BHN Puck Links: National Hockey Now Headed North To Hub Cities

We are less than a week away from the NHL heading north of the border for Phase 4 of the NHL Return and the Stanley Cup Playoffs! The hockey news cycle has ramped back up to full speed and here are your BHN Puck Links!

Pittsburgh Hockey Now And Colorado Hockey Now Headed To The Bubbles

We’re psyched to announce that two National Hockey Now sites will be credentialed for Phase 4 in Toronto and Edmonton. 

Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now will travel to Toronto to cover the Penguins’ push for a third Stanley Cup in five years. The big question right now of course is if the Penguins will have to begin that quest without the services of captain Sidney Crosby who missed practice Sunday after leaving a scrimmage early on Saturday. 

Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now is already in Edmonton and he documented his dystopian travel experience from Denver to Edmonton where he is now in quarantine. Will the Avalanche have the services of former UMass-Amherst defenseman, 2019 Hobey Baker winner, and Calder Trophy finalist Cale Makar? 

Opinions On Pastrnak Reflect Not Just Hockey But American Society

Been getting a lot of heat for this piece I wrote about Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak letting his team down and the responses pretty much mirror society right now. Some see no problem with Pastrnak breaking federal, state, league, and team quarantine to play shinny and go out in the North End and others, thankfully get that it is a big deal on an array of fronts. 

I still can’t understand how after 137,000 deaths in this country, a professional athlete, being paid millions of dollars, can’t do what his alternate captain Patrice Bergeron asked him and what those of us that care about each other would’ve done! If you’re OK with that just because he’s an athlete, time to take off the fanboy goggles and wake up to the fact we are in a pandemic!

Panthers Powerplay Could Be The Difference

George Richards of Florida Hockey Now wonders if the potentially lethal powerplay of the Florida Panthers could be an x-factor and catalyst for playoff run for the Cats?

Leafs Going All In On First Line?

Are the Toronto Maple Leafs gonna say screw it and load up on their top line? Sheldon Keefe is at least thinking about it as he’s had Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and Auston Matthews skating together in practice. 

Thanks Henny!

Finally, and this is a few days old but worth mentioning, a staple around those aforementioned Maple Leafs, Leafs TV reporter Paul Hendrick has called it a career. Paul’s wife is battling cancer and he felt he needed to be there for her after all she’s done for him. A class move from a man that oozes it. Paul was always good to me when I was coming up the ladder and you never forget those people! Godspeed Henny!