Sean Tomlinson

Yeah, we don’t know exactly what that headline means either. But Christmas and Ferraris are good, right? There was also some mention of horses belonging in barns during Sidney Crosby’s press conference, so we’re sure he’ll let us know when those stray beasts are rounded up again.

But here’s what we do know: he’s not retiring. Since this is the first time widespread speculation largely based in the Great White North has turned out to be completely baseless, we’ll let you gather yourself for a moment.

Alright, let’s carry on then.

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Those simmering days of summer are pretty much over now, or at least they are for those of us who live in the northeast and woke up to a brisk fall breeze this morning. We’re nearly one week into September, which means two things: local hack FM deejays playing “Wake Me Up When September Ends” on an endless and nauseating loop, and the end of a hockey offseason that’s now only 84 days old.

But remember those slow summer days from like, say, two weeks ago? Those were good times, and we did things like relay every morsel of news regarding Sidney Crosby’s retirement recovery. Wait, we still do that.

Our fresh and original summer musings led us to Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks forward whose recovery from wrist surgery was slightly behind schedule in late August. Now by the grace of the hockey gods Kane’s recovery has taken a swift turn, and instead of aiming just for opening night and possibly missing most of training camp, he’s looking to play in up to four preseason games.

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The brotherhood maintained by those who lead the NHL in fisticuffs every year would seem odd to anyone who doesn’t understand the game. These men are paid to pummel each other, and yet in many cases they pat each other on the back before skating to the penalty box, bloodied and beaten. They’re often friends away from the ice, and foes only for a few fleeting minutes on game night.

That’s the kind of relationship former NHL enforcer Kelly Chase had with Wade Belak, as the two become friends during  Belak’s junior hockey days with the Saskatoon Blades. Adding to a day of reflection after the league lost another player paid to play with his knuckles bare and his fists flying, Chase spoke to theScore’s Corey Erdman earlier today.

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Wade Belak was found dead in a Toronto hotel on Wednesday afternoon. He was 35.

The death has been confirmed by the Nashville Predators, Belak’s most recent NHL team before he announced his retirement at the end of the 2010-11 season.

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News doesn’t have to be shocking to be sad. Given the blows Marc Savard has taken over the past two years and the severe head trauma he’s experienced, the comments from Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli won’t be catching many by surprise.

Still, hearing that Savard’s career could be over at 34 years old after seeing minimal NHL ice time since 2008-09 just simply sucks.

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I remember a time when we received the news from newspapers. These existed in the before time, and were large, paper-based apparatuses that used words and pictures to relay the most important events of the day. In this primitive era, the people who reported on the news would actually have to seek out those who made the news. We called this little cat and mouse game “reporting.”

Now the newsmakers just tell us when they’ve done something notable. Like, say, James Van Riemsdyk.

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As someone whose athletic ability now consists of walking two blocks to work and occasionally playing in beer league hockey with men 20 years my senior, I feel qualified to give a medical opinion. So please recall my prognosis on Patrick Kane when he first went under the knife for wrist surgery in mid-July.

Over his four NHL seasons that have been highlighted by a Stanley Cup, the Calder Trophy, and 303 points in 317 games, Kane has been consistently healthy, so there shouldn’t be much concern for Hawks fans about this injury potentially effecting his soft hands even after his recovery.

Kane has missed just 12 regular season games, two of which were due to the flu.

That’s all still true, and there’s still no reason to believe that one of Chicago’s key cogs won’t make a full and complete recovery. It’s just going to take a little longer than expected, that’s all.

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