Intensity: Thursday notes

Parker Wotherspoon snuck back-door for a tap-in on one drill this morning. Brent Thompson demonstrated how to defend it and wound up pitchforking Wotherspoon to the ice. The joke was that it was worth a suspension, but an interference major should probably suffice.

Stretch run begins tomorrow vs. Springfield and Saturday against, for the first time, the Belleville Senators. “No different than any other team,” Thompson said. “We want to clinch a playoff spot, prepare for the playoffs and be sound in our structure.

“We want to be consistent through these last 34 games.”

The lines were as they ran yesterday; Schempp-Stevens-Ben Holmstrom usually got the first go in yellow. With the all-stars back on, the defense pairs looked to be as they ran Saturday. (With the all-stars back on, also, no Leni DiCostanzo in net. Cruel business.)

Stephen Gionta is hopeful he can return to full practice next week.

Short a goalie again, Springfield signed goalie Etienne Marcoux to a PTO.

All the best to Sean Bergenheim, who has retired after another concussion. We’re just three weeks away from the 12th anniversary of his four-goal game, the only one for a Sound Tiger.

This is fantastic. 1980s New York City tax photos assembled into a pseudo-Street View. (Hat tip: A Facebook page assembling photos from a few Bronx neighborhoods.) Also if anybody has a better picture of that Pine Tavern sign, please hit me up. That’s the closest I’ve come to having my memory confirmed in about 35 years.

And congrats to Arthur Staple, part of the Athletic’s new NYC site.

Michael Fornabaio