Canucks Skate: Lehner’s Tattoo, Raymond Rocking, Flaming Omicron

Okiedokie, so it’s gonna be a little quiet around these parts as it relates to actual NHL action involving the Vancouver Canucks. The BC Boys were red hot with a six-game winning streak and will hope to keep simmering during this Covid delay. As it stands, the club won’t be playing until after Christmas with a home game against the Seattle Kraken on the 27th followed by a roadie to SoCal. All of that pending, of course.

We’ve summed up the current Covid-19 situation already, so let’s go for an NHL spin …

Let’s Skate! …

Lehner’s Love

Check out the tattoo on Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner’s neck. Some body art conceived out of the man’s relationship with the hockey fandom in Nassau County, New York. Before the Swedish goalie joined Vegas part way through the first Covid bubble season after spending 33 games with the Chicago Blackhawks, he spent the 2018-’19 season with the New York Islanders. The stint with Isles came as an escape after some very difficult times with the Buffalo Sabres.

It changed his life, just as he was going through some of his well documented psychological tribulations. Vegas Hockey Now tells us about and shows us Lehner’s return Sunday to his former home, and the emotional tribute.

Knights – Islanders

And yes, there was a hockey game and it went to a shoot-out. New York Hockey Now has the “rapid reaction” to the proceedings. It was one of four NHL games that actually took place Sunday while four other games, including the Arizona Coyotes at the Vancouver Canucks, were postponed.

Rookie Raymond Rocking

It’s an entertaining Calder Trophy race in the 2021-’22 NHL season with two Detroit Red Wings teammates as two of the front runners. Apparently for the team’s brass one of the names just happens to the be a surprise. That would be the man at the top of the rookie points standings, Swede Lucas Raymond.

While Detroit General Manager Steve Yzerman did expect big things, no pun intended, out of large German defenceman Moritz Seider, third in NHL rookie scoring with 21 points, the Red Wings weren’t necessarily expecting to see a break-out year from the 19-year-old right-shot winger. Raymond has 28 points, three ahead of 20-year-old Anaheim Ducks centre Trevor Zegras.

Bob Duff tells us about the latest developments with Detroit Hockey Now.

Flaming Omicron

The Vancouver Canucks brethren in the NHL’s Pacific Division, the Calgary Flames, are the current poster boys for Covid. Essentially the entire playing roster and many of the staffers with the club have succumbed to positive Covid tests in the last week. According to Steve Macfarlane of Calgary Hockey Now, it’s been quite an education for Flames General Manager Brad Treliving and the team’s management.

Can we call “Tree” a virologist? He’d probably prefer you didn’t, as he’d rather be watching his team play hockey. Now it’s just a matter of waiting. But then again, that goes for a lot of us.

It’s limited around the NHL but …

Enjoy the Hockey Action !!