Les Habitants win game 7 against Gary Bettman's Penguins

If you didn't watch the game last night here are the highlights. I wonder if Gary Bettman’s sphincter tightened today with the thought of his favorite team being eliminated last night by the Montreal Canadians.

While I get it, Sidney “Cindy” Crosby is the current face of the NHL and I understand that the NHL wants to squeeze all the money it can out of Crosby’s likeness most of us are tired of his crybaby antics and whining. Forgive us if we enjoy the Penguins demise today. Yeah, I know! My team is in the middle of a historic choke job but I am going to enjoy the moment.

The Claude Julien spin; the winner moves on...

Wow! That's profound, the winner moves on. As a Bruins fan I am not a happy camper this morning, the Bruins are very close to being the only the third team to lose a series after being up 3-0. I think if the Boston Bruins lose this series the GM and the head coach should be gone.

This team needs a shake up in a bad way, this team is stagnant and diseased. The Bruins are playing way too conservative and they need to get a lead in the next game or they are done, they have no answers for the Flyers if they get behind.

Last night’s the Bruins effort was putrid and unacceptable until the Hapless Bad News Bears decided to play the last two minutes of the third period. You can not win a hockey game when you don’t play for the first. Philly was good and they were on top of the Bruins all night, especially when they were killing a penalty.

This statement by Shawn Thornton disturbs me.

Said Shawn Thornton: “I’d much rather be going back to Boston for Game 7 than coming here. We’ll leave it all out there (tomorrow) night, and we’ll see what happens.”

The Bruins has three opportunites to end this series and failed. Now they want to leave it on the ice in game seven? Unacceptable.

Lots of passengers on the B's

Daniel Paille - 1 assist in the last 5 games. That's unacceptable, time to send Buffalo's first round bust to the wavier wire/unemployment line when the season is over.

Miroslav Satan - no points in three games, I would like to see his funny dance sometime soon again. All of a sudden the last three games is looking 35 and slow.

Blake Wheeler - hands of stone and worthless inside the slot, couldn’t score in a brothel. RFA in the off season, I would like to see if the Bruins can trade him for a first or second round draft choice that might actually play every game instead of disappearing for periods of time. Ironically Wheelers Plays just like he did when he was with the Gophers, has a good game and then is invisible the next four games. The last three games Wheeler is (0g-1a-1pts) and a minus -2. That is unacceptable.

Patrice Bergeron - the Bruins leading scorer has been held pointless in the last two games. For the Bruins to be successful Bergy has to be a leader and make plays.

Michael Ryder - has been unimpressive, invisible and brutal are the three words that I would use to explain his play. The Bruins couldn’t get a bag of game used pucks for him right now. Ryder has a paltry one goal in the last five games. Yeah! That's right! Ryder has been utterly worthless...

Pierre McGuire, NHL GM?

I bet most people didn’t know that Pierre McGuire was a college hockey coach? Also, nothing spells potential disaster more than hiring a person to a management position that was a failure has a coach (54 W - 70 L - 7 T). I think Pierre should stick to doing television for NBC and TSN.

I had thought that Minnesota’s flirtation with TV analyst Pierre McGuire for their top hockey job was an aberration, but apparently a second NHL franchise is considering him as a potential general manager. John Boruk, who covers the Flyers for CSN Philly, tweeted that according to a good source, McGuire has now interviewed twice for the vacant general manager position in Tampa Bay (g/t SBN).

McGuire is not totally without actual hockey experience; he was an assistant coach in the NCAA before jumping to a similar job with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also briefly coached the Hartford Whalers before being fired midway through his first season in the job. From Hartford he moved on to Ottawa where he spent a couple of seasons. He got into broadcasting after an unsuccessful season coaching the ECHL’s Baton Rouge Kingfish. [the Score]

Glendale OKs Deal To Keep Hockey Team

I am beginning to wonder if the city of Winnipeg wasn't used a pawn to get the city of Glendale to cover the Coyotes losses up to 25 million dollars? We will see in the coming weeks where this is heading. Here is another interesting perspective on this matter from on Frozen Blog.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Glendale City Council unanimously agreed to cover up to $25 million in operating expenses for the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2010-11 season during its meeting Tuesday night.

Council members agreed to create user fees in their sports and entertainment district to cover the hockey team's costs.

The city will only instate the fees if the National Hockey League fails to find a new owner for the franchise by September.

The city said it is still negotiating with two potential owners for the hockey team.

Glendale and NHL officials said they were optimistic they would secure a new owner this summer.

If Glendale did not agree to cover the team's operating costs, NHL officials were considering moving the team back to Winnipeg, Canada.

Dozens of fans showed up to Tuesday's city council meeting to support the team

May 10th, 2010 Coach's Corner

Back by popular demand.

Check out this hit...

Vladimir Sobotka smokes Danny Briere, that was probably the hit of the series so far. There have been a couple of questionable hits on both ends of the ice so it's nice to see a nice legal stiff check for a change.

UND nickname supporters say issue not dead

This article was in yesterday's Minot Daily News. Looks like the petition in question was tabled just because Chairman Charles Murphy was not at the meeting due to a death in his family and the petition will be addressed at a later meeting.

FARGO (AP) - Supporters of the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname and logo continue to hold out hope for its survival, even as UND President Robert Kelley maps out plans to retire the moniker.

The North Dakota Board of Education has voted to scrap the nickname, after the Grand Forks school waged a four-year legal battle with the NCAA. An agreement with the governing body of college sports would allow UND to keep the logo if it gets approval from the state's two namesake tribes, Spirit Lake and Standing Rock.

Last year, 67 percent of the Spirit Lake Sioux tribal members who voted endorsed the nickname's continued use.

Higher education board president Richie Smith said if the Standing Rock tribe votes in favor of the nickname before the Nov. 30 deadline set in the NCAA settlement, the board would likely revisit the issue. The board earlier added a provision requiring the two tribes to sign 30-year agreements for use of the name.

''If we get those 30-year agreements, I think we have a deal,'' Smith said.

Tribal backers at Standing Rock have turned in petitions with 1,004 signatures asking the council to approve an election. Tom Iron, former tribal vice chairman and nickname supporter, said the issue was tabled at a recent council meeting because Chairman Charles Murphy was absent due to a death in the family.

''Mr. Murphy told us to hold off until he gets home and we'll take care of it,'' said Iron, who lives in McLaughlin, S.D. ''He's very much concerned about what the people want because they submitted a petition with more than a thousand signatures.''

Another nickname supporter, former Standing Rock council member Archie Fool Bear, said the debate will rage on until the tribe has a vote.

''I'm hoping this council sees the light and says, 'Hey, the people want a say on this issue. Let's give it to them,''' Fool Bear said. ''And get away from the constant day-after-day and year-after-year haggling over the same thing like it's that terrible.'' [Minot Daily News]

Savard put a bull’s eye on his back...

I think that Bruins Center Marc Savard has put the bull’s eye firmly on his back with his post game comments last night. Apparently the fans in Philly are not happy with Savard as well. In a way I do agree with Savard because the Flyers have been taking runs at him all series long, it has been blatantly obvious from the drop of the first puck during game one.

In game four during the second period Marc Savard had the puck behind the Flyers net, Mark Richards went hard at Savard but luckily he missed, I can’t even imagine what would have happened if Richards had connected? I do admit that the Begin hit on Giroux was unnecessary and some might say it was dirty. Rough play is part of hockey and there has been questionable hits on both ends of the ice during this series and I don’t think the Flyers have the high moral ground based on their tarnished reputation. The reffing in this series has been questionable at best. I do think this series is going to heat up even more in the next game.

Ice Edge out; True North silent

Here is another twist in the Phoenix Coyotes possibly relocating back to Winnipeg. This seems to be a fluid ever changing story.

Monday night's late-breaking news that Ice Edge Holdings has stepped away from its negotiations with the city of Glendale didn't change the no comment stance the organization has taken on the subject of the NHL returning to Winnipeg.

Don't be surprised, however, if phone discussions and meetings were keeping True North chairman Mark Chipman and his people busy after the news began emanating from Phoenix.

"Talks have broken off," Ice Edge Holdings chief operating officer Daryl Jones told the Free Press late Monday night. "We were adamant about needing exclusivity in these negotiations and they haven't provided it. I'm not totally surprised. We've been dealing with this for a while. We thought we had agreed to certain things and expected them in writing. That didn't materialize."

Ice Edge had been working with Glendale city council to draft a lease agreement that was agreeable to both parties. Once a lease was agreed upon, Ice Edge had hoped to buy the Coyotes from the NHL, which purchased the club out of bankruptcy last fall.

Glendale city council is still expected to vote on a request to satisfy a number of NHL demands, including one that would see the city put together a financial guarantee to cover any losses incurred by the Coyotes for the 2010-11 season if the NHL is forced to operate the team for a second season.

"No comment," was all True North Sports and Entertainment communications director Scott Brown had to say when reached Monday and asked about the latest developments in Phoenix.

Ice Edge stepping out of the deal will leave Glendale city council with the choice of agreeing to cover losses for next season while the NHL tries to find a new buyer or to refuse the option and likely see the Coyotes relocated to a new city.

The hockey world is waiting to see what unfolds as the NHL and the city of Glendale battle in an attempt to keep hockey in the desert. True North is sitting off to the side and watching with interest like a duck on a pond, all calm on the surface but paddling furiously below the waterline.

Should the Coyotes become available for relocation, the NHL and True North are in position to act fast and come to a quick agreement. A deal to purchase an NHL team usually takes months but Chipman and his team have been working alongside the NHL for some time and the majority of work on such a pact has been done. [Winnipeg Free Press]

Ice Edge breaks off talks to buy Coyotes

This is good news if you're hoping thast the Coyotes end up back in Winnipeg. The Coyotes have been a dismal failure in Phoenix and have lost a lot of money and should have never moved from Winnipeg in my opinion.

WINNIPEG — Ice Edge Holdings have walked away from the table in their bid to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes.

"Talks have broken off," Ice Edge chief operating office Daryl Jones told the Free Press late Monday night.

Glendale council meeting on Coyotes deal "We were adamant about needing exclusivity in these negotiations and they haven't provided it. I'm not totally surprised. We've been dealing with this for a while. We thought we had agreed to certain things and expected them in writing. That didn't materialize."

Ice Edge had been working with Glendale city council to draft a lease agreement that was amenable to both parties. Once a lease was agreed upon, Ice Edge had hoped to purchase the Coyotes from the NHL, who purchased the club out of bankruptcy last fall.

Glendale city council is still expected to vote on a request to satisfy a number of NHL demands, including one that would see the city put together a financial guarantee to cover any losses incurred by the Coyotes for the 2010-11 season if the NHL is forced to operate the team for a second season. [Winnipeg Free Press]

Melrose: Bruins are best team remaining

I am getting worried now and I don't know if I agree with Melrose, the Boston Bruins are a beat up team and are missing two of their top six forwards in David Krejci and Marco Sturm.

Flyers defenseman takes out his own goaltender.

This is how the Flyers goaltender Brian Boucher was hurt in tonight's game, he was run over by his own defenseman... The goal mouth is a high traffic area and I am surprised more goaltenders aren't hurt.

Carcillo out for game 5?

Fan favorite (yeah right) Daniel "the Hack" Carcillo is out for game five after getting smoked by Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk if I can find the video I will post it. LGM's boy Jon Kalinski could replace the Flyers hack Daniel Carcillo in the Flyers line up on Monday.

VOORHEES, N.J. -- Goalie Michael Leighton practiced Sunday here at SkateZone, the Flyers' suburban practice rink, as starter Brian Boucher's backup, but forward Danny Carcillo, who was injured in the Flyers'5-4 overtime victory Friday night, did not practice and may miss Game 5 Monday in Boston (7 p.m., VERSUS, TSN2).

The Flyers staved off elimination Friday night when Simon Gagne, who missed the previous four games with a broken foot, scored at 14:40 of overtime. The Flyers now trail the , 3-1.

If Carcillo, who sat on the bench for the third period and overtime, can't play, his likely replacement is Jon Kalinski, a left wing who can play center and who brings some grit. That's necessary when you're replacing a player nicknamed "Car Bomb."

Carcillo was rocked early in the first period by a check thrown by Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk, but played on through the final minutes of the second period.

Toews rides a wave of optimism back to Chicago

Here is a nice story about former Fighting Sioux star and Chicago Blackhawk Jonathan Toews that was in today's Vancouver Globe and Mail.

Jonathan Toews looks remarkably alert at this moment, minutes after emerging from the Chicago Blackhawks’ triumphant charter flight home. This is the blessing of youth - and a sharp contrast to bleary-eyed teammate Patrick Sharp, who took the first turn at the microphone at Signature Flight Support, near O’Hare airport, where the team’s charter from Vancouver landed late Saturday afternoon.

One day earlier, Toews drove a stake through the hearts of the Canucks’ playoff hopes with a brilliant five-point performance. This afternoon, Toews was explaining why the team cannot take anything for granted heading into Sunday’s fifth game, a possible elimination game with Chicago ahead 3-1 in the series. Toews said all the right things: The Blackhawks will take nothing for granted. The final game is always the most difficult to win. Etc. etc. There is a reason why teammate Patrick Kane calls Toews Mr. Serious. There is an uncommon gravitas about the Blackhawks' young captain that seems oddly out of step with his age, 22.

But it doesn't take away from this stark reality: That for the second season in a row, the Blackhawks’ emerging young nucleus of players is outperforming its opposite numbers with the Canucks. Toews and Kane have done a better job of both leading and marshaling their troops than the Sedins have done on the other side; and as coach Alain Vigneault so memorably put it the other night, Roberto Luongo has been the second best goaltender in this series. Ouch.

Toews suggested Saturday that points on the score sheet seem to fascinate everyone, but it isn’t always indicative of how someone’s playing. Fair enough - although in the last three games, as he took over the playoff scoring lead, the points have been hard to ignore, 17 in all in his last seven games; 18 in 11 games at GM Place, counting the Olympics. A pretty impressive run here.

“Some nights, you’re not going to play your best and everything kinda goes in for you,” said Toews. “Obviously, (Friday) night was one of those nights where you’re around the net and everything seems to find you. Pucks are coming to you, and you get lucky. [Read the rest of the story]

Bruins let one slip away. Game 5 tomorrow in Boston

The Bruins went down 3-1 before they tied the game again only to go down 4-3 again before tying the game in the waning moments of the third period. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the Bruins were on their heels for most of the game and gave up too many untimely goals.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask was solid and kept the Bruins in the game and because of his play almost pulled out the series sweep. The Boston Bruins got a power play on a boarding call that would have been a much harsher penalty if it hadn't transpired during the overtime period during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Flyers were taking runs at Marc Savard and Mike Richards tried to run Savard in the Bruins end during the first period only to miss/whiff.

Lost Legend; Car crash cut short career of Flames' next big star...

Stick tap to Moose Richards. Almost 25 years ago Bemidji High School classmates lost a good friend, an awesome teammate, a great guy. George was three sport Letterman in Hockey, Football and Baseball, he was very good at all three sports, probably could have played division one in all of them. I had the pleasure of playing football with Big George in 1985 at Bemidji High School, when our football team won the conference title. Tom Cochrane and Red Rider from the album Victory Day dedicated the song the Big Leagues to George.

Summer of 1986: I was stationed in Stuttgart Germany and I remember getting a letter from an old friend Sean Sace who informed me that Big George had been killed in a car accident. My father sent me the Hockey News magazine in the mail that covered George's funeral. George's funeral made the front page of the hockey news. It was a tragic ending to young life. [Link to a tribute to big George]

Since they’ve been asked to pose at their son’s gravesite, they pose.

Four pucks neatly lined up on the headstone don’t surprise the parents. Happens all the time. They cannot explain how pucks get there. They just appear.

“Kids. Friends,” says Winnie, shrugging.

Restless, the Pelawas pick at the sap on the headstone. The camera clicks.


George Dale Pelawa, six foot three and 245 pounds, had been approaching Paul Bunyan’s dimensions, literally and figuratively. The broad-shouldered teen was threatening the mythical lumberjack’s poster-boy status in these parts.

But the burgeoning

legend, a three-sport

standout, died in a car crash, Aug. 30, 1986.

“Many think of the wasted career, but he’s been our shining star for years,” Lyman Brink, assistant coach at Bemidji High School, said a week after the accident. “We now have to think of his wonderful past.”

First, though, came grief for a future flattened.

Fans in Minnesota mourned — George had been named Mr. Hockey as the best high-school player in the state.

Fans in North Dakota mourned — George had accepted a scholarship to the UND, which was loading up for a national-title run.

Fans in Calgary mourned — George had been selected by the Flames in the first round of the National Hockey League draft.

But there is no mourning like a family’s.

“It was a long time ago, pretty near a quarter-century,” says Frank, wiping his eyes, “but still . . . .”


When a stranger phoned on a spring-day afternoon, the Pelawas had listened patiently to the rambling request.

Boiled down — would they be willing to talk about their dead boy?

They were more than willing, as it turns out, but barely able. The collision that ripped the artery off George’s heart had irreparably crushed theirs.

“It’s like yesterday in many ways,” says Winnie. “If somebody has a disease or something, you’re prepared. But when it’s sudden like that. . . . Your children aren’t supposed to go before you.”

If the topic is so painful, so wrenching, why extend the invitation into their home?

Simple.

Because they want people to remember George, their George.

When Flames prospect Mickey Renaud died suddenly of a heart condition eight months after the 2007 NHL draft, the Pelawa story got retold. Similarities between the barrel-chested forwards — bright futures, sudden ends — were jarring.

But, given the passage of time, many in Calgary had been unaware of the 1986 tragedy.

Frank understands.

“It rolls over so much, you know, one year turns into . . . ” he starts, before succumbing to tears and, for not the only time, leaving the kitchen table to grab a breather in the living room.

Whispers Winnie: “Since the stroke, Frank gets so emotional.”

Which becomes the day’s rhythm — reporter apologizing for the intrusion, parents apologizing for the sorrow.

It makes for frequent pauses, with only the coffee pot’s gurgles filling the silence. Told numerous times the interview can be delayed, Winnie and Frank shake their heads.

They’re dedicated to this cause — a tribute for their son. So they answer all questions.

They keep alive the George Pelawa Memorial Scholarship. The Flames honoured their 20-year commitment to the award, but that ended in 2007. Since then the parents have quietly and happily shelled out $1,000 for the annual prize.

“Calgary carried it . . . which is very nice,” says Winnie. “When that quit, we picked it up, continued it. We never thought much about it, then, all of a sudden, the 20 years were up. So we just decided to carry it through.”

But that’s a lot of money, isn’t it?

“Well, it’s worth it,” she insists, despite the couple’s modest income — Frank, 67, is a retired mechanic; Winnie, 61, works for Beltrami County Public Health. “Till we die or we can’t afford it . . . we’ll keep it going.”

This came as news to Flames president Ken King, who says the team plans to revisit the legacy program “based on what we now understand to be the current situation. We’ve talked to the people down there and we think there’s something we can do.”

Meanwhile, George’s childhood chums — determined not to let the parents foot the bill — have begun raising funds.

“Maybe in 20 years,” says Keith Dahl, “there’ll be a whole new group that’s heard of him . . . if you keep the scholarship going.”
[Read more]

Two Sioux may Bolt for Major Juniors (Redwing77)

Early Reports are filtering in that two Sioux players will be leaving UND to play Canadian Major Juniors.

The first one is New York Islander draftee David Toews. The second? Buffalo draftee Corey Fienhage.

To me, this is always a sad event even if it is justifiable.

David Toews never quite grew into being the type of player UND fans thought he'd become. However, that's not truly fair. It was no secret that David wasn't his older brother. It was also no secret that David plays a different style of game than Jonny. David still has some great skills, such as a good shot and stick handling, but couldn't crack the lineup. With the talent coming in, it would make it even more difficult for him to make the lineup. So, he's opting to the major juniors.

Brad Schlossman ponders whether or not he'll go to the WHL or the QMJHL. I, for one, hopes he goes to Brandon of the WHL, the team that drafted him in 2005. I hope the Q whithers and dies... ok, maybe not... well... I hope the trifecta of evil do anyways (Moncton of the QMJHL, London of the OHL, and Red Deer of the WHL). I think it just makes sense for David to play for a team close to home. [Link to the Grand Forks Herald Story]

Corey Fienhage is truly a hard luck case. He comes in early, gets railed by the fans (just like just about every defenseman who has come in young... Lee, Smaby, Finley are just a few like Corey). He never quite plays poorly. In fact, he played really well last season until inexplicably he gets benched in favor of Brent Davidson, a winger converted to D earlier that year.

How does that happen? Something must be going on in practice of off the ice, though I have no proof. There's no reports of attitude but there has been grumblings about work ethic.

It's too bad. I like Fienhage. I think he's a good, solid, defensive defenseman that has good size.

It's always tough to lose good guys but with only 2 seniors leaving, there's not a whole lot of playing time to be had.

Who will come in to replace them?

Well, in my opinion, I think no one should. We have an abundance of wingers and D now that Genoway is returning.

I've read that we have abotu 14 or 15 wingers (including Derek Rodwell) and 8 or 9 defensemen (including Forbort and Simpson).

If we did bring in one last winger, my choice would be Fargo Force forward Colton St. Clair. I would have thought Danny Mattson would be the guy but he's seemingly pulled a Mike Fink on us and has seemed to regress once leaving Minnesota High School.

I don't pretend to know how this is all going to work out, but in Hakstol I trust.

An End of the Year for the Red Wings (RW77)

Ok, it's no surprise to any of the Goon's World regulars that I represent one (if not the only) Red Wings fan on this Blog, but I'm going to lament the good and the bad and ponder the offseason for my Wings in this post.

I admit this is about where I picked the Red Wings to exit the playoffs. I just wished it was in Game 7.

This team went through a ton of ups and downs and, insodoing, came a long way towards establishing a new (but still old) identity.

Last year it was the Penguins that endured a ton of injuries and prevailed. The media was all over the excuse when the Pens lost too. If Gonchar were healthy... if Malkin and Crosby were 100%... etc. This year, the Red Wings lost a TON of players to injury. In my opinion, far more talent was lost this year by the Red Wings to injury than to the Penguins last season.

However, unlike the Penguins, the added implosion of Chris Osgood and the underperformance of the Team D (partially because of Osgood) proved too much in the end.

They were jokes for much of the season, flirting with the final playoff spot but never quite being serious about getting it until very late in the season. Despite the punch line, this competitiveness is remarkable because they lost so much talent to injury and those that remained underperformed. I would have placed them fading into oblivion if I hadn't known better. That doesn't mean I didn't have any doubt about the playoffs. On the contrary, for much of the year, I had the Red Wings placing 9th, only a few points out of the 8th spot.

When the Wings came on strong and managed to finish 5th or 6th (for some reason I can't remember exactly), I was impressed. They were playing awesome hockey. And Jimmy Howard was doing Detroit and the NCAA alumni proud with his play.

In the end the Sharks were just too good for the Red Wings. I think it comes down to depth. I just see the Sharks as being the team with more depth right now than Detroit. They were able to use that depth to their advantage in this series.

So what does this offseason have in store for Detroit?

Here is a list of pending Detroit Free Agents:

Jason Williams (Center)
Tomas Holmstrom (Wing)
Kirk Maltby (Wing)
Todd Bertuzzi (Wing)
Nick Lidstrom (Defense)
Andreas Lilja (Defense)
Brett Lebda (Defense)

Rumors have it that Kirk Maltby is going to retire. I really don't see Williams or Bertuzzi being a big "must sign" either. The big question marks lie in Holmstrom and Lidstrom.

I think the Wings need Holmstrom's grit and knack for getting under the skin of the opposition. He's mouthy, a punk for sure, but at least he's not cheap like Carcillo or Cooke. Lilja and Lebda could probably be resigned for cheap...or they could go in a different direction.

What I WOULD like to see is we replace Williams with someone like John Madden. I know that is replacing what is considered a scoring center with a gritty checking center, but Madden is superb on faceoffs and great defensively and not bad in the offensive zone. However, he is expensive and he's 37 years old. If the Wings wanted to replace him with a scoring winger, I'd expect them to go after someone like Tomas Plekanec or Matthew Lombardi (if they have the money).

In truth, I'm not sure which direction they are going to go because I'm not the guy who understands the whole salary cap and math side of putting a team together. So I listed 3 high priced guys without knowing if the Wings could even sign any of them under the cap.

One thing I did notice is that Osgood is NOT a free agent. I assumed he was. Unfortunately, that means one of two things:

1. Hope he retires
2. Hope Detroit finds a way to buy him out

The guy just can't play anymore. And I'd rather not spend Osgood's salary on a backup... at least I wouldn't if I were the GM.

Instead, I'd like to bring in someone like Michael Leighton or a long shot like Dany Sabourin because they are relatively young, cheap, and in the case of Leighton, had a pretty decent season. Leighton, to me, screams Ty Conklin. And IMO, Conklin should still be backing up in Detroit.

Who knows which direction the Wings will go? But I do know that next year they'll still be a top contender.

Coyotes saga paints a poor picture of league

This is a follow up story to the blog post that I posted earlier today. More of the unfolding drama. I do have to agree with the author of this tory this does make the NHL look a little silly. Also, there seems to be something to the story that David Thomson and Mark Chipman of True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd. are leading a group to move to the Coyotes back to Winnipeg.

And while espn.com reported the city and Ice Edge had agreed on a new lease agreement that would keep the team in the desert through next year, at least, the agreement on covering operating losses still needs to be debated by Glendale city council. Still, Winnipeg seems to be back on the back burner, for now. The Reinsdorf deal, meanwhile, was always a joke; it required the creation of a special taxation zone that would convey to the gracious saviour of the team approximately US$65-million over the next three years to put towards the purchase price, and another US$100-million over seven years to cover operating losses.

Not only that, but it included control of the arena, the right to leave after five years, and a guarantee that Reinsdorf would get US$103-million back in any sale of the team. It was not a credible business arrangement; it was a charity.


And that is where this league was going. In its final attempt to keep a team in a non-traditional market -- or at least, in the display of something resembling an attempt --the NHL seems to have been reduced to proposing municipal blackmail.

Thus the best-case scenario for the Coyotes to stay in the desert is that the business receives publicly funded indemnification against losses. If only the auto industry had been smart enough to write that into their deals with the state of Michigan. Then again, it worked for much of Wall Street.

So what does this tell the next canary in the NHL's overexpanded, misaligned coal mine? What does this tell to the owners and city councils entangled with teams like Atlanta, Nashville, Columbus, Florida -- located outside Miami -- or the New York Islanders, the last of whom are currently fighting for a new building that may never come?

What it says is that if you are a Jerry Moyes, the league will sell you down the river once the money runs out, and if you are a Glendale, you will be held hostage. Oh, and if you want to move a team into the Toronto area you're out of luck, because that's being saved for expansion. Hell of a way to do business. Step right up and own a team, folks.

But we Canadians won't care about how it looks; if Winnipeg is ever finally made whole, hockey-wise, the elation will steamroll any worries about precedent, or that the building is too small, or what happens should the loonie dip back to 65 cents U.S. And as long as Mr. Thomson and his partners agree to absorb any financial losses in private, then all that's fine. [Read the whole story]

Sources: Coyotes would stay in Phoenix

This story seems to be evolving and changing by the day, it was looking better yesterday. While today's turn of events does not appear to be good for the city of Winnipeg right now, this could change again if the city of Glendale doesn't agree to pay any and all operating losses for the Coyotes next season. - Stay tuned.

The City of Glendale and the Ice Edge Holdings group have agreed on all points on a new lease agreement that would keep the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona, sources told ESPN.com Friday evening.

The two sides are expected to sign a letter of exclusivity by early Monday morning, which will formally end the bid of Chicago sports tycoon Jerry Reinsdorf, although sources told ESPN.com that the city has not considered the Reinsdorf bid viable for some time now.

Ice Edge will not, however, agree to have its new memorandum of understanding submitted to the City Council for a vote until Glendale agrees to a number of conditions outlined by the NHL, chief among them that the city will agree to pay any operating losses the Coyotes might incur next season if a deal to sell the team collapses.

Those requirements will be discussed by City Council at its public meeting Tuesday in Glendale.

Although it's possible the city could find itself on the hook for between $20 million and $30 million in operating losses if a deal with Ice Edge or any other potential buyer moving forward collapses, it's believed Glendale will agree to the league's conditions because the NHL will exercise its right to move the team without those assurances.

It's believed Winnipeg would be the prime target for relocation, sources have told ESPN.com, and that a deal to sell the team to interests in Winnipeg could be completed quickly if Glendale cannot satisfy the league's conditions. [ESPN.COM]