The NHL is officially on pause for the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, giving players a rare mid-season breather-and fans a chance to catch their breath after a whirlwind first half. The Chicago Blackhawks wrapped up their pre-Olympic schedule on Wednesday, while 14 other teams closed out their slates last night. The league will resume action on February 25, with the Blackhawks returning to the ice the following day.
But just because the NHL is on hold doesn’t mean the hockey talk stops. Far from it.
Blackhawks Buzz: Roster Moves and AHL Spotlight
As expected, the Blackhawks reassigned defenseman Sam Rinzel to the Rockford IceHogs ahead of the Olympic break. Rinzel, a promising young blueliner, will get valuable minutes in Rockford as he continues to develop his game.
You might be wondering why other young players like Oliver Moore or Landon Slaggert didn’t join him. That’s where the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement comes into play.
According to the CBA, any player who suited up for at least 16 of their team’s final 20 games before the break-or who was on an NHL roster for 80 days by January 21-isn’t eligible to be loaned to the AHL during the Olympic pause. It’s a technicality, but one that keeps certain players locked into their NHL status, even during a league-wide shutdown.
Meanwhile, the Rockford IceHogs are gearing up for a marquee moment: hosting the AHL All-Star Classic on Tuesday and Wednesday. Both the skills competition and the All-Star Challenge will be televised nationally-NHL Network in the U.S., TSN in Canada-and streamed on AHLTV via FloHockey. The production will be handled by the Chicago Sports Network, with local coverage on CHSN.
The broadcast team is a strong one: New York Islanders broadcaster Alan Fuehring will handle play-by-play duties, joined by former IceHogs captain Garrett Mitchell on color commentary and IceHogs voice Dana Grey reporting rinkside.
One player who’ll be in the spotlight? Nick Lardis.
The IceHogs’ leading scorer and AHL All-Star caught up with Grey to talk about the upcoming festivities-and his first taste of NHL action. Lardis has been a bright spot in Rockford, and the All-Star Classic offers a chance for him to showcase his skillset on a bigger stage.
Flashback: Bobby Hull Makes History
On this day in 1971, Bobby Hull added another chapter to his legendary career. The Golden Jet recorded his 26th career hat trick in a 6-2 win over the Minnesota North Stars, tying Maurice “Rocket” Richard for the most hat tricks in NHL history at the time. That night wasn’t just about Bobby, though-his younger brother Dennis Hull chipped in with two goals and an assist, reminding everyone that hockey greatness ran deep in the Hull family.
Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call - Feb. 6
A couple of former Hawks celebrate birthdays today: Mike Hudson and Andy Hilbert. Both had their moments in Chicago, and today’s as good a time as any to remember their contributions.
Around the NHL: Legal Trouble, Injury News, and Rivalry Fireworks
Gavin McKenna made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week. The young forward was arrested Wednesday and charged with aggravated felony assault following an incident last Saturday that reportedly left another individual with a broken jaw.
His court date is set for Wednesday, February 11. The situation is troubling, and the league will be watching closely as the legal process unfolds.
Connor Bedard, meanwhile, finds himself on the outside looking in-again. Team Canada named Seth Jarvis as the injury replacement for Brayden Point on their Olympic roster.
Jarvis, a solid young forward for the Carolina Hurricanes, played in last year’s Four Nations Face-Off and logged one assist in three games. Still, it’s hard to ignore the fact that Bedard, one of the league’s brightest young stars, continues to be passed over.
It’s a head-scratcher, to say the least.
In Calgary, the news isn’t much better. Jonathan Huberdeau will undergo hip surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Huberdeau was the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida, but the move hasn’t paid off the way the Flames had hoped. In 291 games with Calgary, Huberdeau has tallied 65 goals and 194 points-solid, but not the game-changing production the team envisioned.
Meanwhile, Tkachuk has helped lead the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cups and three straight Eastern Conference titles. That trade is looking more lopsided by the year.
And speaking of the Panthers, their rivalry with the Tampa Bay Lightning is as nasty as ever. Tampa Bay dominated their in-state foes 6-1 in a game that featured multiple fights and no shortage of bad blood. Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk dropped the gloves in one of the night’s more heated moments, and the message was clear: there’s no love lost in the Battle of Florida.
The Panthers are in real danger of missing the playoffs, and games like this-where the frustration boils over-might be a sign of a team teetering on the edge. They’ll need to regroup quickly if they want to salvage their season.
NHL Birthday Roll Call - Feb. 6
A big day on the NHL birthday calendar:
Harry Cameron, Kent Douglas, Bob Sirois, Paul Gagne, Mike Hough, Tim Taylor, Adam Henrique, Vinni Lettieri, Ville Husso, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, and Matthew Wood all celebrate today. Happy birthday to a wide range of players who’ve left their mark on the game in different ways.
Even with the NHL on pause, the hockey world keeps spinning. From roster moves and All-Star festivities in Rockford to legal drama, injury news, and old-school rivalries heating up across the league, there’s no shortage of storylines to follow. So while the Olympic break gives players a chance to rest, fans can stay locked in-because the second half of the season promises to be just as wild.