Blake’s Takes: Hockey is in Full Swing

We enter week two of NHL games and my fantasy hockey team looks better than ever. My takes this week have some variety. From players with damaged reputations, extensions, and major business deals, these takes have it all.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Auston Matthews Named NHL 22 Cover Athlete

It’s been a slower few weeks around the NHL and hockey community. It gives me some time to catch up on a few of the major stories that dominated headlines over the last week or two. This week, I’ll address a few notable extensions, EA Sports’ NHL 22 cover star, and unfortunate death in the hockey community.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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Blake’s Takes: Kaprizov to KHL?

This week’s main headline is Kirill Kaprizov and the Minnesota Wild’s contractual stalemate. Will the Russian phenom really return to the KHL? I’ll add my two cents this week on the matter.

I’ll also continue catching up on a few of the major trades and acquisitions from the last few weeks.

Have a great Tuesday!

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Blake’s Takes: The 2021 NHL Playoffs Are Underway

We are in the midst of the first round of the 2021 NHL Playoffs. Some teams have already been eliminated, and some teams are still fighting for their playoff lives. Regardless, this is what we’ve been waiting for. 

This week’s takes will focus on a few of the most notable postseason storylines, including a noteworthy suspension, a serious injury, and an unsurprising playoff standout.

Happy Tuesday.

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Blake’s Takes: Big Moves at the Trade Deadline

The dust has settled and the 2021 trade deadline is behind us. Two major trades occurred during the deadline in addition to a plethora of other smaller deals that will surely pay dividends come playoff time. Other than the deadline, last week we saw three NHLers play in their 1,000th game, the Frozen Four champion was crowned, and the Memorial Cup was canceled. Read all about it here.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: The 2021 Season Kicks Off

The NHL season is back and we are underway. There were so many storylines to pick from and choosing only five was a tough ask. This week, I’ll give my two cents on two of the NHL’s newest captains and a few instances of positive change on the diversity front.

For a few teams in the NHL, this week was monumental. It was also huge for the league as a whole as they successfully returned to play amidst the ever-present coronavirus for the second time.

Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Team USA Wins the World Junior Championships

NHL games start in a few days. That’s the most important thing about this week. However, last week still provided a ton of news from around the league. We saw another captain named, one of the game’s greats retire, and the end of the World Junior Championships in Edmonton. The NHL also announced a few of their unconventional business plans. I’ll speak to it all in this week’s column. Happy Monday!

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Blake’s Takes: Rask Opts Out, Rangers Win the Lottery

The headlines were plentiful around the NHL last week. So plentiful, in fact, that I had to change the title of my column three times because major things kept happening. We had a number one goalie opt-out of the playoffs mid-series, the draft lottery winner was revealed, and we saw a game go into five overtimes. Keep reading to catch up on all the news around the NHL.

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Blake’s Takes: Racism in Hockey

The most important thing I can share are my thoughts on the radical racial injustices occurring in this country. These injustices are abhorrent and I needed to speak out. My comments will tie into hockey, of course. But, hockey is only a vehicle to illustrate how we need to improve. I hope this makes some of you outraged and encourages you to speak out. I also hope it makes some of you uncomfortable and more willing to listen to your fellow humans that just happen to look different than you. This is a time for all of us to get involved and improve as people. We need to stop the horrific injustice towards black people and other minorities in the US and Canada.

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Blake’s Takes: AHL Cancels Remainder of its Season

I’m glad I pushed my column back a day because a lot happened yesterday. Most notably, the AHL canceled the remainder of their season. I’ll give my take on it and give a few special shoutouts to AHL players. Also, a few reports published yesterday raised some eyebrows in the NHL community. 

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