HOCKEY STARS RALLY AROUND GAY PLAYER AGENT
Pettinger says ‘500-pound weight’ lifted as messages of support came rolling in
No matter what happens in the larger NHL picture in 2020-21, budding player agent Bayne Pettinger is now in a good place,
The 33-year-old became the first in the hockey rep profession to come out as gay, and everyone from brother and ex-pro Matt to old friends such as Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby have expressed strong support.
“I can't imagine now sitting back and not having come out,” Pettinger told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic this week. “Because I would have been a shell of myself. I think I'm going to be a better person, a better agent. It's a 500-pound weight lifted. I'm tired of walking into a room thinking, `Who knows and who doesn't?' I'm tired of playing that game.”
Bayne, who knows many people in the game from his work as a Hockey Canada manager, informed his large circle the past few days.
“Doesn't change a thing dude, honestly,” McDavid texted him back. “Just happy (you are) happy!”
“I am sure it feels good to get that off your shoulders and to be able to be you,” texted Crosby.
Matt told LeBrun the family has been aware of Bayne's orientation for about a decade.
Born and raised in Victoria, B.C., Bayne played Junior B there, and with his 6-foot-4 frame, also excelled in rugby as a Canadian junior national.
He headed hockey operations for the national program and the men's teams when Crosby was helping Canada win gold at the 2014 Olympics and 2016 World Cup, and with McDavid on world junior and world hockey championship squads.
Bayne became an agent with industry giant CAA, headed by Patrick Brisson and J.P. Barry, and was involved in scouting, recruiting and marketing, with the goal of becoming a certified agent himself. Bayne confided in both bosses the past year and they assured him it changed nothing in their confidence that he could do his job.
Bayne said the late Brendan Burke's similar decision to come out 11 years ago, when he was rising in the game's administrative ranks, was an inspiration.
STROME ON THE RANGE
The New York Rangers, and Hart Trophy candidate Artemi Panarin in particular, can now get giddy about the coming season.
On Thursday the Blueshirts avoided a salary arbitration showdown with centre Ryan Strome that could have upset the chemistry he had on Panarin's line last year. The two sides reached agreement on a twoyear deal with an AAV of US$4.5 million. Pieces have slowly fallen into place for the Rangers, who will add No. 1 overall pick Alexis Lafreniere in 2021.
The signing leaves forward Brendan Lemieux as the last of New York's potential arbitration cases, with his hearing set for Friday.
HOFFMAN OFFERS ARE QUIET
Still unsigned a month after free agency opened is sniper Mike Hoffman. While there's no shortage of suitors, Hoffman is picky, and many teams have already made moves with lesserknown players at lower prices, keeping the NHL's flat salary cap in mind.
But don't think Hoffman will be sitting idle when play resumes.
Clubs could be waiting to move out a player or two to make room for Hoffman. They might even go 10 per cent over the cap, as permitted in off-season, then figure out what to do once the actual games get closer.
Boston and Columbus have been speculated as Hoffman's possible landing spots.
HUNGARY FOR FAME
With hockey on COVID-19 hiatus, the best game action picture of 2020-21 might go to Attila Szucs. The photographer was rinkside at a Hungarian junior game when defenceman Marko Csollak scored his first goal of the year and decided to celebrate it Alex Ovechkin-style, by leaping hard into the glass.
But the pane completely shattered, Csollak going right over the boards, with Szucs there to capture it all. NBC Sports was among media outlets playing up the frame-by-frame photos. Thankfully, Csollak wasn't cut or hurt.
“I was expecting to bounce back, high five my teammates, but that's not what happened,” he told the U.S. network. “I've seen the video on a lot of websites, some have hundreds of thousands of views, which surprised me. It was an unfortunate coincidence.”
He's promised to rein in his goal celebration next time.
ICE CHIPS
The National Basketball Association's plan to have its next season going by Dec. 22 or early January has naturally fired up talk about the NHL committing more to its vague Jan. 1 target. Former Sportsnet commentator and NHL broadcasting exec John Shannon points out the NHL wouldn't want to fall behind the competition, and that cash incentive for all 31 revenue-starved teams will soon come with Seattle's first expansion payments. Still, much depends on COVID-19
... The Columbus Blue Jackets certainly liked what they saw in 6-foot-3 defender Vladislav Gavrikov last year. On Thursday, they inked the 24-year-old to a three-year, US$8.4 million contract through the 2022-23 season. Gavrikov had 18 points in 69 games last year, which tied him for sixth among league rookie defencemen in points. RFA forward Pierre-Luc Dubois is the only Jacket now without a deal ... Winnipeg is bringing forward Mark Dano back into the fold. This will be his sixth change of teams since Columbus picked him in the first round in 2013, and his second spin with the Jets after 82 games between 2015-18. He signed a one-year, two way contract for $700,000.