Go Blues

I used to follow hockey. Not avidly, but I at least kept an eye on the standings and knew a lot of players. I guess you could say I was somewhere in between “casual fan” and “knowledgeable fan”. However, after the 2004-2005 season was cancelled due to a lockout and the NHL moved its games to Versus, I lost touch. I can probably only name about 50 hockey players, and some of those I won’t even be able to match with their team.

15 of them, though, play for the St. Louis Blues.

You see, back in 2002, when I still followed hockey a lot closer, I took my first trip to an NHL game. Loading up a van full of dudes and departing from beautiful Terre Haute, Indiana, we landed in St. Louis three hours later to watch the Blues take on the Colorado Avalanche (back when they were good) at the Scottrade Center. I loved it. I had such a good time that despite being a hockey fan free agent, I hitched my wagon to the Blues and have been rooting for them ever since. Just my luck, as soon as I announced my allegiance to the team, they went on the worst stretch in franchise history, going from Presidents’ Trophy contender (most points during the regular season) to annual combatant for the first overall pick in the NHL Draft.

Nevertheless, I kept following the Blues, if not very much hockey outside of St. Louis. Yes, I know who wins the Stanley Cup every year, and yes, I know that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, and Joe Thornton are really good. However, I couldn’t tell you who starts in goal for the New York Rangers, why the Bruins traded stud youngster Phil Kessel, or why I’m supposed to believe that Dany Heatley is the reason the Sharks won’t choke in the postseason again this year.

All I really know is that the Blues made the playoffs for the first time since 2004 last year with a second-half run for the ages. And that with the return of winger Paul Kariya and defenseman Erik Johnson from injury, we’re going to be better this year. And that T.J. Oshie, Patrik Berglund, Alex Pietrangelo, B.J. Crombeen, and Cam Janssen are bringing a youth movement that will leave us set for years to come. And that after anchoring last year’s incredible midseason transformation, Chris Mason will have an entire year to solidify the Blues’ goalie position. As you can tell, I’m pretty excited about St. Louis’ prospects this year. The talent is getting older and the youth is getting better, so we’re not quite on the Detroit/Philly/Pittsburgh level yet, but there has been enough improvement to let me know that better days aren’t too far away. And after sweeping the Red Wings in Sweden to open the year, I’m only getting more jacked to see what the 2009-2010 Blues have in store.

So if you have a keen sense of what is taking place in the NHL this season and you have the destinies of all 30 team figured out; good for you. But don't bother me with that, I'll be too busy watching the Blues.

~~ Lank

Reminder: Hockey Is A Canadian Sport

One of my favorite sports stories of the year thus far, in terms of entertainment value, has been the train wreck that has taken place in the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes. To make a (very) long story short, the Coyotes aren't making any money (you know, because hockey doesn't go over so well in a city that hasn't seen snow since Captain Caveman was roaming the land; and possibly before that. Who would've ever guessed?). However, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman swears up and down that hockey can be profitable in Arizona (no really, he honestly believes this), so he's refusing to sell the team to a guy, Steve Balsillie, who's offered the most money for the team during the bidding process. Why? Because Balsillie has made it well-known that he's sending the Coyotes to Hamilton, Ontario on the first thing smoking out of the desert.

Things have gotten more interesting lately as Chicago Bulls and White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has thrown his name into the 'prospective buyer' hat. Unfortunately for Reinsdorf, the current ownership group isn't as fond of his bid and wants Balsillie's money, so they're dragging their feet through the bankruptcy litigation process. The NHL, who has been subsidizing the Coyotes so that they can make payments, is challenging Balsillie's bid, and the owners have voted 26-0 AGAINST allowing him to buy the team.

Again, all because he wants to move the team back to Canada. You know Canada, the country that invented the sport and has sent the most talent of any single nation to the NHL in its history? Yeah, that one.

Yes, Balsillie seems to be somewhat of a prick and is flaunting his public-relations-nightmare-for-the-NHL intentions. It's hard to look at a fan base and tell them that you're giving their team to a guy whose sole intention is to move it (unless you're NBA Commissioner David Stern looking at Seattle, but I digress). I would like to defend the NHL's moves here, but they just don't add up. Sending hockey from a disinterested market to one of the largest markets in North America (Hamilton is basically South Toronto) makes perfect sense. Especially for a league in serious need of interest right now. Unless you're Gary Bettman, that is.

Furthermore, many "hockey" towns have lost their teams in recent years (Quebec, Winnipeg, Hartford, Minneapolis prior to being awarded the Wild) and the NHL hasn't put up nearly the resistance to those moves that it has to this one. Once again, the HOCKEY team is attempting to move from PHOENIX to CANADA. What's so hard about this one? Sometimes things are so perfectly aligned that people think there must be a catch. But there isn't one here. Hamilton would support the heck out of a hockey team; 3/4 of Phoenix's residents wouldn't even notice that the Coyotes were gone.

In the end, I expect the NHL or one of the we-promise-to-keep-the-franchise-in-Phoenix buyers to win control of the Coyotes. Balsillie will continue to look for a team to move to Hamilton, and Arizona will continue not to care about hockey. Another smart move in the long, illustrious history of the NHL with Gary Bettman as commissioner. You know, the guy who presided over a crippling lockout, told ESPN 'no thanks' and signed a TV deal with Versus, and refuses to send a desert-based hockey team with no fans to a Canadian city ready to welcome it with open arms.

And you wonder why puckheads are worried about the future of the league.

~~ Lank

Patrick Kane REALLY Needed a Quarter

Apparently, Patrick Kane is feeling the effects of this economy worse than I am.

I'm not trying to make light of a serious situation, but the incident involving Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane is kind of funny. As in, I-laughed-out-loud-when-I-read-it funny. I don't know any professional athletes; I don't hang out with anybody who knows a professional athlete (at least not to my knowledge); yet every time I take a cab somewhere, whomever I'm with always has enough money to pay the cabbie and leave him/her a few bucks for a tip. Kane and his cousin rocked the cab driver in the face (allegedly) because he was unable to give them TWENTY CENTS change.

Again, this is a professional athlete. Kane is only 20 years old and hasn't been in the NHL long enough to get Marian Hossa money, but it's safe to say he's making hundreds of thousands of dollars. U.S. dollars at that; no Canadian currency here.

I'm sure this is all one big misunderstanding or something along those lines, or at least that's how it'll play out in public, but look for the cabbie to get a decent chunk of change (pun very much intended) from Kane to go away and be quiet about the whole thing. This reminds me of the old car care commercials that said, "pay a little more now or pay a lot more later." Had Kane just adhered to that mantra, he would've shrugged off losing a couple dimes as opposed to shelling out several thousand dollars.

So the next time you've been shortchanged (man, these puns are all over the place in this story), whether it's by a cashier, barber, or cab driver, just say to yourself, "what wouldn't Patrick Kane do?" and then behave accordingly.

~~ Lank

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day and first day of NHL free agency!

It has been an exciting month in the NHL. We have seen the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the Stanley Cup, super stud John Tavares goes #1 in the draft to the Islanders, super stud Victor Hedman go #2 in the draft to the Lightning and a some big name defensemen are being traded around the league like Pokemon cards. The league hasn't been this exciting since we had a Calgary Flames home playoff game, boy those guys know how to rock the house.

The big surprise so far this off season has to be the trading of big name, top line defensemen. Chris Pronger found himself traded from the Ducks to the Flyers, which will help the Flyers compete and contain the likes of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Jay "Bo-Bo" Bouwmeester was shipped from the Panthers to the Flames, which creates a scary pairing for opposing offenses with hard hitting Dion Phaneuf also back there. American wunderkind that was Scott Gomez has also been shipped from the Rangers to the Canadians in hopes of making it out of the first round of the playoffs with more offense.

But all this action has only led up to today. Canada Day.

A couple of free agents for you to keep your eyes on in the coming weeks:

Marian Hossa - Hossa is one of the top wings in the NHL and he will likely only go to a title contender. Keep you eye on where Hossa lands, because once he does, go to Vegas and put down a fat bet that his team will lose in the Stanley Cup final. Sorry Marian, but it just seems to happen that way.

The Sedin brothers - Henrik and Daniel are two great young talents in the league. They have been paired together in Vancouver for the past couple of years, but it might be tough to keep all this talent and stay under the salary cap. My guess is that you will see Daniel looking for a job elsewhere. Henrik is a top line center that you need to have in this league.

Nikolai Khabibulin - The "bulin wall" is a goal keeping prize in this class. The tough Russian net minder has been around for a while and always strong in the net. The veteran presence in the net will demand a lot of attention from teams looking for consistency between the posts. However, being 36 many teams don't want to drop a long term contract on a person that might not be around, or able to play long term.

Martin Havlat - Now this is a situation to keep an eye on. The Blackhawks had an impressive season last year and made the playoff. They want to continue their improvement and become a Stanley Cup contender. Part of being a contender is being able to cultivate and keep your young talent. The 'Hawks have done this with young starlet (and American) Partick Kane, who undoubtedly is the future of the franchise. Another aspect of building a championship team is acquiring skilled veterans who provide leadership and consistency throughout the season and come playoff time, enter Martin Havlat. Here's the catch, Havlat and Kane play the same position. With Kane rising up the ranks of NHL young stars it will be hard for Havlat to get back on the ice with the first line. So this may lead him to move elsewhere around the league. Chicago needs to find a way to keep Havlat for their development as a team continues.

That is your quick off season NHL update. Enjoy the week and Happy Canada Day everybody.

~Dirk - Everything International Correspondent