This just in: Jeff Sessions cannot recall whether he has ever seen Alexander Ovechkin play hockey.
Ovechkin may claim, as he did Thursday, that he is not trying to be “a politics man” in the wake of his social media commitment to and endorsement of Russian president Vladimir Putin, but only the willfully naïve would believe that the Washington winger is that naïve.
Love of country does not mandate support for a tyrant. One could argue it requires exactly the opposite. For better or worse, with the notable exceptions of Tampa Bay’s J.T. Brown, who raised his fist in protest during the national anthem Oct. 7 and then-Arizona’s and now the Rangers’/Hartford’s Tony DeAngelo, an active Twitter presence during last year’s presidential campaign, NHL players have essentially refrained from inserting themselves into social and political discourse.
Now we have one of the league’s biggest names who plays in the nation’s capital— and who is perhaps the most famous Russian living in the United States — creating a social movement that he is calling the “Putin Team” in support of a leader hostile to our country and whose operatives are believed by U.S. intelligence agencies to be engaged in an ongoing effort to undermine our democracy.
But it is not about politics. No, of course it isn’t.
This is just Alex being Alex.
Actually, upon further review of No. 8’s history of support for and friendship with Putin, you’re darn right it is.
There is much to chew on in the aftermath of the news of the at-least temporary collapse of the three-way deal involving the Avalanche, Senators and Predators in which Matt Duchene would have gone to Ottawa, Kyle Turris to Nashville and unidentified young commodities to Colorado.
But the most intriguing factoid to be gleaned from the talks is that Nashville general manager David Poile would have been willing to take on Turris, an impending free agent represented by Kurt Overhardt, a couple of months after completing his eight-year, $64 million extension with Ryan Johansen, another of the agent’s players.
Johansen and Columbus had a nasty negotiation that seeped into the public before he was dealt to the Predators for Seth Jones in one of those high-profile exchanges that has benefitted all parties. And Turris once forced himself out of Arizona over a negotiating impasse.
If the price of a first-line center is another first-line center, then if you think that represents the Rangers’ biggest need, how exactly do they fill it?
Which, by the way, is a question that general manager Jeff Gorton has asked himself at least once or twice a day for a fair amount of time.
If Exhibits A and B in the case against Alain Vigneault for not recognizing the value of young defensemen are Dylan McIlrath and Adam Clendening, the former can be found in Grand Rapids and the latter in Tucson of the AHL after clearing waivers, so maybe the prosecution should produce better evidence.
It feels different this time, it truly does, but the Devils, 9-3 and exciting, were 9-3-3 through their first 15 games a year ago. And then they were 12-13-7.
Not to make too big of a thing out of this, but what were the analytical measures that convinced much adored Coyotes general manager John Chayka to hire Rick Tocchet to lead his young team?
But seriously, folks, if the Coyotes hadn’t acquired Derek Stepan and Niklas Hjalmarsson as win-now players, there’s no telling where they would be.
Tempe?
And is there a player in the league with a more crying need of a pardon than Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who still has a year to go after this one on his contract that carries a $5.5 million cap hit?
Where does the Arizona defenseman go at the deadline, Toronto or Tampa Bay?
Biggest surprises in a playoff position as of Saturday morning: 1. Devils; 2. Golden Knights; 3. Avalanche; 4. Canucks. Biggest surprises out of a playoff spot: 1. Oilers; 2. Capitals; 3. Blackhawks; 4. Predators.
Answer: The loser’s point.
Question: How to explain that the Senators, fourth in the East by percentage points, have won fewer than half of their games (6-of-13, camouflaged as 6-2-5)?
Ah, another one who got away: Nigel Dawes, leading the KHL with 38 points and 28 goals in 26 games.
Now let’s see what Daniel Goneau is up to.
So Brendan Smith had some dickens of a time with the puck the other night at the Garden against Vegas, his Corsi a deadly, uh, giveaway at 24.2 (8/25). But his ineptitude infected the numbers of everyone else on the ice with him.
Kind of like how Didi Gregorius’ numbers take a hit when Aaron Judge strikes out four times in game. Which of course they don’t.
And now do you see why hockey analytics can never equate to baseball’s?
The Panthers without Roberto Luongo last week were pretty much the living definition of what the NHL would be like with bigger nets, don’t you think?
We knew about Dave Strader, we know about Nicholle Anderson, we know about Eddie Olczyk, we know about Brian Boyle, and now we learn the incurably sad news about Kerry Fraser, maybe the last referee in the NHL with a personality and which personality, by the way, was as big as his pompadour. Fraser announced Friday he has essential thrombocythemia, a rare chronic blood disorder and cancer.
We know that Kerry and his family — that includes my friend Jessica Fraser Gano — will continue to live life to the fullest.
And also know that thousands upon thousands of individuals will benefit from the NHL/NHLPA’s myriad fundraising efforts during this month of Hockey Fights Cancer.
We just don’t know their names.