More information on the small Stars/Kings trade

From Rich Hammond of the L.A. Daily News:

Clune, 21, was selected by Dallas in the third round (71st overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He played in 38 games with the Iowa Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL) this past season and recorded eight points (3-5=8) while finishing second on the club with 137 penalty minutes. Clune, a 6-0, 195-pound native of Toronto, also skated in 19 games with the ECHL's Idaho Steelheads this past season and registered 10 points (1-9=10) and 41 penalty minutes.

Clune finished third on his team in goals (32), assists (46) and points (78) and led his club in penalty minutes (151) while skating with the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) Barrie Colts during the 2006-07 season. He also led the Colts in postseason scoring with seven points (3-4=7) and eight penalty minutes in eight playoff games that year. In addition, Clune appeared in one game with the Iowa Stars that same season, recording two penalty minutes.

Read more about Clune from Inside the Kings here.

Clune seems to have some potential. When two teams trade prospects like the Kings and Stars did last night, it always take a couple years to see who came out ahead.

Stars acquire Lauri Tukonen

From Todd Davis of the Dallas Morning News:

The Stars traded left wing Richard Clune to the Los Angeles Kings for right wing Lauri Tukonen, a 2004 first-round draft pick and yet another Fin.

Clune, a third-round pick in 2005, didn't make it to the big club in Dallas, bouncing between Iowa and Idaho last season.

Update from Mike Heika: This move seems to have Dave Taylor's fingerprints on it. The Stars' director of player personnel was with the Kings when they drafted Tukonen, and would obviously have the most information on the Finnish winger.

Read the short post here.

Tukonen put up 35 points in the AHL last season, so I guess the Kings didn't see him cracking their fairly deep forward lines. He is only 21 years old, so the Stars must figure they can crack some of that untapped potential.

Doesn't look like Danny Markov will sign with Kings

From Rich Hammond of the L.A. Daily News:

There was a report that the Kings might sign defenseman Danny Markov out of Russia. A Kings source said the team talked to Markov but that Markov declined to take a physical in advance and Markov declined. So it seems that unless Markov has a change of heart, he won't be coming to the Kings.

Read more about the Kings here.

Markov would actually be a very good addition to the Kings' back-end. Maybe Markov will reconsider and help stabilize a defense that has lots of young talent.

Dean Lombardi lowers expectations for Terry Murray

From Lisa Dillman of the L.A. Times:

Lombardi called Murray's new assignment the "toughest job in the NHL."

"He might as well have said: 'Well, Terry, we're not in Philadelphia anymore.' Even if Bobby Clarke of the Flyers did send Kings assistant GM Ron Hextall a text message, saying: "Flyers West."

Read the entire story here.

Lombardi is trying to ease the pressure on Murray in his first season on the job with this young club. That said, the Kings have loads of talent everywhere but in goal, so this job shouldn't be as tough as Lombardi is making it out to be.

If you believe this rumor, you'll believe anything

From the Canadian Press:

If talk turns to action, Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray could be on the verge of making his biggest move as the GM of the Senators.

A hot rumour in NHL circles has Ottawa trading netminder Martin Gerber and defenceman Andrej Meszaros to the Los Angeles Kings, who would send 20-year old centre Anze Kopitar to the Chicago Blackhawks, who then would send goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and either of young blueliners Brent Seabrook or Cam Barker to the Senators.

Read the short article here.

Ha. This is one of the top ten worst trade rumors I have ever heard. I can't even break it down because it is that far-fetched. How can the Canadian Press even publish this garbage?

A couple reasons why Dean Lombardi is going to hire Terry Murray

From Lisa Dillman of the L.A. Times:

Lombardi said he was impressed that Murray spent hours breaking down game film. He also was able to observe Murray's work habits first-hand in Philadelphia, and more recently received a solid endorsement from Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren. Then at the NHL draft last month, Lombardi spoke to Flyers senior vice president Bobby Clarke about Murray.

"He's a detail guy, a good teacher, not going to play mind games," Lombardi
said of Murray. "He'll tell it straight to your face."

Read the entire article here.

Lombardi points out in this article that he understands the Kings are a rebuilding project and will need to be patient moving forward. Apparently he thinks Terry Murray is the perfect fit to lead that development.

Terry Murray hired to coach the Kings

From Tim Wharnsby of the Globe & Mail:

Terry Murray is close to becoming a head coach in the NHL for the fourth time.

According to sources, the Los Angeles Kings are finalizing details on a contract with Murray to become their new head coach. Murray, who turns 58 on Sunday, spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers and previously had head coach stints with the Florida Panthers, Flyers and Washington Capitals.

Read the entire story here.

Terry Murray? Where did this come from? I'm rather surprised. He hasn't been a head coach for a while now and the initial rumors surrounding the Kings had been mentioning coaches who hadn't coached in the NHL before. That said, Murray is a veteran coach whose job will be to develop the young and very talented Kings roster. If he gets the players playing to their capabilities, then the Kings could surprise some this season.

Lombardi Having Trouble Finding Players to Come to LA for the Hockey?

Jim Alexander notes in his blog that Dean Lombardi is frustrated with players wanting to come to LA for the weather:

"And the other thing is, too, I don't think they're coming for the right reasons. I've had people call here, pretty good players who want to come, and I say, 'Why?' 'Well, he likes the weather.' I say, 'Goodbye.' I've had enough of this crap. There's too much of this nonsense.

I have a feeling that when their young stars really hit their stride, there will be no shortage of players wanting to be in LA for the hockey. The team is nicely situated to become a contender sooner rather than later.

LA Kings Need to Spend Some Money

From Ken Campbell at the Hockey News:

Will the Kings’ spending spree coincide with an effort to revive a declining team that has been lost in an enormous market or to try to qualify for the post-season after five years on the sidelines during the playoffs?

Uh, no. According to nhlnumbers.com, the Kings’ payroll currently sits at just $27.756 million, which is almost $13 million under the mandated salary floor. Before the season starts, the Kings must crank up their spending to at least $40.7 million. And that’s after they dispatched two prospects to the Philadelphia Flyers for Denis Gauthier, who played all this season in the minors, but has a very convenient cap hit of $2.1 million.

Dean Lombardi will likely have more than a few guys calling the team, but given his recent comments he may just wait to see who really wants to play there and who just wants access to the beaches.

Kings May Sell Part of the Team

The Los Angeles Daily News is reporting that the owners of the Los Angeles Kings are considering selling a part-interest in the team. Though AEG would retain control, they have spoken to several parties about the deal, including the Boston Celtics ownership group.

In a phone interview Thursday, Kings governor and AEG president Tim Leiweke confirmed that he has spoken to the ownership group of the Celtics, led by Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck, about a "partnership."

"Wyc and I have talked about the Kings, but so have I and a lot of other people," Leiweke said. "There is no deal with myself and Wyc, and there have been a half-dozen people who have been very interested."

No Jim Balsillie?

Cammalleri excited to be a Flame

From Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald:

After contemplating his trade-in of Kings purple, black and silver for Flames red for more than a week, Cammalleri is more enthused than ever about coming to Calgary.

"I've had some time to sit back and reflect and soak things up," he said, "and the more I think about it, the more excited I get about it really. The more happy and excited I get.

"The hard part for me is the relationships I made in L.A. with teammates and staff like trainers and equipment guys. You make bonds with these people and build relationships, so that's the hardest part is leaving that. And the fans, too. They supported us really well when I was in L.A. But as far as the (Calgary) part, I can't really say I've thought of much negative. There's so much positive I see coming out of it."

Read the entire article here.

Cammalleri should be a terrific addition to the Flames squad, especially on the power play. I don't expect the added pressure of playing in Canada to affect him all that much.

Getting to know Anze Kopitar

From Rich Hammond of the L.A. Daily News:

Question: Tell me a little bit about the difference in two NHL seasons for you, the one of a rookie sensation and the one of a sophomore expected to provide scoring and leadership.

Kopitar: Well, it was definitely different, but I think the guys let me know that they were really comfortable around me and that's how I felt too. The first year coming in, you know I wasn't really sure what was going on when I made the team and everyone was helping and giving advice, which was really cool. Now this year my expectations and probably everyone's expectations were a lot higher. I think it (leadership) is something I expect, and I see myself as a leader and I think other people do too and I think that is great.

Read the entire interview from Inside the Kings here.

Interesting read. Kopitar isn't as well known to non-hardcore NHL fans as he should be. The big youngster is a tower of power, with terrific hands and he is one of the next generation of NHL stars.

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Not really news per se, but some UND players once again got themselves acquainted with the Grand Forks PD.
2. Kevin Porter of the Michigan Wolverines won the Hobey Baker award.
3. More Memorial Cup history, courtesy of Taking Note.
4. A preview of the ECHL playoffs.
5. Need another reason to hate the Wild? Watch this. (With apologies to the Piper's and Rosso's)
6. Read all about the Capitals' Matt Bradley.
7. Darren Dreger outlines possible management changes with the non-playoff teams.
8. Want to know what Silent Bob thinks of the Rangers-Devils series? Read this.
9. A look at the off-season game plan of the LA Kings.
10. Mike Toth live blogs the playoffs from his home.
11. The NHL has managed to increase both television numbers and attendance this year.
12. More news on the Toronto Maple Leaf's ticket scandal.
13. Random thoughts on the playoffs from Bob McKenzie.
14. Canada cruises to victory over Germany at the World Under-18's.
15. The US Women's Team defeats Canada to claim the World Championship.
16. Sean Avery: Innovator or cheat?
17. Kyle Wellwood answers fan's questions.
18. The Best of Seven blog rates the series' by excitement factor.
19. Spector predicts a big payday for RFA's this summer.
20. Meet the new Sean Avery Rule.
21. Are the Senators really soft?
22. Jeff Marek reports that Patrick Thoreson is recovering nicely. Check out the excellent quote by Bobby Orr at the end of the article.
23. If you like fights, be sure to check this out.
24. Australia wins World Hockey Gold in Divsion II, Group B by shutting out those stinkin' Commies.
25. Traveling with Gary Bettman.

Nightly Recap: Tellqvist Shuts Out Stars

-John Madden scored his team leading 6th goal for the Devils. Devils 3, Maple Leafs 2. Mats Sundin scored his 7th goal and now has 20 points in 14 games.

-Braydon Coburn had 2 assists and RJ Umberger scored the winning goal Flyers 3 Capitals 2. Michael Nylander chipped in with 2 points for the Caps.

-Richard Zednik scored two goals and Tomas Vokoun made 26 saves as Panthers 4, Sabres 2. Jozef Stumped added two assists for Florida

-Mikael Tellqvist is the BEAST of the night stopping 35 Phoenix Coyotes 5, Dallas Stars 0. Shane Doan had 3 points for the Coyotes, Mike Modano is a point away from tying Phil Housley for most points by a U.S. born player.

-Preds 4, Oilers 1. Former Oiler (remember when) Jason Arnott scored the game winner in the 3rd, Marty Erat and David Legwand had 2 points each for Nashville. Predators Goalie Dan Ellis is now 4 - 0 on the season.

-Los Angeles Kings 5, San Jose Sharks 2: J.S. Aubin made 45 saves for the Kings, who have now won 5 of their last six. Mike Cammalleri had three points and Dustin Brown scored two goals. The Sharks have now lost three of their past four. Rookie Devin Setoguchi scored his third point in his second game, assisting on a goal by Joe Thornton. The two will rematch tomorrow night at the Staples Center.

Tomorrow's Games (All Times Eastern)
7:00pm FLA@CAR, BOS@OTT, NJ@NYR, PIT@NYI, TOR@MTL,
7:30pm ATL@TB,
8:00pm CGY@MIN,
8:30pm CHI@STL
10:00pm VAN@COL, ANA@PHX,
10:30pm SJ@LA

Saturday Night Recap

-Philadelphia 2, Boston 1 - The Philly victory was overshadowed by Philadelphia defenseman Randy Jones' hit-from-behind on Bruins' forward Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron was left motionless on the ice after being hit unsuspectingly into the end boards and was taken off by team doctors on a stretcher. Luckily for Bergeron he somehow only suffered a broken nose and a concussion and not something far more serious.

-Columbus 2, San Jose 1 - San Jose has now lost back-to-back games against Detroit and Columbus after easily disposing of the Flames earlier on this week. On the other hand, the Blue Jackets are off to the best start in franchise history with a record of 6-3-1.

-Toronto wins 4 - 1 versus the Rangers. The Rangers scoring powerhouse has now somehow only produced a paltry 2 goals in the past 4 games. In some positive Rangers' news, their stud netminder Henrik Lundqvist has been money in the bank having only allowed five goals in that span; the big guns for New York have to come around eventually, don't they?

-Ottawa downs New Jersey 4 - 1. This was the first game in the Devils' new arena called the Prudential Center; however, the result was disappointing for Devils' fans as Mike Fisher scored twice for the Sens leading them to an easy 4-1 victory.

-Andrei Markov scored the first shootout goal for either team in the 8th round leading the Habs to a 4-3 shootout victory over Crosby and the Penguins. Of note, Pens' superstar Evegni Malkin recorded three assists in the contest. Canadiens 4 - Penguins 3 (OT)

-Nashville won their second straight game as they defeated the Panthers 4 - 3. Both Panthers' forward Olli Jokinen and Predators' forward Radek Bonk had two goals apiece.

-Brad Boyes scored two goals, giving him eight on the season, as the Blues upended the Caps on Saturday night. Here is the final score: Blues 4 - Capitals 3.

-Atlanta defeated Chicago 3 - 2. Ilya Kovalchuk had three points.

-Brenden Morrow had 3 helpers in Dallas' 5 - 3 win over Phoenix. Brendan Morrow has been healthy this year and has scored 10 points in 10 games.

-The Hurricanes put the hurt on the Islanders 8 - 3. BEAST of the night Rod "the bod" Brind'Amour led the team in points with four and extended his point streak to nine games.

-Buffalo defeated Tampa Bay in overtime 4 - 3. Thomas Vanek scored the overtime winner and Ryan Miller made 31 saves for the victory.

-Los Angeles continued their win streak against Edmonton last night, defeating the Oilers by a score of 4 - 1. Jason LaBarbera has found his place as the Kings' starting goaltender; he has won his last four contests by allowing a combined total of four goals in those games. It also doesn't hurt that the Kings offense has been hot as of late scoring sixteen goals in those four game.

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
3:00pm MIN@COL
8:00pm EDM@ANA
10:30pm DET@VAN

Nightly Recap: Rangers lose 1-0.....again

• The Rangers lose another 1-0 game, this time to the Penguins. Who would have thought that goal scoring would be their problem early on? Malkin scored the lone goal for the Pens.
• Rookie Tobias Endstrom scored his first NHL goal, and Ilya Kovalchuk had 3 points. Leafs captain Mats Sundin also had 3 points. Kovalchuk scored the shootout winner for the Thrashers. Thrashers 5 - Maple Leafs 4 (SO)
• Red hot rookie and BEAST of the night Patrick Kane had 4 points and Tuomo Ruutu had 3 assists for the Blackhawks. Rick Nash continues to have a great year as he posted 3 points. The Blackhawks win in a scorefest over the Blue Jackets 7 - 4.
• Paul Kariya had four points and former Jet Keith Tkachuk had three, the St Louis Blues defeat the Anaheim Ducks 4 - 2.
• In Ryan Smyth's return to Edmonton, the Avalanche win 4-2 over the Oilers. Tyler Arnason scored two points for the Avs.
  
• The Kings throwdown on the Predators 6 - 0. Jason LaBarbera stopped 17 shots for the shutout and Mike Cammalleri continues to lead the NHL in goals adding two more tonight for a total of 10.

Tomorrow's Games (all times Eastern)
7:00pm: BUF@CAR, TB@WSH,
7:30pm: VAN@DET, PHI@FLA
9:00pm: MIN@CGY

On With the Recap: Thrashers Remain Winless

• The Atlanta Thrashers continue to be winless, they lose to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0. Marty Biron made 31 saves for his first shutout as a Flyer. Jeff Carter and Joffrey Lupul had 2 points each for the Flyers. The Thrashers are the only team without a win, going back to last years playoffs they have lost ten in a row. Their powerplay has been abysmal, at 2 for 26 on the season. This was Marian Hossa's first game back from a groin injury, he is pointless on the year, but when he is 100% the goals should come. Things are not looking too good for the Thrashers.
• Nathan Horton tied the game for Florida with 10 seconds left, and the Panthers went on to beat the Habs in a shootout 2-1. Illegal Curve favourite Cory Murphy got an assist and Tomas Vokun was stellar with 36 saves.
• The Colorado Avalanche put out the Calgary Flames 5-4 in a shootout. The Flames were up 4-0 on the strength of Jarome Iginlas three points. After Jose Theodore was called in from the bullpen, the Avs scored four unanswered goals to take the game into a shootout. Ryan Smyth scored the shootout winner for the Avalanche and Paul Stastny remains very hot with 3 assists.
• The Wild were able to kill off two penalties in overtime, but the Kings discovered Niklas Backstroms weakness; the shootout. Their shooters Dustin Brown, Mike Cammalleri and Anze Kopitar all scored on very nice goals as The Los Angeles Kings hand the Minnesota Wild their first loss 4-3.

On tomorrow's schedule (all times Eastern)
7:00pm: DAL@CLB
7:30pm: NJ@PIT
8:30pm: STL@CHI
10:00pm: NSH@ANA

Get out the Recap: Kings lose 5th in a row

• The Los Angeles Kings lose to the Detroit Red Wings 4-1. Mike Cammalleri scored the lone goal for the Kings, tying Dany Heatley for the NHL lead. Pavel Datsuyk added 3 points for the Wings. After losing five in a row, The Battle of California has some ideas on how to help the Kings get into the win column.
  
• Josh Harding steps in goal for the Wild and does his best Niklas Backstrom impression, he makes 37 saves for the shutout and is the BEAST of the night. The Minnesota Wild defeat the Anaheim Ducks 2-0. Brian Rolston and Mark Parrish scored for the Wild. After allowing only four goals in five games, Barry Melrose Rocks gives his take on the greatness of the Minnesota Wild.
  

On tomorrow's schedule (all times Eastern)

7:00pm TOR@BUF
10:00pm: SJ@VAN, DET@ANA

EURO CURVE

Euro Curve takes a daily look at the latest international hockey news.

Writers Note: I apologize for not writing a blog yesterday but a sore throat kept me off the website and in bed. I promise today's blog will be as good as a Janne Niinimaa slapshot ( Currently playing with HC Davos of Swiss League).

- Yutaka Fukufuji, the first Japanese born player to ever play in the NHL, is trying to stick with the AHL's Manitoba Moose as one of the teams starting goaltenders. Unfortunately for Fukufuji, 25, he is in tough against incumbent Drew MacIntyre, and Boston College standout Cory Schneider. Fukufuji, an 8th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Kings in 2004, is believed to be headed for the East Coast Hockey League.

- The Anaheim Ducks were parading the Stanley Cup around London Wednesday, taking in some sights and even attending a Premier League football ( not soccer!) game. The Ducks face the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, September 29 to kick off the NHL's regular season schedule. The two teams meet again Sunday. Both games will be played at the new 02 Arena, a 20,000-seat venue which will also host an NFL game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants in October.

- New York Rangers Draft Pick Alexei Cherepanov (2007, 1/17) scored his first goal of the season last night for Avangard (Omsk) as the Russian Super League team beat VITYAZ (Chekhov) 7-5. Cherepanov was voted the games second star. Cherepanov, who was expected to be Russia's best player in the recent Under-20 Super Series tournament against Canada, had been sidelined with an injury for most of the tournament. Cherepanov, widely considered one of the best prospects in the Super League, had 18 goals and 11 assists in 46 games for Avangard Omsk last season.

- Here's a look at the top scorers in Russia's top league:

RUSSIAN SUPER LEAGUE STATISTICS ( courtesy of www.rushockey.com)

EARLY REGULAR SEASON LEADERS ( Points)

# Player Team Pos G P(G+A)
1 Alexanderov Viktor Metallurg Nk F 9 12 (7 + 5)
2 Mihaylov Egor Metallurg Nk F 9 11 (5 + 6)
3 Mozyakin Sergey Khimik F 9 10 (7 + 3)
4 Morozov Alexei Ak Bars F 9 10 (4 + 6)
5 Antipov Vladimir Salavat Yulaev F 8 10 (2 + 8)
6 Saprikin Oleg CSKA F 9 9 (7 + 2)
7 Bashkirov Andrei HC MVD F 9 9 (5 + 4)
8 Yuhansson Andreas SKA F 9 9 (5 + 4)
9 Mihnov Alexei Lokomotiv F 9 9 (4 + 5)
10 Pokotilo Vadim Amur F 9 8 (6 + 2)
11 Dobrishkin Yuri Torpedo F 8 8 (5 + 3)
12 Antonenko Oleg HC MVD F 9 8 (5 + 3)
13 Haritonov Alexander Dynamo F 9 8 (5 + 3)
14 Badyukov Alexei Dynamo C 9 8 (4 + 4)
15 Korolyuk Alexander Vityaz F 9 8 (3 + 5)
16 Sushinsky Maxim SKA F 9 8 (3 + 5)
17 Yachmenev Vitaly Dynamo F 9 8 (3 + 5)
18 Yashin Alexei Lokomotiv C 9 8 (2 + 6)
19 Chupin Alexei Dynamo C 9 8 (2 + 6)
20 Leschev Albert Khimik C 9 8 (2 + 6)

For Illegal Curve, I'm Ezra Ginsburg.

About the Writer: Ezra Ginsburg made a name for himself on the local hockey scene in 1998, when, at the tender age of 16, he held The First Annual Ezzy's Whiz Bang Hockey Draft, held at Rightway Sports on Corydon Avenue. The pool featured 16 teams and introduced an interesting draft format, which allowed players to be picked up off of the free agent market through a simple bidding process. The winner of the pool that year was Adam Sheps, but it was Ezra and friend Aaron Bernstein's acquisition of Petr Nedved which showed a knack for insider knowledge of European players. In 98'99, Nedved was acquired by the New York Rangers 26 games into the season after he had spent the last year playing for Sparta Praha of the Czech Extra League. Ginsburg and Bernstein picked up Nedved for 30 dollars ( one of the most lucrative fantasy offer sheets in history at the time) and rode his 47 points in 56 games to a respectable second place finish.

Cold Hard Rants

NB: This rant applies to all sports, not just hockey.

Every now and then there is an event of such epic proportions that words can not do it justice. The shock is significant, leaving you feeling shaky, irritable, and uncertain about what to do next. Unfortunately, I had one of these experiences this past week. In the course of my usual travails around the digital universe, I had the great misfortune to land on a sports highlight show. Now normally, this is not an issue that causes me such anxiety, but in this specific instance the aforementioned highlight show was showing, complete with in-depth analysis, I repeat in-depth analysis, clips from an exhibition hockey game.

Here’s one of my rules in life and I encourage all television producers or aspiring television producers to adopt it as well. Under no circumstances should exhibition ANYTHING take precedence in a highlight package over a sporting event that actually counts in the standings. Period. While I would readily apply this rule to any sport, the incident that has most recently left me scarred was an exhibition game involving the Toronto Maple Leafs. I do not know who they were playing against. I do not care who they were playing against. All I know is that I had the great misfortune of having John Liu or some other “informative” TSN personality breathlessly analyzing the Leafs game as if their defeat of the North Carolina State Ice Hockey team (or some similar team) is some barometer of success during the regular season. Newsflash to the leafs fans actually putting some stock in these games; get a life.

In sports, despite all the clichés and assorted other crap we were inundated with as youths, the only thing that matters is who wins. That’s why the only categories listed in the sports pages are wins, losses, and the occasional tie. There isn’t a column for giving 110 percent, or trying your hardest, or games you should have won but didn’t. That’s why exhibition games do not matter and as such should not be reported on with the detail shown by TSN, SPORTSNET, and The Score. At the end of the exhibition season, do you get any reward over the team that finished dead last? Of course not. Exhibition games are bastardizations of sport and should be treated as such by the respective media.

So, I say to you Steve Kouleas of The Score, stop screaming at me about the great play of random Ottawa Senator defenseman who will be returned to his OHL team before the NHL season begins, because I do not care. And listen up Hockeycentral panel on Sportsnet, I really do not need your breaking news that the Los Angeles Kings have placed Dan Cloutier on waivers—if he was any good, he would not be on waivers in the first place. And last but not least, listen real good TSN SportsCentre producer, under no circumstances should Toronto Maple Leafs exhibition highlights, with or without post game analysis, be shown on my screen before I am fully updated on the pennant races in Major League Baseball, any occurrences in the NFL, and for that matter any professional sports league that is in the process of playing a game that actually counts. Even Nascar. And I hate Nascar.

For Illegal Curve, I am Andrew M.

About the writer: Formerly a speech writer for a Canadian Federal Politician, Andrew will be bringing his unique take on the hockey world to the illegal curve blog once a week, or more often if the rage needs to be released in a manner other than clobbering a referee over the head with a whiskey bottle. Mainly because he doesn’t have enough empty whiskey bottles at his disposal.