Winnipeg Free Press:  The Academy is now The Cheer.  Perhaps this was because George Wendt (Norm from Cheers) was in the city all summer long.  Regardless of that, the place will provide a good venue to watch Jets games.

Jets Nation:  Jets the toast of Winnipeg.  The city is brimming with positivity.

IceCaps News:

TheAHL.com:  IceCaps unveil jerseys.  More info on the Jets affiliate’s new jerseys.  To see the new home and away jerseys being worn by Danny Williams and IceCaps forward Jason King, click here.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Blue Rodeo to play at Jets social.  I like the name of the party but it’s a shame they have to do it indoors.

CBC:  Go Jets Go.  Some sounds from the game and talk with the fans.

the Score:  Times they are a changin’.  It appears that the NHL has set a December 2011 deadline to have the realignment process completed by.  What do readers think would be best?  Geographic rivals?  Time zone divisions?

sjicecaps.com: IceCaps jerseys to be revealed tomorrow.  It looks like our friends on the East coast will finally get to enjoy the revealing of their team’s new jersey.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets 2.0 ready to launch.  And with it the Jets fans, whether they are watching the game on tv or at the MTS Centre will be ready to launch alongside the team.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Prepared for takeoff.  It may be raining outside, but that won’t impact the enthusiasm that Peggers are experiencing.

Winnipeg Free Press:  A bit on the wild side.  You can see that Big Buff is already relishing the opportunity to get on the ice and forget his off ice issues.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Pre-season game day underway for Jets.  Nice to see former Manitoba Moose coach (and Jets 1.0 player) Scott Arniel on the ice.

TSN:  Promising Jets need time to develop.  I don’t think anyone in Winnipeg is expecting a Cup run do this team should have time to develop properly.  No need to rush a young player to fill seats, since the seats will be filled for the next 5 years.

TSN:  TSN Jets available in nearly half a million homes.  Fans will be glued to their sets tomorrow all evening.

TSN Jets can be seen on the following television service providers:

Bell TV –  Channel 1423 in HD and Channel 423 in SD
MTS TV Ultimate  – Channel 480 in HD and Channel 168 in SD
MTS Classic – Channel 168 in SD
Shaw – Channel 290 in HD and Channel 289 in SD
Shaw Direct Classic – Channel 449 in HD and Channel 468 in SD
Shaw Direct Advanced – Channel 393 in HD and Channel 136 in SD

Winnipeg Free Press:  Point of view – Training camp begins.  Very cool pictorial summation of the last few days of the Jets camp.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Stars will be in Jets’ lineup on Tuesday.  Never before has an exhibition game been so eagerly anticipated.

CBC:  Elliote Friedman’s 30 Thoughts.  Thoughts 6, 7 and 8 are Jets related.

NHL.com:  Aebishcer happy for another chance.  When a player says he’s happy to go to the minors to give himself another opportunity in the NHL, he is likely someone worth taking a ‘risk’ on.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets return made real.  I saw little kids at the IcePlex who were just ecstatic that they had real, live NHL players who played for their city signing autographs for them.

After the jump Jets draw thousands, Big Buff ain’t as big as last season and Jets get heartfelt fan response.

CBC:  Jets draw thousands to open practice.  Even people who didn’t attend were talking about the practice.  Went to Polo and it was all anyone was discussing.

TSN:  Jets’ Byfuglien weighs in under last year’s first day weight.  He seemed pretty smooth out on the ice, so this appears to be much ado about nothing.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets get heartfelt fan response at training camp.  The unity and excitement in this city are just full to the brim.  Let’s hope the Jets can use that emotion to play well in front of the home crowds this season.

Winnipeg Sun:  Chipman to miss first exhibition game.  I’m sure that he will be glued to IC to get all the latest game day news.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Byfuglien arrives in Winnipeg.  All things considered he seemed to be in a pretty good mood.  IC’s Remis asked him about taking the 2nd most shots last season (to Ovechkin) and whether he might repeat that this season, and he indicated that if all went well, he might.  I’m more concerned that we both own that same Lululemon shirt and I don’t want to get caught in a TMZ “who wore it better” type photo.

Yahoo Sports:  Jets fever grips Winnipeg ‘everywhere you go’.  Jets coach Claude Noel is only partially right when he says “We haven’t played a game yet, so this could be our most popular time right now”.  If/when the Jets make the playoffs, if/when the Jets win their 1st playoff series and if/when the Jets win a Stanley Cup, then you will see this city like you’ve never seen it before.

After the jump the Jason Gregoire back home, Jets announce a new youth program and Keith Urban dons a Jets jersey.  In ‘Around the NHL’ news Leafs coach talks playoffs, injruy to Habs Markov casts pall over camp and Pegula sends a message in Buffalo.

NHL.com:  Jason Gregoire back home.  Gregoire has had the luxury of being close to the home base and hopes to continue that trend with a good training camp with the Jets.

CTV:  Jets announce support for youth programming.  A worthwhile cause for the Jets to champion in the city.

CBC:  Keith Urban dons Jets jersey.  If you’re a country music fan (which I’m not) then maybe this will make your day.  I do wonder if we can expect Pearl Jam’s lead singer Eddie Vedder to wear one on Saturday night?

Around the NHL:

National Post:  Wilson on the Leafs playoff chances.  The Leafs looked good towards the end of the season, but will they be able to compete all year long?

Montreal Gazette:  Andrei Markov’s setback casts a pall over camp.  The Habs can probably survive for a bit but a prolonged absence will be a really tough liability.

Buffalo News:  Pegula sends message and Myers receives it.  This is an owner that the city of Buffalo is absolutely thrilled about and they really think a Stanley Cup is around the corner.

Orange County Register:  Selanne will play with Ducks in 2011-12.  The roof of the MTS Centre is going to explode from the crowd noise when Teemu takes the ice on the 17th of December, 2011.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets down Canucks.  Nice for the Jets rookies to end the tournament with a shoutout win.  #1 draft pick Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist to lead the rookies past the Nucks.

Winnipeg Sun:  Whirlwind landing over – Jets have arrived.  I like that long and winding road back timeline although it is missing the interview that Bill Daly did on the Illegal Curve Radio show on Sports Radio 1290 back on November 27th, 2010, which really was the first time the NHL said anything about Atlanta.

After the jump Jets have a new logo and new address but goal remains the same, some training camp questions.  In ‘Around the NHL‘ news the Red Wings captain is a class act, taking a look at the NHL’s new social media policy and the Islanders and John Tavares commit to each other.

Globe and Mail:  Jets have a new logo, new address, but goal the same.  MacGregor sure has a way with the pen, or I should say a keyboard.  He is an excellent writer.

Winnipeg Free Press:  The Jets are circling…and so are the questions.  Ed Tait brings you a training camp preview and tries to address all the questions marks these young Jets will face.

Around the NHL:

Mlive.com:  Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom excited to board bus for 20th season.  There really is no better role model for a young defencemen then this guy.  He pretty much is the shining example of how you should handle yourself as a professional.

Yahoo Sports:  Inside the NHL’s new social media policy for players.  It isn’t as harsh as I expected and really doesn’t go that far past the previously existing policy.

ESPN:  John Tavares signs Isles deal.  IC’s Richy P is a big fan of this deal and thinks that Tavares will be a 40 goal scorer for the Islanders for years to come.

Winnipeg Free Press: Jets & Bogosian Agree to Terms.  2 years, 5 million dollars, average salary cap hit of $2.5 million. Illegal Curve’s Richy P was pretty close in his predictions on June 1 & June 30

Winnipeg Free Press:  Wannabe Jets sluggish vs. Oilers.  I agree with Tait’s assessment of the team and was also impressed by the play and maturity of local product Jason Gregoire.

Chris D:  Jets Evander Kane signing autographs on Thursday.  Perhaps he will sign a bday card for yours truly.  While he hasn’t been in the city long, this is already his 2nd official autograph session.  This was the lineup for his 1st session.

After the jump Photojournalist Mike Deal captures the Jets rookies plus we have news on Pronger health update and the Bruins sign Marchand.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Slideshow – Winnipeg Jets rookies hit the ice.  There are some fantastic pictures of the Jets rookies in B.C.

Around the NHL:

TSN:  Holmgren says Pronger on track to rejoin Flyers for opener.  Good news for Philly fans, bad news for the rest of the Eastern Conference.

the Score:  Bruins sign Marchand to two year deal.  Both sides are likely happy that the deal got done, and they didn’t pay a small fortune to keep the feisty Marchand.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets invite Aebicher, three others to camp.  Add four more to the roster for the Jets training camp, set to open this weekend.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Byfuglien passed breathalyzer, in town for camp.  An interesting development in this ongoing saga.

RLD Hockey:  Training camp battles – Eastern Conference.  Here is a look at what you can expect in all 15 training camps, including the Jets camp, with that insight provided by our own Richard Pollock.

After the jump find out if the Jets are going to overpay for potential and video highlights of the Sharks/Jets rookie game from last night.  In ‘Around the NHL’ news the KHL president says tragedy will bolster ties to NHL, Peter Sykora to Devils camp for tryout, speaking of the Devils it appears they could be heading for financial problems but courtesy of Gary Bettman’s foresight will have delayed this and a funny review of NHL 12.

Winnipeg Free Press:  We’ll be contenders – Pavelec.  Missed this one in today’s Morning papers, but Jets fans are going to like the moxy from the #1 tender on the team.  Will his play back up this talk?  Find out in a week’s time.

CBC:  30 Thoughts – Jets return.  From what I hear what some guys are being asked to pay, Friedman is absolutely correct.

The Province:  The Hennepin County Sheriff always gets his man – in this case Dustin Byfuglien.  This is an unfortunate cloud to hang over Big Buff as he starts with his new/old team.

the Score:  A tale of three RFA defencemen.  Will the Jets overpay for potential?   Hopefully we will have an answer before training camp begins on Saturday.

Game Replay:  Highlights between Sharks & Jets Rookies:

Around the NHL:

TSN:  KHL president says tragedy will bolster ties with NHL.  Let’s hope some good can come from this horrible event.

ESPN:  Peter Sykora to Devils’ camp on tryout. Doesn’t seem that long ago that he was a player who would have generated some excitement coming to camp and now he’s been relegated to attending for a “tryout”.

Globe and Mail:  Devils have time to get financial house in order.  This is one of those instances, that GB’s foresight can be thanked.

National Post:  Down Goes Brown’s NHL 12 review.  Always good for a laugh, even if they do take shots at Winnipeg and Buffalo.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets rookies excited for chance in tourney.  I can’t imagine any city has been so excited for a game of prospects.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets’ Pavelec eyes playoffs.  If you are a fan of the Jets, you have to like what the team’s #1 goalie is saying.

After the jump we take a look at 5 burning Southeast division questions, Jet signing autographs tonight and a look at the Jets defensemen’s possible point totals for next season.  In ‘Around the NHL’ news the Bruins remain tight-lipped about Marchand contract, Capitals Troy Brouwer on pace to start season, Lokomotiv pulls out of KHL and Rangers name Callahan as captain.

CTV:  Winnipeg Jet scheduled to sign autographs.  I suspect that to be one of the 250 people to get an autograph, you are going to have to show up early.

Calgary Herald:  Five burning South east division questions.  I tend to forget that the Jets will be in this division next season (of course I still think of the Jets in the Smythe), but this list has the Jets missing the playoffs.  Accurate?

Metro:  Now that was a summer.  Just a brief mention about the Jets being the fuel to keep folks excited, but the fact is that almost everyone I talk to agrees that this was the best summer they can recall.

Arctic Ice Hockey:  Jets comparables - The blue line.  I’m always cautious to use a system to predict how a player will do.  However the guys over at Arctic Ice came up with these numbers for the Jets defence.

Around the NHL:

NESN:  Brad Marchand, GM Peter Chiarelli remain tight-lipped about contract.  The Bruins are going to need this feisty little forward in the lineup.

Washington Post:  Capitals’ Troy Brouwer on pace to be ready to start season.  Important to know what is happening within the Southeast division.

ESPN:  Tragedy-hit Lokomotiv pulls out of KHL for the year.  This is probably for the best as trying to make do with a make-shift lineup probably wouldn’t have worked out very well.

CBC:  Rangers name Callahan new captain.  The Rangers select a native New Yorker to be the team’s 27th captain of all time.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets NHL 12 gameplay teases fans.  I’m not a big video game player (last one I owned was NHL 96 for SNES) but this looks very cool.

After the jump the Score takes a look at the Jets jersey originality and if you didn’t get season tickets you can get a job with the Jets.  In ‘Around the NHL’ news the Hawks acquire Toews brother, the Blues name David Backes captain and the Devils Zach Parise does an NHL Network promo.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets’ Antropov mourns loss of friend.  Hard to focus on a game like hockey when real life events such as this tragedy occur.

The Score:  Jets jersey originality.  Again I’m gonna stick with the fact that they had 6 weeks to do what normally takes 18 months.

ChrisD:  Want a job with the Winnipeg Jets?  If you want to get into the building here is one way to do it.

Around the NHL:

Chicago Tribune:  Hawks acquire Toews brother.  Perhaps they’ve made this move to solidify Toews relationship to the city of Chicago.

Inside Stl:  Blues name David Backes captain.  He is going to be helped with 4 assistant captains.

Star-Ledger:  Devils’ Zach Parise among stars to do NHL Network promo videos. They need to do something to help spread the word of hockey.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets jerseys almost as sought after as tickets.  The Jets sold 1300 jerseys in less than 24 hours.  Wow.  Speaking of tickets, while Winnipegger’s wait for the Jets season tickets to be released, a friend in Toronto has sent us a picture of his Leafs/Jets tickets.

After the jump Kane/Wheeler latest Jets to arrive and a bit more on the new ECHL affiliate in Colorado.  KHL has a bold plan to honour memory by keeping Lokomotiv running while players in Detroit agree that playing in Russian is a ‘different way of life’.  In ‘Around the NHL’ news we take a look at the Top 10 storylines to watch this season.

Winnipeg Sun:  Kane and Wheeler among latest Jets to arrive in Winnipeg.  Kane learnt a bit about how hockey nuts this market is when his arrival at the airport was sent across the internet on twitter.

Coloradoan:  Eagles announce affiliation deal with NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.  Winnipeg is hoping to emulate it’s ECHL team when they begin their own sellout streak at the MTS Centre.

KHL Tragedy:

Yahoo Sports:  KHL’s bold plan to keep Lokomotiv running.  You have to give the players and other teams in the KHL credit for attempting to honour the memory by keeping the team alive.

Detroit News:  Wings agree – Playing in Russia ‘a different way of life’.  It makes you wonder what will happen in Sochi in 2014.

Around the NHL:

The Hockey News:  Top 10 NHL storylines to watch this season.  Fans in Winnipeg are anxiously awaiting word that Bogosian has signed.

Brandon Sun(registration required):  Wheat Kings trio off to NHL camps.   Shayne Wiebe will suit up for the Winnipeg Jets in the NHL rookie tournament in Penticton next week.

IceCaps News:

SJIceCaps:  Riley Armstrong to try out with IceCaps.  Riley is the younger brother of NHLer Colby Armstrong.  He (Riley) was mistakenly reported today to being on the Lokomotiv plane that crashed.

SJIceCaps:  IceCaps jerseys will likely look like this.  Now that the Jets jerseys have been revealed, speculation turns to the AHL farm team and what those uniforms might look like.  Nothing is official until it is released by the team.

After the jump we have more on the breaking news out of Russia regarding the tragic plane crash which appears to have wiped out the Lokomotiv team.  In ‘Around the NHL’ news we get a Sidney Crosby optimistic update, the Canucks trying to emulate the 2009 Penguins and the Hawks still have a lot of talent.

KHL Breaking News:

Edmonton Journal:  KHL club Yaroslavl Lokomotiv wiped out by plane crash.  They have a tentative list of the people on board the plane.

NHL.com:  NHL players react to tragedy on twitter.  It is difficult to be eloquent in 140 characters or less but nice that the players in North America, many who probably had friends on that plane, have reached out.

San Jose Mercury News:  Sharks prospect on roster of team in plane crash tragedy.  The news is still not quite clear as to who was on and who wasn’t on the Yak-42 plane that crashed.

Syracuse:  Former Syracuse Crunch David Ling saw Russian tragedy coming.  I wish I could say I’m surprised but it would appear that the standards for aviation outside of the major population centers are not quite what we are used to here in North America.

Around the NHL:

Pittsburgh Post Gazette:  Crosby optimistic about playing next season.  Good news for the NHL, but if you picked that 1st Jets/Pens game I wouldn’t bet on seeing him on the ice.

The Province:  Canucks would love to pull a Pittsburgh.   Much like the Pens did back in 2009, these same Canucks wouldn’t shock the world if they were able to get back and win the Cup in 2011/12.

TSN:  Blackhawks full of premium talent.  The Hawks’ are still quite scary despite the gutting of their roster after the Cup win.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Jets unveil official new jerseys.  After all this waiting, people are ecstatic that there is finally a sweater with which to honour the new team.

NHL.com:  New Jets jerseys, ceremony evoke military feel.  It certainly did have that type of feel and a big thank you to the men and women of RCAF 17 Wing for all their help in putting this event on.  Only thing missing was a fly over.

CBC:  Winnipeg Jets unveil new jerseys. I would suggest that the jerseys certainly achieved True North’s stated goal.

“Our desire was to authenticate the name and make it as meaningful as we possibly could,” said Jets co-owner Mark Chipman.

“In my view, the best way to do that was to draw a connection to the rich history that our city has enjoyed with the air force, particularly with 17 Wing,” he added.

After the jump a nation exhales as the jersey is finally revealed, the complete day’s coverage from IC including pictures from 17 Wing and interviews with Eric Fehr, Mark Stuart, Jets jersey designer Dominique Fillion and Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.  As well Chris D tells you how you can win an autographed picture of captain Andrew Ladd.

The Province:  A Nation exhales as the Winnipeg Jets finally release their jerseys.  While it is nice to know that people across Canada have been pulling for the city of Winnipeg, expect that nationally love to diminish once the season gets underway.

IC’s Coverage of the Reveal:

Pictorial Summation of the Day at 17 Wing.  If you want to feel like you were in attendance take a gander at some of these pictures.

Reactions to the Winnipeg Jets Jersey with Eric Fehr.  He might be recovering from injury but it hasn’t curbed his enthusiasm for the Jets new jersey.

Reactions to the Winnipeg Jets Jersey with Mark Stuart.  Speaking of enthusiastic, this new Jet seems very happy to be in Winnipeg.

Mark Stuart Winnipeg Jets Jersey

Reactions to the Winnipeg Jets Jersey with Reebok Designer Dominique Fillion.  He explained about the tight time lines and how the True North ownership took a very involved role in the process.

Reactions to the Winnipeg Jets Jersey with GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.  The Jets GM was quite excited with the reveal, including describing the moment he saw the players stepping out of the C-130 Hercules as “sending a chill down his spine”.

Other Jets News:

ChrisD.ca:  Win a signed Andrew Ladd photo.  Pretty simple contest for those of you who want a chance to win the Jets 1st captain’s autograph.

NHL.com:  Jets still gathering info on Byfuglien situation.  We should know more, soon enough.

The Score:  Winnipeg Jets to unveil jersey on Tuesday.  There has been a lot of speculation and we are as eager as anyone to see what the finished product will look like on Tuesday.

Around the NHL:

Toronto Sun:  Max Domi grabs the spotlight from his dad.  I’m sure there are 1000′s of Jets 1.0 fans who would welcome seeing the Domi name on a jersey for the Jets 2.0.

After the jump we get the Capitals Mike Green weighing in on the Semin chatter and not giving the expected reply and Elliot Friedman writer an interesting article about the problem with speculation.

CSN Washington:  Caps Green weighs in on Semin.  Interesting that he didnt disavow the comments made by his former teammate.

CBC:  Hockey deaths deserve study, not speculation.  Friedman makes an excellent point about the problems with speculating.

TSN:  TSN and True North agree to 10 year commitment to show regional Jets games.  This will help to ensure the Jets long term viability.

Pitblado:  Season ticket checklist.  The lawyers down at Pitblado in Winnipeg have come up with a useful pdf checklist for those of your sharing your season tickets as a group.  Good points to be aware of, especially if you are partnering with people who are more acquaintance than good friend.

After the jump Bolts fans looking north to recruit former Thrashers fans, Rich gives his take on the Jets for ESPN and a look at the Top 10 Jets prospects.  In ‘Around the NHL’ news former Jet Pat Elynuik’s son is making his own path and the battle for the Dallas Stars will go to the bidder who wants it the most.

ESPN:  Summer skate – Winnipeg Jets (subscription required).  IC’s own Richard Pollock collaborated on this one with Corey Pronman of Hockey Prospectus to give this inside look at the Jets prospects.

Puck Prospectus:  Top 10 Jets prospects.  Wonder how this list compares to IC’s Kyle’s list.

Raw Charge:  What happened to the Atlanta Thrashers fans?  Our good friends at the Bolts blog wonder why Thrashers fans would transfer loyalty to the Predators, instead of an Eastern Conference former rival like Tampa.

Around the NHL:

Leader Post:  Regina Pats’ Campbell Elynuik follows his own path.   If he follows the path of his father, the familiar #15 for the 80′s Winnipeg Jets he would make some NHL team quite happy.

DMagazine:  Stars bidder who believes most in future of franchise will win.  Seems the Dallas Stars are one NHL franchise people really want to purchase.

Arctic Ice Hockey:  Comparables – Kane and Wheeler.  Using the Snepsts system, the guys over at Arctic Ice look back in history in an attempt to project these Jets possible futures.

Yahoo Sports:  Who is the most efficient GM in the NHL.  Interesting to note that the Jets (as the Thrashers) were Top 5 in the league last year based on this system.

Around the NHL:

Kansas City Star:  The hardest thing to do in sports is move a team.  A really good interview with Luc Robitaille discussing the prospects of the NHL heading to K.C. to play in their first class facility.

Edmonton Journal:  Financial conditions aren’t in place for Canada’s smaller cities.  Staples makes a point that many in Winnipeg could understand:

 If we refuse to invest in the kinds of amenities that will make Edmonton a more vital and attractive city, many people will refuse to invest their lives in this city.

More after the jump including the Sabres as a big-budget team and the Wings could teach lessons on work ethic.

Sportsnet:  Big-budget club.  I’m with Brophy.  Count me as someone who has always been a fan of the Buffalo Sabres and I will be quite interested to see how this new “big dog” (in terms of spending) in the East performs.  Of course the Sabres were part of one of the most memorable (and controversial) Cup Finals ever.

MLive.com:  Several Red Wings start skating informally.  It is work ethic like Lidstrom’s that is part of the reason the Wings have made the playoffs for the last 20 straight seasons.

Around the NHL:

Yahoo Sports:  Mike Modano isn’t aware he’s supposed to be retired now.  Having watched him play in Detroit I actually thought he still was able to contribute but I would agree that he could have had one of the best exits from the game in history had he retired following the Dallas Star/Minnesota Wild game in which he donned a North Stars jersey and saluted the crowd.

Montreal Gazette:  Plenty of off season action this summer.  Red Fischer takes a look at all the moves in the Eastern Conference and how it might affect each team.  Doesn’t appear he thinks much will happen in Winnipeg, aside from jubiliation for the team’s return.

National Post:  Shannahan prepares for new role as NHL disciplinarian.  Its like putting the fox in charge of the hen house as Shanahan was known for breaking a rule or two back when he played.  Of course knowing the ins and outs of League justice might help in his new position.

Puckupdate:  Jets and Crosby show the importance of NHL teams, not players. What many who believed in Winnipeg have been saying for a long time.   Further to that point:

The NHL needs to go to Winnipeg and see how the city is embracing its new team to understand how to market the league. Players are important, but so are franchises.

IceCaps News:

The Telegram:  Mary Brown’s signs on as gold sponsor.  Another feather in the cap for the Jets AHL franchise.

Around the NHL:

The Hockey News:  Rumour roundup –  Will Doan be traded?  Perfect irony would be to see Doan traded to the Jets as they make a push for the playoffs.  (kidding…or am I).

After the jump we learn how technology is killing team chemistry, what the gurus have to say about the Oilers young guns, and will Troy Brouwer score 20 goals this season.

Business Insider:  Why technology is killing team chemistry.  While not hockey specific, they use a quote from former star d-man Rob Blake on how the change has affected teams.

Edmonton Journal:  What the gurus have to say about Hall, Eberle and Paajarvi in 2011-12.  Good news for Edmonton fans is these numbers are not absolute.  Guys can always surprise the experts.  It’s why they play the season.

Washington Post:  Will Troy Brouwer score 20 goals this season?  Another instance where stats and charts would seem to suggest that he won’t be able to accomplish this, but this all gets thrown out the window once the season starts and the intangibles (in this case playing with Ovechkin, etc) come into play.

“I think it’s going to be great,” Melrose said. “I think it’s going to be a huge success. I think the building will be full, I think the interest will be crazy.”

Icethetics:  Another round for the Jets.    This reader submitted jersey concept appears to have the highest rating for the readers of Icethetics.

Around the NHL:

Edmonton Journal:  Renney has Nugent-Hopkin’s name on possible line combos.   Is this the right move for the Oilers #1 selection.

The Province:  Should the Canucks kick the tires on Jarkko Ruttu.  Could it hurt the Canucks to give him a shot?

CBS Sports:  Alexi Kovalev stays firm on Ottawa media.  Too bad he didn’t show that  type of fire on the ice.

Chris D:  Contest – meet Andrew Ladd and win an HP Mini Notebook.  You can also win tickets to a Jets game.  For those interested, head on down.

Iron Maiden fever gripping the Peg.  From ‘Around the NHL‘ the Canucks are going to need healthy prospects, Glendale officials change tune, Hawks’ Kane target season opener and don’t call Ethan Moreau fragile.  All these after the jump.

Jets Nation:  Run…live to fly, fly to live.  With all the love Iron Maiden is getting these days thanks to Jets goalie Chris Mason’s new mask, I wonder if Remis wants to add them to the article ‘The Science of an Intro Song‘. 

Around the NHL:

Montreal Gazette:  Healthy Hodgson looms large in Canucks plans.  It will be interesting to see how not having the Moose will impact the Canucks this season.

Arizona Republic:  Glendale officials optimism about Coyotes sale.  Considering the last time we heard from a public official in Glendale, Mayor Scruggs was sounding decidedly pessimistic, this has to be a nice change of tone for Coyotes fans.

NHL.com:  Hawks’ Kane targeting season opener for return.  If they want to start strong, they are going to need him healthy.

Yahoo Sports:  Ethan Moreau really doesn’t like being called fragile.  He’s a warrior, who if healthy, can really help the Kings in the post season.

Arctic Ice Hockey:  The Maple Street Press Winnipeg Jets Annual.  The 1st ever Jets annual is ready to be ordered and hits newsstands on September 13th.  IC contributed with Arctic Ice Hockey to put out this really good publication.

Jet Fuel:  Winnipeg Jets fan documentary.  Documenting a road trip to capture the passion of Jets fans while at the same time partnering with Believe in the Goal charity to add a worthwhile component to an interesting project.

Around the NHL:

Globe and Mail:  NHL needs Crosby says Lightning star Steven Stamkos.  A lot of people who have not yet had their NHL Winnipeg Jets season tickets selection draft (yours truly included) are very interested to know what it happening with #87 before they chose a Penguins/Jets game.

The Score:  Ovechkin hocking candy bars (video).  Expected it to be funnier although his grin is always funny.

More after the jump including old Oilers trying to learn new tricks and Joel Quenneville’s attempted singing of Take me out to the Ballgame.

Edmonton Journal:  Moreau, Strudwick, Pisani, Staios – any use for old Oiler warriors?  Of this list, I’m most surprised that Pisani is still looking for work.

Yahoo Sports:  Joel Quenneville’s tone deaf ‘Take me out to the Ballgame’(video).  Better he should give up singing and continue to focus on coaching.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jersey ‘not even close’ to real thing.  Funny how everyone tries so hard to get the “scoop”.  When the jersey is released, we can enjoy it, but until that time people will continue to speculate.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Up close and personal with Zach Bogosian.  The Free Press series continues to introduce you to your Winnipeg Jets.

Jets Nation:  Postma hoping to take flight with Jets.  A little more from this Jets prospect.

Around the NHL:

Total Pro Sports:  9 most insane fan fights.  Hockey is represented in 2 of the 9 videos.  Perhaps the Canucks could learn something from their fans.  (After watching the video, maybe not).

More from ‘Around the NHL’ after the jump including Jame Neal wanting to rebound, evaluating the goalie revamps from across the NHL and after 12 seasons Dave Scatchard calls it quits.

SportingNews:  Penguins James Neal counting on turnaround.  As someone who had him on my fantasy team, I expected the move from Dallas to Pittsburgh to boost his number (which they didn’t).

Yahoo Sports:  Ranking the goaltending revamps in the NHL.  I like the move by Washington more than Philadelphia right now.

NHL.com:  Scatchard calls it quits after 12 seasons.  Another player retiring after 12 seasons in the NHL.

The Hockey News:  Lucky No. 13?  They don’t think that the new Jets team in the Peg’ will be pushing anybody around just yet.  What do you think?

Around the NHL:

Globe and Mail:  Success keeps coming for Toews.  The Winnipeg born Toews is just a solid player who deserves all the success he has achieved through his hard work and excellent work ethic.

St. Louis Today:  Will the Blues be sold by start of season?  Consensus seems to be that a deal will get done before the season gets underway in October.

Yahoo Sports:  3-on-3 overtime at NHL research and development camp.  Looks interesting.  What are your thoughts?

After the jump learn who the top 10 former NHLers on twitter are, who called out the Capitals, which former NHL goalie is now the goalie coach for Team Canada and what Ilya Bryzgalov’s mask might look like.

The Hockey News:  Top 10 former NHLers on Twitter.  Gotta imagine that JR is a worthwhile guy to follow if you’re looking to be entertained.

Sportsnet:  Calling out the Capitals.  Some of his comments don’t seem too bad, but this one won’t sit well:

Bradley did go on to mention one player in particular, Alexander Semin, who he said has the skills to be one of the top players in the NHL but doesn’t always show up, doesn’t care and Bradley got the sense that Semin wants to be back in Russia.

Philadelphia Sports Daily:  Not so fast on Byrzgalov goalie mask.  Not a huge fan of this design but perhaps he has an affinity to tigers.

CBC:  Tugnutt hired as Canadian goalie coach.  I remember his NHL playing days in the blue and white of the Nordiques.

Global News:  Rypien talked about bringing a Stanley Cup to Winnipeg.  A shame that he will never have the opportunity to realize that dream.

Around the NHL:

Yahoo Sports:  How camp Shannahan can make shootouts less terrible.  While I’m not a huge proponent of this as a means for concluding a game, I did enjoy a live shootout featuring Hasek vs. Luongo a few years back.

SportingNews:  Penguins tickets hot – add 300 seats.  Just had a contingent of Pens fans pass through Winnipeg and they said behind the Steelers, people in Pittsburgh are pumped about the Pens, and the 99% season ticket renewal would seem to bear this out.

ESPN:  Twin brother’s lucky shot a $50,000.00 dilemma.  Let’s hope the company rewards the parents honesty in coming forward.

Globe and Mail:  Canadian team preview – Ottawa Senators.  The prediction is that the Sens will finish 13th in the East.  Does this mean the Jets are gonna be higher or lower?  We will have to wait till he does the Jets preview.  Where do you think the Jets will finish?

The Hockey News:  Rumour roundup – Kostitsyn’s comments.  Would he look good in a Jets jersey?  Won’t know until we see what the jersey actually looks like.  Right now all we have is rampant speculation (case in point the jersey shown below).  As for Kostitsyn, we won’t know anything “official” until we get a release from True North.

Around the NHL:

ESPN:  Symptoms still affecting Crosby.  That October 17th Jets game versus the Penguins is looking less and less desirable.

ESPN:  Who should be the next star of ’24/7′?  The HBO series was quite incredible to watch last year during the lead up to the Pens/Caps Winter Classic and if it is indeed the Flyers/Rangers next season, there will be quite a number of characters who could lend the project star power.  Who would you like to see?

More after the jump including prep hockey, Habs signing and is Semin an endangered species?

New England Hockey Journal:  Prep route offers the complete package.  Recently, IC’s Kyle K looked at player development, and here is one more method of player development.

Montreal Gazette:  Canadiens sign defenceman Jeff Woywitka to a 1 year, 2 way deal.  Habs add a role player with 8 years NHL experience.

Washington Post:  Should Semin be on NHL’s endangered species list?  I can list 29 other teams that would be happy with that level of production.

Portage Online:  Hectic offseason for Jets.  Some insight (audio) from Scott Brown, Director of Corporate Communications & Hockey Operations, on how hectic the schedule has been.

Hockey’s Future:  Telegin looks forward to continued success in North America.  I’m looking forward to watching him play in the 2012 World Junior Championship.

Athlon Sports:  Worst sports owners in Sports bracket.  Will come as little solace to Thrashers fans, but the Spirit Group is up for this dubious distinction.  Wonder if they were nominated in the basketball group as well?

After the jump we have some Selanne scenarios, a crazy Brent Burns Harry Potter inspired tattoo, an Oilers preview and the Capitals getting aggressive.

Jets Nation:  Who will become the Jets rival?  We discussed a similar idea before the Jets were officially welcomed back to the NHL in terms of who the Jets should play in their 1st game (which used rivalry as a factor).  My vote will probably go to a team in Alberta.  Edmonton more so because we both have young, up and coming teams.  Who would you like to see as the Jets biggest rival?

The Hockey News:  Selanne Scenarios.  We here in Winnipeg will continue to count down till September when he makes his final decision.  Those who chose the December 17th Jets games vs. Anaheim are crossing their fingers he comes back next season.

Around the NHL:

Globe and Mail:  New Coyotes ownership candidates could want an ‘out’ clause.  Not a surprise that they would want an ‘out’ clause, more surprised that it’s 7 years and not 5, which is what I believe Matthew Hulsizer was supposed to have.

Yahoo Sports:  Brent Burns and the Harry Potter tattoo of awesome.  Couldn’t imagine having the patience (or pain threshold) to sit still long enough to have that ink put on me.

Globe and Mail:  Edmonton Oilers preview.  Mirtle predicts another long season for Oilers fans.

Washington Post:  Capitals defenceman John Carlson wants to be aggressor.  Taking a page out of the Flyers handbook perhaps might be the right move for the Jets southeast division opponents.

Around the NHL:

Montreal Gazette:  Investigation into Chara hit wraps up.  Good that this is finally finished with.

Yahoo Sports:  Ukraine goalie not weak, but a little insane.  Wow, the goalie is clearly a bit nuts.

ESPN (registration required):  Why its hard to find an elite defenceman.  The draft is sometimes a total mystery.  How else can you explain all the top tier players who fall way down the draft scale.

NHL.com:  Lidstrom’s return means Detroit a cup contender.  The NHL continues their 30 for 30 with a look at the Wings and what their fans can expect this season.

SportingNews:  Canadian hockey scribes return fire after Kovalev criticism.  I liked this line from Wayne Scanlan of the Ottawa Citizen.

“Admit it, Ottawa media. We are a beer-smuggling, non-hockey-watching lot. And still, we work harder on game nights than Alex Kovalev.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:  The furry thing and the draft.  So many jokes so little time.  Still nothing concrete about whether or not Pittsburgh will be hosting the draft next year.

Globe and Mail:  What rules will the NHL test at its R&D camp?  Wow, those are some serious tweaks.  The offsides rules are especially interesting.  What change appeals most to you as a fan?

Washington Examiner:  Caps hire John Walton as new radio broadcaster.  Even when it comes to broadcasting, the Caps still develop their talent via the AHL.

Yahoo Sports:  On 23rd anniversary of trade, Bruce McNall and the ‘Gretzky tax’.  That goes in the “I did not know that” category.  Gotta give McNall credit, that idea had moxy.

Philadelphia Sports Daily:  Chris Pronger still battling hand injury.   I can’t imagine the Flyers big man is incapable of anything.  

Sportsnet:  Kovalev rips Clouston, Ottawa writers.  The disdain Kovalev has for Clouston pales in comparison to the derision he displays for the scribes in our Nation’s capital.

National Post:  Ducks sign coach Carlyle to three year extension.  Always happy to see former Jets doing well in the NHL.  Now if he could just convince Teemu to return for 1 more season…..

TSN:  Blackhawks Carcillo wastes no time in calling out Canucks.  Even when you’re a guy who loves to fight, sometimes it isn’t too smart to call out the biggest (or in this case 2nd biggest behind the Bruins) kids in the sandbox.

Faceoff:  Return of Les Nordiques?  As I said yesterday about a return of the Whalers, would love to see it happen, but not at the expense of a team like the Islanders.

Florida Sun-Sentinel:  Tryout for Panthers Ice Dancers on Sunday.  As one of the few teams without Ice Dancers, Winnipeg fans will only be seeing these on-ice beauties if they travel to other arenas.

On the Forecheck:  3 ways the S&P’s downgrade on US debt could impact the NHL.  A really interesting read.

TSN: Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber is awarded a one-year/$7.5 million contract. Nashville Predators beat writer Josh Cooper (@JoshuaCooper) will be on The Illegal Curve Hockey Show tomorrow night (6-8 p.m. CST on Sports Radio 1290) to talk about the arbitration award.

Elsewhere Around the Hockey Universe

Brandon Sun: Former Ottawa Senators Head Coach Cory Clouston is hired as the new Brandon Wheat Kings Head Coach. Clouston coached in the WHL before he got a crack in the NHL and you have to wonder how long he’ll be in the WHL before he gets called up again. He’s still in his early-forties.

San Jose Mercury News: The Sharks add defenseman Colin White. Love this pick-up as I am huge Whitey fan (Two-time Stanley Cup Champion in 2000 and 2003 with the Devils). I’m telling you right now, this San Jose Sharks defense corps is looking very impressive right now.

Washington Post: Alexander Ovechkin parts ways with CCM. Chalk this up to do you really care? I guess it will be interesting to find out which equipment manufacturer Ovie chooses, I guess.

We do have one article to link from Friend of Illegal Curve Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette.

Pat thinks the Islanders are financing a bad deal on Long Island. I agree with Pat. 

Have a great long weekend everybody!!!

Please leave your thoughts in the comments, or if you have an idea for what you would like to see on the site, send that in too.

 Nick Backstrom scores a beauty.

Analysis: The Backstrom goal highlighted in the video above is certainly one of the nicer goals from last night, and is a nice example of two things. First, an effective use of a stretch pass, and second, how not to get burned by said stretch pass.

The Blue Jackets had just killed off a power-play with Rusty Klesla in the box for slashing. Tom Poti takes possession of the puck in his own zone with Rick Nash forechecking and Klesla at the blue line on the near side boards. Poti makes the stretch pass to Fleischman, standing at the Jackets blue-line, and he steps into the Jackets’ zone unchallenged and sends a pass to a streaking Nick Backstrom who does a nifty back pass to Alex Semin. A quick pass back to Fleischman and then over to Semin for the shot and the goal. This nifty little give and go is fun to watch, but lets take a closer look.

The key to the play is the heads up move by Poti. Seeing just one Blue Jacket, Antoine Vermette, in the neutral zone and Klesla and Nash engaged in an ineffective fore-check, Poti sends a smart, low risk pass up the boards to Fleischman waiting at the far blue line. Bypassing 3 Blue Jackets with the pass, Poti has given Fleischman easy access to the offensive zone (Commodore backs off a little too easily, obviously worried about a hair-care commercial) and a streaking Backstrom finds a soft spot just inside the zone. The quick back pass to Semin on the half wall is nice, but Backstrom had speed and room and there were other plays available.

Now all the Blue Jackets available to make a play are standing still, and both Klesla and Nash are coasting back. Bing bang boom the puck is in the net because Commodore and Methot are flat-footed and overwhelmed. Poti’s pass has eliminated any chance they had to react to the play, and the ineffective back check has sealed their fate.

That covers part one of the analysis. Part two is how the Blue Jackets could have combated the Capitals’ execution. Since the Jackets were still essentially on a PK (Klesla wasn’t really in the play), Commodore gets an error here for not stepping up on a stationary Fleischman as soon as he got the puck. Poti’s pass, while a smart play, wasn’t directly on the stick and thus I feel Commodore had an opportunity to make a play here. Fleischman may still have made the initial pass to Backstrom, but his options would have been limited with Fleischman out of the play. Methot was back and Vermette was closing from his left wing position and the play may have died there.

I suppose you could make a point of saying that Vermette was also caught flat-footed in the zone when he decided to stop near the top of the circle. This opened the passing lane for Semin and led ultimately to the goal. However, while it wasn’t an ideal decision, Vermette was still responsible for the trailer here and made a calculated decision. It cost him in this case, but he had to be aware of the Caps d-men AND try and do something about Semin. Tough choice.

Agree with this assessment? Think I am way off base? Lets hear your take in the comments.

(NOTE: I apologize for link instead of an embedded video. We had trouble getting the video onto the site and hope to have this corrected by tomorrow.)

• These numbers prove that hockey is king in Canadian television ratings.  Really amazing but not surprising.  It’s hockey and everything else in Canada and the numbers reflect that. 
• Pierre Lebrun gives us the update on Mark Messier and Igor Larionov’s life.  Two of the best ever still keeping themselves involved in the game of hockey.
• Kevin Allen interviews Keith Primeau on the topics of head shots.  Let’s be real, if the NHL was overly concerned with head shots, the suspensions would be a lot more stiff than they have been.
• Tom Benjamin chimes in on the latest NHLPA news revolving around Ian Penny.  It just keeps getting uglier for the NHLPA.
• Here is a good post up at The Hock Project about the true NHL standings without overtime losses.  Wish they never went to the overtime loss format in the first place.

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• William Houston goes to town on his old colleague at the Globe & Mail for accepting the offer to carry the Olympic torch.  Wow. Houston does not hold back in this piece.  I personally don’t think it is as big of a deal as people are making it out to be, but Houston’s take is certainly worth the read.
• Brodeaur is Fraud looks the effect the lockout had on the play of a number of NHL netminders.  Interesting read that he sure put a lot of work into.
• Kevin Allen takes a look at the success of  relatively unknown rookie Ryan O’Reilly in Colorado.  This kid is smart and plays the game the right way.  Sure Craig Anderson is the main reason for the Avs’ early season success, but players like O’Reilly, Galliardi, Duchene and Quincey have played a large part as well.
• Greg Wyshynski provides some opinions from around Arizona on the Coyotes sale.  Interesting quotes in there.  To me though, it is amazing how such a huge story in the summer is hardly getting any attention when it finally reaches its final, at least temporary, resolution.
• SI writer Michael Farber chimes in on Dustin’s Penner emergence under Pat Quinn, the effect of the Ilya Kovalchuk injury on Atlanta’s progress, and much more.  That is what I love about Pat Quinn teams–they always play hard for him.
• It looks like Los Angeles is going to host the NHL Entry Draft in 2010 (Thanks to Spector for the find).  With the Kings playing so well and it being a June Entry Draft, I’m sure the California faithful will be flocking to sit indoors for a few hours to look at 18 year olds in suits….

• Battle of California has an informative post up about Brian Burke’s tenure in Anaheim.  Some say he was given a head start with the talent on the roster and while that is true, he still made many changes that helped that team win the Cup in 2007.
• Here is Elliotte Friedman’s new must-read Monday morning column.  Him and Scott Oake do a tremendous job on the sidelines for HNIC and Friedman is using that insight and knowledge to his advantage with terrific posts on the CBC cite.  Great read.
• Rob Scuderi should have been called for clipping, writes Eric McErlain.  That hit was a little bit too low for my liking.
• Darren Eliot wonders if this year’s Sharks is any different than past seasons?  We’ll know in April.
• This isn’t directly hockey related (itwas mentioned by Friedman in his piece) but also has been circulating around the internet, so if you have some time, read Malcolm Gladwell’s piece on concussions from the New Yorker.  Just a tremendous read.  Worth the time if you have it.