NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 27, 2020
In today’s NHL morning coffee headlines: The Senators avoid arbitration with Chris Tierney, the latest on the Penguins and Coyotes, and long-time Edmonton sports icon Joey Moss passes away.
OTTAWA SUN: The Senators avoided salary arbitration with Chris Tierney as the two sides agreed to a two-year contract worth an annual average value of $3.5 million. The 26-year-old center’s arbitration hearing was slated for Nov. 8.
Ottawa Senators center Chris Tierney (NHL Images).
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Another affordable move by the Senators to keep a key veteran in the folk. Acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade in 2018, Tierney’s become an invaluable two-way center for the Sens, netting 37 points in 71 games last season.
TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins fired assistant general manager Jason Karmanos yesterday. No reason was given for the move. He’d been in the position since 2014, hired a week after Jim Rutherford was named general manager. Karmanos also served as GM of the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
The Penguins also announced Trevor Daley was hired as a hockey operations advisor. Daley, 37, has retired as an NHL defenseman after 16 seasons spent with the Penguins, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. He won two Stanley Cups with the Pens in 2016 and 2017, finishing his career with 89 goals and 309 points in 1,058 games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Best wishes to Daley in his future endeavors.
AZCENTRAL.COM: The Arizona Coyotes are facing criticism for selecting Mitchell Miller in this year’s draft after it was revealed the defenseman admitted to repeatedly bullying, hitting and racially taunting an African-American classmate with developmental disabilities four years ago. The club and GM Bill Armstrong responded with statements pointing out Miller sent a letter to all 31 NHL teams acknowledging his behavior and expressing remorse, but the mother of the victim said he has never personally apologized. Armstrong had not officially taken over as GM when Miller was selected.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: While the Coyotes are under fire for their selection, The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell points out there were many others in the hockey world willing to have Miller on their team despite his checkered past. Campbell raises legitimate questions over Miller’s character, if he’s truly remorseful for his actions, and if he’s deserving of a chance to play in the NHL.
SPORTSNET: Speaking of the Coyotes, they’re reportedly in discussions with Shane Doan regarding the possible return of their former captain to the organization.
EDMONTON JOURNAL: Joey Moss, the long-time dressing-room attendant for the Oilers and the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos, passed away at 57 after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and recent hip surgery. Moss, who had Down syndrome, was hired by the Oilers in 1984 and the Eskimos in 1986 on the recommendation of Wayne Gretzky. He quickly endeared himself with both clubs, becoming a popular, well-recognized part of the Edmonton community. In 2015, he was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Moss was an inspiration as well as a beloved icon of the Oilers and Eskimos. My condolences to his family, friends and the Oilers’ and Eskimos’ organizations.
Mitchell Miller … say hello to Wayne Simmonds …
Can the ‘Yotes do anything right?
Yes move to houston
So in a sport full of jocks we won’t find 1 other bully among them? Not 1 other guy who hazed teammates or bullied classmates? Really? How come.they got another chance? Cancel culture at it again. So no second chances to turn you life around? We should remember that when DUIs happen, when bar fights happen, adultery, drug offenses and a long list of other things guys in the league and in the press covering the have done.
Ummm….how is he ‘cancelled’ if he was drafted to an NHL team? If that’s what cancelled is then sign me up. I guess your argument is that people shouldn’t be able to question or criticize an organization for drafting someone who has admitted to be a violent racist who abused a person with an intellectual disability? It’s fine for him to do that because he’s a jock, it’s fine for him to never apologize to the person he did this to but people who question the team drafting him are somehow at fault? You should probably start talking about triggered snowflakes now champ. You’re likely the same person who complains about freedom of speech, except when you don’t like what’s being said. It’s probably those damn millennials.
Bullying wrong.
Racism wrong.
Cancelling people for mistakes (especially 14 year olds) wrong. That didn’t happen here, nor should it.
Bullying and bigoted behavior are generally learned. So can respect for fellow human beings.
He was 14, he probably learned this behavior from friends or family. Hopefully he paid an appropriate price for his behavior and learns from it. If he hasn’t and behaves this way as an adult, he deserves what he gets.
He needs to drive to this family’s house and apologize in person to this guy.
Man up.
Where’s the like button??!
All I’m suggesting AZHockeyNut, is that it would be karma if the first head Simmonds punches off as a Leaf is that of this ignorant dork.
Ray Bark,
Stick tap to ya
Well said AZHockey Nut. While I don’t condone bullying (I was racially bullied), in a world where minors (kids) have their records expunged for far worse, I believe that Mr. Miller should get a second chance. He can maybe use the opportunity and notoriety to make a difference with the kids of today that might find themselves on either side of the situation. IMO ‘May those who live in glass houses cast the 1st stone’
Normally I’d agree with you about the cancel culture, however, not only did the judge who sentence him think that he had no remorse over the situation, apparently multiple teams who interviewed him felt the same.
Mitchell Miller was an 8th grade bully. He is now almost 19 and spent the last 4+ years building character and doing tons of community service.
He apologized numerous times and even spoke to other teens about his behavior. He couldn’t apologize to the boy because he was prohibited from talking/going near him.
I wonder how many NHL players would have a checkered past and character issues if they were judged by things they did at 13-14 years old?
Simmonds would need double shoulder surgery after all those hits.
Karmonos was relieved of duties because they are bringing Botterill back, no mystery here.
Give me a break!! This 18yr old kid, was a pr@#K a bully and a A@@hole!
Your talking about an incidents 4yrs ago when he was 14yrs old and maybe still 2yrs ago.
What he did was appalling and someone should have stepped in and stepped up to this nitwit.
Should he pay for these bulling actions as a minor with no career opportunities as an adult? Give me a break! Of course not.
I was never bullied nor did i ever bully anyone in my life.
But to suggest an 18yr old who isn’t mature as an adult shouldn’t have an opportunity in any professional sport; get lost and get real.
It seem now a days, we don’t want to educate and teach tolerance, people want to seek and destroy; until someone throws a rock at their glass house.
It wasn’t a one of incident, it isn’t about it being four years ago,it isn’t about cancel culture, it’s about being a douche towards another, repeatedly beating up and pranking.
He was a bully who was caught on security film and made a plea deal to avoid publicity and got 25 hours of community service, talk about slap on the wrist.
Each of these kids being drafted are looked at inside out for character, physical ability, grit, work ethic, growth potential etc.
So few of these kids actually end up playing in the NHL, one wonders why a team would consider a long term bully as having the character they are looking for.
Joey Moss was an absolute beauty. Loved throughout Edmonton, Alberta, and the NHL.
True that SCJ. And the CFL.
What TSN 1260 did all day today, was fantastic.
The stories were great and funny as hell.
Cheers to Joey.