Dater’s Daily: IIHF World Junior Championships Canceled, Marchand Rips NHL over Olympics, What I’m Reading

A good Wednesday to you all. A brisk, windy day in Denver, but sunlight. Still hasn’t been a drop of snow on the ground here this winter. Maybe a dusting one day, but that was it. So, bad news today for fans of watching young, exciting, top-prospect hockey players. The IIHF World Junior Tournament was canceled today. You know the reason why.

• There’s going to be a lot of anger about this. Anger, and frustration. Players got their vaccines, very rarely are there ever any symptoms and young, fit athletes aren’t dropping dead from Covid. This tournament was canceled on the day the NHL announced it would reduce the quarantine time for asymptomatic players from 10 days to five days too. The CDC says one thing one day, and other thing the next. Everybody is thoroughly confused – and tired of this.
• That last paragraph was me channeling what I hear all the time from NHL and other hockey people about all this. Me? I just try to keep my mouth shut these days and stay out of trouble lol. It’s not like any opinion Adrian Dater has on Covid is going to change a damn thing anyway.
• The story on the reduction in quarantine time (NHL.com)
• No, Adrian Dater is not going to start talking in the third person, by the way.
• Evgeni Malkin had the media cracking up during a Zoom avail, including a line about his wealth (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)
• Brad Marchand wasn’t too thrilled about how the NHL went about its decision to cancel player participation in the Olympics. No. 63 even used some barnyard language to describe what he thinks about it (Boston Hockey Now)
• Did someone tell Marchand that the NHLPA went along with this too?
• $5 off sale here on the site – 12 months coverage for $24.99 instead of $29.99. Hit the subscribe link above and type in 5off as a discount code in the checkout box. Merry Christmas. Offer good ‘til Jan. 1.
• Traffic to this site tripled in 2021 from 2020, by the way. Subscriptions were up too. Thank you. Tell a friend.
• Five important storylines for the Red Wings in the New Year (Detroit Hockey Now)
• The Capitals are getting healthier, finally (Washington Hockey Now)
• Interesting story about how NHL players and coaches once had a fit about a new rule – prohibiting closing one’s hand over the puck (Hockey News)
• They’re starting to ask, on the Island, if it’s time to trade Semyon Varlamov (NYI Hockey Now)
• Just started this new book, and loving it. My son today, though, when I said who the subject of the book is: “He’s lame.”
• Being the father of a 17-year-old, folks – interesting.
• By the way: to those who contributed to the Avs Travel Tip Jar recently, for what was supposed to have been for the Monday in Vegas that was postponed: Unless you object, that money will be used for a road game soon.