HOCKEY ON THE WIRE
Eakins invitation
Eakins invitation
Dallas Eakins is leaving his door open to Don Cherry. The coach of the Toronto Marlies professed to being a “massive fan” of the colourful Coach’s Corner host one day after Cherry took some pointed shots at the Leafs organization — and Eakins specifically — over the handling of prospect Nazem Kadri. “I invite Don to come down here and sit in my office, and hey, let’s talk about where we’re at with our players,” Eakins said Wednesday.
Sponsor support
With no end in sight to the NHL lockout, the league aims to ease the concerns of its sponsors. A small group of key clients gathered Wednesday afternoon in Toronto for an audience with chief operating officer John Collins. A source indicated that representatives from Molson, Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Kraft, Sirius XM and Scotiabank participated in the meeting. One attendee called the session “productive” and applauded Collins for taking part.
Landeskog homecoming
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog says he is headed home to Sweden to play for second-division Djurgarden during the NHL lockout. Landeskog wrote on Twitter Wednesday that he was “excited to get back on the ice in front of family and friends.” Landeskog played for Djurgarden before being picked second overall in the draft last year, and the 19-year-old left winger was named Colorado’s captain in September, the youngest player to lead an NHL team.