“It seems like he won’t be back.” What is known about Perry’s mysterious disappearance from Chicago?

“It seems like he won’t be back.” What is known about Perry’s mysterious disappearance from Chicago?

Elena Kuznetsova November 26, 2023, 11:15 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.

The Club says it is their decision, the player’s agent alleges personal reasons. The hockey world is lost.

An extremely mysterious situation is developing in the NHL. Stanley Cup World Cup winner and two-time Olympic champion Corey Perry literally disappeared, and his Chicago team doesn’t want to explain. What happened to the Canadian?

How the events unfolded

Chicago traded the rights to Perry from Tampa in the summer and then signed him to a one-year contract worth $4 million. The 38-year-old forward was planned to mentor numerous Blackhawks youngsters, particularly new “Nextvan” Connor Bedarda. And he perfectly fulfilled his duties, at the same time scoring points: in 16 games he scored four goals and five assists.

Earlier in the week, Perry went through a regular workout with the team and then completely disappeared from the radar. He was not in the lineup for the game against Columbus, neither in the team’s training nor in the following game against Toronto. At the same time, he places her with his nameplate and his equipment is still empty in the locker room.

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Coach Luke Richardson was bombarded with questions, but did not explain anything: “He will not be in the lineup today, I can’t say anything more now. Is this a decision from above? We’ll leave it inside the club for now. I hope we can provide some information soon. Could he still return to the team? Once again, I cannot say more than I have already said.”

“We only know that he is not with us. They didn’t give us any details. It’s a shame, he’s a big part of the team, that’s why we miss him. But they didn’t give us any other information,” Chicago forward Nick Foligno said.

The day before at least some information finally appeared. The club’s general manager, Kyle Davidson, spoke to the press and said that Perry would not be in the team in the near future:

“He is not with the team and will not be for the foreseeable future. I can’t say anything more about this matter. This is the team’s decision. Is a trade with Perry possible? You know, it would be irresponsible to rule anything out, so I just won’t comment on the possible outcomes of this situation.”

A couple of hours later, the player’s agent, Pat Morris, further confused the situation by making a statement that disagreed with the club’s version: “Corey Perry has left Chicago to resolve personal matters. Corey and his family want to maintain privacy at this time.”

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Reaction in the United States

Everyone is baffled, even local journalists do not have a version of what happened. We can only guess and wait for someone to shed light on the whole situation.

Perry’s absence left Chicago without a stabilizing force. And the strange circumstances of his departure hang over the team like a dark cloud: another blow to his reputation that the team cannot afford. The entire hockey world is talking about Chicago, and it’s not because of the win over Toronto.

Even Perry’s associates don’t know anything. Rumors spread throughout the hockey world, insiders search for information, local journalists stumble upon generally reliable sources, and fans on social media simply make things up. Chicago likely has reasons for not disclosing the information, but secrecy and vagueness only encourage wild and unfounded speculation. Until we know something specific, it is unethical and unproductive to discuss this topic. But this story resonates throughout the league. Either the issue is really serious or “Chicago” makes it seem that way,” wrote journalist Mark Lazerus.

“It seems highly unlikely that Perry will be able to return to Chicago.” The secrecy surrounding her absence gives the impression that she will not return. However, Davidson’s response was vague enough to completely dismiss [его возвращение] is prohibited. So yes, anything is possible, but the feeling is that we will not see Perry with the Blackhawks again,” writes Chicago journalist Scott Powers.

“There is little clarity on Perry’s situation. Chicago did not include him in the waiver draft, either normally or for the purpose of terminating his contract. Davidson was followed by a statement from the player’s agent, who said Perry was absent for personal reasons and that his family wanted to maintain privacy. We hope everyone is okay, we will see how the situation develops,” said insider Elliott Friedman.