Hockey cards, collectibles and culture
Last week wasn’t kind to coaches and GMs around the league, as two of them are out of a job. I’ll share my thoughts on those two vacancies. More importantly, I’ll shed some light on two of my favorite positive storylines around the NHL and share a video that should provide you all with some laughs.
Happy Monday!
I didn’t pick the best week to go on vacation. While I was gone, the Blackhawks scandal developed in full, and Jack Eichel was finally traded. I’ll lead off with both of those topics in this column. As usual, I’ll share my thoughts on a few other notable stories across the NHL.
Happy Monday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: Blackhawks Scandal Continues and Jack Eichel Gets Traded”
Welcome back to my column. One day late but better late than never. This week, I’ll lead with the Arizona Coyotes on the verge of homelessness after this season. I’ll also share my thoughts on one NHL coaches’ quest for new work as well as a few player milestones.
Happy Tuesday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: Coyotes in Search of a New Home”
As the offseason continues to roll on, it gives the NHL time to get their affairs in order, too. Last week, the NHL released its vaccination requirements for all league and team personnel. I’ll start with my thoughts on those requirements this week. As promised, the remainder of my takes will examine some major offseason transactions over the last week or two.
Happy Monday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: NHL Releases Vaccination Requirements”
Barely a week after the Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup, the offseason has entered full swing. The expansion draft is on Wednesday, and the Kraken have an exclusive negotiating window with all UFAs until then.
In this week’s column, I’ll share my thoughts on who could suit up for the Kraken this fall, a number of high-profile offseason moves, and one notable retirement.
Just like the Golden State Warriors, the Maple Leafs have blown a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Is it the Drake curse?
Regardless, the Maple Leafs couldn’t get it done. I’m sure the entire hockey universe will be talking about this for years to come. That is this week’s first take.
My other takes highlight some of my favorite moments from Game 1 between the ‘Avs and Golden Knights. That game alone provided two worthy takes. My last two takes are a surprise. Keep reading for some great hockey content.
Happy Tuesday!
This was one of the more exciting weeks in the NHL. The main headline was the drama surrounding Tom Wilson wreaking havoc on the New York Rangers. Wilson was a one-man wrecking crew, cross-checking and punching guys every chance he got. I’ll go into detail about his high-profile week and why his wallet isn’t as light as it should be.
Outside of Wilson, some of the league’s brightest stars reached historic milestones. If you think hard enough, you can guess who those players are. Keep reading for a great edition of Blake’s Takes.
This week was fun to write about. The big news was that the NHL and ESPN agreed to a new broadcast deal bringing NHL games back to ESPN. In addition to my take on the new broadcast deal, I’ll weigh in on a contract that I predicted a few years ago, as well as my all-time favorite hockey/music collaboration.
Happy Monday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: The NHL Partners with ESPN for New TV Rights”
Last week was perhaps the most exciting week of the NHL season. The league hosted two outdoor games at Lake Tahoe. The broadcast was incredible and the league might have created one of the most-attractive made-for-TV sporting experiences we’ve seen yet. I’ll share my thoughts on the Lake Tahoe experiment in this week’s column.
In addition to the outdoor games, the past week wasn’t short for headlines. New Jersey named their newest captain and a few other milestones were achieved. As usual, I’ll also share with you one of my favorite plays of the week.
Happy Monday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: Outdoor Games at Lake Tahoe”
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.
