Somehow the NHL has lost the thread on international hockey. Proof positive was the news last week that the league and the NHLPA have discontinued plans for a World Cup of Hockey in 2024. This time the problem is, like so much these days, the war in Ukraine and Covid protocols.

Speaking of Qatar, let us be the umpteen millionth person to ask FIFA, WTF? A tournament in the desert in the midst of the regular season for almost all the major leagues from the Premiership to La Liga? Is there some unanswered market demand from the 2.6 million subjects of Taman bin Hamas Al Thani? Are there not other regions that deserve the honour more?

Put simply, the salary cap/ draft system implemented for half a century at great labour strife in the major sports leagues has incentivized two things. Winning it all. And losing a lot— to recruit the talent you need to win it all. It’s a case of be careful what you wish for if you own a pro sports team.

For sheer Woke narrative management few things will top the press conference in Tampa Bay last week in which squish white ESPN reporter Jenna Laine decided to read Bucs coach Todd Bowles his progressive Miranda rights in a question over black coaches. It didn’t go well.

For fans with longer memories this team feels like the 1984-1990 teams that boasted homegrown George Bell, Lloyd Moseby and Jesse Barfield as its core. All dressed up but no party. Outside of division titles in 1985 & 1989, management couldn’t get the right championship combination till GM Pat Gillick ran up the payroll, getting veterans such as Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, David Cone, Dave Stewart and Joe Carter. Oh, and Roberto Alomar.

Perhaps it’s a hangover from being lied to about The Science of Covid-19 by the mahatmas of healthcare. But if the NFL medics were hoping the public would give them the benefit of the doubt about their treatment of the gruesome Tua Tagovailoa head injury the past ten days they are sadly mistaken.

The greatest hockey ever? Certainly the Soviets played their best. But the Slap Shot quality of Canada’s winning effort could not hold a candle to the 1987 Canada Cup squad that beat a Soviet team in a three-game final as the USSR was collapsing. Without Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull and Gerry Cheevers in the 1972 lineup— and lulled into complacency by homer media— Team Canada squandered its obvious advantages by arriving out of shape for Game 1.

Bill 69 is the sort of red meat that used to energize people outside Quebec to protecting the sacred dream of bilingualism. In the past Justin Trudeau’s Daddy believed that everyone should be served in his own language across the nation. Now? His son thinks Canada has dozens of languages and 32 pronouns. So he’s not saying squat.

The British Empire created the structure of team sports and leagues that we know today— all sprung from their passion for sport. From the stem sports of soccer, rugby and cricket come the world’s most popular team sports— FIFA soccer, NFL football, World Cup Rugby, NHL hockey, Australian Rules Football, Canadian Football, Major League Baseball and many more. Only basketball among the world’s most popular sports was a purely North American invention.

How about those hockey heroes who played for the nation? Who brought excitement to generations of Canadians? Who suffered injuries and mental health issues without a proper union or agent representation? What did they get? It was all chump change to John Turner. And, apparently, to a long list of political, media and business leaders at the time.

Worse for the PGA Tour suits, it was forced by its remaining major stars into making accommodations that sound suspiciously like those that were being demanded by LIV CEO Greg Norman as far back as the 1980s. Namely, more emphasis on the Tour stars playing together more often, innovative formats, global outreach and tons of new money.

“While our re-draft of 2005 has Carey Price going after Jonathan Quick, it’s a close race considering Quick has less individual hardware and has dropped off in recent years. Quick’s two Stanley Cups—especially his 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy showing—give him the edge as the most accomplished goalie from this particular draft year. Even if, arguably, his overall talent and technique are not superior to Price’s, his peak proved more productive, more significant and more legendary.

The admission that non-vaxxed are not the scourge of society or students not a vector for infection would have had you fired from your job by Justin Trudeau or banned from social media giants just a year ago. Today? Meh. Those waiting for apologies or getting their job back had better get a chair. Could be a while.

“The poor countries that avoided the mRNA shots have largely put Covid behind them, while wealthy countries navigate their fifth or sixth or seventh waves. (India: lots of people, no mRNA vaccines, no boosters, no second boosters, no super-special Omicron boosters, not so much Covid!)”

Isn’t this the same media that swore it would never ignore this sort of story— no matters how much it hurt friends and sponsors— when the Graham James and Dave Frost stories emerged? Aren’t these the same networks that went wall-to-wall on the earlier stories when they surfaced, trying to make up for their negligence about sexual abuse in hockey during the past?

The recent dramatic departures of star players from the Calgary Flames illustrates that, despite the balancing efforts of the NHL Draft, we may be entering a time when, if they get the chance, star Americans simply might choose to play in their native land, forsaking the Great White North.

For a small Canadian city, the idea of not being able to hang onto their stars is existential. Edmonton has spent a king’s ransom to keep Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent Hopkins from skipping town. Coming on the heels of Calgary’s arena project collapsing, losing Gaudreau is a gut punch to a bruised civic pride.

One of the striking observations from the otherwise uneventful #nhldraft2022 was how homogenous the kids were from a social POV. These weren’t humble farm boys and blue-collar sloggers. This wasn’t J.C. Tremblay, one of 13 kids from Bagotville, Quebec, or Gordie Howe from tiny Floral, Saskatchewan. These prospects were middle-, upper-middle class products of a multi-million dollar development process. It’s not a sport for paupers.

With the grinding war in Ukraine showing no signs of ceasing and Biden-led sanctions doing nothing tangible to deter Vladimir Putin, Russia’s image in the West has rarely been this low. So now might be a good time to ask if the NHL is prepared for a Russian to become the greatest goal scorer in league history.

Why in the name of Aurel Joliat would a sports organization want to put itself in the hands of the McHale’s Navy of governments? Namely, Justin Trudeau’s faculty lounge. But that’s what Hockey Canada has done. Its neglect and incompetence in a recent sexual assault allegation against members of the 2018 WJC champion team seems to have been asking for trouble.