- Jeremy Roenick will be joining the panel of judges for CBC’s Battle of the Blades, I’m not sure if that makes the show more or less watchable… leaning towards more.
- We mentioned a report of Cristobal Huet heading to Switzerland just over a month ago, you can make that official as the Chicago Blackhawks have effectively alluded the salary cap by loaning Huet and his $5.625-million salary to Fribourg-Gotteron SA.
- The Minnesota Wild have interest in Jose Theodore in light of Josh Harding’s season ending knee injuries.
- Two issues that don’t get the amount of attention they should are the NHL’s laid back approach to PED testing and the lack of diversity among players. A fantastic read from the excellently named Pass it to Bulis tackles the latter by taking an in-depth look at the Atlanta Thrasher’s acquisition of “20% of the black players in the NHL”.
“Considering that active acquisition of visible minorities is an unprecedented organizational mandate in the hockey world (both for political reasons and the availability of such players), a discussion of Atlanta’s seemingly race-conscious roster-building is warranted. There are two major questions that need to be answered. First: why are they doing it? Second: is it an acceptable practice? In this article I will explain the uniquely African-American market in Atlanta, and why the Thrashers’ strategy is a good one.”
- Decision day is looming for Jonathan Bernier in Los Angeles. There’s three games remaining for the Kings this pre-season and with Jonathan Quick currently slotted to play in one full contest and see more action in another, Erik Ersberg is looking more and more like the odd man out. Team Bernier!
- Maxim magazine does an NHL preview of sorts, and completely forget that there’s a hockey team in Columbus.
- T.J. Brodie is still a long shot to make the Flames roster out of camp, according to Flames Nation.
- It’s still just the pre-season, but it’s worth noting that Logan Couture has been skating on a line with Joe Thornton and Ryan Clowe in San Jose.
The issue with Bernier is that he’s still got the waiver clearance. While he is, IMHO, the best of the three goalies in the mix, the fact that Ersberg would be trapped in Manchester is going to dictate the decision.
I still say Bernier’s at least 50 / 50 with Quick by January. Kid’s just too good.