JR Ewing

It really shows the value in having somebody in a position of authority hold people like him to account at some point. Mark Messier was a wild young man who cut a wide swath of partying across the NHL, particularly during his time in Edmonton, where stories from old cab drivers are legendary. When Messier was a rookie in the 1980 season, he was late to practice a few times, and finally just no-showed a team flight, so Glen Sather was pulling his hair out in frustration. Sather figured that some time riding the buses and hauling his own bags around as a member of the Houston Apollos in the CHL would straighten him out. After a couple of weeks, Sather called up Al Rollins and asked how Messier was doing. Rollins told him the kid was terrific, was putting up points and was going to be a hell of a player... if he could learn to show up to the arena. Away from Edmonton, Messier ended up partying even more than he did before, so Sather recalled him, met him at the airport and made the 18-year old move in with his family until he felt the kid had done some growing up.

I considered him, but he's UFA after the 2025 season, so I don't think it would upset the apple cart too much if Briere has to go that route.

Yeah, I think so, too. You get three slots for retaining salary, and one is being used on Hayes. Looking at the roster, though, I don't really see anybody else that it would probably be used on.

During a news conference on Monday, the London Police Service addressed a long-standing sexual assault case(opens in a new tab) against five former players of the 2018 world junior hockey team. At the conference, Police Chief Thai Truong said, "How we portray young women and girls on TV, in music videos, how we write about them, all that contributes to sexual violence and the normalization of what we're seeing." Members of the London community have taken to social media to express their dismay, and said the onus in a sexual assault case should not be on the perception of women, but on a perpetrator's act of violence. Jennifer Dunn at the London Abused Women's Centre is worried the comment might send the wrong message to a victim or discourage them from coming forward. "For him to address violence against women is really great," said Dunn. "But we need to remember that what a woman wears does not mean that she's asking for it. So we need to be clear — he needs to be clear — that's not the message he intended to release." CTV News London sat down with Truong on Wednesday and asked him to elaborate. The new chief has a background in commercial sexual exploitation of women and girls with a focus on human trafficking. "Society right now is highly sexualized and because of that, it perpetuates what men and young boys think. So they think it's OK to be dominant…masculine behaviour. This is what perpetuates how they treat young girls and young women," Truong explained. "And it's not right." It's just one contributing factor in a widespread problem, he added. King's College sociologist Jordan Fairbairn agreed. "When we have men and boys growing up in environments where they are saturated with messages around women and girls not being fully human or being fully equal or having full autonomy over their bodies, you have this chipping away, sort of disillusion of a human person that can be seen as more of an object," said Fairbairn. Truong said he is not victim blaming, and is worried there's a lack of sensitivity from the public toward victims in sexual assault cases. "We look at the actions of the young girl or female and we start questioning how they were dressed, what their conduct was, when we should be looking at how was the conduct of that perpetrator — that individual," he said. As for popular culture's influence on how people view women, Truong said including men in the conversation is paramount. "We need to make efforts to educate and have real conversations with boys and men right at the early start — that's one way we need to address it," said Truong. https://london.ctvnews.ca/london-ont-s-police-chief-clarifies-comments-at-sexual-assault-news-conference-after-backlash-1.6761665

Step 1. NHL owner buys up land for arena next to homeless shelter. Step 2. Offer homeless shelter $10M "gift" to move if they reach fundraising goal or $5M if they fall short. Step 3. Shelter falls short of fundraising goal. They move and ask for the promised $5M. Step 4. NHL owner gets the land and then sues to get off the hook for the $5M he promised. #thingsbillionairesdo #suinghomelessshelters

A subsidiary company of the Katz Group is suing a local agency that provides services to the city's homeless population for breach of contract. Ice District Corporation, which is a part of Katz Group Real Estate Inc., filed a claim in Edmonton's Court of King's Bench in November, arguing it should be off the hook for a conditional $5-million donation it promised to pay as part of Boyle Street Community Services fundraising efforts for a new location. The social agency's future home known as King Thunderbird Centre, okimaw peyesew kamik in Cree, and the cost of that relocation, is at the heart of the legal battle. According to court documents obtained by CBC News, the Katz Group alleges that it shouldn't have to make the donation because Boyle Street didn't try hard enough to fundraise on its own. Meanwhile, Boyle Street argues in its own filings that the Katz Group is trying to get out of its commitment to help with the relocation now that it has acquired the downtown property it repeatedly offered to buy from the social agency. None of the allegations made as part of the civil claim have been proven in court. Katz Group Real Estate is part of the Katz Group, a private conglomerate founded by Daryl Katz, the billionaire owner of the Edmonton Oilers. The Katz Group led the construction of Rogers Place, the downtown arena where the Oilers play, as well as development in the surrounding area, which has since been renamed Ice District. Both the Katz Group and Boyle Street declined interviews for this story, but provided written statements saying they're in the midst of trying to resolve the dispute through a private arbitration process. "We can't comment on the details of legal proceedings currently ongoing; however, we remain supportive of Boyle Street Community Services and their plans to move into the King Thunderbird Centre, which will provide them with a long-term, sustainable facility to deliver their services," said Tim Shipton, OEG Sports & Entertainment's executive vice president of external affairs. OEG Inc., formerly known as Oilers Entertainment Group, is another part of the Katz Group enterprise. In an emailed statement, Boyle Street Community Services said its position on the issue is outlined in its statement of defence filed with the court. "We have and continue to explore multiple funding avenues for this critical project as we owe it to those that we serve to ensure this building becomes a reality," Boyle Street said. The 'backstop gift' Before striking a deal with the Katz Group, Boyle Street operated a community centre out of an old warehouse in downtown Edmonton for 25 years, on land just northeast of Rogers Place. In 2021, Boyle Street agreed to sell the property at 10116 105th Avenue to the Katz Group, with plans to put the money toward the purchase and renovation of a new facility. Along with the construction of Rogers Place, the downtown arena where the Edmonton Oilers play, the Katz Group has led development of the surrounding area, which is now known as the Ice District. (David Bajer/CBC) The social service agency signed a lease for $1 per month with the Katz Group that allowed it to continue operating out of its former building until 2023, when it was expected to relocate. As part of the conditions of the sale, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation also made a $10-million donation to Boyle Street to put toward its new premises. According to the Katz Group's filings, the Oilers' charity is an arm's-length foundation that is run independently with its own board of directors. The sale and donation were publicly announced, and a capital campaign was launched to fundraise $28.5 million for the project — with at least $8.5 million needed at a minimum to move ahead. But according to court documents, Katz Group and Boyle Street also signed an agreement for a "backstop gift," agreeing that if Boyle Street was unable to meet its fundraising goal on its own during the campaign, the Katz Group would give it an extra $5 million. The gift amount would decrease on a dollar-for-dollar basis if Boyle Street was able to raise at least $8.5 million on its own. Dispute over fundraising efforts In its filings, the Katz Group alleges that Boyle Street didn't try hard enough to fundraise and was planning to rely on the backstop gift. "The charity has not utilized its 'best efforts' in undertaking and completing the capital campaign," it alleges in an amended statement of claim filed Nov. 24, 2023. The Katz Group claims that Boyle Street initially targeted a small number of private donors, rather than casting a wider net for donations, that its efforts to get government funding were inadequate, and that Boyle Street was fundraising for its endowment fund rather than focusing on raising money for its new site. It's also alleged that Boyle Street failed to provide regular updates on the status of the fundraising efforts. The claim asks the court to declare that Boyle Street breached the contract and that the Katz Group doesn't have to pay any part of the $5 million. Boyle Street's new King Thunderbird Centre is now expected to be completed in early 2025. (Travis McEwan/CBC) In its statement of defence filed on Dec.13, 2023, Boyle Street denies much of the Katz Group's allegations, and instead alleges that the Katz Group is trying to get out of its commitment to support development of the new building because it already has what it wanted — the land adjacent to Rogers Place. "Rather than focusing on the unprecedented houselessness and drug poisoning crisis in Edmonton, developing the new premises, and using funds for these purposes, Boyle Street must now use its resources to defend the allegations made by Katz Group," Boyle Street alleges in its court filings. When the backstop agreement was signed, the Katz Group offered to support the fundraising campaign, but failed to follow through and was generally unresponsive despite Boyle Street's repeated efforts to reach out and provide updates, Boyle Street alleges in its filings. Boyle Street also defended its fundraising efforts — stating that during the campaign it reached out to thousands of supporters, major donors, politicians and ran ad campaigns — raising more than $7.3 million by the end of 2022 from 171 private donors, and additional funds since. The social agency also says that it tried to get the city, the province and the federal government to provide grants and funding, but that both the city and province have declined to offer any support, and that it has applied for a federal grant that has yet to be approved. Lease extension The court documents also reveal why Boyle Street suddenly vacated its longtime downtown property in fall 2023, despite its new location not being ready, and despite Shipton publicly stating that Boyle Street had been offered a lease extension for a nominal fee. At the time, Boyle Street declined to comment on why it wouldn't accept the offer. In its statement of defence, Boyle Street alleges that when the King Thunderbird Centre project ran into delays, it asked for an additional extension of the lease at its 105th Ave. location. It claims the Katz Group agreed on the condition that Boyle Street would forego the $5 million backstop gift. "This offer was high-handed and made in bad faith given the impossible position Boyle Street was in," the statement of defence alleges. Boyle Street Community Services moved out of its location at 10116 105th Avenue in a sudden shift to four temporary sites. (Natasha Riebe/CBC) Boyle Street decided to vacate the property, and set up in several temporary locations around downtown Edmonton. Boyle Street alleges that it then tried to collect the $5 million once it was off the property, but that the Katz Group refused to pay and then filed a lawsuit. The Katz Group has since filed a response, disputing many of the claims in the statement of defence and denying that it asked Boyle Street to forego the $5 million during lease discussions. In the statement to CBC News, Boyle Street said it has continued to move forward with both fundraising through other avenues and construction of the new facility, which is now expected to be completed in early 2025. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/katz-group-launches-court-battle-with-edmonton-homeless-organization-over-5-million-donation-1.7109439

When the Oilers decided to rebuild after the 2010 season, I watched them eject every single veteran from the roster and traded core-aged players for draft picks with not a thought of who would play those minutes. The assumption, clearly, was that their new high draft choices would play. They took Taylor Hall and pretty much gave him the keys to the city, the arena and whatever else he wanted. He mocked teammates who hustled in practice, was completely indifferent to playing a complete game and when injuries were taking a toll even told the team to dress one fewer player than try a single game at centre. Tom Renney tried to hold Hall accountable with a benching and also tried to put a 160-lb Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve, and was told he'd be fired at season's end, because the team was trying to sell hope. Hall didn't change, and RNH's shoulder was badly injured days later, requiring season-ending shoulder surgery, so any coach knew the price that would be paid for trying to take him in hand. Anybody on the team who spoke out about these things or expressed frustration was traded. In the case of David Perron, it was by the next morning. Hall's attitude away from the arena continued to get worse, and he was known to stiff bars for drinks and bully people in public. This had the effect that you might think: the dressing room was divided between Hall's friends, who also put in a similar effort, and those who were sick of it. Hall was finally given away to the Devils for Adam Larsson who was a very good defensive d-man, but hardly the return you would want. Oscar Klefbom stated that just getting Hall off the roster was addition by subtraction. Anyway... This isn't to crap on Taylor Hall, but to say that I agree with you; that it's a terrible idea to coddle young players - anybody, really. People should be required to earn what they get in this world and not have it handed to them. Here's a good clip, by the way:

Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares isn’t one to drop the gloves very often on the ice, but it looks like he’ll be doing so in court. Tavares reportedly is taking on the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) in a dispute over more than $8 million in taxes and interest that the government says he owes. The case stems from the $15.3-million signing bonus that Tavares received when joining the Leafs in 2018. According to a report in the National Post, Tavares filed an appeal in the Tax Court of Canada through his lawyers last week seeking to have the CRA’s reassessment of his 2018 tax return set aside. The appeal claims the CRA incorrectly calculated the taxes he owes on the signing bonus the Leafs paid him, arguing that it should have been taxed at only 15% under a provision of a Canada-U.S. taxation treaty, which sets the lower tax rate for “inducements,” such as signing bonuses. Instead, the CRA assessed Tavares at a rate of more than 38% on the bonus, plus interest. The government agency has not yet filed a response to the appeal. The outcome of the case could have implications on professional sports franchises looking to offer big signing bonuses to convince free agents to play in Canada — a task made harder by the Liberal government’s decision to raise the top federal tax rate from 29% to 33% in 2016. “Tavares is a marquee player and there was a great amount of interest by the bidding teams in signing him,” his lawyers state in the appeal filing. At the time, Sports Illustrated said the higher combined tax rates in Canada and Ontario meant Tavares’ effective take-home pay would be $4.5 million per year if he signed with Toronto, compared to $5.9 million if he had inked a deal with the Dallas Stars. But the Mississauga native turned down larger bids from other teams to play in Toronto — including a $91-million, seven-year offer from San Jose. The $15.3-million signing bonus offered by Toronto “was integral” in his decision, the appeal says. The CRA’s reassessment says Tavares’ income for 2018 was $17.8 million higher than reported, and calculated that he owed an additional $6.8 million in taxes, plus $1.2 million in interest on the arrears, according to the appeal. However, Tavares argues that the bonus was paid into his New York-based bank account in July 2018 and that he spent only 45 days in Canada between September and December of that year, once he began playing with Leafs. Not insignificantly, Tavares’ contract ends after the 2024-25 season and he should be looking to cash in — perhaps for the last time in his career. According to capfriendly.com, Tavares receives the vast majority of his salary through bonuses. In fact, of the $77 million in his seven-year contract, a whopping $70,890,000 of it is designated as a signing bonus. https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/tavares-in-8-million-fight-with-cra

Yes, from everything I've read, Marie Henein is pretty much one of the top dog defense attorneys in the country.

With Jian Ghomeshi, as I recall, the judge deciding the case found that the accusers were not just inconsistent in their testimony, but downright repeatedly untruthful. -The accusers told the court that they were terrified of him, but it was only at trial where it was discovered that they had continued to proactively email him, talking about how they were looking forward having sex with him again, how they enjoyed themselves, describing how rough they wanted it, etc. One of the accusers sent bikini pictures and another sent a photo of her fellating a beer bottle. -The judge essentially found that the accusers conspired against Ghomeshi. They exchanged thousands of text between each other, in which they talked about how they were going to destroy him and his career, and also hired the same lawyer and also employed a publicist.

I watched Dallas Eakins coach well over 100 games, heard his thoughts on hockey, and can say without hesitation that he cares about defense; that he prioritizes it. When he was coaching in Edmonton, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle had no dedication in game or practice, and acted like defense was a cardinal sin, and they never stopped getting ice time, but that was interference from ownership. Inside, Eakins was seething, as were teammates. Anybody who spoke out in public about it was traded instantly. Most days during the season, I watch two hockey games per day: one eastern and one western. This works nicely since I live on the west coast... So, I watch plenty of Ducks games and Greg Cronin wants them to cover the bet defensively and then produce, to the extent that he benched Zegras earlier this year. The other players on the Ducks bust their ass to backtrack and check, but Zegras doesn't. I don't think that's coaching. Maybe Tortorella could put the fear of God in Zegras. It's possible. Either way, it's not coaching which has made Risto something approaching adequate, but that he finally has a coach who sees him for what he is: a bottom-pairing defenseman and deploys him as such.

An Oilers fan friend of mine for many years today: I told him to text me again when he sobered up.

Here, the charge would be forcible confinement, and the scenario described by the victim seems to suggest a possible charge, because she absolutely said that she didn't feel free to go. According to the Criminal Code of Canada, forcible confinement is the act of holding someone against their will through the use of threats, duress, force or the exhibition of force. It's a very serious charge, carrying a possible prison term of up to 10 years. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-279.html She was definitely 20 at the time of the alleged assault.

That's 100% what it was: an attempt to create a "get out of jail free" card for themselves, by trying to make it seem as though she consented when it was actually coercion. After hours stuck in that room with them, slapped repeatedly, and a whole pile of things too disgusting to even read out on this site, I'm sure that video of her saying "yes" looked like she was a hostage reading a ransom letter.

Last year, the Oilers demonstrated that you can do it, but it mostly only worked because they had a guy who may be the best player ever, and a #2 centre in the prime of a Hall of Fame career. It's extremely draining on the centres, tires them out, definitely leads to defensive breakdowns, and by the time the playoffs get past the first round, they're out of gas. I think it's alright in an emergency, but don't consider it something which should be used very often

I don't remember the exact scenario, but the GA is etched into my memory.

Some guys just don't care as much about skating hard towards their net as they do away from it.,

That's a complete lack of dedication to playing defense right there; he just completely stopped moving his feet and was gliding from the blueline. Risto moves well for a big man, but Zegras should have been able to catch him in his sleep.

@SaucyJack You know, it's funny... I'm not a Caps fan, but man... do I love hockey. Do I love moments like this. What a great sport.

I could be mistaken, but I thought he was referencing this tweet: ... and saying that he wouldn't want Zegras at league minimum. I could definitely be wrong, though.

Yeah........ I dunno, man. Toumaala is getting 0.8 ppg in the AHL, which an NHLE of 32 points. At the same age, Zegras was a 65 point producer in the NHL. I'm not really a huge backer of Zegras, given his lack of desire to play defense, but Samu would need to deliver an amazing two-way game to top that.

There are some guys on that list who are very good, and got on there because they just have bad contracts; Darnell Nurse being a good example... That isn't the case for Zegras, with the unidentified player essentially saying that he's all steak and no sizzle. @ruxpin said he wouldn't take him at league minimum, and I sure as hell would, but I don't love having core players who need such strong sheltering either. If I were Daniel Briere, I would only be interested in acquiring him if the Ducks were effectively giving him away.

The precedent for the league granting cap relied had already been set by the Slava Voynov situation. Cap relief was granted by the NHL to the LA Kings during Voynov’s legal troubles, though the league had also suspended Voynov, which has not yet happened to these five players (though we’ll see what happens now that they’ve been formally charged). The charges against Mike Richards were stayed about a year later; he wasn’t convicted – I forgot that he was caught possessing oxycodone … that seems so quaint by today’s standards. The Kings and the NHLPA eventually came to a settlement and the league penalized the L.A. with a cap penalty that doesn’t end until 2029 for terminating his contract without following the NHLs version of due process. Same thing happened with Kane and same thing may happen with Perry. The interesting thing about the Voynov case, is that it wasn’t until he left for Russia under threat of deportation that the Kings asked the league for permission to terminate his contract. At the time, he was a still a valuable player on the ice (he even dressed for 6 more games after he was charged before the NHL stepped in and suspended him), whereas Richards was a shell of the player that he had been in his prime and the King’s immediately used that as an excuse to terminate his contract and recoup his cap space (instead of referring him for help to assist him with his health concerns). Dean Lombardi was fired within a year or two after all this went down.