0:00 – Recap of last night’s Capitals 6-1 victory over the Jets

13:10 – Ondrej Pavelec’s workload and line combinations

25:14 – The Jets remaining schedule

35:45 – Southeast Division schedule

45:43 – Olli Jokinen’s production on the power play (or lack thereof)

59:00 – What to do with Alex Burmistrov

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show airs Saturdays from 12pm-3pm on TSN 1290 Winnipeg. Search for the Illegal Curve Hockey Show on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast. NHL Mid-Week with Illegal Curve airs Wednesdays from 6pm-8pm on TSN 1290 Winnipeg.

0:00 – Would you trade Ron Hainsey if; the Jets were 3rd in the conference, 8th in the conference, within 2 points of a playoff spot, more than 3 points outside a playoff spot?

14:10 – Interview with Aaron Portzline of the Columbus dispatch

28:41 – Interview with Mark Guy of Newport Sports Management

38:54 – Players who might be dealt at the trade deadline

49:49 – The market for goalies at the trade deadline

1:02:36 – Rapid Fire: Suspensions. Cheers & Jeers.

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show airs Saturdays from 12pm-3pm on TSN 1290 Winnipeg. Search for the Illegal Curve Hockey Show on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast. NHL Mid-Week with Illegal Curve airs Wednesdays from 6pm-8pm on TSN 1290 Winnipeg.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  A win against Rangers would make it a great trip.  If this team can knock off NY tonight and finish this road trip 4-1 instead of the 1-4 many suspected would be their record, it would be quite a significant step forward.

Winnipeg Sun:  Dustin Byfuglien gets green light for Jets.  Good news Jets fans although it will be interesting to see what type of minutes he plays tonight.

Illegal Curve:  Coach Noel pre-game scrum.  Jets road trip so far.  Winning special teams battles.  Road travel discussion.  Buff in the game.  Rangers talk.  What has been missing from Kyle Wellwood’s game?

Winnipeg Free Press:  Kane silencing doubters, on road to superstardom.  The 30 goal scorer is a proven commodity and is clearly the Jets best scorer night in and night out.  It seems clear that coach Noel is giving him more and more responsibility and the young gun is thriving under this trust.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Wear, tear could be taking toll on Big Buff.  Could be injury or could be coach Noel trying to manage one of his best players during this short sprint of a season.

Winnipeg Free Press:  They’ll never fuggedaboutit.  While there was a lot of doubt about Wright, he has gotten better almost every game he has played.  Of course both he and Peluso are fairly minimal impact guys but they have character and coach Noel has rewarded their hard work.

Winnipeg Sun:  Best players are playing like their best players.  Across the board the team has been getting contributions from everyone.  Captain Ladd has led by example and the team is following along to the delight of coach Noel.

Winnipeg Sun:  Anthony Peluso earns more playing time with solid contribution.  There was plenty of irony seeing Anthony Peluso pummeling someone with the same hands he used to help save Zach Redmond’s life.  Coach Noel liked what he saw and it appears that Peluso has earned more playing time.

Winnipeg Sun:  Playing at Madison Square Garden still something special.  A number of New York born players will be enjoying the return to MSG.  Additionally it will also be special for all the transplanted Winnipeggers in the crowd.

Winnipeg Sun:  Byfuglien back on ice Monday morning.  Best news Jets fans received after seeing the disturbing image of a stationary Buff following the awkward way he went into in the boards in New Jersey.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets fans feel the same after lockout.  Cannot say I am the least bit surprised by the conclusion they draw.

Illegal Curve:  Statement from the Redmond family.  The family appreciates all the warm sentiment and well wishes but are asking for privacy to allow Zach to heal following the horrific injury.

Jets opposition (New York Rangers) news:

New York Times:  Rangers Mum on Status of Nash and McDonagh.  Like a number of other teams, the NYR are dealing with some serious injuries right now.  The good news for Blueshirt fans is that they will have a number of players returning tonight against the Jets.

New York Daily News:  Torts says not time to hit panic button yet.  Torts seemed remarkably calm all things considered.

NHL news:

Chicago Tribune:  Hossa makes Hawks a winner.  Is this team real?  Apparently they are and Hossa scored a beauty in OT to give Chicago the win over Edmonton to extend their streak to 19 games.

San Jose Mercury News:  NHL says Clowe made a legal line change, still suspends him.  This is one of those rulings that makes you scratch your head.  If legal, why the suspension?

Globe and Mail:  Challenge flag coming to NHL?  While you want to ensure accuracy in the calls on the ice, you need to also be aware of time delays that this heightened accuracy can create.

Jets news:

Winnipeg Free Press:  It was Pens vs. pencils.  The Jets were certainly given their chances to win and they could have had a much different fate.  The 1st star of the game was the difference but the Jets had many good opportunities to get back into the game.

Winnipeg Free Press:  If at first you don’t succeed, get worse.  It has been argued in Calgary for what seems like the last five years, should you blow up the team and rebuild or continue to try and make the existing pieces work?  They did it in Edmonton and expectations are within a year or two the Oilers will be formidable.  However it is always difficult to get a fan base to buy into the notion that you will not be competitive for a few years.  Especially when fans are paying some of the most expensive ticket prices in the game.

Winnipeg Free Press:  New guy Tangradi catches Noel’s attention in Jets debut.  Tangradi was asked to go up against his former team mates of just a few days earlier and he looked pretty solid.  He played just under 13 minutes and had a number of decent scoring chances as well as a bunch of solid bodychecks.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Spotlight on Zach Bogosian.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets left heart on the ice against Pittsburgh says Coach Noel.  As I said yesterday, fans will never be happy with a loss but if the team losses but puts forth an honest, hard-working effort then they will certainly be a lot more understanding.  While the Jets were unable to put more than one past Marc-Andre Fleury, the team collectively played well.  If not for the 5 on 3 who knows how this game may have gone.

Winnipeg Sun:  Jets have lost home ice magic.  Have visiting teams figured out a way to block out the 15,004 rambunctious fans at the MTS Centre?  The Redmond penalty was the back breaker and one many were surprised was called.

TSN:  Lack of scoring costs Jets again in loss to Penguins.  Winnipeg has not scored more than three goals since January 27th when they put five past the Islanders.

Winnipeg Free Press:  Fan fooled by scam on Kijiji.  This is why the Jets would advocate fans to use the system they have set up so you can legitimately buy tickets without concern of being ripped off.

Jets on a Deadline – Pittsburgh 3 Winnipeg 1:

 Jets audio:  Zach Bogosian, Eric Tangradi and Andrew Ladd.

Pens audio:  James Neal and coach Dan Bylsma.

Illegal Curve Post-game podcast from the Press box: Host Drew Mindell and Analyst Richard Pollock break down the Jets play against the Penguins.

Jets on a Deadline.  Game recaps, post-game audio, video highlights and the NHL.com 3 Stars of the night.

0:00 – Interview with Kelly Hrudey of Hockey Night in Canada

15:54 – Stick to the System: Tampa Bay Lightning Power Play

26:16 – BJ Crombeen vs. Zac Rinaldo, Andrew Desjardins hit on Jamal Mayers

37:38 – Over/Under, Keep Your Eye On

NHL Mid-Week with Illegal Curve airs Wednesdays from 6pm-8pm on TSN 1290 Winnipeg. The Illegal Curve Hockey Show airs Saturdays from 12pm-3pm on TSN 1290 Winnipeg. Search for the Illegal Curve Hockey Show on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast.

Brian Campbell

Ed jovanovski

Coach Dineen

0:00 – Friday night recap, Saturday night preview

13:53 – Top Story: Zdeno Chara hit on Max Pacioretty

25:53 – Chara/Pacioretty Aftermath

36:32 – Violence in hockey and concussions

49:31 – Statistically Speaking with Gabe Desjardins of BehindtheNetHockey.com (twitter: @BehindTheNet)

1:04:55 – On The Beat

For all of the links and videos mentioned on the show, check out our weekly feature “Show Links” available on IllegalCurve.com.

The Illegal Curve Hockey Show airs live every Saturday morning on Sports Radio 1290 in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada from 9am-12pm CST

Saturday afternoon I learned from a reporter that the City of Glendale intends to file a lawsuit against the Goldwater Institute. We have not yet been served, but if the City files a lawsuit against the Institute, it will be frivolous and unsuccessful. The Goldwater Institute’s efforts to obtain public records and to determine the constitutionality of the Coyotes deal advance the public interest and are fully protected by the First Amendment.

Let me be clear: the Goldwater Institute will not stop this investigation.

The Goldwater Institute files lawsuits when public officials abuse the law and all other options are exhausted. We also file only when we have all the relevant facts to properly assess a situation. Because Glendale continues withholding public documents, in spite of a court order to release this information to the public, our analysis of the deal remains incomplete.

The City of Glendale has been under a court order to provide the Institute with all records and documents pertaining to the Coyotes sale since July 2009. On Thursday March 3 during a press conference, Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs said “Glendale has provided the Goldwater Institute with everything they have asked for.” The statement was clearly misleading. During the following 36 hours, the City proceeded to release an additional 750 pages of documents to the Goldwater Institute.

Glendale has been deliberately recalcitrant in providing public records. In one email City Attorney Craig Tindall specifically directed his deputy attorney to “play with” or “ignore” the Goldwater Institute’s request seeking to view public records subject to the court order.

The Institute has continued meeting with City staff and attorneys to discuss our concerns about the sale. In the last three months, Goldwater Institute attorneys and staff have met with and had phone conferences with Glendale and buyer Matthew Hulsizer at least a dozen times. In addition, the Goldwater Institute has extended an invitation to Mayor Scruggs, Mr. Hulsizer, and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to gather for a meeting that would be open to journalists.

Because so much of this deal has been conducted behind closed doors and out of public view, we believe any future meetings or phone conferences should be conducted openly and transparently. We believe the media should be able to report first hand on the interactions between interested parties.

We recognize that Glendale has dug itself into a financial hole by building the taxpayer-funded Jobing.com arena for a team that has proven financially unsustainable. However, the City must find a way to improve its financial situation within the boundaries or the law. Likewise, we hope the city can find a way to attract great sports teams like the Coyotes without the unconstitutional use of taxpayer funds.

The Gift Clause of the Arizona Constitution prohibits gifts by subsidy, loan or otherwise to private individuals or corporations. Under the current structure of this deal, Glendale will send $100 million to Mr. Hulsizer to assist him in buying the team and will pay him another $97 million to manage the arena for the next five-and-a-half years. Giving public funds to the buyer of a sports franchise raises red flags under the Gift Clause.

In Turken v. Gordon, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a city may provide financial support to a private enterprise only if it receives a tangible benefit of roughly proportionate value. That does not include indirect benefits, such as jobs or tax revenues, but only direct benefits that make the transaction a valuable contract rather than an illegal subsidy.

The $100 million payment to Mr. Hulsizer is primarily in return for the sale of parking lot revenues by the team to the city. However, the City may already own a significant portion of those rights. If so, the city essentially is “selling” parking revenue rights to itself, which would be an obvious sham and a clear violation of the Gift Clause.

The city insists the team owns the parking rights. Unfortunately, it has not yet been able to demonstrate that it does. It has identified numerous documents in support of its assertion, but they tend to show the opposite. Notably, the current agreement recites that “to the best of [the team’s] knowledge, it was the intent of the City and Grantor’s predecessors in interest in connection with the Arena Facility for Grantor’s predecessors in interest to have the right to use and, to some extent, in other ways exploit 5,500 vehicular parking spaces on or in the immediate vicinity of the Arena Land.” That is hardly the certainty required to demonstrate that at some point over the past ten years, the city transferred parking rights that are now contended to be worth as much as $100 million.

Even if the team owns some or all of the parking rights, the value must be roughly proportionate to the compensation paid. The city has given the public the impression that it would use only parking revenues to repay the $100 million in bonds used to finance the payment to Mr. Hulsizer. However, when the draft bond statement was released, it was revealed that the city is pledging excise and sales tax revenues if necessary to repay the bonds. That is extremely significant, because it means that if the team fails again—at any point over the next 30 years—or if parking revenues are insufficient to repay the bonds, Glendale taxpayers will be on the hook to repay the bonds through their tax dollars. The financial consequences could be catastrophic.

The city initially used two studies for the contention that parking revenues would be sufficient to repay the bonds, one by TLHocking & Associates and another by Walker Parking Consultants. We hired a national consulting firm to review those reports. Our consultant found that the city’s reports relied on untenable assumptions and, even then, the projected revenues would be insufficient to repay the bonds, leaving the shortfall to the taxpayers.

The Institute expended $7,000 for this evaluation, only to discover the city withheld another study by Walker Parking Consultants purporting to justify the payment to Mr. Hulsizer. We have not yet evaluated the new study as it was only recently provided to us, but the fact that the city found it necessary to pledge sales and excise tax revenues corroborates the view that parking revenues will be insufficient to repay the bonds.

There is an easy solution to this problem. If Glendale and Mr. Hulsizer believe that parking revenues will be sufficient to repay the bonds, then it is Mr. Hulsizer, not the city, who should guarantee any revenue shortfall. That would prevent serious harm to the taxpayers and place the financial responsibility where it should be: with the owner of the team, rather than on taxpayers’ shoulders. Taxpayers should not be asked to take a risk that the prospective owner is unwilling to take with his own money.

Glendale asserts that because the Goldwater Institute has expressed concerns about the deal, it has caused the bonds’ interest rates to rise. On January 25, 2011, Goldwater Institute attorney Carrie Ann Sitren sent a letter to various bond-rating entities (attached) stating that “the Goldwater Institute is currently investigating a potential legal challenge to the constitutionality of the lease” of the arena. The letter noted, “If the Institute were to initiate litigation on this basis and prevail, holders of bonds arising from the financing of the transaction could face the risk that the transaction would be held unconstitutional and void.” Prospective bond purchasers must not be kept in the dark about potential legal risks, which would be akin to the seller of a home failing to disclose serious construction defects.

We are not anxious to sue over this deal or any deal; to the contrary. But we are anxious for government bodies to follow the law. If this behavior can be subject to a retaliatory lawsuit by a legion of government attorneys, then journalists, bloggers, and regular citizens across the state are all at risk.

The Goldwater Institute is doing what the City of Glendale should be doing on its own: working to protect taxpayers. There should be no need for an independent organization to take the city to court to ensure public documents are made public; the city should make public records public. There should be no need for the Goldwater Institute to file a lawsuit to block this deal because the city should not craft deals that violate the Constitution. Until the city does its job, the Goldwater Institute will be there, asking questions, exposing the truth, and filing lawsuits if and when such action becomes necessary.

• Editor’s Pick – From GQ Magazine - An article about Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke and his late son Brendan Burke and how Brian Burke has become somewhat of a spokesperson for the issue of homosexuality in sport
• Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province thinks that CBJ Goaltender Steve Mason might be the NHL’s next One -Hit Wonder Goalie and was “getting a little too full of himself” last year
• David Staples of the Edmonton Journal, on his Cult of Hockey blog, compares the production of Oilers third year players Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano and attributes the difference to Gagner’s superior hands
• Robert Cribb of The Toronto Star writes about a 12-year-old girl who quit the boys hockey team she was playing for after she found out one of the parents suggested her ice be cut back, going as far as to draft an agenda.
• The National Post’s Noah Love asks TSN’s Chris Cuthbert twenty questions about Sidney Crosby’s golden goal at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Sorry for the technical difficulties but a bit of the beginning is missing, the boys were going over the new format to the NHL All-Star Game

0:00 – NHL All-Star Game changes

10:49 – Leafs lose 7 games in a row

22:10 – Sean Gordon of the Globe and Mail joins us on the phone for some Montreal Canadiens talk

34:32 – 6 Things We Learned This Week

47:10 – Hockey Night in Canada preview

53:23 – The Beat Goes On (Jim Devallno, Capitals ticket sales, Olli Jokinen, Sidney Crosby)

1:00:48 – St. Louis Blues talk (Oshie injury, Perron extension)

1:11:09 – NHL News & Notes (Giroux, O’Byrne, NHL GM Meetings)

1:23:39 – Rapid Fire

1:32:13 – Cheers & Jeers

A losing equation

Minnesota Wild backers are disappointed this season with their club’s 1-6-0 record.

Minnesota recently completed a grueling five-game road trip that included three games in four nights against Anaheim, Edmonton and Vancouver.

Michael Russo of the Star Tribune described the Wild’s season using the following equation: new coach + new players + new philosophy + heavy road schedule = early season struggles.

Wild forward Andrew Brunette is not bothered by his team’s slow start: “We’re five games under .500 and we just go from there. You can beat yourselves up over it, but I thought we did some good things on this trip,” said Brunette.

Minnesota plays six of its next nine games at home.

Read the entire article here

New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs (+110, 6)

The basics

This game looks like it will be a lopsided affair.

The New York Rangers are 6-1-0 and have won six in a row. The Toronto Maple Leafs are 0-5-1 and have lost five straight in regulation. The Rangers embarrassed the Maple Leafs 7-2 earlier this week at Madison Square Garden.

Toronto GM Brian Burke summed up the Maple Leafs’ struggles after Toronto’s most recent loss.

“There’s four main components and we’re not executing in any of them: our defensive-zone play, our scoring, our special teams, our goaltending,” said Burke.

New faces

Much of the Blueshirts’ early success can be linked to the influence of Coach John Tortorella and the contributions of free agents Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal.

Tortorella has changed the way the Rangers play hockey. According to New York defenseman Dan Girardi “our main thing is we are still defensive, but it’s getting in their face in the neutral zone and shutting them down there instead of backing up and playing in our zone.”

Gaborik and Prospal lead New York with 10 points in seven games.

Newly acquired Maple Leaf Jonas Gustavsson has seen limited action and Phil Kessel is still weeks away from his debut.

Free agent acquisitions Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek headline a Toronto defense that has allowed the most goals in the league.

Read the entire article here

• Boston Bruins power forward Milan Lucic was not on the ice for a practice session today after leaving with an injury during a 7-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
• Now that Sabre regulars Adam Mair and Toni Lydman (is it really prounounced LOOD-man?) have recovered from their injuries, coach Lindy Ruff has some intense decisions to make.
• With Canes big man Erik Cole out for 4-6 weeks with a leg injury, the team has no choice but to play harder in his absence.
• “Former Blue Jackets center Dan Fritsche has signed an AHL contract with the Syracuse Crunch,” writes Aaron Portzline on Puck-rakers.
• Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault isn’t going to drastically change his forward lines or defense pairings even though his team has dropped its first two games.
• Writer Damian Cristodero thanks Bolts defenseman Paul Ranger for agreeing to provide quotes for his story about player mishaps in the wake of Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers.

Commenter Bob Roberts asked:

Your team is on the powerplay and has the puck when an additional penalty is indicated against your opponent.

What’s the best course of action to follow? Why?

Bob, our opinion is that you should turn the puck over to the other team as soon as possible. While the extra PP minutes are nice, you can’t really beat the 5-3 option, especially if you have a potent powerplay. Assuming you are asking in an NHL context, you get the offensive zone faceoff, so we advocate giving the bad guys the puck as soon as possible.
Thanks for your question.

Reader Keith from Grand Prairie asks:

I entered a pool that only had an auto-draft option where you pre-rank the players. I ended up with 3 Oiler defenders, (Visnovsky, Gilbert and Grebeshkov). I would like to deal one or two to get some balance to my lineup. Who would you deal and what kind of return would you ask for?

Thanks for your question Keith. Our best answer here is to keep Visnovsky and Gilbert and trade Grebeshkov, or if you want to keep only one, keep Gilbert. Its our opinion that Gilbert will improve upon his 45 point performance from last year, and he is durable and defensively sound enough so that he wont cost you points with a series of minus games.

While Visnovsky is a solid producer too, he is a little older and could be injury prone at this stage of his career. Grebeshkov would get you about 35 to 40 points, but is prone to the odd bad game where he can end up deep in the minus.

As for targets, why not try an up and coming type defender. Ask around about Drew Doughty, Kyle Quincey or Matt Niskanen. If no one is willing to part with them, check out someone like Keith Ballard, who might put up a little better results this year in the absence of Jay Bouwmeester.

 Here are the current pre-season rankings of the teams in question.

INCH has three ECAC teams ranked in the top 15, Cornell 7, Princeton 8 and Yale 11.

The USA Today polls have three ECAC teams ranked in the top 15 Cornell 7, Princeton 9 and Yale 11.

The College Hockey News has three ECAC teams ranked in their top ten preseason poll as well, Cornell 4, Princeton 7 and Yale 10.

Let’s look at this further; the Ivy League teams in the ECAC won’t start their exhibition play until around the 23rd – 25th of October. By that time all other teams in division one college hockey will have played at least an exhibition game and probably at least a game or a series against a non conference opponent. A few teams will have played in a pre-season tourney. The travesty is that college hockey fans are going to have to suffer through two weeks of games when three ECAC teams will be ranked in the top 15 and they won’t have played even one college hockey game.

Just so you think I am not piling on the ECAC, since 2001 the ECAC has a combined NCAA playoff record of 6-18, that is not an impressive record folks. Breaking it down further Cornell is responsible for 5 of those wins with a 5-5 record. The rest of the ECAC teams are 1-13. Yet the NCAA hockey selection committee still gave Clarkson a number one seed in 2007 which Clarkson promptly went out and lost their first round game. Yeah like they were the 3rd best team over all that season. Not!

Seriously folks, the last time an ECAC team won an NCAA title was in 1989 when the Harvard Crimson beat Doug Woog’s Minnesota Golden Gophers 4-3 in overtime. That was 20 years ago. So I ask you again why is there three ECAC teams ranked so high.

Just for historical purposes; here is the break down of the NCAA titles won by ECAC teams.

Cornell 2-time NCAA men’s champions (1967, 1970)

Harvard -time NCAA men’s champions (1989)

RPI -time NCAA men’s champions (1954, 1985)

For more from Eric of Goon’s World check out my twitter, the Goon’s World Blog. Also Goon’s World on MVN.COM

• Habs writer Pat Hickey confirms that third-year stopper Carey Price will get the start for the Montreal Canadiens in tonight’s season-opener versus the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre. No big shock here folks. The price should be right all year long for the former Tri-City American as new head coach Jacques Martin has full confidence in the super-talented young goalie heading into tonight’s opening game.
• Eric Stephens has joined the Orange County Register as their newest writer and has an introductory post up on Ducks Blog. Stephens used to cover the Ducks for The Los Angeles Times.
• In a surprising move, the New Jersey Devils have released Brendan Shanahan. This is unfortunate as Shanny is one the classiest hockey players around. He obviously didn’t have the greatest year last year in New Jersey and his struggles continued into training camp but he can surely still add something to a National Hockey League team at this stage of his career.
  
• Sports Illustrated has apparently dissed (disrespected) the Atlanta Thrashers pretty, pretty, pretty bad. Pavel Kubina, Nik Antropov and Maxim Afinogenov were nice acquisitions but the Thrashers will have difficulty finishing third in their own division, let alone eighth in the conference.
• Fluto Shinzawa tells us that David Krejci will play tonight for the Boston Bruins in their home opener against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden. Wow, this is going to be a terrific opening game featuring two of the Eastern Conference’s big (and I stress big) powerhouse teams.  With Krejci in the line-up, the Bruins are absolutely stacked on forward. When your third line is Recchi-Bergeron-Kobasew, you know you’re in a for a great season.
  
• Capitals Insider Tarik El-Bashir is convinced that Jose Theodore will start in net tonight for Washington. Insert Theodore jokes here.
• With the Minnesota Wild season opener only two days away, Star-Tribune writer Michael Russo offers his predictions.
• Joe Sakic, deservedly, has a street named after him in Colorado.

 2.)    University of Wisconsin – On paper the Badgers would appear to have one of the best defensive blue lines in college hockey: Brendan Smith (9g-14a-23pts), Jake Gardiner (3g-18a-21pts), Ryan McDonagh (5g-11a-16pts),  and Cody Goloubef (5g-8a-13pts) is a pretty solid top four defensive group. While there seems to be the perception around the WCHA that Wisconsin is all defense and no flash, the Badgers were ranked 3^rd in WCHA scoring last season. This season the Badgers should be a pretty balanced offensively, led by sophomore Derek Stephan (9g-24a-33pts) who is a game breaker and will only get better in his second season. The Badgers also return senior Ben Street who sat out last season with a knee injury. The biggest question mark for the Badgers is in goal.

 3.)    University of North Dakota – Dave Hakstol has been the coach of the Fighting Sioux hockey team for five seasons and has compiled a 130-70-19 record, winning a regular season title and a conference tourney title. Hakstol’s teams have also finished 2^nd (x1) and 3^rd (x3) in the NCAA tourney. Last season was the first time in his tenure at UND Hakstol’s team didn’t win a regional title and advance to the Frozen Four. Key losses Ryan Duncan (20g-19a-39pts), Brad Miller (6g-29-35pts), and Matt Frattin (13g-12a-25pts). While there were some key losses for the Fighting Sioux, there are good replacements coming in for the Fighting Sioux in forwards Danny Kristo, Michael Cichy, Corbin Knight, Carter Rowney as well as defenseman Andrew MacWilliam. Goaltender Aaron Dell should challenge Brad Eidsness (24-12-4, 2.56 GAA and 906 SV%) for playing time.

4.) University of Minnesota – Key loss Ryan Stoa (22g-22a-46pts) signed with the Colorado Avalanche of the NHL in the off season. Super sophomore Jordan Schroeder (13g-32a-45pts) returns for what will probably be his last season in the WCHA. Key new arrivals for the Gophers are forward Zach Budish and defensemen Nick Leddy and Seth Helgeson. Gopher fans are wondering which version of Alex Kangas is going to show up this season. Will it be the version that finished in the top half of the league (12-10-9 1.98 GAA .930 SV %) in goaltending or the mediocre one (17-11-6, 2.79 GAA .901 SV %) that played for the Gophers last season? If the Gophers are to contend, their defense and goaltending must improve. The Gophers also need to get tougher as last year’s team got pushed around all over the ice.

 5.)  University of Minnesota Duluth – While this season’s version of the UMD Bulldogs might be a little young and minus some solid players, the Bulldogs also return an exciting pair of forwards named Connolly. No, they are not related: Mike Connolly (13g-29a-42pts) and Jack Connolly (10-19-29). Add to the mix Justin Fontaine who is an offensively gifted forward (15g-33-48pts). I have been told by UMD fans that Brady “Peanut Butter and Jelly” Hjelle (1-0-0, 1.50 GAA .941 SV %) is the second coming of Alex Stalock. Expect UMD to play very physical and be responsible defense in their end of the ice. Coming in for the Bulldogs this season is monster defenseman Dylan Olson from Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL who also played on the Canadian U18 team in Fargo this past spring. I was very impressed with his game and he skates pretty well for a big guy. Olson will probably have a pretty big impact on the blue line for the Bulldogs this season.   

 6.) Saint Cloud State University – Garrett Roe (17g-3a1-48pts) and Ryan Lasch (18g-24a-42pts) lead the SCSU offense, while Garrett Raboin (10g-23-33pts) leads the Huskies on the blue line. Last season the Huskies 18-17-3 including a horrible 0-6-0 record against the Gophers who ended the Huskies season in the WCHA playoffs.  Key additions for the Huskies: Goalie Mike Lee, Forward Ben Hanowski, Defensemen Taylor Johnson, David Eddy. Rookie Goalie Mike Lee is highly regarded and expected to take the reins in net for the Huskies if Dan Dunn (2-4-1, 2.60 GAA and .904 SV %) stumbles.

 7.) Colorado College – C.C. has had a horrible off season. First they lost their top goalie Richard Bachman (14-11-10, 2.63 GAA and .914 SV %) to the Dallas Stars and then lost two of their top recruits John Moore to the NHL and Colton St. Clair to UND. The good news for C.C. is that Bill Sweatt (12g-11a-23pts) decided to come back to finish school and not sign a professional contract. The Tigers lost solid players Chad Rau (18g19a-37pts) and Eric Walsky (12g-24a-36pts) to graduation.

8.) Minnesota State University – Mankato – The good news is that the Mavericks return five of their top six scorers: sophomore forward Mike Louwerse (13-13–26), juniors defenseman Kurt Davis (6-25–31) and forward Rylan Galiardi (8-20-28), and seniors forwards Kael Mouillierat (17-13–30), and Geoff Irwin (12-16-28). The bad news is that the Mavericks lose goaltenders Mike Zacharias (14-14-6, 2.00 GAA and .911 SV %) and Dan Tormey (1-3-0 3.87 GAA and .878 SV %) as well as forwards Mick Berge (7g-21a-31pts) and Trevor Bruess (12g-5-17pts). More bad news: the Mavericks have three inexperienced goaltenders, none who have played in a division one college hockey game, competing for the starting goaltending job.

9.) University of Alaska Anchorage – I am going to go out on a limb and say this year’s UAA team is not going to finish in the basement of the WCHA. However, I don’t see the Seawolves finishing any higher than the eighth or ninth spot either. Sure UAA was a better team last season than they were the previous three seasons when they finished in the ninth spot as opposed to their customary tenth position. Many took notice when the Seawolves swept cross-state rival University of Alaska Fairbanks who was the fourth place team in the CCHA. That says a lot about the strength WCHA in comparison to the CCHA and how our mediocre teams can beat the fourth place team in the CCHA. That being said, I don’t expect the UAA Seawolves to do much at all in the WCHA this season. Nothing personal, now go ahead and prove me wrong Seawolves. Key returnees for UAA are senior forwards Josh Lunden (14g-6a-20pts) and Kevin Clark (13g-18a-31pts) and junior Tommy Grant (15g-10a-25pts).  In net the Seawolves have a two headed monster with unimpressive numbers, Bryce Christenson (8-8-4, 2.60 GAA and .893 SV %) and John Olthuis (6-9-1 3.43 GAA and .873 SV %).

10. Michigan Tech University – The good news: the Michigan Tech Huskies will enter the 2009-10 season with three-fourths of their scoring offense returning from a the 2008-2009 season. They also return an experienced blue line as six of their nine defenders return from last season’s team. The Huskies also return sophomore goalie Josh Robinson who played in 20 games last season and had a 4-8-2, 3.09 GAA and a .889 SV %. Senior captain Malcolm Gwilliam (2g-5a-7pts) returns to the Huskies line up after suffering a stroke nine games into last season. Senior Drew Dobson (5g-14a-19pts) is a talented player that can play both forward and defense. The bad news: Michigan Tech will be much younger than last season with freshmen and sophomores accounting for 17 of the 27 players on the roster.

Check out more from Eric of mvn.com, on  my twitter,  and the Goon’s World Blog.

The show can be heard by tuning to 92.9 KICK FM in Winnipeg or by clicking the “radio show” link in the top right corner.

Join us tonight to get the skinny on who you should target in your hockey pool, who you should avoid, and who this year’s sleepers and busts will be.

We will be joined tonight by Jeff Angus  of Dobber Hockey and Gus Katsaros  from McKeen’s Hockey.

If you have any specific players you would like us to discuss, kindly email us at drew@illegalcurve.com or call in to tonight’s show at (204) 780-KICK (5425).

We hope you enjoy, and we are thrilled to bring you the most comprehensive fantasy hockey preview show anywhere in North America.

This is our commitment to you because at www.illegalcurve.com Every Day is a Game Day.

Change is the common thread running through all facets of the second century of Les Glorieux. This offseason saw many changes to the defence and the scoring lines as well as change behind the bench and in ownership. After wildly exceeding expectations in the 2007-08 NHL season, hopes were high in Montreal that the storied franchise would properly commemorate its centennial celebration with on-ice success in the 2008-09 NHL season. Those hopes were dashed when Les Habitants narrowly clinched the 8th playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, after enduring a campaign filled with on-ice inconsistency and off-ice disrepute. The remedy for the ailing franchise, as prescribed by GM Bob Gainey, was a complete and substantive makeover.

Organization

On June 20, 2009, an agreement in principle was announced between George Gillette Jr., the American businessman who has owned the club since January 2001, and three members of the Molson family for the sale of the club and its arena to the latter. If approved by the NHL, the sale marks a return of the franchise to the Molson family, whose prior involvement with the club stretches back, intermittently, to 1957 and who enjoyed 11 Stanley Cups during their tenure.

In addition, the organization announced hire of a new head coach in Jacques Martin, former coach of the Ottawa Senators and former GM and coach of the Florida Panthers. Martin succeeds Guy Carbonneau and GM Gainey, who respectively coached the Habs in the prior campaign. The experienced Martin comes with a general reputation as a defensive coach and enjoyed considerable regular-season success during his tenure with the Ottawa Senators. Playoff success during his multi-year tenure will be expected in fervent Montreal, particularly given the growing distance between the club’s last Stanley Cup in 1993.

Forwards

GM Gainey declined to sign any of his several unrestricted free agents, which included such offensive talent as long-time captain Saku Koivu, enigmatic Alex Kovalev, Alex Tanguay and Robert Lang. Instead, GM Gainey unlocked the war chest and effectively rewrote the team’s depth chart.

Scott Gomez brings playoff experience to Montreal

Centre Scott Gomez will most certainly bear the greatest scrutiny from the Montreal faithful. He will certainly receive the largest paycheque. Gomez was obtained from the New York Rangers prior to the NHL Draft in a seven-player deal involving Christopher Higgins and a number of defensive prospects. Gomez has a 2009-10 cap hit of $7.35 million.

The Gomez trade was followed by a bevy of signings, two of the most notable and expensive being his potential linemates, Mike Cammalleri and Brian Gionta. The pair each signed five-year contracts with the Canadiens and are owed $6 million and $5 million for the 2009-10 season, respectively. The career of Cammalleri has shown promise, having tallied 80 and 82 points in previous campaigns. Gionta has witnessed a dip in production in recent years and, like Gomez, career-high point totals came in the 2005-06 season, when the pair were linemates. During that season, Gionta tallied 48 goals and 89 points.

Effectively, Gomez, Cammalleri and Gionta, will be called upon to replace Koivu, Kovalev and Tanguay. GM Gainey was explicit in the off-season about the need to get bigger at the forward position and the biggest knock on the acquisitions is their lack of size.

The second line, though largely intact from last season, remains a mystery. Centre Tomas Plekanec is coming off arguably his worst offensive outputs of his career, scoring only 39 points in 81 games as the team’s second line centre. Andrei Kostitsyn is expected to be his left-winger and is also coming off a poor offensive season amidst off-ice issues, having scored only 41 points in 74 games. Competition for the remaining winger spot is open, with Max Pacioretty, Sergei Kostitsyn and Matt D’Agosotini in the running.

The third line may be the team’s most reliable. Centre Maxim Lapierre has developed into an effective checker who works hard and plays a physical game. The acquisition of LW Travis Moen brings a nightly yeoman effort and a Stanley Cup ring. Sprinkle in trimmed-down heavy weight Georges Laraque or hard-hitting Guillaume Latendresse and a bruising third line may offset the Canadiens’ concerns about size.

Defence

Andrei Markov has "Bean" the Habs' most consistent defenseman

Andrei Markov will again lead the defence corps. Markov has a booming shot from the point, which aided his 12 goals and 52 assists last year. With Kovalev gone, Markov is the Canadiens remaining point leader from last season and is one of the few remaining talents from Canadiens teams gone by. The challenge with Markov will be limiting his exposure in the regular season so that he stays fresh for the playoffs, as he has suffered shoulder and knee ailments in the past.

As was the case with the forwards, GM Gainey spent on defence, bringing in Jaroslav Spacek from Buffalo and towering Hal Gill from Pittsburgh. Though getting on in years at 35, Spacek provides a good outlet pass from the defensive zone and is expected to compliment Markov on the power play. While never standing out during stints in Toronto and Boston, the 6’7’ Gill found a niche in Pittsburgh working as a shut-down tandem with Rob Scuderi.

Defenceman Josh Georges showed progress last season and was rewarded with greater ice time, particularly in the playoffs. The remaining six defencemen will be filled by a combination of Ryan O’Byrne, Paul Mara, Roman Hamrlik, and intriguing offensively-minded rookie Yannick Weber.

Goaltending

Will this be the year Carey Price matures?

Carey Price will be expected to improve upon a disappointing season in perhaps the harshest environment for a young goaltender to mature. Following a sparkling rookie season, which drew unfair comparisons to St. Patrick Roy, Price’s 2008-09 campaign culminated in soft goals, allegations of perpetual partying and a Roy-ian wave to the Montreal faithful. Make no mistake; Price is the team’s goaltender of the future. His periodic flashes of brilliance say as much and, with time, consistency will follow. However, a year of progression will likely be needed to buy that time from the Montreal fan base.

Backing up Price is another talented young netminder, Jaroslav Halak. At times when Price has faltered, Halak has stepped in and has more than held the fort. That said, his promise will not keep Halak in that backup role for long and, if Halak is moved by the club in an effort to obtain scoring depth, Curtis Sanford will backup Price.

Prediction

Ceiling – Unless there is a significant drop-off on the part of the Bruins, the Habs have no shot to win the division. Intra-division, they will also be pushed by the maturing Sabres and the presumably physical Maple Leafs. In the most favorable scenario, Montreal will win a lower playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

Floor – It is entirely possible that the reshaped Canadiens will not gel in time to make a serious playoff push, injuries to aging defensemen will expose both a lack of depth and a young goaltender, or their lack of size up front will disable them from playing within the Conference. If those scenarios happen, look for a very disappointing start to the second Canadiens century as a finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference could happen.

Tonight we will discuss the latest in the Coyotes bankruptcy saga, the Patrick Kane-Cabbie incident, Jason Spezza garnering a Team Canada Orientation Camp invite, and the case of American Needle v. The NFL, a case which may change the shape of professional sports, including the NHL, as we know it.

If you want to read more about IC Radio and/or listen to past shows, click here.

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We hope you enjoy,

The IC Team

The taxi driver who was allegedly beaten by NHL star Patrick Kane over incorrect pocket change had drunk driving convictions and no valid driver’s licence, the Buffalo News is reporting .

Jan Radecki, 62, of Buffalo, N.Y., had his licence revoked in December, 1998, after refusing to submit to a chemical test, according to records obtained by the newspaper. He was given a conditional licence, but that too was revoked after four months because of a charge of driving while intoxicated.

Read the entire article here.

That’s sketchy.  This guy should not have been driving that cab, and as more facts come out of this, questions continue to arise surrounding the credibility of this cabdriver.  Eventually the whole story will come out, but this isn’t the innocent cabdriver he wanted us to believe he was.

Whether you are a betting beginner or veteran, it is useful to review the basics before the NHL regular season starts.

In this weeks Frozen Assets, I have put together a quick list of websites to visit when you are doing research for hockey betting season (other than Illegal Curve).

New to betting? Forget what the different types of bets are?

Try the Hockey Betting Guide at Puckline.

Puckline has done a good job explaining different types of bets (Puckline, Moneyline, Canadian Line, Total, Parlay, Futures, Props) and different styles of odds (American, Decimal, Fractional). However, I would definitely avoid their sportsbook recommendations.
Not sure where to open a sports betting account?

Before you open an account you need to do your research. Visit Sportsbook Review to learn about which sportsbooks are safe and which ones are scams. I have written about Sportsbook Review in detail here and here is a link to an old article discussing Ari’s top 5 NHL betting sites. The article is still accurate, though I would remove Will Hill and insert 5Dimes.

What about Pro-Line?

Canadians are able to bet legally on sporting events through provincially run sports lottery parlay games. Each jurisdiction posts their odds online and British Columbia and Atlantic Canada allow residents to place wagers online. Here are the links to the five jurisdictions: BCLC, WCLC, OLG, Loto Quebec, ALC.

These lottery games are generally a big rip-off; the odds are significantly less favourable than a person would find offshore and players must play a minimum of two and sometimes three games in order to have a valid selection. There is a way to improve your edge in pro-line: all you have to do is compare the pro-line odds to the offshore odds.

Where should I do my research before betting on a game?

The most popular and best site I have seen is Covers.com. They have stats and trends on all NHL games for the past 10 years. Rotoworld is also a good site to find out about player injuries and Goaliepost has emerged as the best spot to find out who will be between the pipes

What do I do if I have additional questions?

Send me an e-mail at ari@illegalcurve.com and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Tonight’s guests include Dave Fischer of USA Hockey and Anthony SanFilippo of the Delaware County Daily Times.

Click here to listen live.  Also, if you want to call in and talk some hockey dial 204-780-5425.

If you want more information on IC Radio, click here.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Sincerely,

The IC Team

Fischer is going to provide us with an inside look at yesterday’s U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductees.  While SanFilippo, who covers the Flyers for the Times, is going to breakdown the Ray Emery signing, the departure of Martin Biron, the acquisition of Chris Pronger and the possible signing of Ole-Kristian Tollefsen.

If you have a question for either guest, drop it in our mailbag and we’ll do our best to get to it.

Additionally, we are working with a three man crew tonight (Neil, Drew and Richard), so feel free to dial us up at (204)-780-Kick.  If you want to email us during the show, drop a line to drew@illegalcurve.com.

To listen to tonight’s show live, click here at 7pm Central.

Click here to read more about IC Radio, click here.

We hope you enjoy.

Sincerely,

The IC Team

Can Patrick Thoresen lead the Norwegians to gold in the 2010 Olympics?

It’s a quiet time in the NHL. The marquee names have been signed,and training camps have yet to begin. Not much is happening with NHL odds, so this week we will look at 2010 Olympic gold medal odds. Canada is the clear favorite, followed by the Russians and the Swedes.

Six teams have a legitimate chance to win gold, followed by Slovakia and maybe Switzerland.

The rest of the teams will consider any victory over the top teams to be a successful tournament.

.

Here are the odds on each team to win gold:

Team…………………………Odds……………………….Site

Canada………………………+125………………………BWin

Russia……………………….+300………………………Unibet

Sweden………………………+450………………………Bet365

USA…………………………..+800………………………Bet365

Czech Republic…………..+1600……………………..BWin

Finland……………………..+1700……………………..Unibet

Slovakia…………………….+5000……………………..BWin

Switzerland………………..+12400……………………Unibet

Germany……………………+40000……………………Bet365

Belarus………………………+150000………………….BWin

Latvia………………………..+150000………………….BWin

Norway……………………..+200000………………….BWin

Tonight’s guests are Joanne Ireland of the Edmonton Journal and Wade Davison from the “Believe in the Goal Foundation”.

Click here to listen live.  Also, if you want to call in and talk some hockey dial 204-780-5425.

If you want more information on IC Radio, click here.

We hope you enjoy the show.

Sincerely,

The IC Team

Hudler, 25, was one of 20 players who filed for salary arbitration on Sunday.

Hudler and the Red Wings were in the process of negotiating a contract before the hearing took place between July 20 and August 4. By filing for arbitration, Hudler could not receive an offer sheet from another team.

Hudler earned $1.15 million last season while posting career-highs of 23 goals and 57 points.

This wave of defections may actually hurt the Wings a little. Their depth has been a calling card during the glory years and Hudler’s departure is yet another blow. While none of the departures is really that earth shaking (save for Hossa) it may turn out to be a death by a thousand cuts type scenario.

The Avalanche have called a news conference for Thursday at 3pm et/12pm pt, where according to local reports they will announce Sakic’s retirement.

The Burnaby, B.C. native would leave the game as one of the most decorated athletes to ever take to the ice. Sakic hoisted two Stanley Cups, participated in 13 NHL All-Star games, and was named tournament MVP for Canada’s gold medal winning team in the 2002 Olympics.

Sakic played his entire career for the Quebec/Colorado franchise, and served as their captain since 1992, after being drafted 15th overall by the Nordiques in the 1987 NHL Entry draft.

Sakic was certainly a treat to watch. A no nonsense type forward with sublime skills and a laser beam wrist shot, he made the Nordiques respectable and made the Avalanche champions. A fine international record also adorned Sakic’s mantle. Denver, and the hockey world as a whole, will certainly miss Burnaby Joe.

Our concern is whether oddsmakers were paying attention to teams’ free agent acquisitions. Specifically, were the odds adjusted to reflect the events of July 1?

No. Not at all.

Originally this article was going to compare the odds before and after July 1, but nothing has changed. Oddsmakers have not adjusted the odds.

Why? The obvious reason is that not many people care about betting on hockey. Even less people care about betting on hockey futures, and even less people care about betting on hockey futures in early July.

Here is the early edition of the 2010 Stanley Cup odds:

We will unveil our NHL Entry Draft mock draft at 740 PM CST so we hope you tune in, and call in at (204) 780-KICK (5425)

Obviously, this could be become a huge problem for Hockey Canada, if its not already. Losing any large segment of potential athletes to another sport or to monetary issues could have a detrimental impact not only on international competition, but on all levels of hockey in Canada. Kids seemingly want to play what their friends are playing, and if enough kids in a class eschew hockey for soccer, the slope gets pretty slippery.

So, the question becomes how does one stem this tide? Before I go on, I am not suggesting that kids don’t play other sports at all, but rather that kids be at least given the opportunity to try hockey. I know the game is not for everyone, but it would be a shame for the hockey world to miss out on the next Gretzky or Crosby because he is out on the soccer pitch or playing badminton.

USA Hockey (and Hockey Canada), in conjunction with the NHL and others, have started a program called One Goal, which aims to provide information and assistance to parents and kids who might be either new to the US or Canada and/or who are also new to hockey. This educational program is certainly a step in the right direction, but to me it seems that this initiative requires parents and kids to find One Goal, rather than the other way around. If they are found, does One Goal provide anything in the way of cost relief?

Though I tend to disfavor any kind of government or administrative intrusion into either sport or life in general, I believe this situation requires some assistance. Here are three points I think are feasible to both introduce and pay for that will get kids playing hockey (again):

• First, I would either copy or improve upon the USA Hockey equipment rental program. I was unable to find much information on this, but to the best of my knowledge it allows young players and their parents to rent the needed equipment from season to season (including goalie equipment).  This alleviates some of the costs associated with kids in hockey, namely that they outgrow their very expensive equipment very quickly. I would also suggest working with equipment manufacturers to make more “entry level” equipment for kids wanting to try hockey. Torspo Hockey makes a hockey onesie that costs about $100 (if memory serves), which is likely significantly less than buying everything piece-meal. The onesie, called Ice Armor, also helps parents dress kids for hockey without having them learn where everything goes. It might not sound like much, but if you have no previous experience, it could be a daunting task. Perhaps Hockey Canada could partner with Torspo or another manufacturer to expand this entry level line, or purchase sets of equipment to give to minor hockey associations for the purpose of renting them out. The more obstacles one removes to get to kids to hockey, the more kids (and parents) will be enticed to play the game.
• Second, this is along the same lines as the first step, but I would have Hockey Canada pass a rule saying no youth players under bantam age can play with a composite stick. The sticks are somewhat cost prohibitive (especially for working families, immigrant or not) and they provide little in the way of actual benefit to the player. They are basically a status symbol that kids want because thats what NHL’ers use. If you make Hockey Canada the bad guy (or have the NHL pitch in with some advertising on this front) you make a level playing field and ease some costs. I know the manufacturers will pitch a fit, but they were all once very good at making wood sticks. I am sure they haven’t forgot how. I believe countries in Europe (Finland springs to mind) have banned the sticks for under-15′s and I have not heard of any detrimental effects on the little snowflakes’ hockey careers or psyches. Telling new hockey parents who just droppped $500-$600 on equipment that you now have to pony up another $150 on a stick is almost cruel.
• Third, I would partner with the CBC/TSN etc. to get more broadcasts in the native tongues of immigrants. I know there is already a HNIC Punjabi broadcast, so why not hire a few more play by play people to call the games in other tongues? I am all for assimilation and making people “Canadian”, but that can come with time. If people can watch and follow hockey in their own language, they might be better able to understand the game and more likely to get their kids involved.
• Last, I would have Hockey Canada put together a traveling hockey exhibition in each province, with the focus on cities with large immigrant populations. You can buy very good synthetic ice now, so pack up a few trailers and go around demonstrating the game, or better yet, make it interactive. Let the kids take a couple laps on skates or shoot a few pucks. Its my belief that once kids get a taste, they will want more.

While I acknowledge that this is a pretty simplistic formula to get kids back, one has to admit that something should be done quickly. Every year we let go without getting new kids into hockey weakens a draft class (don’t laugh, it can happen) and diminishes Canada’s standing on the world stage. USA Hockey is creating regional development centers to help grow hockey in the less traditional markets and if we don’t look after hockey in our backyard, we may be faced with a generation in the hockey hinterland.

Anything to add? Suggestions on how to help? Think I am a xenophobic nut case? Lets hear it in the comments.

This will be a great move for UNO. Blais brings a stellar coaching resume plus excellent insight to the game. An old time type coach, he stresses aggressive puck pursuit at both ends of the ice and all of his teams are extremely hard working. Not a micromanager, Blais eschews video and detailed systems for a more reactionary style. The former University of North Dakota coach will bring this up tempo style to UNO (potentially headed to the WCHA) and will likely find great success there. He was recently selected to coach Team USA at the upcoming World Junior Championships in Saskatchewan.

Honest mistake? Ammunition for the conspiracy theorists? Motivation for the Penguins? An attempt to soothe Detroiters feelings after finding out the President is running the nation’s largest automaker? Sound off in the comments.

Corey Schneider: Taking a brief moment to acknowledge once again that I know nothing about goaltenders, Schneider played a very solid game. He seems to be technically sound, is always square to the shooter and has impressive reflexes. He faced a lot of shots and tons of traffic, but is able to use his size to fight through it and make the key saves. Kept the Moose in the game during some hectic moments. The downside to his game is that he gives up an awful lot of rebounds, and was bailed out numerous times by his skaters.

Michael Neuvirth: We noticed that he plays a very similar style of game to Schneider, and last night’s game was definitely a goaltenders duel. Neuvirth plays the same basic style as Schneider, though he gives up slightly fewer rebounds. He really didn’t give the Moose shooters much until Jason Jaffray’s game winner, which Neuvirth likely should have stopped.

Michael Grabner: He has come a long ways since we first saw him a couple years ago. He is a much stronger skater, and stronger period. No longer easy to knock off the puck, Grabner can use a powerful stride and a quick first step to  beat defenders wide. He was held off the scoresheet last night, but he was able to make things happen in the face of a stifling Bears defense.

Chris Bourque: If he was a couple inches taller, we likely would have been talking about him in the Caps-Pens series. A quick skater with excellent lateral movement, Bourque possesses NHL calibre playmaking and shooting skills. Able to play with some grit, Bourque was all over the ice last night and frequently backed in Moose defenders with his speed and shiftiness. I would be shocked if he didn’t make the Caps next fall.

Mark Fistric: After hearing so much about him, we were both a little underwhelmed with his game last night. Prone to bad decision making and not terribly fleet of foot, Fistric gets burned often trying to play the riverboat gambler style. He did make several nice plays to keep plays alive and is very, very strong (separating guys from pucks with one arm, etc.) but he needs to learn his limitations in order to have a positive impact going forward.

Cody Hogdson: He had little impact in limited viewing. Not much ice time, and when he did play he lined up on RW.

Matt Pope: A pleasant surprise from the Where The F@#% Did He Come From Tree, Pope had a very strong game and was impressive at both ends of the rink. This Bemidji State product looks like another coup for the Moose scouting department.

News and Notes: The MTS Centre was electric last night, with nearly ear splitting crowd noise and some very enthusiastic fans, including a Hutterite family that was on the edge of their seats all night and some guy in a Sidney Crosby jersey that yelled the entire game. The other end of the spectrum were the slightly sauced and very funny girls sitting next to us, who came up with such gems as, “Oh my God guys, he forgot the puck” (upon seeing a turnover) and “Guys, guys! Look! The shots are 28-28, isn’t that funny?” Lets hope their passed out friend made it home ok.

Lastly, we would like to take a minute to note that we still despise the bad angle one-timers on the Power Play. The Moose love to try and give the cross-ice feed to Jason Jaffray as he sets up at the bottom of the circle. This angle presents a very low percentage shot, with a far greater chance of him missing the net and clearing the zone. We see this all the time at all levels of hockey, and it still does not make sense.

Please enjoy these videos, featuring the anthem and a Moose powerplay.

Saturday, May 30 at Detroit, 8:00 pm – NBC, CBC, RDS
Sunday, May 31 at Detroit, TBD-Night – NBC, CBC, RDS
Tuesday, June 2 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm – VERSUS, CBC, RDS
Thursday, June 4 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm – VERSUS, CBC, RDS
* Saturday, June 6 at Detroit, 8:00 pm – NBC, CBC, RDS
* Tuesday, June 9 at Pittsburgh, 8:00 pm – NBC, CBC, RDS
* Friday, June 12 at Detroit, 8:00 pm – NBC, CBC, RDS

Finally, a schedule is released that almost makes sense.  At least we won’t have to wait the 9 days before the Finals start as was rumoured before.  Note the large gap between Games 6 and 7 if necessary.  Damn NBC, it’s all your fault.

As you may have guessed from the headline, I am very against this move. This fight has raged back and forth since I came to North Dakota (and for years beforehand), and I have ample opportunity to listen to both sides of the argument. The anti-nickname side basically contends that the nickname and logo creates a campus environment that is “hostile and abusive” to Native American students. The pro-nickname side points to the plethora of programs and services UND offers Native American students.

I personally fail to see how a name and logo can actually create a hostile environment. Racism has existed before this controversy and it will exist after this controversy because its almost impossible to change the opinions of some small minded people. Changing the logo and nickname will not help this matter one bit. The University of North Dakota has gone above and beyond to create opportunities for Native American students on campus. They had a Native American artist design the logo and a bronze statue of Sitting Bull graces the Ralph Engelstad Arena’s promendade. The Sioux Nation is paid homage during every UND home game in what I would consider to be a very respectful manner. The logo is certainly a better likeness of a Native American than is Chief Wahoo, the Cleveland Indians logo. So again, would someone tell me why this logo is hostile and abusive?

Instead of focusing on actual problems associated with racism and/or the plight of the local Native Americans (poverty on the reservations, for example) these do-gooders have focused on a feel good platitude that really solves nothing. Warped from taking too many college level sociology courses from burned out hippies, the politically correct crowd has made an empty gesture to assuage their liberal guilt and the university community is now worse off because of it.

I could perhaps reluctantly get behind a movement that would see all potentially offensive names removed, but that is not the case here. Other schools and teams across the country continue to survive and thrive despite nicknames and logos related to Native Americans, yet UND continues to be singled out for punishment. What makes the Fighting Irish so different from the Fighting Sioux? The Notre Dame logo and nickname conjures up a somewhat offensive caricature of Irish people as a drunken, brawling lot. Yet they are free to play under the name and logo, heck, they can even host the President of the United States as their commencement speaker. To me, this double standard is just another strike against the anti-nickname forces.

While this is only tangentially related to hockey, it should be noted that wherever the UND (insert politically correct name here) play next year, people will be reminded that an excellent opportunity for a discussion of and action on the important issues of racism and poverty was neglected for pure politically correct pap and feel good sloganeering. When the PC thought police come for you and your team’s nickname, remember the lessons learned here.

I would like to invite both sides of the argument to discuss the issue in the comments (rationally, please).

The National Hockey League says it has been in control of the Phoenix Coyotes franchise since last November and is asking a federal judge to throw out the team’s bankruptcy filing. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly says Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes signed documents giving control of the team to the league. Daly says the documents specifically prohibit Moyes from taking the franchise into bankruptcy.

Instant analysis: I don’t know if it was on the radio show, or in one of the many conversations I have been having regarding the issues in Phoenix, but I definitely know that I, at one point, accurately predicted that the NHL would claim to have been in control of the ownership of the Phoenix Coyotes prior to Jerry Moyes filing for Chapter 11. The question is, did Moyes actually sign the document that Bill Daly alleges. If that document can be produced, then I suspect Bettman will win this battle. However, if Bettman was paying the bills, but had a “nudge-nudge” agreement with Moyes that Moyes would publicly still be the owner, and didn’t get a letter signed, then that might be Bettman’s ultimate un-doing.

Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Bettman sent a letter to the other 29 teams, saying that Moyes had surrendered control of the team to the NHL long before Moyes filed for bankruptcy (editor’s note: CBC reports Moyes stopped paying the bills in November 2008).

The immediate question that comes to mind then is why was the NHL continuing with the facade that Moyes was the actual owner of the team? (Note: The answer is because Bettman would rather lie to the public, than admit that the NHL had to take over one of his beloved “southern expansion” franchises.) It is Bettman’s insistence on continuing with the public charade that Moyes was owner from November (when he stopped paying the bills) until May 4 (when the Chapter 11 was filed), that may be the proverbial “smoking gun” that his honour, Judge Redfield T. Baum, (great name), has to take into account when he makes his ruling as to who owns the Coyotes. The judge’s decision is expected on May 19th, but rest assured whoever “loses” will undoubtedly appeal the ruling (as was predicted by bankruptcy attorney Richard Farroh on last night’s Illegalcurve.com Radio Show.)

Stay tuned to www.illegalcurve.com for all the latest in this rapidly developing story.

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