News Roundup 8/23/24
(WARNNG: This article is NSFW and contains discussions of sexual assault)
Wow. What a month that ended up being. Yes, I know August isn’t over but this is the one and only News Roundup for the month, and frankly, I could’ve released this earlier. Normally August is a dead month for hockey news. Not so much this year! So, let’s go over everything that happened since the last News Roundup.
Just a quick reminder: I will be going on a two-week break from this blog starting on August 25 and ending on September 8. There MIGHT be a few articles released during that time, but no promises. It really just depends if I can finish them before the break starts. I just need a bit of a break from this blog before hockey starts and by the time I come back the regular season will be underway in a lot of European leagues. So, if I don’t get it in now, it’s not happening at all. And I need it. I love writing this newsletter but man, it can get tiring sometimes. The hockey season is almost here and coverage will be going full-steam starting in September.
The first news story since the last News Roundup actually happened at the end of July, and it was the news that former Ottawa Senators assistant coach, Bob Jones, died at age 54. He was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) back in December 2022, while coaching for the team.
After this, the next big story was Evengy Kuznetsov going to the KHL. He still had a year left on his NHL contract but it was mutually terminated so he could join SKA St. Petersburg (or as everyone calls it: SKA). After signing with SKA, he had an interview where he revealed that he had rheumatoid arthritis and, according to DeepL translate (and posted by The Hockey News), he said “...no one really believed me. (General manager) Brian MacLellan didn't even know that I had been suffering all year." He claimed to have repeatedly complained about it but no one listened. He took pills and shots for a year and barely slept. It seems as if this was the reason or at least a major reason, why he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
Speaking of the KHL, Michael McLeod is the next NHL player to join the top Russian league. If that name sounds familiar it’s because he is one of the five members of the 2018 Canadian WJC team to be charged with sexual assault by London Police. He actually received two sexual assault charges for “aiding someone else in committing the offense”. His contract is a one-year contract with Barys Astana, which is in Kazakhstan. How on earth he’s allowed to go to Europe to play hockey is something I do not understand, but yes, the alleged rapist is now playing hockey in the KHL.
That isn’t the only news relating to the five alleged rapists, though. It’s been announced that Justice Bruce Thomas has been assigned to the case and will oversee their trial. The dates for the trial have yet to be announced but is expected to begin either April 21 or September 8, 2025. The trial is expected to last eight weeks.
Unfortunately, that isn’t the last of news regarding alleged Canadian rapists. The 2003 Canadian WJC team continues to be in the news as Halifax police have recently stated that a number of people have come forward to provide information about the incident.
In the final piece of news regarding sexual crime in hockey in Canada, Daniel Caissy, who was a youth hockey coach in the 1980s was convicted of sexual assault earlier this month. His sentence will be 18 months of house arrest. According to the victim, he was sixteen at the time of the assault, which happened after Caissy, his coach at the time, invited the victim to sleep over at his house. When the victim came over, Caissy then assaulted him. This was the only sexual incident between them.
In other news, York Regional Police Services officers investigating the death of former hockey player Ben Teague have been found “negligent” by Ontario Provincial Police. Ben Teague was 17 years old when he died during a “team building” event for the Oakville Rangers, who he played for. It was a two-day event and during the first night, Teague and his teammates drank alcohol. At about 5 a.m. he informed his coaches he felt pain in his leg and an ambulance was called. He was pronounced dead at 7:07 a.m. This happened five years ago. According to the OPP, the investigators have still, after all this time, not interviewed all of the Rangers players or personnel at the event.
Continuing the trend of legal matters, but less serious this time, Canadian junior hockey player Rylan Masterson has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against the NCAA and 10 universities. The lawsuit alleges that their policy of not allowing players who have played a game for a major-junior team violates antitrust laws. As the lawsuit points out, Tom Willander who currently plays hockey for Boston University, played pro hockey in Sweden before joining the NCAA. Masterson played in two exhibition games for the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL in 2022. Because of this, he is no longer eligible for the NCAA. Currently the 19-year-old plays for the Fort Erie Meteors in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Moving on the Saint Louis Blues decided to create some August chaos by doing something rare: offer sheeting other teams restricted free agents. In this case, the offer sheets went to two Edmonton Oilers players. Those players are Philip Broberg (offered a two-year contract worth $4.58 million a year) and Dylan Holloway (offered a two-year contract worth $2.29 million a year). The Edmonton Oilers did not match, making these players now members of the Blues. Doug Armstrong, the General Manager of the Blues, had this to say, "This is a tool that I think everyone uses & should use. I think it was reported that I wouldn't have done this to Kenny Holland. That's the furthest thing from the truth. Quite honestly, I'd do it to my mother if she was managing the Oilers."
For the last story regarding the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers have terminated the contract of Ryan Johansen due to a “material breach”. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, said, “...at issue is the injury that prevented Johansen from playing games for Philadelphia after being traded from Colorado.” His agent, Kurt Overhardt, and the NHLPA, have said they’re looking into this matter.
Taylor Wenczkowski, who won the Isobel Cup in the PHF with the Boston Pride in back-to-back years (2021 and 2022) and named Playoff MVP in 2022, has announced her retirement from hockey. She signed with PWHL Boston last season and only had two points, both being goals in the playoffs.
Amanda Kessel who was drafted by PWHL Boston in this year’s draft, has announced she will not be playing in the PWHL this season. Instead, she will be serving as Manager of Minor League Operations for the Pittsburgh Penguins and an assistant GM for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.
Finally, let's talk about capitalism and how it ruins everything, including hockey. CCM, the hockey equipment company is about to be sold by Birch Hill Equity Partners for more than $570 million. Under their current private equity owner, CCM has doubled revenue and boosted profits. The price of equipment by CCM is expected to significantly increase (because hockey equipment isn't expensive enough). No, an increase in quality is not expected. Bauer Hockey and True Hockey are also expected to sell soon (and I would expect equipment from them to also significantly increase in price).
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