“I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” is a feature that will be posted every Saturday here at the View From My Seats. There are plenty of things going on in the hockey world (and even the sports world); and you know everyone has an opinion. This is a place for some quick hits of the week that was.
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I might just be a hockey fan in California, but:
- Dan Cloutier is the new goaltending coach for the OHL’s Barrie Colts. In related news, I just bet my house against the Barrie Colts next year.
- Of the people claiming to be experts on the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, I wonder how many of them have actually read the entire thing. *Insert Andy Sutton expert joke here*
- The world needs more Daryl Reaugh.
- So now the league is talking about going back and looking at any contract that may have circumvented the salary cap? Is it possible that Donald Fehr won’t take the job as head of the NHLPA because, “You guys are way too screwed up.”
- If Tomas Kaberle didn’t play in Toronto and it wasn’t the off-season, would anyone know that Sunday’s the last day he can be traded?
- Bigger Bust: Alexandre Daigle or JaMarcus Russell?
- Want to talk about perfect timing? The Red Wings signed Ruslan Salei on the same day that Teemu Selanne came back and Kovalchuk’s contract was voided. Perfect because fewer and fewer people are laughing at them.
- I feel confident that Patrick Kane’s day with the Stanley Cup didn’t involve any cab rides around Buffalo.
- Do you want to know the power of the Puck Daddy blog? The biggest story in hockey over the last week seems like the NHLshop.com’s awful women’s jerseys. Thank you, I rest my case.
- Here’s something fun to ponder if you’re an Isles or Devils fan: Even though the Rangers have spent enough to be up against the cap, just imagine where they’d be without Henrik Lundqvist.
- With the team up for sale, fans of every team seem to be hovering like vultures over the Dallas Stars looking for potential trade targets—and the name that a lot of people bring up is Brad Richards. What would happen to the Stars fan base if management sent Richards packing though? Ouch.
- Remember the whole Versus/DirecTV struggle last season? It could have been worse: After a year, Dish Net and Fox Sports still don’t have deals in place in St. Louis and Dallas.
- How much longer are we going to have to wait until we get the conspiracy theories about how Gary Bettman paid off the arbitrator in Kovalchuk’s case to get what he wanted? Because you know someone’s going to go to that card.
- Did you hear that NHL’s On The Fly is going to be in HD next year? It’s a step in the right direction—they just need about 20 more steps in that same direction.
- Let me get this right: Richard Bloch used to be an arbitrator for the NFL before he was fired by the Players Association for being “too pro-league.” How is it that the PA let him sit as the arbitrator in Kovalchuk’s hearing? Oh, that’s right—they still don’t have a leader. Maybe that’s why Chris Chelios finally retired…
- I’m on record as being a huge fan of Dale Tallon’s moves in Florida this off-season; but it might be time for a dose of immediate reality. This season is going to be rough. Really rough.
- Over a month after it happened, I still think Matthew Lombardi and the Nashville Predators could be the perfect match of free agency.
- Do you think Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman are better than Jordan Leopold and Shaone Morrisonn? The way you answer that question should mirror what you think of the Buffalo Sabres chances this year.
- I wish Peter Forsberg would stop thinking he’s Brett Favre.
- Louis LeBlanc is going to play for the Montreal Juniors? No pressure, kid.
- Gary Bettman is a pompous little person that needs to be fired for the good of the game.
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Click here for our archive of past editions of our “I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” feature.
Matt Reitz
Matt Reitz is an NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports and the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com. When he's not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he's usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It's a never-ending job.
