mjlegend

I still think that Bettman would want more Penguins in those games.

That was some really good punching there. Tootoo, and a good 75 per cent of fighters around the league, are not above doing this. Some fighters (including the Boogieman) even punch with the elbow pad at the end of their fist as the pad comes flying off.

I'd forgive Nashville's indiscretions if Tootoo took a run at Marleau and knocked him out for the season and playoffs.

"Marian Illitch is the real Octomom." /thread

JR took them golfing in Phoenix earlier this week. Hope they're just brushing up on seomthing they'll be doing a lot of once May rolls around... Roenick's been a dressing room cancer at times but he has had a much better attitude since he was part of the Phoenix team that imploded, and the Philly team that he helped bring down as well. I remember breathing a sigh of relief when he wasn't dealt to the Wings even though he made it clear to everyone that he wanted to be in Detroit. As awesome a dude as Roenick is in the dressing room, losing him on the ice shouldn't mean they go 4-6-1 in 11 games.

This may be whqat Brian Burke is talking about, but he's such a dick I don't want to listen to him. When you trade a player with more than one year left on his contract, the cap hit for those future years won't be the average of the entire contract, but the average of the years remaining on the deal. This provides the cost certainty the owners were claiming they were looking for, plus it frees up cash for other players. Let's say the Rangers want to dumb Scott Gomez this off-season. The team that gets him in a trade only has to count the 33.5 million over the next five years (6.7 million) against the cap instead of the full thrust of the 7.357 million they'd have to take otherwise. Or Wade Redden at 6.2 million instead of 6.5 million. Provide a provision that he can't be traded back to the team that signed him. Make sure the other provisions in the CBA are adhered to (no backloading more than 50 per cent of each contract year, etc.) Players won't want to front-load contracts anymore, but that's a part of the bargaining process and I don't feel too sorry for them because they'll get the money in the contract regardless of who it's from. What do we think?

They'll be very good next year. I'd get rid of Brewer's contract and insert McKee into the third pairing if I'm John Davidson. I'm not sold on Mason as an elite goaltender, but if they get a cheap upgrade (Biron? Conklin? Clemmenson?) they could make some noise.

If you don't think the Sharks want home ice for the entire playoffs, you're mistaken. MacLellan has never struck me as the type to pull back the reins, expecially a few weeks before playoffs with home ice on the line. They clinched first in the division last night. We'll see if they're just happy with second or third place soon.

The Sharks don't have anybody in their top three lines missing and they still can't beat Phoenix. I'm not nearly as afraid of this team as I was two months ago. Their injury list features 8-minute wonders like Tomas Plihal, Claude LePuke, Jeremy Roenick and Kent Huskins. Mike Grier is also out. The loss of top line Holmstrom and third line Filppula should have a much greater effect than the Sharks missing those clowns. Yahoo! Sports 10 hours, 48 minutes ago Inside Shots The Sharks aren’t allowing injuries to be an excuse, but it’s clear the team is not playing as well now with a patchwork lineup as it was earlier in the season. “Our guys aren’t any more tired than Detroit, Calgary, St. Louis, Minnesota or any other team we’ve played,” Sharks coach Todd McLellan told the San Jose Mercury News. “Everybody has injuries. Everybody has scheduling quirks. Nobody is going to stop and say, ‘We’re going to let you rest up, San Jose.’” The other mystery is the team’s sudden inability to generate offense. It certainly could be connected to the injuries, but it seems to have affected even the best of the Sharks’ offensive weapons. “We’d like the scoring to go up,” McLellan told the paper. “But to think that we’re going to get 50 shots a night, that’s just unrealistic. The checking is tighter now. “And goalies are just like baseball pitchers in September and October. That’s when pitchers throw more strikes. This is when goalies don’t give up rebounds.” Coyotes 4, Sharks 3: Shane Doan scored a power-play goal with 26.9 seconds left in the game—and just six seconds into Jonathan Cheechoo’s interference penalty—to frustrate the visiting Sharks, who battled back from an early 3-0 deficit Tuesday night only to come away without a point. Joe Thornton scored two goals and assisted Patrick Marleau’s career-high 36th, but Doan capped his four-point night with his only goal of the night. Sharks starting goalie Evgeni Nabokov was lifted to start the second period after allowing three goals on 12 shots in the first.

Careful! Someone's going to come in here and say the Coyotes have the best record in NHL history since (insert random date here) and say it's not a choke job by the Sharks! Seriously, I love you Wayne Gretzky and every coach of every Pacific Division team that puts fear in the hearts of the Sharks and their fans.

That was funny. Three minutes of lead-off coverage on SC previewing "Bryan McCabe comes back to the ACC! What's the reaction going to be?" is a recent example. Holy Jesus Christ on a pogo stick, that was a waste of time for fans of the othee 28 teams.

So when Hossa starts fights, it's stupid and he's in danger of hurting himself and when Crosby starts fights, he's a brave gladiator and the second coming of Gordie Howe. Gotcha.

If we're getting right down to it, I don't think kickers are very athletic either (except for the leg part), so there goes Morten and a good part of Blanda. And the CFL's Lui Passaglia had better numbers than Mort anyway. Tough to argue with either of the pitchers (Niekro looked so freakign old by the time he pitched for the Jays) but Cap Anson stole 24 bases, had 90 RBI and hit .332 at age 44 as an everyday first baseman who also caught 10 games. Ty Cobb hit .357 with 32 doubles, 93 ribbies and 22 steals at age 40.

Anaheim is committed financially to Whitney-Pronger for next season, and possibly Neidermayer if he re-signs. LA's defence is fine without Stuart's contract. If there's anyone expendable on this D, it's Lebda/Meech/Chelios, and none of those guys really make enough money to afford Hossa. My prediction is Hudler taking $7 million for three years.

My serious list, seeing as #66 is currently PMSing. Art Ross Trophy - Malkin Lester B. Pearson Award - ??? Whoever the players like. Could be anyone but Avery for all I know Hart Trophy - ??? Whoever the writers like. See Pearson. Vezina Trophy - ???? Norris Trophy - ???? Calder Trophy - Mason Lady Byng Trophy - St. Louis, unless he starts instigating fights. Frank Selke Trophy - ???? Jack Adams - MacLellan Maurice "Rocket" Richard - Ovie, but if he gets hurt this week, Parise will catch up. Masterson - Connolly or Sullivan

If it's so easy to get 100 points, you'd see a lot of teams with this kind of consecutive seasons streak but it simply doesn't happen. It's tough to find teams in the cap era with three consecutive. Go back to 1993 and you'll see there are only four seasons they didn't get 100 points. One of them as 1994-95, the lockout half-season when they had 70 in 48 games. Two others are 1997 and 1999, when they had 94 and 93 points. Since the streak began (two head coaches ago), they haven't failed to get at least 108 points, leaving little doubt that they would have gotten 100 points, even with the additional points with the OTL and the shootouts and stuff like that.

Here's the list Mr. 66 wants us to produce: Art Ross Trophy - Malkin Lester B. Pearon Award - Malkin Hart Trophy - Malkin/Crosby (tie) Vezina Trophy - Fleury Norris Trophy - Orpik Calder Trophy - Goligoski Lady Byng Trophy - Malkin Frank Selke Trophy - Crosby Jack Adams - Therrien Bylsma Maurice "Rocket" Richard - Malkin Masterson - Crosby

The Red Wings are TERRIBLE and LAZY.

PLEASE if you are part of the anti Intern Mike, "Intern Mike is worthless" crowd, refrain from starting another huge (and endless) debate.

These umpteen Downey threads are making Mr. Bigglesworth angry.

Doesn't this clinch a playoff spot?

It's Victoriaville Tigres (TEE-gras). Not "Tigers"

Smiling politely.

They must REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY like the Rangers. I would have expected Pittsburgh-Boston to be chosen. At least the Pens-Bruins has The Face Of The NHL against a top-tier team with stars aplenty in the Bruins. The Rangers have a bunch of underachieving free agrents. And the Flyers? Damn, they're average. NBC will never understand why people outside of New York watch hockey.