The addition of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to the Hockey
Hall of Fame has prompted sharp pushback from some former players angry about
the league¡¯s handling of head injuries.Bettman joined Martin Brodeur
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and Alexander Yakushev in the Hall of Fame class of 2018 announced on Tuesday.
Bettman has overseen the NHL¡¯s expansion from 24 to 31 teams and surge in annual
revenue from $437 million to $5 billion in a quarter-century overseeing the NHL.
His tenure also has included three lockouts of the players and increased
controversy over concussions.A federal lawsuit against the league , consolidated
from five cases filed in 2013, has sought class action status for pursuit of
damages for mental and physical health problems plaguing former players who
experienced head trauma during their careers. The plaintiffs have alleged the
league failed to warn its players of the long-term risk of brain damage that may
have been suffered in action on the ice.Two more retirees, Daniel Carcillo and
Nick Boynton , recently filed their own federal lawsuit under similar arguments.
They were among the vocal critics on Tuesday of Bettman¡¯s impending induction,
using their Twitter accounts to express disgust about the honor for the NHL¡¯s
top official since 1993.¡±I can¡¯t get over what a slap in the face this must be
to the families of Steve Montador, Rick Rypien
Bo Horvat
Jersey , Derek Boogaard, Bob Probert & Wade Belak,¡± Carcillo
tweeted , referencing five former players who were suffering from brain damage
and died prematurely by causes that included overdose and suicide. ¡±Gary Bettman
had a hand in every death by withholding info about the risks of doing their
job.¡±Boynton questioned the election and called on the Hall of Fame to return
all the personal items he donated to the museum from his career.¡±This is not
something I want to be a part of,¡± Boynton tweeted .¡ª CHICAGO ¡ª As the Calgary
Flames turn the page on the calendar to a new month, they hope the momentum from
a successful surge through late November carries over.Entering Sunday¡¯s game
against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Flames have won two of their past three
games and seven of their last 10. Calgary hopes to keep surging ahead against
Chicago, which has struggled to settle into any kind of groove since early this
season.The Flames head east after a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on
Friday in which Calgary¡¯s defense limited the Kings to 14 shots. The Calgary
offense also came alive in a third period when the Flames scored three goals,
including the game-winner by Johnny Gaudreau
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snapped a 1-1 tie and allowed the Flames to keep moving in a positive
direction.Article continues below ...¡°We¡¯re a confident group,¡± Calgary center
Sean Monahan told reporters after the victory, according to the team¡¯s official
website. ¡°You come to the rink every day and you want to win. I think with the
group we have in here, the guys that are in here coming to compete every day we
have a good chance every night.¡±The Flames (15-9-2) had to demonstrate some
patience in the victory, which was on display until they could find the back of
the net more than they did during the first two periods of Friday¡¯s game. But
after producing the three late goals, the Flames proved that they can rely on
their defense until their goal scorers can get going.¡°Through 40 (minutes), it
didn¡¯t seem like much was going on,¡± goalie Mike Smith told reporters after he
made 13 saves. ¡°It was a pretty boring game to be honest. But saying that, that
can lead to some inconsistencies in your game and I thought our guys did a
really good job of sticking with it. That¡¯s a team ¡ they¡¯ve been like that for
how long now? Just a team that waits for you to make a mistake and make you
pay.¡±The Blackhawks (9-13-5) enter Sunday¡¯s game riding a three-game losing
streak after a 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Chicago has
surrendered 19 goals in the three games and allowed three goals in less than
five minutes of a disastrous first period.The frustration level has continued to
mount throughout Jeremy Colliton¡¯s short tenure as coach after he replaced Joel
Quenneville. After a 6-5 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday
Brendan
Leipsic Jersey Kids , Colliton told reporters that the time for
excuse-making is over.Saturday¡¯s road loss only made matters worse as the
Blackhawks prepare for the Flames, but Colliton said his team can¡¯t blame anyone
for its predicament outside of itself.¡°We¡¯ve got to tell the truth to the team
and then they need to respond,¡± Colliton told reporters after the loss to
Winnipeg, according to the Chicago Tribune. Colliton has said the Blackhawks¡¯
compete level needs to improve and that it needs to filter throughout a lineup
that has its share of veteran leadership. But asked if the veterans need to keep
the heads up of Chicago¡¯s younger players through tough times, defenseman Duncan
Keith ¡ª who was ejected from Saturday¡¯s loss ¡ª bristled at the notion.¡°This is
the NHL,¡± Keith told reporters Thursday, according to the Tribune. ¡°It¡¯s not
really a developmental league. It¡¯s about winning. It¡¯s about results. That
makes it more fun. Winning. Winning games.¡±