[News] THE ATHLETIC Thread—Articles & Discussion

[Canada 02]

ha, I searched fro her name, but spelled it wrong

[Plaedo]

I don't have a subscription, but...
https://theathletic.com/2299672/2021...key-takeaways/

[TOfan]

The Athletic has a new podcast, The Athletic Hockey Show. It is hosted by Ian Mendes and features Hailey Salvian. Sounds like this one should be a good listen!

[Boblobla]

Anyone having any issues logging in with Chrome? I am fine on my phone and with Microsoft Edge but for some reason I can't log in from Chrome.

[transplant99]

Dont know how i missed this when it published, but holy frack did Duha write one of the best pieces I have read in many years.

McCarthy was playing for the London Lions, a collection of Detroit Red Wings farmhands who had been relocated to England for one season.

The Lions were the brainchild of Red Wings owner Bruce Norris who wanted to start a European professional league. So Norris divided the Red Wings’ minor league teams in two: one would play in Virginia Beach in the AHL, the other would be based in London, England.

Norris entrusted the project to two men: Doug Barkley, who was coaching in the Red Wings system, and Al Coates, who in addition to being the team’s trainer was also the de facto travel secretary, equipment manager and jack of all trades.

The Lions played their home games at what was then known as Empire Pool in Wembley (northwest of London), an arena that housed the swimming events for the 1948 Summer Olympics. The ice surface had been installed over a wooden floor, placed atop the original swimming pool.

Because a figure skating show annually took up residence in the arena for three months every year before and after Christmas, the Lions became a barnstorming team from Dec. 1, 1973 until March 1, 1974, playing 41 consecutive road games in nine countries.

“It was really a travelling circus,” says forward Brian McCutcheon. “We were laughing about it being the longest road trip in hockey history; a real education — and we even got to go behind the Iron Curtain, which was a big black hole for us in those days.”

Nearly 50 years have passed since Norris’ grand experiment and memories of the London Lions have been largely lost in the mists of time. But just imagine all the extended bus rides and unlikely adventures featured in the movie “Slap Shot” — and then imagine them with wives and children aboard — and you have some idea of how that wild crisscrossing journey through Europe unfolded. It all began the day Barkley was summoned to Norris’ office to discuss his future in the organization.

Barkley: The Scottish team wasn’t very good and we knew we were going to beat the hell out of them, so we made a trade before the game. We gave them six of our players and we took six of theirs.

The game gets underway and before you know it — a big fight starts. I look up and I see it’s just our guys fighting with each other.

Coates: I was standing on the bench and I’ll never forget it. Dennis Polonich is a rookie from Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, and he can’t stand Ulf Sterner, on his own team, and the feeling is mutual. Off the faceoff, Polo slashes Sterner across the ankle, a two-hander — and Sterner responds by spearing him in the nuts. Now the gloves are off between those two and then everybody’s into it. Twelve guys fighting — and they’re all our own guys.

Barkley: How did I feel about that? I can tell you very easily. In the second intermission, I had the referee pinned up against the wall, my hands around his throat.

We must have had 30 penalties called against us in that game. He called everything against us and nothing against the Finns. I don’t mind losing, but I don’t want to be cheated. I knew I was in trouble, but Coatesy called Bunny Ahearne and told him what was happening and they got me off the hook.

After the Ahearne Cup, the Lions played three additional games in Sweden before playing in Holland, Belgium and Austria. They won 13 games in a row, finishing up that portion of the trip with a 15-6 victory over a team from Innsbruck. Included in that trip through Austria was an 8-0 win over the top team in the loop, Klagenfurt.

Shaw: We breezed into town and were probably pretty cocky. It was at the end of the first period and we’re up 4-0 and Ron Simpson was my defense partner; he gets into a scuffle along the boards. But the boards had no glass or fence, so the fans reach in and start grabbing my defense partner’s sweater and one guy’s getting some free shots in. I’m across the ice but I go over there at about 400 miles an hour and clobber this guy and I fall over the boards. My helmet comes off and somebody hits me with a beer bottle and sliced me open. It bled like hell.

McCutcheon: We were at the border, it seemed like forever. I remember looking at the barbed wire fencing, high up, with the guards in the towers with machine guns, coming onto the bus with machine guns.

Coates: Next morning, we’re going to the rink to play the Czech national team. It’s a really good team, probably the best team we’ve played so far. They had Vaclav Nedomansky, plus the two Holiks, including Bobby’s dad. We go on the ice, as usual, around 10:30 for the morning skate and Doug puts everybody through a pretty hard workout. He wanted them to get a good sweat going after such a long bus ride.

After the skate, the interpreter comes to me and he’s really impressed. He says, “Geez, you guys work hard.” I explained, “Well, we’ll go back to the hotel now and the guys can get a meal and a nap and they’ll be ready to go tonight.” The interpreter looks at me, kinda puzzled. He says, “You do know the game is this afternoon, right?” No. No, we did not know that. We go back to the hotel and change and eat, lightly, and turn around and come back to the rink to play.

It wasn’t the only time the Lions’ combative style of play got them into trouble with the local authorities.

Barkley: We were playing a game outdoors with no glass and one of their guys goes to grab one of our players and Ray Bibeau stepped up to swipe him back but instead he accidentally hits a lady in the front row with his stick.

We go in the dressing room and the police are hammering on the door. They’re saying, “We want Number 23” (Bibeau’s number). So Coatesy takes 23 away from Ray, rolls up the sweater, puts it in the bottom of the trunk. The police are there, saying, “We want Number 23.” I tell them “Number 23? We don’t have a Number 23.”

Coates: The police come into the dressing room and one by one, they’re grabbing our guys and looking at their uniform numbers. They can’t find a Number 23.

Honestly what an amazing story and so well done by Duha. If you have a sub to the Athletic...read it. Unbelievable and funny as hell.

https://theathletic.com/2325623/2021...hot-to-europe/

[Reggie Dunlop]

The Athletic in talks with the New York Times company...

https://awfulannouncing.com/athletic...medium=twitter

[iggyloob12]

Great news for Hailey Salvian, but sad news for Flames fans and subscribers as she’s leaving the Flames beat after the summer. I enjoyed her coverage of the team. She definitely knows the game. My subscription just renewed, so I hope they get someone decent to cover the Flames!

https://twitter.com/user/status/1553026483152687105

[DoubleK]

Good for her. I always got the sense she preferred the women's game over the NHL.

I will miss Kristen Anderson much more than Hailey.

[CroFlames]

Is this a promotion or demotion? The NHL is the highest level hockey, so wouldn’t anything else be a step down?

[shutout]

Hopefully they get Darren Haynes to be the Flames writer.
One of the best in the business.

[shutout]

nm

[getbak]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

Is this a promotion or demotion? The NHL is the highest level hockey, so wouldn’t anything else be a step down?

She seems happy about it, so I assume she considers it a promotion.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by getbak

She seems happy about it, so I assume she considers it a promotion.

Everyone expresses happiness at a new position in the public world. I wouldn't use that as an indicator one way or the other.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by shutout

Hopefully they get Darren Haynes to be the Flames writer.
One of the best in the business.

Darren Haynes wrote for them after James Mirtle started this thread asking for suggestions on what would make Flames fans subscribe. We all suggested hiring Haynes en masse.

He left at some point, however.

[iggyloob12]

She’s covering woman’s hockey and the NHL from a national perspective. The latter would be like Duhatschek, I guess.

[AndyM]

Good for Hailey. She does a good job. It's just too bad our city is losing another female journalist. Not many of them left.

[Heavy Jack]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Dont know how i missed this when it published, but holy frack did Duha write one of the best pieces I have read in many years.















Honestly what an amazing story and so well done by Duha. If you have a sub to the Athletic...read it. Unbelievable and funny as hell.

https://theathletic.com/2325623/2021...hot-to-europe/

Perplexed me that I couldn’t thank this post then realized it’s a year and a quarter old; ty regardless my friend great read

[dustygoon]

Hmm. I wasn’t a fan of her pieces. Seemed to piggy back on others’ inside scoops. Although it’s tough for someone new to break into a market and get juicy stories. She’s a good writer and knows the game though. With some time she probably would have been great.

[dustygoon]

Hmm. I wasn’t a fan of her pieces. Seemed to piggy back on others’ inside scoops. Although it’s tough for someone new to break into a market and get juicy stories. She’s a good writer and knows the game though. With some time she probably would have been great.

[Funkhouser]

I think they should hire Scorp