It's time for our weekly installment highlighting what's right and what's wrong with the NHL throughout the season. For all the things there are to love about the NHL and its product, there's also plenty to hate and plenty to criticize.
With that in mind, let's hash it out together ... right here ... every single Wednesday.
Loving and/or hating something about the NHL at any given point throughout this season? Feel free to drop your praise/complaints in my email inbox at pete.blackburn@cbsinteractive.com.
Photo illustration by Pete Blackburn
What's right: St. Louis Blues
Last week, we highlighted the St. Louis Blues for how well they've played recently. Well, a week later and they're still here. The Blues are currently working on an 11-game win streak, which sets a new franchise record. Who would've thought we'd be here when they fired their coach while sitting in the Central Division basement earlier this year? It's been an incredible turnaround.
St. Louis was particularly great this week, as they posted three straight shutouts and went 233:50 of game time without giving up a single goal. And while the streak eventually came to an end against the Maple Leafs on Tuesday, at least they had the pleasure of scoring on themselves.
Jordan Binnington's shutout streak ends exactly as you'd expect; with a dribbler that he puts into his own net. Zach Hyman with a lucky one, John Tavares with a good precluding effort, Leafs pull within one. pic.twitter.com/kWXFHBuNfi
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) February 20, 2019
Anyway, the Blues have gone more than 800 minutes without trailing in a game and are now currently third in the Central, putting some space between themselves and the Wild Card spot. Good for them.
What's wrong: Poop confidentiality
Listen, pooping your pants stinks no matter the context. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been there. It happens.
But imagine pooping your pants on the road during a business trip? And then imagine your boss stepping in front of a hoard of reporters to tell them all about it? Absolute nightmare.
Unfortunately, that was the reality this week for Artemi Panarin, the Columbus Blue Jackets star who got narc'd out by his own coach. After Panarin was held out of Tuesday's game in Montreal, coach John Tortorella told the media that Panarin was sick and that he pooped his pants earlier in the day. He also said he puked, but more importantly ... he pooped his pants.
Of course, Tortorella felt compelled to reveal the nasty details thanks to rampant speculation about Panarin, who is one of the most desirable names available on the trade market as we approach next week's deadline. When he was announced out with an undisclosed "illness," many people believed the team was holding the star out of action to protect his trade value.
Tortorella wanted to clear the air, and he did so in very Torts fashion.
But come on, man, don't dime out your guy like this. You gotta protect your players in situations like these...there's gotta be a poop confidentiality clause somewhere in the CBA. Like I said, we've all been there, so if you poop your pants on my team, your secret is safe with me.
Now the question becomes "how much faith can we have in the Blue Jackets moving forward?" Obviously, if they trade Panarin at the deadline they're likely going to take a huge hit, but we also have to consider whether the rest of the guys in the locker room are going to be willing to give their all for a coach who will immediately rat them out if they even so much as poop themselves.
What's right: Bunch of jerks
The Carolina Hurricanes' postgame choreographed celebrations have been a point of contention for a good portion of this year. While a lot of people love them, many others don't. Usually the argument against them is that they "show up" the other team or that they go against traditional hockey behavior, or something like that.
Personally, I like them, especially in a market like Carolina. These non-traditional hockey markets should embrace non-traditional hockey behavior. I loved how Vegas came into the league last year with a fearlessness in regards to how they operated. Every home game was a spectacle and a circus, as it should have been -- it's Vegas.
There's nothing that says some of these other smaller market teams have to follow the script of how an Original Six team would carry themselves. Carolina has struggled to draw interest and attendance in years past, so why wouldn't they try something new? The celebrations come as part of an effort to rebrand, and it seems to be working. For the most part, fans seem to be loving them.
But as the Hurricanes continue to win games, they continue to get more creative (and outrageous) with the celebrations. This past week, their baseball celebration seemed to particularly strike a nerve with the traditionalists.
On "Hockey Night In Canada" over the weekend, this is what Don Cherry had to say about it:
His comments got a lot of attention, with plenty of people roasting him or denouncing his opinion. Obviously, calling them "a bunch of jerks" seems a little over-the-top but over-the-top is pretty much Cherry's schtick, so it's tough to be surprised that he went there.
While I don't agree with Grapes' view on the subject -- and it's rather ironic that Cherry, who's known for wearing bold and outrageous suits on a weekly basis, has such an issue with the Canes deviating from the norm -- I look at his comments in a positive light simply due to the attention it brings the team. And the way the club responded to it.
Their rebranding got expedited as soon as the words came out of Cherry's mouth. Carolina wasted no time in embracing the "bunch of jerks" label.
Lol they're chanting Bunch of Jerks at PNC with one minute left to play
— Sara Civ (@SaraCivian) February 17, 2019
At the end of the day, Cherry gets attention for take and the Canes only get stronger and more likable. Everyone wins.
What's wrong: Being robbed of a Rooster Trick
OK, a necessary primer for this one: In 2013, after rookie teammate Tomas Hertl scored four goals in a game and was criticized for celebrating too heavily, Joe Thornton angrily responded to the criticism and made a promise that was heard around the world.
"Shut up, have you ever played the game?" said Thornton postgame. "I'd have my c--k out if I scored four goals. I'd have my c--k out, stroking it."
Since that moment, the Joe Thornton Four-Goal Game Watch has been in full effect, with the achievement being labeled as a "Rooster Trick." (I don't need to explain that, do I? Yeah, you get it.)
It has yet to happen, and it always seemed rather likely considering Thornton is a pass-first center, but we came tantalizing close to finding out if Thornton is a man of his word this week. The 39-year-old vet scored three goals against the Bruins on Monday night, with his third coming on a go-ahead goal in the final six-and-a-half minutes of the third period.
It was the perfect situation for Thornton to seal the deal with an empty-netter. The hockey world tuned in and with bated breath to see if dreams would finally come true.
Then, this happened:
Boston's Chris Wagner tied the game in the final few minutes with that controversial goal, which almost certainly should not have counted. Wagner clearly plays the puck with a high stick (above his shoulders) before putting it into the net, so the whistle should have been blown immediately upon the follow-up touch in the crease.
Instead, referees counted the goal on the ice and had to stick with the call because it's not a reviewable play unless the puck is batted directly into the net from above the crossbar.
It was a horribly officiated game all around, but that call obviously stands out as one of the worst of the season due to the fact that it A) helped the Bruins force overtime and win the game, and more importantly, B) ruined any chance of an empty-netter from Thornton.
Hell, even the Bruins were rooting for it.
Brad Marchand said the Bruins wanted a win ... but they also wanted to see Joe Thornton score a fourth goal.
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) February 19, 2019
A grave injustice that we will NEVER forget.
