THE BIG PICTURE

War Chest Is Brimming

The question is coming with increasing frequency. From friends, family members, reporters, colleagues and our readers: what will The Hockey News do if the NHL locks out its players? The simple answer? It’s business as usual. And that’s mostly true. The fact is over the past 15 years or so, THN has had to reinvent itself. We’ve eliminated team stats, game summaries and time-sensitive info that often had become irrelevant well before we’d go to print. In its place, we’ve loaded up on substantial features, analyses and previews, expert opinion, human-interest stories and insider stories. As such, we’re already well positioned for an NHL shutdown – in the event of no games, we’d simply continue to do and explore more of the same. Just as the owners and players have war…

Marvellous Marlboros

This spring, the Marlies gave Toronto to its first taste of a professional hockey final – though they were swept by the Norfolk Admirals – since the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in 1967. The American League team has no true ties to the Marlboros of old (unlike the Toronto Marlboros minor hockey organization, which dates back to 1931), but they have assumed a part in a very long hockey tradition. The original Marlboros – formally, the Toronto Marlborough Athletic Club – were formed as a social club in the 1890s with teams in several different sports. After success in the Toronto Lacrosse Hockey League in the early 1900s, the Marlboros entered the Ontario Hockey Association in 1902-03. They won the junior title that year and reached the provincial final…

JerseyHound

Michigan State is one of the classic NCAA hockey schools and there’s a lot to like about the Spartans’ traditional green and white uniforms. But with a lot of promise in this year’s season, plus an outdoor tourney hitched to the Winter Classic, the Spartans have to look their best, so they’ve put together home and away throwback jerseys that will be used as thirds this year. Using the iconic baseball-style lettering MSU first trotted out in 1980-81, the Spartans also retain their sweet feathered helmet logo on the shoulders.…