Thursday Links, News and Notes: Yet Another Goalie Injury

Despite losing two in a row to the Vancouver Canucks, the Ottawa Senators have looked much better since that brutal series in Edmonton. Let’s take a look at some of the latest stories that have surfaced in the meantime:

• After providing the Senators some much-needed stability in goal, Joey Daccord was injured during yesterday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Canucks. Filip Gustavsson performed very well in relief and the organization will likely look to him to hold down the fort, at least until the arrival of Anton Forsberg, claimed on waivers from Winnipeg yesterday. He has six days of quarantine remaining and the Senators, fortunately, don’t play until Monday.
• Following a valiant effort against Boston College in the 2021 Hockey East playoffs, Angus Crookshank’s college career has come to an end. The Senators announced yesterday that they’ve signed the 2018 5th-round pick to a three-year entry-level deal, beginning in the 2021-22 season. With 18 points in 20 games in his junior year with New Hampshire, Crookshank also averaged over four shots per game, and he’ll look to translate his success to the AHL this season, as he’ll be joining Belleville on an amateur tryout contract.
• In more Sens Prospects news, Shane Pinto has been announced as one of ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, handed out each year to the NCAA’s top player. Pinto joins a group of notable recent draftees, such as 2019 first-rounders Cole Caufield and Matt Boldy, as well as 2020 first-rounder Dylan Holloway, proving once again that he’s progressed a lot since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 draft.
• The North Dakota Fighting Hawks were victorious on Tuesday against St. Cloud State, winning the NCHC championship, even though their stellar regular season had already guaranteed them a spot in the regional tournament. There, Pinto, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and perhaps Jake Sanderson will look to end their college careers in the most spectacular fashion.
• We didn’t really think much of the Senators’ acquisition of Clark Bishop from the Carolina Hurricanes, but the 24-year-old centreman from St. John’s has been drawing attention as of late with his strong two-way play on the fourth line. This article over at NHL.com looks at Bishop’s familiarity with D.J. Smith, as well as his experience of getting back into form after his mandatory quarantine.
• TSN’s Gord Miller made headlines on Tuesday during one of his regular Twitter Q+A’s, publicly stating that he’d refuse any offer to appear on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast:/

I like those guys a lot, but anything to do with Barstool is a no-go for me. https://t.co/W5l3IjmgIC

— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) March 16, 2021

Miller later clarified his statements further:

My problem with Barstool is the history of unapologetic misogyny, racism, xenophobia and the repeated condoning of non-consensual sex. If not wanting to associate with that makes me part of “cancel culture”, or constitutes “virtue signalling” or being “woke”, I’m OK with that.

— Gord Miller (@GMillerTSN) March 17, 2021

In response, several Barstool personalities, Dave Portnoy most prominent among them, took it upon themselves to harass Miller and to encourage their followers to do the same. This, of course, only further reinforced Miller’s point. Spittin’ Chiclets occupy a prominent place in hockey media, but their parent company’s behaviour is absolutely heinous; here’s to hoping more visible media figures start to speak out.