Three Things We Learned in Week 13 of the NHL Season
Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports
January continues to move along with plenty of news from around the NHL. Here are three more stories to get into from the first week of 2022:
The Winnipeg Jets will not play games in Saskatoon
Provincial attendance limitations have meant playing games in Canadian home markets in front of full crowds isn't possible. Due to the omicron variant, teams are being forced to play in empty arenas, at half capacity, or in the case of the Winnipeg Jets, playing in front of only 250 fans.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman first broke the idea of the Jets playing in Saskatoon as an alternative after emails were sent out to season ticket holders. Friedman later reported the deal wasn't going to happen, providing false hope to fans from Saskatchewan.
It's not surprising to hear of a team trying to find a way to play in front of more fans without having to relocate to the United States, but the odds of teams playing in neutral site Canadian arenas without capacity restrictions is very low.
The aerial passing of Trevor Zegras is finally facing a proper defense
Trevor Zegras' creativity appears to finally be facing opposition.
In Anaheim's game against the New York Rangers on Saturday, the flashy forward once again tried to flip the puck over the net for a flashy assist, but the Rangers were more than prepared to stop him.
With teams now knocking the puck down, it will be interesting to see what Zegras comes up with as his next amazing offensive play to counteract the defending.
The New York Islanders get into the world of eSports
The NHL has been getting more involved in the gaming world at the league level with NHL 22 tournaments. Last week, the New York Islanders became one of the few franchises in the league to launch their own gaming vertical and gaming team.
The club announced the formation of Isles GT with a roster of six professional gamers that will play in 1-on-1 and 6-vs.-6 NHL 22 events.
Leagues like the NBA and MLS already have full-league branded eSports competitions with multiple franchises. With the Islanders' foray into building their own branded team, the potential could be there to see other teams possibly follow their lead.
