NHL News: Gary Bettman addresses Lehner tweets; Senators lose Colin White to injury; and preseason action
Anthony Scultore
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The NHL’s commissioner was on Jeff Marek’s show on Sportsnet and weighed in on Robin Lehner’s tweets over the weekend.
“We take his comments seriously and we’d like in short order to be in a conversation with him so we can hear his concerns directly and we’re going to follow up to see what merit there may be to his concerns,” Gary Bettman told Marek. “You don’t have to tweet to get our attention. We have an 800 number people can call. You can call us directly, we’re an open book. But if he has concerns we want to hear them and see how they need to be addressed.”
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NHL News: Gary Bettman addresses Robin Lehner’s tweets
Over the weekend, Robin Lehner went on a social media rant after weighing in on the Jack Eichel situation. His appearance on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast sparked the tweets that called for the NHLPA to help Eichel get the surgery he wants.
“I hate it.” Lehner said on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast . “I know [teams] put investments into us, but your body is your body. If Eichel wants to have his surgery, how hard is it for them to have him sign a waiver and if it goes wrong they don’t pay him?”
The commissioner also told Marek that all parties want what’s best for Jack Eichel.
“It’s a terrible situation. I don’t think it’s fair to point the finger at anybody in terms of who’s right and wrong,” Bettman explained. “I think everybody’s approaching this with the best intentions and that the injury is complex both in its diagnosis and its treatment and I think people need to be a little more patient.”
Senators lose Colin White to injury
When it comes to the NHL preseason, wins and losses don’t matter. That’s why what every fan, player, and organization dreads are injuries at this time of year.
Last night, in a 3-1 loss to Toronto, Colin White went to make a hit on a Leafs player just 5 minutes into the game. White went down awkward after the contact and was slow to get up with his shoulder and arm sagging.
After the game, Senators coach D.J. Smith said that White will have an MRI on Tuesday and will be out for awhile.
White, 24, scored 18 points in 45 games last season. The center was a first round pick by the Sens in 2015 (21st overall).
Preseason Scores
Here’s the rest of the preseason action:
- Flyers 2 vs Bruins 1(OT)
- Blue Jackets 5 vs Sabres 3 (Laine scores 1G, 1A)
- Devils 4 vs Capitals 1
- Blackhawks 6 vs Red Wings 4
- Wild 3 vs Avalanche 1 (Kapriszov scores in his first preseason game)
- Oilers 4 vs Flames 3
- Ducks 3 vs Sharks 2 (SO)