Brian Burke Out as Leafs GM

Well, puck heads, since the lockout is over, players are returning to the ice and general managers are trying to beef up their team with players so that they have a great season. Well, unfortunately, for one GM, he won't be calling the shots anymore in terms of players and trades.

That's right. The Toronto Maple Leafs, a team I worship at times and has great colors and a retro look, have fired general manager Brian Burke. He was also relieved as president, but will remain as a senior advisor to the Maple Leafs' board. He has been with Toronto since November 29, 2008 but was not able to bring Toronto to the playoffs in his years as the Leafs GM.

The Leafs have not made the playoffs since the 2003-04 season and now they will hope that the former GM of the Vancouver Canucks, Dave Nonis, will lead them to that playoff appearance. Nonis was the team's senior vice president of hockey operations, but now he'll be under more pressure as the new GM to bring in the right players so that coach Randy Carlyle can effectively guide the team to the playoffs.

You may recall the Leafs changed owners in June but the timing of this firing might come as a surprise to people, considering the fact that training camps are due to start on Sunday and that the season will start next week on Jan. 19.

The MLSE president Tom Anselmi said Burke handled the news with "a lot of class."

"It's a shock for a lot of people." said Nonis. "Brian had a pretty strong rapport with a number of them and was very good for them."

Unfortunately, Nonis does not have a lot of grieve and that this will have to be a quick turnaround in a lockout-shortened season. Plus, the Leafs and their fans really want a playoff to cheer in. However, Nonis did say Randy Carlyle and his staff will stay on. Burke hired him late last season after firing Ron Wilson.

Burke won the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007 and was the GM for the USA team that won the silver in the 2010 Olympics.

Well, good luck to you, Brian Burke. There's plenty of NHL jobs out there to search for. One will pop up for you. Meanwhile, the Leafs have a lot of work ahead of them and it'll be up to Nonis to see if he can put the pieces into place to make it a successful season.

The NHL is Back!!!

Hey, puckheads, how have you been? Upset? Dissatisfied? Doing pretty well? Well guess what, for those of you who are upset and dissatisfied, you don't have to be any longer. Yep, that's right. The NHL is back and you know what that means? That means more hockey and plenty more time to enjoy the world that is shooting, scoring, and saving. Heh heh. Well, since the NHL is back anyhow, I have ultimately decided to come out of my so-called "hockey retirement" to bring you some hockey blogging once again.

Now I know I did say that I was moving on to new things the last time I put up a post but I ultimately decided that it was time to return to the ice and start blogging about hockey once again. Why, you might ask? Well, as you know, I am a puckhead and I am in love with hockey. I just can't take my mind off it and so, after a long period of time without a hockey blog, it's back again.

I hope you're ready to bring in a new season as we get started with the end of the NHL lockout. Yes, that's right. Players and owners have agreed to a 50-50 split and that means more money for the owners but less money for the players. But I'll discuss these issues in another post. All we know is that hockey's back, the players are willing to play again, and businesses that lost money when the NHL was gone, is finally coming back with its fans and its support for its teams.

Let's gear up for a shortened NHL season. It may be only 50 games but the positive is that we love hockey and we love seeing it back. Hope to see you on the grind, puck heads!

The End of Reid's NHL and MLS Insight

Over four years ago, I was deeply interested into the world of hockey. Every day during my last years of high school into my first few years of college, I was madly in love with the sport. I still am today, but not as much as I was back then. Changes in lifestyle, ideas, and direction decided that it was time to move on to something different.

And that's just what happened. As you may remember, Reid's Poetry was introduced over a year ago or so so I could show you some of the new poetry that I, myself, have created. Although that blog hasn't seen some activity for some time, it will be flourishing with new poems very, very soon.

The Panorama Shots came along after that and probably one of my most favorite blogs so far. This blog is about the panoramic shots I take everywhere and anywhere in the world. This was one of the newest fields of interest that I delved into and am still doing that.

Because of my increased interest in different areas, most photography, I am sad to announce that it is now the end for Reid's NHL and MLS Insight, probably one of the most longest-running blogs that I have ever been writing about for some years. These sudden new interests in the fields I talked about took up most of my time and I haven't been able to get to analysis or news from the NHL. Although I have tried to do this through working on other projects, it ultimately became too time-consuming to do analysis while at the same time, expressing myself on my other blogs, including the newest blog I am coming out with.

Personally, I'd like to thank everybody for reading my opinions and either criticizing or giving me praise for what I do. I'd especially like to thank Shay Denny, a good friend of mine, for inspiring me to do this as long as I possibly could. Shay, I hope you keep doing that for Reid's Poetry, The Panorama Shots, and my newest blog (which I will talk about at the bottom). I hope you guys check out my other blogs and I will see you on my other sites.

Now to the new blog news. Recently, I've been getting a lot interested in Color Splash, a tool where you paint certain objects while the background is grey. This has been a new interest for me for some time, and I'd like to share some of the photos that I've created with you. The blog will be called The Color World. A new Facebook page will be up in a few days after the new blog comes out, while The Panorama Shots will also get a Facebook page. I encourage you to "like" both blogs and stay up-to-date with the latest panorama shots and Color Splashes that I post on a somewhat daily basis.

Again, I'm very sorry about announcing the end of Reid's NHL and MLS Insight. I hope you puck heads enjoy your hockey and I'll see you around, either there or anywhere else you might find me. Enjoy!

6 Offseason Stories to Follow

Now that the Los Angeles Kings have been crowned as Stanley Cup champions, its time to move on to stories that are going to be circulating this summer. Here are the 6 biggest offseason stories to follow:

1. CBA talks: The NHL and NHLPA will be expected to begin negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. The current deal, made back in 2005, is expiring September 15. Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, has not made clear yet the league's objective to get a new CBA in place. However, they will most likely want to reduce the players' share of revenue down from 57%, which might not sit well with players and the PA. Because of the CBA, the NHL lost a season in the 2004 lockout. Since the NBA lost about 16+ games this season, it could be no surprise that the NHL suffers a similar fate.

2. Ryan Suter/Zach Parise
Based on what Kevin Allen of USA Today said, these two players are the most desirable free agents on the market. The Predators are still trying to persuade Suter to stay in Nashvile, and Devils GM Lou Lamoriello will do all he can to make sure Parise stays in Jersey. However, as with other players at this point, those who are unsigned this close to July 1 usually tend to explore free agency and other teams that might want them. The Red Wings and the Wild could go after both, while the New York Rangers and those Stanley Cup champion LA Kings might inquire about Parise. So don't expect that Parise and Suter could stay with their respective teams.

3. Rick Nash: Stay or Go?
This has been a hot topic since the trading deadline and it still hasn't died yet. The Blue Jackets will entertain offers for their star forward, who has the right to provide a list of teams that he deemed will suit him better than the Jackets. However, the Jackets will be seeking multiple players in return for Nash and maybe even a few draft picks. They can do with a top goalie prospect or maybe even a proven goalie. Because one way of another, the Jackets have no help in goalie and they need all the players they can get, because they struggled the last few years just trying to win games.

4. Roberto Luongo at the End?
With the up-and-coming of Cory Schneider in the Canucks goal, maybe the best situation for the Canucks is to give up Luongo. However, this won't be an easy trade to make. His market is a small one, and his contract runs some 10 more years. His .919 save percentage might be a good fit for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but as you might be aware, Leafs GM Brian Burke is never a fan of long-term contracts, so we'll see what happens with Luongo.

5. Ovechkin Needs a New Boss
Dale Hunter is out as the Washington Capitals head coach, deciding to return to hockey. So that means Alex Ovechkin will be searching for a new head coach. Hunter seemed to be the tough-love coach that Ovechkin needed. So can GM George McPhee find another candidate that has what Hunter had when he was hired? Maybe.

6. The Red Wings Revamping
Nicklas Lidstrom is finally retired from the NHL and Brad Stuart's rights have been traded to the San Jose Sharks. So this means that the Red Wings are embarking on a renovation project. GM Ken Holland will have to be aggressive this summer, addressing some defensive losses as well as address his team's scoring slumps. The reason they are going after Ryan Suter is that he plays a poised, smooth style that could help take over what Lidstrom left behind.

So here are your six biggest offseason stories to follow. Will we see Rick Nash get traded? Will the Red Wings get what they want to revamp their somewhat struggling team? And will Roberto Luongo get traded away from the Canucks? We'll have to see what happens as the NHL offseason officially begins on Reid's NHL and MLS Insight.

Hail those Kings

Looks like LA finally became the home of all sports champions.

This is thanks to a Game 6 win by the LA Kings over the New Jersey Devils. After 45 years of waiting and waiting for a championship, the Kings finally have one they can call their own.

Dustin Brown had a goal and two assists in this game, while Jeff Carter and Trevor Lewis both gave two goals apiece.

This is what Kings president Luc Robitaille had to say, courtesy of USA Today. "I remember coming here in 1984, my first training camp as a player, and thinking that I wanted to be part of the special group that wins it here. I didn't think it would take this long, but the feeling is amazing.

"These guys can stay in the moment," said Kings coach Darryl Sutter. "They could get there, stay there, and be resilient."

Jonathan Quick, the goaltender for the Kings, won the Conn Smythe as the playoff MVP, posting a 1.40 goals-against average in the postseason. "I know the attention is going to get is going to be great," Quick said. "That's something we've been looking for in this market for a long time."

Dustin Brown is now the second U.S.-born captain of a Stanley Cup champion, joining Derian Hatcher, who won the Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars back in 1999. Also, the Kings are the first No. 8 seed to win the Stanley Cup, and they almost missed the playoffs. They were also ranked 29th out of 30 teams in goal scoring.

But nevertheless, they overcame adversity and won the Stanley Cup. Congratulations to the LA Kings for their Stanley Cup run and finally winning it. Meanwhile, the season is over and the offseason has begun. It'll be interesting to see what goes on this offseason, how the Kings will make changes to defend their title next season, and plenty others. Check back later for more on the offseason.