Wednesday afternoon notes: Blummer the Blogger

You know it's a slow news day when our lead item is that one of the Predators has stooped to blogging!

Actually, we have quite a bit for you after the jump, starting with injury news on Blake Geoffrion and Roman Josi...

Nashville Predators News

Camp going well, on and off the ice - Predators Insider
The Preds' freeloading diner Jonathon Blum takes up the humble art of blogging. Trust me, kid, there's no future in it!

Twitter / @JoshuaCooper: Trotz said Geoffrion is ou ...
Give Blake Geoffrion the rest of the month off, it sounds like he's on the shelf for a while.

Twitter / @JoshuaCooper: No Josi at practice. Trotz ...
...and Roman Josi's out at least through the weekend, as well.

Preds On The Glass: POTG Wednesday Headlines, News and Links: Preds Win under Tough Conditions
Buddy's morning links kick off with news that season ticket holders will pick up their gold jerseys on Saturday. I know some folks won't be happy about that, as they're going on sale to the general public tomorrow.

Smashville 24/7: Hornqvist shooting for bounce back season
I do like the talk here from Barry Trotz, about getting Patric Hornqvist to feel comfortable firing from all over the offensive zone, and not just relying on crease-crashing.

Paul McCann - Baltimore Blanking
I like the radio call that Paul picks out here, the first item in his Random Notes.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Umberger signs extension with Blue Jackets | The Columbus Dispatch
Five years and $23 million for the Columbus forward.

Hockey demographics Survey - SurveyMonkey
One SB Nation hockey writer is trying to gather opinions on a wide variety of NHL topics, so please consider taking a couple moments to fill out this survey.

Experts split on potential West champion - 2011-2012 Season Preview
What, no Edmonton picks?

New York Islanders Name Mark Streit Captain - Lighthouse Hockey
Many were speculating that John Tavares was going to get the "C", but I like the idea of handing it to a more veteran player.

Fantasy NHL Week: Defencemen rankings - sportsnet.ca
Shea Weber at #10? Really? I think these guys need to read my Fantasy Hockey eBook.

More Lokomotiv heartbreak: Captain’s secret charity for kids - Puck Daddy
It turns out that the captain of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl was "anonymously donating large sums of money to sick children", just another example of how far and wide the loss from that plane crash extends.

Brodeur is a Fraud: Pre-Lockout Chris Osgood Was Not Clutch
Ouch! Some brutal numbers here to undermine a story that some supporters push. And for the record, I was a big Chris Osgood fan - but I don't see him getting anywhere close to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Brent Severyn: My life as an NHL enforcer - SI.com
The 90's enforcer, who played for six different teams over the course of his career, shares his personal insight.

Statistical analysis: Alexander Semin criticism is unfair - Capitals Insider - The Washington Post
Does Alexander Semin care? Should we care, as long as he puts up numbers like these?

Western Michigan, St. Cloud to Join NCHC - Western College Hockey Blog
The WCHA loses another school in St. Cloud State, further weakening their position as a conference.

Mike Modano takes to social media to announce his retirement - Houses of the Hockey
Hardly surprising news here, as a sure-fire member of an all-time American hockey team hangs up the skates.

And in commemoration of Modano's retirement, let's revisit this moment in Predators history, as noted by Paul Nicholson on Twitter this afternoon: