#k. kaprizov

[puckgoss]

ASG anon again!

Damn, I wish I knew more about that. A colleague that works for the Leafs told me that Matthews likes to keep up with his sports. He follows updates of the NHL, PWHL, and golfing. Don’t know if they were watching that weekend though 🤔

I’ll try and remember a few memorable interactions:

McDavid and Matthews: the most hockey conversation ever. Two dudes who are all about the puck, so funny watching them both talk to each other in (I know I use this word a lot but it’s the best way to describe it) such a bro way. “Dude” “Yeah dude” “Oh no, yeah, for sure” “No really dude” “Holy!”

I remember now I forgot to include something I should have said way before. Filip Forsberg was so cute with the kids backstage, full-on dad mode. Very wholesome moment with Trocheck’s kids and he carried them in such a natural way (Vincent should learn to be better for his kids). I am rooting for him this season!

Morgan Rielly and Sam Reinhart are super tight! Didn’t know how much before. On drafting day it was so funny Reinhart said to Rielly to “pick the beasts then pick him”. Funny because I actually really enjoy watching Reinhart play more than I enjoy Rielly but that’s just me haha

Boone Jenner and his wife are adorable. Heard the news about their son and it made me super sad because all he talked about was becoming a dad. Feel for him and actually like him a lot. She’s also so supportive of him, their whole family was there and she looks genuinely into the game unlike other partners.

Sebastian Aho and Jeremy Swayman are now good buddies too. Don’t know if they were before. Aho is clearly an introvert, but so polite in the same way Swayman is so I can see how they vibe.

Got the vibes Kaprizov doesn’t really like Kyle Connor. Ignored him all weekends except at the beginning. Also side eyed him. Not kidding. Like a high school girl haha don’t know why. Will let you know if I find out anything!

they would not survive a day lol. i get it's not everyone's cup of tea but it's not like i'm going and sending them weird shit abt their fanfics, i stay in my lane and they should learn to stay in theirs

mcdavid & matthews: they played together during the NHL world cup thing in 2016 and spend a lot of time at media events etc together so it makes sense they were chatting etc!

trocheck: wow do better buddy

forsberg: that's very cute, i think his wife is expecting too

rielly & reinhart: i've actually posted abt this before - they've been friends since childhood! they grew up together :)

boone jenner: really nice to hear abt him and his fam. that news of them losing their baby was so sad. really hoping for the best for them

aho & swayman: aw that's sweet!

kaprizov & connor: the wild and the jets were feuding all season lol some very contentious games so that doesn't surprise me

[thenhlteaissuperhot]

wait please expand on andrei svechnikov and Alina Zagitova im curious

He apparently tried to hit on her in her comment section two or three years back, but some people called him out for being in a relationship and hitting on someone who also was in a relationship at that time so he deleted the comment quite quickly probably to prevent getting called out by the entire figure skating and hockey gossip Twitter.

Alina is one of the Russian figure skaters, who seems to have a thing for hockey players (believe it or not but the popular figure skater X hockey player pairing is a widespread thing only in Russia) - her dad is a hockey coach so she was around hockey players her whole life, was rumored to be involved with Kaprizov back in 2018, is or was, I am not sure, dating Dima Voronkov - so Andrei presumably thought that he has a chance with her (definitely wanted to live off her fame and hype she had back then as an Olympic medalist and one of the infamous Eteri Tutberidze girls).

[professionalpuckbunny]

@russian wag anon i know that svech tried to hit on alina zagitova who was rumored to have a thing with kirill kaprizov n pyotr kochetkovs ex was a figure skater too

I think both of them run in the same circles but thats all i know. anyone else know anything?

alina zagitova was dating dimitry voronkov

her and kaprizov didn’t hook up during the olympics because she was only 15 (and a fucking gold medalist queen) and he was about 20

[nhlgossips]

He’s not following a donny anymore

^

[hockeystyletea]

Is kirill kaprizov single ?

I'm pretty sure he is

[decipheringsidelines]

MEET THE ROSTER MASTER LIST (A continuously updated post)

The meet the roster site can be found here.

HUGE THANKS TO @puckingproblems FOR HELPING WITH THIS 🫶

I’ll continue to update as people are added, but I’ll also create a post for each explaining why I believe who is who and also to potentially debunk all things posted.

Tiger King - Joe Burrow

Little ‘Roni - Rory McIlroy

Ice Devil - Jack Hughes

Wounded Bird - Caitlyn Clark

Mediocre Duck - Trevor Zegras

Dr. Dutch - Max Verstrappen

DD Dunks - Donte DiVincenzo

Killa Klown - Travis Kelce

Big Bird - Jason Kelce

Sky- Lashes - Angel Reese

Blonde Baller - Cameron Brink

Fresh Fruit - Ricky Pearsall

Pretty Boy - Jalen Hurts

Tin Hat - Aaron Rodgers

Zeus - Justin Herbert

Little bear - Nick Bosa

Big Bear - Joey Bosa

Oxen Free - Ollie Bearman

Mississauga Menace - Vince Dunn

2Pm - Patrick Mahomes

Sad sibling - Quinn Hughes

Home town - cole sillinger

The ace - Kelsey Plum

Sharknado - Mikey Essyimont

Allons-Y - Esteban Ocan

MoanA Lisa - Andrei Svechnikov

The prodigy- Lily He

Bon Bon - Alex Albon

Curly & Confused - Luke Hughes

Puck Baby - Connor Bedard

2 Pretty 2 Play - Mat Barzal

Open Wide - Tee Higgins

Peppa pigskin - Josh Allen

Pasta pro - Tommy Devito

Certified Loverboy -Jordan Love

Eyebrows - Jamie Drysdale

New Kid - Matt Rempe

Play that funky music - Lauri Markkanen

Chubby Cheeks - Kirill Kaprizov

Mr. World Wide Web - Braxton Berrios

Mouthpiece - Matthew Tkachuk

Cupcake - Brooks Koepka

Big Purr - Mac Jones OR Caleb Williams (?)

Four leafed forward - Jayson Tatum

The Viking - William Nylander

UPS - UPL

Goldfish - Noah Hanafin

Greasy K - George kittle

Simba - Spencer Knight

Minnesota airlines - Justin Jefferson

Goldie locks - Trevor Lawrence

Old Head - Sidney Crosby

Oscillate - Jeremy Swayman

Magic Mule - Luka Dončić

Miss USA - Simone Biles

Pirate Skeeze - Paul Skenes

Flying Tigress - Livvy Dunne

Skipper - Dylan Crews

Buddy - Cam York

Paul Bunyan - Connor McDavid

[jocelynscrazyideas]

Masterlist

not sure if I’ll be writing yet- I’m planning on it, just not sure if I’m ready for the creation part. I’ll probably start during off season 🤗

Who I write for: if your desired player is not here, just mention the name, and ill add them to the list!!

A: Alexander Holtz - New Jersey Devils Auston Mathews - Toronto Maple Leafs Adam Fantilli- CBJ

B: Brock Faber- Minnesota Wild Brady Tkachuk- Ottawa Senators Brendan Brisson- Vegas Golden Knight Brodie Ziemer- USNTDP U18/ college commit: U of Minn Brendan McMorrow- USNTDP U18/ Commit to U of Denver

C: Charlie Strobel- University of Minnesota Cole Caufield- Montreal Canadieans

D: Dawson Mercer- New Jersey Devils Dylan Duke- U of Mich/ Tampa Bay Lightning

E: Ethan Edwards- U of Mich/NJD

F: Frank Nazar lll- U of Michigan/Chicago Blackhawks

G: Gavin Brindley- U of Mich/Columbus Blue Jackets Garrett Shifsky- University of MIchigan

H: J: Jack Hughes- New Jersey Devils John Marino- New Jersey Devils Johnny Beecher- Boston Bruins

Joel Hofer-

K: Kiril Kaprizov? - Minnesota Wilds Kienan Draper- Detroit Red Wings Kandre Miller- New York Rangers

L: Luke Hughes - New Jersey Devils Luca Fantilli- U of Michigan

M: Mark Estapa - U of Michigan Mackie Samoskevich - Florida Panthers/charlotte checkers Matt Boldy - Minnesota Wild Matthew Tkachuk - Florida Panthers Matt Rempe- NYR

N: Nick Moldenhauer- U of Mich/Toronto Maple Leafs

Nico Hischier- New Jersey devils

O: Owen Powers- Buffalo Sabers Oliver Moore- University of MN/Chicago Blackawks

P: Philippe Lapointe- Univeristy of Michigan

Q: Quinn Hughes- Vancouver Canucks

R: Rutger McGroarty- U of Mich/Winnipeg Jets

S: Seamus Casey - U of Mich/NJD Sidney Crosby?- Pittsburg Penguins

T: Trevor Zegras- Anaheim Ducks Tyler Duke- U of Michigan Thomas Bordeleau - San Jose Sharks

[puckthedrama]

I know it’s unlikely but could UPS be Thatcher Demko? A lot of Reddit bros are speculating trading him to NJD because they need goaltending help and Silovs has a promising future

Also if you haven’t already could you go through all of the sidelines nicknames we do know? Like who is curly and confused??? Because I low key thought Luke Hughes but I’m not so sure

hmmm interesting!! not sure though because it mentions something about “eyes set to warmer skies” and that seems to hint to florida! also lots of cat references throughout the post. but it’s a possibility!! good guess anon!! :)

for more sideline decodings follow @decipheringsidelines !!! they’re also explaining each post!!

here’s a list of allll the sideline nicknames:

• Tiger King - Joe Burrow

• Little 'Roni - Rory Mcllroy

• Ice Devil - Jack Hughes

• Wounded Bird - Caitlyn Clark

• Mediocre Duck - Trevor Zegras

• Dr. Dutch - Max Verstrappen

• DD Dunks - Donte DiVincenzo

• Killa Klown - Travis Kelce

• Big Bird - Jason Kelce

• Sky- Lashes - Angel Reese

• Blonde Baller - Cameron Brink

•Fresh Fruit - Ricky Pearsall

• Pretty Boy - Jalen Hurts

• Tin Hat - Aaron Rodgers

• Zeus - Justin Herbert

• Little bear - Nick Bosa

• Big Bear - Joey Bosa

• Oxen Free - Ollie Bearman

•Mississauga Menace - Vince Dunn

• 2Pm - Patrick Mahomes

•Sad sibling - Quinn Hughes

• Home town - cole sillinger

• The ace - Kelsey Plum

• Sharknado - Mikey Essyimont

• Allons-Y - Esteban Ocan

• MoanA Lisa - Andrei Svechnikov

• The prodigy- Lily He

• Bon Bon - Alex Albon

• Curly & Confused - Luke Hughes

• Puck Baby - Connor Bedard

• 2 Pretty 2 Play - Mat Barzal

•Open Wide - Tee Higgins

• Peppa pigskin - Josh Allen

• Pasta pro - Tommy Devito

• Certified Loverboy -Jordan Love

•Eyebrows - Jamie Drysdale

•New Kid - Matt Rempe

• Play that funky music - Lauri Markkanen

• Chubby Cheeks - Kirill Kaprizov

• Mr. World Wide Web - Braxton Berrios

• Mouthpiece - Matthew Tkachuk

• Cupcake - Brooks Koepka

•Big Purr - Mac Jones OR Caleb Williams (?)

• Four leafed forward - Jayson Tatum

• The Viking - William Nylander

• UPS - UPL

• Goldfish - Noah Hanafin

• Greasy K - George kittle

• Simba - Spencer Knight

• Minnesota airlines - Justin Jefferson

• Goldie locks - Trevor Lawrence

[boxscorehockey]

2023-24 Alpha Forwards A-K

Last Updated February 28, 2024

Forwards:

Aho Sebastian Alexandrov Nikita Anderson- Dolan Jared Arvidsson Viktor Atkinson Cam Barkov Aleksander Barlow Colby Barre-Boulet Alex Barzal Mathew Batherson Drake Beck Owen Bedard Connor Beniers Matty Benn Jamie Bennett Sam Benson Zach Berggren Jonatan Bertuzzi Tyler Bjorkstrand Oliver Boeser Brock Bolduc Zachary Boldy Matthew Bordeleau Thomas Boucher Tyler Bourgault Xavier Bourque Mavrik Brabenec Jakub Bratt Jesper Brindley Gavin Brink Bobby Brisson Brendan Buchelnikov Dmtri Buchnevich Pavel Bunting Michael Burakovsky Andre But Daniil Buyalsky Andrei Byfield Quinton Bystedt Filip Carlsson Leo Cates Noah Caufield Cole Chibrikov Nikita Chinakhov Yegor Chmelar Jaroslav Chytil Filip Cirelli Anthony Coleman Blake Colton Ross Compher J.T. Connor Kyle Cooley Logan Copp Andrew Coronato Matthew Couture Logan Couturier Sean Cowan Easton Cozens Dylan Cristall Andrew Crosby Sidney Crouse Lawson Cuylle William Dach Colton Dach Kirby Danielson Nate DeBrincat Alex DeBrusk Jake Del Bell Bulloz Luca Dellandrea Ty Denisenko Grigori Dolzhenkov Kirill Domi Max Dorofoyev Pavel Draisaitl Leon Drury Jack Dube Dillon Dubois Pierre-Luc Duchene Matt Duclair Anthony Dufour William Duke Dylan Dvorsky Dalibor Edstrom David Ehlers Nikolaj Eichel Jack Eklund William Eriksson Ek Joel Evangelista Luke Fantilli Adam Farabee Joel Fedotov Ilya Fiala Kevin Finley Jack Firkus Jagger Fisker Molgaard Oscar Foerster Tyson Forsberg Filip Foudy Liam Frost Morgan Gaucher Nathan Gaudreau Johnny Gauthier Cutter Gauthier Ethan Geekie Conor Giroux Claude Glass Cody Gourde Yanni Goyette David Greene Ryan Greig Ridly Gritsyuk Arseny Groulx Benoit-Olivier Guenther Dylan Guentzel Jake Gunler Noel Hagel Brandon Hall Taylor Halttunen Kasper Hayton Barrett Heidt Riley Henrique Adam Hertl Tomas Hintz Roope Hischier Nico Hoglander Nils Holloway Dylan Holmstrom Simon Holtz Alexander Honzek Samuel Horvat Bo Howard Isaac Huberdeau Jonathan Hughes Jack Hughes Jack (LAK) Hyman Zach Iaffalo Alex James Dylan Jarventie Roby Jarvis Seth Jenner Boone Johansen Ryan Johnson Kent Johnston Wyatt Joseph Mathieu Kadri Nazem Kakko Kaapo Kaliyev Arthur Kane Evander Kane Patrick Kaprizov Kirill Karlsson William Kartye Tye Kasper Marco Keller Clayton Kemell Joakim Kempe Adrian Khusnutdinov Marat Killorn Alex Kisakov Aleksandr Klimovich Danila Knies Matthew Koivula Otto Konecny Travis Kopitar Anze Kotkaniemi Jesperi Kovalenko Nikolai Krebs Peyton Kreider Chris Kubalik Dominik Kucherov Nikita Kulich Jiri Kunin Luke Kupari Rasmus Kuzmenko Andrei Kuznetsov Evgeny Kyrou Jordan

[unluckyhoneybee]

REQUESTS Are CLOSED!!

Welcome to my place for writing and a personal diary. My main: @itsnicetobehere

My personal life is mostly tagged under #rant or #honeybee's rants

My Pinterest and Spotify

To find my writing and prompt lists: Navigation Post.

Guidelines and Who I take request for:

I'm Spanish, so English is not my first language.

I write fem (she/her) as default. If you want it gn go ahead and ask for it, I'm open to trying!! 😊

I will take request for:

Daniel Ricciardo (#dr)

Lando Norris (#ln)

Charles Leclerc (#cl)

Mick Schumacher (#ms)

Arthur Leclerc (#al) No smut

Yuki Tsunoda (#yt) No smut

Lance Stroll (#ls) No smut

Alex Albon (#aa) No smut

Trevor Zegras (#tz)No smut

Jack Hughes (#jh) No smut

Ryan Graves (#rg)

Mikko Rantanen (#Mr)

Quinn Hughes (#qh)

Nico Hischier (#nh) No smut

Jamie Drysdale (#jd) No smut

Moritz Seider (#mos)

Andrei Svechnikov (#as)

William Nylander (#wn)

Freddie Andersen (#fa)

Nolan Patrick (#np)

Arber Xhekaj (#ax)

Cale Makar (#cm)

Roope Hintz (#rh)

Miro Heiskanen (#mh)

Pyotr kochetkov (#pk)

Jeremy Swayman (#js)

Kirill Kaprizov (#kk)

Rasmus Dahlin (#rd)

You can check their individual tags by clicking on the link on the #dr. There is a possibility that the one you are looking for is not on the list, just try to check my navigation post for stuff about them or the tag with their initials. I don't always take request/write about the same people.

What I don't write about:

Daddy k*nk, too aggressive s*x, nothing related with r*pe/abuse play, breading k*nk or pregnancy-related stuff, blood/cutting/knife k*nk, no weird fluids. I think this is obvious, but no adult-minor. Everything will be consensual, safe and not too hard.

Also, no deaths or drivers/players cheating.

[puckgoss]

Is kirill karprizov single ?

no i believe he's still dating stesha malikova: https://www.instagram.com/steshamalikova/

here's an article w more info

[ilyasorokinn]

🦀: I would love it if you could write kirill kaprizov with prompt number 20 from list 2.

NOT MY JOB

20. "bandaging/stitching up an injury" (from this prompt list)

tw: mentions of blood, cleaning up blood, and doing things of that nature.

kirill almost passed out when he read the text from your friend. 'please get to my apartment. y/n kind of got into a fight'

you? fight? those are two words he never would've thought would be in the same sentence. he dropped what he was doing, grabbed his keys, and was out the door.

instead of taking the elevator up to your friend's apartment, he ran up the stairs. he knocked on the door, and when your friend opened the door, he was rushing in.

"where is she?" he asked.

"bathroom." your friend nodded to the room.

he sprinted down the small hallway to the room at the end of the hall. he found you sitting in the tub, nursing a glass of water and you held a bag of peas to your eye. you looked up at him, and his heart broke.

you were sporting a black eye that was starting to look bad and had a few scratch marks running up and down your arms. your knuckles were bruised as another ice pack was on the bruises.

"it's not that bad." you tried to reassure him but ended up wincing at the pain in your face.

"what happened?" he asked, bending down next to you in the bathtub.

"i was getting a drink at the bar, and this girl behind me started talking all this trash about the wild, so i turned around the punched her," you told him.

kirill's eyes bugged out his skull, "are you serious?"

"no." you laughed, and his heart rate calmed down, "i'm not that dumb. plus, the fighting is your job." you smiled.

"y/n..." he warned.

"that's not what happened. just someone talking about me." you brushed it off.

"no, no, this isn't nothing." kirill told you, using his finger to turn your head towards him, "what happened? i want to know."

"she was talking about me and our relationship, so i punched her. it's simple," you told him.

"y/n, you can't go around punching people in the face just because they talk about us." he sighed.

"well, you weren't there, k. you didn't hear what she said." you glared, pushing his hand away.

""y/n..."

"stop saying my name like that," you whispered as tears filled your eyes.

"what did they say?" he asked.

"nothing worth repeating." you tried to play it off.

"just forget it, k." you stood up and walked over to the sink. he followed you and pulled out the alcohol and some cotton pads.

"we won't talk about it anymore, but at least let me help you." you nodded, "good." he smiled, beginning to clean your wounds, "this will probably hurt." he winced when he saw you wince.

"i'm sorry." he pressed a kiss to your forehead.

"just get it over with," you told him. he nodded and took a deep breath.

after he cleaned your wounds, he took you home where you cuddled up in bed and just laid there. no words were needed as you clung to each other.

"i love you," he spoke into the empty room.

"i love you too, kk." you leaned up and pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

[professionalpuckbunny]

Anything on any of the Wild players. Specifically the younger guys

Kirill kaprizov and stesha malikova had a messy breakup and he’s the only player I can think of from Minnesota

[nhlgossips]

Is kaprizov a good player

👍

[milfgritty]

nhlers that are shorter than caillou [5’11]

alternatively ; are you shorter than a four year old? [disclaimer ; all info is from the rosters listed on nhl.com, so if i'm missing anyone, sorry!]

anaheim ducks

arizona coyotes

Drake Caggiula [5’10]

Conor Garland [5’10]

Clayton Keller [5’10]

Jordan Gross [5’10]

boston bruins

Brad Marchand [5’9]

Matt Grzelcyk [5’9]

buffalo sabres

calgary flames

Johnny Gaudreau [5’9]

Andrew Mangiapane [5’10]

Zac Rinaldo [5’10]

Derek Ryan [5'10]

carolina hurricanes

Vincent Trochek [5’10]

chicago blackhawks

Alex DeBrincat [5’7]

P*tr*ck K*n* [5’10]

colorado avalanche

Sheldon Dries [5’9]

T.J Tynan [5’8]

Sam Girard [5’10]

columbus blue jackets

Cam Atkinson [5’8]

Max Domi [5’10]

dallas stars

Andrew Cogliano [5’10]

Justin Dowling [5’10]

detroit red wings

Robby Fabri [5’10]

Troy Stecher [5’10]

edmonton oilers

Josh Archibald [5’10]

Tyler Ennis [5’9]

Kailer Yamamoto [5’8]

Kris Russell [5’10]

florida panthers

Noel Acciari [5’10]

Vinnie Hinostroza [5’9]

Ryan Lomberg [5’9]

la kings

Blake Lizotte [5’7]

Trevor Moore [5’10]

minnesota wild

Kevin Fiala [5’10]

Kirill Kaprizov [5’9]

Gerald Mayhew [5’9]

Kyle Rau [5’8]

Mason Shaw [5’9]

Mats Zuccarello [5’8]

Brad Hunt [5’9]

Jared Spurgeon [5’9]

montreal canadiens

Paul Byron [5’9]

Brendan Gallagher [5’9]

Tomas Tatar [5’10]

Victor Mete [5’9]

nashville predators

Viktor Arvidsson [5’9]

Mikael Granlund [5’10]

Rocco Grimaldi [5’6]

Eeli Tolvanen [5’10]

Ryan Ellis [5’10]

new jersey devils

Jesper Bratt [5’10]

Andreas Johnsson [5’10]

Nicholas Merkley [5’10]

Will Butcher [5’10]

new york islanders

Jean-Gabriel Pageau [5’10]

Sebastian Aho [5’10]

new york rangers

Colin Blackwell [5’9]

ottawa senators

Matthew Peca [5’8]

Erik Brannstrom [5’9]

philadelphia flyers

Travis Konecny [5’10]

pittsburgh penguins

san jose sharks

st. louis blues

Jaden Schwartz [5’10]

Torey Krug [5’9]

tampa bay lightning

Alex Barre-Boulet [5’10]

Yanni Gourde [5’9]

Tyler Johnson [5’8]

Brayden Point [5’10]

Gemel Smith [5’10]

toronto maple leafs

Alexander Barabanov [5’10]

Alexander Kerfoot [5’10]

vancouver canucks

Nils Hoglander [5’9]

Tyler Motte [5’10]

Quinn Hughes [5’10]

vegas golden knights

Jonathan Marchessault [5’9]

washington capitals

Conor Sheary [5’9]

winnipeg jets

Mathieu Perreault [5’10]

[your-dietician]

What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nhl/what-will-espns-coverage-of-the-nhl-look-like-next-season/

What will ESPN’s coverage of the NHL look like next season?

The network’s coverage starts with the July 21 Seattle expansion draft, hosted by Chris Fowler on ESPN2. John Buccigross will host the NHL Draft two days later. Those shows will be produced by NHL Network.

When Gross spoke over the phone this past week, ESPN (which reportedly paid $410 million a year for seven years of NHL rights) and Turner ($225 million a year over the same period) still hadn’t divvied the games. The NHL had yet to release its 2021-22 schedule. Its puck- and player-tracking data has not seen the light of day.

“One thing we’re trying to get our arms around is what analytics teams and coaches use to showcase in our game coverage, our studio coverage,” Gross said. “Camera positions is another thing we’re looking at, talking to the league to see how we can showcase and document the games.”

Strategy and speed are the buzzwords Gross hears in his daily conversations with NHL people. Capturing both, while serving hard-core fans, hooking viewers from the massive pool of casual sports viewers who don’t give hockey much thought, attracting diverse genders and backgrounds . . . all are among Gross’s concerns.

“There has to be a level of entertainment without it being forced,” he said. “There’s really nothing worse on TV than forced fun. We have to find our spots, when we get [Chris] Chelios and [Mark] Messier together, who have a relationship. We’ll mix and match with other folks.”

Chelios and Messier, along with Steve Levy, will likely work the major events. “We know how that works,” Gross said. Hearing the two Hall of Famers, owners of some sharp elbows, chime in on player safety decisions should be interesting.

While he may not be hockey’s answer to Charles Barkley, Chelios does seem like a straight shooter. In a phone call, he acknowledged he wasn’t looking for a gig when he reached out to ESPN after the announcement. He was calling as a dad, hoping that his daughter, Lightning TV reporter Caley Chelios, was on the network’s radar.

“I like to think I’ll call it like it is,” said Chelios, 59, “Even though it’s a little different than when I played, hockey’s hockey.”

Messier, Chelios, Hilary Knight, Ray Ferraro, Brian Boucher, and Cassie Campbell-Pascall were among the first names Gross mentioned when speaking about his roster, but a lineup has yet to be solidified. He noted that women will be featured prominently in on-air roles.

The list of local connections is long, from Boucher (Woonsocket, R.I.), A.J. Mleczko (Nantucket/Harvard), former Red Sox play-by-play man Sean McDonough (Boston), Buccigross (who has Boston roots), Rick DiPietro (Winthrop/Boston University), ex-Boston College Eagles Blake Bolden and Bob Wischusen, and Emily Kaplan, a former Globie.

Gross said another fan favorite from the past, play-by-play announcer Gary Thorne, remains an option. He spoke with the agent for Thorne, 73, this past week.

“We’re not done yet,” Gross said. “We want to see what the schedule looks like, and what other decisions we have to make. We still have time.”

What’s the game-changing idea that will separate ESPN? It won’t be glow pucks and robots (fun as they were for younger fans in the ’90s). What’s hockey’s version of the K-Zone?

“Some people thought the first-and-10 line would be too intrusive,” Gross mused. “Now you can’t really watch a game without it.”

AWARD SEASON

One voter’s ballot in depth

Connor McDavid became the first unanimous MVP since Wayne Gretzky in 1982, collecting all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Memorial Trophy.DARRYL DYCK/Associated Press

I consider it a privilege to vote on year-end NHL awards as part of my duties with the Professional Hockey Writers Association. I’m not alone. My peers and I want to get it right.

When it came to this season’s MVP, I believe we did.

Connor McDavid earned all 100 first-place votes for the Hart Trophy, becoming the second unanimous MVP ever (Wayne Gretzky, 1982). McDavid’s 105 points in 56 games goes down as one of the most dominant seasons in league history. He was playing at a different speed than everyone else.

In the voting bloc — trimmed from about 175 to 100 members, and dispersed regionally to address imbalances created by the divisional-only schedule — we saw some refreshingly progressive thinking, and as always, some strange calls. One Edmonton writer voted McDavid’s teammate, Leon Draisaitl, second for the Selke. Draisaitl made strides this season, but it would be generous to call him an above-average defensive forward, much less elite.

In this space last year, I delved into my methodology, which blends in-person viewings, video study, and number-crunching. Obviously this season, I relied more on the latter two. I was among the few beat writers who traveled all season, but I only watched the East Division up close.

My ballot, and some quick takes:

Hart Trophy — 1. McDavid; 2. Auston Matthews; 3. Nathan MacKinnon; 4. Aleksander Barkov; 5. Brad Marchand.

Relatively easy calls. McDavid was incredible, and the other four were the driving forces on good teams. Marchand was ranked as high as No. 2 on six ballots.

Norris Trophy — 1. Adam Fox; 2. Cale Makar; 3. Charlie McAvoy; 4. Dougie Hamilton; 5. MacKenzie Weegar.

A youth movement, and an ECAC/Hockey East top three. Makar (UMass) missed 12 games, or 21 percent of the season, leaving the door open for Fox (Harvard), who was the Rangers’ MVP in his second season. McAvoy (BU) might be the best five-on-five defender in the game. Weegar opened eyes after Aaron Ekblad’s injury. Eleven blue liners earned top-three votes. Victor Hedman was down-ballot for me, after an injury-plagued regular season. Don’t ask me why someone gave Kris Letang a first-place vote. Fun fact: Fox is the first player of Jewish descent to win a major NHL award.

Calder Trophy — 1. Kirill Kaprizov; 2. Jason Robertson; 3. Alex Nedeljkovic; 4. Josh Norris; 5. Igor Shesterkin.

Kaprizov (27 goals and 51 points in 55 games) was a slam dunk, though Robertson had a brief midseason run that made it interesting.

Lady Byng Trophy — 1. Jaccob Slavin; 2. Jared Spurgeon; 3. Barkov; 4. Roope Hintz; 5. Johnny Gaudreau.

I’ve said before that writers should not vote for this. Referees should. Slavin, an elite defender playing heavy minutes, committed one penalty all season (for shooting the puck over the glass). Good enough for me.

Selke Trophy — 1. Barkov; 2. Patrice Bergeron; 3. Joel Eriksson Ek; 4. Phillip Danault; 5. Joe Pavelski.

Barkov had a strong MVP case, but his 200-foot excellence was properly recognized here. Bergeron is still Bergeron. Could see Danault, after his lockdown playoffs, be front of mind for a lot of voters next season.

The PWHA does not vote on the Vezina Trophy (the general managers selected Marc-Andre Fleury), but we do pick the year-end All-Star teams. My goalies, in order, were Andrei Vasilevskiy, Fleury, and Juuse Saros. We also pick All-Rookie teams. I had Kaprizov, Robertson, and Norris as my forwards, Ty Smith and K’Andre Miller as my defensemen, and Nedeljkovic in goal.

ETC.

League will not rush to judgment

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is waiting for an independent review of the Blackhawks alleged cover-up of sexual abuse before proceeding.Karl B DeBlaker/Associated Press

The alleged cover-up of sexual assault by the Blackhawks was the leading topic in Gary Bettman’s annual pre-Stanley Cup Final news conference this past week. Rightfully so.

Bettman said the league learned of the allegations “relatively recently” and will wait for an independent review.

According to a lawsuit filed in May, a former Blackhawks player alleges he and another player were assaulted by then-video coach Brad Aldrich during the team’s 2010 championship run. The team’s leadership, which included current GM Stan Bowman, were allegedly informed of the incident by then-skills coach Paul Vincent, whom the players had told.

Aldrich later worked at a high school in Michigan, where he was convicted of sexual assault involving a student. He is now on Michigan’s sex offender registry.

Multiple ex-Blackhawks, including Nick Boynton, Daniel Carcillo (then with the Flyers), and Brent Sopel, spoke out this past week. One unnamed player told The Athletic that “every guy on the team knew.” Captain Jonathan Toews took issue with that, telling that outlet he didn’t hear about the allegations until the end of that summer. He said he couldn’t say for sure if the team “mishandled” the situation.

Bettman, a former lawyer, pumped the brakes. “Let us see what the investigation reveals, and then we can figure out what comes next,” he said. “I think everyone is jumping too far, too fast. This is going to be handled appropriately and professionally, and done right.”

Let’s hope so.

Beijing Olympics not a given

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the NHL has concerns over the feasibility of sending players to the Olympics next winter.Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Later in his Q&A, Bettman shared the league’s “real concerns” over whether it was “sensible” to have a two-week shutdown for the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Wait, what?

After sitting out 2018 — and watching interest in Olympic hockey wane — the NHL and NHLPA last summer collectively bargained to participate in the 2022 and 2026 Winter Olympics, pending further agreement with both parties, the IIHF, and IOC. But there is no plan yet.

COVID-19 variants remain a worry, and NBC isn’t likely to lobby on the NHL’s inclusion following the expiration of the TV deal. The NHL hopes to release its 2021-22 schedule shortly after the Cup Final.

“Time is running very short,” Bettman said, which came as disappointing news to Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman.

“The Olympics is one of the biggest dreams of mine and I haven’t been able to participate in one. This might be the last chance I get. That sucks to hear,” said Hedman, who was left off Team Sweden in 2014. “When you get an opportunity to represent your country on the biggest stage, it’s one of those things that you’ll probably never forget. For me, it’s obviously something I’ve been dreaming about my whole life and something I want to do before I hang up my skates.”

Pride working on title defense

The Boston Pride, two-time Isobel Cup winners, are preparing a title defense for 2021-22.Mary Schwalm/Associated Press

The NWHL’s Boston Pride are deep into an Isobel Cup summer, hauling the trophy from New England lake houses to the Grand Canyon.

As he preps for a title defense, coach Paul Mara is playing his cards close. After a few defections, he’s using his newfound salary-cap space — the league doubled the ceiling to $300,000 — to bring in some outside help.

“Working on a few things,” he said.

The NWHL is feeling momentum entering its seventh season. An influx of sponsorship dollars, visibility from its Isobel Cup playoffs broadcast on NBCSN, and a lot of player raises have elevated the mood.

Since last month, the four franchises under league control — the Buffalo Beauts, Connecticut Whale, Metropolitan Riveters, and Minnesota Whitecaps — were sold to private owners, making it a league of six independent clubs. Expansion is on the horizon, with Montreal a primary target.

Also notable: This past week’s draft, which was streamed on Twitch, included appearances from a range of pro sports personalities, including NHL league and team executives, and USA Hockey reps. The NWHL hasn’t always had such vocal support.

For all the growth, players aren’t yet earning a living wage. Contracts are yearly. Outside opportunities create a talent drain.

The Pride lost president Hayley Moore to the AHL (vice president of hockey operations), replacing her with 1998 US Olympian Colleen Coyne. They are searching for a GM, after Karilyn Pilch this past week signed on with the Chicago Blackhawks’ scouting and player development department.

They also need a few good forwards. Mary Parker, Carlee Turner, and Lexie Laing departed for job and school reasons. Czech standout Tereza Vanisova signed with Leksands IF in Sweden, which will better help her participate in a demanding Olympic training schedule.

League MVP Jillian Dempsey, recovered from shoulder surgery, returns with All-Star linemates McKenna Brand and Christina Putigna, the No. 1 defense pair of Kaleigh Fratkin (two-time NWHL Defender of the Year) and Mallory Souliotis, and netminders Lovisa Selander and Victoria Hanson. That crew, plus whomever Mara can lure to town, should keep the Pride near the top of the standings.

Unlike last season, when the Pride got a boost from No. 1 overall pick Sammy Davis (BU) and six drafted rookies, the draft won’t have a major impact. Because they lost their 2021 first- and second-round picks when they traded up to select Davis, and dealt their third-rounder to Buffalo for future considerations, the Pride picked in the fourth and fifth rounds (Weston’s Finley Frechette and Beverly’s Abby Nearis, both forwards).

The NWHL’s player pool was thinned after the NCAA granted players an extra year of eligibility, leading many of the top draft-eligible players to return to school. Because of that, Boston isn’t the only team that believes next year’s draft will be loaded.

Loose pucks

Bruce Cassidy (left) has been promoting from within, with assistant coach Jay Pandolfo (center) leaving for Boston University.Winslow Townson/Associated Press

The Bruins have promoted from within of late, calling up coaches from Providence and the player development ranks. It makes sense that fourth-year P-Bruins coach Jay Leach would replace Jay Pandolfo on Bruce Cassidy’s staff, but player development staffers Chris Kelly and Jamie Langenbrunner will also get a look. Like Pandolfo, they were two-way forwards with long NHL résumés . . . As for Pandolfo, the move to BU gives him a shorter path to a head coaching gig. Albie O’Connell, who is entering the final year of his deal, has had a spotty run . . . Bruins strength and conditioning assistant Kenny Whittier also made the move to BU . . . A few first-timers joined NHL benches this past week, including two ex-players, Alex Tanguay (Detroit assistant) and Tuomo Ruutu (Florida assistant), and André Tourigny (Arizona coach). The latter move was particularly interesting, for a league that often recycles head coaches . . . Toews, after a year out of the spotlight with a mysterious illness, is back on the ice. He posted a video message to fans after a practice, saying doctors told him he has “chronic immune response syndrome,” a catch-all term for constant, debilitating stress reactions. Still dealing with a few symptoms, the Blackhawks’ captain believes the condition was brought on by a nasty bout with COVID-19 in February 2020, before the pandemic hit in full; the toll of 13 NHL seasons; and the year-round hockey training schedule he’s followed since he was a young teenager. “I think there’s a lot of things that just piled up,” he said, “where my body just fell apart.” He hopes to return in October . . . Edmonton trimmed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’s $6 million cap hit, but took a beating on term, when it locked up the No. 2 center to an eight-year, $41 million deal with a full no-move clause. He will be 36 when it expires. “No contract is perfect,” GM Ken Holland acknowledged . . . Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon’s take on game jersey ads, which are coming to the NHL sooner rather than later: “If we look like Formula One or NASCAR, that’d be fine with me.” . . . Glad to see college athletes everywhere get a chance to make some cash off their name and image, following the Supreme Court’s hammering of the paternalistic NCAA. A small step, long overdue.

Matt Porter can be reached at matthew.porter@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyports.

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