ROENICK RUNNING HIS MOUTH AGAIN

This time it's not as bad as his usual rantings. In regards to the Coyotes' lack of TV exposure Roenick said:
"Just having Gretzky as our owner, that's enough to get at least one of our games on (NBC)," Roenick tells the Arizona Republic. "I mean come on, throw a dog a bone. That, to me, is incredibly either disrespectful to Wayne or disrespectful to the city of Phoenix, a city that has supported their team."

"Yeah, Phoenix is not a big city, but we do have some big-name players on our team such as Jovanovski and Owen Nolan, myself, Shane Doan, and an up-and-comer like (Ladislav) Nagy. Obviously, some of these names, some people couldn't care less about, but a lot of it is because the NHL and the TV companies don't expose some of these players the way that they should."

"If they think that Phoenix is not a good market to watch, I think they're missing the boat."

According to TSN, Roenick also stated that it is a 'massive loss' to networks for not having Gretzky on television.
Do you agree with Roenick? I think he's overly honest and a jackass sometimes, perhaps being harsh talking about the 'names that no one cares about.'
It seems that Roenick is stirring the pot somewhat to get a reaction about the issue. But is it 'disrespectful to Gretzky' not to show many Coyotes games? I don't think so. He's not a player anymore. He's coaching a non-playoff team that really isn't going anywhere right now, in my opinion. And speaking of being disrespectful to Gretzky, how long do you think it will take for J.R. to start bad mouthing Gretzky or the team? I know he said he's turned a new leaf, but he's lying, dammit. He can't keep his mouth shut.
Nagy, Doan, Jovo, Nolan, and Roenick aren't big draws, and shouldn't be overrated.
I wonder how many people outside of Phoenix really want to watch more Coyotes games. I know I could care less. Do I really want to see Gretzky aging quickly behind a dismal team's bench?
The best draw about Phoenix this season could be internal combustion in the dressing room, and that's about it.

TIE DOMI CONTEMPLATING RETIREMENT

As reported on Canada.com (hat tip to Spector's Trade Rumors) Domi, who had his $1.5 million contract bought out from the Leafs has stated that he does not want to play anywhere other than Toronto. I admire his loyalty, but he is only 36 years old and could still benefit another team. But it seems that even 36 year-olds that don't have speed and a good scoring touch are becoming expendable in the new NHL. Domi's agent is saying that there isn't much interest in Domi anywhere in the league right now. Well, especially not at $1.5 million!
But I would sign him at $750,000 perhaps. He has alot of character.
Unfortunately Domi reinjured his shoulder and hip during his rigorous training this summer, and this really won't help his case. It will probably be curtains on his career.
Domi is third on the all time penalty minutes list with 3515 minutes. He holds Leaf records for most penalty minutes in a season (365-one for every day of the year) and career penalty minutes.
After spending 10 seasons with the Leafs, Domi was a fan favorite, and will be missed. There are speculations he will work somewhere in the Leafs' organization. I just hope it's not in scouting!

Photoshop image created by Hodge.
Post composed by Zanstorm.

SCREENSHOTS OF NHL 07

The website Team XBOX released some screenshots of the upcoming NHL 07 this month. Check 'em out if you haven't seen them already.










"Bertuzzi scores!" Well at least some of the players are on the right team, but we'll still have to change up a fair bit of the rosters from some of the summer's trades and signings.









All right! I won't have to create Ovechkin and Crosby this year! (Dang that sucked in 06!)









Cool, Fernandez squeezes the pads and checks behind him! Hopefully the goalies will be alot smarter this time around. I hated how they lunged at the shot in 06. It didn't look very realistic. Alas, one of the games's creators said that the goalies will be tougher. To that I say: "I'm changing the game tweaks to EASY!"
Apparently the PS3 will be released in November 2006. This is a dilemna, since I've only owned Playstations. The PS3 will be so expensive at its release date that I'm not sure if I'll get it right away. I may have to be extra patient.
But will the NHL 07 PS3 version have more up to date rosters?
NHL 07 XBOX-style is still scheduled to arrive in stores on September 14.

For even more info on this game, including team by team analysis' within the game, check out Isabella's post at Stick in Rink.

CAPTAIN CASSIE CAMPBELL RETIRES

Campbell was pondering this decision for a while, but has made it official. I know women's hockey doesn't get as much exposure, so some of Cassie's accomplishments are probably not realized by many people. I think TSN summed it up very well when they mentioned:

The 32-year-old from Brampton, Ont., is the only Canadian hockey player, male or female, to captain a national team to two Olympic gold medals, which she did this year in Turin, Italy, and in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

She has represented Canada in seven world championships and three Olympic Games, winning six world titles and two Olympic gold medals. She has 32 goals and 68 assists in 157 career games for the national team.

Campbell was the captain of Team Canada since 2001.
She will continue her career in broadcasting as a women's hockey analyst for TSN, and as well as be an advocate for women's hockey in Canada, as she always has been.
I never was much of a fan of women's hockey, until I watched Team Canada win gold in 2002 at Salt Lake City. Despite getting jobbed by the non- Canadian referees with continuous phantom calls,( which was one of the most obsene things I've ever seen in hockey), the women held on to beat the Americans. This victory inspired the Canadian Men's Team to win gold as well.
Well done, Cassie. I'm sure all Canadians are proud of what you accomplished!

WHATS UP WITH CRAWFORD'S HAIR

Is it just me or does Marc Crawford look like he's wearing a hedgehog on his head. To prove my point, I found a willing donor and with a little photoshop magic, slapped it on Crawford's head. After dicking with it for a while, I got to a point where I found it looked better than his real (if in fact it is) hair. The center picture shows what I'm suspecting is really going on up there.

Just for the record, I never liked the guy and blame him for last season, the pitiful playoff record of the Canucks under his direction and anything else I can't pin on Todd Bertuzzi.

THE RISK OF KEITH PRIMEAU'S RETURNING

Ken Hitchock has told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he is confident that Keith Primeau will recover from his concussions and play for the Flyers this season.
Primeau is keeping a tight lip on his status right now, not even telling Hitchcock how he feels.
Now, do you really think that GM Bobby Clarke wants Primeau to return?
Primeau is running the risk of returning with a possible chance of a recurring head injury and he is eating up $3.04 million of the Flyer's salary. The Flyers with Primeau's salary are sitting at about the $38.6 million mark, and superstar forward Simon Gagne has not even signed yet. Gagne is reporteded to be asking in the $4-5 million range. That puts the Flyers in a tough spot, and you'd have to think that Clarke is praying for Primeau to retire immediately, or die. Maybe he is using Primeau's case to convince Gagne to sign for less than he is demanding. But I'd almost guarantee that Gagne wouldn't bite on that.
If Primeau returns, we could see Gagne hold out for a while, or be traded.
That is something that I wouldn't want if I were the GM. Primeau is a risk health wise, and he could get left behind in the new speed-promoting NHL, something fellow Flyer Derian Hatcher is about to find out, in my opinion.

LINDEN WILL NEED TO TAKE A LARGE CUT / MORE NEWS

Trevor Linden has not yet been signed and may be one of Dave Nonis' last priorities this offseason. That's not to say he won't sign, but the Canucks' GM has yet to sign Ryan Kesler and Lukas Krajicek as well, among others. **NEWS FLASH- THE CANUCKS HAVE JUST SIGNED LUKAS KRACIJEK TO A 1-YEAR DEAL. Tip to Stick in Rink for this revelation.** The Canucks cap expenditures so far are at about $39 million. Linden made $1.52 million last season and will recieve a lot less this year, reports the Vancouver Sun. That means probably about $800,000 or even less. There really isn't that much room left under the cap, and Linden had only had 7 goals and 9 assists last season. Linden is a horse though. He'd probably play for $400,000 or less because he loves it here so much.
Linden told the Sun: "I look forward to coming back. I feel I can make a difference and that's the only reason I'm here. We've made a lot of changes and we have a lot of work ahead of us, but that's exciting."
As well he said: "There is no question, though, that from a mental standpoint, I'm in a much better state and probably physically much better as well."
Is Linden good for at least one more season? What would you pay him at this point? If he is going to take up cap space he'll need to improve and erase last season from his mind completely. I say he can't have a worse season than last year, but it could be getting time for Nonis to have a few more two way contracts in the lineup to ease the cap headache before comitting to Linden just yet.

** In other news, the Hurricanes have signed D Dave Tannabe to a 1-year $900,00 deal. This is Tannabe's second stint with the Canes and is met with mixed emotions from what I've seen.
Spector's Trade Rumors, a great rumor site, reports that the Canes may also sign UFA Brad Isbister in the next little while, probably to replace the injured Corey Stillman.

**TSN reports that Tim Connolly is still feeling effects of his concussion suffered May 8th and will miss training camp. This could mean the end of the road is nearing for the 25 year old, and that really is a shame.

FUN WITH PHOTOSHOP/LEAF HATRED

Ok, I don't really hate the Leafs, I just like bagging on Zanstorm for liking them. Plus, it's always nice to poke fun at a team worse than the Canucks. Yeah, they are worse than the Canucks. I actually feel sorry for Paul Maurice as he'll end up taking the fall for years of shitty management decisions. Brian McCabe will be this years RFA flop and Andrew Raycroft will be eaten alive by the Toronto media circus, even if he plays ok.

Let the circus begin.

JP DUMONT IS GOING TO MUSIC CITY

It appears that Sabres castaway JP Dumont has signed a 2 year deal worth $2.25 million per season. TSN reports that it should officially be announced by the Preds this afternoon.
Thank the Lord that the Dumont saga is over. It's amazing how much some people care about where the overpriced Dumont is going, but there really isn't much else going on in the league as far as news goes.
Dumont will be a good addition for the Preds, and will probably play on their second line with Hartnell and Legwand.
The Preds still haven't signed defenceman Dan Hamhuis yet, but will probably get this deal done within 2 weeks. The Tennessean is reporting that there isn't alot of talking on that front recently.
Nashville is sitting at about $34 million in salaries (including Dumont) with alot of room to spare.

BEST PICTURE FROM A STANLEY CUP TOUR

So I found this awesome picture at angelfire.com and I'm not sure of it's truthful origin. But this is the best picture I've seen with an NHL player spending time with Stanley. Scott Niedermayer would have brought the Cup to Cranbrook anyway I'm sure, but it was reported he also did it to boost the morale of firefighters who were fighting a nearby forest fire. Good stuff.
The residents of Cranbrook see their fair share of Cup visits, especially with the likes of Scott Niedermayer, Steve Yzerman, John Klemm, and Brad Lukowich winning the trophy in recent years.
But since I'm a hiker who appreciates these views, and love living in the beautiful province of British Columbia, this is my favorite celebratory Stanley Cup picture yet!

PREPARATION (H)ockey

With training camp just weeks away and the first of the hockey pool mags coming out, it's high time to start gathering info for the upcoming season. Here's a breakdown of expected battles for positions on each team, found on CKNW's site. This year is shaping up to be an interesting year for poolies with so many young players expected to crack starting lineups, RFA holdouts and some decent UFA's not signed yet. Personally, I think the under achievers from last season will be the desiding factor in many pools, as they may go under the radar in the first couple rounds, with the likes of Malkin and other young phenom's taking the limelight.

Having taken St Louis third over all and Zanstorm taking Naslund fourth in our pool last year, I'm sure we'll both be looking for our own comeback seasons.

BRENDAN MORRISON AND THE CANUCKS WERE FRUSTRATED LAST SEASON

I just watched TSN's interview with a few Canucks from last week, and Brendan Morrison's comments stood out the most. You could detect some frustration in his voice over last season. He said he is excited about the upcoming season, and that it was frustrating playing on the top line last year because they all wanted the puck all the time, and that "there wasn't enough puck to go around." That is quite a statement. There must have been alot of love lost on that line in what appears to be between Morrison and the two 'best friends' Naslund and Bertuzzi. Of course, Morrison was playing with a hip injury (which has been corrected this summer), but you have to think the lack of chemistry was more of the issue.
Naslund thinks that the Canucks are hungry this season. He also pointed out the obvious that he 'tremendously benefitted from playing with Bertuzzi.' He said he has alot to prove now. The truth is, Naslund may not break the 80-90 point barrier without a player of Bertuzzi's skill on his line. He never has. Matt Cooke looks to move up to the top line as he had done in Bertuzzi's absence, but he's no Bert.
During the same interviews with TSN, Cooke stated that Morrison and Naslund can "have all the glory they want", and that he'll just go and get the puck. That in itself (to me) doesn't quite add up as far as the team chemistry goes. It still suggests a touch of conflict when you combine that with Morrison's comments.
Either way, the Canucks will need more balanced scoring on all four lines this year, as that seems to be the recipe for success. As much as Canuck fans don't want to hear it, Naslund will need to put up alot of points and properly lead this team to justify his $6 million salary, or else his days are numbered. I would assume there will be some growing pains in October, but hopefully they can gel as a team quickly, and move on from last year's failure.

ROOKIE CARD NOSTALGIA # 8 MATS SUNDIN

Mats Sundin's rookie season was with the Quebec Nordiques in 1990-91. He was the first player from Sweden to be drafted 1st overall. He made an immediate impact scoring 59 points in 80 games with the Nordiques. The skilled speedster got to play on a line with Joe Sakic in the early stages of his career.
In June 1994, Quebec traded Sundin, Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner, and a first rounder to Toronto for Wendel Clark, Sylvain Lefebvre, Landon Wilson, and a second round pick. Sundin would immediately play on the top line with Doug Gilmour and they had alot of chemistry and success. Once Gilmour was traded to New Jersey in February 1997, Sundin became the official leader of the Leafs.
At this point in his career, Mats has 1167 points in 1156 regular season games. He has 74 points in 83 playoff games. He is a consistent point-a-game player.
Alas, he has not led the Leafs to the promised land yet, proving Hodge's Non-Canadian Captain theory to be true. What is ultra frustrating to me is that the Leafs have only been to the semi-finals TWICE with Mats at the helm, but can't get over the hump. On a more positive note, the Leafs have only missed the playoffs twice under Mats' rule, and have pulled off some major upsets in the process.
Time is slowly running out on Sundin to lead the Leafs to the Finals, as he is now 35 years old. The new NHL will help his offensive numbers though, even though he is about past his prime.

A SENATORS JOKE

Two boys are playing hockey on a pond in a park in Toronto, when one is attacked by a rabid Rottweiler. Thinking quickly, the other boy takes his stick, wedges it down the dog's collar and twists,breaking the dogs neck. A reporter who was strolling by sees the incident,and rushes over to interview the boy. "Young Leafs Fan Saves Friend From Vicious Animal," he starts writing in his notebook. "But I’m not a Leafs fan," the little hero replied. "Sorry, since we are in Toronto, I just assumed you were." said the reporter and starts again. "Little Jays Fan Rescues Friend From Horrific Attack" he continued writing in his notebook. "I’m not a Jays fan either," the boy said. "I assumed everyone in Toronto was either a Leafs or Jays fan. "What team do you root for?" the reporter asked. "I'm an Ottawa Senators fan" the child said. The reporter starts a new sheet in his notebook and writes, "Little Bastard from Ottawa Kills Beloved Family Pet."

RECCHI TOOK THE CUP TO KAMLOOPS

On August the 7th the Stanley Cup arrived in Recchi's hometown of Kamloops BC. This was a cherished celebration for Recchi. He said that he only got the Cup to himself for 4 hours in 1991 when the Penguins won it. This time around he got it for about 2 1/2 days!
I've never seen the Cup myself, but I wish I was in Kamloops that week as Recchi took it to a few bars and fans got to see it.
The Cup was also brought to the Dunes golf course in Kamloops for a charity game of golf. Recchi and Shane Doan (both former Kamloops Blazers) hosted the event. Even Bobby Orr made an appearance.
Check out the complete story at the Hockey Hall of Fame website, which has a Stanley Cup journal that tracks all of the players' time with the Cup.

WHAT ANSON CARTER'S AGENT IS SAYING

An interesting piece by Kevin Allen of USA Today...

Even though 33-goal scorer Anson Carter doesn't have a job with training camp just around the corner, he certainly doesn't see himself as being on the discount rack. "I've told everyone along the way that Anson won't be a bargain," said his agent, Pat Brisson. Brisson says the former Vancouver Canucks winger has plenty of patience, even to the point that he is willing to wait beyond the start of training camp or the regular season. "In our game there are a lot of injuries," Brisson said. "And I might get a call on Sept. 20 or Oct. 1 when a team has a player who blew out his knee, and at that point, the price may go up. I mean that Anson needs to be paid what he is worth." Carter is one of a handful of notable unrestricted free agents still unsigned and looking at an economic landscape where the majority of teams are pushing either the $44 million salary cap or the upper limits of their own budget after some aggressive summer spending.

He has a point doesn't he? It makes sense. Alot of times fans and speculators anticipate free agents to be all signed up by the beginning of training camp, but that isn't always the case. This is so true in Carter's case, as he had one significant year playing with the Sedins, and then gets an exaggerated raise.
Now most teams are close to being finished signing players, are just under the cap, and Carter has nowhere to go. It seems as though the teams that are further under the cap but are rebuilding with youth are not going to add an overpriced Carter or Dumont to their roster because they are smarter than that.
Carter is now left to a team who will be in dire need of a scorer because of an injury. Only then will someone pay his ridiculous demand. It seems as though Carter's desire for a long term contract really isn't going to happen this season. Then again, he may not play in the NHL at all this season.

CAPTION CONTEST #5 DOMI AND BELFOUR

Well Amen, it's Friday! That means it's time for another caption contest! This is a pic that Hodge had found and I'm posting it for him. (Deadlines Hodge, deadlines!)
The winner of the Naslund/Bertuzzi contest was easily Earl Sleek who seems to have a knack for these things so far. His winning comments were:

Naslund: "Todd, when I told you before to hit more, I didn't mean Steve Moore."

Bertuzzi: "I just wanna west-coast-express my feelings to ya, Nazzy."

Good luck on this one, and have a great time with it!

SEPARATED AT BIRTH #6

I believe Hodge mentioned that Selanne looks like Buzz Lightyear while some of us were watching a Canucks/Ducks game last season. It got a great laugh! And I've never thought of Teemu the same way since!

LEAFS ON THE STREET Part 2

There's been a few rumours floating around as to where Jason Allison may end up this year, with the Canes being the latest team mentioned as a possibility. Although he's limited with his Andreychuk type speed, he does have good hands and can still be effective on the powerplay.
Plus, he could easily have the best playoff beard if he got the chance to play for a contender.

THE OILERS ARE NOT CINDERELLA

I have heard and read alot about the Oilers being last year's Cinderella team and that they have no chance of repeating that performance. To that I say: "Ca-Ca!"
I can see why people may think this way with the mass exodus of players out of Edmonton this offseason. But the real true loss was Pronger and perhaps Spacek, not Samsonov and Peca. Samsonov and Peca were replaced by Petr Sykora and Joffrey Lupul. This is an upgrade in almost every aspect, except Peca's leadership, experience, and penalty killing could be missed. Peca was inconsistent, even during the playoffs. He scored only occasionally, but his defensive game was good at least. The Oilers need more goals come playoff time at a more consistent level, they have that now. On paper, the Oilers actually have more depth up front than they did last season.
The goaltending tandem they have in Roloson and Markannen is worthy of envy. What was the last time their goaltending was this good? Roloson will play his first full season with the Oilers this year, and Markannen seems to have found his confidence in the Finals this past season.
The defence is the question mark. They have done nothing to address the losses of Pronger, Spacek, and Tarnstrom (who wasn't full time). But we got a good look at the up and comers in the playoffs. Marc-Andre Bergeron may have been inconsistent, but you could see his potential. Matt Greene is one tough S.O.B. and acts like Jovanovski when it comes to bonehead penalties, but aside from that his defensive play was impressive.
What I see happening here is another signing or trading for a #1 or #2 defenceman, and not a $7 million defenceman either. (Buffalo and Carolina already proved that you don't need that to succeed.) It looks as though the Oilers are currently sitting at the $34.5 million mark in salaries and have lots of room to maneuver. Of course some of this will go to Joffrey Lupul, who hasn't signed yet.
Rumors are circulating that the Oils are interested in UFA Brian Leetch. Once again, if Leetch could stay healthy and choose to come west, he would be a perfect fit for the Oilers' speed game, and would quarterback their powerplay. But this is only a huge possiblity for him to arrive there. Either way, I'm sure MacT will address the issue. I would assume sometime during the season if all fails on D.
The Oils aren't getting enough respect. This isn't the old NHL. They are not strapped for cash. The cap gives them the opportunity to be competitive every season. They aren't looking to squeeze into the playoffs this year, they are looking to finish higher to get home ice advantage. I wouldn't bet the house against this happening.

ONE RUMOUR AWAY FROM SNAPPING

Is this season different, or is it just me on the verge
of trade rumour overdose.?? Don't get me wrong,
I like a little friendly arm chair manager "what ifs"
as well as the next guy, but holy christ, this shit is
getting stupid. Two years ago, no one would gave
a rats ass where Dumont went, or cared If Carter
fell off the face of the earth. Is the pressure of the
salary cap on teams, making the rumour mill churn
that much more, or has reality TV caused us to want
to live everyone elses lives for them.?? As a long time
Canuck fan I've had to live with small city,small market
syndrome long enough to know we will be hoping, more
than knowing we're going to get in the playoffs.
Would I like to see Nonis trade the whole team away
for underpaid,overachieving budding superstars??
Darn tootin, I would, but Jesus H Christmas, why do
we all have to get riled up with every "E numeral"
so called "heard it from a reliable source close to"
rumour fabricated. I'm just glad Pronger got his
wish and got traded fast, as I would have killed myself
by now if I had to hear about the possible (E3) five way
trade including Crosby, Ovechkin, Carter, Dumont and
the freaking Sedin twins getting seperated to make
the deal happen. Phew, I feel a lot better now.

PS. I don't want to here about a trade unless it's a done
deal and my response can be "no fucking way".

DOMI OUT IN THE COLD FOR GOOD??

With Tie Domi given his walking papers from the Maple Leafs, and no apparent interest from anyone, can one of the leagues' most colorful characters find a home in the new NHL??

Drafted 27th overall in 1988, Domi has become the all time penalty leader for the Leafs and third overall in NHL history. With him only getting 109 penalty minutes last year, it may have been a sign he couldn't be effective any longer for what he was being paid. Too bad, he was one of the only Leafs I ever liked..... besides Tiger Williams of course.

According to Wikipedia, Domi played two preseason games for the Toronto Argo's as a placekicker at some point. For some reason I just don't see Tie as a placekicker in the CFL.





As a side note: Domi had the same amount of points as Trevor Linden last season.

SHOULD CROSBY WEAR THE "C"?

"Crosby acknowledged he and Recchi had issues before the 17-season veteran was traded to Stanley Cup champion Carolina. Apparently, Recchi felt Crosby was too vocal and demonstrative about calls that didn't go his way, especially for a rookie. The two since have talked, and Crosby said he welcomes Recchi's return."
That was quoted from TSN today.
What do you think of this report? Does it matter if Crosby would captain the Penguins this year? My opinion is 'no'. The Penguins are a young team minus Recchi and LeClair. Recchi could captain the Pens this season, as he had won the Cup in Carolina, but what could it possibly hurt the Pens for Crosby to captain them? We cannot draw comparisons to Vincent Lecavalier leading the Lightning earlier in his career, as Crosby broke the 100 point barrier in his first season, playing with underachieving linemates for a good portion of last season. Lecavalier took a long time to materialize into leadership material. For the record, Mario Lemieux made a living out of being too vocal as the Pens' captain. Alot of other examples of this scenario exist with other captains. So Recchi's point means nothing.
I don't like Crosby already, as I feel Crosby is being pushed down my throat by the Canadian media especially, and Alexander Ovechkin isn't geting fair coverage. But the bottom line is that Crosby is the 'real deal', and he can bare the load as captain even if Ovechkin would scoff at the notion. Recchi had better shut his yap now because he left the Pens to join the Canes in a Cup run last season. Crosby is committed to the Pens and can lead this young team into the future, even after Recchi retires.

FORMER MIKE DANTON AGENT FACES 13 CHARGES

The agent that murder-conspirator and former NHL'er Mike Danton targetted has been charged with 12 counts of sexual exploitation and 1 count of assault. As TSN reports, David Frost faces charges from incidents involving 4 boys and 3 girls aged 14 - 16 between the years 1995 and 2001.
This sorry-assed son of a bitch doesn't only need jail time, he needs to arrive at the prison with all of his genitalia cut off and maybe both of his hands as well. Hell, just hand out the death sentence. I don't want to start a political debate, but this issue angers me to no end because these types of criminals don't change their sexual preferences even after jail sentences. The jail sentences are too short as well. Then they are inserted back into society. BS I say.

PATRICE BERGERON SIGNS MULTI-YEAR DEAL

Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Bergeron is turning into a star in Boston. He had 73 points last season on a line with Marco Sturm and Brad Boyes. This line should improve this season, and hopefully make Bruin fans somewhat forget the loss of Joe Thornton. On paper, the Bruins look better than they have in years, with actual depth.
The only problem is the signing of Zdeno Chara at $7.5 million, which was a bone-headed move. Everybody knows that.
Question marks for the Bruins this season will be: 1. Goaltending. Toivonen and Thomas have been great, can they continue their play? 2. Marc Savard. This guy better not cause any problems, and just fit into the lineup. Will Savard play on the top line? Will he be a bonafide baby? I hope not. Hopefully they leave last year's line intact.
The Bruins are on the rise this season and will be very competitive in the Northeast division.

BRUINS' UGLY THIRD JERSEY IS GONE.

Finally. The unintimidating, laughable third jersey of the Boston Bruins will be put to pasture, reports the Boston.com Sports . The Bruins intend to wear their black retro Bobby Orr style jerseys when they play original 6 teams at home this season. See the link for more details.

CARTER WANTS TO BE IN VANCOUVER

According to a source close to the Carter camp, Anson has never demanded anything more than the league minimum to sign with the Canucks. "I said I would pay 3 mil to play with the Sedins, and somehow that got twisted around."

When asked about wanting to play in Toronto, Carter quipped "I hate Toronto, I hate the Leafs, and I could never see myself playing with all them Swedish guys".

KOIVU SET TO RETURN

MALKIN PRACTICING IN CALIFORNIA

Came across this photo courtesy of Getty Images. Shown are Evgeni (Defect) Malkin, Alexander (The Devil's Reject) Mogilny, Jamie Lundmark, and that damn French Hating weasel Sean Avery at an NHL players practice at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California. If you look really hard, you can see Earl Sleek in the background, begging Malkin for an autograph because he saw him at the American Idol tryouts! lol!

NO CONTRACT TALKS WITH DIPIETRO

There are reports that the New York Islanders and goaltender Rick Dipietro have not even opened discussions about a contract for Dipietro yet. There are also reports that this is because Charles Wang is on vacation.
They have about 2 weeks to make a deal because apparently Wang has a policy that states that the Islanders will not sign any of their restricted free agents after training camp starts.
The Islanders have about $7 million left to spare under the salary cap, and only have 3 players left to sign: LW Sean Bergenheim, D Denis Grebeshkoz, and Dipietro. 18 players are already signed.
Last September, then GM Mike Milbury was planning on signing Dipietro to a 15-year, $60 million contract, but that did not pan out, and Dipietro got a 1-year deal at $2.5 million. (talk about overconfidence in your young goalie!)
This time around I'm sure Dipietro will be looking at about $4-5 million. I would assume that they will get this deal done by training camp.

ROOKIE CARD NOSTALGIA #7

Jaromir Jagr is a player that I admire, but I just can't completely respect. When he took his glove off and saluted after scoring, that was ok with me. It was even fine that he bagged the OT winner to beat Gretzky and the Rangers during Wayne's last game. During the player handshake afterwards, Jagr embraced Gretzky and said, "I didn't mean to do that." Gretzky laughed and told him, "That's what I used to say."
But when Jagr feels unmotivated or depressed, he gives up. Wayne never took a shift off in his career. So as good as Jagr is, I don't think Wayne 'passed the torch' to the right guy in 1999. That is unfortunate, because Jagr is sickeningly good when he wants to be. His career stats are something to behold:
5 Art Ross trophies
1 Hart trophy
2 Lester Pearson trophies
2 Stanley Cups

591 goals, 841 assists, and 1432 points in 1109 regular season games.
155 points in 149 playoff games.
And most importantly, he used to look like Otto, the bus driver from The Simpsons!



He should bring back the mullet. It gives him superpowers!

CLASSIC NHL QUOTES PART 2

"It was loud and I assumed ... five or three seconds had gone by. I didn't really hear anything but everybody let up. I don't know how the ref saw the puck unless he has X-ray vision. He was behind me. If he wants to be the show, he should have signed up to be a hockey player, not a ref."
-- 3/30/02: Anaheim Ducks goaltender Steve Shields on a goal scored by Daniel Sedin when everyone thought there had been a whistle, but there wasn't

"Has that ever happened before in Duck history?"
-- 1/30/02: Anaheim's Marty McInnis, on his team's fifth consecutive win

"Hockey is nothing but organized aggravated assault involving grown men chasing a small piece of rubber around with sticks. You gotta love it."-- Sarah John's Uncle

"Yeah, I'm cocky and I am arrogant. But that doesnt mean I'm not a nice person."-Jeremy Roenick

"It must be the body. Its chiseled out of marshmallows." -Tony Amonte on possessing the NHLs second-longest active playing streak.

"The only difference between the Coyotes and Days of Our Lives is that nobody has been shot on our team yet." -Jeremy Roenick on the trade rumors around captain Keith Tkachuk.

"Every time a puck gets past me and I look back in my net, I say 'Oh,oh'"-Bernie Parent, when asked why he wore #00 in the WHA

"Every time I see you naked, I feel sorry for your wife"-- Jaromir Jagr to Matt Barnaby

"We only speak two languages here - English and profanity"-- Kevin Constantine

"Lunch is on me"-- Brendan Shanahan after signing a $26 million contract

"Over the years, Steve has come to understand I need the clicker. He says it's my security blanket." - Brendan Shanahan

"The top three worst things I've seen in hockey? The invention of the trap. The invention of the morning skate. And the invention of the extremely ugly uniform." -Brett Hull's analysis of the game

"I asked a ref if he could give me a technical foul for thinking bad things about him. He said, of course not. I said, well, I think you stink. And he gave me a technical. You can't trust em." --Jim Valvano

"By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series." --Steve Rushin

"A player must be able to skate, have hockey sense, be able to shoot - not necessarily able to score - and have drive." --Pierre Page

Mike Modano, on Sergei Fedorov’s breaking three sticks on Dallas players: " I don’t know if Anna (Kournikova) told him to get tougher or what."

"Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental." --Jim McKenny

"Our first priority was staying alive. Our second was stopping the puck." -- Glenn Hall, on playing without a mask

"I was happy to have an attraction in our building that we didn't have to pay for." -- Harold Ballard, on a streaker in Maple Leaf Garden

"So here I am running at guys who aren't taller than 5-foot-8, and I'm the one who tears up his knee."-- Chris Chelios

"I’d rather answer dumb questions from the media in Phoenix than answer dumb ones in Philadelphia." -- Keith Tkachuk on rumours of a Tkachuk-for-Lindros trade.

"Maybe there wasn't much hot water in the showers. I'm not sure." -- Scott Stevens (The Devils’ captain comments on the fact that Jaromir Jagr left the ice with 30 seconds remaining in a game)

"Eight days ago, we were the toast of the town. Eight days later we're Thanksgiving turkeys." --Wayne Gretzky on the LA Kings 0-5-0 road trip

"Ziggy kind of surprised me. I guess he was just pretty happy to get a goal. I guess that’s what Europeans do. But if he tries it again, I’ll run to the bench." -- Travis Green regarding the kiss on the lips Zigmund Palffy gave him after a goal

"I know those guys who wear visors are sweeties, but that’s a little too much." --Don Cherry commentating after a goal, Islanders’ Zigmund Palffy kisses teammate Travis Green on the lips.

After a goal, Islanders’ Zigmund Palffy kisses teammate Travis Green on the lips. The coach’s reaction: "We believe in camaraderie but that’s taking it too far." -- Rick Bowness

"The first thing I noticed about him was that he was born the same year I was drafted. ... That's a pretty scary thought." -- Al MacInnis comments on a Blues’ rookie

"You know what? I did! I impressed myself just making it." -- Brett Hull wWhen asked who impressed him the most when he broke into the NHL

"If they’re going to allow guys to wear helmets, they should at least force them to round the edges." -- Rick Chartraw after a fight with Paul Holmgren and gets 5 stitches to the right hand

"I am not afraid to stop the puck with my head. I try to do it sometimes even in practice; not everyday but once in a while, I say to my teammates, shoot me in my head and I’ll try to stop the puck. I am not afraid at all of the puck, so sometimes, if the shot comes at my head, it’s an easier save to make with your head. Maybe the people think a different way, but for me, I do it with my head." -- Dominik Hasek

"If one of my players ever wants to hit me, he better do it really hard because otherwise, I’ll find a rock, a stick, or a piece of wood and believe me, it’s gonna be a brawl..." -- Pat Burns comments on the incident where Latrell Sprewell of the the NBA tried to strangle his coach

Quotes found in the archives of Canuck's Corner.

WHERE ARE THEY WORKING NOW Part 2

Fired head coach of the Boston Bruins Mike Sullivan will probably never get back into the NHL. He now looks forward to a rewarding career in the fast food industry.

A photoshop creation by Hodge.

CALGARY NEEDS A #1 CENTER

The Flames are terrific on paper except for one thing. They don't have a decent center to play between Iginla and Tanguay. Is Daymond Langkow the answer here? Ask any Flames fan and they will tell you that he isn't. Langkow was not good enough to spark Iginla last season. He finished the season with 59 points in 82 games. He was given time on the top line and didn't make the best of it in my opinion.
The Flames need something more. Cue the recent rumors involving a trade with New Jersey for Scott Gomez. Is this likely? I say it's vaguely possible. Gomez would be an amazing fit between Iginla and Tanguay. Devil's GM Lou Lamoriello needs to clear a fair bit of salary space to get under the cap. He has made statements that he wanted Gomez to be a Devil this coming season but a GM 'saying something' doesn't mean he's telling the absolute truth. So could Gomez become a Flame?
My opinion is 'I doubt it', for a few reasons.
For one, Lamoriello would ask alot for Gomez, and I have a feeling that one of his demands would be Dion Phaneuf. There's no way that Flames' GM Darryl Sutter will part with his Calder Trophy candidate.
Second, there isn't enough expendable players on the Flames' roster to give up for Gomez that: a) Lamoriello would desire, b) provide enough room under the cap to fit Gomez's $5 million contract in Calgary. The Flames are approaching the cap already as it is.
Who would Lamoriello have as a number one center if he gave up Gomez? John Madden? Zach Parise? Maybe, but Lou won't sacrifice the Devils' position either. And Sutter won't compromise the Flames' core.
The Devils are in salary hell, but you'd have to think that Lou is trying to flog Alex Mogilny and Vlad Malakhov, not Gomez to make room for Brian Gionta's contract. But who will take them?
I expect a last minute rash decision by Lamoriello to get under the cap just before the season starts.
The Flames cannot afford another big salary without compromising DEPTH. So I would expect them to trade for a cheaper, more skilled center for the top line without giving up alot, or sign a free agent like Jason Allison or Yanic Perrault (oh no).

CAPTION CONTEST #4 BERTUZZI/NASLUND

Ah, finally it's Friday. That means it's time for another caption contest before a weekend of consumption of the alcoholic kind.
The last caption contest winner about Ken Hitchcock was Earl Sleek with his hamburger/Umberger quote. But there were so many good ones, IMO.
Now don't get too offensive with this. Stay sort of within legal limits, and have fun.

This image was taken off of a defunct forum, so I can't credit anybody with it.

ANOTHER DICK LEAVES EDMONTON / MORE NEWS

Of course, it wasn't much of a suprise that Dick Tarnstrom was going to leave, as he was an unrestricted free agent. However there were some hopes that he would sign with the Oilers again nevertheless, as he did fairly well in the playoffs.
Tarnstrom has signed a contract with Lugano of the Swiss Elite League.
Apparently Tarnstrom was looking for too much money this coming season, and no teams were biting. It remains to be seen how much he'll make in the Swiss League.
The Oilers now have lost key veterans from their defensive lineup, but they remain confident in their D as they have two new guns named Ladislav Smid and Jan Hejda. Of course Mactavish and Lowe will say they are confident, but you just can't lose guys like Pronger, Spacek, and perhaps Tarnstrom without losing a little sleep at night.
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**Hurricanes C Cory Stillman will not play hockey for the next 3-4 months as he is recovering from shoulder surgery. This is a big blow to the Canes' offence, but look for newly acquired Scott Walker to play on the #2 line in Stillman's absence

**The Canucks have officially signed D Rory Fitzpatrick to a contract today. This will give them a bit of room to play on defence if one of the younger D don't pan out, namely Luc Bourdon or Kevin Bieksa, or if injuries occur.

CLASSIC QUOTES FROM THE NHL'S PAST PART 1

"I Didn't Drop My Gloves. They Were Pulled Off Me!" -Mike Modano

"If We Lose...We're All Screwed." -Tony Amonte

"No one in Montreal learns how to skate. You're just born that way." -- Martin Brodeur

Theodore-"When I was 11 or 12 years old I remember my mom always said, 'Put a tuque on, you'll catch a cold.' I just wanted to make sure she's not going to say anything when I go back home, so I put a tuque on."-on why he wore a touque during the heritage game vs. edmonton

"Ty [his son], who just loves hockey, said to me the other day, 'Dad, I want to play in the Olympics some day, for Canada.' I told him that might be tough: 'You're an American.'"
-- 3/25/01: -- Gretzky on his son's Olympic hopes

"I could watch Paul Kariya play with himself all day"
-- Tom Larscheid

"I don't know what to think. I play in Colorado, they tell me they like me, I get traded. I play in Calgary, Sutter tells me he likes me, and I get traded. I just hope my fiancee doesn't tell me she likes me." -Chris Drury

"Why is a puck called a puck? Because dirty little bastard was taken." - Martin Brodeur

Tie Domi, which rearranged spells, Me Idiot

"Maybe because he's a Mark Messier and I'm just a Wade Belak" -Wade Belak on his 8 game suspension.

"Optional is latin for "be there"" - Darryl Sutter on practises

" America is a wonderful place. You have 15 brands of mayonnaise."
- Lada Fetisov, wife of Viacheslav Fetisov

''No, I don't fight anybody I played against in Juniors. I think everyone I played Juniors with is dead now." Kelly Buchberger

When asked about Jeremy Roenick's comments, Patrick Roy stated "Sorry, I couldn't hear him. I had two cup rings stuffed in my ears."

"Are you guys gonna fight? 'Cause if you're not I'm gonna put this whistle away and beat the sh!t out of both of you." - Paul Stewart when reffing an AHL game early in his career.

After a streaker jumped on the ice in Calgary Joe Thornton was asked if he thought it was a Boston fan, Thornton replied with a grin, ``I don't think so, he had red socks on. You guys can have him.''

"I hope we can get past Toronto for two reasons. It would be nice to get to the finals again. But secondly, those guys are so cocky it's unbelievable."
- Carolina's Martin Gelinas, during the Eastern Conference Final between the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs.

"We can't score goals, we can't stop goals, we aren't hitting, we can't play on special teams. . . we all stink. We can try to improve but to do so we will need to make trades. And who would want our players that are underachieving?" Capitals GM Ted Leonsis, after forgetting to take his Prozac throughout the month of November

"My mom, she keeps telling me she wants a goal. I tell her: 'Hey mom, I'm tryin', I'm tryin',' every day." --Boston Bruins winger P.J. Stock on his goal-shy NHL career.

"There have been so many fights this year. Everybody's contract must be up." --Sens tough guy Andre Roy.

"I had a (Detroit fan) yelling at me on my own bench. I was waiting for a (Phoenix fan) to stand up and do something. I don't want to say, 'Start a fight.' But at least throw some popcorn on the guy." --Phoenix Coyotes defenceman Todd Simpson after being heckled during a home game.

"It's always good to have the building filled, even if it's with low-IQ Rangers fans." - Isles GM Mike Milbury before a game against the New York Rangers at home.

"My son wants to be a goalie. I'm trying to deter him from that. I say: 'Go score goals, have fun. If you have a bad game, nobody really notices.’" - Roman Turek to his son.

"I've been traded 15 times since I came to the Canucks. I'm still here. It's been five years. The joke is over. I'm not going to talk about it anymore." --Todd Bertuzzi to reporters after incessant questions about trade rumours.

"Well, Edmonton tries to copy everything we do. They don't have a mind of their own. That's just par for the course for people up in Edmonton -- 'Hey, look what Calgary's doing. Oh, that sounds good. We'll try that.'"
-- 7/1/02: Flames general manager Craig Button after the Oilers traded with the New York Rangers to get goalie Mike Richter, in the hopes of landing a compensatory pick

"That's what playoff hockey's about. One day you're God. The next day you've got no heart. The only way to understand it is to feel it. As far as our effort goes, don't question that."
-- 4/26/02: Chicago coach Brian Sutter after a season ending loss to St. Louis

"People here want the team to win and to do well. The thing is, we know when to shoot the puck."
-- 4/19/02: Steve Yzerman's thoughts on the Detroit fans yelling "Shoot the puck" during the game

"In short, we're like 11-year-olds watching Scream. Only our Scream runs three times a week and the ending is always different."
-- 4/7/02: Vancouver sportswriter Ed Willes on the unusually tight Western Conference playoff run, and how it feels to be a fan watching it

Quotes found in the archives of Canuck's Corner.

VISHNEVSKI IS ATLANTA - BOUND

Just reported on TSN. Some of the speculations came true this afternoon as the Thrashers have just traded for exiled Duck defenceman Vitaly Vishnevski. The Ducks get F Karl Stewart and a second round pick in the 2007 Entry Draft in return.
Stewart is a 23 year old who has only played 13 games at the NHL level, recording 1 point.
I suppose this is closure for Earl Sleek isn't it? Expect a eulogy at the Battle of California soon.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH #6

The resemblances aren't the closest I've ever seen, but Butcher always reminded me of Bobcat Goldthwait. Bobcat is most known for his role as Zed in the Police Academy movies (yeah, the freaky guy!)

A funny quote from Butcher during a game:
Butcher, while playing for the Leafs says to Hurricane enforcer Stu Grimson: "Hey Grimson, how come your parents named you Stu - couldn't they spell stupid?"

CANUCKS SIGN BIEKSA AND BOUCK

The terms of the deals have not been disclosed yet. Both players will probably see alot more action this season, both at the bottom of the depth chart. Their jobs in the Canuck's lineup will be challenged by newcomers all season long.
I still think Bieksa will become a mainstay on the Canucks defence this season.

TRADE WINDS OUT EAST STINK

I know being a Leaf fan and following the Leafs that every offseason and trade deadline period, there are always crackhead trade rumors. Alot of times I just can't read Leaf forums because it makes me ill. Then again, alot of forums are the same way. But I think Leaf forums are the worst.
Such is the case at an infamous hokey (that's right HOKEY) website today. It is being reported that the 'journalist' talked to a former NHL player in Montreal, and he is hearing that Montreal is willing to trade Michael Ryder, Mike Ribeiro, Sheldon Sourray, Dave Aebischer, and a first round pick to Pittsburgh for Evgeni Malkin. Then, with the newly found free cap room, the Habs will sign JP Dumont!
Please, reduce your drug intake! That is obscene! I won't even justify this story with a link or a rebuttal because it's painfully obvious that will never happen. I will say that on a scale of 1 - 10 stink-value, that one gets a 9.98.
There are also careless whispers of Malkin actually hanging with Ovechkin right now, training for the season. That is actually possible.
Gad, trade rumors can be an annoyance, but they are sure fun to laugh at. (after the vomitting stops)
Funny though, these rumor writers make their bold prediction and then hide behind a probability rating. Usually when the rating is really high, the deal has already taken place. Bold huh? Oh well, they are fun to throw sticks at and I'll continue to do so.

THE HOCKEY NEWS ULTIMATE POOL GUIDE

It is the time of summer when the year books and pool guides hit the newsstands. After work today I purchased the new Hockey News Ultimate Pool Guide. On page 6 I found some more bold predictions from THN (different pundits from the yearbook obviously.) These guys could even be crazier than the Yearbook projectors!
They choose to predict occasional wack because year to year they find themselves being really far off on some of them. They are saying that last season they predicted 20 teams within 3 spots of their final position, and 9 teams only one spot off from correctness. Not bad, but these guys are supposed to be experts aren't they? Check out what these Nostradamus' came up with..

WESTERN CONFERENCE....................EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Anaheim.................................................Ottawa
2. Calgary...................................................Carolina
3. San Jose..................................................Buffalo
4. Nashville.................................................NY Rangers
5. Minnesota...............................................Tampa Bay
6. Detroit.....................................................New Jersey
7. Dallas.......................................................Atlanta
8. Los Angeles.............................................Philadelphia
9. Vancouver...............................................Montreal
10. Columbus.................................................Pittsburgh
11. Phoenix....................................................Boston
12. Colorado...................................................Toronto
13. Edmonton.................................................Florida
14. Chicago......................................................NY Islanders
15. St. Louis....................................................Washington

On top of all that, they even got ballsy and predicted the Stanley Cup winner: Calgary Flames over the Buffalo Sabres. Hmmm.. They think Jarome Iginla will win the Conn Smythe, Eric Staal will win the Hart, Sydney Crosby will win the Art Ross, Kipper for the Vezina, Niedermayer for the Norris, and Malkin will win the Calder.
I should mention that THN has a love affair with Jarome Iginla, and has a big article on him, talking about how he needs to and will improve this season. Sure he'll improve, he has Alex Tanguay to play with instead of Tony 'hands of shite' Amonte!
So far, THN gives Edmonton no love. It's not like losing Pronger is going to sink their ship. The Oiler defense isn't that bad still. This year they'll have Roloson for the whole season, which is an improvement from the goalie graveyard Edmonton was for the first 3/4 of last season.
I sure wouldn't put Pittsburgh at 10th, and Atlanta at 7th in the East. Wow, put the crackpipe away! I won't even start with Florida!
This magazine has got me excited for the season and hockey pools once again.
As mentioned before, I think a bunch of us bloggers need to organize a pool this season. We can do it through the Yahoo Sports Fantasy pool, which done through an online draft. Fun stuff. I'll get more into that later.
I see Reality Check at Eyes for the Prize has his predictions up. Go check it out and badger him!

THE FIRST EXPERT PREDICTIONS

A backhand pass to James Mirtle who has posted The Hockey News' 2006-07 Predictions today. Ah, I love these things. But as you can see, some of my drunken predictions (which I stand by) from early August aren't so bogus compared to what THN drummed up.

THE HOCKEY NEWS...............................ZANSTORM

EASTERN CONFERENCE...................EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Carolina.........................................Ottawa
2. Ottawa..........................................Carolina
3. NY Rangers..................................Philadelphia
   
4. New Jersey...................................Buffalo
5. Buffalo............................................Montreal
6. Philadelphia...................................Florida
7. Montreal........................................Boston
8. Atlanta...........................................NY Rangers
   
9. Tampa Bay....................................New Jersey
   
10. Toronto..........................................Tampa Bay
    
11. Florida............................................Atlanta
12. Boston.............................................Toronto
13. Pittsburgh.......................................NY Islanders
    
14. NY Islanders..................................Pittsburgh
15. Washington....................................Washington

WESTERN CONFERENCE.................WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Anaheim.........................................Anaheim
   
2. Nashville........................................Calgary
   
3. Calgary...........................................Nashville
4. San Jose..........................................San Jose
   
5. Dallas...............................................Dallas
6. Detroit.............................................Detroit
7. Minnesota.......................................Colorado
8. Columbus........................................Edmonton
9. Phoenix...........................................Vancouver
10. Los Angeles....................................Minnesota
11. Vancouver.......................................Los Angeles
    
12. Edmonton........................................Phoenix
13. Colorado...........................................St. Louis
    
14. Chicago.............................................Columbus
15. St. Louis...........................................Chicago

Well at least we both agree that the Canucks won't make the playoffs, and even Tampa Bay for that matter. They are pretty bold for putting Columbus in 8th, but hey, why not be adventurous, kind of like me placing the Devils OUT of the playoffs, despite their world class goalie Will Colorado plummet that far down? Depends on which skirt Theodore is chasing.
Anyway, I look forward to other people's predictions in the coming weeks.

BURE BROTHERS TO VANCOUVER??

With Valeri invited to the Canucks training camp and Pavel coming off successful knee surgery, I'm guessing the brothers Bure may be united in Vancouver. Sources have confirmed that they have been talking to each other daily, which can only mean they're both willing to sign minimum salary contracts to play for the Canucks this season. Rumours have it that Pavel will be wearing his old #10,which was vacated by Brad May, and Valeri will be wearing #96, for no other reason than it reminds him of the year he played most of a season without injury.

HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA SKED

As you already know, the NHL released the televised game schedules last week. Being a Western Canadian who only gets to see games on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, TSN, and Canucks PPV, I figure I'd share a few statistics about the schedules on CBC and TSN, especially for those who do not have Bell Express-Vu's NHL Center Ice Package. (The Canucks PPV schedule has not yet been released.)
Of course, not all of these games will be viewed by residents in BC or Alberta, etc because of the regional coverages. Below is a list of how many times Canadien teams play on Hockey Night in Canada, for reference sakes.

Leafs play:

• Canadiens 7 times
• Senators 4 times
• Sabres 4
• Penguins 3
• Rangers 2
• Flames, Devils, Bruins, Red Wings, Capitals, Canucks, Oilers, and Flyers: 1 time.
• TOTAL: 28
  

Canucks play:

• Flames 4 times
• Avalanche 3
• Red Wings 2
• Wild, Oilers, Leafs, and Thrashers: 1 time
• TOTAL: 13
  

Flames play:

• Oilers 5 times
• Canucks 4
  
• Sharks 2
  
• Leafs, Stars, Sabres, Avalanche, and Lightning: 1 time
• TOTAL: 16
  

Oilers play:

• Flames 4 times
• Avalanche 2
• Red Wings 2
• Capitals, Canucks, Kings, Leafs, Predators: 1 time
• TOTAL: 13

Canadiens play:

• Leafs 7 times
• Senators 3
• Penguins 2
• Avalanche, Flyers, Rangers, Sabres, and Hurricanes: 1 time
• TOTAL: 17

Senators play:

• Leafs 4 times
• Canadiens 3
• Sabres 4
  
• Bruins 2
  
• Hurricanes, Lightning, Rangers, Thrashers, and Flyers: 1 time
• TOTAL: 18

One thing is for sure: It's great to be a Leaf fan when you have Hockey Night in Canada. Twenty-eight Leaf games total..wow. At the same time, they play the Canadiens seven times! Are you kidding me? I don't really want to watch seven Habs/Leafs games during the regular season. Not when there are so many other teams out there. Damn schedule! Egads.

There will be twenty-eight all-Canadian matchups.

Alexander Ovechkin will be on HNIC twice, Sydney Crosby five times. (too bad, heheh)

There are seven teams that you won't see on HNIC: Islanders, Blues, Ducks, Panthers, Black Hawks, Blue Jackets, and the Coyotes. I really want to see the Panthers, Ducks, and Coyotes. How unfortunate. Maybe some of these teams will be on Canucks PPV.

As a side note, TSN will cover the Canadiens 9 times, the Senators 6, the Leafs, Flames and Canucks 5 times, and the Oilers 4 times. Some of these are regional as well. That is a more even level for viewing Canadian teams for sure.

Besides the multitude of Hab/Leaf games, and Reality Check's badgering, I cannot wait for the season to start!

Heads up, Canuck fans, the Canucks and Leafs play on HNIC on January 13! I wonder if Sundin will knock some poor Canuck out like he did here.

DISSECTING RUMORS

I have to admit, NHL hockey rumor sites are fun to look at. They provide possiblities and fantasies, and total bulls**t. Here are the latest rumors floating around the hockey world.

*There are rumors that Evgeni Malkin is in Toronto right now. Well, my sources say he's already in Pittsburgh, hiding in a farmer's potato cellar. Ever eat raw potatos? I have, it sucks!

*Another rumor is from the same site, saying that the Canadiens could trade D Mike Komisarek to the Islanders to make room for J.P. Dumont. Well, this probably isn't going to happen because the Isles signed D Sean Hill today.

*More word on the street..the Sabres could still be looking to sign Dumont long term. I doubt it. Are they allowed to sign a guy they turned down after arbitration? That's never been done has it?
Dumont will get paid less on another team is my guess.
By the way, you know it's a crappy time in the offseason when one of your best stories is about J.P. Dumont! (as far as transactions go)

*There are rumors that the Canucks could sign G Steve Shields to back up Roberto Luongo. They have played together before in Florida. His agent is saying that Shields would be happy being Luongo's backup and wouldn't cause any disruption.
In my opinion, I don't think this should happen, as Flaherty will do just fine. Nonis needs to shore up other areas I think.