The Sultan of Swank

I seriously hope that Montreal doesn't re-sign Souray. With players like Plekanec, Komisarek, Higgins and Ryder all up for RFA or UFA, they're all going to get nice pay raises for their play last season, plus with Montreal wanting to get a 30-40 goal scorer on the team and some size, spending another 5-6 mil on a player clearly not worth the cash would cripple our season.

Lost is what happens when two team show up and one beats the other in competitive sport. This was more like a gang rape.

DP DT, the plan from what I heard is either going to be Bob demoting him to the minors, a buy out (unlikely) or a deal (likely). I've heard that he may land in Phoenix or Detroit sort of a garbage swap type deal. Not the best circumstances, but his salary is so damn atrociously high. Markov signs a 4 year McCabe like deal(hopefully it turns out better for Montreal). Sportsnet is reporting 23.5 million over 4 years, which I feel is overpaying. And is basically comfirmation that Souray is a goner.

Maiden. They can still go. Period.

Habs are apparently very close to a deal with Markov for 4 or 5 years worth $20 Million. Which means that Souray isn't comming back, or something good is happening and we're going to ditch Kovalev. Apparently, Sergei Kostitsyn who is Andrei's little brother and apparently has way more talent and potential than Andrei (who was quite an impressive playmaker for the Habs in the few games he played, especially the no look around the back pass to Plekanec on a 2 on 1) is also a few days away from signing a 3 year entry level deal worth what I've heard is going to be between 450,000 and 600,000. Sergei, 20 finished 3rd in OHL scoring this season in the incredibly talented company of Patrick Kane and John Tavares with 131 points only 3 behind Tavares in 8 less games. He was 18th in Goals, with 40 and led the OHL in assists with 91. This kid looks like he could be an outstanding player. While Tavares will certainly go on to bigger and better things with the natural scoring ability he has, any player who finishes third in OHL scoring with 131 points in 59 games averaging 2.2 points per game is clearly incredibly talented. It seems that absolutely has noticed him, he was picked 200th overall in the 7th round of the 2005 draft but has really seemed to develop into a grade A player in his last year of Junior hockey. Brother Andrei was a 1st round, 10th overall pick in 2005. EDIT: Kostitsyn, of the Sergei variety inks a 3 year deal with the Habs. Markov is said to be a day or two away at the most from becomming the Highest paid Hab, likely to sign a 4 year 20 million dollar contract. Also, I found a great excel chart of the UFA's for each team, this seasons salary etc. I was looking at it, and with the players expected not to come back next season, Aebischer, Bonk, Niinimaa, Souray and Perezhogen (all are pretty much gone). That's almost 10 Million in salary, add in the 3.5 Million for Samsonov, it comes out to 13,209,000. Hopefully, Montreal will be able to focus on players like Markov(who is likely to sign for 5 mil per season), Ryder, Higgins, Komisarek and Plekanec. With the salary cap also going up, Montreal has a pretty good shot at retaining the core of their team.

I thought you were from... shit the name is escaping me now. Where they had the SARS concert... I'm really drawing a blank here, but wherever that is. I know I often mistook it for a junction on the transcanada much like Cornwall. Also, Gabe, Toronto lost in the Confrence finals those years. While a good run, it's not like Edmonton, Ottawa, Calgary or Vancouver who actually WENT to the finals. I believe the last time they made it to the finals was in 67, when they last won the cup, since then they've gone to the Conference finals or the equivalent of in 78(4-0 Loss to Montreal), 93(4-3 Loss to Kings in what could have been a bitchin Montreal Toronto series), 94( 4-1 Loss to the Nucks) then the recent ones.

I would really hate to see a third team in southern Ontario. I think that there are other areas in Canada that could hold a franchise long before Kitchener could. Winnipeg and Quebec City are obvious choices. I would love to see a team in Halifax or somewhere around Regina or Saskatoon. If there HAS to be yet another Ontario franchise I would rather see it in some place like Thunder Bay. I really don't see a point in having 4 Canadian teams within 600 Km of each other, I mean if Kitchener/Waterloo gets a team, which I really want someone to inform me as to why they've become the top Canadian prospect for a team, but you could basically take the 20 from Montreal and just stay on it as it passes Ottawa, turns south and becomes the 401(I believe on the ontario side when it turns it's the 416, then the 401) but could basically take that through Toronto, Kitchener and then cross the border to Detroit because it's right there. Hell if Quebec got a team, you could go see 6 teams basically in a straight line. Anyways, I don't think that a Toronto suburb deserves a team. If that were the case, then I suppose Drummondville deserves a franchise aswell.

Me and Mia - Wilco (I think, I haven't listened to it in about 2 years) Dear Sergio - Streetlight Manifesto covering Catch 22. Dale Hawerchuk - Les Dale Hawerchuks

I'd like to see Hockey return to Quebec City. I mean Atlanta and Colorado both have had 2 franchises. I'd also like a return of the Hartford Whalers please.

Miller was better than Emery too, but what Buffalo lacked that I predicted would be their downfall in the series was a lack of size and grit. Anaheim's got all sorts of that. Unfortunately I don't see Anaheim as a team that's been scoring well in the playoffs. If they can step up their play to another level they could easily take it in 5 or 6 games, granted with scores like 5-3, 6-4 etc. I say it's a toss-up for a 6 game series. Also, Jim Basille has apparently made plans to purchase the Preds. The deal would supposedly have an out clause which would allow him to move the team after 1 season if the attendance doesn't average over 14,000.

I watched it last night but missed the ending. It was really the first time I watched it, but I really enjoyed the feel of the show. I felt like it was treating me like an idiot by spelling everything out for me, though.

Yeah, if you're going to Hotlanta, you're going to find Young Jeezy, not the Toasters

If it goes to Ottawa and Buffalo, that'll probably be a 6 or 7 game series, both teams like to play with a run and gun offence. I think Buffalo would have a harder time winning as while they have a far deeper line-up they don't have much grit, and the Sens leaving out Spezza, Heatley and Alfreddsson who while are great 2 way players, lack y'know, balls, but beyond them the Sens have a line up of talented, maybe not-as, but talented players who will also bump and grind. If it's the Rangers and the Sens, Sens in 5.

And Alex Auld.

Well if the Cardinals organization does help out with their family in any way be it money, support, taking care of anything that's needed that would be a super classy move on the part of the organization. And I really hope they do this.

Oh wow, that's terrible. A car accident. Glad they postponed the game.

6 count em, 6 blown saves this year for Toronto.

Toronto's having a big pitching problem of their own. Like every year, there's not really anyone consistant enough outside of Halliday. Burnette I don't like but he gets the job done... ish. Also with injuries to Zaun(hate), Glaus(man-love) and Ryan(love) it knocks some wind out of their sails. But damn, how bout those Orioles.

Always bet against the Washington Nationals Toronto Maple Leafs

Well I won 28 bucks today so I'm happy. I just find games that have heavy favourites and pick em. It worked this week for me.

At least Thomas is starting to contribute. I'm hoping that the Jays can maybe string together a next 10 games in the order of 7-3 or 8-2. Something decent.

Well like I just told Plubby. Missing the playoffs is always a tough thing to deal with, but we were unfortunately ejected from the being pole-axed by Buffalo race by our Oldest Rival, no matter how much less a team they are than Montreal, they're still our fiercest and most bitter rival, and they were the most fitting team if any to end our season. Toronto on the other hand had their season ended by a 5 foot tall bald man with the nickname Dube. I'd be bitter too.

Yeah players play injured in the playoffs all the time, that's not what stopped him. Hell if anything he should have been trying even harder because his foot is apparently broke. We can't even trust what Crosby says, he's taken what, 19 dives this year, he's been treated with kid gloves and has had a geat cast of players around him to help him out. He's a whiner and a bitch. I mean come on, the kid took what 8 dives in the back to back games against Montreal. For all we know he's on steriods and the fact that he didn't advance to the second round is weighing so heavily on his fragile ego that he broke it himself and then said aha! it was broke all along. Christ, he's far too much of a bitch to even play with a broken foot for a month. I mean, when Gretz came into the league, he was a whiner, but while players in other sports like Bosh and Halladay lead teams and gets chants of MVP, Crosby should forever be showered with a chorus of Faker and Baby until the lungs of the fans start are horse and they can no longer use their collective voices.

Ottawa will hopefully lose. I was rooting for Calgary, and I wanted Vancouver to win last night. The Ducks already blew their Finals try this decade. The Canucks haven't been there since the Rangers won. No?

New Jersey employs a fantastic style of hockey that we all know and hate. 'Couver used to do it much better before the Lockout, same with Calgary. Difference being that unline BC and Alberta where that's the only team, there's Buffalo, NYI, NYR, Jersey, Philly and Boston all in the Northeast. Jersey plays such boring hockey, why would you want to go watch it. I'll be honest, in the games Montreal played Jersey, yeah, Jersey played fantastic hockey, but it was also fantastically boring and by the 2nd period I would change stations.