Nightly Hockey Hits: Canada’s version of Dancing with the Stars, Is Brooklyn courting the Islanders? Will Kessel be unleashed with the Leafs? Is a Winter Classic in central park possible?

Here are some news and notes about the links from across the blogs:

• 5-hole:  Is a Winter Classic in central park even possible?  Some very good ideas in this piece about how the game needs to be unique and less formulaic. 

  Ice skating race on The Lake circa 1928. (Via 5-hole.com & NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation)

   

• NYI Point Blank:  Is Brooklyn calling on the Islanders if the Lighthouse project falls through?  Looks like Wang is keeping his options open but would still prefer to keep the team on Long Island.
• Maple Leafs Hot Stove: The expendable list of Leafs players at camp.  Pretty good list.
• The Bruins Blog:  Kessel could be unleashed with Leafs.  Brian Burke takes a shot at Kessel’s former team.
• T.O. Sports:  Ritter rants about Moore sitting on the sidelines, Theo Fleury, Phaneuf’s hit, which type of players are likely to make the Leafs as well as which team is likely to win the President’s Cup.  Lots of good rant.
• Flames Nation:  Enough of Phaneuf…after this.  Very good assessment of the overreaction to the hit.
• Bringing back the Glory:  Failing to find meaning.  It is hard to appreciate what is done during pre season.
• Hitting the Post:  An outside look at the Wild.  The Wild season could be very good or very bad.
  
• NHL Fanhouse:  Wild players getting used to new system.  Should be interesting to see if the fast, up tempo style suits Minnesota.
• the Fifth Feather:  Some pre season thoughts about the Hawks.  That is a decent amount of ice time during the pre season.
• Working the Corners:  Sharks send six prospects to Worcester — and how McLaren got that black eye.  The Sharks are going to be very, very good again this season.
• The Hockey News:  Battle of the Blades.  I actually thought this was a humor blog posting.  I mean Tie Domi doing anything other than pummeling someone on the ice.  Really?  It turns out that it is true and here are Brian Costello’s rankings of the teams. 
  
• Greatest Hockey Legends:  Top 10 most anticipated books of 2009.  Looks like a good list but it makes me think of Seinfeld when Elaine compares Kevin (aka Bizarro Jerry) to Jerry:
  Elaine: “…he reads.”
  Jerry: “I read.”
  Elaine: “Books, Jerry.”
  Jerry: “Oh. Big deal.”