Every week, we’ll update you on all the important musings in the hockey world over the past seven days — from the NHL and beyond.
There were plenty of viral happenings around the game last week. From Patrik Laine’s power-play wizardry, to the Sabres’ nasty skid, a father-son fight, Kevin He making history, more drama in N.Y.C., as well as concerns over the Canadian dollar and NHL revenues. Then mix that in with some quick highlights thanks to Macklin Magic, Brady Tkachuk, and an officiating clown show.
Here’s the top sights, sounds and news you might have missed in hockey last week.
Patrik Laine off to bonkers start with Canadiens
When the Montreal Canadiens acquired Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets last summer, the team was banking on a bounce-back of sorts from the once-elite NHL goal-scorer.
There’s no way the Habs could have expected this, though.
Laine has found his groove again, kicking his Montreal tenure off on an absolute heater with eight goals in his first nine games with the Canadiens. What makes his hit start so much more ridiculous is the fact that all eight of Laine’s markers have come in the power play.
TVA Sports displayed a wild graphic after Laine potted his 8th PP marker of the season against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, noting that the former second-overall pick has more power-play goals this season than every team except for two.
His big breakout night came against the Buffalo Sabres last Tuesday, when he tallied his first hat trick with his new team.
Of course, all three were on the power play. This one-timer is completely outrageous.
To top it all off, the 26-year-old was as humble as ever after his breakthrough night.
“I think overall, at least for myself, it was kind of an average game. If you take away the goals, I’ve had a million times better games than that & had zero goals. On the PP, it went in. Outside of that, I would call it a pretty average performance for myself today…,” Laine said after scoring THREE TIMES against the Sabres.
Laine, who has already matched his points output and surpassed his goal total from last season in just nine games this year, has been making all the right moves in Montreal so far.
The Fin suffered a left knee sprain after a brutal collision with Toronto Maple Leafs minor-league forward Cedric Pare in the preseason, forcing Laine to miss two months to begin the 2024-25 campaign and putting a damper on the start of his Canadiens tenure.
Laine returned to the lineup on Dec. 3, scoring a goal and receiving multiple standing ovations and chants from the Montreal faithful in his debut.
Sabres trudging through nasty 13-game slide
The Sabres have been slogging their was through a losing streak for the ages to start the 2024-25 campaign, dropping its last 13 games.
It was especially bad for Buffalo last week, with the club going 0-4 — with all four losses coming against Atlantic Division rivals — while being outscored 20-8.
Fans and and media pundits alike both have the same view of this squad: they absolutely stink. An easy target for online mockery, too.
13 losses in a row
Nobody waived, nobody claimed, zero trades, not a soul in the entire organization fired
This stuff gets to this length for a reason, you know how unserious you have to be about winning do nothing at like game 8-10?
— A a r o n (@23sabres) December 22, 2024
Buffalo Sabres are really not a good hockey team
— Andrew Raycroft (@AndrewRaycroft) December 22, 2024
During the 13-game slide, the Sabres have been outscored 54-28 while dropping 10 of those 13 games in regulation. Buffalo, which sits 8th out of eight teams in the Atlantic and is tied with the equally-horrendous Blackhawks for last place in the NHL, has won just 11 of its first 23 games to start the season while being outscored 119-97.
There is a glimmer of hope in sight for the Sabres, who face the struggling New York Islanders with a chance to snap the losing streak on Monday night.
Father and son duke it out in Saskatchewan senior league
The Perdue Pirates, a Saskatchewan-based senior team, had its fan appreciation night on Saturday, and boy oh boy was it one for the books.
The home-side Pirates scored an egregious 18 goals in front of their fans in a blowout win, but that wasn’t even close to the wildest part of the night — that honour belongs to a wild third-period tilt between Langham Vikings’ Chris Ewen (47) and Pirates Tyler Driedger (27), who just happen to be … father and son.
Looks like Ewen (white jersey) was able to get the final blow and take down his son. Right before Christmas, too.
Pirates assistant coach Mike Gray noted after the game that the father-versus-son throw-down, which had the entire arena buzzing, was somewhat pre-planned.
“We knew it was coming,” said Gray, via West Central Online. “It didn’t just happen. Chris and Tyler talked about having a little fun if the game was lopsided, and it was, so away they went.”
Gray added:
“The whole town was there… It was a big night because we had the fan appreciation night setup, and word got out that this [father-son fight] might happen, so kind of packed the arena and it was fun.”
The Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League just hits different.
Kevin He makes history
Forward Kevin He inked a three-year, entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets last week, making him the first Chinese-born player to sign a deal with an NHL team.
The 18-year-old captain of the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, was born in Beijing. He moved to Canada with his family when he was six years old, eventually getting selected in the 109th overall in the 2024 NHL draft.
Coming off a 30-goal campaign in 2023-24, he has 47 points, including 24 goals, through 31 games with the IceDogs this season.
Andong Song, a blueliner drafted 172nd overall by the Islanders back in 2015, is the only other Chinese-born player to be drafted to the league, but he never ended up with New York or any other NHL club.
Also, this is hilarious:
Rangers stay in headlines amid another drama-filled week
The week after trading away captain Jacob Trouba and signing goalie Ilya Shesterkin to the largest goalie contract in NHL history, the Rangers had another week full of change and headlines.
On Wednesday, the Rangers parted ways with former top prospect and No. 2 overall pick Kaapo Kakko, trading him o Seattle for defenceman Will Borgen, along with a third- and sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Kakko has seemed to be disgruntled with his role for a little while now, and that sentiment appeared to bubble over when he was healthy-scratched for a game last Tuesday.
#NYR Kaapo Kakko: “Haven’t been on the ice too much when [opponents] score a goal… I have not been the worst guy, but that was me out of the lineup.”
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) December 17, 2024
He was traded the very next day, though the forward seemed to be in okay spirits about it.
A funny tidbit that Kakko casually dropped in while explaining how he found out about the trade. He said he had just come out of the sauna and saw he had three missed calls from Drury 🔥 😂
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) December 19, 2024
Meanwhile, forward Matt Rempe found himself in trouble with the league’s department of justice once again last week, taking an eight-game suspension for this brutal hit on Dallas Stars blueliner Miro Heiskanen.
Rempe has now been booted FOUR times in first 22 NHL games, averaging an ejection every five games.
The Canadian dollar has been dipping pretty heavily of late, and it could have a dramatic effect on NHL revenues and the salary cap.
Hockey Insider Frank Seravalli noted some fascinating numbers last week, saying that every one-cent drop in the value of the Canadian Dollar relative to the USD could cause hockey-related revenue (HRR) to fall by around $20 million.
The Canadian 🇨🇦 dollar dropped below 0.70 USD cents today for the first time since 2002.
Of course, the #NHL and #NHLPA are watching closely, with billion(s) of hockey-related revenue earned in Canadian funds.
Quick back of napkin math: Each cent down= ~$20 million in HRR lost.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) December 18, 2024
Both the players’ union and the league, as Seravalli noted, will be following these figures closely.
The NHL and NHLPA split all HRR right now the middle, while the league’s salary cap is based on those figures.
The lower revenues are and the lower the salary cap falls, the less the players get paid.
Dangle of the Week: Macklin Magic
First-overall pick Macklin Celebrini has arrived, and he’s beautiful.
The rookie sensation has sniped his fair share this season, but arguably his most slick play of his early career was one that didn’t end up in the back of the net.
Just watch this move along the boards against Colorado Avalanche defenceman Sam Girard.
Sheesh.
Celebrini has brought light to the Sharks’ rebuild this season, potting 11 goals and 23 points in 24 games.
Quote of the week: Brady Tkachuk’s ‘face for radio’
Senators captain Brady Tkachuk buried his 10th career overtime goal to seal a victory for Ottawa against Calgary last Thursday.
He was all smiles following the contest, but shocked even himself when a glimpse of his own mug caught his attention during a post-game interview with TSN.
TSN Senators commentator Dean Brown shared that Tkachuk reportedly underwent some hefty mouth-reconstruction the following day:
“Brady Tkachuk spent 90 mins in the dentists chair yesterday here in Van. The tooth he lost was a cap so they replaced that and while some other teeth were moved around, it appears he won’t lose them. He told us his mouth is still very tender with the 9 stitches on the inside,” Brown wrote on X.
That is some serious repair work.
Blooper of the week: Officiating ineptitude
Some absolute tomfoolery went on last week during a Flyers-Red Wings contest, when a ref raised his arm to call a penalty against Detroit, but then changed his mind, which resulted in a Flyers player jumping on the ice. The officials would then make a call on the Flyers, but ultimately had it cancelled upon further discussion, too.
Catch all that?
The beautiful game.