Hey everyone, before we get to the fun part, a quick note regarding what happened in the discussion thread yesterday and things going forward. If you have any thoughts or questions, please reach out to me personally.
Ever since I took over SCH a few months ago, it’s been incredible meeting the already established community here and discussing the team with you all. However, an underlying current of contention between different groups of commenters on the site has been ongoing, and the arguments almost always have resulted from things other than hockey. I know we’re all passionate folks to be spending our time espousing thoughts to the endless void of the Internet, but it’s been disheartening seeing some of the language and personal attacks lobbed in the comments recently. Having said that, I hope it ends today.
SCH has one of the most vibrant and engaged communities across SBN NHL blogs, and part of that is fostering a welcoming environment for every reader, regardless of pretty much everything but their interest in the Blackhawks. This goes beyond what happened during the discussion of domestic violence yesterday, and into the general behavior that occurs in the comment threads — sometimes, it’s really as simple as “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
We have so many great readers and commenters here, both male and female, and there’s absolutely no reason the discussion of hockey should take a direction that makes anyone feel like leaving. If that means more aggressively moderating pages, we’ll do it, but I’d certainly rather post this message and make my feelings clear rather than freely whip out the ban-hammer for a round of whack-a-troll.
So going forward, I just want to reiterate the community guidelines for the comments, and encourage everyone to be respectful as we go through the Slava Voynov situation and whatever comes next in hockey. We can’t decide whether or not these issues in society exist, but we can decide how we talk about them. What happened yesterday did not hold up to that idea, and I hope that we all — myself included — can do better to make everyone comfortable going forward.
— Satchel
Okay, back to your regular programming.
A welcomed return to the ice for the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night as they host the Philadelphia Flyers at the United Center. It’s the team’s first national TV broadcast of the year, on NBCSN, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for coverage this evening. Anyways, here’s the latest news:
**We should’ve known the lines would hit the blender with Kris Versteeg returning to the lineup (CSN Chicago)
**Other than changing lines, what does Versteeg’s return mean for the Blackhawks? (SCH)
**Jeremy Morin is likely the odd man out with Versteeg back (CSN Chicago)
**Monster loss for the Lightning, who will be without Norris Trophy candidate Victor Hedman for 4-6 weeks due to a broken hand (TSN)
**Here’s the latest regarding Slava Voynov’s arrest on charges of domestic violence (SB Nation)
**It’s been a brutal start to the year for Mike Smith, and the Coyotes are understandably worried about their starting goaltender (Fox Sports Arizona)
**The Stars‘ Patrik Nemeth will miss the rest of the regular season after suffering arm lacerations in a game against Philadelphia last week (Dallas Morning News)
**This is a pretty, pretty great thing Ben Scrivens is doing with his mask this season (SB Nation)
**John Gibson’s mask isn’t contributing to a good cause, but is still pretty neat (Puck Daddy)
**The Sabres will retire Dominic Hasek’s No. 39 jersey on Jan. 13, 2015 (Pro Hockey Talk)
**Jeremy Roenick discusses the 13 concussions he suffered during his playing career (Business Insider)
**Boston defenseman Kevan Miller will be out indefinitely after dislocating his shoulder on Saturday (Bruins)
**Looks like Pavel Datsyuk could make his season debut for the Red Wings on Tuesday (Pro Hockey Talk)
**The Penguins had an early Halloween party over the weekend and Sidney Crosby dressed up as “Rocky” (SB Nation)