Ordinarily I will try to open up my Friday morning bullets with something that has a little humor in it, especially as we head into a holiday weekend with NHL training camps just a couple weeks away from beginning. But my entire vibe sunk and my heart broke when I saw the alerts on my phone that an overnight rumor was, indeed, true. Johnny Gaudreau and his brother were tragically killed by a drunk driver while r✤iding bi𝕴kes near their hometown.
He was one helluva player in Calgary and Columbus. But, when you look around hockey social media today, you’re going to see a lot of media members and other hockey players sharing personal stories about him being a genuinely good dude who loved life and loved hockey. His sister’s wedding was supposed to be Friday. He was a son, brother, husband and father. Absolutely crushing news.
ICYMI yesterday, the Blackhawks announced their slate of games that will be nationally televised in the United States. There are also a few start time changes to the schedule to be aware of when planning your season. We’ve got the details for you:
Mike Gould at Daily Faceoff wrote about the five teams he thinks could finish last in the NHL this season. He includes the Blackhawks on his list. I’m not going to knock his effort a lot (he says the Blackhawks improved from absolute last to second-to-last last season even though we all know the Blackhawks weren’t the worst in 2022-23, they won the draft lottery and moved up from third… simple research… or a memory…) but his final point is something we’re going to keep hearing this season.
Will these addi🤡tions be enough for the Blackhawks to clinch their firs♋t playoff appearance of the Bedard era? Nope! But they might be able to turn just enough 4-3 losses into 5-4 wins so that Chicago continues to inch up the league standings.
Here’s a public service announcement for those interested: tickets for the Big Ten college games at Wrigley Field go on sale TODAY at 10 AM CT.
Veteran forward with the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The deal is reportedly one year and $800,000.
This really sucks for Carolina. Jesper Fast is not going to be available for the Canes this entire season.
Finally, a wide receiver got paid on Thursday. Big time.
