Monday Links, News, and Notes: Tim Thomas, Tom Wilson, and more!

While it was a pretty solid week for the Ottawa Senators, with plenty of storylines to talk about (DUUUUUUKE), there were also a bevy of interesting notes from the league’s other destinations. From former players, to current players, to fans, here’s the Monday edition of Links, News, and Notes!

• Upon his exit from the game, Tim Thomas’ political views made him a somewhat controversial figure. However, the 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy winner’s reclusive nature painted him as more of a mystery than anything else. Many of us wondered what became of Thomas, and while being inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Thursday night, he told a heartbreaking story. You can read the full writeup from Stephen Whyno here, but Thomas detailed his struggles with brain damage after suffering from concussions, in an emotional presser. I sincerely hope he’s getting the care that he needs. I know how hard what he’s going through is./

• Speaking of controversial figures, there are few bigger in the NHL than Tom Wilson. The epitome of a guy that you love if he’s on your team, and hate if you don’t, Wilson has built up a reputation over the past couple years as someone who plays on the edge, to say that least./

Whatever you may think of Wilson, there’s no denying that he’s a skilled player, and an interesting subject of study. Sportsnet’s Kristina Rutherford wrote an excellent piece on Wilson, and his style of play, that you can check out here. It’s a great read, and gives some really interesting perspective as to what helped create both Tom Wilson the player, and Tom Wilson the person.

• It’s weird to actually have some optimism in SensLand these days, after two years that were an endless flurry of pain and suffering. It was hard seeing such promise turn to such pity, which is why we Sens fans can empathize with those of the New Jersey Devils. A team that not only acquired P.K. Subban in the offseason, but also drafted Jack Hughes, it seemed that the Devils were primed for a big year. Now, second to last in the Eastern Conference, and on the verge of trading Taylor Hall, things look like they could be worse than ever. Mike Stromberg, of our sister blog All About the Jersey, penned a great article about the state of the franchise, comparing this miserable season to others in Devil’s history. It’s a really interesting piece, and can be found here.
• On a positive note, the Arizona Coyotes had some great attendance figures in their game against the Devils./

The Coyotes announced an attendance of 17,125 for tonight’s game, btw. Against the New Jersey Devils. Those all seemed like ARI fans to me, you really do love to see it

— Catherine Silverman (@catmsilverman) December 15, 2019

This is great news for the team, and the sport itself as it continues to grow. With the Yotes also reportedly deep in the Taylor Hall Sweepstakes, chances are we’ll be seeing more numbers like this. One can only hope.

• On a personal note, I was on the news! CTV News Channel was kind enough to invite me on, Tuesday morning, to talk about the NHL Board of Governers meetings, and the league’s response to the recent allegations of abuse and intolerance. It was a lot of fun, and if you’re interested, you can find it here./

Thanks again to @CTVNews for having me on! https://t.co/v6TXPV8Xce

— Brandon Maki (@BrandonMaki6) December 10, 2019