Monday's notes: Nashville/Philadelphia trade still paying dividends for the Flyers

by Dirk Hoag on May 31, 2010 9:19 AM EDT

We'd like to wish our readers a happy and safe Memorial Day - take it easy out there, and be sure to catch Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight at 7:00 p.m. Central (NBC). If Game One is any indication, this could be a high-scoring series.

After the jump, we've got a look ahead to tonight's game, a retrospective on a big trade which is still benefiting the Flyers, and word that Wayne Gretzky has teams up with EA Sports to bring a hockey game to the Wii, which puts a faux hockey stick in your hands to control the action...

The Tennessean is hosting their annual Toast of Music City balloting, and I'd appreciate your support in the Best Blog category, just pop on over be sure to vote daily!

Predators News

Preds On The Glass: Hawks Win Unusual Opener and Weekend Round-Up
Buddy reacts to that wild Game One, and lets us know that there's no podcast tonight due to Game Two taking place.

Red Light District: Predators Forwards Outlook
Ryan looks at the Preds forwards for next season, where Nick Spaling, Cal O'Reilly, and Dustin Boyd will likely compete for just two available spots.

Forsberg deal has paid dividends for Flyers - NHL.com
Shawn P. Roarke takes us back to that fateful trade deadline deal of 2007, which didn't work out for the Predators, but gave Philadelphia some key assets which they still enjoy today.

Predators 2005 draft evaluation - Hockey's Future
Nashville's draft class from five years ago has come along nicely. Cody Franson and Patric Hornqvist in particular have developed into regular contributors in the Preds' lineup.

Around the NHL

Wayne Gretzky, EA Sports team up for Nintendo Wii game - Puck Daddy
This sounds interesting, a hockey game that "will be geared for younger gamers" and features a hockey stick-shaped controller. I'll have to try this out with my kids and report the results...

NHL finances still on thin ice - The Globe and Mail
Stephen Brunt pulls into the "most disingenuous NHL writers" lead with this piece, a rambling tirade against the salary cap.

Hawks' top line looks to pick up its play - NHL.com
Heading into Game Two, perhaps the biggest question is what will happen once Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Dustin Byfuglien get rolling.

Off-Day News: Leighton To Start Game 2, Carcillo Back In? Pronger Gets Feisty At Presser - Broad Street Hockey
Meanwhile, Chris Pronger jostles (playfully) with the media in response to their insipid questions, and they eat it up.

Oilers executive praises the"passionate" Oilogosphere - Cult of Hockey
The Oilers have a "director of research, analysis and software development"? Hey Nashville, are you looking for one? Please, pretty please?

2010 Devils Offseason: UFA Centers by 5-on-5 On-Ice & On-Ice Impact Stats - In Lou We Trust
A savvy, stats-based look at the centers on this summer's free agency market. This probably has no relevance to Nashville (which is set down the middle), but it's a worthwhile read.

mc79hockey.com - Agents Adding Value
Has Ritch Winter found a new angle on player representation?

Jason Strudwick, The Least-Shootinest Gun In the West. And NHL. Since 1998. - The Copper & Blue
Former Predator Mark Eaton also makes this least of tentative shooters in recent NHL history.

How do Goalies Age Part II | Hockey Analysis
Interesting analysis here which argues that after age 34, the overall trend for goalies looks pretty grim.

Joe Sakic Colorado Avalanche 2010 job in managment | All Things Avs
Could "Super Joe" join the Colorado front office soon?

NHL Draft Combine Fitness Testing 2010 - Anaheim Calling
Arthur presents the hard-core data from the draft combine... venture in if you dare!

The Dark Blue Jacket: The Blue Jackets' 10th Anniversary patch
Columbus prepares to celebrate with a new patch on their jerseys.

Bridgestone brand returns as the official tire of the NHL, NHLPA and Hockey Hall of Fame in five-year deal - NHL.com
Bridgestone signs on for a five-year extension as one of the NHL's premier sponsors, underscoring their commitment to the league at large, along with the Predators specifically.

Down Goes Brown: Other ways the NHL is trying to attract new referees
Here's a good one: "Referees will now be allowed to order an in-depth video replay review of those two hot chicks in section 203.

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Comments

OK, I give up

What was that piece in the Globe and Mail about? And why was it illustrated with a picture of NHL players standing around in suits and ties looking bored…five years ago? Anyway, I’m sorry the Ottawa Senators lost money this season. Maybe they should move to the Sun Belt.

by Hockey Hillbilly on May 31, 2010 12:27 PM EDT reply actions

Brunt really went out on a limb to make his case against the cap system. He doesn’t give Bettman or the NHL any credit for Chicago’s success, saying it was a revival after decades of lousy ownership, but then portrays Phoenix as a hopeless case (despite equally awful ownership under Jerry Moyes). Then, he uses the Senators complaint about losing money as an illustration that things just aren’t working, and that only the fat cats are doing well.

It left me shaking my head as to how people like him actually get paid.

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on May 31, 2010 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Lousy language and limp reasoning

What first concerns me about Brunt’s piece, like many highly critical essays from the Globe and Mail and other Canadian outlets, is its absolutely unflinching placement of blame for all the NHL’s shortcomings on the NHL Commissioner. For Brunt the lockout was “a dark spring for anyone who loves hockey, but for Gary Bettman, a time of triumph.” Brunt and other such yentas conveniently ignore the fact that the Commissioner is, after all, acting at the behest of all thirty NHL club owners and is charged with putting their decisions into concrete action. Of course, there are wretchedly inept owners like Jerry Moyes. Ownership in Tampa Bay and Atlanta are not models of effective corporate decision-making, either. For that matter, the situation in Ottawa may well deserve closer scrutiny—how could a team with all the Sens’ advantages still lose money? Nonetheless, the emphasis on Gary Bettman as the Dr. No of the National Hockey League is completely absurd, from my perspective. It’s certainly possible to question his strategies beginning, from a fan’s perspective, with annointing Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as the NHL’s version of Michael Jordan and counting on them to sell hockey the way MJ almost single handedly sold professional basketball to a then-skeptical sports world. As I see it, there is much to criticize about the way the NHL goes about its business. But it does not begin and end with Commissioner Bettman.

by Hockey Hillbilly on May 31, 2010 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions

It never occurs to Brunt, et al to ask the question of whether a given team should really spend to the cap.

But you’re right, ascribing all things bad about the NHL to Bettman’s decision making is absurd. He’s got 30 big egos to manage on the Board of Governors, and they have a thing or two to say, as well.

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on May 31, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions

It also never occurs to Brunt that the NHL is seeing record attendance, record viewership in the United States, record merchandise sales and that Canadian teams like the Oilers, who never sold out a season until after the lockout, are now routinely selling out their venues. All this is under Bettman’s leadership too. He sure does suck.

by Predaceous on Jun 1, 2010 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions

switch subjects

your title alluded to “the trade”. while getting forsberg was quite possibly the most electrifying move ever made by the preds, it turned out to be quite the opposite. for the record, i still agree w/ the trade. having said that, look at the results. we went no further than we would have w/out him and in the end that result convinced leipold he wouldnt make it here. that conclusion led to the roster/payroll cuts that cost us kimmo and hartnell( and vokie). look where we are today. ownership that, while meaning well, cant/wont spend or ever “go for it”. i think i liked the good ole days better.

by predswilrule on Jun 1, 2010 8:02 AM EDT reply actions

I agree, it was the right move at the right time, things just didn’t work out. Give Poile credit for at least getting some scraps back in the Timonen/Hartnell deal…

More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.

by Dirk Hoag on Jun 1, 2010 9:29 AM EDT up reply actions