Month: December 2020

Orebro Hockey bids farewell to Mathias Brome, who’s heading to Detroit

Via Expressen’s Jacob Johannesson, Red Wings free agent signing Mathias Brome has left Orebro Hockey for the Red Wings, per Orebro’s website:

Mathias Brome leaves for Detroit

Thursday’s game against Frolunda was the last for Mathias Brome. It’s now clear that Mathias is leaving Orebro Hockey for games in the NHL and Detroit.

“There’s been a lot of uncertainty lately, but now everything has become clear, and I’m going to Detroit already on Monday morning. I have had a fantastic time with the team and am very grateful to have been here. Now I look forward to a new adventure, where I will do everything I can to earn a spot with Detroit. Orebro will always have a special place in my heart, and I want to say a big thank you to everyone within the team, the business partners and especially the fans,” says Mathias Brome.

So we’ve got hockey for the 20-21 season? A ‘tentative agreement’ has been reached for a 56-game season…

Per ESPN, earlier tonight…

The National Hockey League and its players reached a tentative deal on Friday to hold a 56-game season in 2021 beginning Jan. 13, pending the approval of each side’s executive board and Canadian health officials.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed the sides have an agreement, pending the approval of various executive boards.

Players on the NHL Players’ Association’s executive board call Friday night supported moving forward with the agreed-upon terms, a person with knowledge of the meeting told The Associated Press. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because players had yet to officially approve the agreement.

The league’s board of governors could vote on the plan as soon as this weekend. Approval from health officials in the five Canadian provinces that have teams is still needed before the NHL can go ahead with the season.

Training camps for the seven teams that did not participate in last season’s playoff bubbles would open Dec. 31, and camps would commence Jan. 3 for the other 24 teams. It’s unclear whether teams would play in their home arenas or in “hub” cities, though an all-divisional schedule is expected.

Exhibition games aren’t expected to be included in the lead-up to the new campaign. Sportsnet in Canada first reported the tentative agreement.

Continued

Former Grand Rapids Griffins captain Nathan Paetsch retires

The Rochester Americans posted a press release this morning in which former Grand Rapids Griffins captain and defenseman Nathan Paetsch announced his retirement today, and the Griffins acknowledged Paetsch’s many achievements with the team:

Dino Ciccarelli appears on the latest ‘Cam & Strick Podcast’

Former Red Wings forward Dino Ciccarelli appears on today’s episode of the “Cam & Strick Podcast,” appearing at the 48-minute mark of the nearly two-hour-long episode of Cam Janssen and Andy Strickland’s show:

The Athletic’s Kloke updates uncertainty surrounding AHL’s 20-21 season

The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke spoke with AHL president Scott Howson and several AHL’ers regarding the still-uncertain circumstances surrounding the 2020-2021 AHL season, and Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Dylan McIlrath adds his voice to the mix:

Scott Howson is an optimist by nature. The AHL president continues to rely on that sense of optimism as the league’s previously proposed start date of Feb. 5 inches closer with no plans on delaying the start of the season.

“There’s a strong appetite amongst our teams and their NHL partners to try and make this season work,” Howson told The Athletic.

As information about what the 2020-21 NHL season will look like trickles out and a picture of the season comes into focus, many within the AHL are waiting for similar updates.

“You probably know more than I do,” said one AHL coach.

And so while many around the league want to share Howson’s optimism, there is also a sense of anxiety.

“Definitely a lot of questions still to be answered,” said Grand Rapids Griffins defenceman Dylan McIlrath. “And it is kind of nerve-wracking. Obviously, hopefully, the NHL can get going. It’s been a trying time, waiting for the word. And there hasn’t been a whole lot of dialogue, because no one really has the answers right now.”

The biggest holdup for the AHL is the NHL itself. Once the NHL’s season plans are finalized, the AHL will act accordingly and structure its season. Until then, the waiting remains the hardest part.

Continued (paywall)

A possible ad placement and the path to TMR self-sufficiency

Gang,

I’ve been leaning on the TMR readership base very hard over the past couple of months, and it’s been doubly necessary because of the very nature of this website–it’s commercial-free, and has been since the start, so the NPR of blogs means that a blogger has to ask for help. But it’s also sucked, and it’s turned some readers off to this blog, which isn’t great.

I’ve been approached by a company that wants to place inline, non-intrusive ads on TMR, and the company, Play Pickup, can be viewed here if you’re interested in the kinds of ads you’d be seeing on the site, as well as the content that they’d be promoting on TMR (mostly answering prompts, but it needs to be said that they’re partnered with DraftKings, so sports betting is part of their portfolio).

I’m strongly considering their offer to place their and only their ads on the website because, put bluntly, it’s been hard to balance the bills lately, and AA and I are doing our best to break even every month, which will get a little harder come February as my “hazard pay” from the State of Michigan (which pays me a very modest fee to be AA’s caregiver; the “hazard pay” has doubled my paycheck) will end on January 1st.

Continue reading A possible ad placement and the path to TMR self-sufficiency

A trio of Tweets of note

Of note from Paul Kukla of Kukla’s Korner, per Sports Illustrated’s Michael Farber…

And the Detroit News’s Gregg Krupa:

Also, enjoy the following from Dimitri Filipovic:

Prospect round-up: Veleno wins showdown with Seider; a well-dressed Brome; Berggren’s Swedes drop Channel One Cup opener

Updated at 1:13 AM: Of prospect-related note:

In the SHL, Joe Veleno had an assist on the game-winning goal, finishing at -1 with 3 shots and 18:34 played in the Malmo Redhawks’ rare 3-2 win over Rogle BK. Moritz Seider finished at -1 with 1 shot and 1 blocked shot in 22:37 played.

As per usual, IceHockeyGifs on Twitter has some Seider .gifs to share:

Continue reading Prospect round-up: Veleno wins showdown with Seider; a well-dressed Brome; Berggren’s Swedes drop Channel One Cup opener

TSN posts Igor Larionov interview in which the Russian WJC team coach discusses ‘Russian Five’ influences

Former Red Wings forward and Russian World Junior Championship team coach Igor Larionov spoke with TSN’s Mark Masters about his desire to bring a little “Russian 5” style to the Russian WJC team. The 4:42 interview isn’t embeddable, but it’s not geo-blocked, so you can watch it from the U.S.:

LEGENDARY LESSONS: Russia ?? head coach Igor Larionov talks about his plans to bring Detroit’s ‘Russian Five’ style to his young team at the #WorldJuniors: https://t.co/IQQU9GFKNQ#TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/4kbn5nsdtq— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) December 17, 2020

Here’s the interview summary:

In his first year as Russia’s head coach at the World Juniors, Igor Larionov has a clear vision for how his team should play. “It’s showing my experience and my knowledge to the young players,” the Hockey Hall of Famer said, “and try to help the young guys to see the game a different way than they’re used to seeing it. I’m happy to see some good signs of listening to how we played back in the day and in Detroit with Russian Five.”