Off Wing Opinion

It's up and running over at Puck Update, the home of Steve Ovadia. Stop by right now and get there before it leaves town.

Thanks to Steve for hosting this edition of the Carnival, and to everyone else who submitted a post. With the free agent silly season starting August 1, we're sure to organize at least a few more Carnivals before the puck gets dropped on October 5. If you'd like to get in on the carny action, drop me a line at emcerlain -at- hotmail.com and I'll hook you up.

UPDATE: I'm especially grateful to Steve, as some travel plans are going to prevent me from providing the Rink Notes roundup until later tonight. Enjoy the rest of the day, and I'll be back this evening.

Brett Mirtle isn't happy with next year's schedule. Here are some more thoughts from an Ottawa perspective from Hockey Country (Black, Red and Gold to the milk carton!).

David Singer calls me out for my despair over seeing even more of the Southeastern Division next season:

Yup, and also six less games against teams like Minnesota, Anaheim and Phoenix - or were you dying to see the Wild come to town and play the Caps? Maybe the Caps could get revenge for that game they played in 03-04.

What's my answer? For that, let's go to Chicago, where the Trib is reporting that the league might re-align back into four divisions. As one of Phil Pilmar's readers notes, if it does, it ought to reinstate the orginal names -- Patrick, Adams, Smythe and Norris -- that were dumped when we went NBA-style.

And if it does, the Caps would get more games with their traditional rivals like the Rangers, Islanders, Flyers and Pengunis -- something that would help some when it comes to reviving interest at the gate.

Deadline for Carnival of the NHL #3 is 7:00 p.m. U.S. EDT. Send your submissions to Steve Ovadia at puck at popupdate.com.

Over at SI.com, Bill Syken is predicting doom for our favorite sport. Thanks to Kukla's Korner for the pointer.

In Detroit, the Wings have offered Stevie Y a one-year contract. Ken Holland and Mike Illitch await his answer. But despite what Stevie might do, Shanny will be back!

Darren McCarty says goodbye to Detroit:

What will I miss most about playing hockey in Detroit? That's simple. The fans. From the day-to-day coffee stop or gas station conversation to the people who say hello on the street or ask for an autograph at the checkout, there are no greater fans than those in Detroit.

These are the great things about my time as a Red Wing that I will always remember no matter where I go. Thank you to all of you. But please don't shed a tear 'cause it's over -- crack a smile 'cause it happened, and no one can ever take that away. I'll always be a Red Wing at heart, and Detroit will always be my home.

Thanks to On The Wings for the pointer. And thanks to Darren, who left it all on the ice every night he wore red and white at the Joe.

Patrick Elias will stay in the swamps of Jersey. The Isles signed a draft pick I never heard of before today. In Manhattan, things are much more interesting, asthe Jaromir Jagr saga continues. Check out the Rodent for the latest. And Al Montoya has inked a deal with the Blueshirts.

Phoenix will hold onto Derek Morris and Paul Mara, an announcement that I'm sure pleases both of their families.

Things are exciting in Boston too:

The Bruins on Tuesday made contract offers to five of their free agents, including captain Joe Thornton and defenseman Sergei Gonchar.

Also receiving offers were restricted free agent left wings Sergei Samsonov and P.J. Axelsson and right wing Martin Lapointe, who is unrestricted. Teams exclusively can negotiate with their free agents through July 31.

Super Joe is not pleased with the offer. For more thoughts, check out Steve Ovadia and Ben Wright. I'm still waiting on what Heather might have to say.

Yes, Sidney Crosby. But what about Anze Kopitar? We already know Brian Burke isn't that impressed.

Jim Mirtle is calling out Tom Benjamin on the Bob Goodenow execu-, er, I mean, resignation:

I'd like to hear Tom Benjamin's thoughts on the matter, as he clearly wasn't enamoured with the suggestions Goodenow should take a 24 per cent rollback on his salary. What about now that it's 100 per cent?

Please note that under the new CBA, had this challenge occurred after 3:00 p.m. on a Friday, Jim would have been subject to a blog misconduct and a five-day suspension In addition, his editor at the Globe and Mail would have been subjected to a hefty fine. Dangerous times these are.

As most of us anticipated, NHLPA Executive Director Bob Goodenow is on his way out the door. Just got the following release from the NHLPA's Jonathan Weatherdon:

GOODENOW STEPS DOWN AS NHLPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

On the heels of yesterday's love letter to Markus Naslund from Jes Golbez, comes Chris Lynch's rhapsodic musings on the seductive power of Red Sox lefty Alan Embree:

What is love? What is this longing in our hearts for togetherness? Is it not the sweetest flower? Does not this flower of love have the fragrant aroma of fine, fine diamonds? Does not the wind love the dirt? Is not love not unlike the unlikely not it is unlikened to? Are you with someone tonight? Do not question your love. Take your lover by the hand . . .

God help us all.

The NHL has just released the 2005-06 schedule. Get yours here. And boy, is there a lot to get excited about:

The NHL will return to the ice with the busiest night in the league's 88-year history.

Not wanting fans to have to wait one extra day to see their teams, the NHL has scheduled 15 games -- including all 30 clubs -- on opening night Oct. 5. Before the lockout that wiped out all of last season, the record for games in a day was 14, done nine times but not since 2003.

The schedule, released Wednesday, features more divisional games as teams will play their biggest rivals eight times instead of six.

In Denver, this means two more games with Vancouver. On Long Island, that means two more games with the hated Rangers.

Here in Washington, it means six more games with Carolina, Atlanta and Florida. I've died and gone to heaven! And John Fontana is cruising on the same meme.

For happier breakdowns, visit On The Wings, Ben Wright and Heather Creegan.

Jaromir Jagr might want to play in Russia next year, but the terms of the new IIHF transfer agreement say otherwise. What a shame, or as they say in espanol, que lastima. However, the Rodent has found a loophole. For more, check out Hockeybird.

In the OC, Brian Burke is dangling the number 2 pick, while courting Randy Carlyle. And it looks like Anna Kournikova's ex-boyfriend will get to stay too.

Dominik Hasek returns to Ottawa. Or perhaps just arrives, as he hasn't actually played a solitary second in a Senators sweater as of yet.

Ex-NHL goalie Gerry Desjardins is shedding no tears for his bretheren of today when it comes to new equipment restrictions:

"Everything got so big, the jersey, the pants, the glove," the 10-year NHL veteran said. "Heck, with that basket on your hand, you don't have to catch a puck any more."

Elsewhere in the London Free Press, Al Strachan has some unkind words for the league's new substance abuse policy. And check out SI.com's Truth and Rumors.

For those of you who missed it (including me), Comcast is mulling over a decision to challenge ESPN head on by revamping the Outdoor Life Network into a broader sports property, and bidding on the NHL and NFL to stock itself with programming.

Reminder: Carnival of the NHL #3 is at Puck Update this week. Get in your submissions by 7:00 p.m. U.S. EDT tomorrow. And if I somehow missed you on a personal e-mail, please don't be offended, and feel free to send your stuff in regardless.

Tom Benjamin is getting in touch with his inner Bill Belichick. PJ returns with an exhaustive look at the Sharks. Joe Tasca is busting on Tom Golisano. Jes Golbez pens a love letter to Markus Naslund.

Please remember not to go shopping without Jim Mirtle's list of unrestricted free agents, as well as Matt's list of the recently bought-out.

And speaking of buy-outs, Dallas is saying goodbye to Pierre Turgeon.

When it comes to tweaks on Off Wing, one of the voices I listen to closely is David Singer. Yesterday, he pointed out a real deficiency when it comes to online properties associated with the NHL:

Like many other people out there on the internet, I

The list of the bought out gets longer, as McCarty, Whitney and Hatcher get pushed out of Detroit; and Brisebois gets the boot in Montreal.

On the other side of the ledger, Colorado has retained Joe Sakic and Rob Blake, while Luc Robataille, last seen on cable television co-hosting an NHL video game show, signed on one more time with the Kings.

Also breathing easier is the entire roster in Ottawa, as GM John Muckler has announced nobody is going to be bought out in scenic Kanata. Ditto in St. Louis. And on Long Island, the Islanders apparently won't be buying out Alexi Yashin, which means locals watching the team on cable next season can look forward to at least one between period visit from Carol Alt.

Jaromir Jagr says he's thinking about staying in Russia. Don't do us any favors.

In other North American news, despite Tom Golisano's joy over the new CBA, Miro Satan is on the block. And with Derian Hatcher out of Detroit, it looks like Dallas might want to bring him back.

In an decision that is sure to evoke thoughts of the bad old days of relocation and contraction in the early 1970s, St. Louis and Nashville will play an exhibition game in Kansas City this year.

The London Free Press is praising Brendan Shanahan:

Shanahan decided to do something about it so he reached deep and paid to bring in a diverse group of 21 hockey people to discuss ways to make the game more entertaining.

"I'm not that smart -- I'm just good at gathering real smart guys around me," Shanahan said yesterday.

"We all hear great ideas about the game but they just kind of disappear and I just thought if we could just organize these thoughts we might have something."

In came Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey, Tampa Bay Lightning head coach John Tortorella, ex-ref Terry Gregson, TV host Ron MacLean and players from Toronto's Mats Sundin to Detroit's Curtis Joseph. Considering the labour strife, Gainey called Shanahan's initiative "gutsy."

But, as it turns out, it was very rewarding even after the former London Knight picked up the tab.

Here, here. Shanny deserves all the praise he gets for the creation of the competition committee -- an addition to the NHL that was long overdue. And in a lockouy where few folks were covered in glory, Shanahan was alone in actually making some headway in doing something for the game.

Folks are talking about the league's cable contract, but after talking about business issues for better than a year, I'm worn out. If you like hockey, order NHL Center Ice, or wait for the NHL Network to make its U.S. debut. Better yet, why not steal from MLB.tv? Lynne Kiesling has other ideas.

Don Waddell will be GM of the 2006 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team. One thing for sure -- the next edition of the U.S. team is going to get younger and a lot more anonymous.

And finally, with the draft on Saturday in Ottawa, be sure to take a look at the final rankings from Central Scouting and this mock draft from 640 AM in Toronto.

Ok, with an end to the lockout comes a return to Off Wing normalcy. With today, we'll be returning to half of our regularly scheduled hockey blogging, namely the lunchtime Rink Notes feature. And the morning after the regular season begins, I promise NHL Roundup will return as well.

(For new readers: NHL Roundup recaps every NHL game from the previous night, and runs Monday to Friday. Rink notes is a digest of features from around the league that usually runs at lunch time. Once the regular season starts, I'll finally lift the strikethrough off the links in the left hand margin.)

Colby Cosh looked at the totality of the NHL rule changes over the weekend:

[O]ne strong effect of the new rules would seem to be a risk of running older players out of the game. Aside from goals and penalty calls, there are four major causes of stoppages in play (am I forgetting any?): offside, icing, the goalie covering the puck, and shooting the puck into the stands. The NHL has taken steps to reduce all of these--reintroducing the tag-up offside; giving the linesman the option to wave off unintentional icing; and imposing delay-of-game penalties on goalies who stop play needlessly and on defensive players who put the puck over the glass deliberately. Moreover, teams that ice the puck have lost the right to make line changes before the next face-off. All this would seem to add up to a big advantage for young legs, and a big problem for the Roenicks and Chelioses (Cheliotes?) of the world.

Like Colby, I initially failed to realize that the shootout loser will still get one point, and as Matt Fenwick points out, this is going to result in a lot of boring thrid periods.

For other takes, check out Tom Benjamin, Tim Ballisty, Right in Philly and Uber Cool Space.

Hockey's Mr. October is looking for work. How many fantasy league rosters has that guy ruined?

Mike Modano wants to stay in Dallas, but says he'd play in Phoenix with Brett Hull if he can't. And as we know, Phoenix has got more than enough cap room to pay him.

Harley Hotchkiss is re-elected to another two-year term as Chairman of the NHL Board of Governors. Feel the power, Harley, feel the power.

If you missed it over the weekend, John LeClair and Tony Amonte became the first victims of the new league salary cap when the Flyers bought out their contracts. For a complete look at all the potential victims, click here. And thanks to Matthew Never Knew, who is compiling a master list of jilted veterans.

For those of you who would like to look back in anger, here's the NHL CBA Wiki. Thanks to Athens Blog for the pointer.

Sure, everybody in Pittsburgh is talking about Sidney Crosby, and who can blame them?

Then again, folks shouldn't forget about Pittsburgh's first round pick from 2004, that draft's second pick overall, Evengi Malkin.

Please note: This is a big deal. About time it got done, too.

That's right, with the end of the lockout the new feature is back, though it will be headed out on the road for a little while. This week's stop, Steve Ovadia's Puck Update. Thanks to Steve for agreeing to host this edition.

Once again, here's how this feature works: Submit a post of your on the NHL to Steve (puck-at-popupdate.com) along with a short description of what it covers. Once Steve has collected a sufficient number of posts, he'll publish them all in one massive extravaganza sometime later this week.

Stop by Puck Update for more details. And get to work on those post-lockout thoughts.