The Daily Scan: Flames sweep, Quenneville pays price

The Calgary Flames are back home but there won’t be much rest. After a sweep of the east coast on the road, they get ready for a long homestand starting with the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. More Flames links below, but keep your eyes on the Vegas Golden Knights. They’re making moves and, aside from the Flames, they’re the odds-on favourite to land Jack Eichel. The fallout from the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault coverup rightly claimed Joel Quenneville, and speculation regarding the Blackhawks next GM is wide-ranging.

Calgary Hockey Now: The Penguins couldn’t beat Calgary Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who made 45 saves to shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0.

CHN+: Markstrom didn’t have the best start but friend of the site Jamie McLennan stuck by his prediction that the big Swedish “unicorn” would play a lot, play well, and be in contention for the Vezina by season’s end.

Here’s more coverage from the scene in Pittsburgh via Dan Kingerski. The Penguins just couldn’t sneak one past the Flames.

NHL News – Chicago edition

This is what needed to happen. And there is one more ‘resignation’ to come.

Florida: After meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Thursday afternoon, Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville – who was head coach of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks and allegedly ignored the assault because it was a distraction before the Stanley Cup Final–resigned on Thursday night.

The circumstantial evidence that Quenneville knew was too great and the people interviewed for the investigation said he knew but didn’t want the distraction. The likelihood that he enabled Brad Aldrich with a reference to help the predator to get a high school job, is sickening.

Hockey’s old boys club and win at all costs culture is going to disappear eventually, but the sooner, the better.

The Athletic: Mark Lazerus wrote a book on the Chicago Blackhawks called If These Walls Could Talk. He’s had access to so many untold stories and the people, including Quenneville. Lazerus isn’t one to hold back and he blasted Quenneville last night: a fallen idol and his new, ugly legacy. 

Lazerus and Scott Powers also dove into potential replacements, including Brian Burke’s son Patrick, Megan Chayka, Michael Futa, and Eddie Olczyk. 

TSN: Darren Dreger opined that two former Penguins GMs could be in the mix, too: Ray Shero and Jim Rutherford.

Now how about some palate cleansers

Washington: Who doesn’t love a puppy calendar shoot? The Washington Capitals got down and fuzzy. Warning–cuteness content. The Calgary Flames need to do this.

Detroit: Each year, this suburban Illinois couple goes all out for their son Anthony, who has cerebral palsy. The big Halloween theme this year is Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – complete with ‘replica’ Ferrari. Anthony is in the back, dressed as Cameron with the Gordie Howe jersey. You’ve gotta see this one.

NYI: Semyon Varlamov is ready to return for the New York Islanders, but in the meantime, Mathew Barzal took fighting lessons from Matt Martin?!

That just sounds like a bad idea.

Colorado: Jordan Binnington threw another temper tantrum and took a good swing at Nazem Kadri, too. Somehow, Kadri got a misconduct. He can get penalized for looking at you wrong now.

Toronto: I think we can all agree, the Auston Matthews moustache needs to go. Matthews may have a new look for a good cause. 

And in the world of hilarious rookie introductions to a fan base, we give you Brandon Duhaime: