You know you sent in a good one when you get it to appear in multiple mail bags.

Darrell Sampson sent in a list of the 22 players remaining in the NHL who were in NHL ‘94 (“the greatest hockey video game of all time”) now that Mats Sundin has retired.

Sampson’s email appeared in both John Buccigross’ and Jim Lang‘s columns.

Buccigross comments about how his readers are the best, and Lang answers a question (Who will be the last one to retire?) presumably edited out of the email appearing on espn.com.

It was a good email, for sure.  Editors are going to have to be careful with these, as many do have small edits here and there, and different versions being published can expose those edits.  No harm here, as there’s no shift in opinion from the edit, but it’ll be interesting to spot these as they happen and see if they read differently.

The lack of a playoff berth in any of Gretzky’s seasons in Phoenix is generally mentioned early in many of the articles.  The accompanying photos used on the home pages or in the articles often portrayed frustration or an angered Gretzky behind the bench.

Here’s a quick look at today’s photos:

Continue reading "Faces of Gretzky"

I was checking out the ESPN channel tv listings.  I noticed on the “Sport and League Schedules” that there’s no NHL or hockey listed.  Bowling, sure, but no hockey.

Yes, the NHL doesn’t currently have a contract with ESPN, but games can be shown on ESPN Classic, and ESPN does show college hockey.

The current channel listing:
ESPN
ESPN2
ESPNEWS
ESPN Classic
ESPN Deportes
ESPN U
It also lists some web, mobile, ABC and any matching HD channels.

I guess it should be noted that the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) has a broadcast agreement with ESPN.

The Hamilton Spectator reports Balsillie has said he will sign a lease of up to 32 years and provide $5 for the renovation project, the rest of the funds would likely come from government sources.

Ok, I’m in, for a small stake in the team I’ll provide $5 as well.

Good typos are hard to find.

That marks the fourth consecutive season that the Sharks have failed to live up to postseason expectations. (Fifth overall if you count 2003-04 before Thornton came to town) They may have been given a free pass as a 5th seed in 2005-06 and 06-07, but eyebrows started raising after Thornton and company struggled against Calgary and then fell to Dallas last spring.

This time around, the Sharks earned the NHL’s best regular season record and then top overall seed in the West, but looked like a completely different team against Anaheim, who will now be moving to face Detroit even after a shaky season at best. It was the dreaded 8th over 1st seed upset, which has happened seven times since the current playoff system went into effect for the 1993-94 season. The Sharks’ role was reversed that year, as they bounced the Wings in the first round as an 8th seed.

What’s worse for the Sharks is that they made history on Monday. In having the NHL’s highest regular season total, they became the first team in history to lose to the lowest overall seed in the playoffs. The Ducks only had 91 points as the West’s lowest seed while Montreal had 93 in the East. Eek.

So how many questions will the Sharks be facing this summer? A lot. One that is dear to my heart: What does the future hold for Jeremy Roenick? Has one of the league’s most colorful players played his last game? Something tells me yes, even though I hope that’s not the case as he has shown he can still keep up even at his age.

Potentially joining him in retirement could be Claude Lemieux, who was unimpressive during his 18-game stint with the Sharks and only played in one playoff game. Great story this year, but seriously, it’s Claude. Who will honestly miss him?

Unlike the 2000-01, the last season the Islanders were the dead-last team, there’s a good amount of hope for the future of this team (arena pending).

While the Islanders aren’t guaranteed the first pick, they are guaranteed the first or second.  Barring any abnormal news between now and the draft, John Tavares or Victor Hedman will most likely be wearing an Isles sweater at some point next season.

Sure, +/- is a loathed stat, but that’s a wild separation for two defensemen on the same team.

Peter Mannino is starting for the Islanders today against the Blackhawks.

Also in the Islanders lineup: Joel Rechlicz.

Less than a month ago (and a short Feb month at that), these two played together in the ECHL for the Utah Grizzlies.

A few weeks in Bridgeport together, they’re now both skating at the top level.  Yes, the Isles may be in last place (in the league), but they have been playing well as of late.

Quite a journey for these two.

The Isles are in dead last in the NHL.  It looks like a good spot to be in so late in the season with premier pick John Tavares available in this year’s draft.  New York once had some healthy distance between them and the 29th team, but now there are only 4 points between the rebuilding Isles and the busted Bolts.

With the way the team is currently playing, there’s good reason for optimism on the Island, assuming the team stays there, especially if Tavares joins the squad.  The “problem” is if the Islanders keep up their winning ways and instead of picking 1-2, wind up in the 5-6 spot.  Not a bad pick, but the projected talent at 1-2 is much higher.

Outside of a couple of home games against the rival Flyers, it’s hard to imagine many Islanders fans will actually be rooting for the wins to keep coming.