Sens Abroad, Playoffs Get Underway & More

With the Senators heading into the offseason, Ottawa related news is likely to be at a premium over the next few weeks as 16 teams begin the battle for Lord Stanley.

• On Friday, Hockey Canada announced that Jacob Bernard-Docker would join Team Canada in place of an injured Kevin Bahl. Bernard-Docker will look to continue his sterling record of international play as he’s only once represented Team Canada in the past when he brought home Gold with the World Junior team in 2020.
• It was also confirmed on Friday that Nick Paul and Connor Brown would be joining Team Canada. Like JBD, Paul also has a World Junior Gold to his name whereas this will be the first time he’ll represent Canada on the international stage.
• Pierre Dorion had his year end press conference on Friday morning. A clearly optimistic Dorion was all smiles as he spoke about the successes of this season.
• Ahead of their match against the Maple Leafs, the Montreal Canadiens announced that Brendan Gallagher and Carey Price would be available for the playoffs but would head to Laval for an AHL conditioning stint first.
• Craig Anderson got another crack at NHL Playoff action when the Capitals lost starting goalie Vitek Vanecek to injury in the first period. The Capitals ended up with the win, further proving that Anderson is clutch when it counts.
• The Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association is moving forward with its bid to establish an economically sustainable professional league in North America. At the moment, the NHL has taken the position that it will not be able to operate a women’s league in the near future. That can change but the PWHPA will be moving ahead with its plan regardless of the NHL’s involvement.
• Just days after the season finale, Eugene Melnyk was back in the media again for less than ideal reasons./