Morning Skate: What would a Players Weekend look like in the NHL?

You love hockey. You love SB Nation. You love reading hockey at SB Nation. Search your feelings. You know these things are true. But life’s too busy to browse the whole network for news. So we’ll send hockey news to your inbox every morning. All you need to do is subscribe.

Lace ’em up. Time for the Morning Skate.

This past weekend, the MLB took part in a very fun fan engagement activity called Players Weekend. It was quite a blast, seeing baseball favorites sport silly nicknames on their jerseys and decorate their cleats with cartoons, drawings, and a whole lot of color.

NHL players don’t often get the opportunity to spread their creative wings and show off some personality. Many would point to All-Star weekend being the NHL’s version of Players Weekend, but the league took out the most fun aspect of it last season. No more breakaway challenge, and no more incredible player antics like Jake Voracek using Johnny Gaudreau as his hockey stick.

Of course, this Players Weekend got us thinking. If the NHL would ever implement such a fun, nonsensical weekend into the season, what would it look like? We have quite a few ideas for player nicknames:

And that’s not even all of the famous nicknames in the NHL. The real fun would really be found in what nicknames are picked by the players who aren’t stars, like Cam Fowler or Kris Russell. Even seeing players design custom skates, helmets, and sticks just for one weekend would be an incredible break from the monotony of a long season.

This is the NHL we’re talking about here, so it’s as unlikely of an ask as they come, but the success and uniqueness of the MLB template shouldn’t be ignored.

The NHL’s top college free agent lasted only two weeks on the market. Will Butcher, former captain for the University of Denver, has officially signed in New Jersey. Butcher was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in 2013, but the defenseman refused to sign an entry-level deal with the team and decided to test the free agency waters instead.

It’s also been a real solid few months for the Devils as the offseason rolls to a close. After drafting Nico Hischier at No. 1 overall, signing Butcher, and adding some depth, New Jersey has had one of its best offseasons in recent memory.

Sports aren’t everything to us at SB Nation, and hopefully to you too. Last weekend, a hurricane struck Houston and the surrounding Texas area and they need your help. We’ve put together a list of places you can donate to, if you can. Our Dallas Stars blog, Defending Big D, also put up a list. Stay safe out there, Texas.

Former KHL player Danis Zaripov has been allowed to test the NHL’s free agency waters. The problem? He’s been banned from the KHL and international competition for two years due to doping.