Homegrown Options

By Mike Rifkin

For the second time in three seasons the New York Rangers lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. So how does a team that has lost in the Eastern Conference Finals ger better? Most Ranger fans wanted GM Chris Drury to grab a top line Right Winger to play with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Players available through free agency included Jake Guentzel, Jonathan Marchessault, Tyler Toffoli, Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko amongst others. 

Did Chris Drury sign any of these players? Well the answer to that is no he didn’t. But Drury did add a winger as he acquired Reilly Smith from the Penguins in exchange for draft picks. Smith should add some depth to the top nine, but this doesn’t mean he’s playing with Kreider and Zibanejad, so if not Smith who is? Could Drury still look for outside help on the top line, sure, but I don’t think that’s necessarily going to happen unless it’s a need again at the trade deadline. So, who is going to get the opportunity to play with Kreider and Zibanejad when training camp opens in September? In my opinion there are three options to get the opportunity in house. 

Let’s start with Kaapo Kakko, the former second overall pick is still only 23 years old and if you read social media, people are willing to give up on him. Kakko in 2022-23 had career highs in goals (18) and points (40) in 82 games played. Entering this season fans and the organization had high expectations for Kakko, and well they didn’t get met. Part of that was due to an injury Kakko suffered, so he ended the year with 13 goals and 19 points in 61 games. Kakko has played with Zibanejad and Kreider in the past, so maybe he gets the first crack in training camp.

Did someone say young players who broke out in 2022-23? Well, that was Filip Chytil, who had 22 goals and 45 points in 74 games played. Chytil was limited to 10 regular season games with an upper body injury. He had six assists in those 10 games, Chytil did return during the playoffs and even played some Right Wing with Zibanejad and Kreider. If the Rangers liked what they saw they can try that unit again in camp. But the organization might want to put Chytil back at his natural Center position. 

The other option is Brennan Othmann. Othmann had a cup of coffee with the Rangers this season, but should get a massive opportunity to make the roster in training camp. The 2021 first round pick had a really solid season in Hartford posting 21 goals and 49 points in 67 games. Othmann is guy who plays with high energy and finishes his checks, so maybe he gets a crack at the top line as well. 

If the right side on the top line is a void at the deadline I would expect Drury to go after someone. But for now I think entering training camp the Rangers will look at all the options above, unless a deal falls into their lap.

John Cena’s Ultimate Retirement match prediction

With the announcement of John Cena’s retirement at Money in the Bank for Wrestlemania 41, I have came up with 16 matches.John cena could have as a retirement match. One match representing each of his world title wins with some repeat rivals and new opponents he never faced. I would have John Cena versus Ric Flair on there but due to Ric Flair’s age, he won’t be allowed. Without further ado, here are my 16 matches that John Cena could have as a retirement match at Wrestlemania 41

Vs Randy Orton

Vs The Rock

Vs Seth Rollins

Vs AJ Styles

Vs CM Punk

Vs Damian Priest

Vs Drew Mcyntire

Vs Roman Reigns

Vs Cody Rhodes

 Vs LA Knight

Vs Steve Austin

Vs Kevin Owens

Vs Sami Zayn

Vs Bron Brekker

Vs Finn Balor

Vs Logan Paul

Comment below what dream matches you want to see Cena in.

Joseph Brothers Unite in St. Louis

By Nathan Moser

There have been multiple examples of brothers being able to play on the same team in the NHL. There were the Stastny brothers, the Sutters, the Niedermayers in Anaheim, the Staals, and the Sedins in Vancouver. The newest duo of brothers who will start playing together starting in the 2024-25 NHL season is forward Mathieu Joseph and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Both recently joined the St. Louis Blues during this offseason, and now they find themselves as teammates.

Mathieu Joseph’s NHL Career

Mathieu Joseph was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He first debuted for the Lightning during the 2018-19 NHL campaign. In 70 games, Joseph produced 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points. He suited up the following season in 37 regular-season contests, accruing seven points in that span (four goals and three assists). He was part of the Lightning during their dominant runs to two straight Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021. He might not have gotten the same attention as some of his teammates in Tampa like Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, or Brayden Point; but Joseph played his role well. Tampa was a well-oiled machine that kept succeeding.

During Mathieu’s time in Tampa, he posted the following regular-season stats:

  • 2018-19: 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 70 games
  • 2019-20: four goals and three assists for seven points in 37 games
  • 2020-21: 12 goals and seven assists for 19 points in 56 games
  • 2021-22: eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points in 58 games

During the 2021-22 campaign, Joseph was traded to the Ottawa Senators. The full deal was Joseph and a 2024 fourth-round pick for Nick Paul. Joseph as a Senator posted nice complementary stats that stabilized an offense that had the likes of Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle. Mathieu accumulated the following during his tenure in Ottawa:

  • 2021-22: four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 11 games
  • 2022-23: three goals and 15 assists for 18 points in 56 games
  • 2023-24: 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points in 72 games

Following 2023-24, Mathieu was dealt to the Blues along with a 2025 third-round choice for future considerations. The 2024-25 campaign will be his first in St. Louis, and not too long later, he found out who he would be adventuring that part of Missouri with.

PO Joseph’s Career So Far

While Mathieu started out with Tampa, Pierre-Olivier (PO) began his time in the league with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2017 Draft. In the 2019 NHL offseason, however, PO was traded, along with forward Alex Galchenyuk, to the Penguins in exchange for winger Phil Kessel, Dane Birks, and a 2021 fourth-round pick.

PO made his NHL debut during the 2020-21 season, playing in 16 games and accruing five points (one goal and four assists). He then spent the following few seasons putting up these numbers while in Pittsburgh (he spent time in their AHL affiliate squad as well in both 2019-20 through 2021-22):

  • 2021-22: zero points in four games
  • 2022-23: five goals and 16 assists for 21 points in 75 games
  • 2023-24: two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 52 games

Joseph became a free agent this offseason and inked a contract with the Blues shortly after Mathieu was dealt there. This will be the first time that the brothers will be on the same NHL team. They both can be significant depth additions to a Blues team that also brought in Claude Julien as an assistant coach this offseason; and has a cast of new teammates for the Joseph brothers that include Jordan Binnington, Pavel Buchnevich, newly acquired forward Radek Faksa, Robert Thomas, and more. Blues fans will see how the brothers do together once the 2024-25 season officially gets underway in October.

All About Bron

By Mike Rifkin

Some consider LeBron James the greatest Basketball player of All time. On Wednesday, James and the Lakers agreed to a two year 104 Million dollar contract that includes a player option for 2025-26 and a no trade clause. James had declined his 51 million dollar option prior to re-signing with LA. While the Western Conference in the NBA is very deep, it feels like so far the Lakers summer has been about catering to LeBron as opposed to winning a championship.

The Lakers hired JJ Redick to become the next head coach of the team after firing Darvin Ham. Now Redick has zero coaching experiences, but he’s worked for ESPN and most recently broadcasted the NBA Finals. But Redick also had been doing a podcast with James. The Lakers did make an offer to UConn coach Dan Hurley, who opted to stay in school. But if Hurley was the Lakers top candidate, wouldn’t they have made him a better offer? Or did they just want to make people interpret that they were going there and had already decided on Redick. 

The Lakers also drafted Lebron’s son Bronny in the second round of the NBA draft. Bronny played one season at USC before deciding to go pro. Lebron and Bronny will be the first father and son duo to play together in the NBA. Now while I have no issue with the Lakers drafting Bronny, it’s about how this was handled that I don’t like. Lebron and Bronny’s agent Rich Paul was calling teams during the second round of the draft and telling teams that Bronny would go to Australia rather than play for their teams. While it will be a tremendous moment that LeBron gets to play with his son, just sharing the floor on another team would have been a special moment as well. 

So far what the Lakers can boast about in the LeBron era is they won the 2020 NBA Championship (bubble) and they were the winners of the first Play-in tournament, of which they hung a banner for. Outside of that the LeBron era in LA hasn’t been all that great. So let’s say this is Lebron’s last contract and the Lakers don’t win another title, will we remember this similarly to Michael Jordan on the Wizards? No, it’s been better than that, but for the Lakers to cater everything to James and to only win one title would be disappointing. Will the Lakers regret catering to Lebron instead of preparing for life after him? Only time will tell.

HAS THE WNBA CREATED A WAR BY ACCIDENT?

By Mark Halpern and Dan Ryans

War is a powerful word to describe what is happening in the
WNBA. Before the season began the league’s audience had already
increased 27% because of draftees Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. These
two new basketball phenoms are tearing it up on the court, which comes
with problems that have been spilling outside of games. This is very
unfortunate as it shows a light on the game that nobody expected. Caitlin
Clark, the No. 1 draft pick of the Indiana Fever, set a record by
out-selling jerseys of certain male athletes. The WNBA unanimously
designated Clark as the face of the league because of what she did in
college on and off the court. It’s an honor that few professional athletes
ever get the chance of being.
On the other side, we have Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, who
is breaking records on the court. Just the other day, Reese recorded her
10th straight double-double setting the bar high for it to be broken. Off
the court, she reminds me of a child begging for more like Oliver Twist.
I truly believe Reese is Jealous of Clark because we see Angel give
Caitlin the business on the court. The verbal abuse towards Clark is
because the WNBA chose a Caucasian and not Reese who is African
American. Resse has a big mouth and acts immaturely during press
conferences about her and Clark.
Throughout this season, we have seen Clark get hammered
violently, not only by Reese, but also other players on teams who support Reese. These WNBA players have beaten down Clark badly
thinking they can get away with it. The big factor is the way Clark is
handling it, which hasn’t been easy. Caitlin knows what it takes to be in
the league. She has taken the licks and keeps on playing. The last time
we saw a race war in basketball was in 1979 when Earvin “Magic”
Johnson and Larry Bird entered the NBA. It was the same thing, but on a
more violent scale with multiple brawls between the Celtics, Lakers, and
other teams because of Magic and Bird.

I do not believe in any way that the WNBA created this problem
on purpose. No professional league is going to cause an intentional rift,
but it’s out of its hands. We see how Reese talks about Clark and that
shows her weakness and insecurities. Her “I guess some people get a
special whistle” comment, about the referees changing a common foul
call to a Flagrant 1, took it to another level. Reese clearly shows a
southern bravado. No offense, it’s tough to grow up in the South as an
African American and she proved that with determination, hard work,
and a dream. Caitlin Clark is from Des Moines Iowa, much further north
than Louisiana. We have seen the hard work she put in to accomplish her
dreams as well. The League decided on Clark because she is
sophisticated and very well-spoken. The WNBA has had its share of stars. This league has been going strong for 28 years now and made the dreams of thousands of young
girls come true, Reese and Clark included. Women were given the
chance to play the sport they love at the highest level and on the national
stage. Angel and Caitlin have taken this opportunity to the mountain top.
I can’t believe that we are seeing the backlash from Resse and others
who attack Clark physically and verbally. When do we say enough and
start levying fines? You hit them where it hurts, taking the paycheck and
playing time.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have a chance to help pull the
WNBA from bankruptcy. If this behavior continues and clear intentions
are made, it will filter into the audience & advertisers. The WNBA
already is losing money $50 million this year alone. Big sponsors don’t
want to be involved in anything that has to do with this mess. The
League has to get together and talk it out. This issue needs to be
squashed sooner than later.

Nate’s Notes Thoughts: 2024 NHL Free Agency Edition

BY Nate Moser

With the 2024 NHL free agency window officially opened, there has been a lot of activity between most of the clubs in the league. Through everything that happened through the draft weekend up until as I am currently writing this, here are some thoughts I have on teams heading into the 2024-25 NHL season.

  1. The Nashville Predators Look Amazing on Paper

Yes, the key word in all of this is on paper. There are plenty of times, either in the NHL or another sports league, where it appears a super team is about to take power and there is not as much domination to match the hype. One example of this in hockey was when the Toronto Maple Leafs brought former New York Islanders captain John Tavares home. Between him, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander; they had so much offensive firepower that on paper, they looked to be unstoppable. Then, the Leafs stepped on the ice. Since that group was formed together, the Leafs have won only one playoff series. Management over the years have done their best to try and build around these four, but it has not resulted in a significant postseason run. There are even Leafs fans who believe one of the top players in Marner needs to be moved.

Tying it back to the Nashville Predators, general manager Barry Trotz went to work in free agency and brought in quite the haul of free agents. First, he signed superstar and former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos to a four-year contract worth $32 million. Then, Trotz inked a former Bolts teammate of Stamkos’ in winger Jonathan Marchessault, who won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP as well. He was locked up with a five-year deal worth $27.5 million. Being able to land one of Stamkos or Marchessault is an accomplishment considering how sought after each one was, but being able to get BOTH guys is huge for the Predators and their fans. That is a huge endorsement to what Trotz and David Poile before him built for the franchise. Stamkos and Marchessault join a forward lineup that already included Ryan O’Reilly, Filip Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist, and Colton Sissons.

On the backend, Trotz also added defenseman Brady Skjei, who spent parts of the last five seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. Nashville signed him to a seven-year contract worth $49 million. Skjei during the 2023-24 season produced 13 goals and 34 assists for 47 points in 80 games. Skjei joins a Nashville blue line that also includes captain Roman Josi, Luke Schenn, Dante Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier, and Jeremy Lauzon.

Lastly, the Predators locked up their number one goalie Juuse Saros to an eight-year deal worth $61.92 million. Saros has been incredible for the Predators since becoming the man between the pipes after Pekka Rinne called it a career. Looking at the Predators roster altogether, they look like they are one of the most complete teams in the Western Conference, if not the whole NHL. It will be interesting to see how much success they are able to achieve on ice, but on paper, they look like they should be dominant for a lot of the next season.

  1. Guentzel-Point-Kucherov Should Dominate for Tampa

Losing Stamkos hurts significantly, and he will always be one of the best talents ever in the history of the franchise. Putting Stamkos aside, the Lightning won a player sweepstakes of their own by trading for the rights and eventually locking up winger Jake Guentzel to a seven-year deal worth $63 million. The hockey world is already predicting that Guentzel will be put on a line with forwards Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. That trio has the potential to be the catalyst for a dangerous offense. The league knows how lethal all three forwards are in their own right, but there is a curiosity there to see how many more points Guentzel may be able to tally with Kucherov and Point. In Guentzel’s career in the league so far, he has posted the following numbers:

  • 2016-17 (Pittsburgh Penguins): 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points in 40 games
  • 2017-18 (Penguins): 22 goals and 26 assists for 48 points in 82 games
  • 2018-19 (Penguins): 40 goals and 36 assists for 76 points in 82 games
  • 2019-20 (Penguins): 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points in 39 games
  • 2020-21 (Penguins): 23 goals and 34 assists for 57 points in 56 games
  • 2021-22 (Penguins): 40 goals and 44 assists for 84 points in 76 games
  • 2022-23 (Penguins): 36 goals and 37 assists for 73 points in 78 games
  • 2023-24 (Penguins): 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points in 50 games
  • 2023-24 (Carolina Hurricanes): eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points in 17 games

If Guentzel is able to notch this many points without playing with Kucherov and Point, he should be able to hit 100 points with them. I think that happens either in 2024-25 or the following season. Guentzel will hit 100 points in a season as a member of the Lightning. That line will be a terror to handle throughout the league, but only time will tell if this group will make it to the Stanley Cup Final and win another championship like they did in the Stamkos Era.

  1. The Sabres Still Need Top-Six Forward Help

The Buffalo Sabres entered the 2024 offseason having missed the NHL playoffs 13 seasons in a row. They barely missed out at the end of the 2022-23 season but did not capitalize in the 2023 offseason by making more roster moves. Now, after taking a step backward following the 2023-24 campaign, the Sabres are in need to make moves that will put them on the right path to ending their postseason drought. So far, general manager Kevyn Adams and his staff have been added to Buffalo’s forward group by trading for Beck Malenstyn from the Washington Capitals; as well as signing Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. He also added depth on defense by signing Buffalo native Dennis Gilbert to a one-year contract, and also provided depth to the goalie position by inking veteran netminder James Reimer to a one-year deal.

While Adams did a good job in certain areas, Sabres fans are not happy because they still feel that there is a significant hole missing in their top-six forward group. It certainly did not help to buy out the remaining few seasons of winger Jeff Skinner’s contract. Skinner during his time as a Sabre posted the following numbers:

  • 2018-19: 40 goals and 23 assists for 63 points in 82 games
  • 2019-20: 14 goals and nine assists for 23 points in 59 games
  • 2020-21: seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in 53 games
  • 2021-22: 33 goals and 30 assists for 63 points in 80 games
  • 2022-23: 35 goals and 47 assists for 82 points in 79 games
  • 2023-24: 24 goals and 22 assists for 46 points in 74 games

Skinner, since being bought out by the Sabres, signed a new contract with the Edmonton Oilers to play with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.If Adams does not get someone either in free agency like Vladimir Tarasenko or through trade, fans may fully turn on him and they may want someone else making the calls as Sabres GM. Losing the talent of Skinner takes Buffalo another step back when, if anything, they need to add more skill to the offense. There is still plenty of time between now and when the regular season begins in October, but if Adams does not get another top-six forward to go along with players like Tage Thompson and Dylan Cozens, things could get uglier for the Sabres and their fanbase.

CLARK AND REESE NOT IN OLYMPICS

BY MARK HALPERN W/ CONTRIBUTION FROM MIKE RIFKIN

         The Olympics are right around the corner and the Woman’s USA Olympic team is set but, not with Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese. Both players are fantastic and have probably the biggest following in the WNBA right now. It will be Clark or Reese who will win Rookie of the Year. The team that is assembled has a dream team so to speak with stars like Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, and Chelsea Gray. Truly I would think it would have been advantageous to put one if not both for the reason of their play, not their stature. I asked Mike Rifkin who is the lead writer for the network and he gave a great answer “If you want to win you need your best players. Both bring youth and energy to any team. Both provide different skills that it takes to win.” I think Mike said it very eloquently and hit the nail on the head.

     If you want to look at an example of this let’s step back in time to 1992 the “Dream Team” era of the Olympics. Stars such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and Karl Malone are just a few names but before the team was finalized there was one spot that wasn’t filled and speculation was either Alonzo Mourning or Christian “The Shot” Laettner. The Honor was given to Laettner because of the magic shot and it put some youth on the team. I understood why they put Laettner on but, there were other deserving players.

    Nothing against any of the players that are on the current team as they all represent the greatest country in the world but, when you have these two youths who would put the ratings through the roof and force them to PLAY TOGETHER (sounds like a Disney Movie) maybe things might just get better from there.

JAMARCUS RUSSELL OYE!

BY MARK HALPERN

     The Las Vegas Raiders over the past few years have been in the news for some infamous things. Well, even more news from an alumnus who was drafted #1 overall in 2007 and that was Jamarcus Russell. Russell who never really panned out went to coaching football after his short time in the NFL. He had been working with his alma mater in Mobile Alabama as a special assistant. He went to local businesses asking for donations for the team. One business owner made a deal with Russler for $74,000.00 to be used in weight room necessities. The owner handed the check over to Russell who then deposited it into a credit union and immediately withdrew $55,000.00.

     Once he was caught, he was fired from his position and was banned from coming to games or being around any players. Russell earned close to $37 million during his time and why he needed the $74k will learn as it comes out.

RIFKIN’S FAVORITE/LEAST FAVORITE FREE AGENCY SIGNINGS

BY Mike Rifkin

July First, better known as the beginning of NHL Free Agency. Teams and fans gets very optimistic based on moves to improve their rosters. Below will be a list with some moves I liked and others I don’t.

FAVORITE: 

Nashville Predators – Ok this might be cheating but nobody had a better day than Barry Trotz’s team. Bringing in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei on the first day of free agency is quite the haul. All three have a ton of playoff experience, but the cherry on top is the announcement of the Predators extending goalie Juuse Saros. As the great Uncle Ben says “With great power comes great responsibility.” Well this season the Predators are going to have to be responsible with the pressure that’s coming. 

Elias Lindholm/Nikita Zadorov – Boston Bruins : Let me start with saying people might not like the term of either deal, but that’s a problem for the future. The Boston Bruins believe they’re in win now mode and both of these players will help them with that. Lindholm will helps fill out the center position and Zadorov gives them a big physical presence on the backend. 

Tyler Bertuzzi – Chicago Blackhawks – I really liked what the Blackhawks did as a whole on the first day of free agency. Tyler Bertuzzi adds a bit of everything to this lineup. Bertuzzi had 43 points in 80 games last season, and isn’t afraid to get into a skirmish in front of the net. (Also adding Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez solid adds for the Hawks)

Anthony Duclair – New York Islanders – The Islanders needed a guy who can skate who has the ability to put the puck in the net. Anthony Duclair has the ability to be a big time player for them. Duclair played for Isles coach in junior hockey, so he’s already familiar with the system. Duclair is still 28 years old and put up 42 points in 73 games last season. 

Chandler Stephenson/Brandon Montour : Seattle Kraken – The Seattle Kraken needed to add offense and they did that and they also added two guys who know what it takes to win a Stanley Cup. Montour is a year removed from having 16 goals and 73 points in 80 games and is a fantastic skating defenseman. Stephenson is a top three center on a team. He had 16 goals and 51 points in 75 games last season. Stephenson can also help the Kraken’s special teams. 

Least Favorite : 

Sean Monahan – Columbus Blue Jackets – Monahan had a nice year split between Montreal and Winnipeg, but now he is going to be given a different task and that is re-establishing Johnny Gaudreau as a premier offensive player. But with his injury history I don’t know how you justify five years here.

Tyler Toffoli – San Jose Sharks – Toffoli signed a four year deal worth 24 million dollars with the Sharks. Toffoli has won a Stanley Cup, but the Sharks are in the beginning stages of a rebuild, although they might be ahead of schedule by having Macklin Celebrini. But they’re not close so who knows if Toffoli finishes the deal there, but I don’t love the decision, a contender could’ve used his goal scoring ability. 

Cam Talbot/Jack Campbell – Detroit Red Wings –  Alex Lyon, Ville Husso and James Reimer manned the net for the Wings last year, and it was interesting to say the least. Talbot had a solid year for the LA Kings and Campbell has struggled mightily in Edmonton that they bought him out. But maybe this works for the Wings and yes these are short term deals, but based on some goalie trades maybe the Wings were better off pulling that off instead because these guys don’t move the needle for me. 

Jake DeBrusk – Vancouver Canucks – Yeah this one is all about the term. Seven years for DeBrusk is a lot. He is 27 years old and is coming off 40 points in 80 games this season. He has scored 25 + goals three times in his career, the Canucks are going to need him to produce, otherwise we might be looking at another Loui Eriksson situation.

Can’t Get Out Of Their Own Way

By: Mike Rifkin

July first is the opening of free agency across the NHL, and it gets hockey fans excited for what the next season will show. We saw a ton of movement (more on that in a different article) of really good players, and it made for interesting social media interactions. But then because of who runs the NHL they made a foolish mistake. 

Commissioner Gary Bettman announced that former Blackhawks executives Stan Bowman, Joel Queeneville, and Al MacIsaac are eligible for reinstatement and can be hired by a franchise starting July 10th. All three were suspended by the league because of their lack of response in the Kyle Beach sexual abuse case. I have a few problems when it comes to this situation. The first is that these guys don’t deserve a second chance. The league had an opportunity to make a statement and showed it stood with survivors of sexual abuse, instead they folded and we really shouldn’t be surprised, just look at what happened when it came to Pride nights across the league this season. The other major problem I have with this is that the league tried to bury this during free agency. They didn’t want anyone to realize what they were doing, while they knew exactly what they were doing. Gary Bettman continually gets in the way of the league, but here’s the thing is Gary Bettman going to sit at a podium answering questions based on this decisions, if these guys are hired are they going to answer questions about the situation that took place in Chicago and what they learned from it? The NHL is coming off a fantastic Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final, and had a flurry of moves on the first day of free agency, but we’re here talking about something that the league should have taken care of and that is the fact that none of the three gentlemen should have jobs in the league, but once again Gary Bettman gets in the way of his league.