No Deal for Mikko

The Colorado Avalanche lost their first preseason game 5-0 to the Las Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, and then made the first round of cuts in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. That isn’t the worst news however, the Avs and restricted free agent Mikko Rantanen still haven’t agreed on a new contract and time is running out. Rantanen’s latest move has been to publicly join Swiss team SC Bern, along with fellow NHL hold out Patrik Laine. Most reports indicate that the two sides still aren’t close on a new deal. Tom has all the latest information.

Buy an Avs Jersey

There is still a chance to relive the magic of the Avs last playoff run, forever. The team announced Wednesday that they are holding an online auction of game-worn white jerseys from the playoffs. As of 2pm on Wednesday, Cale Makar’s jersey has the highest bid, at $1,250, followed by Landeskog’s at $1,150. The auction will be open until Sept. 23.

New Arena in Seattle

The new arena that the Seattle hockey team will play in is on-schedule with the construction process, with a projected opening of summer 2021. If all goes to plan, the team will begin the 2021-2022 season in their new home. The entire stadium will be rebuilt, except for the roof. The existing roof is bring preserved, and an entirely new arena is being built below it. At the moment, the site is still mostly covered in mounds of dirt, but all are optimistic that everything is happening the way it needs to.

Ovechkin to Receive Another Award

Alexander Ovechkin will soon be adding another award to his crowded resume. On Wednesday, USA hockey announced that Ovi will receive the Wayne Gretzky International Award, during the U.S. hockey Hall of Fame ceremony in December. This award will recognize the work that he has done for his Ovi’s Crazy 8’s foundation, American Special Hockey Association, and other organizations to help underprivileged and ill children attend Washington Capitals games for free. He also visited China in August as an ambassador for the NHL in place of the NHL playing games there this season.

Player Suspended from Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

Things got a bit heated in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League the other night. During a game between the Melville Millionaires and Yorktown Terriers, Melville forward Greg Mulhall hit the puck into the offensive zone, and was chasing after it, when Yorktown goalie Berk Berkliev came forward to stop it. Mulhall made no attempt to move or slow down, instead crashing right into Berkliev and knocking him onto the ice. Berkliev left the game and was taken to the hospital where he received stitches and was diagnosed with a concussion. Mulhall received a game misconduct and was removed from the game.

The SJHL handed down his supplemental discipline, which is a 25 game suspension. “We have to make sure that other players are very much aware of the fact that these situations are not going to be tolerated,” SJHL president Bill Chow said.