Vegas Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty is setting the bar high should the NHL resume play and determine the champions.
“I think this will be the hardest Stanley Cup to win out of all of them. Look at all the obstacles,” Pacioretty told the Golden Knights’ Web site. “Who knows when we’re going to play, where, fans or no fans, everything is up in the air.”
“With that being said, whatever teams that have been banged up are healing up right now. They’re getting their bodies ready, and you better believe everyone around the league is trying to get every advantage possible in terms of recovery and getting in whatever shape they can,” he said. “Most teams go into the [Stanley Cup playoffs] beat up, but that won’t be the case this year. Guys are going to be healthy and teams are going to be able to show their true forms with pretty much every player on the roster.”
Photo: AP
The NHL season was halted in the middle of last month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pacioretty said that he has no problem playing the waiting game.
“I mean, if we had to wait six months and play in Antarctica, I’d be willing to do that,” he said.
When the season was suspended, Pacioretty had 32 goals and 66 points for the Golden Knights, who led the Pacific Division.
FIFA on Friday blamed the empty seats during the FIFA World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico, on fans who watched from the concourses. There were many visible empty spots at the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium, with sections in the middle of the stands showing many unoccupied spaces and with other empty seats scattered around the venue. The announced attendance was 44,985 — including FIFA president Gianni Infantino. “Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment
Japan captain Wataru Endo on Thursday was ruled out of the FIFA World Cup with injury and announced his international retirement, three days before his team’s opener against the Netherlands. The Liverpool midfielder pulled out of the tournament after failing to recover from a foot injury and was replaced in Japan’s squad by Shuto Machino. The 33-year-old Endo said on social media that he was “frustrated” at not being able to play, but backed his team to impress in Group F, where they face the Netherlands, Tunisia and Sweden. “There will definitely come a time in the future when Japan win the World
A rotting body was found on Friday in the trunk of a car parked near the stadium where Iran’s FIFA World Cup team is training in Mexico. The gruesome discovery came with games under way in the tournament, which is being jointly hosted by Mexico, the US and Canada. Reporters watched as police in Tijuana opened the trunk of the gray Toyota SUV, which had California plates, in the parking lot of a supermarket directly across from the Caliente Stadium, where Team Melli are training as they prepare for three games in the US. Specialists in white protective suits worked
About 100 people gathered at a bar in Taipei to watch the FIFA World Cup start in Mexico, despite the early hour of 3am yesterday. All seats had been reserved before the game started, said a clerk at the Brass Monkey, a bar in Taipei where customers can watch live sports broadcasts. The Group A clash between Mexico and South Africa drew supporters from multiple continents to the venue. For Misael Alanis, a Mexican student who has lived in Taiwan for two-and-a-half years, the atmosphere was just as important as the game itself. “There are a lot of Mexicans here and you can tell