Daily Link: This will never happen ever again

For about 20 minutes after the Leafs victory last night, this was what the league leaders in all the major stat categories looked like. I can't remember the last time any Leaf led anything. Maybe Komisarek and defensive zone giveaways. Or Kessel and cars won at All Star games.

Daily Link(s): Behind the Scenes and Self-Assessments

Here's a neat look behind the scenes on the Buffalo Sabres team bus as they drive through Germany. That's Jason Pominville holding the flip cam and dishing the crappy hockey nicknames (Roysie??). Anyone else think that Luke Adam having his luggage left back in Buffalo is some sort of rookie prank?

Also, here's a Cabbie Presents from the summer with Tyler Seguin, Steve Stamkos, Jeff Skinner and Paul Bissonette self-assessing various "off-ice" abilities. Poor Jeff. I don't think he's even old enough to understand the double entendre.

Daily Link: KHL Hits of the Week

With all the controversy surrounding headshots in the NHL these days, it's nice to see a video like this and realize that it could be worse. Way worse. Apparently in the KHL, these are what pass for "top" hits. Half would be penalties in the NHL and most of the other half are just terrible. I guess KHL stands for "не удар лиге", am I right?

Daily Link: Moves like Jagr

To celebrate Jaromir Jagr's return to the NHL, here's a song parody tribute to the greatest mullet to play the game. Set to Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger", this video is so terrible that it is fantastic.

Daily Link: NYI on Reading Rainbow

Here's the 1987 New York Islanders appearing in an episode of Reading Rainbow with LeVar Burton. Look at that impeccable form by Kelly Hrudey. It is moves like that which led him to a career 3.42 GAA (which is probably good for that era, who knows). Also on display is the charisma and charm he demonstrates each week as a commentator for Hockey Night in Canada. Basically Kelly Hrudey sucks.

RIP Wade Belak

I hate that this blog is turning into what feels like an obituary. Former Leaf enforcer Wade Belak was found dead at 1 King West today, joining Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien as NHL tough guys who have passed away (far too young) this off season. Wade was a fan favourite on and off the ice everywhere he played. Toronto will miss him for sure.

New Winnepeg Jets logo

And here I thought I wouldn't be able to blog about hockey during the summer. This new logo seems more CAF than NHL, but I guess it really depends on what the jersey looks like. Crossing my fingers for army camo.

NHL Economics: Salary cap widens gap between teams

 

Today, the NHL announced that for the seventh consecutive year since the lockout and new CBA, the salary cap will increase. Teams will be able to commit up to $64 million in player salaries for the 2012/2013 season, up an astounding $25 million from the original cap of $39 million from 2005/2006. The CBA is structured in such a way that the salary cap grows only when total league revenue does, so this increase would appear to be a sign of financial and operational success. However, aggregate revenue totals hide a concerning dichotomy in the league: as the rich teams get richer, the poor are becoming much, much poorer.

Nice to see Donald Brashear keeping busy

 

 Not bad. Though he's probably praying that Belak never takes up MMA:

Nightly Nugget: Tyler Seguin has gigantic hands

There is nothing metaphorical about this post. He literally has huge hands. I bet he dominates every single handshake he participates in. Seriously, look at these meat paws:

Return of the Jets is no slam dunk for the NHL

Today is a great day for Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canadian hockey fans who feel that the more teams that exist north of the border, the better. It is not such a great day for the NHL. The sale of the Atlanta Thrashers to True North Sports and Entertainment represents the second time an NHL team has failed to survive in Atlanta and adds to a long list of defunct or relocated teams. The Thrashers will follow the Flames northward into Canada, with much fanfare and excitement. The NHL, I'm sure, is far more worried about this deal than True North or the city of Winnipeg. They are secretly praying that - unlike in Atlanta - history does not repeat itself.

Nightly Nugget: Sports fans wearing bodysuits is the worst thing ever

You know, there was a time when I thought the green men of Vancouver were a little funny. That time was not the conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It's one thing to wear a bodysuit to a throwaway game in the middle of the season for a laugh, but to buy platinum seasons tickets right next to the penalty box and dress up every single home game for the sole purpose of being noticed is psychotic. That's thousands of dollars for a sight gag. Copied from a TV show. If you pay that kind of money for those seats you should not have anything impairing your vision at all, let alone voluntarily.

In the playoffs this sort of behaviour is just inexcusable. Fans in any hockey city would kill for those seats and those guys are preoccupied with getting on TV. Worse still, watching the game tonight I can spot no less than 5 other fans in the platinum section wearing stupid bodysuits, including three "pink men" in the very front row. It's more embarrassing than the "suit" suits at the ACC.

Those ridiculous suits make it very hard for me to respect Canuck fans. It doesn't help that the Rogers arena is one of the quietest ones I've heard for this round of the playoffs. The Shark Tank puts them to shame. Here's hoping for another Canucks collapse so I never have to see this again.

Nightly Nugget: Sports League of the Year

Today the SportsBusiness Journal named the NHL the Sports League of the Year for 2010. This despite the fact that it has the lowest league revenue, operating income, average game attendance and average team value out of the big four professional sports leagues in North America. The award was given for the NHL's ability to "achieve significant revenue growth for the fourth consecutive year, breaking records in TV ratings, merchandise sales and traffic to NHL.com", but I think that a looming lockout in both the NBA and NFL and continuing steroid controversies in the MLB had more to do with it. Nice to see the NHL held in higher regard than the UFC and MLS though.

Why I'm not cheering for the Canucks

Tonight the Vancouver Canucks start their Western Conference final series against the San Jose Sharks. They are the last Canadian team left in the playoffs and look to become the first team north of the border to win the Stanley Cup since 1993. It would be the first cup in franchise history and would end one of the longest droughts in league history. For a city that hosted some of the nation's proudest moments just over a year ago, it would be another historic moment. Across the country Canadians are rallying behind the team the same way we did for Calgary in 2004, Edmonton in 2006 and I guess even Ottawa in 2007. I got behind those teams during their runs (except the Sens, for obvious reasons), but this year is different. I don't want the Canucks to win. I would have been deliriously happy for them to complete their historic collapse to the Blackhawks in the first round, but I'll settle for a conference final loss to the Sharks or a heartbreaking loss to the Lightning or Bruins in the finals.