Thursday LNN: Lassi Thomson Heads to Sweden, Blackhawks Under Fire and More
Thursday's Edition of the Links, News and Notes
- Lassi Thomson was drafted as a project that could have potentially worked out to be an impact player on the Ottawa Senators’ blue line. It seems the window to test out how far he can go has closed for now though, as he has chosen to go back home. The 23-year-old has decided that 4 years of fighting for a spot was more than enough and recently signed a contract with the Malmo in the Swedish Elite League. For a player with so much promise, his slow fade from relevance is a disappointment.
- Nobody in the hockey world has quite forgiven or forgotten the damage the Chicago Blackhawks have done to many people’s lives. Now it seems, they find themselves under the wrong kind of spotlight once again. Nina Sanders was hired in 2020 to build a better relationship between the team and the Indigenous community. The basis of her hiring came with a promise that the logo has long been deemed offensive by the Native community. However, 4 years later, Sanders found herself in a situation where not only did she feel used but is now also suing the team for fraud and sexual harassment.
- The Colorado Avalanche will have a large hole to fill for 6 months. As they fight for their playoff lives against the Dallas Stars, one of their top players, Valeri Nichushkin, will now have to enter Stage 3 of the Players' Assistance program. Nichushkin will be suspended for 6 months without pay after failing a drug test.
- It's been a while since John Tavares played the role of the hero but he was what Team Canada needed to recover from their near disaster performance against Austria. Tavares netted an OT winner after Canada coughed up a 6-1 lead to the Austrians. Tavares rescued the squad from the ignominy of the biggest collapse in World Championship history.
- The players from the 2018 Team Canada sexual assault case were in court this week. A trial date is yet to be set.
