Apologies for the missed column last week – if you follow me on Twitter you are probably aware that I had a doggy emergency, and sadly hockey drama took a backseat to getting our furbaby healthy again. But here we are! Back in action, post-trade deadline, with all the fun fallout of the weekend plus some more news to touch base on. Let’s dive in.
Leafs-land
Well, Kyle did it. He made some big-ish moves! There were a few names added to the Leafs roster over deadline weekend, but the big ones are obviously Nick Foligno and David Rittich.
Rittich made his debut in blue last night against his former team, and yes, he did fly into Toronto with them. Talk about awkward breakups…
#Leafs goalie David Rittich talks about the emotions of playing against his former team, the weirdness of it all and his new teammates that he calls “a bunch of beauties” https://t.co/BxtRXlxIEw
— David Alter (@dalter) April 14, 2021
Interestingly, David Rittich in fact flew with his ex-teammates on the Calgary Flames plane to Toronto to join his new Maple Leafs teammates.
Lucic says that there were some chirps on the plane & that he appreciated getting to say a proper goodbye to Rittich.
— Salim Nadim Valji (@salimvalji) April 13, 2021
To make matters worse, the exes had a bit of a mid-game spat:
#CofRed Matthew Tkachuk gives #LeafsForever David Rittich a welcome snow shower and Rittich was having none of it. pic.twitter.com/xsBjnTuGmE
— Hockey Hound (@HockeyHoundShow) April 14, 2021
It does not get more soap opera than this, and I love it so much. Rittich was unable to pull off a W his first game minding the Leafs net, but wasn’t it fun to watch anyways?
Meanwhile, Foligno has decided to come to Toronto solo, leaving his family behind because, you know, pandemic and stuff.
TRADE: We’ve acquired forwards Nick Foligno and Stefan Noesen in a multi-team trade with Columbus and San Jose. #LeafsForever
Details » https://t.co/wzAiZ35LhO pic.twitter.com/zWriQpHEol
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 11, 2021
Hard to say goodbye to my 3 biggest cheerleaders!! They know Dad’s got a job to do for the @MapleLeafs! 🍁Can’t wait to get to work with my new teammates! 💪 See you soon #leafnation!! Hard to drop the Red but PUMPED to don the Blue and White!!!! Quarantine here I come! 😩. pic.twitter.com/k5XE8b13oq
— Nick Foligno (@NickFoligno) April 13, 2021
Can’t really blame him! Interestingly, I saw a tweet earlier that said the Leafs now have something like 13 players who have worn an A or a C on their jersey at one point or another in their career. That’s a lot of leadership.
Also of note, the current man wearing the C hit a milestone:
#️⃣8⃣0⃣0⃣ 🔥
Congrats @91Tavares! #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/y0wfhthNYO
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 6, 2021
And Auston Matthews leads the league in goals. By, like, a lot.
Finally, Morgan Rielly and Tessa Virtue continue to be the cutest. I will not be taking comments at this time.
Well I’m not fine. Tessa and Morgan skating together has done me in. I’m finished. pic.twitter.com/8QVKcy0M7d
— Mer (@MerOutLoud) April 14, 2021
Connor Calls Out the League
Over in Edmonton, Connor McDavid was not happy with the way the league rescheduled games for the Oilers.
I repeat: I was stunned that the #NHL RE-scheduled a game on a night the #oilers planned a funeral for a former teammate. Laying him to rest almost a year to the day he died. This was the perfect weekend because they had it off. Connor McDavid reiterating my thoughts post game.
— Quinn Phillips (@QJPhillips) April 11, 2021
Good for Connor McDavid.
So often he says the politically correct thing. Not this time.
It was disrespectful of the NHL to reschedule a game to the day of Colby Cave’s memorial.
It’s not about a 5-0 loss. It was the wrong thing to do and the NHL should wear it. https://t.co/GEJjoaxKfq— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) April 11, 2021
To recap: the Oilers held a memorial for Colby Cave on Saturday morning – a day that was meant to be off for the team. When the league rescheduled games postponed due to COVID, they added one that evening. The Oilers were shutout, and McDavid was quite upset at the way it was handled – rightfully so.
Bad Blood
Another blockbuster trade happened this weekend:
BREAKING: Taylor Hall ➡️ the Boston Bruins. 👀 pic.twitter.com/K8fc1sgcNK
— theScore (@theScore) April 12, 2021
That’s right! The talk of the town is Taylor Hall driving on down to Boston in a hurry to get the hell out of Buffalo.
But then! He also had to play his new ex the following night. El oh el.
While it wasn’t easy, and took them to the shootout to do it, Hall and his new teammates got the W against the Sabres. Insert “what, like it’s hard” meme here.
Bits and Pieces
Some quick hits around the league:
Felicia Weeren and her fiancee Alex Wennberg announced today that they were expecting their first child.
— Alison (@AlisonL) April 4, 2021
Um, WOAH. Per Stars PR:
Dallas Stars Head Coach Rick Bowness will not return to the bench for the third period due to COVID protocols.
Assistant Coach John Stevens will assume head coaching responsibilities for the remainder of the game.
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) April 5, 2021
And, The King is out for the season:
Henrik Lundqvist says inflammation around his heart has ended his comeback bid with the Capitals this season https://t.co/1beoD88HBv
— RMNB (@russianmachine) April 11, 2021
We wish Hank all the best on his road to full recovery, and applaud him for putting his health first.
That’s all she wrote, folks. Catch ya next week!
