The Weekly Dis
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The National Hockey League was born out of the old NHA and other forerunners in 1917. Including the present 32 teams, the league has had 57 franchises over its century-plus of existence, including the following clubs that either relocated or went under:
Arizona Coyotes, Atlanta Flames, Atlanta Thrashers, Brooklyn Americans, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Detroit Cougars, Detroit Falcons, Hamilton Tigers, Hartford Whalers, Kansas City Scouts, Minnesota North Stars, Montreal Maroons, Montreal Wanderers, New York Americans, Oakland Seals, Ottawa Senators (1917-34), Philadelphia Quakers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Quebec Bulldogs, Quebec Nordiques, St. Louis Eagles, Toronto Arenas, Toronto St. Patricks and the Winnipeg Jets (1979-96).
Of the 57 franchises, nine of them count a defenseman as their career assist leader, including:
- Shea Theodore (302 assists as an original member of the Vegas Golden Knights, whose history spans eight seasons).
- Vince Dunn (174 assists as an original member of the Seattle Kraken, whose history spans five seasons),
- Harry Cameron (14 assists in the two seasons the Toronto Arenas played in the NHL, 1917-18 through 1918-19). Note: Cameron is tied as the all-time Arenas assist leader with Reg Noble, who played both forward and defense.
Two things about those bullet points.
First thing: A reason to stay away from artificial intelligence.
Second thing: Harry Cameron (elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962) and Reg Noble (elected to the Hall in 1963) were badasses. Verdun!
Left: Harry Cameron in a Toronto Arenas jersey. Man, wouldn't a collector like to get his mitts on that sweater, eh? Right: Reg Noble, "the Verdun of Hockey." He was so named for the famous WWI battle, a trench-warfare stalemate that dragged on for 11 months. Noble had enlisted to fight with the Allies, but a bum foot prevented him from marching for long periods, and he never went overseas. Dude could still skate, though.
Maybe you can see where I'm going here.
The six remaining defensemen who are the career assist leaders for their franchises are:
- Raymond Bourque, Boston Bruins, 1,111 assists.
- Brian Leetch, New York Rangers, 741 assists.
- Borje Salming, Toronto Maple Leafs, 620 assists.
- Al MacInnis, St. Louis Blues, 690 assists.
- Roman Josi, Nashville Predators, 576 assists.
- Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets, 330 assists.
The first four – Bourque, Leetch, Salming and MacInnis – were elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.
That last graf had to be boldfaced.
The last two on the list, Josi and Werenski, are still active.
Josi is 35 years old. Last season, he had 42 assists and 55 points in 68 games. He is at the tail end of his prime or entering a regression. But he is still a badass.
Werenski will turn 29 in July and is entering his mid-prime. He had at least 20 goals and 59 assists in each of the past two seasons. Meanwhile, he burst onto the international stage:
Last year, Werenski led all scorers at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament as Team USA won silver; last summer, he had seven points in seven games to lead Team USA to its first World Championships gold medal since 1933; earlier this year, he set up Jack Hughes' gold-medal-winning goal in overtime at the Milan Olympics, and Team USA finished at the top of the podium for the first time since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
The latest news:
In 20 years' time, will Werenski still be the Blue Jackets' all-time assists leader?
Jackets fans can answer that question with another question: In 20 years' time, will the Jackets have a forward – acquired through the draft or a trade – who will score 100 points in a season – something Jackets fans haven't seen in the first 25 seasons of franchise history?
Here's another question: Will Werenski be the 2026 Norris Trophy winner?
I think so.
One more: Will Werenski be a first-ballot Hall of Famer?
If he stays healthy ... and adds a Stanley Cup ... somewhere ...
A statement from the Canadian Soccer Federation Thursday
Canada Soccer recognizes and deeply values the Vancouver Whitecaps’ place in our game and in the Vancouver community. We remain closely engaged in the ongoing discussions about the club’s future with both the Whitecaps and Major League Soccer. Canada Soccer supports the ongoing efforts underway to secure a positive, long-term solution that keeps the Whitecaps in Vancouver.
From our discussions, the Whitecaps ownership has approached this process with a clear commitment to finding a sustainable local solution. It has also been evident that achieving the right result will require strong, coordinated collaboration among key partners – particularly from the provincial government, including relevant crown corporations, and those involved in critical infrastructure considerations. Canada Soccer encourages all stakeholders to work together with urgency, creativity, and flexibility to keep this club where it belongs: in Vancouver.
The Whitecaps are a cornerstone of the Canadian soccer landscape, and their continued presence in Vancouver is vital to the growth of the sport across the country. The club and its ownership have helped build one of MLS’ strongest organizations, while making meaningful, long-term contributions to Canadian soccer, through player development, academy infrastructure, and sustained support for the broader soccer ecosystem. Canada Soccer will continue to stand with the Whitecaps and work with the league and public-sector partners toward a solution that keeps the Whitecaps in Vancouver.
Remember in 2017 when the threat to move the Crew to Austin first arose? Remember how U.S. Soccer issued a similar plea to keep the Crew in Columbus?
Neither do I.
This week in Disrespected podcasts
I enjoyed these two. I hope you do, too.
I'm so embarrassed I didn't remember Doyle when he was a young man on the UConn beat. Twenty-seven years later, he's a legend among American soccer writers.
(If you don't want to click on YouTube, you can find the pods at Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other pod platforms. Please subscribe, like, share, rate and review. It helps. Especially the subscribing. It's all free. Go ahead. And have a nice day.)
These are the three younger boys in my brood. They entered this world over a span of five years, beginning in 1999. When they were young, they were known collectively as "the Reign of Terror." They've been Blue Jackets fans since birth, which is their payback.
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Michael Arace
