Jumping to Europe? Not a Good Idea

We've heard this talk before from the NHL. It was back then and it is now again coming up in reports and talks and so what. Europe seems to be getting some excitement but don't go that far if you're in the US.
Having the NHL going to Europe would not sit well for people in the US. First of all, if the NHL is expanded to Europe, there would be less and less games in the US. Second, a lot of players have already left the US to go back to Europe and play. Evgeni Nabokov is a prime example of that. He left the Sharks to go play for SKA St. Petersburg. Third, you would have less and less season ticket holder. If you take away a few or even many games, you run the risk of losing season ticket holders forever. Okay, probably not forever, but they won't be coming back to your team anytime soon.
I don't understand why the possibilities of an expansion to Europe keep talking. Sure, Europe supplies all the best players, so you would expand just because seventy percent of the players are from there? I think that's a dumb approach if you look at it.
So if you're the NHL or anybody that has the idea of expanding to Europe, forget it. The NHL will not expand to Europe even if it has the option. It won't sit well with the market in the US and for the people who paid millions of dollars to analyze, report, and observe the games played. And most certainly, you would lose that money just playing games in another country.

What the Blackhawks Will Gain This Season

No matter how far you go, you always know where to stop and where it becomes a realization that you're in for a tough season. Does it look that way for a team like the Chicago Blackhawks?

After the Stanley Cup was hoisted by the Blackhawks last season, they needed to clean house to avoid going over the salary cap for next season. How did they do it? By getting rid of eight players, including stellar goaltender Antti Niemi.

Not only Niemi but Kris Versteeg, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel, Andrew Ladd, Colin Fraser, and among others have either been traded or lost to free agency. Looks like the Blackhawks needed to clean house while they still had time.

With all these trades, it's going to be interesting to see if the Blackhawks are going to be able to repeat another Stanley Cup this season. The addition of Marty Turco from Dallas could certainly help but let's be realistic. He couldn't possibly be enough to help this team win again.

Then you have the likes of Nick Boynton, Viktor Stalberg, Jeff Taffe, and among others. These are guys who have either underproduced, still in their rookie years, or just not good enough to put enough goals in the back of the net. Certainly this seems like an emergency situation for me.

Will the Blackhawks falter this season with these new changes? I wouldn't think so, but I definitely wouldn't make any early judgements until I see this team in action on the ice and how well they play with each other. It seems like it could possibly work out, but then again, it could all break down and they could end up having a losing season after all.

Well, the season's only a few months away. Are any more trades in store for the Blackhawks and will they have a chance to repeat or let the season die altogether? We'll know in only a few months.

All-Star Game out of Arizona? No Chance

Since there's not much news coming out of the hockey realms, I felt this was a more important story heading forward.

According to the Associated Press, the game on Sunday between the Arizona D-Backs and the Washington Nationals was briefly delayed when a couple of fans ran onto the field, protesting and showing signs that they want the All-Star Game moved out of Phoenix because of Arizona's new immigration legislation.

Of course the new immigration law in Arizona is one of the biggest topics right now in the political world but I never figured it would get this far into the sports world. Now that the sports world is indulged into it, and primarily the D-Backs, Cardinals, and Coyotes, it seems like more of our sports fans are becoming the villains in this mess.

I wouldn't say I particularly agree with the new immigration law but I certainly don't agree with fans trying to move the game out of Arizona. The All-Star committee and MLB in general, have planned for years on where this All-Star Game was being held. They chose Arizona way before this whole law was enacted. So it's not their fault that the entire immigration law was enacted right after they chose it.

Will Bud Selig change the idea and move the All-Star Game somewhere else? I don't think there's a reasonable chance of that. But if it becomes a huge concern that it threatens the entire state of Arizona and baseball in general, then Bud Selig might have to take action and move it somewhere else safer.

This is just one incident that hopefully won't boil over into a huge conflict. I'd be more surprised if more protests like this end up at baseball fields around the country. Then this would be a whole mess that the MLB will have to deal with and they aren't prepared to take on big matters like this.

Selanne Giving the Ducks A Run to the Cup?

Me and fellow Ducks fan received some very good news a few days ago regarding a great franchise player for our young team.

Teemu Selanne is returning to the Ducks.

Thinking about it for months probably wasn't easy, but in the end, it seemed like a good choice going both ways. The Ducks need a guy who can help the rookies and incoming Ducks build up to the expectations coach Randy Carlyle has for his team.

Of course, who better to lead your team than Selanne? He earned his 600th goal last season but it didn't help the Ducks get to the playoffs. I'm sure you don't want to end your career with over 600 goals and no playoff appearance. Scott Niedermayer became the victim of retiring after the Ducks failed to get to the playoffs.

The Ducks better not make it a mistake for Selanne, who is hoping for another 20-30 goal season. Only around 30 goals would it be enough to help the Ducks into the postseason. Anything less than that could be a disappointment for them.

Will the Ducks make a run to the cup this year with the return of Selanne? Let's not just jump to conclusions. The team still has work ahead for them, plus they have to get by the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks, the power-hitting Sharks, and the experienced Red Wings. Sounds like a tough road ahead in my opinion.

With Selanne back in another season, it should be better for the Ducks. But not all that better. Niedermayer retiring might hurt the Ducks a little, but it's better than having both players retiring after not failing to make the playoffs. Will they return to the cup? The season is only a few months away.

Mike Modano Only Makes the Red Wings Better

We've seen the Detroit Red Wings go out and get 40+ year old guys and integrate them into their system. Then again, anything is possible for the Detroit Red Wings.

What is possible is for them to sign Mike Modano away from the Dallas Stars. He was shown the door in Dallas but he still feels he has the urge to play.

Hmm! An interesting signing by the Detroit Red Wings just a few weeks ago. I didn't really find it as surprising, but I'll tell you this. The Red Wings are known to collect old-age guys and make it work on their team. Kirk Maltby, Nick Lidstrom, Brian Rafalski, all those type of players. They seem to do well for the Wings, so why not add another guy who can be a physical and threatening presence on the ice?

Sounds like a good move to me. This signing will only make the Red Wings better and could potentially give them the ability to challenge the Blackhawks again in the Central Division. After all, the Blackhawks are starting to crumble like broken chocolate chip cookies, but maybe there's a point there.

Will the crumpling Blackhawks allow the Red Wings to retake the Central Division and challenge the Canucks and Sharks again? Hmm, another interesting view. But the signing of Mike Modano makes those predictions a bit more true. With that kind of talent on the ice, you can bet the Detroit Red Wings will become better and make it to the playoffs again.

How Will Antero Niittymaki Fare in San Jose?

So we look the San Jose Sharks over the past couple of seasons. Who is one of two guys who has stayed with the team the longest? Well, there's Patrick Marleau. And there's also Evgeni Nabokov. Now I ask you; which one left? You would obviously say Evgeni Nabokov who left for the Russia's SKA St. Petersburg. Who knew? But who did GM Doug Wilson decide to bring in as Nabokov's replacement?

Antero Niittymaki.

That's right, kids. So the former Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender will take over the duties vacated by Nabokov. Unfortunately for the Sharks, this is not a guy who has played much in the playoffs. In fact, he only had 73 minutes in the playoffs for his entire career. The rest of that was in the regular season.

So here's a question: Will Nittymakki fare well in San Jose? Well, let me tell Doug Wilson this; could you get any lower? Do you really trust a guy who hasn't even played at the playoff level? Do you think this guy is gonna get you over the hump.

I'm not sure Doug Wilson is pushing the right buttons in his goaltending cue, but I would say Flyers goaltender Brian Boucher and backup goaltender Thomas Greiss could get this team back into the playoffs and win some games in it better than Nittymakki could.

But let's be reasonable. Wilson won't bring Boucher back and Thomas Greiss is not good enough to be a starting goaltender for almost all of the games. So you turn to Antero Niittymaki to carry your load. Sounds like a better choice than both of them at this point, in Doug Wilson's eyes.

Well, I certainly don't think Nittymakki can take this team all the way, but I'm hoping Doug Wilson has made the right decision here. It all could change within a couple of days. Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Antti Niemi is on the market. Maybe another sign for Doug Wilson to bring some experience to San Jose? Possibly because Niemi would probably be a better goaltender than Niittymaki.