The Outdoor Game may not be in New York

Larry Brooks: "The NHL needs to make commitment to the Winter Classic's host city within the next week or two. If the Rangers are awarded the game, it is believed they would meet the Bruins on New Year's Day in what would be the first of a home-and-home, with the return at Fenway on a year to be named later."

Here is the full article from the NY Post.

It appears the NHL's first choice is to have the game in New York and why not? However, the concern that the New York arrangement won't work does not seem that concerning to me as long as the NHL has Chicago and Wrigley Field as its second choice (which it does). Either of these two choices are terrific and whichever stadium is chosen to host the event, I'm sure will do a great job. As much mystique as the Rangers organization carries with it, an opportunity to watch Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane at Wrigley Field may be even more appealing than Scott Gomez and Henrik Lundqvist.

Larry Brooks on Jagr and the Rangers

Brooks: "And if the Rangers commit now to Jagr at some cost to Drury and Gomez, then doesn't last summer's call not to give Nylander the deal that would have kept him on Broadway appear terribly misguided?"

Here is the link to the full NY Post article.

My take: Brooks tackles the Jagr issue from a number of different angles. That, of course, makes for an interesting read; however, he does not address who would take Jagr's place should the Rangers let him go. Never mind the fact that Jagr was far and away the Rangers' best player during their two round playoff stint. I think it would be foolish for the Rangers to let Jagr go.

NHL Morning Papers: Playoff Teams (Saturday Edition)

Here are the morning papers for the Eastern Conference playoff match ups:

Note: I am going to continue including teams that were eliminated from the first round under this post until the second round begins.

Montreal versus Boston:

• All eyes will be on Carey Price tonight in Boston, writes Herb Zurkowsky. It looks like Saku Koivu may dress for tonight's Game 6. With Passover beginning tonight, if the Habs would have just finished off the Bruins in Game 5 they would have made it a lot easier on their Jewish fans. It looks like Claude Julien's special teams adjustments have paid off.
• Give Claude Julien credit, his recent rosters decisions have paid off. Bruins fans should not expect to see Patrice Bergeron suit up tonight for the Bruins. The play of Shane Hnidy has impressed Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. It is fair to say that coach Julien has the Bruins believing in themselves.

Pittsburgh versus Ottawa:

• Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette takes a closer look at the Penguins' Jordan Staal. Are the Rangers up next for the Penguins? If you wanted to buy second round tickets for the Penguins, it is too late.
• Apparently the Senators are interested in bringing back Wade Redden if the price is right. (Writer's note: Why would Redden re-sign in Ottawa? Seriously, this team has treated him like garbage for two years now.) While they have interest in retaining Redden, the Senators also have interest in ridding themselves of the distraction that is Ray Emery. Scott Morrison of Sun Media wonders if the Senators should rebuild?

Washington versus Philadelphia:

• Just like at the end of the regular season, the Capitals are back in must-win territory, writes Tarik El-Bashir. Forget lessons, the Capitals just want to win. Regardless of what happens in their first round series, the Capitals can take solace in the fact that the organization has a bright future, writes Bob Cohn.
• If the Flyers want to finish off the Capitals today, they could use some help from their struggling power play. Jimmy Dowd has been a very productive fourth line player for the Flyers.

New Jersey versus New York Rangers:

• "Of all the playoff series I've been in and all the early exits, this one hurts the most, for sure," said Devils center John Madden after last night's elimination loss to the Rangers. Losing in the first round hurts, losing in the first round to the Rangers hurts more. Here is a review of Game 5. Martin Brodeur snubbed Sean Avery during the post-game handshake.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post thinks that losing Scott Gomez last summer has stung the Devils more than any other free agent loss they've had. (Writer's note: Scott Niedermayer's loss to the Devils was FAR more important than Gomez's loss but thanks Larry.) Jay Greenberg of the Post says that Sean Avery did a better job of keeping his focus than the Devils did. The Rangers can thank Henrik Lundqvist for saving the game with his penalty shot stop on John Madden. (Writer's note: I love how the NY press always finds reasons for the Devils' loss and the Rangers' victory. Here is the reason: The Rangers are the BETTER team. They are significantly better on paper and have dominated the Devils all season. Sometimes the answer is that simple.)

The morning papers for the Western Conference playoff match ups are soon to follow...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

Pre-Game Report

Here are some news and notes heading into tonight's eight game slate:

• Chuck Kobasew (leg) will be out of the Bruins line up for 4-8 weeks.
• Marc Savard (back) is out for tonight's game versus Toronto, and both his team's game over the weekend.
• Andrew Ference (knee) is out tonight.
• Scott Gomez (ribs) will surprisingly be a game-time decision tonight.
• Wade Redden (knee) is out for tonight.
• Martin Gerber gets the start in net for Ottawa.
• Alexei Zhitnik (healthy scratch) is not playing tonight for Atlanta.
• Kari Lehtonen gets the start in net versus the Panthers.
• Mike Smith (knee) is out of the lineup tonight for Tampa.
• Karri Ramo gets the start for the Bolts tonight.
• Jonathan Cheechoo (head, neck) is out again for the Sharks.
• Craig Rivet (upper-body) returns to the line up tonight.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• The goalie troubles have returned for the Ottawa Senators, writes Roy MacGregor of the Globe & Mail.
• Mark Spector of the National Post tells readers that the Oilers finally have a new identity.
• Bruce Arthur of the National Post has an article about the Leafs' quirky netminder Vesa Toskala.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today has a very interesting article concerning the changing landscape of salary distribution in the NHL.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Hurricanes can basically wrap up the division title tonight with a victory over Washington, writes Luke Decock.
• Even though it has been a difficult season in Atlanta, Slava Kozlov does not regret re-upping with the Thrashers last summer.
• Cristobal Huet is expected to get the start in net tonight for the Capitals when they face-off against the Hurricanes.
• Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune provides some defensemen's perspectives on what it is like to get smashed into the glass while the other team is forechecking.
• The Panthers will get Jozef Stumpel back in the line up tonight when they face the Lightning. Florida has to make sure they do not fall to a Tampa team that has nothing to lose.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• With a home-and-home coming up, Steve Bernier is going to get a crash course on the Sabres' dislike for the Ottawa Senators. With Nathan Paetsch returning to the Sabres line up tonight, the team is hoping to get Dmitri Kalinin and Jaroslav Spacek back in the next few games as well.
• The Bruins will be without Marc Savard for the next two games due to a back injury, writes Fluto Shinwaza. Tonight's game versus Toronto constitutes desperate times, opines Kevin Paul Dupont.
• Now that they have clinched a playoff spot, the Habs can shift their focus on winning both the division and conference, writes Pat Hickey. After watching last night's 7-5 Habs victory over the Senators, Hickey has many questions about the Senators' goaltending.
• After last night's loss to the Habs, Chris Stevenson of the Ottawa Sun says the Senators are no longer guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Apparently Eugene Melnyk has more problems than just the Senators' struggles, writes James Bagnall.
• While it might have been seen as a cop out from the outside looking in, the Leafs' locker room had a very different perspective of the players who opted to not waive their no-trade clauses and get out of town. Do not expect either Mats Sundin or Nik Antropov to be in the line up tonight.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• One of the reasons for the Flyers' recent turnaround has been their improved penalty kill, writes Tim Panaccio. Martin Biron gets the start in between the pipes tonight.
• "I'm speechless about their effort, and I'm speechless about their concentration and their will to win this game," said Penguins coach Michel Therrien after his team's awful 4-1 loss at Long Island. Sidney Crosby will sit out tonight's game versus the Devils.
• The Rangers will be without Scott Gomez tonight and coach Tom Renney says his team will rely more on scoring by committee. With Gomez out, Petr Prucha is really looking forward to his return to the line up.
• The Islanders did a good job of playing spoiler last night, writes Greg Logan of Newsday.
• The Devils are expected to get Patrik Elias back in the line up tonight as he has been out with a knee injury and the flu.

The Western Conference morning papers will be posted soon...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Sunday Edition)

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Rangers got great news yesterday, when they found out that Scott Gomez's ribs were only bruised and not broken. Even so, Gomez is still unlikely to play Tuesday against the Flyers.
• Kimmo Timonen will be in the line up today as his Flyers take on the Islanders.
• The Penguins pasted the Devils and Evgeni Malkin eclipsed the 100 point mark in a great day for Penguin hockey. Even better, Sidney Crosby may return to the line up tomorrow. Meanwhile, apparently Max Talbot does not mind giving his opinion.
• The Islanders have yet to speak to Ted Nolan about a contract extension, writes Greg Logan.
• "The reality is in the last dozen games or so we're a .500 hockey team," said Devils coach Brent Sutter after his team's 7-1 loss to the Penguins last night. Andy Greene had some trouble in his return to the line up.

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Panthers know every game is must-win from here on out and they played that way in their 4-2 victory last night over Tampa Bay.
• After last night's loss, the Lightning are now tied for last overall in the NHL with the Kings. In injury news, Vincent Lecavalier is not overly concerned with his sore wrist.
• As Luke Decock tells us, both Justin Williams and Chad Larose took part in an optional practice yesterday.
• Alexander Ovechkin reflects on reaching the 60 goal mark in this morning's Washington Post.

**There were no Thrashers articles this morning**

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Bruins were disappointed they didn't win the shootout last night in Montreal, but at least they earned one point, writes Fluto Shinwaza. In positive news, Patrice Bergeron foresees a return to the line up, whether it be this season or next. P.J. Axelsson proved a lot to his teammates last night, writes Steve Conroy.
• Here are some details behind the Sabres and Rochester Americans relationship. The Sabres' power play has been awful lately, writes John Vogl.
• With last night's 3-2 shootout victory, the Habs went a shocking 8-0 versus the Bruins this season.
• The Senators blew a two-goal lead at home and lost to the rival Maple Leafs 5-4. After last night's loss, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests Ray Emery is a candidate to start the Senators' next game.
• With last night's impressive comeback victory, and Boston's shootout loss to the Habs, the Leafs are only four points back of the playoffs right now. Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun says the odds were against the Leafs last night, but they still overcame them to come out on top.

The Western Conference morning papers will be posted soon...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

NHL Morning Papers (Tuesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• As Dave Shoalts of the Globe & Mail tells us, the Hurricanes aren't looking as good as they did early on in the season.
• Jeremy Sandler of the National Post provides readers with some interesting perspectives when it comes to the prospective European Super League.
• USA Today has an interesting Q & A with Sabres President Larry Quinn.
• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun is reporting that discovery testimony from Todd Bertuzzi, and those associated with his on-ice incident, will be released this afternoon.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• The Capitals lost 4-3 in a shootout to the powerhouse Red Wings last night, but there were many positives to take from the contest writes Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.
• Don't expect the Leafs to trade for a replacement to fill the Bryan McCabe void writes Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. In positive news, McCabe's surgery was a success and he is still expected to be out the 6-8 weeks that was first reported on Saturday night.
• Shane O'Brien of the Lightning is enjoying his adjustment to the system that John Tortorella has in place in Northern Florida. Carter Gaddis has an interesting article in the Tampa Tribune this morning about Phil Thibodeau the Bolts' director of team services.
• Michel Therrien likes to juggle his lines at the best of times, but with the Penguins incurring so many injuries, Therrien is being forced to switch his lines up on an almost daily basis. Apparently the Pens and Flyers are considering an outdoor game for next season.
• Flyers coach John Stevens wants his team to cut down on their penalty minutes writes Ed Moran of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Even though he has a hurt foot, with all the injuries the Senators are currently dealing with, Andrej Meszaros vows to play tonight. Senators coach John Paddock loves what Zdeno Chara brings to the table in Boston.
• Katie Strang of Newsday has the details behind Chris Simon's leave of absence.
• With the Rangers struggling, Tom Renney has shuffled his lines once again, and it appears Scott Gomez will find himself alongside Jaromir Jagr.
• Rod Pelley is really looking forward to playing in front of family and friends on the Devils' upcoming Western Canada road trip.
• The Habs are starting to turn the corner at even strength writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette.
• The Panthers want to make sure they get off to a good start tonight writes Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
• Surprisingly, the Canes are expecting to have Cory Stillman in their lineup tonight when they face-off against the Maple Leafs at home.
• The Sabres are finally getting above-average production from their number one line writes Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News.
• Even though Bruins coach Claude Julien hasn't announced a starter for tonight's game, it looks like Tim Thomas is ready to go and will most likely to get the start tonight.
• The Thrashers have split up Marian Hossa and Ilya Kovalchuk and put them on different lines. Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if more changes are in order in his blog.

Here are the Western Conference morning papers:

• As Dan Wood of the Orange County Register tells us, the Ducks believe that other teams get more favorable penalty calls than they do.
• Apparently Jarome Iginla had as much to do with the Flames' new line combinations as did coach Mike Keenan. Jean Lefebvre suggests that Eric Nystrom has left the AHL behind for good.
• Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune explains the late career move by Hawks' defenseman Magnus Johansson.
• The Avalanche rode a strong first period to a 4-2 victory at Los Angeles last night.
• Blue Jackets forward Jason Chimera thinks there is more obstruction than there was right after the lockout ended. Micheal Peca is expected to miss tonight's game with a strained pectoral muscle. Here are the Jackets' projected lines for tonight's contest versus Calgary.
• The Stars have demonstrated a different kind of toughness since Brett Hull was brought on as general manager.
• The Red Wings got the victory last night, and afterwards coach Mike Babcock made a point of telling reporters that he was very impressed with the play of the Capitals.
• The energy level is high in Edmonton with the team only one point out of a playoff spot.
• After the Kings lost to the Avalanche last night, coach Marc Crawford said, "We are struggling right now. There's no doubt about that."
• Tonight will mark Jacques Lemaire's 1000th career game coaching and he has had quite a blast along the way.
• The Predators are fed up with their lack of goal scoring and have switched up their lines for tonight's contest versus the Wild.
• Jim Gintonio has a piece on Coyotes assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson and his love for the game.
• One year ago, all three members of the Blues' top line were playing in different places writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• When Roberto Luongo returns to the lineup tonight to face the Devils, much talk will be about which one of the two goaltenders will be Canada's starting netminder in Vancouver in 2010 at the Olympics.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Fantasy Watch: Buy/Sell

BUY

F Slava Kozlov, Atlanta Thrashers
Kozlov had a rough beginning to the season, scoring only two points in his first five games. The rest of the month didn't go much better for the former Red Wing, as he only put up six points in 12 games. Since then, the forward has heated up, already equaling his point total from last month in the past six games. Although Kozlov is far off his point per game pace that he had a year ago, the forward is on the right track. Still receiving over 16 minutes per game, Kozlov still sees time on a line with Kovalchuk, who has been on fire lately. Expect a strong second half for Kozlov, who should continue to creep closer to his point per game average.

F Scott Gomez, New York Rangers
Gomez has had a rough start with New York, as he only managed to score two goals and one assist over the first month of the season. But with a brand new month comes a fresh start, and Gomez has capitalized on that as he is currently riding a six game point streak. With owners frustrated over his production, many may trade Gomez now, with this being the highest his stock has been in a long time. With all the talent in New York, Gomez will most likely turn this season around and could pay dividends over the next few months.

F Pavol Demitra and F Marian Gaborik, Minnesota Wild
Demitra and Gaborik have been explosive together, but unfortunately, neither one can still healthy. With it being unknown when either forward may return, taking a gamble on Demitra or Gaborik posses a big risk, but could earn a very high reward. Demitra has scored 10 points in his first 10 games with Minnesota, while Gaborik has put up 13 points in 12 games. Owners of Demitra or Gaborik may choose to cut their losses now, as both have a history of taking their sweet time getting back to the ice. If so, purchasing either of the two warrants a huge risk, but with it comes a fat reward. It all depends if your willing to take the risk.


SELL

F Jason Williams, Chicago Blackhawks
Williams is having a fantastic start to this season, scoring six goals and 16 points in 17 games played. He has played a crucial role in Chicago's powerplay, netting 11 of his points on the PP. Although it may seem odd to sell Williams, his stock may not get any higher. He has never scored more than 58 points in a season, and with Martin Havlat returning soon from injury, William's role may decrease. It'd be wise to get all that you can for Williams now, as it will be hard to get rid of an unproven player, such as Williams, during a slump.

F Mike Fisher, Ottawa Senators
Fisher has been the beneficiary from Spezza's injury, as the forward has been playing on the top line with Heatley and Alfredsson. Fisher has racked up four assists in his last three games, giving him 13 points on the year. With Spezza returning for Ottawa's next game, Fisher will most likely be moved back to the second line where the opportunities will be limited. Playing with Heatley and Alfredsson increases the value of any player, and it did just that for Fisher, but now is the time to cut him loose.

F Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals
It seems as though Semin's ankle injury is worse than it was once reported. According to the Washington Times, Semin has still yet to skate, making his return further delayed. The forward has only played four games this season, while registering one point. Those who used a high draft pick on Semin may want to cut their losses now, as there are still probably owners around drooling over Semin's potential if he returns.


For Illegal Curve, I'm Jonny Remis

Morning Musings: Is there anything better than a Brian Burke interview?

Last night I had the privilege of watching Brian Burke's interview with James Duthie of TSN and it was anything but a letdown. When asked about his relationship with Kevin Lowe after the summer offer sheet he gave to Dustin Penner, Burke responded, "If I had run my team into the sewer like that I wouldn't throw a grenade at the other 29 teams and my own indirectly." All I can say about that comment is WOW. Burke even went on to say that he wouldn't speak with Kevin Lowe even if he coveted one of his players in a trade; rather, he would have his assistant GM Bob Murray make that call. I am still wondering if the best part of the interview was Burke going off like that or James Duthie's "okay" response as you could see the anchor was in shock by what had just been said. Either way, it makes for good television.

I know Burke gets his fair share of criticism but, to be honest, I'm still not sure why. He does a tremendous job of building teams and fan bases as Eric Duhatschek points out in the Globe and Mail. Additionally, he gives his frank opinion on issues. In my mind that is a breath of fresh air. In this particular interview, Duthie asked Burke a question and regardless of your opinion on his response, you can't argue with the fact that he was being honest. Straight shooters are more rare in the game today than they were, say, twenty years ago and in my humble opinion, the NHL needs more personalities like Brian Burke.

On to the morning papers:

• Alexei Kovalev is making an effort to help his young teammates out this season writes Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette. As far as predictions go, Hickey believes the Habs will finish in the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference and just squeak into the playoffs.
• Radek Bonk has impressed his new coach Barry Trotz with his poise both offensively and defensively. Meanwhile, Preds' forward Martin Gelinas will have stitches removed from his hand before the team's opener on Thursday.
• Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger has a must-read human interest piece on Brent Sutter this morning. In other Sutter news, the new Devils' coach will wait to make a decision on team captain and open the season with three alternate captains. It is interesting to note that neither John Madden nor Jay Pandolfo were named alternates.
• Larry Brooks of the NY Post is unimpressed with Tom Renney's plan to have Scott Gomez on the Rangers' second powerplay unit. It appears Chris Drury will get every opportunity to prove he can mesh with Jaromir Jagr to stick on the team's number one line.
• At Islanders' camp, Jeff Tambellini was demoted to Bridgeport of the AHL on Tuesday, however, a decision has not yet been made on the future of Bryan Berard.
• Due to their playoff success a season ago, the Senators are now a team with a target on their backs writes Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Chris Phillips is not buying the argument that this may be the Sens' last chance to compete for the Cup.
• Hugh Adami of the Ottawa Citizen suggests that Bryan Murray make Jason Spezza his first priority ahead of signing Dany Heatley.
• You can count Mike Richards as one player who is happy John Stevens is behind the Flyers' bench this season instead of Ken Hitchcock.
• Phil Sheridan of the Philadelpia Inquirer wonders if expectations are too high for the Flyers heading into the season.
• Heading into Thursday's opener against the Blues, Coyotes' coach Wayne Gretzky has finalized his team's lines. After looking at these lines, you can't help but think it is going to be a long season in the desert.
• David Pollack of the San Jose Mercury News provides readers with the line combinations at Sharks' practice on Tuesday.
• For Jordan Staal, adjusting to left wing is not as hard when your linemates are Sidney Crosby and Petr Sykora.
• The Blues' roster is so young that Doug Weight jokes he may have to go shopping for a new wardrobe to keep up with his new, hip, well-dressed teammates.
• John Tortorella never questions Vaclav Prospal's effort and expects a big year out of the winger. Tortorella also announced his starting goalteder for Thursday's opener will be Johan Holmqvist.
• It is time for the Leafs to start playing games that count writes Paul Hunter of the Toronto Star. While Damien Cox of the Star believes the time has come for Mats Sundin to pass the torch on to a teammate. Sundin is fully aware he is nearing the end of his career writes Mike Zeisberger of the Toronto Sun. (Writer's note: There was a brilliant quote by Jason Blake in Paul Hunter's piece this morning. "All three of us have different characteristics. Mats is big and strong. Nik is big and strong. I'm small and weak. Hopefully things will work out." Ummmm, I'm not sure, but I think big and strong and big and strong would be the SAME characteristics!!!)
• Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post examines how the CBA has worked two years after the inception of the salary cap.
• Roberto Luongo believes he is a better goalie than he was last season writes Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province. (Writer's note: Is that even possible?)
• Modest Mike Modano is closing in on becoming the all-time leading U.S. born scorer in NHL history writes Kevin Allen of USA Today.
• As Illegal Curve told you last night, Bobby Holik is the newest captain of the Atlanta Thrashers.
• Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Shawn Thornton were all excited to see cut-down day go by without their names being included writes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. Here are the Bruins' line combinations heading into the season.
• The Sabres will use a monthly captain rotation this season with Jochen Hecht sporting the C to begin the season.
• Steve Macfarlane of the Calgary Sun has a Q & A with new coach Mike Keenan. Keenan is the key to the team's fortunes this season writes Eric Francis of the Sun.
• Bruce Dowbiggen of the Calgary Herald provides readers with a preview of the Flames this season IF readers are ready for it.
• The Ducks are back from Europe and ready to renew their rivalry with the Wings.
• Luke Decock of the News Observer does a good job of capturing the optimism that surrounds the Canes heading into 2007/08. (Writer's note: The Canes won't be televising the team's first game. However, fear not Carolina fans, the league is working to get the Montreal feed on the Center Ice package so Canes fans can get the game. Nothing like a sound marketing strategy. I mean there has to be about two people with Center Ice in Carolina and I'm betting they probably don't speak French.)
• Injuries are no longer an issue for the Blackhawks heading into the season opener writes Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune.
• As Adrian Date of the Denver Post tells us, Joel Quenville has strayed away from the team's successful line combinations from a season ago by flip-flopping Milan Hejduk and Andrew Brunette. Meanwhile, Terry Frei of the Post has a great piece on the adjustment to life in the Rockies for Ryan Smyth and his family.
• The Blue Jackets will start the season with a platoon in net writes Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch. It looks like Mike Peca may not be ready for the season opener due to back spasms.
• Dave Tippett has become better at realizing when he needs to give his mind a rest from thinking about hockey; Mike Heika has the story in the Dallas Morning News.
• Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press provides readers with a few reasons why the Wings won't win the Cup this season. However, it is clear her article was just for argument's sake because in the Free Press prediction column, St. James has the Wings taking home Lord Stanley's Cup.
• New goalie Tomas Vokoun is the key to the Panthers' fortunes this season.
• Ladislav Smid was pushed to the AHL by the increased crop of talent that was in the big camp this season writes Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal.
• Apparently Craig MacTavish has quite a simple formula for picking the team's next captain.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Morning Musings

Due to the high number of articles this morning, I am going to skip my usual preamble.

On to the morning papers:

• Shawn Horcoff may not be penciled in on the Oilers' number one line, but he will still play on the top powerplay unit and kill penalties. To his credit, Horcoff is not complaining about being demoted from the team's top line.
• All the youngsters were impressive for the Oilers last night versus the Flames writes Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
• Sheldon Souray takes it personally when people put down the city of Edmonton and the province of Alberta.
• As Steve Gorton writes, Olli Jokinen is coming into his own as captain and leader of the Florida Panthers.
• Dan Boyle suffered a freak accident in the locker room and the team will be without his services for 3-6 weeks.
• Injured Mike Van Ryn and Steve Montador both skated on their own yesterday in an effort to get ready for the team's first regular season game.
• After an impressive rookie campaign, sophomore Anze Kopitar is looking to improve upon last season's terrific numbers; Lonnie White of the L.A. Times has the story.
• Most families hate to see their children fight, however, the Boogards are a different breed writes Michael Russo.
• The newest line of Fiddler-Arnott-Dumont is gelling at Predators' camp writes John Glennon of the Tennessean. Meanwhile, the Predators made more cuts on Saturday and have now trimmed their roster down to 28.
• Saku Koivu think that the Habs need to work on their powerplay. The Habs went 0-for-5 on the man-advantage in their 2-1 loss to the Sens on Saturday.
• The Rangers' forward combination of Gomez and Jagr needs more time to click writes John Dellapina of the New York Daily News. The Rangers left much to be desired in their 5-0 defeat to the Flyers on Saturday.
• Sean Bergenheim and Charles Wang have put their differences behind them and Bergenheim is looking forward to a having big season with the Islanders.
• With Sheldon Souray gone from Montreal, Jason Spezza picked a new Habs' defenseman to pick on and that was Mark Streit.
• Christoph Schubert impressed a number of scouts who were taking in the Sens/Habs pre-season game on Saturday.
• Many fans are unhappy with the look of the NHL's new uniforms writes Hugh Adami of the Ottawa Citizen.
• Wayne Gretzky was very happy with the way his team's youngsters performed in a 6-5 victory over Dallas on Saturday.
• Because the new uniforms repel moisture, players are noticing all of their equipment is having to absorb more sweat than before writes Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• The Pens lost to the Red Wings 5-2 on Sunday.
• The NHL is looking to grow its brand across Europe writes Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• There is plenty of competition in Detroit for the final two roster spots writes George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press.
• As David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News explains, there are four players fighting tooth and nail to win the Sharks' sixth defenseman job this training camp.
• The Blues were able to sign Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya for the same price it would have cost to sign Scott Gomez writes Jeremy Rutherford of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Blues defeated the Thrashers 3-2 on Saturday night.
• According to Mark Zwolinksi of the Toronto Star, the best case scenario for a Kyle Wellwood return is 3-4 weeks. However, Paul Maurice thinks we should know more about the situation in the next 2-3 days.
• The Leafs are considering lining up Chad Kilger as the team's number two center. The adjustment may not be as significant for Kilger as people thing because, as Kilger points out, he started his career as a center.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star opines that the 2005-06 NHL season was the exception rather than the rule in terms of increased offensive hockey.
• Not unlike just about every game last season, the Canucks asked too much of Roberto Luongo as the team was defeated by the Sharks 3-1 on Saturday.
• Patrick Marleau is opting to put last season's playoff struggles behind him and is looking forward to 07/08 writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.
• Mike Modano is only six points from passing Phil Housley and becoming the all-time points leader for American born players.
• Chris Clark has moved from a scoring role, back to his old checking role and is not in the least bit complaining.
• The Columbus Dispatch has a Q & A with the Blue Jackets' owner.
• With Jose Theodore nursing an injury, long-shot candidate Tyler Weiman may begin the season as the Avs' backup goaltender; Andrian Dater has the story.
• As Craig Custance of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution explains, Keith Tkachuk has only good things to say about his time in Atlanta.
• The Hurricanes lost to the Predators 4-1 on Saturday; Luke Decock of the News Observer has the recap.
• While making the Sabres' opening day roster seems unlikely at this point, Patrick Kaleta only has one gear and he is not going to change his style of play just because his chances to make the team are slim at Sabres' camp.
• Kevin Paul Dupont's usual Sunday morning gem of an article can be found here.
• Dupont also provides us with a recap of Saturday's Bruins/Leafs contest and notes from around Bruins' camp in this morning's Boston Globe.
• Newcomer Peter Schaeffer has developed great chemistry with Marc Savard in Boston training camp thus far.
• The youngsters were flying on the ice for the Flames as they took on the Oilers on Saturday night. While the number one line of Iginla-Langkow-Tanguay was put together for the first time this pre-season and didn't disappoint.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Getting Noticed

Along with the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball, the NHL used to be considered a major sport in the United States. That "big four" has now shrunk to become the "big three." In the mid 90s the NHL was "hot" and the NBA was "not." Characters from major TV shows like Friends and Seinfeld would go to NHL games, and I can't see that happening on shows today.

The NHL was a fast-paced game on the way to the top until teams were shuffled into non-hockey markets. Needless expansion diminished the quality of play. Now, more people are watching the food network, poker, fishing, darts, the WNBA, pretty much anything other than the Stanley Cup.

Here are four things that I think the NHL has done/needs to do to draw attention to itself and catch the view of the media and public eye.

Playing Games in Exotic Places: Whether its outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, in Britian or in smaller non-NHL cities/towns in Canada, the NHL is looking to extend itself to all over North America and the world by staging their games in non-traditional areas/markets. While the games in Europe and outdoors are obvious cash grabs & publicity stunts, it is something that brings the NHL to the front page of ESPN and onto sports talk radio and tv. The NHL is no longer a major sport in the United States and anything that gets people talking is a good thing. If this season's events are successful, there will be more to come.

The RBK Edge Uniform System: Most of the offseason talk has revolved around the unveiling of the new jerseys. The NHL claims they will increase performance by being lighter, form fitting and water repellent. But in reality, their purpose is to increase sales and boost revenues. In the past month, many ugly looking jerseys have been trotted out. Some look like practice jerseys (Oilers) or like a womens halter top (Flyers). Last year when the new Sabres jerseys were introduced they were hated by fans. petitions were made to revert back to the old jerseys, but it became the leagues top selling jersey. What will happen with the new jerseys? Will they go the way of the synthetic basketball, or will they become a big hit and record massive sales? Either way, it has been great publicity for the NHL and RBK. Although if nobody buys them, it could be a huge bust. One of many for Commissioner Bettman.

Chris Drury, Scott Gomez & The New York Rangers: The New York Rangers vaulted themselves to the top of the Eastern Confrence power rankings with the off-season signings of all-stars, Chris Drury and Scott Gomez. After missing the playoffs for eight straight years, the Rangers have risen back to Stanley Cup contender status. In the spring, they had a nice playoff run bowing out to the Sabres in the second round. With stars like Jagr, Drury, Gomez, Shanahan, Lundvquist and Sean Avery feeding the media frenzy, the Rangers are primed for a cup run.

The post-lockout Stanley Cup Finals have been Edmonton versus Carolina and Anaheim versus Ottawa. Blech, not exactly a television station's dream. The ratings, not surprisingly, were abysmal and did not help hockey regain its mid-90s form. If New York, a major US market, can get even closer to the Stanley Cup, it will grab the attention of the largest American city.

People are attracted to winning. Isiah Thomas has singlehandedly destroyed the Knicks. The only shot New York has at a title in June is with the Rangers. If the New York Rangers can hoist the the most famous trophy in sports, people will be watching, and drinking Jagr-bombs all over the bars in New York. (Why isn't Jagermeister all over this?)

Sidney Crosby: Sidney Crosby is the best thing to happen to the NHL. He is young, handsome, and very humble about his dominance over the NHL. In only his second season, at the age of 19, he won the scoring title and was league MVP. His skills will only continue to grow. If a sport has a player who not only dominates, but completely obliterates the competition, people watch. Ratings demonstrate that far less people watch golf when Tiger Woods is not competing. If Crosby continues to dominate, and continues to be the face of the NHL, appearing on Saturday afternoon NHL on NBC broadcasts and in various commercials (Gatorade, RBK, Tim Hortons), he can become a huge star and draw more people to watch him skate circles around the opposition. Wayne Gretzky appeared on tv shows, movies, video games, Coca-Cola commercials, and Wheaties boxes, why cant Crosby?

While the NHL is getting people talking with the new jerseys and outdoor/overseas games. If everything goes its way during the 2007/08 season, the NHL can begin its ascent back to being one of the four major sports.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Michael Remis.