I'm Trying But There Is Really No...Real ... Hockey ...News ...These Days...

I guess the European Influence on the NHL is totally confirmed - I figue that's why it seems the whole hockey world has taken the month of August pretty much off on holidays. Sure we still get an occassional Michael Nylandr is unhappy and might go to the KHL rumour but for Caps fans there's little else in the way of fodder to kick around. So what's left, we follow bankruptcy hearings in Cali and Arizona and debate whether or not Patrick Kane was an idiot last week....

On the good end of things, apparently a few more of the Capitals are starting to trickle in to the DC area and skate at KCI... maybe we'll start to see some action, activity and news though I really don't expect much for another two weeks or so....

I can't wait for camp to open... how about y'all?

LETS GO CAPS!!!

My 2 Cents This AM on The Coyotes, The Islanders, and The Lightning

Okay instead of something about hockey, the really interesting part of ice hockey you know players, skating, statistics, etc. - since I got nutin' on that stuff - today if you read further your gonna get a couple of my quick thoughts on the business of hockey as it has to do with 3 teams in the news lately.

First the Phoenix Coyotes, Hockey Blog In Canada has the answer - REALLY - this is the answer if the NHL Board of Governors really doesn't want Jim Balsillie to buy the team, the league should enter and win the action. I find the NHL's current 26 page motion to me must be a real stretch and pretty ludicrous. I haven't read it but I'll take a guess it consists of 2 major parts: Part 1) 6 - 10 pages on how Jerry Moyes, like every other owner, committed when he bought the team to only convey ownership (full, partial or controlling) to persons or legal entities pre-approved by the NHL Board of Governors, and Part 2) the remaining 16 - 20 pages with numerous details, provided in first person deposition form, by members of the current Board of Governors, about their interactions and business dealings with Balsillie related to his prior 2 attempts to get a hold of an NHL team and why that has led to the unanimous rejection of his current application as an unfit member of "their club". I don't see how the Judge does anything but look on this motion the same as he has looked at the NHL's blackballing of Mr. Balsillie in the past - not at all in the interest of the Coyotes creditors - unless there are some first hand accusations, with some substantiating evidence, that Balsillie's prior actions were in some way illegal. Since that's probably not the case then I say that HBIC has it right, the NHL needs to buy the team, exit it from Bankruptcy and then sell it to someone it can work with. I bet if they did that, they would want more from the Reinsdorf's then is currently on the table, they also would probably be open to moving the team, though probably not to Southern Ontario. Just my 2 cents on that one this morning.

On the Islanders and the Lighthouse Project, here's my 2 cents. I've lived on Long Island several times in my life for a total of 12 years, I've been to the Nassau Coliseum, in early days when it wasn't old and decrepit and more recently. I frequently stay right next door to it at the Marriott, Uniondale when I have business trips to the area. My 2 cents is while not totally in line with all the "Just Build It" crowd --- "Just Build It" Expedite the environmental impact studies, do what you have to do on both sides to make that happen - if that means breaking the project and the reviews into phases then do it, but it needs to happen and there is no reason not to build it. The current site is old, dated, and really not at all aesthetically pleasing or a modern suburban vista in any way, shape or form. As for the idea there are too many teams in the area with the Devils, Rangers, and Bruins as well as the Islanders in the region - that's stupid too. The population base is big enough to support all those teams, and the AHL teams that are in between NYC and Boston (Bridgeport & Providence). The markets are segmented enough that there isn't an issue either. The Islanders have been a good franchise and will be in the future, they need a new arena and another draft or two like they had this summer and they'll be back in fine form. Now about their never ending quest for a cool logo...probably not gonna happen. Just my 2 cents "on dat one."

How about this news - per the Saint Petersburg Times (Damien Cristodero) "The NHL apparently has decided the Lightning's ownership situation is unsustainable and set up a process in which squabbling co-owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules can buy each other out.
Barrie has the first shot in an exclusive 60-day window that apparently runs out in mid to late September. If Barrie fails, Koules gets his chance. " You have got to be kidding me, these guys somehow managed to get together, work together through the process of buying an NHL Franchise and now they are "squabbling" so much and it's adversely affecting the team to the point the league feels they need to step in and help facilitate a peaceable separation. Guys - grow up, play nice and keep your investment moving forward. Talk about high school shenanigans...jeez. Just my 2 cents.

Last thoughts, doesn't reading this and thinking about silliness like this long for some real hockey news? I mean sports and following the NHL in general and the Caps in particular is my escape from "real life" business, etc. I for one am just at the point I'd love for the Caps to even manufacture some news. Maybe OV will do another interview or something...anything besides stuff like this. If we can't have any real hockey news, maybe we'll get lucky and they'll find some pics of Bettman dressed in WWII German uniforms like that FIFA guy or something... how about it photoshoppers?

In the meantime, I put up another gratuitous cheesecake picture of a former hockey babe just... well ... just because I got nutin' and I figured it's sort of a thank you for working with me while we get through these dog days of summer. Besides, seeing what Anna Kourikova has been up to lately is at least as hockey related as reading a deposition related to the Coyotes Bankruptcy Proceedings, and hey I'm still missing Sergei Federov, though B-Mo is a good pickup.

I can't wait till training camp....

LETS GO CAPS!!!

Errr...Dog Days Of Summer... Errr...Nothing to Talk About But ---The Islanders?!?!?!

So when it comes to Caps news, basically, uhhh well, "I got nuttin'." Yep, nothing, and I'm not alone, last summer, it never seemed to be this bad.

But I'm not alone.

- Tariq over at the WaPo, and on his blog "Capitals Insider": Last post, 3 days ago, subject - the Hershey Bears resigned Alexandre Giroux. He also "caught up with Eric Fehr", that day and posted the recap of his conversation. Nothing earth shattering, Fehr talked about his recuperation from surgery, said he probably wouldn't be in @ the start of camp though and said he might be there by the start of the season. Not really news to the faithful....

- @ Dump N' Chase, Mike Vogel last post - July 30 - Subject: Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison's first visits to DC and their talks with the press. Okay, news yes but as of this AM over a week with ... nutin' new since...

- Corey over at the Washington Times and on his blog "In The Room" - last post July 31st, Subject The Milan Jurcina Arbitration Decision. News yes but again now a week old and since... "nutin'.

- @ Japers Rink, well there's whatever is available in the way of snippets and some manufactured "news" involving current, future and former Caps but basically IMO nothing worth really bringing up or pointing out for the last 3 days.

- @ A View From the Cheap Seats, CapsChick posted a nice one on August 3rd, her last post, on the history of Mike Knuble and Brendan Morrison's numbers. It's not earth shattering "news" but hey it is a real nice piece and for Caps faithful it does get the memories going....

- The Peerless Prognosticator, despite the lack of news and or inspiration for prognostication that happens this time of year hasn't failed to come up with some occasional posts that are more than worth the look, on average every other day lately. His last post is awesome IMO - he has a side by side pic that shows the resemblance of Sidney Crosby to former Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakias (sp? - sue me I'm too lazy to look it up this morning) - okay - LOL!

So as you can see that's why I got nutin' to say about the Caps. Why is this summer so much slower for Caps news in particular and NHL news in general. I thought for a second on this and I think its because of the fact there isn't nearly as much change or movement on the Caps Roster as well as player movement around the NHL being down. Basically - there's less to talk about and think about. Also despite the Caps great season last year, we're all just anticipating this coming season and we've (us rabid Caps fans) also done a bunch of analysis but not about new and novel things. Or maybe it's just we're all just way too distracted running around trying to figure out what new car to buy before "the cash for clunkers" deal runs out of money again... In any case that explains: 1) why I wrote about the Coyotes ownership; 2) why there is a picture of "hockey babe" Elisha Cuthbert on this post that has NUTIN' whatsoever to do with the rest of it's contents, and 3) why if there's no real hockey news that happens today, I'm likely to write about the Islanders need and quest for a new arena tomorrow...