Sport

The NHL trade deadline, and the Maple Leafs in particular, continue to be really weird

There’s nothing like the NHL trade deadline to warp what you thought you knew about teams’ priorities and how players are valued. GMs alternate between desperation to chase the Cup and desperation to get anything for players who can’t wait to high-tail it out of town at the season’s end. The process seems… Read more…

Sport

Jazz and Suns give us a sensational late-night cookie in a season lacking real drama

I’ve used this space to try and quiet any meaning to NBA regular-season games. It’s been especially acute this season, when teams have rarely been at full-strength, and they seem more intent on just being intact for the playoffs, which they know are what counts and are more likely to have at least some fans. […]

Sport

The Buffalo Sabres are a Joy Division song

Buffalo probably thought it escaped sporting hell this past fall when the Bills finally won their conference and got to the AFC Championship game, looking poised to be a competitor for the next couple years. A city that hadn’t even had a relevant team for a couple of decades could finally cheer something. Read more…

Sport

Kings and Wild star in NHL Color Rush

Sometimes, to the rare and broken people who think about these things, it can drive one to tears how the NHL and the people who run and market the game can’t make better use of just how good the sport can look on TV. Even in person, the NHL really hasn’t made use of it […]

Sport

Has the NHL had its first team-to-team COVD-19 transmission?

If there was going to be a league that went full fuck-up, it was always going to be the NHL. It’s not clear yet if the league is now home to the first team-to-team transmission of COVID-19, but there are some blinking red lights for sure. Read more…