NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – September 3, 2021
The league introduces new COVID-19 protocols for the coming season, the Coyotes submit a bid to build a new arena & the Flyers inking Joel Farabee to a long-term deal headline several of Thursday’s contract signings. Details & more in today’s NHL morning coffee headlines.
SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reported last night the NHL and NHL Players Association finalized COVID-19 protocols for the coming 2021-22 season. Topping the list is a mechanism allowing teams to suspend unvaccinated players unable to participate in club activities, including when a player cannot travel due to local/state/provincial/federal regulations “upon return.” The player will forfeit the equivalent of one day’s pay for each day they’re unable to participate.
Exceptions include medical reasons, religious beliefs or quarantine due to being a high-risk close contact. If a full vaccinated player is confirmed with a positive test his condition will be treated as a hockey-related injury. Unvaccinated players will also face strict rules limiting social contact while on the road.
Players wishing to opt-out of this season can do so by Oct. 1. Their teams will have 30 days to determine if their contract will be rolled over to next season or this season removed from their agreement. They won’t be allowed to play in another league or the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This is a brief version of Friedman’s report. I recommend following the link for the full story. Needless to say, these rules will be used to strongly encourage unvaccinated players to get their necessary COVID shots if they want to play in the NHL this season. Recent reports indicate 85 percent of NHL players are vaccinated. In other COVID-19 news…
BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton confirmed on social media he contracted the coronavirus while on his honeymoon. It’s unknown if he was vaccinated at the time. If this had happened a month from now when the new protocols are in place he likely would’ve been suspended.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Blackhawks fans will require proof of vaccination to attend games this season at the United Center.
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL: The Vegas Golden Knights announced their fans won’t need to provide proof of vaccination to attend games at T-Mobile Arena this season. They intend to maintain compliance with state and local health regulations, as well as those of the NHL and the CDC.
ARIZONA SPORTS: The Coyotes submitted a bid to build a new arena in Tempe, located in metropolitan Phoenix. The city indicated the evaluation process would take months before there will be a vote to approve or reject the project.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Coyotes could still be seeking a temporary home if the city of Glendale maintains its decision to end its lease agreement with the club by the end of this season. If the Tempa arena deal is approved, it could take another two or three years before the building is ready for use.
NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA: The Flyers signed Joel Farabee to a six-year, $30 million contract extension. The 21-year-old winger lead the club with 20 goals last season and finished with 38 points in 55 games.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Farabee’s new annual average value is $5 million. That’s a significant raise over the $925K of his current deal, which expires at the end of this season. It’s also a big vote of confidence in the young winger, who managed eight goals and 21 points during his NHL debut in 2019-20. It could prove worthwhile if he builds on the promise of his sophomore campaign.
WGR 550: The Buffalo Sabres inked defenseman Henri Jokiharju and forward Casey Mittelstadt to three-year, $7.5 million contracts. Each will earn an annual cap hit of $2.5 million.
THE DETROIT NEWS: The Red Wings signed former Anaheim Ducks forward Carter Rowney to a one-year contract.
TRIBLIVE.COM: The Pittsburgh Penguins signed goaltender Louis Domingue to a one-year, two-way contract.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: The Carolina Hurricanes hired former defenseman Tim Gleason as an assistant coach.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) suspended Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux indefinitely after he secretly photographed an 18-year-old woman engaged in a sexual act with him while playing in Sweden last year and shared the photo and her identity with his SK Lejon teammates. Swedish police charged him with defamation and offensive photography and fined him $1, 650 USD.
Mailloux will have an opportunity to apply for reinstatement on Jan. 1, 2022.
What a bush league move by the OHL.
He has participated through training camp and they wait till the day before pre-season games begin to announce this decision???
The opportunity to apply for reinstatement in January…..depends on what to be successful?
More bush league.
I’m guessing he’ll sit out as opposed to moving over to the Q or WHL, just to play ball and satisfy the need for a pound of flesh.
HF30, IMO Mailloux’s actions were bush league, not the OHL. Disagree with you 100%.
The reason they gave for doing it:
The Ontario Hockey League suspended Montreal Canadiens first-round draft pick Logan Mailloux indefinitely Thursday for violating the league’s expectation for appropriate conduct by a player.
How they determine if he can be reinstated:
The OHL said Mailloux can apply for reinstatement on Jan. 1 and a decision about his reinstatement will be made based on his conduct and what treatment, counselling, mentoring or education he has received.
He is being held accountable for his actions, you know like the rest of us adults in a society of laws and rules. If I did that, got convicted and fined, I would get not only get suspended, but fired.
And they would be right to do it.
Unless you think people are not accountable for their actions, not sure how you can argue against this move.
If he takes the necessary steps, which I would bet he will, he will play after January. And be a better person for it.
Ray, he’d likely have a different stance if he wasn’t a Montreal prospect.
Agree 100% Ray. habfan30 doesn’t care about what Logan did, as long as he is a Hab. Just like MB when he made the selection.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Habfan30, it’s a simple idea, I just don’t understand you’re view so you’re welcome to express and enlighten us with yours. The OHL suspension is simply a message for all players in that being really good at, in this case hockey, doesn’t mean you are immune to punishment if you, as in his case, commit a crime. This is more egg on MB face.
Period.
Hi Ray and HF30
Timing of suspension is what bothers me
Rationale on why he was suspended will be debated
I have no stake in the suspension. He’s a Habs pick and won’t be in the NHL to play against Leafs or Pens this year
They ARE suspending him; and therefore in my opinion; should have done so a while ago.
Waiting until September to do so is strange to me.
Unless he has a brain fart and does something stupid over the next year; he will likely be playing for the Habs (NHL? AHL?) in 22/23
Serious Bonehead move he did; he is being punished; but will play again someday IMHO
Again, my issue is with the timing of the suspension
From habs fan historical posts I don’t feel it’s fair or justified to say his opinion is based solely on Logan being a Canadian prospect.
I agree with the move. The timing is suspect. It reeks of not doing it because it was the right thing to do… but to caving to public pressure. As a business that is a reasonable move but a likely dishonest one in this case
Hey chrisms, I meant to ask – have you had to deal in any way with that bad flooding in NY?
Yesterday, on CTV News, they spoke to a local character named The Gabby Cabbie, He said it was pretty bad everywhere – all the way over to New Jersey and in Philadelphia. From the images on TV it looked brutal.
Na George. I love in da burgh. Thanks for thinking bout me btw.
I’d say it’s more about using ones power of influence to try and set an example and send a message that, that kind of repugnant behavior is not only strongly frowned upon, and ill advised, but there will be severe consequences if anyone attempts to pull that sort of stupid act ever again.
The kid is a scum bucket. Good on the league for punishing him. I’d daresay that suspension would be held up in the Q and the Dub as well.
Reap what you sow.
Bravo CHL!
HF30, you might want to talk to the owners of the London Knights. They’d have known the kid would be suspended if they had taken the time to read the league’s rules for player conduct.
As I recall, the player asked to have his name withdrawn from the draft and Montreal didn’t honour that request.
You can blame the OHL but there’s plenty of blame to go around, starting with the player’s actions and going forward from there.
Don’t ignore the Canadiens’ role in all this – we wouldn’t be talking about this if they had followed the kid’s specific request.
Shoreorrpark, normally I would say what he did was wrong but it could be a one off stupid mistake and you shouldn’t label the kid a scum bucket but knowing him, his friends (and not friends), family, teachers, etc. and what this kid was like and how he acted growing up starting right in grade school and continuing on right through high school, this kid is a scum bucket and his attitude was enabled by those peers and mentors around him because that is how hockey players tend to get treated in small communities like this. They get away with whatever they want because they can play hockey…that is until they don’t get away with it anymore, like now.
I should add that I don’t mean that all young hockey players act like he did and the majority of them are really good kids despite the relaxed attitudes on what they can get away with.
For example, underage drinking is quite common, as is dabbling with other legal/illegal substances but the parents tend to turn a blind eye.
Of course most of us did things like that and we didn’t all turn out bad but occasionally there is a minority who are just rotten apples.
That doesn’t mean someone can’t be redeemable. That’s not what I am implying at all. Just no free passes and there are always consequences to your actions and they can be far-reaching for sure.
You can’t just say he paid a fine and it’s over. It is not as simple as that.
What utter tosh.
If they want to suspend him they could have said so and done it a couple of weeks ago instead of pulling a surprise on both the Knights and Mailloux at the last minute.
Conditioning reinstatement on undefined vague terms like treatment, counselling, mentoring or education he has received….say what you want or expect it to be in black and white.
Accountability is owning up and accepting the court’s judgement,
It isn’t about accountability, it’s about the moving goalposts.
Accountability isn’t about liking the guy, it isn’t about giving him 2 years in jail or a bigger fine, which was possible had they deemed it serious enough.
He was given a fine.
He paid the fine.
An apology was asked for.
He gave an apology.
A bigger apology was asked for.
He gave a bigger apology.
And now he has to deal with the consequences of his actions. Boo-hoo.
But yeah, I agree with you. They should have suspended him immediately and he should have been ineligible to draft until he undergoes proper treatment, education counselling, etc.
HF30, do you understand that what the OHL does and the court does are separate?
It was proven in court that he did it, that part matters as the OHL doesn’t need to investigate on their own, the punishment applied does not.
It isn’t his right to play in the OHL or NHL.
It isn’t my right to work for my employer either. They aren’t required to accommodate me if I commit a crime.
There is an acceptable standard of behavior, and the player’s or employee’s choice to abide by it or not.
He chose not to, so he needs to show that he has earned a 2nd chance. If he does, he gets one. No 2nd chances for me with my employer if I did what he did. But he is a kid, so I agree that he should get that opportunity. He is getting it and will likely play in the OHL again.
I would bet he understands that now, not sure why you don’t?
I know you don’t like the guy but it isn’t about whether he’s a nice guy or not and that isn’t the reason for the OHL suspension.
Having sex with this young woman two days after arriving in Sweden wasn’t seen as a problem to be punished. That’s okay
Taking a photo of her wasn’t seen as a problem to be punished, that’s okay too
Those things are apparently okay and don’t constitute needing punishment, counselling, or treatment
The sin here is about sending it to his teammates, who btw were Swedish Pros not other kids like him.
I don’t want to argue about how bad or not that is other than to point out that Swedish authorities decided the punishment on a scale of monetary fine and jail, chose a fine, less than half the amount they could have.
It isn’t about accountability or consequences, its about moving the goalposts.
habfan30, you are wrong. This is about accountability and who cares if a goal post is moved to make it happen.
I do agree the suspension should have been sooner. It should have been immediate but who cares if it took a little extra time to get it right. He doesn’t get a pass because some think the decision/announcement took too long to make.
Your argument is a poor one in that it took this long to announce a suspension so you should let him get away it? Please…
Playing is not a right and the leagues are a brand.
The league has every right to decide who wears that brand and because of his actions he tarnishes the brand.
Here is what he did.
She did not consent to the photo either.
According to a 48-page investigation report from Sweden’s North Region Polisen, Mailloux secretly photographed the victim without her consent or knowledge while engaging in oral sex.
The next day, Mailloux shared the photo in the SK Lejon team group chat on SnapChat during a bus ride to a road game. According to the investigation, the victim was not identified in the photo. A witness interviewed said in the investigation that the photo only made visible “the hair of the girl … you saw that it was a girl, and you glimpsed bra straps,” according to the report.
But when Mailloux shared the photo to SK Lejon teammates, according to the report, he also sent a screenshot of the victim’s online profile, which identified her to teammates by displaying her photo, first name and age.
Again, he is a kid, he hopefully learns and does what he needs to to earn a spot in the league and has a good NHL career/life. And learns that his actions impact other people. If he continues the behavior he will continue to have problems. Holding him accountable now, will hopefully assist in that process.
Hopefully the girl has been able to move on and her life is OK. She seems to get ignored in all of this.
All the rest of this is BS.
Moving the goalposts is fine, why?
Professional sport is full of Hall of Famers who are/were scumbuckets.
Is the NHL going to run Keefe out of the league and glare at TML for his abusive behavior in Junior?
Craig MacTavish, vehicular homicide, courts gave him 1 yr in jail. The NHL didn’t suspend him after jail, he signed with the Oilers right away and had a long career.
Along list of hockey players with DUI and drug possession who went to prison and were fined, yet stepped right back on the ice.
This kid did his time but somehow supplementary punishment is not only fine but doled out without any clear delineation for acceptable repentance.
Its as sensible as taking away his phone since that ensures his inability to be a repeat offender.
This being delayed might be public pressue, might not be.
I don’t know, chrisms doesn’t know, HF 30 doesn’t know.
They may have wanted to see his behavior in camp. They may have wanted to have the whole league board back from vacation. Consulting legal is a possibility (Lawyers are slow). They may have wanted to speak to the victim. Or Mailloux. Or both.
There are multiple reasons that are possible.
I don’t care why. IMO he should be suspended. IMO he should be given a 2nd chance after suspension if deserved.
HF30, if you want to, answer the obvious question without all the distractions of delay excuses and moving of goalposts, or other guys did worse. All of those are not at the root of this.
Should the OHL have suspended him for his actions or not. In your opinion. Pretend they did it a month ago.
Ray Bark,
“Should the OHL have suspended him for his actions or not. In your opinion. Pretend they did it a month ago.”
Let’s be clear they knew he was going to play in London since last year. There is nothing new or has changed regarding supplemental punishment.
If it’s a code of conduct thing they could have decided and made an announcement of his suspension for the upcoming season while he was still in Sweden, being charged and paid the fine.
They could/should have told him he could apply for reinstatement on Sept. 1 and a decision about his reinstatement would have been made based on his conduct and what treatment, counselling, mentoring or education he had received.
They chose not to do or say anything.
“Mailloux said he has sought biweekly counseling with a licensed psychologist since returning from Sweden. After the incident, the London Knights ordered an independent psychological review on Mailloux to determine whether he presented any “red flags” in terms of his mental health or social-emotional functioning. The results of the report, which were provided to Daily Faceoff by Mailloux with permission to publish medical details, indicated that Mailloux “displayed well-developed sport-related mental skills and emotional intelligence, with particularly strong self-actualization, independence, social responsibility, problem solving, impulse control, flexibility, reality testing and stress tolerance.” Mailloux has offered to provide the report to NHL teams upon request.”
So, my answer is no, I don’t think they should have suspended him.
Well we could have saved a bunch of back in forth then.
We disagree on the issue at the heart of it.
Fair enough.
The rest of it is BS and meaningless.
I’m glad the OHL sees things the same way I, and the rest of us who have posted do.
To all those criticizing HabFan by saying that he’s presenting his views only because Mailloux is a Habs draft pick – stop it. You know you’d do the same if it was your team’s prospect. No need to be sanctimonious.
The kid broke the law and deserves punishment. I concur that he should be suspended, but I think November 1 would have been sufficient. the OHL is more concerned about their image than anything else. Let’s keep things in perspective. As bad as what he did was, he didn’t physically assault a woman. He doesn’t deserve to be held back forever, as some people seem to think. He deserves a fair opportunity to learn from his errors and prove he has grown. I know the Mactavish incident was many years ago and times have changed, but it still stinks that he received no punishment from the league for killing a woman while driving drunk while others are suspended for much less.
I read a post on a political site recently about how so many people now days seem to want to put people down forever for the slightest transgression. I’m all for consequences and for protecting women from harm, but not all transgressions are alike. Seeking vengeance and harsh retribution for any offense regardless of its seriousness will backfire and likely harm the people these activists are trying to help. As it is wisely said, if everything is an outrage, nothing is an outrage.
And I’ll reiterate what I’ve previously posted before. The Habs should not have drafted him when he requested not to be drafted. But it’s been done. So now that it’s been done, both the team and the player have to cooperate in helping him grow as a person and as a professional.
Any team that only allows DV customers into their arena; I hope they have the same policy in place for their players.
Just so there is no misunderstanding I’m DV and have no concerns over the policy. Just can’t have it one way.
I agree with this, Yes, the league just put in place protocols to protect the team (teams money, that is) if a player who is unvaccinated gets sick but if the attendees need to be vaccinated to attend then yes, the players should also be vaccinated to play, barring any legitimate medical exemptions.
I totally agree with this, mind you I’m DV and have the “passport” on my phone.
HexBurkie sign Domingue???
They could have had Dubu for probably $250 K more
Come on HexBurkie…. this basically status quo is not cutting it…. Heading towards strong possibility of missing playoffs
Either make a trade to improve (Zucker out) or start the rebuild
Otherwise it is a wasted year spent that could be the 1st year of a rebuild