Happy Hump Day gossip hounds. I’m sure there are little things we can and will touch on from around the league, but obviously the big story is the @Tom Wilson-New York Rangers-NHL Player Safety saga to wrap our heads around, so we’ll get to that shortly. Let’s start, though, as always, with what’s happening in Leafs-land.
Leafs Lads
Happy birthday Mitch Marner! Everyone’s favorite overgrown Leafs kid is celebrating today:
Happy birthday Mitchy! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/31KiY5tCzn
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 5, 2021
Our still sidelined goalie Frederik Andersen is talking about where he likes to eat in Toronto (when not in lockdown, obviously):
The Dish • Episode Three: Mary Be Kitchen@MastercardCA invited @f_andersen30 to tell us about one of his favourite spots.
Watch here » https://t.co/Mhdbg99ZQ3 pic.twitter.com/f5Ul1GCi1H
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 4, 2021
And the Leafs have signed a new baby player:
🖋 We’ve signed forward Kirill Semyonov to a one year entry-level contract for the 2021-22 season. #LeafsForever
Details » https://t.co/24an8aBcig pic.twitter.com/oEe1jHphw4
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 5, 2021
Welcome to Leafsnation, Kirill. Good luck and godspeed.
At practice today, someone is sporting some new gear:
FOLKS, look who is wearing Felix Potvin pads at practice pic.twitter.com/wcWpD17udy
— David Alter (@dalter) May 5, 2021
Now, to clarify:
BTW, this is Rittich and not Hutchinson. Made for Hutch last year, I wonder if this was just to get him out of the red gear. Rittich and Hitch worked earlier and have since left. https://t.co/gzs9qfz3VS
— David Alter (@dalter) May 5, 2021
Sharing goal pads?? Is this a new thing?
Also, check out the interesting lines at practice:
#Leafs lines at practice:
Thornton-Matthews-Marner
Galchenyuk-Tavares-Nylander
Mikheyev-Kerfoot-Noesen
Engvall-Spezza-SimmondsRielly-Brodie
Muzzin-Holl
Sandin-DermottAndersen
CampbellAbsent: Foligno
Extra: Brooks, Liljegren, Hutton— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) May 5, 2021
Hopefully some of these absences are precautionary, to keep players healthy for the upcoming playoffs:
#Leafs practice attendance summary:
– Nick Foligno (upper-body) is absent
– Zach Hyman (MCL) and Riley Nash (knee) are participating in no-contact red
– Justin Holl is back, wearing a full shield
— Kristen Shilton (@kristen_shilton) May 5, 2021
The Big News
Okay, let’s break this down shall we?
This happened in the Rangers/Capitals game the other night –
@NHL @NHLPlayerSafety @cam_manning133 How many times does it take for Tom Wilson to illegally hit someone to take action? 10, 11, 12 times? He is endangering players like never before! Do better, take action! pic.twitter.com/vbv2ncejzR
— Benjamin Aliber (@baliber24) May 4, 2021
There was a ton of uproar and calls for major repercussions for Wilson.
Alas –
Washington’s Tom Wilson has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for Roughing NY Rangers’ Pavel Buchnevich.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 4, 2021
Womp womp.
BUT THEN!
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 4, 2021
OH SH!T!
So to recap: Scrum during game, Wilson does some questionable stuff, he doesn’t get appropriately penalized by NHL player safety – all of this? Par for the course with the NHL. But a major market team calling out the league, Player Safety, and demanding that GEORGE PARROS BE REMOVED? Not so par for the course!!!!
Now, to top it off, THE TWO TEAMS PLAY AGAIN TONIGHT!!!!!!
What will happen??????
Quick Hits
I guess there are other teams and other things to touch on, so let’s take a quick look around the league:
Sidney Crosby fighting??? What is in the water this season?
Sidney Crosby and Travis Konecny got into a wrestling match. 😬#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/5H6DFw0KGC
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 5, 2021
Aww, we love a good baby goalie fairytale:
28 year old rookie goalie Michael Houser has just won his first 2 NHL games on back to back nights. Tonight 45 saves and a shootout win for Buffalo against the Islanders. An amazing story
— David Amber (@DavidAmber) May 5, 2021
More baby players getting their shot!
Alex Newhook will make his NHL debut today, Jared Bednar says on Altitude. #Avs
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) May 5, 2021
We love to see it.
Keep your eyes on that Rangers/Capitals game tonight, friends. it’s gonna be a doozy.
Happy Hump Day!
