5 things we learned in the NHL last week: Whatever you do, don't look down
Plus, Habs have Twitter regret while the Hulls have puck envy
Another week of the NHL season has come and gone, but not without teaching us a few lessons along the way.
Here's a look back at some of the most exciting and/or strange events that caught the attention of hockey fans over the last seven days and what we learned from them.
The Blue Jackets are not invincible
I know, I know — this is something we thought we learned a long time ago. But it's worth recognizing after the team rattled off 16 straight victories, only to fall one win short of tying the NHL's all-time record.
A bright spot: It created another entry in the "Best of John Tortorella" press-conference playlist:
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CBJ?src=hash">#CBJ</a> Tortorella steps before media, smiles and says: "Sh**, huh?"
—@AportzlineHere's a tally of the teams the Blue Jackets dispatched during their streak from Nov. 25 until Thursday's 5-0 loss in Washington:
- Tampa Bay
- Colorado
- Arizona (2)
- Detroit
- NY Islanders
- Edmonton (2)
- Calgary
- Vancouver
- Los Angeles
- Pittsburgh
- Montreal
- Boston
- Winnipeg
- Minnesota
Subban trade still a sore spot
A couple of hours before Montreal played in Nashville on Tuesday, the Canadiens' Twitter account posted what they thought was a funny photo relating to the Shea Weber-P.K. Subban trade.
This attempt at humour was not well received.
I get it, but show Subban some respect for all he did for the city and team. I still wear my PK jersey with pride. <a href="https://t.co/DAcgsqjmbE">https://t.co/DAcgsqjmbE</a>
—@kzrutherfordWhy does this franchise + fans openly hate on Subban <a href="https://t.co/YYe3NvaFDU">https://t.co/YYe3NvaFDU</a>
—@tangerelitePK Subban is bigger than your organization <a href="https://t.co/8VZZk1PBec">https://t.co/8VZZk1PBec</a>
—@NaturallyKatzThe Canadiens quickly deleted the tweet, but hopefully they didn't delete the lesson they learned.
Don't look down
Rookie sensation Patrik Laine took a pass in the neutral zone in Buffalo on Saturday afternoon. The next few minutes of his life after were probably a bit blurry.
The team confirmed on Sunday that Laine suffered a concussion, and it's unclear when he will return to action.
Come at the king, you best not miss
To his lofty standards, it's been a lacklustre season so far for Henrik Lundqvist. This season's 2.49 goals-against average and .913 save percentage represent a significant drop for the Rangers' star from his career marks of 2.29 and .920.
However, he still has the ability to dominate games, and he stole the show on Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Just ask Brayden Schenn:
Come to the face-off circle, you best not forget the puck
The Golden Jet and the Golden Brett were tasked with the ceremonial face-off before the latest installment of the NHL's "Winter Classic" in St. Louis on Monday.
There was just one problem — you had two Hulls and zero pucks.