• Nobody likes hiring former players more than the Edmonton Oilers! They recently announced that newly-retired Duncan Keith will stay with the organization in a player development role.
• The Philadelphia Flyers are sure to be one of the most entertaining teams this season. They are very bad, and what’s really funny is that their coach seems to realize it. Here he is admitting that the Flyers have no redeeming qualities./

Ahead of tonight's season opener, Flyers head coach John Tortorella joined 🛫 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘰𝘧𝘧 with @JClarkNBCS to discuss expectations, process, and what this team will look like - and he was honest 👀

🎧: https://t.co/iV2ESSVc8G
💻: https://t.co/wvCYYOkh4f pic.twitter.com/m5dQFrAUjh

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 13, 2022

• Lastly, Marie Philip Poulin did this:/

Are we surprised anymore? @pou29 is a cheat code. #SDGT pic.twitter.com/sKyfsE7Dmf

— PWHPA (@PWHPA) October 16, 2022

She is good at hockey, you might say.