McKenna’s Musings: Cozen O’Connor report to NHLPA only creates more questions
The Cozen O’Connor report to the NHLPA only creates more questions…
It’s really hard for me to accept that a failure to communicate was the reason why Kyle Beach and Black Ace 1 didn’t receive help from the NHL Players’ Association. When I read the report – released Friday afternoon at the classic time for bad news dumps – the first phrase that came to mind was ‘plausible deniability.’
Don Fehr doesn’t remember things. Joe Resnick doesn’t remember things. And while I know the incidents took place more than a decade ago, I find it so hard to believe that a 14-minute phone call between Fehr and Resnick – after Resnick emailed and requested follow-up communication – was somehow forgotten.
These are intelligent people. Not being able to remember something is a really easy way out of a sticky situation. What else could they have talked about on the phone that day? And how can neither of them remember the conversation?
I want to be very clear: I am not making accusations. I want to believe the sincerity of those involved, especially considering I was once an NHLPA member who trusted leadership to do the right thing on behalf of the players.
But the report leaves so much to be desired. And in this case, with all the conflicting accounts, it seems like someone is hiding something. I really hope my gut feeling is wrong.
Todd McLellan should not have started Jonathan Quick on consecutive nights.
First off, I have a huge amount of respect for McLellan. I think he’s done a fantastic job this season with the L.A. Kings. There’s a ton of youth on that team, and the Kings have battled through their fair share of injury troubles. Despite facing adversity, McLellan’s team is right in the mix for a Stanley Cup playoff berth in the NHL’s Western Conference.
But I think McLellan made a critical error this past week when he started Jonathan Quick two nights in a row – when the Kings desperately needed points.
L.A. was on the road for both games. And yes, Quick had an easy Tuesday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, making 18 saves on 20 shots. He wasn’t really tested. So I can understand why McLellan might have felt comfortable putting Quick back in the cage the next night against the Colorado Avalanche.
But I didn’t have the same warm and fuzzy feelings. I saw warning signs. The flight from Chicago to Denver is more than two hours, and then the bus ride takes another 45 minutes from the airport to the hotel. The time zone changes from central to mountain. And then there’s the altitude in Denver – more than a mile above sea level. It’s a lot for the body to adapt to in short order.
On top of that, L.A. was going up against the Avalanche, ostensibly the best team in the NHL. The Kings had Cal Petersen rested and ready to go. But instead, McLellan stuck with Quick, who hadn’t started games on consecutive days since the 2017-18 NHL season.
The Kings got rolled. Bad. The final was 9-3 in favor of the Avalanche. Quick allowed three goals against on 10 shots before getting the hook just over 10 minutes into the first period. Then Petersen came in cold from the bench and allowed another six goals on 25 shots.
To be fair, the Kings weren’t great defensively. But in that situation – back-to-back games with travel against a tough opponent – L.A. needed its goaltender to be outstanding in the first period. Quick was not.
My goal whenever I was tasked with playing the second game of a back-to-back series was to get my team out of the first period either leading or tied. More often than not, my teammates would find their legs by the second period. I just needed to give our team some breathing room early.
That didn’t happen on Wednesday. Quick didn’t lose the game for the Kings. But I think a fresh Cal Petersen would have had a much better chance of stymieing an explosive Colorado offense.
Horror stories about Eugene Melnyk should not come as a surprise.
People in Canada’s capital have been through a lot with the Senators, most of it due to the late Mr. Melnyk and his penny-pinching ways. Sure, he made a positive impact supporting charities around Ottawa. No doubt he should be commended for that.
But Melnyk managed to alienate just about everyone. Players, coaches, staff, media – Eugene submarined so many of those relationships. The horror stories outlined in The Athletic feature about Melnyk this week aren’t surprising.
Plenty of goofy things happened during my time with the Senators that were worthy of a chuckle. But I have one really uncomfortable story.
I’m walking from the showers with a towel halfway on, and here comes Melnyk leading a somewhat large group of men and women that I’d never seen before.
This wasn’t in the locker room where the equipment is kept. Players expect people from outside the team to be in there. No, this was the behind-the-curtain area where we as players are supposed to feel safe from prying eyes.
Yet there was Eugene in his decade-old Senators replica jersey, giving his entourage a tour through the entire facility. Listen, I’m not a prude by any stretch. But that situation had a creepy vibe to it. It felt like we, the players, were Eugene’s property, and he could show us off as desired.
It was such a sad state of affairs in a city that deserved better. Ottawa is a beautiful place that can thrive as an NHL city. It has before. And I know it will again. But it was never going to happen under Eugene Melnyk.