Updates on the 2021 Season, Reverse Retro Jerseys, and Fan Confidence in the Front Office

Here are some of the news stories that got our attention this week:

• We recently got a few more updates on the NHL’s plan for the 2021 season. The NHL, TSN and Sportsnet all had good write-ups of Bettman’s most recent media availability. /

Bettman is adamant that he won’t ask players to play a whole season in a bubble, which makes sense considering how this year’s playoffs went. It sounds like the plan is to have a sort of hybrid bubble system, with teams spending a few weeks in a bubble, playing a bunch of games, then going back home for a bit before entering another bubble.

He also mentioned that travel will be complicated, especially across the US-Canada border, and that they might be forced to change up the divisions a bit to accommodate that reality. It certainly gives us hope for the possibility of an all-Canadian division.

Of course, none of this is set in stone — Bettman didn’t rule out the possibility of teams being able to play in their own areas — but it definitely seems like we’re getting closer to a decision.

• Speaking of the potential all-Canadian bubble, TSN spoke to a few players on Canadian teams about the idea, and they all agreed that it would be a strange situation. Personally, I’m still angry that Jean-Gabriel Pageau wouldn’t get to participate.
• Adidas and the NHL are teasing new “Reverse Retro” jerseys for all the teams. The Sens tweeted this out:/

#ReverseRetro @adidashockey pic.twitter.com/fAADrUUbqr

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 10, 2020

We’ve been spoiled with new jersey releases lately, haven’t we?

This better be a new SNES jersey.

• For anyone interested in how Erik Karlsson has been doing on the Sharks, JFresh recently wrote about his elite status in 2020, and how his game has changed since 2017.
• On a completely unrelated note, The Athletic just released their NHL front office rankings, based on fan opinion. I know a few people were surprised to see the Sens so low given how well they did in the draft, but personally I’m surprised they weren’t 31st.
• In the days since Alex Trebek’s death, tributes have continued to pour in from all over the hockey world. Check out this video from the NHL, and this cool story from The Hockey News about how Trebek almost became the host of Hockey Night in Canada.
• Speaking of HNIC, It has officially been one year since Don Cherry was fired (a day I also remember as the day I recovered from malaria. Coincidence? Seems unlikely). Ken Cambell has an excellent piece on how the hockey world - and Hockey Night in Canada - has changed since his departure. There are obviously a lot of factors that have gone into the change in hockey culture that’s happened over the last year, but the piece really does put things into perspective. It’s well worth a read. /

I still think Poppy and I should’ve replaced him.