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PHT Morning Skate: Penguins lawsuit; So many Lundqvist jerseys

PHT Morning Skate: Penguins lawsuit; So many Lundqvist jerseys

Welcome to the PHT Morning Skate, a collection of links from the NHL and around the hockey world. Have a link you want to submit for the PHT Morning Skate? Email us at phtblog@nbcsports.com.

Lawsuit involving Penguins, AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton

• TSN’s Rick Westhead shared details from a lawsuit involving former members of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coaching staff, the Penguins’ AHL affiliate. It’s worth noting that a content warning is appropriate here, regarding descriptions of alleged sexual assault. Former assistant coach Jarrod Skalde filed a lawsuit against the Penguins, the Lemieux Group, and former AHL head coach Clark Donatelli regarding Donatelli’s alleged assault of Skalde’s wife. (The Penguins were named in how they’re accused of handling the situation.) Again, the allegations are quite serious, so content warning. [TSN]

• As part of that lawsuit, Skalde made claims about how (then-Penguins assistant GM, now Wild GM) Bill Guerin handled the situation. Guerin denied such claims, saying that he instead promptly brought Skalde’s allegations to Penguins upper management. [Michael Russo on Twitter, and at The Athletic (sub required in Athletic piece)]

COVID-related hockey updates

• Team Canada resumed World Juniors camp after quarantining due to COVID cases. Only, in this case, five players were cut. Instead of missing out due to performance, it appears they were unfit to play. [CBC]

• While Canada tries to move forward from COVID cases hopefully in the past, other hockey nations are dealing with new outbreaks. As Sportsnet notes, both Sweden and German World Juniors teams are dealing with players/coaches testing positive for COVID. [Sportsnet]

• A bar owner hopes to keep “The Angry Beaver” open long enough to serve Seattle during the birth of the Kraken. That could require some luck, as COVID seems like quite a threat to “The Angry Beaver.” [King 5]

Other hockey links

• The NWHL happily announced that Stathletes will provide “data and insights” for the league. Among other things, the NWHL expressed excitement to work with co-founder Meghan Chayka. [NWHL]

• By raising more than $27K, hockey fans helped Jeff Carlson undergo needed surgeries. You may remember Carlson as one of the “Hanson brothers” from the film “Slap Shot.” [The Tribune Democrat]

• With a mid-January start to the 2020-21 NHL season looking more plausible, expect free agent speculation (and trade rumors) to pick up. How about an example? Here’s a breakdown of how Mikael Granlund might fit with the Columbus Blue Jackets. [1st Ohio Battery]

• An increasingly likely 2020-21 NHL season beginning in about a month also may leave fantasy hockey fans scrambling. Could that give you a better chance to reap rewards by stealing sleepers? Rotoworld gives a preview of its draft content with sleepers like Nick Suzuki. [Rotoworld]

• You think you love Henrik Lundqvist? Perhaps you’ve met your match, because this Rangers fan’s boatload of Lundqvist jerseys will be tough to beat. The sweaters you’ll buy for love ... [NHL.com]

(It’s amusing that, in the image, you’ll notice a stray Jeff Beukeboom jersey.)

• At Oyster Bay Resorts at Vancouver Island, they displayed a humorous sign urging patrons to wear a mask. “It’s not like we’re asking you to wear a Flames jersey.” Well, apparently some Flames fans didn’t love that joke. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• Need some laughs? (Even those who are especially sensitive Flames fans?) Puck Junk had some fun with Upper Deck cards for 2020-21. [Puck Junk]

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.