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The Lightning have won the 2021 Stanley Cup. This team thrives off unusual circumstances. They have now won a Stanley Cup in the middle of a pandemic in a bubble in Edmonton, and won another at the tail end of the pandemic during a truncated season. This column will be mostly dedicated to the Lightning and their accomplishments.
It won’t be all Tampa Bay, though. My last two takes will be a little spicy and cover two topics I think all of you will enjoy reading about.
Happy Monday!
In this week’s column, I’ll share my thoughts on the Stanley Cup Finals so far, and touch on a few other notable storylines around the league.
Happy Tuesday!
The Stanley Cup Finals are set. The defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning will square off against the underdog Montreal Canadiens. I’m excited to watch such an interesting matchup. If Tampa Bay wins, they’ll be the first team since 2017 to win back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships. If Montreal wins, they’ll be the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup since they did it back in 1993. Game One is tonight. Buckle your seatbelts.
I’m back after a week off and we’re right in the thick of the Conference Finals. Both series are nearing their end as both matchups have given us amazing hockey. This week, I’ll take a look at both matchups and the four teams that are still alive.
I’ll also share a few of my favorite stories from across the league, including two notable extensions and one fun and inclusive hire in the Pacific Northwest. Happy Tuesday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: Stalemates in the Conference Finals”
We have finally reached the NHL playoffs. In this week’s column, I’ll deliver a few takes that will tie up some loose ends from the regular season. After this week, playoff hockey will be priority number one.
This week’s set of takes are still top-tier. The NHL celebrated a few major milestones last week. I’ll give you all my two cents about each of those and one notable player’s return from injury.
Happy Monday!
It was a rather quiet week in the hockey world. That gave me the opportunity to write about some of my favorite random things I saw throughout the week. That includes Stanley Cup championship rings, NHL records being broken, and very difficult goals to swallow.
Happy Monday!
Another exciting week in the NHL. Unfortunately, there was some sad news as Brent Seabrook decided to retire due to injury. I’ll provide some context and honor him as he deserves to be honred. I’ll also touch on a few other important honors as well as a horribly tone-deaf coaching hire.
Happy Monday!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: Brent Seabrook Hangs Up the Skates”
NHL news has been plentiful over the past week. Right after I submitted my column for last week, the NHL announced firm plans for this season’s divisional alignment and playoff structure. I’ll comment on that news as well as a few additional major announcements around the league.
I hope everyone who celebrates had a Merry Christmas and celebrates New Year’s Eve safely.
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: One Step Closer to Next Season”
I’m back after a two-week hiatus. I hope everyone ate themselves sick during Thanksgiving or just another Thursday for our Canadian readers. Most of all, I hope everyone stayed safe.
It’s been an odd last two weeks. The biggest news was Tampa Bay inking Mikhail Sergachev to an extension. The rest of my takes this week will cast a wide net from interesting to flat out weird. If I accomplish anything this week, I hope you learn something.
And if you don’t learn anything, at least listen to this song. But, if you don’t like my column, you probably won’t like the song either.
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: Evander Kane’s Twitter Brawl”
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!
Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: Tampa Bay Wins the Stanley Cup”
