Burnside’s Burns for October

Oh please, take October back to the rock from under which it crawled.

Wow.

I’d say let’s quickly move on from the first month of the 2021-22 NHL season but that’s not what needs to happen and it’s simply not possible.

There are some, hard, hard lessons to be learned in the wake of the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal and the fallout that cost another team – the Florida Panthers – their head coach and left so much wanting from leadership across the game starting with the NHL itself.

So, no, it’s not about forgetting the October that was but rather learning from it.

On the ice, October gave us a mixed bag of the surprising, the inspiring and the grisly. So let’s get on with our first monthly installment of Burnside: Feel The Burn.

Trust In Leadership Wanes

The NHL sent out a memo to 32 NHL clubs reminding them of confidential options for reporting abuse and other forms of inappropriate behavior and of expectations for behavior within the NHL community. Great. But the same league still allowed disgraced head coach Joel Quenneville to coach a game literally at the same time Kyle Beach is giving his seminal, emotional interview on TSN revealing he is John Doe 1 and the victim of sexual assault at the hands of a Blackhawks video coach covered in 2010. Trust us when we tell you that folks across the NHL, players and executives, remain dumbfounded. It’s in the messaging people. Wonder why a growing number of people don’t trust the game? They don’t trust the people running it.

Beach’s Bravery

That said it’s possible Kyle Beach may single-handedly change the face of the game for the better and there simply aren’t enough words or maybe the proper words to describe our admiration for him.

Important Decisions For Blackhawks

While Florida works through its plans to replace Quenneville behind the bench as one of the top teams in the league – veteran NHLer Andrew Brunette has the reins in the short-term at least – Chicago begins its search for a replacement for Stan Bowman as GM of one of the sorriest teams in the league (on many levels we might add, but in this case we’re talking on the ice). Goes without saying this is a critical hire not just in terms of repairing the damage on the ice but also being part of a process that helps to start what will and should be a lengthy process of restoring faith across the board for one of the league’s flagship franchises.

Colliton Safe?

Is that the only role that Chicago ownership will have to contemplate? Don’t really see how Jeremy Colliton is jeopardy even though the Blackhawks, having added Seth Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury in the offseason, went winless in October (0-7-2). The fact of the matter is a coach whose team plays as poorly as the Blackhawks have consistently played – yes they are without Patrick Kane and a raft of other players thanks to COVID-19 protocols and injuries – probably should be on the hot seat. But given the dysfunction in this organization and the fact there isn’t a full-time GM in place, the coaching is probably a problem that gets put to the bottom of the pile. But it is a problem. Other coaches who are looking for some November relief? Travis Green in Vancouver, Dominique Ducharme in Montreal whose Habs are a miserable 2-8-0 and Rick Bowness in Dallas.

Cheveldayoff Avoids Punishment

Last thing on the fallout from the Chicago sexual assault coverup. Understand on some levels why Commissioner Gary Bettman saw fit not to sanction Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff given his relatively minor role in the chain of command at the time of the Kyle Beach allegations in 2010. But at some point didn’t Cheveldayoff wonder how this turned out? Did he happen to notice Brad Aldrich at team celebrations? Did he ever notice Aldrich’s name on the Cup itself? At no point over the course of a decade did Cheveldayoff wonder what had happened to that player who was in some ways under his charge at the time, even if he didn’t have a voice in that fateful executive meeting? That’s a long time to be willfully oblivious to a matter that you would think might have left a strong impression. Cheveldayoff is expected to discuss this matter with the media alongside Jets president Mark Chipman in the coming days, but the fact is he is lucky he is still employed. Very lucky. But it doesn’t mean he still doesn’t owe everyone starting with Beach some answers for a decade of silence.

That Darryl Sutter Magic

We have been kind of meh on the Calgary Flames for, well, quite some time. Lots of reasons for that. And we admit we did the eye roll when Darryl Sutter was brought in to replace Geoff Ward as head coach last season. And we do admit we were of the same cynical mind when Sutter took over in Los Angeles during the 2011-12 season. As it turns out, we might just have a blind spot when it comes to Sutter. The Flames, 6-1-1, have been one of the league’s biggest surprises, especially on the road, where they are 5-1. Jacob Markstrom, he of the three shutouts and .957 save percentage, is looking like Jacob Markstrom circa, well, maybe never. And how about Andrew Mangiapane, who is tied for the team lead with seven goals, two game-winners (and no assists)? Pending unrestricted free agent Johnny Gaudreau leads the Flames with 11 points in eight games and you
have to wonder whether this month has changed the team’s view on Gaudreau’s future with this team.

Kudos To Don Granato

Early Jack Adams Trophy love? Well, there’s Sutter, obviously. Okay, okay Buffalo fans. Settle down. Yes, Don Granato has been a miracle worker with the much-maligned Sabres and good on Granato and ageless (as opposed to aging) Craig Anderson in goal as the Sabres are in the thick of it in the Atlantic Division with a 5-2-1 record after Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Los Angeles. They play hard, they play with structure and even with the Jack Eichel saga still ongoing, this group of Sabres plays with a purpose. And while we’re on the Sabres, a tip of the hat to the start for veteran Kyle Okposo (2g, 3a in seven games). Injuries and other issues have made this a difficult road for Okposo the past few years. But one of the true gentlemen of the game has rediscovered
the fire that made him a feared power forward with the Islanders.

How Will Vaccine Stubbornness Impact
Bertuzzi?

There’s no ‘I’ in Team. We know that. But Tyler Bertuzzi, the lone NHLer who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, is proving there’s an ‘S’ in Selfish. How does the talented Detroit forward walk into that Red Wing locker room every time he’s been forced to watch his teammates play when he’s at home because he won’t get a COVID-19 vaccination? Like Saturday night when the plucky Red Wings went toe to toe in Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada and came up a goal short in a 5-4 loss? How do you reconcile that kind of selfishness with the concept of
sacrificing for teammates and working for the common good? Can only imagine how GM Steve Yzerman feels as his Wings have been a pleasant surprise through the first month with a 4-3-2 record. One thing we know, Yzerman has a long memory.

Canes, Panthers Showdown Looms

Too early to circle games? Not on this list. How about next Saturday in Florida when the last undefeated team – Carolina at 8-0-0 visits a Panther team that gave up its first point of the season in a shootout loss to Boston on Saturday to go 8-0-1? Full disclosure: I’m providing content and analysis on a number of platforms for the Hurricanes. And I spoke with a longtime player and analyst not connected to either of these teams who believes strongly that along with Tampa Bay, these two teams are the cream of the Eastern Conference. I had Florida and
Carolina penciled into the Eastern Conference Final even before I took on either of my current gigs.

Steady Freddy

Still with too early awards and the Hurricanes, how about the run from former Leaf netminder Frederik Andersen, who signed a two-year, $9-million deal with the Hurricanes? He’s been outstanding, getting seven of the Hurricanes’ eight wins, while boasting a .956 save percentage and one shutout. We spoke to Andersen this week about his reset this offseason and overcoming the uncertainty of knowing he was going to make a new hockey home somewhere. So far the results have been outstanding. Markstrom, as noted, and Elvis Merzlikins both warrant kudos for their work in Calgary and Columbus, respectively, if you’re rounding out an early Vezina Trophy ballot.

So Many Injuries

October was a tough month for teams losing key players and Los Angeles took a double shot this week by losing Sean Walker for the season and Drew Doughty for weeks, after losing top prospect Quinton Byfield long-term even before the start of the season. It’s part of a league-wide epidemic as fans continue to lament the absence of Evgeni Malkin, Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, T.J. Oshie, Nicklas Backstrom, Nikita Kucherov, Jack Hughes and Ryan Ellis, among others. Sidney Crosby played his first game of the season Saturday. Holy cow. What does
it mean? We often talk team depth as a factor in winning championships. We saw Tampa Bay go an entire regular season without Kucherov (oh settle down Dougie Hamilton) and then win a second straight Cup. The teams that can ride out these losses – Washington at 5-0-3 is a good example – will be better for it as the season rolls along.

Something’s Gotta Give

Finally we’ll make these bold prediction for November. Vegas gets a power-play goal. Really. By the way how does that team even with its injuries go 0-for-October on the PP? Weird stuff. And Arizona is going to get better.
Impressed with how the undermanned ‘Yotes under rookie head coach Andre Tourigny competes. Don’t have much to show for it – they are now 0-8-1 after dropping a hard-fought 2-1 decision to Carolina Sunday. But with as many as eight picks in the first two rounds in June’s draft the Coyotes are going to get there.