Before we get to the news and links of the day, I would like to thank everyone who came out to our PPP meetup on Saturday night. It was great seeing everyone and getting to watch a game together. Community is what PPP is all about, and it was great to see/meet all of you. An extra thanks goes to Goldenhawk for making the necessary arrangements. We all had a blast that night.

So did the Nashville Predators.

After being run over two games straight in Pittsburgh, against the Penguins, the Predators 5-1 win on Saturday certainly revived their hopes for winning the Stanley Cup. Tonight we will see if they can keep that momentum going, or whether Pittsburgh simply had an off night.

Freddy Gaudreau The Latest “Next Man” - On the Forecheck
To give you an idea of how much of a long shot Gaudreau was to get to this point, Hockey’s Future, gave him a “D” in probability of success in the league.

ICYMI

Scouting Combine a testament to Finland’s special group of 2017 NHL Draft talent - Wheeler
Finland has put the hockey world on notice ahead of the 2017 NHL Draft.

One thing we learned from the Scouting Combine is that Kailer Yamamoto is wise beyond his years.

Friedman said the magic words: Toronto and Kovalchuk - Katya
Is he or isn’t he? That’s always the question with Ilya Kovalchuk.

Solar Bears release protected list - pas_55
The Bears' 2017-18 affiliation isn't yet certain, but they are already making plans for the season.

Other News

The Calder Cup Final isn’t going well for the Syracuse Crunch, the team which eliminated the Marlies from the playoffs. Noted turd of the Crunch, Jake Dotchin, seemed quite upset about the situation.

Awww. Poor baby.

Griffins Take 2-0 Series Lead With 6-5 Double Overtime Win - Winging It In Motown
Ben Street brought the house down with his double-overtime game winner, giving the Griffins a commanding 2-0 series lead.

The most important summer of Dylan Strome's life - Sportsnet.ca
"Strome’s name is announced, so No. 19 stands up, steps onto the ice and skates to center to accept the MasterCard Memorial Cup MVP trophy. He poses dutifully for pictures, still wearing his white helmet, his patchily bearded face showing no trace of a smile. Strome carries the hardware back to the bench at waist level and passes it off to the first person he sees so she can take it away. Then he walks down the hall to join his teammates."

Junior hockey's biggest fight isn't on the ice — it's in the courtroom - CBC
“Even at the age of 10, growing up on opposite ends of the country, Lukas Walter and Spencer Abraham had almost identical stories. Both boys lived for hockey and dreamed of one day playing in the NHL, but today, they are on opposite sides of a multi-million dollar class-action lawsuit over wages that could change junior hockey forever.”

Report: Noora Räty, Kelli Stack sign with CWHL’s Kunlun Red Star - The Ice Garden
Stack, Räty leave respective teams for newest CWHL expansion team; Stack’s departure major blow for NWHL.
[Species: This is a major development for the CWHL. Our own Nafio will attend a press conference today at the Hockey Hall of Fame where details of exactly how the CWHL will integrate this new sixth team into their league will be revealed. Expect further detail soon after.]

Reminder

If you weren’t able to attend Saturday night’s meetup with Annie, don’t worry, we’re having another meetup later this month. This time it will be with Achariya. We are working out the logistics and details now. Stay tuned.

We’ll have a PPP After Dark for the game tonight. See you then!

From The Branches