Friday's fun: The Admirals coach speaks, and is hockey doomed in Canada?

As we wrap up the work week we have an interview with Milwaukee Admirals head coach Lane Lambert, a preseason scheduling change, and word that hockey is becoming less popular in the Great White North. All this and a whole lot more after the jump...

Predators News

Predators change date for preseason game - The Tennessean
The Preds have moved the date of their final preseason game (on the road at Columbus) to Sunday, September 27.

Summer Sit Down, Part One - Admirals Short Shifts
The Milwaukee Admirals blog gets an extended interview with head coach Lane Lambert. He talks about his experience at the Predators Development Camp, breaking in a new assistant in Ian Herbers, and a whole lot more...

Around the NHL

Introducing the 2009-10 Maple Leafs Annual : Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Just as you see the college football preview magazines hitting the shelves, the Maple Leafs Hot Stove blog has put together a 128-page season preview for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I was asked to contribute an article on breakout candidates for the coming season...

Weighing opposition to the Lighthouse Project - From The Rink
James Mirtle, after seeing how many people turned out to speak in support of the Lighthouse Project, asked just who is opposing this deal to bring a new arena and real estate development to Long Island. Someone replied back to fill in that side of the story.

Petty Pedantry: On Tavares' supporting cast - Lighthouse Hockey
Dominik takes on THN's Ryan Kennedy over the outlook for the Islanders, this season and beyond.

Measuring Success: Part 3 - Market Growth - Canes Country
The Carolina Hurricanes blog takes a look at how the hockey market in North Carolina has grown over time, an interesting story to follow for Nashville fans.

Hudler in Russia: 'I don't know rules regarding arbitration exactly' - Puck Daddy
In a translated Russian interview, Jiri Hudler sounds like he leaves the Red Wings on good terms, and may well return to the NHL someday. Head over for the picture, which will make you believe a man can fly...

Darcy Regier: Still Some Work to Do - Die By The Blade
The Buffalo Sabres GM gave an interview on XM Radio and touched on a number of topics, including the note that his offseason work is far from complete.

St. Louis Blues hire Ed Belfour as minor-league goalie consultant - STLtoday
"The Eagle" has landed - after playing in Sweden last year, he's moved on from his competitive playing days and signed up with the Blues to help develop their young goalies, Jeremy Rutherford reports.

Hockey losing its grip among Canadian teens - Vancouver Sun
A sociologist makes the argument that Canadian teens are less interested in hockey than in years past. Clearly, the NHL's "Snow Belt" policy of having six teams north of the border is doomed.

How Twitter Can Distort a Hockey Story - Slap Shot Blog at NYTimes.com
Jeff Z. Klein explores the downside of using Twitter as a source for breaking news; personally, I try to avoid using Twitter as the foundation of a story, but rather as a quick pointer towards something worth pursuing. In other words, tweets from someone aren't usually good as the meat of a story, but are better as an appetizer.

Williams Returns - On the Wings
How do Detroit fans feel about Jason Williams returning to the team? "Williams is an underachieving gripe and I’m disappointed no Siberian KHL team took him off our hands." Well, good luck, then!