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January 12, 2009
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
BEST OF THE REST
ECHL Prison garb for a good cause The officials won’t be the only ones wearing stripes when Las Vegas hosts Victoria on Jan. 30. The Wranglers will parlay Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich’s alleged corruption into a charity opportunity by sporting prison-style uniforms with horizontal black-and-white stripes and mock prison numbers. “Over the years we’ve asked our players to not look so tough for a cause,” said Wranglers president Billy Johnson. “Once they had a lot of chirping from opposing players when we dressed them in pink for cancer research. We owe them a game of looking a little sketchy. G-Rod (Blagojevich) helps us with that.” – MIKE MASTOVICH UNITED STATES LEAGUE Gamblers rolling Through 22 games, the Green Bay Gamblers already have more wins (14) than they did all of last season. Looks like the hiring…
The Big Red Machine
THINGS ARE NOT SUPPOSED to be this way. As the domestic auto industry finds itself hanging by its fingernails, the gap between the Detroit Red Wings and the rest of the NHL continues to widen. When THN conducted its first-ever NHL franchise ranking last season, the Red Wings finished ahead of the pack by a considerable margin, then went out and won the Stanley Cup, then signed the most sought-after free agent of the summer after he pursued them. So much for parity in the new salary-capped NHL. Last season, the Red Wings’ margin of victory in our overall totals was 14.5 points over the Ottawa Senators, but this season they’ve bulged that lead to 21.5 points, this time over San Jose. Yup, things are looking absolutely rosy for the Red Wings, that…
Enough, Mats
YOU’LL FORGIVE ME if I didn’t get swept up in the Mats Sundin hysteria – the breathy best-guesses on the future of the former Maple Leafs captain and newest Vancouver Canuck, the dulcet-toned faux-updates from agent J.P. Barry, the ceaseless tea leaf and tarot card reading from every hockey-centric website and airwave, all as if the acquisition of the stellar Swede guaranteed championship success. Look, it’s not that I don’t think Sundin has been one of the greatest, classiest players ever to represent glory-starved Torontonians. I do. I just think he’s done himself no favors by stretching out the suitor-wooing process and delaying his dip into the world’s best pool of hockey players. In large part because of that reticence to Pooh or get off the Honey Pot, I also think Sundin…
The NHL’s New Triggermen
Don’t blame Jeff Carter if he’s a little leery of success. Carter set a personal single-season high with 29 goals last year, his third NHL campaign. While that production helped net him a new three-year, $15-million deal last June, he was also a frequent subject of trade rumors, one of the more credible seeing him going to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Tomas Kaberle. That’s not the only time swap talk occurred on the heels of a benchmark season for Carter. As a bantam triple-A player in his hometown of London, Ont., he popped 75 goals in 1999-2000. The London Nationals held Carter’s Jr. B rights, but they fancied a veteran goalie over a young hotshot sniper, so Carter was moved 40 minutes down Highway 402 to the Strathroy Rockets. As a…
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