The NHL has invited some of the top women's hockey players to participate at All-Star Weekend for the third straight year. In a new wrinkle, the league created an event just for the women; the NHL is expected to announce that this year's All-Star festivities Jan. 24-25 in St. Louis will include a three-on-three women's scrimmage -- potentially pitting USA vs. Canada.
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Just like any time the NHL gets involved with women's hockey, the reaction is going to be mixed. Some people are going to applaud the NHL for using one of its marquee events to help promote the women's game. By inviting women to lace up their skates in St. Louis and compete, the NHL is sharing access to its audience, its broadcast partner, NBC, and the media there to cover it.
The 1997 National Hockey League All-Star Game took place on January 18, 1997, at San Jose Arena in San Jose, home of the San Jose Sharks.The final score was Eastern Conference 11, Western Conference 7. This game was originally scheduled for the 1994–95 season. For this edition, the all-star game was replaced with a four-team, three-on-three, single-elimination tournament, with one team representing each of the league's four divisions.The all-stars from the Pacific Division won the four-team tournament. Team captain John Scott, an enforcer voted into the game through a fan vote, scored two goals and was given the game's most valuable player award. Hockey All-star Competition Game Info Play hockey with the big guys and compete in three unique hockey events from the NHL All-Star Competition! Three main events pulled right from the big leagues: Accuracy Competition: Are you accurate enough to hit all 4 targets?
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The NHL also is giving women a more expanded role at All-Star Weekend. In 2018, the NHL simply invited a handful of players -- including Team USA's Meghan Duggan, Hilary Knight, Hannah Brandt and Amanda Kessel -- to demonstrate drills for the skills competition. It also was out of convenience; the All-Star Game was in Tampa, Florida, and the U.S. women's national team training camp for the PyeongChang Olympics was nearby.
'When I had the opportunity to be a part of it back in Tampa, it was all new. It was kind of our first time -- as far as I can remember -- breaking in and being part of something with the men, and it was great,' Duggan said this week. 'I think what Kendall did last year was really eye-opening to a lot of people and it gave women's hockey that small token. We're always grateful for more fans and more people knowing about the game and being excited.'
In 2019, the NHL flew four women's players out to San Jose, California, to demonstrate the drills again, including Americans and Canadians this time. The league took it a step further by having Kendall Coyne Schofield participate in the fastest skater competition, after she did so well in testing, and her blazing performance created a viral moment.
'Obviously I was a little nervous,' Coyne Schofield said afterward. 'But I knew it was a moment that was going to break a lot of barriers and a moment that would change the perception of our game.'
Some will accuse the NHL of tokenism. All of the women selected to play are part of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association, a group of around 200 players boycotting professional hockey this season, while waiting for a more sustainable pro league. And they recently have called on the NHL to help, perhaps by creating a WNHL and a relationship similar to what the NBA and WNBA have. (At the ESPNW summit in October, John Langel, an attorney from Ballard Spahr who has been advising the PWHPA, said: 'For the women's team league to survive, they need the established identity that hits the ground running and knows how to run the sport. And we've not been secretive about it. We think the one viable option is the WNHL. And that's what we're moving towards.')
The NHL, for its part, says it will not create a league as long as a current option exists. And since the NWHL is still functioning -- and by some measures, seeing growth this season -- the NHL isn't getting involved. So the NHL is not going to help with what the women really want -- a professional league -- but they will hand-pick events in which they can include women.
'We've said all along, and you look at the history of women's startup leagues and where they've had success, and being associated and working with the male league has shown us that it can be very successful in the past,' Duggan said. 'Is that the only way? Of course not. But our relationship with the NHL is certainly important to us. Continuing to do events together, and work closely together and understanding each other's missions a little bit more is certainly important.'
Moreover, the NHL surely will see criticism for not including any NWHL players. The NHL has said it doesn't want to choose sides between the NWHL and PHWPA, but they are only inviting players from one side to participate. (Counterpoint: The NHL is trying to invite the most talented players. All of the players it invited are Olympians. It isn't the NHL's fault that the Olympians aren't playing in the NWHL).
And one last critique for the NHL: By creating the 3-on-3 tournament this year, it is shying away from what got so much attention last year -- women competing alongside the men. Coyne Schofield's fastest skater lap wasn't the only big moment. Brianna Decker did so well demonstrating in the passing challenge, fans stormed to social media and demanded that she should in fact collect the $25,000 in NHL prize money, not the men's players who mostly fumbled through it. Decker appeared to record a time of 1 minute, 6 seconds in the demo, which beat the eight NHL player participants, including winner Leon Draisaitl (1:09) The hashtag #PayDecker soon trended on Twitter. The NHL didn't relent -- and said, in fact, the tape showed that Decker's time wouldn't have won -- but the equipment manufacturer CCM decided to pay Decker itself (and in turn, generated a ton of positive public relations).
I've talked to some of the women's players (nobody wanted to go on the record, as the NHL has not officially announced this year's plans). The players are grateful for the opportunity and look forward to collaborating with the NHL. At previous events to which they've been invited, they say the NHL has treated them very well and showed great hospitality, as well as inclusivity. The 3-on-3 tournament, I think, is actually even more beneficial for promoting the women's game, considering we actually get to see them play their game. USA versus Canada in women's hockey is one of the best rivalries in all of sports -- who doesn't want to see it in a fast-paced three-on-three format? NHL All Star weekend is inherently about entertainment, and is only going to add to the entertainment value, not subtract from it.
'Every year it's stepped up a little bit, so I appreciate their creativity in finding ways to get women involved,' Duggan said. 'But at the same time, it is a men's event. We don't have men's hockey players at our All-Star event, so to have us to be there and to put on a showcase of women is awesome and special.'
I've also talked to NHL players who are attending All-Star Weekend. They don't mind sharing the stage with women's players at all; they see it as a way to grow the game, period. Patrick Kane, for example, says he has always enjoyed chances to talk shop and trade notes with women's players, and All-Star Weekend is a good opportunity for that.
Here's my take: Let's give kudos to the NHL for being open-minded and opening the door for women's players in the event. But that's just it, the NHL opened the door. The women's players should be recognized for walking through that door and proving themselves. And if you are impressed by what you see, don't wait around for the NHL to do more. Find other ways to support these players and women's hockey.
Jump ahead:
What we liked this week | What we didn't like
Three stars of the week | Biggest games coming up
Emptying the notebook
Rumor is there could be a new skill introduced to spice up the All-Star skills competition. Expect an announcement on Wednesday.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly came on the ESPN On Ice podcast this week and said there is 'a concern' from the league about players skipping the All-Star Game becoming a trend, especially in light of Alex Ovechkin opting out for the second straight year. I think it was interesting to hear Daly say he was OK with Ovechkin sitting out last year and was 'the first to defend' him but that he wasn't happy about it becoming a regular occurrence. Ovechkin isn't the only player voluntarily missing the festivities in St. Louis. Vegas Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury also declined his invite. It was a tough first half of the season for Fleury, who was away from the team for seven days after his father died. 'Don't get me wrong. I like going; I think it's a lot of fun,' Fleury said. 'I love to hang out with the players there. It's a huge honor to be a part of it. I'm sorry to the fans I disappointed for not going. I thought about it. Mentally, physically it was just the right thing.'
The Ducks' rep, Jakob Silfverberg, has been one of the only bright spots of their season, but he is skipping it because his wife is due with their second-child in late January, and he would like to be with her. The NHL excused Silfverberg, meaning he will not have to serve the one-game suspension. 'I feel it's most important to be with my family at that time,' Silfverberg said in a statement. 'Thank you to the NHL and the Ducks organization for their support and understanding.' Golden Knights' forward Max Pacioretty was named as a replacement, and the Ducks will not have a representative at the game.
I think it is important to note that players skipping out on the event isn't a new phenomenon. Sidney Crosby hasn't exactly been a regular at the event over the years. Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Toews also have had to serve a one-game suspension for missing the game. (Their excuses ranged from injury to illness.) It doesn't sound as if Daly is interested in upping the punishment for missing the event. The solution, Daly said, is convincing players that All-Star Weekend is important -- and part of their obligations as players. That is difficult to do, now that the precedent has been set.
What we liked this week
Pekka Rinne became the 12th goalie in NHL history to score a goal, and his reaction was priceless. 'I was like a little kid,' he said, grinning in a Fox Sports South interview. 'I like to handle the puck, so I've always dreamed of scoring a goal. Finally, it happens. I can check that box.'
Nobody really knows what's going on with the Rangers and their three-goalie carousel -- general manager Jeff Gorton should address the team's plans soon -- but this moment between Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin, his heir apparent, is so pure. The King looks like he is fine keeping his role as a senior royal and is handling the transition quite well.
He is a quiet guy and often appears stoic, but Connor McDavid does have a personality. And he can nail a deadpan.
Maybe the best moment at Little Caesars Arena this season. Love this video.
I thought Patrik Laine scoring from the high slot would be the moment we would all be talking about in Jets-Maple Leafs tilt. Then Blake Wheeler one-upped Laine with the game winner -- and the ice-cold celebration afterward.
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Cute video of former NHLer Scott Hartnell re-creating the McDavid goal with his kid.
A neat moment in Corey Perry's return to Anaheim.
What we didn't like this week
The Battle of Alberta was reignited, all right, with Zack Kassian and Matthew Tkachuk getting heated on the ice -- with big hits from Tkachuk and retaliation from Kassian -- and off it, with some sparring words in their respective dressing rooms following the game. Kassian is getting a hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Monday for roughing/being an aggressor, and I would expect a multiple-game suspension. I was surprised to see the Department of Player Safety say there would be no supplemental discipline for Tkachuk. As Ray Ferraro mentioned on Twitter, these hits feel similar to the ones 'Raffi Torres used to throw that the league eventually said were penalties. Any hit from above goal line to player coming from below.' This hit, in particular, felt egregious to me and like something the NHL would want out of the game.
I'm wondering how general managers will handle long-term mega contracts for goalies going forward -- especially with the emerging trend of workload management. It can't be lost that the two goalies who have allowed the most goals this season -- Sergei Bobrovsky and Carey Price -- are also the two highest-paid netminders in the league, both making more than $10 million. And the guy who has allowed the third-most goals, John Gibson, ranks sixth in goalie salary ($6.4 million), although there are plenty of other reasons for the Ducks' leaky defense other than Gibson.
I think the Sharks are the easiest pick to be 'this year's Blues.' They are a veteran team with serious Stanley Cup aspirations but have played poorly during the first half of the season. They've already made a coaching switch, and that didn't spark an immediate turnaround. Now they'll be without Logan Couture (fractured left ankle) for approximately six weeks.
A scary situation unfolded in the Toronto Marlies locker room ahead of Friday night's scheduled game against the Texas Stars. Marlies assistant coach Rob Davison suffered a prolonged grand mal seizure, which was witnessed by both players and staff. The 39-year-old Davison was transported immediately to a local hospital. He was discharged the next day, and he is on an indefinite medical leave from the team. Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas consulted with the Marlies' leadership group, and together they made a joint decision not to play in the game, therefore forfeiting. 'The entire team was in a state of shock and not comfortable proceeding with tonight's game,' Dubas said in a statement. 'We fully support our players and staff in this matter.' Kudos to the Marlies and Stars medical teams as well as those on cite at the HEB Center for their urgent response, and all the best to Davison in his recovery.
Three Stars
Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning are back, and so is Vasilevskiy. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner picked up three wins in three starts this week, with two shutouts. He allowed just two goals total, giving him a 0.67 goals against and blistering .972 save percentage for the week.
Tony DeAngelo, D, New York Rangers
DeAngelo had quite a night on Thursday, becoming the first Rangers defenseman to record a regular-season hat trick in nearly 38 years -- and the second ever to notch a five-point outing. The 24-year-old had seven points in three games this week.
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Elias Lindholm, C, Calgary Flames
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The 25-year-old scored the first goal, as well as the game winner, in the heated Battle of Alberta on Saturday night. It was his second two-goal performance in the past three games; he also scored both of Calgary's goals in a 2-1 win against the Blackhawks.
Games of the week
Monday: Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals (ESPN+)
The Caps have lost four of their past five to Metropolitan Division foes, and their games against the Canes -- who knocked them out of the playoffs last spring -- are always intense. This is the final regular-season matchup between these two; Carolina holds a 2-1 season lead. It also is a showcase of the two leaders in the Norris Trophy race -- Washington's John Carlson and Carolina's Dougie Hamilton
Thursday: Arizona Coyotes at Vancouver Canucks
The Pacific Division race is turning out to be a good one after all. The top five teams are separated by just three points. Arizona and Vancouver are both in the mix. The Yotes are hoping that the return of top blueliner Niklas Hjalmarsson -- coming back from a 43-game absence -- can help separate them from the pack. The Canucks have won nine of their past 11. Quinn Hughes was voted into the All-Star Game (joining Elias Pettersson), making it three straight years the Canucks will send a rookie to the event.
Sunday: Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins
This will be the second time these teams face off this week. (The first is on Thursday, airing on ESPN+.) These have been two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference for the first half of the season, and the Penguins are expected to welcome back Sidney Crosby this week. Pittsburgh did quite well in 29 games without him, recording the best record by points percentage in the league during that span (19-6-4).
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Quote of the week
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After scoring one of the most memorable goals of the season, Predators goalie Pekka Rinne is apparently channeling another legendary Finnish NHLer: