Last month, the Hockey Hall of Fame unveiled its class of 2024, which consisted of five players — three in the male player category, two in the female player category — and two builders. Two of the male players, Pavel Datsyuk and Shea Weber, went in during their first year of eligibility. Jeremy Roenick had been eligible since 2012, or three years after he played his last official game as a professional with the 2008-09 San Jose Sharks. That’s a distinction that’s unique to the HHOF, because it takes into account players who continue to play professionally around the world, even after their NHL careers conclude.

So, for example, Datsyuk played five years in Russia after leaving the Detroit Red Wings following the 2015-16 season, which is why he wasn’t eligible for selection until this year. Jaromir Jagr, the NHL’s second all-time leading scorer, hasn’t played a game in the NHL since 2017-18, but he continues to play a handful of games every year for Kladno, the team he owns in Czechia. If Jagr finally stops playing this year, he’ll become eligible in 2027 — and he’ll be about as sure a thing as there is to a guaranteed first-ballot inductee.

That’s the thing about Hall of Fame debates. They generally aren’t too controversial at the top end.

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How…

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Good morning! Justin Fields did the right thing, actually.

While You Were Sleeping: Auston Matthews is doing it

Three weeks ago, we wrote about Auston Matthews’ historic 70-goal pace, which would give us the NHL’s first 70-goal season since 1993. The good news: Matthews is still on track. 

One complication: Will Toronto manage his playing time down the stretch? The Leafs won that game last night, 6-3, over Arizona and sit fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. In what we can file under “good timing,” Jonas Siegel published a wonderful story yesterday about how Matthews’ stardom sprouted from the most unlikely place. 

P.S. While we’re here, a certain team in Baton Rouge hit this bonkers game-winner last night to beat No. 17 Kentucky at the buzzer:

LSU UPSETS NO. 17 KENTUCKY AT THE BUZZER

@LSUBasketball pic.twitter.com/Or26oGzIEj

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 22, 2024

Barring an SEC tourney run, my Tigers won’t make the NCAA Tournament, and yet they’ve beaten two ranked teams in consecutive games, overcoming 15-point deficits in both contests. At least we got LSU women’s hoops star Angel Reese storming…

TORONTO – A Professional Women’s Hockey League game between Toronto and Montreal has broken the all-time attendance record for a women’s hockey game.

The league had previously broken attendance records for a women’s professional hockey game – first in Ottawa (8,318) on Jan. 2, and then four days later in Minnesota (13,316); a game in Montreal on Jan. 27 broke the record for the most fans (8,646) at a pro game in Canada. But Friday night’s draw of 19,285 fans at Scotiabank Arena is the largest crowd to watch women’s hockey ever, including at the Olympics, world championships and in the NCAA.

The previous women’s hockey attendance record was 18,013 fans at a preliminary round game between Canada and Finland at the 2013 Women’s World Championship in Ottawa.

“I like to think that I’ve been in some pressure situations or some exciting situations, but even as a middle-aged man walking on the bench, I was emotional,” said Toronto head coach Troy Ryan, who has coached Team Canada to two world championships and Olympic gold. “So you can imagine how some of the players who have fought so long to get these opportunities felt.”

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Six teams, one draft and a lot of Ikea furniture: How the PWHL was made in six months

“It was so special to see the amount of…

Our NHL style rankings have seen a fair share of players donning hats and blazers, even full suit combos. Calgary Flames forward Blake Coleman, who’s in the midst of a career season, has taken it one step further by donning Stetson hats with his outfits. He credits a Calgary-based World of Vici store stylist for his suits.

“I just have a guy here in Calgary that wanted to play a little dress-up this year,” Coleman said.

As for the hats, Coleman got himself hooked after wearing an Open Road Stetson while attending the Academy of Country Music Awards in Dallas last summer. Owning one turned into owning multiple hats. Even Coleman’s wife, Jordan, grabbed some during the Flames’ road stop in Dallas last November. Coleman also received a Stetson as a birthday gift.

“What’s that old expression? Look good, play good, feel good,” Coleman said. “It’s fun to mix it up a little bit. I was pretty simple earlier in my career. Now that I have the luxury to go get some new stuff, I’ve enjoyed it. My wife used to poke fun at my suit game. I think she’s probably the happiest of anybody.”

Coleman now is considered a style rankings regular for The Athletic. He’s been a part of stiff competition with some of the league’s best dressers, including Auston Matthews, Adam…

The 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend will be expanded to a three-day event, the league announced Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

• The festivities will begin Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024, from the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Scotiabank Arena.
• Thursday’s events feature the return of the All-Star player draft. Four captains will choose their teams with the help of a celebrity co-captain.
• NHL Alumni Man of the Year (honoring the 1967 Maple Leafs team) and the PWHL three-on-three showcase will also take place on Feb. 1.
• The All-Star skills competition will take place Friday, Feb. 2, and the weekend will close with the All-Star Game Saturday, Feb. 3.

The 2024 #NHLAllStar Weekend will be expanded to a three-day event, which will feature “NHL All-Star Thursday” on Feb. 1.

Full details: https://t.co/DMcdtsqtbw pic.twitter.com/MtgebHO9nR

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) November 28, 2023

Significance of PWHL’s involvement

The inclusion of women’s hockey at NHL All-Star Weekend isn’t exactly new in 2023-24.

In 2018, members of the U.S. national team were on hand to demonstrate drills for the skills competition. In 2019, Kendall Coyne Schofield became the first woman to compete in the NHL All-Star skill competition when she took part in the fastest skater event. In 2020, the league…

Brad Treliving has been on the job as Maple Leafs general manager for nearly four months now.

It’s early days still, though we have clues about his plans for the Leafs. During a recent one-on-one conversation, we were able to dig into his team-building philosophies, his offseason visit with Auston Matthews, why he believes a noisier, more energetic dressing room will translate to the ice, and whether the Leafs will hold onto William Nylander without an extension.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

You mentioned going to visit Auston in Arizona after you were hired this summer. What do you do when you go visit Auston? A general manager goes and visits the star player, what do you do?

My wife asked me the same thing. It was more of just getting to know you. You don’t want to be that uncomfortable house guest. We went for dinner. Basically, I went in there, we met for lunch, got a suite at one of the hotels where we could just get together. Went to dinner a couple times. Just spent some time together. Initially, it’s really trying to give him a little background (on me).

I’ve known (Auston’s agent) Judd (Moldaver) for a long time. It would be different if there was no relationship with Judd, no relationship with Auston where you’re like, OK,…

TORONTO — Kyle Dubas didn’t reveal a lot about what’s next for the Maple Leafs, not exactly, but he sure left a lot of clues.

About the future of the core. About the future of the head coach. About the future direction of the franchise. He sure made it sound like change is coming, if he does in fact return. And if he doesn’t, well, then change is coming for certain.

That biggest outstanding question — Will he be back as GM? — remains unanswered after Monday’s season-ending press availability.

Dubas alluded to the “good, long relationship” he had with team president Brendan Shanahan and ownership and planned to speak to both parties in the coming days about his future (aka next contract). Before that, more crucially, a discussion with his wife Shannon to “see where we’re at as a family and how we want to proceed with everything.”

Dubas called it a “taxing” year on his family and was visibly emotional when the subject came up in a brief 15-minute press conference.

“My family is a hugely important part of what I do,” Dubas said. “We haven’t been able to have those full discussions yet. But it was a very hard year on them.”

Cross off the Pittsburgh Penguins and any other team that’s interested in Dubas’ services.

Dubas insisted it was Leafs or…