Countdown to SESO Challenge

CasonBlog to play the role of France in looming war of attrition

Over at the Southeast Shootout, bloggers for the remaining Southeast Division contenders have agreed to a little contest. Bloggers for the teams that do not win the division must post a sickly-sweet, suck-up post in honor the club that emerges as Southeast champ. JP of Japers' Rink blogs for the Craps, so he was able to bail early. JP will function as our Howie Mandel and moderate this deal. As the sole Hurricane blogger in the mix (exclusivity is over-rated, I'd love to have some pards join me over there), I will defend the honor of the Stanley Cup champs.

The way things are going for the Hurricanes, I am starting to feel a bit French. Is it too soon to surrender? "Vichy Carolina" is starting to have a nice ring to it.

I sense this will be an evolving contest, and that the stakes may rise as time goes on.

The Canes have eight games remaining against SE teams, including two games against the Thrash, and two against the Lightning. The Craps and Panthers a ton of games left to play against SE teams. The Panthers last seven are against SE teams. I'm sure they and the Craps will enjoy playing the role of spoilers. Should make for some excellent smack. Time to rev up the Smack-o-Meter.

Woe is Edmonton

The Last Temptation of Smyth
(image: Covered in Oil)
The minute news of the Ryan Smyth deal came in, I sunk into a state of depression...but not as deep as the state Oil-Fan is in now. Stand by for some instant classic rants from the world's most frenetic hockey bloggers. Content warnings apply:

• Battle of Alberta


• Black Dog Hates Skunks


• Covered in Oil (rack-it)


• MC79

Trade Watching

T-Minus 30 Minutes: Deadline and deals are flying. Bupkis from the Carolina Hurricanes up to now.

• Thrash deal for another big body with possible character issues in Pascal Dupuis. Just because he has scored recently against the Canes, I'm guessing.
• Caps move Dainius Zubrus for a 2007 first rounder and Juri Novotny-Niiiiice Euro-add there, Mr. McPhee. Caps just joined Philly in the great Darcy fleece-a-thon.

T-Minus 20 Minutes: Continued bupkis from JR.

T-Minus 15 Minutes: Internet clobbered. Stream from TSN buffering.

T-Minus 10 Minutes: Pierre McGuire thinks Gelinas and Blake might still get moved. Blake would look good in the sightless eye.

T-Minus 00: Cue the Fat Lady

CB's Final Call for a UUUge Deadline Deal

OK, I've dropped the name numerous times - tried to hint and be subtle, but now the bullhorn is out. I flat out want to see one and only one new player don the sightless eye before the trade deadline expires tomorrow. Show me.....Ryan Smyth!!!

Why Smyth?
He endures enormous punishment and never looses that shit-eating grin. He is old school in the manner of Erik Cole, and a bigger-than-life hockey personality whose workman-like style would go over well in Raleigh. He scores timely goals (5 game winners this season) and gives 100% on every shift. Finally, I think he is the thermonuclear counterpunch to Keith Tkachuk in the ATL and Gary Roberts(?) in Pittsburgh who would arrive at a critical point in the Canes run to make the playoffs.

Oil GM Kevin Lowe and Smyth's agent continue to play footsie, so a deal to keep him in EDM might be in the works, but I'd like to see JR weigh in with an nth-hour offer the Oil can't refuse. JR took a run before at Sergei Federov, and I think the he should be ready to push to near-Waddell heights to do a deal for Smyth...provided he comes signed with a two or three year deal. I would want him a Cane outright.

So Who Goes?
It's easy to want a deal to get done, it's another to craft a deal that makes sense for both clubs. Sources report that the Oil have a short term need for a puck-moving blueliner and a longer term need for a top centerman. I don't think Andrew Hutchinson or David Tanabe are that compelling fits for that need, and I don't see a centerman on the Canes roster either since Roddy and Staal are untouchable. I'd love to see the Canes move Trevor Letowski, but his trade value is pretty much nil.

So I won't claim to know the ideal mix, but I think a package that involved Erik Cole might be appealing. The Canes need to win now to make the playoff cut. Cole probably won't be available until things are pretty much decided. Not that I'm hating on Cole. It's just no secret that he's a seasonal train wreck - but a younger and more affordable version of Smyth. If Lowe doesn't want to spend the fun tickets to keep Smyth, I think he might be inclined to make a move if he got comparable value in return. Power forward for younger power forward. Yeah, Lowe will still be burned in effigy, but his hands might be tied right about now.

For What $$$
How much should the Canes be willing to pay for two or three years of Ryan Smyth? Is he worth more than the $4 mil per season the club is giving Eric Staal, Roddy and Erik Cole? In a world where three guys on Tampa make significantly more that $5.5 mil, I say yes. I also think Staal and especially Justin Williams ($3.5 mil per) are comparatively underpayed, and Smyth is making Justin Williams money right now. The Canes have nearly $6 mil in cap space this year, and a core of players signed thru 2009 or later. The only players JR will have to make hard decisions on re-signing this off-season are Ray Whitney and Scott Walker. Whitney is probably gonna be too expensive to keep. Cam Ward will be a restricted free agent next season.

So that's my pitch. Will JR make a real splash, or will the faithful have to sit back and hope that Anson Carter proves to be the missing piece?

OBTW - Ditto Olli Jokinen. who is signed thru 2010 and might prove cheaper in the long run than Smyth. You just don't hear his name any more in the rumor mills.

The Glittering Chalice of Justice Overfloweth with the Sweet Nectar of Victory

I say to you Bob Hartley - Knock off all that evil!

For some reason, as I sat and watched last night's Canes/Thrash tilt, I was beset with Tick re-sets. It's no secret that I think the Thrash are evil incarnate, so maybe that's what generated what proved to be a flood of nonsensical Tick riffs. They started right about the time punk-ass John Sim laid an after-the-whistle shoulder into Bret Hedican's jaw on an icing call. They continued every time Ilya Koval-chick motored around the ice with nothing to show for all that flash and dash. And after Frankie Kaberle sprung Justin Williams for the goal that put the Canes lead out of reach, I lept to my feat and proclaimed in my best borderline psychotic Southern Baptist preacher voice:

Know ye this, Atlanta Thrashers. Evil is just plain bad! You don't cotton to it. You gotta smack it in the nose with the rolled-up newspapaper of justice! Bad dog! Bad dog!

Just one victory in what will need to be a string of victories if the Canes are going to qualify for the playoffs. Time to put this one away and move on. I'm not not going crazy! I'm going sane in a crazy world! There I go again...

O-T-W-N

1. Justin Williams - Two goals scored while getting clobbered. Any questions about his selection as an All Star? Put him on the fourth line will 'ya Lindy Ruff?

2. John Grahame - Saved some serious Cane bacon...again.

3. Canes Team Defense - A swarming pack of gamma ray-enriched mutant fire ants OF JUSTICE!!!

In Other News

The Thrash immediately sounded general quarters after last night's game and gave away the immediate future of the franchise to pick up Keith Tkachuk and Alexei Zhitnik. The Braydon Coburn experience is now officially over. If the Thrash win the Cup, it'll all be worth it. Hell of a gamble.

I thought Anson Carter did a lot of floating last night. He made some nice passes, but wasn't much of a factor. Let's give him a pass for a few games. I don't think Tkachuk is going to come in floating Monday night in front of all his New England homeys. Sunday, March 4 will be a night of high drama in the city that Sherman watched burn.

The Crack Ho of Luck and Anson Carter

She must be a Philly Phanatic

Lady luck was not much of a lady last night. She was a cheap crack ho who rolled over easy for the Carolina Hurricanes in their time of need. She was there when Roddy scored the first goal on a change-up wrister that Niittymaki mishandled, and she was working Edwards Mill Road when Glen Wesley scored the game winner 16 seconds into the OT. The only guy on the Canes bench less likely to score a game-winning goal, shorthanded in OT, was probably Wally Tatomir. The Flyers played with great esprit last night. They may still kill some playoff hopes before it is all over.

I don't know about you all, but I find my pucker factor pegging every time the Canes hit the three minutes remaining mark of a game tied or within one goal. Roddy's tripping penalty happened as part of a bang-bang collision, but the timing could not have been worse. Starting a OT period down 3 on 4 is usually the kiss of death for your Carolina Hurricanes, but last night the crack ho of luck strolled in at just the right time. Wheew.

Canes didn't make up much ground on division and conference rivals on a night where every Eastern Conference game went to OT. Tomorrow night in the ATL will be UUUUGE. And Frodo and Vinny get to sit and watch from the comfort of that game room in the TV commercial where they seem to have frequent late-night male bonding sessions...not that there's anything wrong with that.

Oooh, that was nice list

1. Timmmay pummels a very deserving Todd Fedoruk, then coolly ices his knuckles in the penalty box

2. Andrew Ladd doing the power forward thing in the crease and along the boards all night. JR - Do not let this kid go.

3. Johnny Grahame as a hybrid shotgun QB/goalie. He may be the second best puck moving defenseman on the Canes roster.

Re: Anson Carter

Liked him in those old Center Ice commercials with Jeremy Roenick - until they played those spots absolutely to death. As of today, the most valuable Anson in a sketch comedy is still Anson Williams. Carter was the bomb with the Sedins last year. This year, he's more like the NHL's Potsy Webber. Let's see what he brings down the stretch. He knows that from this point on, every night is an audition for a role on some team next season.

The Cole Injury Changes Things

In Lukewarm Praise of Kyle Calder
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Calder becoming a Cane.

With Erik Cole now slated to be out for two to four weeks, the Canes trade deadline dynamic is about to change. This probably means Cole will miss at least half of the remaining games. Lyle Richardson is reporting the Canes are interested in Kyle Calder or Geoff Sanderson. Should make watching tonight pretty interesting. Were I nearby, I'd be checking the pre-game skate closely for missing persons. As Her Majesty pointed out a few weeks ago, the Geoff Sanderson experience wasn't great during his previous stint as a WhalerCane, so I'd be surprised if his name isn't in the rumor mix as part of some tricksie JR ploy.

Two seasons ago, I took in a game at the United Center between the Blackhawks and Oilers. I know what follows is anecdotal, but there is nothing quite like seeing the a game live - in a setting where you get to pick what and who to watch. The two most impressive skaters that night in Chicago were Ryan Smyth and Kyle Calder. My attention gravitated to these two on every one of their shifts. Keith Primeau had a similar presence when he took the ice. Your eye just slewed to track what he was doing with and without the puck.

Now I know Calder's numbers are abysmal this season. Maybe a change of scenery would be good for a skilled and gritty guy who is still relatively young. He's making way too much money right now, but the Canes have the cap space to absorb the balance of his $3 mil-ish salary. And if he can come in and play well, he might be re-signed in the $1.5 to $2 mil range. I'm still about the investment and not the rental.

So IMHO, If JR can't pull the deal to bring in the guy who represents everything that is good and old school about hockey - my personal hockey icon, Mr. Ryan Smyth Esquire - I think I can live with Kyle Calder for now...that is if the price the Canes have to pay is limited to an extra defenseman and bag of pucks. I might even be Ok with the loss of a Nastiuk or Peters as part of the deal. I don't think the Flyers would be interested in Seidenberg part deux, so I'm thinking a clueless and disgruntled Anton B would be part of the deal. He's got the size and upside below the neck that might intrigue the Flyers. They seem to love planting old growth forests on the blueline.

Canes Just Can't Seem to Finish

Hey JR, Looking for a Proven Finisher?

Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk, Tom Brady, Shawn Kemp, or disgruntled power forward X, it makes no difference. Bottom line is this - If this clubhouse doesn't want it bad enough, there is no missing link or little blue pill that will make the Hurricanes a feared opponent this season.

The Canes record since Christmas has been nothing short of flaccid. Take a look at the 25 game stretch thru last night and you will find a case study in mediocrity. The Canes have averaged slightly less than three goals per game and given up slightly more than three goals per game since Christmas. Included in that string are two home shutout losses to the Coyotes and Lightning and a road shutout loss to the Pens. Home ice losses to playoff bridesmaids-to-be Philly, Phoenix, Washington, Boston, and to playoff fence sitters New York and Toronto, are lost opportunities the boys in the sightless eye can ill afford at a point in the season where most playoff contenders have at least two games-in-hand.

At times this winter I've been jazzed about the trade possibilities for the Canes. I'm not so jazzed anymore. The worst move right now would be to deal for a rent-a-forward if the Canes have to give up Andrew Ladd, a first rounder or a goalie prospect. As Bubba points out today, the Canes prospect cupboard is already pretty bare.

The only deals worth doing are investment deals in real difference-makers - guys who the Canes would commit to for two or three seasons. I see only two difference makers in today's rumor mills - Olli Jokinen and Ryan Smyth. And they ain't gonna be cheap. I see no difference -makers among the names of defensemen currently being bantered about.

Canes/Habs O-T-W-Nice List

Leafs Consider Activating Home Guard for Playoff Push

Finally, a fun one to watch, and on a night when the Thrash continued their death spiral. Despite their inconsistent play, the Canes are within two points of the SE Division lead. Trade talk still swirls around Carolina's pursuit of a rent-a-winger, but I still believe a stud on defense will be a better add heading into the playoffs. A lot of those rumors point to either Anson Carter or Kyle Calder as targets the Hurricanes are pursuing. I don't see either as difference makers.

The Canadians of the last few weeks remind me a lot of the Canes of the last few weeks. When they are off their game, they seem to wander around on defense and drop pucks at the blueline just hoping somebody else will make a play. Joe Vasicek is still doing that crap. There were a couple of occasions last night when he should have driven the net instead of circling and dropping the puck.

Ever one to dwell on the positive, here's last night's OTWN list:

1. Rod Brind 'Amour: Notched the 400th goal of his stellar career. Oh yeah, he also shut-down Koivu and company.

2. Tim Gleason: Great poise in not throttling Mike Johnson after he took a run a Cam Ward. The old Timmayyy would have taken a dumb retaliation penalty in that situation.

3. Chad Larose: Clearly a better bunter than hockey sniper, Chadsworth still found a way to get into the box score.

4. Scott Walker: The Pete Rose (circa 1975) of the Canes. Hustle, edge and effort beyond his God-given abilities on every shift.

Ooooh, that was nice in Jessethebodyville

Ooooh, that was nice vs. the Wild
1. John Grahame was the best puck-carrying defender on the ice for the Canes last night.
2. Staal, Williams, Walker and Whitney worked their asses off last night to keep the Canes in the game.
3. Canes give up four straight goals and loose the game, but the Hurricanes home page offers this summary headline: "HURRICANES FALL JUST SHORT OF COMEBACK."

#63 was back and looking like the Joe Vasicek of old. Strong on the puck along the boards, but rarely in a position to do anything with it.

Note to Joe: Welcome back smiley. Now get your big euro-ass in front of the net, or at least drive your big euro-ass to the net with the puck. Eric Belanger gave the Canes a "nice" periphery puck mover. He's now gone.

Just a Teaser on a Wild Trade Rumor

This from the Edmonton Journal via Spector. I'd do the deal in a heartbeat. The Oil would of course have to throw in the lucky ugly coat. Look good - play good, you know.

Death to my DVR...and about Joe Vasicek

One of these will do nicely

I'm looking for a rocket launcher and one of those new Chinese anti-satellite missiles today. The RPG for my DVR and the missile for the Direct TV satellite.

Last night was soccer, track and school musical night, and it wasn't until around 10:30 that I finally got to settle down in the comfy chair to watch the Canes drub the Bruins. First thing I did was FF thru the game to make sure my DVR from Hell captured the whole game. Check. Got it all. The box then dumps the whole game. Now when you want to delete a recording, it's a multi-step process. Box never fails to successfully capture and archive Chinpokomon and Everybody Loves Raven. Noooooo, it's hockey that seems to crash and burn every other friggin' night.

The Return of Joe

I went looking for an N&O article I read right after the Canes made the Jack Johnson deal. I remember Eric Belanger being quoted in the article saying something to the extent of he and Tim Gleason really didn't know each other very well - hadn't really talked much until that plane ride. Whaaaat? Anecdotal yes, but it offers at least a hint as to how much one or both of these guys contributed to team chemistry back on the Kings.

So Joe is back. If it's big, slow, lumbering and emotionless Joe Vasicek who is back, this move is not worth the two billable hours of lawyering and paperwork it took to finish the deal. If Joe takes the David Tanabe approach and embraces this chance to make himself at least marketable in the off-season, JR might have pulled a minor coup in this move.

My last memory of Belanger as a Cane will be of him raising his arms in celebration of a shot that hit the crossbar the other night in Montreal. Of course as he celebrated and drifted across the crease, he missed a chance to chip in an easy goal. For some, I guess, it's really all about the big group hug.

A healthy, motivated and mean Joe Vasicek might well prove a welcome addition to the Canes third line. I think a lot of us took the opportunity of the re-signing of Tanabe to joke that his return might signal the start of re-sign-old-homeboy week. It took a little more than a week, but JR does seem to love his homeys.

Irbe to Hurricanes (e1)

CB - A Commitment to Stylish and Whitty

CasonBlog Earns the Soccer Mom Seal of Approval

Saw this first on Godsendjen. An elite few of us hockey bloggers have garnered some glow in a Marsha Bryant article in The Hockey News. Check out reason #5:

5. The NHL Blogosphere Has Zest. CasonBlog is stylishly witty, and Battle of Alberta’s “Beard Talk” post had me LOL during the playoffs. But the Acid Queen and God Send Jen show that female fans can hold their own.

Thank you Marsha. I am honored to join Oprah and Dr. Phil among the ranks of this nation's premier pop culture icons/soccer mom heroes. CB fans can expect announcements in the near future concerning "CB," a new monthly magazine all about me and only me, and a signature line of fine IKEA-inspired euro home furnishings.

Les Hurricane des Caroline go deposent all over les Canadien

Vive' la Kaber-Luh!

Les feed du Ice Centre was a la Francaise am gestern. Les Hurricanes 2 buts - Les Habitant 1 buts. Oui, un 2 buts du Hurricane a la supériorité numérique. Huzzah! Le défenseur Frantisek Kaber-luh scored the but de la victoire in his premiere contestant' nach dem surgerie' du shoulder! Gitchi gitchi ya ya da da. Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir, and Creole Lady Marmalade all the way to Boston, baby!

OBTW: I took German not French in high school, but I bet you couldn't tell. And "buts" are goals. Heh, heh, he said, "buts."

In Other News:

Nice summary of NHL team needs heading towards the trade deadline in the Globe & Mail, by General de Division du Primier Empire, Pierre Lebrun (H/T Spector).

I was shocked to see Anton Babchuk's name listed as trade bait. At first read, I thought Pierre a moitie fou. Why would JR trade a kid the organization was grooming for future greatness? Then I read the N&O and saw that junior decided to have an Enver Lisin moment. Damn son. Don't blow it all up now you big dummy (channeling Fred Sanford). JR sent you down because it was you or Andrew Ladd, and for the next week or so, defense he's got. You get a rep as an attitude problem, and you'll be spending your winter evenings with Sergei Samsonov at les Arches du McDonald, a la Russe' errr, Ukraine'.

Time for some deep digging, Miseur LukeDeCock.

Happy Birthday Mr. President

Today would have been the 96th birthday of President Ronald Wilson Reagan. If you served in the armed services in the mid-1980's, I think you, like me will always revere President Reagan for restoring pride and dignity to military service.

Hillary Clinton used to say she talked to the ghost of Eleanor Roosevelt while in the White House. I wish our current president would start listening to Ronald Reagan.

Forecasting a lull in the trade rumor talk

Time to Rediscover a Little Magic
My favorite pic from last summer (compliments of Stormbringer who got it somewhere else)

Jim Rutherford is quoted in Lord Stanley's Blog:

"We were working on a couple of things, and I think we're going to pass on them," said Rutherford, who traveled with the Hurricanes for tomorrow night's game against the Canadiens. "The prices are a bit high, and I still believe in our team. So I'm not going to overpay just to make changes."

This tells me JR wants to give Frankie a chance to jump start the PP, and give this roster one last run at finding some freaking chemistry before he pulls the ejection lever on some suspecting underachiever. With no scheduled games against league powerhouses until February 24 in the ATL, now would be a nice time for certain fellas to get their -bleep- together.

Bottom line - I think it's still a week or so too early to dump anybody, and the Canes have nobody of significant value to offer in trade with the possible exception of pending UFA, Ray Whitney. Trading Whitney would be dumb at this point. He's the leading scorer and the kind of guy who makes a clubhouse hum with fraternal good will. Can't you just see him right in the middle of a photoshoot like the one depicted above? Andrew Hutchinson might attract some interest with his offensive upside, but the rest of the league has the book by now on David Tanabe.

So it's time for guys like Eric Belanger, Trevor Letowski, John Grahame and Nic Wallin to prove they belong on this club. And remember boys, there might be an old guy with skills, atrophied pectoral muscles and a burning desire to win a Cup out there who would love to take your job.

Pics of the Canes White House visit are up

Now on ch.com. Worth a slow scroll. Damn it's good to see Matt Cullen, AWard and Marty Gerber again. Tell me seeing them doesn't make you wonder what if. With Sean Avery now a Blueshirt, I wonder what that means to Matt's #2 centerman spot.

My favorite pick of the bunch is the bomb-dog sniffing around the Cup. Not sure if rover is protecting our national security or sizing up a opportunity to mark some territory.

Mike Sunheim's running blog of the day is worth the read as well. Now enhanced with amateur photos.

R.I.P. Billy Henderson

Billy Henderson pictured second from left
I finally got an iPod for Christmas. After I loaded up my Steely Dan, Counting Crows and Tears for Fears libraries, I started browsing at the iTunes store. For some reason, I went on a 70's R&B rampage. I downloaded Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose, 5th Dimension, and of course, Me and Mrs. Jones by Billy Paul.

Yesterday, I saw a scroll on some cable news channel that Billy Henderson of the Spinners died over the weekend. I went back and looked at the R&B folder I created on the iPod that day and realized that on that rampage, I downloaded more Spinners songs than any other that day - more than even Marvin Gaye.

• Could it be I'm falling in love


• I'll be around


• One of a kind love affair


• Games people play


• Then came you


• The rubberband man

I've always loved the slick harmonies, strings and horns on Spinners songs. Thanks Billy.

UPDATE: Here's a nice obit and summary from a Web site called Soul Tracks

Decision Time Looming

Oooh, that was nice
1. Erik Cole's possible return to power forward status

Two four minute high-sticking penalties in the third period, a miserable PP and a dumb penalty from Eric Staal minutes into OT doomed the boys last night. The little cherry on top for me was having the condescending, crow-beaked, ESPN castoff, Jack Edwards as MC. After the Cory Stillman high-sticking incident (credited to Erik Cole?), the Caniacs proceeded to boo Zdeno Chara every time he touched the puck. Not sure why the Hurricane faithfull decide to boo Chara, but ole Jack took the opportunity to quip, "At least they are learning something about hockey." Yeah Jack, like how to win a Stanley Cup. You're living in your own private Nob Hill, weasel boy.

I know I vowed to not obsess about trade rumors. So this is not obsessive rant, just discussion going into Deal or No Deal season in the NHL. I don't think many trade scenarios will breathe immediate life into the Carolina Hurricanes. That chemistry (H/T Eman) will in the final analysis have to come from within these guys. Remember all the tales last season about how tight the Hurricanes clubhouse was? I'm not hearing many of those stories this season.

I blame the pre-season ropes course. Name me one instance where a ropes course turned out to be anything but a boondoggle. I say next year the boys ought to go on a rafting expedition thru Deliverance country there in North Georgia. If they survive that hillbilly/Thrash-Fan infested wilderness trek, they'll emerge a band of brothers.

That all being said, Most reports point to the Canes needing to add scoring depth first, and possibly look to upgrade on defense in a secondary move. I would argue that the despite a wealth of numbers on defense, the team is in deep need of a real stopper now and going into next season. Anyway, here's how I'd rank the possibles under two scenarios. In scenario one, JR believes he can brew up a cup-contending team this season. In scenario two, a more realistic JR is looking to fix some longer term issues while he hopes for some playoff magic. I like scenario two better for the Canes. So here are my priority acquire lists in each scenario:

If the JR believes the boys can still make a deep run this year:
1. Olli Jokinen
2. Mike Knuble
3. Bill Guerin
3. Peter Forsberg

If JR wants to position this club for next season, he might target these relatively affordable guys:
1. Jason Blake
2. Nathan Horton
3. Brad Stuart
4. Fredrick Modin
5. Joni Pitkanen
6. Brad Boyes
7. Eric Brewer
8. David Hale
9. Joe Corvo

Olli Jokinen might be worth cutting a deal for in a trade and resign gamble.

Rumor earlier today has the Oilers interested in Andrew Hutchinson.

Canes and President Compare Strategeries

(from the N&O)
Kudos on the show prep to Tony Snow and his team, and to a gracious President Bush who had this to say to the Stanley Cup Champs:

"At the start of this season, this team was ranked 28th out of 30 teams," Bush said. "I like to be around people that keep expectations low. Instead of listening to the prognosticators, this team had a 112-point season. They had 52 wins. They win the Stanley Cup."

I have expected better from both this year.

******TRADE ALERT*******

The Carolina Hurricanes have traded enforcers Jesse Boulerice and Stephen Peat to the White House in exchange for Senators Chuck Hagel and John Warner.

Boooo!!! Boooo, eeeew!!

Tonight's Oooh, that was nice list

1. 16,000 plus Caniacs braved a looming ice storm to watch widespread suckage from the home team.


2. Hearty booing at the end of regulation that just had to resonate in the executive suite.


3. The evil Thrash lost.


4. Watched the end of a dynamite OT/SO contest between Pittsburgh and Montreal. Both teams played with passion and heart. How refreshing.


FRIDAY UPDATES:
1. The Canes visit the White House today. Superrrr. Two teams with very little game right about now. Should be as inspiring as attending a Ben Stein motiviational seminar.

2. Bubba has gone gallows and it's hilarious.