Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com.
• Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon on the NHL playing with no fans in attendance: “I think the start of next season, everybody has to be careful with [it] because I think you need fans. And so if it means pushing back the start of the season for any sport, then they should consider that, because what’s the point of having sports if you don’t have fans, right? They wouldn’t exist. They’d be called the YMCA.” [ESPN]
• A look at the good and bad of the NHL return to play ideas. [Pittsburgh Hockey News]
• Mats Zuccarello is no fan of how the Rangers are treating his good pal Henrik Lundqvist: “In my eyes, I was about to end [my career with the] Rangers. I think Henke would, too. Everything was going to be fine and great, but then the management decides, and then you are not worth the s---.” [Blue Shirt Banter]
• Speaking of Hank, is Lundqvist’s storied career really going to end this way? [The Score]
• How Elvis Merzlikins started to “rock and roll” with the Blue Jackets. [The Hockey News]
• Remember the Kenya Ice Lions? They are currently working toward gaining membership in the International Ice Hockey Federation. [NHL.com]
• Graysen Cameron, who is one of the survivors of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, has committed to playing NCAA hockey at Northland College. [Sportsnet]
• No one knows what the word “underrated” means anymore. [The Faceoff Circle]
• A fun look at the 1970-71 NHL season with a fantasy hockey twist. [Rotoworld]
• Finally, here’s Elias Pettersson showing why hockey is his chosen sport:
.@_EPettersson called it: SWISH👌 🤣 pic.twitter.com/0Ob457EbpL
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 26, 2020
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.