Puck Daddy

One last, rather interesting Sarah Palin/hockey connection for today; this one from Ohio.

Watching the television coverage of the Alaska governor's introductory press conference as Sen. John McCain's vice presidential pick, it was hard to miss the hockey sweaters in the audience and on the stage. Although I spied one Columbus Blue Jackets sweater, the other ones -- featured on stage -- were from the ECHL Dayton Bombers. In fact, both McCain and Palin were given Bombers jerseys at the rally inside the Nutter Center.

Eric McErlain of FanHouse and Steve Zipay of Newsday saw this too, and both reached out to team owner Costa Papista (a McCain supporter) to find out the story behind the unusual visual. From McErlain:

According to a spokesperson for the Bombers, one of their fans was able to get tickets to the event for Bombers owner Costa Papista along with three players -- Dan Riedel, Joe Van Coulin and team captain Greg Labenski -- and three other staff people. Before heading out to today's event, Papista did something that he always does when a celebrity comes through Dayton -- he has a personalized jersey made in preparation for a possible presentation. This time, he also brought a second blank jersey in case he had a chance to present the jersey to the candidate.

When I reached Papista in Dayton a few minutes ago the first thing he said to me was, "I can't believe a hockey mom could actually be on the way to the White House." Coming down off an obvious emotional high, Papista said that both McCain and Palin were "pretty excited," to get the jerseys. He was also quick to add that he suspected that the McCain campaign "must have known about Sarah having a hockey connection," which was what led them to be positioned so prominently on stage.

McErlain also writes that the Bombers gave a jersey to the Obama campaign earlier this election season, although without the photo op fanfare. Probably because they couldn't book Paul Brown Stadium down in Cincy for the event. You know how Barack rolls.

Check out the nice piece of reporting over at FanHouse. Which certainly makes up for whatever the hell this was supposed to say.

OK, unless she drops gloves with Jared Boll later today, this is the last Sarah Palin/hockey post of Friday. Still, it's nice to look forward to the McCain campaign pandering to puckheads as much as they're currently pandering to Hillary voters and Tina Fey fetishists with this Veep pick.

• 13 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

The Hockey News broke the story last night that Ottawa RFA defenseman Andrej Meszaros of the Ottawa Senators had "agreed to the terms of a multi-year offer sheet with an average salary in excess of $5 million per season," which would be more than he wanted from the Sens and what they were willing to give him.

According to Bruce "Malkin to the Kings" Garrioch, sources have indicated that Tampa Bay Lightning owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie told Ottawa they'd go after Meszaros if he wasn't signed.

If the have Bolts signed him to an offer sheet, they'd have to give up a first-, second- and third-round pick as compensation for that salary level. One problem: The CBA mandates that those picks must be the team's own selections and not acquired via trade, and the Lightning's third-round pick was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins for the negotiating rights of Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts. Oops.

So are the Lightning talking trade with the Penguins to get that pick back? Could one of Tampa's small horde of extra forwards head to Pittsburgh as compensation? The bottom line is this: Meszaros's camp is being bizarrely quiet on the offer sheet, having not even confirmed it as of yet. And if Tampa Bay is interested, Damian Cristodero of Lightning Strikes believes the Bolts would prefer to trade for the soon-to-be-23-year-old defenseman:

The Lightning already is close to the $56.7-million cap. Another $5-million in salary would send the team in the opposite direction of its stated goal of trimming some of that payroll before the season. A trade would accomplish that as the Senators could have their pick of several decent forwards, including Michel Ouellet and Jussi Jokinen, along with draft choices or prospects. Going the offer sheet route has much uncertainty. Even if the Lightning and Penguins get together and find common ground, the Senators, rather than lose Meszaros for nothing, could ultimately match Tampa Bay's offer.

Tampa Bay's paltry blueline could certainly use a boost from Meszaros, who is also a dangerous player on the power play. And dumping even a little salary would be enormous. But at $5 million a season, if the report's true? Insane, until you realize Mike Green's getting $5.250 million a season against the cap. Not saying the players are comparable; but that's the market.

UPDATE (4:45 p.m.): This is situation gets stranger and stranger. The Hockey News is reporting two different scenarios: One in which Penguins GM Ray Shero is refusing to deal that third-rounder back to the Lightning because he doesn't want anything to do with an RFA offer sheet; and a second in which the source for last night's offer-sheer rumor claims the Pens and Bolts have a deal in place for the pick.

All of this seems to point to the Lightning aggressively pursuing a trade with the Senators, who clearly don't want to pay Meszaros what he (or his representation) believe he's worth. But if Tampa can't legally (under the CBA) sign him to an offer sheet, isn't the leverage completely with Ottawa?

• 17 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Every weekday in August, Puck Daddy presents "5 Ways I'd Change the NHL," in which a cross-section of sports media and hockey personalities offer solutions, suggestions and absurdities to remake the League to their liking. We're thrilled to Puck Daddy's own Sean Leahy of Going Five Hole contributing his list today ...

1. Get rid of the Canadian teams. I'm kidding. That's sarcasm right there.

1. Bring back the division names. Is it just me or has the Bettman-era taken fans further away from the history of hockey from an overall perspective? Sure, teams are retiring jersey numbers left and right these days, but the league as a whole needs to do more to help fans remember the past. Gone are the Adams, Smythe, Norris, and Patrick divisions and also, no more legends game broadcast during All-Star weekend. The fan base is getting younger and younger and I think it's time we educate those whippersnappers on the history of our great game.

2. Ice Girls for every NHL team. I can't emphasize this enough. The lovely ladies who shovel the snow so elegantly are the only reason to attend games in most arenas around the league. Then there's the Rangers. They have dudes who skate around picking up the extra snow. DUDES! Why would you not want an Ice Girl to patrol the rink, making sure creases are so fresh and so clean? C'mon, just look at them. Just. Look. At. Them. Craig Anderson sure did. Read More >>

• 42 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

The Associated Press reports that "John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin," and we giggled because we're that immature. We'll leave whether or not she's the right vice presidential candidate for the real experts to decide; right now, she still trails far behind another prominent Palin as far as impact on our daily lives.

What we do know about Palin: She's a hockey mom. To the point where author Kaylene Johnson pimped that fact in her book "Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down." Palin's son Track (Middle name: Enfield) played for the Alaska Avalanche Junior A team and then a AAA midget team in Michigan before leaving to become an infantryman in the U.S. Army last September.

Let's face it: Soccer moms are sooooooooo 1996. Hockey moms are where it's at in 2008. They're more dedicated, they're more antagonistic (video not available, but you've seen it) and, in some cases, they're just plain hotter.

(Side note: Is the movie too obscure for news organizations to use "Mystery, Alaska" in headlines today about an obscure VP pick?)

Actually, McCain had two good choices to boost his hockey cred: Hockey mom Palin and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who not only plays the game but famously joked that his wife was more likely to watch a hockey game than have sex with him. Which might be one reason why he won't be at McCain's side today ...

Of course, if hockey cred meant anything when it comes to the White House, things might have turned out a bit differently for John Kerry.

• 15 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Yesterday, George Carlin Stu Hackel of the New York Times suggested a new form of number retirement in his "5 Ways" piece: "Put the guy in uniform, hook him up to the ropes, pull him up there and leave him there." For the last 12 years, I was rather convinced this was how Patrick Roy would be hoisted to the rafters of the Bell Centre if the Montreal Canadiens ever decided to retire No. 33.

"Le Trade" was the most stunning, acrimonious and bitterly decisive transaction in the history of the franchise and potentially of the entire League. Three years ago, Roy said he had made his peace with the Habs but couldn't bring himself to rejoin their family as a true legend of the organization: "I'm not angry at the Canadiens organization anymore ... Rejean Houle has called a few times and told me I'm welcome any time, but I'm not comfortable with it."

The La Presse Web site has a report this morning that the Canadiens will retire Roy's number this season as part of their 100th anniversary celebration. It's a bit of conjecture, nothing completely on the record, but Eyes on the Prize thinks there's some fire to this smoke and is already assessing whether Roy's hatchet can be buried:

Admittedly, I have had issues and concerns about the retirement of Roy's sweater in the centennial year. I would never want to see a player honoured in controversy. I feel that would benefit no one - not the fans, the team, nor the player. Hopefully, what Roy brought to the team over 12 seasons is given greater precedence in the media - and fan's hearts - than the one game meltdown that brought on a decade of despair for Habs supporters.

If it's up to St. Patrick to make amends with the Canadiens, now is the right time. His image off the ice has been tarnished immensely. The good vibes from this centennial anniversary are going to be felt from center ice of the arena to inside video games. No matter his history with the team, it'll be a love-fest for sure. Maybe he can even put Carey Price over like Clinton did Obama this week. Bill, not Hil.

Besides, no one wants to live in a world where the Colorado Avalanche have Patrick Roy's number retired and the Canadiens don't. Because that's an even crappier world than the one where Ray Bourque has a ring with the Avs and not with the Bruins.

• 18 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Mats Sundin's deadlines have the rigid finality of the ones at High Times magazine. So it's refreshing to see his agent J.P. Barry now assuming that the latest Jump to Conclusion Mats at the end of August will pass without a decision.

Even more encouraging is that Barry is slowly coming around to the idea we embraced earlier this month, which is that Sundin will sit back and do things on Scott Niedermayer Time, potentially rejoining the NHL well into the regular season:

"It's possible," Barry said. "It's not something that's preferable even to him. Mats has said in the past it's not something he is totally comfortable with, but at the same time you can't say that until you're in that position yourself. Niedermayer went through this and needed time and perhaps Mats is in the same situation."

The Niedermayer comparison is a stretch, of course, because he was under contract with the Anaheim Ducks when he decided to watch DVDs and find his smile while his team struggled in its title defense. A Teemu Selanne comparison is closer, but that's a situation between a free agent and one team. Clearly, the Mats Sundin Watch is taking on the properties of the Peter Forsberg Derby, only with the questionable desire to play replacing a bum wheel.

Sports Caddy compared the Joe Sakic signing with Sundin's indecision, and hinted at an interesting conclusion: Mats doesn't want to play for this incarnation Toronto Maple Leafs, and is having a difficult time coming back to the NHL in another uniform because he'd let down the ones who loved him. Add in his stunning apathy towards winning a Stanley Cup in Montreal and his rather humorous refusal to take the Vancouver Canucks' $20 million bribe, and he's an old man with no country. At least in his mind, and at least prior to the season. 

So when the regular season arrives and Sundin is still perched on some fence in Stockholm, who's left for him? Not the Detroit Red Wings, according to Ken Holland. The New York Islanders? Really? Isn't Garth Snow showing interest in Sundin like McCain showing interest in Colin Powell for Veep?

With the Habs moving to Plan B, this likely leaves three choices: The Canucks, who by the way make their only trip to Toronto on Feb. 21; the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers. The longer Sundin waits, the better it will be for him, as he can see the Eastern Conference shake out a little more. And, of course, decide if he even wants to lace them up.

• 44 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Veteran NHL winger Stu Barnes officially retired today, joining the Dallas Stars coaching staff. One of the true joys of being a puckhead is seeing how a blue-collar player that never rose to star status is appreciated by the fans he played hard for. So there's much Barnes love from Stars fans, Panthers fans, and Sabres fans, along with Miami Herald reporter George Richards. Another Winnipeg Jet bites the dust. Sigh.

• Remember that Wikipedia vandalism from yesterday involving the Flyers? Puck Daddy reader Blake passes along this alleged Sidney Crosby Wiki edit.

• Andrej Meszaros and the Ottawa Senators are still at an impasse over their free agent contract talks. Because Meszaros sees himself worth about a million dollars a season more than the Senators do. His agent, by the way, is claiming the KHL is an option. And now there's word of an offer sheet? Dang! [Scarlett Ice]

• Oh, and please check out "5 ways Reggie Dunlop would change the NHL." Love it: "No fashion shows, no radiothons, no recycled jockstraps. Do it up first class all the way." [Scotty Hockey]

• Mike Babcock hints that he may once again split up Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. But if that means playing Datsyuk with Tomas Holmstrom and Marian Hossa ... well, yeah, that might work. [Snapshots] Read More >>

• 33 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

(Before we get to the sphincter-tightening NHLPA news, two thoughts about the photo above: The placement of the "Y" over the nipples make them appear to have angry eyebrows, and the slightly overweight Sean Avery-ish gentleman on the right was just named the new Yahoo! Sports "!" model. Moving on.)

NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly gave an interview to Adam Proteau of The Hockey News, and excerpts appeared on Proteau's blog today. His response to a question about whether "players deserve to be heavily involved" in the process of relocating franchises offered several absolutely frightening inferences for hockey fans:

PK: A couple things here: No. 1, we haven't heard about any plans at all to relocate teams or to expand. But under the collective bargaining agreement, the players have no voice and no role, in a technical manner, as it pertains to relocation or expansion. And we don't derive any financial benefit from that, which I think is a mistake.

If the league wants to consider us partners - which I think is a misnomer, but at least 'joint venturers' - then players ought to have a say in the relocation or expansion of teams and share in some of the revenues there.

My view is that it is difficult for some of those teams, particularly in the American sunbelt, where they don't have the establishment of hockey at a youth level. I grew up in Boston and there were youth hockey leagues everywhere. Every town had two or three rinks in it, and the game was and is part of our upbringing there.

But if you're in Phoenix or you're in Florida, it's really tough for those teams to put people in the seats and sell the game. We understand that and maybe the revenue-sharing system is part of the answer. But our view is that if teams in any region suffer (financial) losses three or four years in a row, then stop complaining about it in a (business) system you created and imposed here, and start asking the question whether you're in the right place. Rather than complain about it, maybe you ought to start saying, 'Okay, folks, it ain't working,' and maybe you ought to find a place it will work.

This is the stuff of nightmares.Read More >>

• 40 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Color us stupid, but did you know arena ice crews use yarn to help create the red and blue lines under the ice?

That tidbit and more can be discovered in this rather awesome video from the Columbus Dispatch (via Light the Lamp) that features the Nationwide Arena crew creating the Columbus Blue Jackets' rink via time-lapse photography. Uni Watch also provides this direct link to the video (.wmv), so you can watch it in a slightly larger format on your own media player.

By far one of the coolest behind-the-scenes videos we've seen in a while. It's amazing how much manpower and effort it takes just to put on a professional hockey game. But thinking about that just makes us think about how so many of these hard-working people were tossed to the curb while greedy S.O.B.'s canceled a season we didn't need to lose. Which makes us want to smash something.

• 11 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry