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Hilarious Zoom calls between top NHL players is levity we need right now

By Mary Clarke

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 28: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals watches the Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater event during the 2017 Coors Light NHL All-Star Skills Competition as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at STAPLES Center on January 28, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 28: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals watches the Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater event during the 2017 Coors Light NHL All-Star Skills Competition as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at STAPLES Center on January 28, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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A handful of the NHL’s top players are conference calling with the media over Zoom, and it is top-quality entertainment that the world needs.

In these times of social distancing and self-isolating, NHL players are just like us and are diligently working from home. On Thursday, a handful of the NHL’s top players got together over the video conferencing service Zoom to discuss topics with media members amid the season pause.

While there was no real news to speak of on the calls that happened over the course of the day — as the NHL, like other sports, is in a wait-and-see period as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rock the world — the best thing to come from these calls was… the jokes?

The first of two calls on Thursday, which featured Claude Giroux, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal and Marc Staal, held some incredible banter between the players. Notably, Giroux and Crosby’s playful back-and-forth over the call on face-off cheating was a highlight of clap backs that needs to be seen to be believed.

The call also talked about player downtime, and how Giroux’s Xbox escapades against teammate Scott Laughton didn’t end well for him. Laughton, on Twitter, took the time to respond in kind.

https://twitter.com/Laughts21/status/1243231585199153153

Giroux also inadvertently dragged Philadelphia fans, plus the four players gave their desert island music and television recommendations.

The second call on Thursday featured Alex Ovechkin, P.K. Subban, Anders Lee and Nick Foligno, of which the banter was also similar in nature.

Ovechkin, in particular, had some gems from the Zoom call.

Lee, apparently, is a proud Peloton owner now! Also Subban is reportedly working on a potential game show idea with the NHL.

And of course, all the players had a similar message to fans when ending their respective calls: stay safe, stay positive and stay home.

The NHL will likely have more of these conference calls with players over the next few days and weeks. This is great news, as it keeps fans in touch with their favorite players and teams, and also brings just a bit of levity to the uncertain times we find ourselves in now.

Next. The moment I fell in love with Claude Giroux. dark

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