If you’re a hockey fan, this is the greatest time of the year. The Stanley Cup playoffs are right around the corner. The regular season ends Sunday and the playoffs start Wednesday, April 12.
However, the final week of the season briefly saw the playoff races get overshadowed by the NHL’s long-awaited decision on the 2018 Winter Olympics. Consequently, a lot of players voiced their displeasure at the outcome. We’ll take a closer look at the NHL’s decision, the Stanley Cup playoff races, and a notable suspension on this week’s edition of Around The NHL.
The NHL declines to participate in the Olympics
For months, fans, players, and owners waited in anticipation for the league’s decision on next year’s Olympic games. On Monday, the league made their decision. For the first time since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, the NHL will not send players to the Olympic games.
The NHL first participated in the Olympics in Nagano, Japan in 1998, continuing all the way through Sochi in 2014. However, the league’s owners no longer felt Olympic participation was practical. Shutting down the league for two weeks in February was no longer worth it in their eyes. Especially when it came to overseas participation in the Winter Olympics. This obviously wasn’t a problem in 2010 when then Olympics were in Vancouver.
The 2014 games in Sochi turned out to be a completely different story. Negotiations between the NHL and the IOC didn’t come to an end until July 2013, with the IOC providing a huge concession by paying for the players’ insurance and travel costs. The IOC declined to make that offer again.
Neither side could agree on any sort of financial compensation this time around. In addition, the NHL asked the NHLPA to not opt out of the current CBA in exchange for allowing them to participate in 2018. The players declined, believing they shouldn’t have to make any concessions just to participate in the Olympics.
As a result, many players are unhappy, as they see Olympic participation as a huge honor. The reaction around the league was largely one of disappointment:
Disappointing news, @NHL won’t be part of the Olympics 2018. A huge opportunity to market the game at the biggest stage is wasted..
— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist30) April 3, 2017
Sad the NHL’s best won’t be in the 2018 Olympics! The Worlds biggest stage! Tryouts for Canada will be posted in local rinks! Cmon????????????#LetsGo
— marc savard (@MSavvy91) April 4, 2017
Carey Price on the Olympics: “I feel like we’re short changing some of the younger players that haven’t had that opportunity.”
— Kyle Bukauskas (@SNkylebukauskas) April 3, 2017
Erik Karlsson called the decision by the league not to go to the Olympics “crap”. #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) April 4, 2017
Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, who publicly stated in the past his desire to play in the Olympics regardless of the NHL’s decision, held strong to his stance:
Ovechkin on Olympics, if he’s still going: “Yeah, I didn’t change my mind. I’m still going ” pic.twitter.com/SzO2RUpL79
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) April 4, 2017
Even Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman, not known for controversial remarks, voiced his displeasure with the decision:
#tblightning Anton Stralman on #NHL decision. “All they really care about is money. A few billionaires trying to make an extra buck.”
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) April 4, 2017
However, the bottom line is the NHL is a business, not a charity operation. If the owners aren’t willing to shut down their product for two weeks mid-season anymore, that’s their right. As a fan, it stinks to not see the best players in the world in the Olympics. In conclusion, it’s not something I’m going to lose sleep over even if the players and many fans are incredibly disappointed about it.
Stanley Cup Playoff picture taking shape entering the final weekend
The entire Western Conference playoff field is set. However, the match-ups remain up in the air. While one spot in the East remains up for grabs, two of the series are set in stone. The Atlantic Division champion Montreal Canadiens face off against the New York Rangers. The Pittsburgh Penguins possess home-ice advantage against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning cling to the slimmest of playoff hopes heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
In order for the Lightning to get into the playoffs, they’ll need to win their last two games in regulation or overtime. Consequently, the Toronto Maple Leafs would have to lose their last two (while gaining no more than one point in the process). Also, the New York Islanders would need to lose one of their last two games. If the Isles win both of their remaining games, but one of them is in a shootout, the Bolts and Isles would each have 38 wins in either regulation or OT. The next tiebreaker is the season series, which the Lightning hold after winning all three meetings against New York.
In other words, it’s going to take a lot for the Bolts to get in. That would be incredibly impressive considering Tampa Bay was in last place in the East in early February.
Meanwhile, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals await whoever gets the second wild card, whether it be the Lightning, Leafs, or Islanders. The #2 vs. #3 match-up in the Atlantic Division will feature some combination of two of the following three teams: Boston, Ottawa, or Toronto.
Over in the West, the Anaheim Ducks need just one point with one game left to clinch the Pacific Division. They lead the Edmonton Oilers, who have two games left, by four points. Edmonton can finish no lower than second place. Their likely first round opponent is the San Jose Sharks, who have locked up third place. The Calgary Flames, who are in fourth place in the Pacific with 94 points, will either end up with the first or second wild card. Odds are the only way we’re going to see a Battle of Alberta or an all-California series is in the second round.
The Chicago Blackhawks locked down the Central Division title and the top spot in the Western Conference. They will play either the Flames, St. Louis Blues, or Nashville Predators in the first round, depending on who ends up in the second wild card position. The Preds currently occupy that spot with 94 points. St. Louis sits at third in the Central with 95 points. Whoever claims the Central’s third-place spot gets the second-place Minnesota Wild in the opening round. Considering how hot the Blackhawks have been and how much the Wild have struggled, clinching third place in the Central will be crucial.
Brad Marchand suspended……again
Over the course of this season, Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand thrust himself front and center into the Hart Trophy discussion. Setting career highs in goals (39), assists (46), and points (85), Marchand appeared to have put his past as a pest behind him. That all changed with an upward thrust of his stick on Tuesday night.
In what’s easily the least surprising news of the season, Marchand was suspended for two games for spearing Tampa Bay defenseman Jake Dotchin in the family jewels during a game on Tuesday night in Boston. The play earned Marchand a five-minute major, a game misconduct, and the aforementioned suspension.
This is the seventh time in Marchand’s eight-year career that he’s either been suspended or fined in his career for dirty play. He brought some controversy on himself earlier this season when the NHL fined him for slew-footing Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall in January. That incident paled in comparison to Tuesday night. During a battle in front of the the Lightning net, Marchand turned around and chopped upward between Dotchin’s legs with his stick. Marchand plead his case with the officials to no avail.
Marchand is fortunate the Bruins killed off the five-minute major, won that game 4-0, and clinched a playoff spot. He forfeits $109,756.10 in salary while missing the final two games of the regular season. If the NHL wants to cut out dirty plays like this one, they need to hand out longer suspensions and drop the hammer on repeat offenders like Marchand. This was a reckless, needless, unnecessary, and dirty play. Why Marchand feels the need to continue acting like this on the ice is perplexing. He’s turned himself into a great offensive player and there’s really no need for him to play dirty. Toeing the line is one thing. Repeatedly crossing the line is another.
