Blake’s Takes: Tampa Bay Wins the Stanley Cup

After the NHL season was paused in March, no one was sure if we would see the Stanley Cup lifted. Well, the circumstances surrounding the Stanley Cup Final may have been odd and unexpected, but, the Stanley Cup was awarded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In this week’s column, I’ll explore how the Lightning’s legacy has changed with their Stanley Cup win.

The rest of the league was busy last week, too! I’ll share my takes on a few notable signings and trades. Happy Tuesday!

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Blake’s Takes: Cup Finals Almost Set

After everything the NHL has been through since March, we’re a maximum of six games away from the Stanley Cup Finals. Both series are going into Game 5 with one team up 3-1. I’ll highlight each series as well as a few other notable storylines around the NHL.

P.S. I need the Stanley Cup Finals to start ASAP to take my mind off another soul-crushing Detroit Lions loss.

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Blake’s Takes: Game Sevens Galore

2020 finally showed us mercy and gave us three game sevens in one round of playoff hockey. We deserved it. In all seriousness, last week was an awesome week for the NHL, as three out of four playoff series went to a game seven. I’ll share my thoughts on each of those series as well as a few notable stories that impacted the hockey world.

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Blake’s Takes: Fleury Stabbed in the Back

We’ve made it to the second round of the playoffs. That has created drama on and off the ice. In the past week, coaches have been fired and agents have posted controversial tweets, among other things. Keep reading to learn about the entertaining week that was in the NHL.

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Blake’s Takes: The Playoffs Are Set

Sunday night marked the end of the Qualifying round and the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The most important takeaway of that sentence is that the NHL has succeeded in building a bubble to protect players and staff from COVID-19. Because of that, the odds that a Stanley Cup champion will be crowned in 2020 look higher than ever.

The Qualifying Round was exciting and upsets were plentiful. In this week’s column, I’ll revisit some of the most notable matchups of the Qualifying Round and a few other interesting tidbits from the last week.

Keep staying safe everyone.

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Blake’s Takes: The Move to Phase 3

This week, I’ll share my thoughts on the founding of The Hockey Diversity Alliance. Hopefully, this group can much-needed change in regard to diversity in the hockey community. In other news, the league also announced a date to move into Phase 3 which will allow teams to host training camp.

Stay safe out there everyone!

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Puck Junk Podcast: June 5, 2020

The NHL and Racial Justice

In this episode, Sal Barry is joined by guest co-host Blake Isaacs, the author of the weekly Blake’s Takes column. They discuss the reaction to the past week of violence and civil unrest by the NHL and some of its players. Sal and Blake also talk about the Red Wings’ next team captain and the logo design for the Henderson Silver Knights.

Show Notes and Links:
Shea Weber’s statement (NHL.com)
John Tavares’ statement (Twitter)
Jonathan Toews’ statement (Instagram)
NHL statement calls on racial justice (NHL.com)
How J.T Brown’s protest reveals the worst of hockey’s racist and political bias (SB Nation)
John Vanbiesbrouck Resigns After Using Racial Slur (New York Times)
List of Bail Funds for Protestors across the Country (via GitHub)
Black Lives Matter Chicago (official website)
Henderson Silver Knights logo details (picture)
Henderson Silver Knights official website
Toledo Walleye logo (picture)
Peoria Rivermen logo, circa 2006 (picture)
Lansing Lugnuts Mascot “Big Lug” (picture)
Kia Soul commercial with hamsters (YouTube)

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Blake Isaacs on Twitter @bisaacs1995.
Podcast music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Podchaser, PocketCasts, Castbox , Castro,
Overcast, TuneIn and SoundCloud.

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Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■

Puck Junk Podcast: January 22, 2020

The Upcoming 2020 NHL All-Star Game, plus Patrick Kane and Gerard Gallant

In this week’s episode of the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast, Sal Barry and Tim Parish talk about the upcoming 2020 NHL All-Star Game — including the 3-on-3 women’s game that will take place during the Skills Competition. Plus, Gerard Gallant’s firing, Patrick Kane joining the 1000-point club, and more. This podcast is 1 hour and 5 minutes of pure hockey goodness!

Show Notes and Links:
Here is what the 2020 NHL All-Star Game jerseys look like (picture).
And here is a visual history of NHL All-Star Game jerseys (pictures).
Did you see Dougie Hamilton’s leg injury? Ouch! (video)

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG.
Podcast intro and ending music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Podchaser, PocketCasts, Castbox , Castro,
Overcast, TuneIn and SoundCloud.

Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop. ■

Blake’s Takes: Milestone Watch

Last week, we saw two of the game’s best players reach tremendous milestones. We also saw a milestone reached off the ice. And, as is tradition this season, another team in the hunt for the playoffs fired their coach. Read all about it below!

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2019 Calder Cup Preview: Charlotte Checkers vs. Chicago Wolves

The 2019 American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Finals start on Saturday (schedule here). The Charlotte Checkers, who are affiliated with the Carolina Hurricanes, take on the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the Las Vegas Golden Knights. AHL teams only play against teams within their conference during the regular season, so this is the first time this year that the Checkers will take on the Wolves.

Jim Howard, Puck Junk’s resident “Caniac,” and Sal Barry, who has followed the Chicago Wolves the past 25 years, give their insight as to which team will win. Either way, it won’t be a sweep.

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