Vinny in Vancouver

I don't think you understood what my comment was about - my comment was about institutions (think Hockey Canada) protecting (some would argue, even encouraging) disgusting behaviour such as those sexual assaults. For Hockey Canada, their rationalization is probably similar to the "boys will be boys" argument that you mentioned. So if the institutions where these players belong to aren't going to police their members, maybe it's best to stay away, no? You really think it's lack of education that's making them do these things? I have a lot of friends who coach minor hockey, and I know for a fact that there's actually a lot of training they have to take about educating players to treat girls well. These kids also go to school where they learn these things as well. They know that it's wrong. Why do they do it? My own observation is because growing up, the really good players know that the league and the teams will let them get away with a lot of bad behaviour compared to other not-as-good players - I saw this many times when my son (he was one of the better players) played minor hockey. Heck, you still see the double standards with professional players who are stars and those who aren't; even a respected organization like the Habs went ahead and drafted Mailloux in the first round. If you want to stop that behaviour, at this point, unfortunately, maybe the only recourse is punishment - institute lifetime bans that would extend to College and NHL.

What would constitute this "good time that any 18-24 year old kid does" that you think Jake has been partaking in?

If it's just based on the testimony in this trial, yes. But if you go through the various posts on Jake's reported behaviour off-ice over the years, you may re-think that reaction.

I would say (sadly) that the biggest lesson so far from this off-season of sexual assault stories is: if you want to cut down on the probability of being sexually assaulted by hockey players, stay far away from them.

They're probably looking at their roster and trying to see if they can do the Tampa Bay maneuver and put somebody on LTIR.

I was going to say, "before a trade proposal gets brought up, it may be good to submit that first to the other team's fan forum to vet how fair it is", but then I thought of the Tkachuk trade that actually happened...so maybe dream trades do come true after all and not just in NHL 2K22.

In juniors, Gabe's IQ really shone. He always seemed to know where the puck was going to go. But he definitely had warts - especially on skating. Alas, the needed improvement to his game hasn't materialized at all.

Unless they sign somebody like Kadri, am I the only one that sees the Flames' forward line as being quite a bit weaker than last year's? They will miss Gaudreau's creativity and Tkachuk's pest skills. I loved Huberdeau in the regular season, but he was terrible in the playoffs.

So...does this help the Canucks at all? One 100-point forward off the market. Canes and Blues still hot for a trade...

Fixed that for you. Huberdeau, Weegar, and Schmidt are Canadians so they probably have a better chance now?

There is the age gap...

Good trade for the Flames - they managed to get 3 Canadians. Surely, they'll be able to keep those players now...

Are we the only country whose junior teams are being accused of sexual assault? If so, we should maybe learn how other countries are implementing their programs? If the allegations are true, what would possess the minds of these young men to treat a woman as an object? Is our glorification of the players or the game somehow enabling this behaviour? Is it too much time spent away from parents or school or moral/spiritual support groups? We need to find out - for everyone's sakes.

This is just sad and sickening (if true).

In the past 2 days, both Sam Steel and Maxime Comtois' agents issued statements denying that their clients had anything to do with it. So the list of "No Comment" is now down to: Boris Katchouk (CHI) Drake Batherson (OTT) Alex Formenton (OTT) Brett Howden (VEG) Michael McLeod (NJD) Tyler Steenbergen There's supposed to be 8 accused.

It sounds like some players are saying they were not involved at all whereas others' lawyers are saying they were "cleared of any wrongdoing" and some haven't said: Not involved at all: Fabbro (NAS) - sleeping in a different room Makar (COL) Connor Timmins (ARI) Robert Thomas (STL) Victor Mete (TOR) - not in the event Clague (BUF) - not in the event Kyrou - not in the event Cal Foote (TAM) Jonah Gadjovich (SJS) Maxime Comtois (ANA) Sam Steel Cleared of any wrongdoing: Dillon Dube (CAL) Jake Bean (CBJ) Carter Hart (PHI) Jordan Kyrou (STL) Colton Point (DAL) Taylor Raddysh (TAM) No Comment: Boris Katchouk (CHI) Drake Batherson (OTT) Alex Formenton (OTT) Brett Howden (VEG) Michael McLeod (NJD) Tyler Steenbergen Sources: https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2022/07/18/more-players-step-forward-in-hockey-canada-sex-assault-investigation.html https://globalnews.ca/news/8935781/hockey-canada-alleged-sex-assault-probe-player-responses/ https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/robert-thomas-denies-involvement-in-alleged-sexual-assault-involving-2018-canadian-world-junior-team/

I mean, if Makar does a Gaudreau in a few years, he'd probably not want to live too close to his family so Calgary and Edmonton are out leaving Vancouver as his most logical destination. Just dreaming...

Checking the latest EA Sports' NHL video game players ratings...

Shouldn't we all be asking why the Pens traded RHD Marino for a LHD? They already have Brian Dumoulin, Mike Matheson, Marcus Pettersson and Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Are they really high on Ty Smith?

So I guess we're trading with New Jersey then? Here are their RHD: Hamilton (9M AAV), Severson (4.2M AAV), Marino (3.5M AAV). To add to their riches, they just drafted Nemec.

What's the likelihood of JT getting injured? They need to weigh all of that. I don't really know what's being offered for him right now, but given the scarcity of good RHD in the league, if the Canucks trade for him now, we might end up getting another version of Poolman - that would be a bad outcome. I think other teams are asking - what does JT Miller want for a new contract and do we really want to sign him to that AAV and term? One of the possible scenarios here is that the Canucks open up talks with JT's agent to potential buyers, and then, JT finds out that his asking price may be too high and ends up re-signing with the Canucks to a "reasonable" AAV and term.