for the first time in the history of the team, the LA Kings are the Stanley Cup Champions.  This topic has been covered by many more talented writers here at the Gab than myself, so I will just take this opportunity to say that I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Kings this postseason.  Sure, I would have enjoyed watching the Bruins, but they just didn’t have it this year.  The Kings were just too big, too skilled and too solid at both ends of the ice.  All four lines were solid, and I didn’t realize that Penner could grow such solid eyebeard.  And just think…Dustin Brown was being shopped around at the trade deadline.

Where will Rick Nash land?  There are going to be many teams chasing him prior to the entry draft, but only a few will have the assets that Scott Howson will be looking for.  At the top of the list has to be the Rangers.  Since the other prized impending free agent Parise has stated he won’t go to New York, the Rangers will probably make a solid effort to land Nash.  The Rangers are currently stacked with a solid core of young forwards, as well as being very well established on their back end.  Two names that Columbus will be after are Kreider and Dubinsky.  Moving Dubinsky and Kreider will give the Rangers the cap room they need, but I don’t like the idea of moving Kreider.  The rookie had a tremendous post season, and just like Brad Marchand in last years playoffs, the Rangers need to give him a longer look.  He earned the chance to play regularly for the Rangers next season.

Another team that could possibly be interested in Nash could be San Jose.  San Jose could be persuaded to give up the likes of Niemi and Pavelski for Nash, but would Nash make a difference on a team that never makes a difference in the post season? 

And of course, up here in Canada, the majority of the media outlets are suggesting that Nash could be a member of the Leafs by the entry draft.  For Burke to land Nash, he is going to have to unload a number of mediocre players such as Komisarek, Schenn, Kadri and Grabovski.  Burke will traditionally have his players overvalued, but the bottom line is that Burke and the leafs do not have enough assets to make a trade happen.  Columbus would want prospects and players that would make their club better, but these players can’t even do it in Toronto.  Basement dwellers trying to swing a trade to get better always makes me laugh.

You betcha.  As expected, the Goldwater Institute has continued to hamper any potential progress that has been made with a possible Coyotes sale.  Even though Glendale City Council voted 4-2 in favor of the sale, the Goldwater Institute is contending that the city council did not meet the required 5 votes, since one of the council members was not in attendance.  As well, they contend that the city did not make 2 of its exhibits available to the public prior to the council meeting and the vote.  This whole situation just keeps making me laugh.  It is only a matter of time before Jamison steps away from the table, just like many others before him.  Maybe the Goldwater Institute should just buy the fucking team.

With the hockey season over for this season, and potentially the start of next season, my time here on Sundays is slowly drawing to a close.  I would like to thank everyone here for giving me a tremendous opportunity to share my love of hockey with everyone.  I will be hearing from the powers that be here at The Gab shortly, and I’m pretty sure there won’t be a lot of hockey to talk about this summer.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hotchnuts

 
Last week we did the old Hump Day Survey...This week we're switching it up, because I don't have too many questions to ask...But I do have a couple topics I want to hit...Yep, the kid has some shit to rant about...(SHOCKER!)

First, Monday I was bitching about Indians closer Chris Perez ripping Clevelanders for not packing the stadium for Indians games...Oh, and he ripped them for booing him, after blowing a game, and booing him when he put two runners on base his next time out...Asshole needs to grow up...Pro athletes get booed when they fuck up...Stupid fucking child! Asshole making $5 million a year telling me how to spend my money...I've been working since I was 13 years old, and I'll never come close to making $5 million in my life...Unless my writing career some how takes off! So Perez can still lick my ass!

Then today, I hear this douche on Cleveland sports talk, Chuck Booms, bitching at the fans, saying they better fill the seats for this series against the Tigers...After he bitches for a few minutes, his partner Kevin Kiley, who often annoys me, called him out, and asked Booms, "How many tickets have you bought?" Booms starts yelling, "I don't have to, I'm in the media, we get in free!"

So this little, shit is going to scream at Clevelanders to spend their money on the Tribe, but are you crazy? Why would he? He's in the Media...Bitching on the radio makes him part of the media and gives him free tickets whenever he wants...Well shit, I bitch on my blog, where the fuck are my free tickets? Here's another fucking asshole, telling the regular folks what to do with their money...These cock suckers have some balls...And if you ever listen to Booms, you can here he is a closet case, boner smoker...

If I go to a Tribe game, I gotta pay $20 to park my car...Then the cheapest seats in the house are $10...And let me tell you, I don't feel like sitting in the bleachers or nose-bleeds...Then if I want a beer, that's $8...A fucking hot dog is $6...Everything there food wise is grossly overpriced...Then if it's just me and the wife, we have to pay a baby-sitter...And when you're talking 3 kids, that shit gets expensive...If we bring the kids, that costs, and gives us a fucking headache...

But this little asshole who goes to games free, is going to tell me what to do with my money...He really needs to choke on a cock and die!

The next thing pissing me off is the Phoenix Coyotes management...More than a few years ago, the NHL switched what jersey was worn at home...It use to be the white...But they switched it to the dark jersey...So the Coyotes look really stupid when they tell their fans to do the old "white out" thing, and all wear white...The LA Kings are skating around the ice wearing their whites, and the Coyotes are in all maroon...The league has let teams wear white at home at times...So if the Coyotes wanted to do a "white out" why not get the team on board too...Way to make people think they are watching the kings play in front of their home crowd...Stupid fucking Phoenix...They could have broken out their old black jerseys, and done a "Black out." Maybe this seems gay, but it just looks stupid...

Since we were just talking Hockey, let close with some hockey hotties...On this Hump Day, which of these Hockey wives would you must like to do some stick-handling with!?!


A. As seen at the top of this post, Willa Ford (Mike Modano)





B. Hilary Duff (Mike Comrie)



And just remember how she handled getting engaged...






C. Carrie Underwood (Mike Fisher)




Alright, Read and Respond...And Happy Hump Day!

Later, the Beeze.

Western Conference Preview

1. Vancouver Canucks
2. Los Angeles Kings
3. Detroit Red Wings
4. San Jose Sharks
5. Chicago Blackhawks
6. St Louis Blues
7. Anaheim Ducks
8. Calgary Flames
9. Nashville Predators
10. Columbus Blue Jackets
11. Dallas Stars
12. Minnesota Wild
13. Phoenix Coyotes
14. Edmonton Oilers
15. Colorado Avalanche

Central Division

1. Detroit Red Wings

The majority of the forwards in Detroit are either in or approaching the prime of their career.  One thing that Detroit fans have to be happy about, is that they only lost one of their elite d-men.  With Rafalski retired, the departure of Lidstrom would have been quite the blow.  Fortunately, Lidstrom will be playing at least one more season.  With the departure of Rafalski, look for someone like Jakub Kindl or Doug Janik to see an increase in ice time and responsibility.  However, their back end still has Kronwall, Stuart, Commodore and Ericsson.  That is still not too bad.  On offense, they have a smattering of players that could legitimately be on any other teams first line.  After factoring in Zetterberg, Franzen and Datsyuk, you still have to deal with Bertuzzi, Cleary, Holmstrom, and Hudler.  Offensively, Detroit is a very talented team.  Defensively, Detroit is a very talented team.  One area that they may need some help is in the nets.  Howard put together a great season last year, racking up 37 wins, but his other numbers weren’t as impressive.  Will Joey MacDonald function well enough as a backup this year and put the types of numbers that are expected of a backup?

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Chicago bounced back remarkably after a complete overhaul of their team.  Chicago has managed to retain the core of its younger players that helped them a season earlier.  Chicago has had a steady stream of younger talent coming through their farm system, and players such as Leddy, Kruger and Smith are going to be expected to improve on last years playoffs and carry their momentum into the regular season.  Last season, Chicago had the third highest goals scored total and they are going to be close to equaling that number again this year.  Chicago is extremely deep on offense, and even after Toews, Hossa, Kane and Sharp, they have adequate secondary scoring from players such as Frolik, Bickell and Bolland.  Defensively, players such as Hjalmarsson, Keith and Seabrook are going to be the workhorses on the back end this year.  Last season, Chicago wasn’t as strong defensively as they were previously, but they are rebuilding their back end very effectively.  Adding Steve Montador and Sean O’Donnell will help them improve on their penalty kill numbers, and Leddy will see an increase in ice time as well.  Corey Crawford enters this season as the bona fide number one goalie, and Ray Emery is going to be expected to produce and win games when Crawford is given the night off.

3. St Louis Blues

The Blues are going to be one of the most improved clubs this year.  They have put together a team with young talent and some veteran leadership.  Young players such as Backes, Stewart, Oshie, Berglund and Steen are going to provide lots of scoring for the Blues this year.  The additions of Arnott and Langenbrunner will only help.  Defensively, the Blues are going to have a “youthful” core.  Younger players such as Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo are going to have to improve on last years numbers with players like Huskins and Jackman leading the way.  Defensively, the Blues allowed 234 goals against, which wasn’t that bad; but realistically, it will need to get better.  In the nets, Halak is going to be ridden pretty hard this year, and it will be up to Brian Elliot to collect some wins while Halak gets some rest.  However, if Elliot struggles again, watch for youngster Ben Bishop to get a couple looks.  St Louis is in one of the harder divisions in recent years.  While they aren’t good enough to win their division, they should win enough games to make the playoffs.

4. Nashville Predators

There is always one consistent in Nashville; Barry Trotz will get the most out of his team that he possibly can.  After 13 seasons, the Preds finally won a playoff series.  The Preds are slowly moving towards an area where they can be expected to win more than one playoff round per season.  Offensively, the Preds are going to need some work.  After scoring only 219 goals last season, they simply need more offense if a longer post season adventure is expected.  However, Nashville has always played an effective defensive game under Trotz.  That being said, bringing in players that are smart on both ends of the ice, such as Fisher, will help them a little, but not enough.  If one of your d-men finished in the top four on team scoring, chances are you are going to need more offense.  Hornqvist was expected to improve on his 51 point season, but failed to do so.  More is going to be expected offensively from Hornqvist and Colin Wilson.  Expect Wilson to show that he remains with the big club this year.  Defensively, Nashville still has Weber and Suter on their back end, and youngster Laakso is going to see some more ice this year.  Defensively, Nashville has a couple of studs on their blue line.  After Weber and Suter, there is Klein and Blum.  Lots of younger players are going to see an increase in ice time this season, but you can always trust on Trotz to get the most out of them.  In the nets, Rinne played well enough last season to earn a nomination for the Vezina.  If it wasn’t for Rinne’s play against the Canucks last season, the Preds would have been out of the playoffs much sooner.  Anders Lindback is going to emerge as a reliable back up in Nashville this year, and Predator fans should look forward to watching him play.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus simply has to be better.  Trading for Jeff Carter was a step in the right direction, but there is still lots of work to do.  Columbus fans have to be enjoying the prospect of having a duo the likes of Carter and Nash, but Nash needed more help than just Carter.  Aside from Umberger, Vermette and Brassard, Nash didn’t have much help at all.  With the addition of Carter, Nash is going to be expected to return to career numbers once again.  Carter will help Columbus’ mediocre power play, and the offense is going to have to score more than 215 goals if they expect to make the playoffs this year.  Defensively, Klesla left a massive hole on the blue line.  Adding Wisniewski will help alleviate some of that void, but more is going to be expected from younger d-men like Methot and Clitsome.  Yup…possibly the greatest name is hockey.  In the nets, youngster Steve Mason is going to be expected to regain his Calder winning form from a couple of seasons ago.  Mason’s numbers last year were on par with his rookie season, and as a result, they simply have to improve.  His backup this year is Curtis Sanford, and if the goalies struggle in St Louis this year, it should reflect on the d-core that is playing in front of them.

Northwest Division

1. Vancouver Canucks

The Vancouver Canucks spent a lot of time this off season wondering what had happened.  The Canucks walked through the regular season winning the Presidents Trophy and were the early favorites to win the Cup.  Last season, the Canucks were the top scoring team in the NHL.  As far as it pertains to their offense, it is basically the same team entering play this season.  They did not lose a top 6 forward, and the loss of Glass and Torres was countered by the acquisition of Sturm and the retention of Higgins.  Defensively, the Canucks do not have a lot of holes at all.  Mike Gillis managed to hold on to Bieksa and Salo, and hopefully for Canucks fans Hamhuis can come back just as healthy.  Watch for Keith Ballard to have a bounce back year and for Chris Tanev to start collecting more ice time and start cementing his role on the Canucks back end for a few years to come.  Offensively, this team is stacked.  Defensively, this team is solid.  One thing that the defense can do this season is score some more goals and help add to the potent offense.  In the nets, Luongo will be Luongo.  He will have his rocky sections, and he will simply be unbeatable.  When Luongo is on his game, there aren’t very many better.  Cory Schneider is a more than adequate backup, but realistically, barring an injury to Bobby Lou, he shouldn’t expect to play more than 25 games.  Vancouver is an extremely well balanced team, offensively and defensively.  They should be considered a favorite to go deep into the playoffs again this season.

2. Calgary Flames

Even after the team finished strong last season, the majority of Flames fans were calling for a massive rebuild.  If they make the playoffs this year, the rebuild will be put on hold.  If they fail to make the playoffs, watch for the fire sale on the Flames.  Last year, the Flames were handcuffed by a poor start, but they were one of the hottest teams from the Christmas break on.  When it pertains to Iginla, there are very few questions.  He will have another solid campaign, and Tanguay will have a lot to do with that.  One area that the Flames needed help last season was at the center position.  Even though Jokinen is very talented, his output varies.  Other players on the Flames that were very inconsistent were Bourque, Glencross and Hagman.  Offensively, the Flames are going to need some help.  Fortunately, they have a strong back end that should be able to put some points on the board as well.  Their d-core is anchored around Bouwmeester, Giordano and Sarich.  New addition Scott Hannan will help provide some stability, and expect Derek Smith to start seeing the ice in all aspects of the game.  With Craig Hartsburg as an associate coach, Flames fans can expect to see a different defensive product on the ice this year, but only in style.  In the nets, Kiprusoff isn’t getting any younger.  He isn’t the start stealing monster he once was, and expect Karlsson to get more starts and make the most of his opportunity.

3. Minnesota Wild

Minnesota hasn’t made the playoffs in the last three seasons, and their fans shouldn’t expect this year to be any different.  The Wild are not going to be fun to play against, and they are going to be very physical this season.  Powe was added to a lineup that already featured hitter Clutterbuck.  Scoring should come easier for the Wild this season, since they have added Heatley and Setoguchi.  The Wild were the best in one category last season, and that was the “not hitting the net” category.  The Wild were last in the league for shots on goal last season, and the additions of Heatley and Setoguchi should help them immensely in that category.  On offense, watch for draft pick Granlund to get the call this year, and he will quickly make an impact if he is given the chance.  Defensively, the departure of Burns will leave some work for the rest of the d-core, but if Zidlicky can build on last season, there will be some gains seen there.  However, Burns departure will still leave the Wild weak on their back end.  With that being said, Backstrom is going to be kept very busy this season, and his numbers may suffer as a result.  Josh Harding will get some work in the nets this year, but the goalie combo may not be strong enough to make up for the lackluster d-core playing in front of them.

4. Edmonton Oilers

Going forward, Edmonton has a very talented, fast and young team.  Edmonton has been banking and collecting high draft picks for the last few seasons, and RNH should make the team at some point this season.  The Oilers have a good mix of veteran talent and younger players, with the younger players being more dangerous.  Oilers fans need to be concerned about how much losing the younger players endure, and what it will do to their psyche.  The Oilers are going to have to improve this year, and one area that they should improve first is offense.  The Oilers scored the lowest amount of goals in the conference last season, and they are going to have to improve on that or else it will just be another season without any gains.  The Oilers numbers were damaged last season by key injuries to Hall, Hemsky and Whitney.  If they can come back and contribute a full healthy season, those numbers will right themselves.  Losing Whitney hurt the Oilers defensively, and hopefully he can bounce back and have a productive year.  However, not much should be expected from the Oilers d-core this year, with skaters such as Smid, Peckham, Gilbert, Sutton and Barker rounding out the top 6.  In the nets, Dubnyk should be expecting to get more starts than last year, especially if Khabibulin fails to bounce back from last season.  The Oilers are going to have to score lots of goals to be successful this season, as they won’t be getting much help from their back end.

5. Colorado Avalanche

Just like Edmonton, Colorado has some tremendously talented young players in their system.  However, the Avalanche only have a couple key players signed long term; Statsny and Varlamov.  The Avalanche have quite a few players up for RFA after this season, and they should do their best to make sure they retain players like Duchene, O’Reilly and Mueller.  Mueller had a rough year last season, missing the entire year with a concussion.  If Mueller can make a full return, he will only help the Avs offensive numbers, along with Statsny, McClement and Duchene.  Statsny will also need to have a bounce back year, as his point total dropped 22 last season.  Bringing in Kobasew will help the offensive output in Colorado this season, providing he can stay healthy.  Defensively, there were none worse than the Avs last season.  The Avs allowed a league worst 288 goals against last season, and that number will have to improve.  Bringing in Erik Johnson will help, but more will be needed.  Signing Jan Hejda will help, but it will not be enough.  The Avs will have the worst d-core in the Western Conference this season, if not the league.  Young defencemen prospects Barrie and Elliot will get their share of ice time this season, and they will not disappoint.  In the nets, it is a matter of whether or not Giguere can stay healthy, and how long it will take Varlamov to realize he isn’t playing behind the Caps anymore.  In acquiring Varlamov from the Caps, Colorado sent their first round draft pick over.  By the looks of things this year, that could very well be a lottery pick for the Capitals.  Both goalies will be kept very busy this season.Thanks for stopping by.  Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Pacific Division

1. Los Angeles Kings

Year by year, the Kings have been getting much better.  Los Angeles is nicely set up for a nice long playoff run this season.  Bringing in Mike Richards cost them Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn, but Richards acquisition will pay dividends for them this season.  With Richards, the Kings are fairly deep at the Center along with Kopitar and Stoll.  Watch for Dustin Brown and Justin Williams to have career years.  As well, if Simon Gagne can remain healthy, the Kings are extremely talented offensive team.  On their back end, the signing of Doughty will be one of the smartest moves that Lombardi has made.  Defensively, the Kings are very deep, seeing as how the team was built from the back forward.  Jack Johnson, Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene round out the d-core, making it one of the more solid defensive cores in the Western Conference.  In the nets, there are a couple of Jonathons for opposing skaters to deal with.  Which one will see the majority of the starts?  Bernier or Quick?  Quick is going to be the go to goalie this season, with Bernier being more than capable to pick up some starts so that Quick can get some rest.

2. San Jose Sharks

San Jose tries year after year to shake the post season monkey off of their back.  After tremendous regular seasons, they have failed to make it all the way to the finals.  However, during the off season the Sharks dealt Heatley and Setoguchi to the Wild.  However, in return, the Sharks received the very talented Burns and the very frustrating Havlat.  Acquiring Burns will only add to the depth of the d-core in San Jose, and Havlat should be able to provide some extra punch to the Sharks offense.  Heatley’s numbers have been slipping every year, and I feel that his lackluster performance in the playoffs this past spring may have helped seal his fate.  As Pavelski continues to improve, he will slowly start to usurp Thornton in ice time.  Burns will help offensively, as will the addition of Handzus.  That being said, the Sharks are going to need more secondary scoring from their 3^rd and 4^th lines this season.  Defensively, the Sharks have remained a very solid and consistent unit.  They have an adequate collection of veterans mixed with youngsters that should help them decrease the number of goals against this season.  Boasting a top two of Boyle and Burns, the Sharks have a formidable d-core.  In the nets, Thomas Griess will be getting more starts this season, and he is a more than capable backup for Niemi.  Expect Griess and Niemi to share the time in the net until one of them starts to run away with it.

3. Anaheim Ducks

Aside from Ryan, Perry and Getzlaf, do the Sharks really have much more offense?  With Selanne coming back for another year, more is going to be expected from Blake.  Blake produced only 32 points last season, and he is going to have to improve.  Aside from Blake, Koivu and Selanne, the Ducks are a not that old.  They have some young talent such as Macenauer, McMillan and Gordon.  McMillan is going to be relied upon to improve on his 21 point season, and he can expect to earn more ice time this season.  The older players on the Ducks will provide some secondary scoring, and now is the time for the younger players to make their mark.  Defensively, the Ducks are fairly solid in their own end.  Visnovsky was the the top scoring d-man in the league last year, and he will contribute nicely to the teams offense again this season.  Cam Fowler is going to have to work hard and shake off his sophomore slump, and he shouldn’t have any problems doing that this year.  One area that the Ducks are going to have to improve is in their penalty kill.  The Ducks were in the bottom half of the league last season, and they are going to have to improve in that area, especially within their division.  If Hiller can come back at 100% this season, expect him to have a career year.  When healthy, Hiller is one of the better goalies in the game.  Dan Ellis will be relied upon to take the odd start away from Hiller for rest, but Anaheim fans should expect Hiller to earn multiple starts this season.

4. Dallas Stars

The times, they are a changing in Dallas.  The club is up for sale, and once that issue is resolved, the team can move forward.  Losing Richards during the off season had many Stars fans shaking their head; why wouldn’t he have been moved when the team could have gained something from it?  Dallas still has a solid core of players, but now they are missing that one big name player that can play in both areas.  Strides were made last year in Dallas, with many players making the most of their opportunities.  Jamie Benn pumped in 56 points in 69 games, and Stars fans should expect him to surpass that number this season.  Eriksson is turning into the player that the Stars need, and Morrow will continue to contribute year after year.  The pickup of Ryder will help with secondary scoring, but Stars fans shouldn’t expect more than 20 goals from him this season.  Defensively, the Stars are fairly solid and physical on their back end.  Picking up Pardy and Souray will nicely compliment Daley, Goligoski, Fistric, Grossman and Robidas.  Defensively, the Stars are very solid.  In their nets, Lehtonen is slowly turning into the type of player that Atlanta thought they were getting when they drafted him.  Lehtonen started 68 games last season, and won 34 of them.  As a backup, Raycroft will be an acceptable option, but Stars fans shouldn’t expect better than .500 numbers from him.  The Stars back end is solid, but their Achilles heel this season may be their offense, or lack of secondary scoring.

5. Phoenix Coyotes

This year, the Coyotes said goodbye to their number one goaltender, Bryzgalov.  That hole is going to be up to Mike Smith to fill.  Can he do it?  Only time will tell.  Offensively, Doan will be at the top of team scoring again, and no one should be surprised with that.  Have the Coyotes learned from their last two rounds in the playoffs?  Honestly, the Coyotes overachieved last year and we handled by the Red Wings.  This year, I do not see the Coyotes making the post season.  The Coyotes did not make the moves necessary to ensure another trip to the post season.  One thing that may help the Coyotes this season, is the fact that they may not be done making moves.  With Doan leading the team in scoring, fans should take solace in the fact that the majority of their forwards scored at least 30 points.  Phoenix has some quality veteran leadership, but now is the time for their younger players to pick up the slack and add more to the scoring punch.  Defensively, Keith Yandle had a career year last season.  The Coyotes have a veteran rich d-core with players such as Aucoin, Morris and Klesla.  There will be room this season for younger skaters to have a chance to see the ice and make their mark.  Will Mike Smith be able to put up Vezina worthy numbers?  That is a resounding no.  Mike Smith is a goalie that is too good to be a regular backup, but also not good enough to start every game.  Smith is going to really have to turn it on this year if Phoenix is expecting to do anything.  When Smith starts to struggle, LaBarbera will be there to spell him off and take some starts.

Thanks for stopping by, and all feedback is appreciated.

Note: This post was written by Hotchnuts.

Then I would definitely be tuning in.  But as it stands right now, I won’t be watching.  Not only because of a general lack of interest, but I will be out of town for the weekend on a nice little getaway with a lady friend.  Sorry, but hockey is taking a backseat to extra curricular activities.  Thanks to Sully for posting this for me in my absence.

Remember the saga in the desert?  Bettman and the NHL gave a hard deadline of December 31^st 2010 for a deal to get done between the NHL, Hulsizer and the City of Glendale.  As it stands now, we are approaching the end of January and a deal is still not completed.  To the best of my knowledge, the City of Glendale was going to sell $100 in municipal bonds, transfer the money to Hulsizer, and then recoup the money in parking fees.  Hulszier was going to throw in $97 million of his own money to cover the rest of the purchase.  As it turns out, the bond market isn’t that great right now and the City of Glendale couldn’t get approval for the bonds.  That’s right…your math isn’t wrong.  Bettman and the NHL bought the Coyotes for $150 million and are now selling them for $197 million.  Wow, to be able to make that much money that quickly on a fledgling team in a non-hockey market is remarkable.  The only reason that the price is higher is that Bettman promised the NHL owners that they would not lose money on this deal.  Seeing as how the ‘Yotes are hemorrhaging $25 million a year, they could get nervous and want a deal done sooner than later. 

Bettman has another group based out of Winnipeg that is interested in purchasing the Coyotes.  That being said, Bettman appears that he was using this potential buyer as leverage, since he told the City of Glendale that if a deal wasn’t in place by the end of December, the sale is off.  However, one month later, there is still no deal.

After being selected in the 6^th round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Craig Conroy has played 1009 games for 4 NHL teams.  Earlier this week, Craig Conroy was placed on waivers by the Flames and is now considering retiring.  The Flames gave Conroy 2 options; report to their AHL affiliate and play out the remainder of his one-year contract, or retire.  They have given Conroy until the end of the All Star Festivities to make his decision.  As I am typing this up on Wednesday night, Craig is scheduled to make a decision on his future on Thursday.  Even though I am not a Flames, Blues, Kings or Canadiens fan, I was a fan of Conroy and how he played the game.  But lets get serious here…Calgary is a little bit on the fucked side right now and may not even make the playoffs.  After GM Darryl Sutter stepping down and Jay Feaster taking over as the interim GM, the Flames organization seems to be in a scramble mode to secure a post season berth.  By the way…wasn’t it Feaster that put Andreychuk on waivers and ended his career?

What in the fuck is Garth Snow thinking?  Why would he take Nabakov off of waivers, a couple of weeks after he moved Roloson to Tampa?  There is only one thing that make sense with this.  Maybe Snow was stocking up for trade deadline day.  For all we know, there could be a few teams that are interested in a goalie that hates playing in the month of May.  Nabakov may have thought that it was in his best interest to just pull a no show on the Islanders.  Who the fuck is he all of a sudden?  Eric Lindros?  Just be happy someone offered you a job you fuckstick!  So now, will Garth Snow petition the NHL and force Nabakov to fulfill his deal?  The Islanders are currently playing for a lottery pick.  Why the fuck would Snow try to screw that up?  This signing made absolutely no sense to me, but then again, I don’t pretend to know everything.  I leave that up to Brian Burke.

Every year around this time, we get inundated with Forsberg updates.  Is he going to make a comeback? Why is he skating again?  Fuck it…who cares.  I’m not even going to bother wasting time on him…he’ll only cancel his comeback anyways.

Many of you may be wondering who this guy is.  Well, his name is Richard Rodier and he is going to be the next pain in Bettmans ass.  Rodier’s previous high profile gig was working as Jim Balsillies lawyer during the whole Phoenix Coyotes schmozzle.  Now, Rodier is now a lawyer for the NHLPA as well as their economic consultant.  It looks as though the PA is getting ready for a nasty round of negotiations.

Time for a little bit of entertainment from the LNAH. 

It’s gotta be hard pulling off a hockey stick guitar solo with three other guys in the penalty box with you.  Now, I know very little about playing a guitar, but I think he should have tuned his hockey stick before he started playing, not after.

Fight of the week:

Shawn Thornton vs Kyle Clifford

Thanks for stopping by and thanks to Sully for posting for me…yet again…Thanks Sully.

Hotch