aw HELL no!

It appears the NHL is considering renaming the their annual awards in an attempt to make them seem more relevant to people who are just beginning to watch hockey, and those who wait in the wings.

Bullshit.

This idea fails harder than whoever thought it would be a good idea to rename the divisions. Tossing aside awesome names like Adams, Norris, Smythe and Patrick Divisions in favor of generic, geographic locations like what the NHL uses now.

One of the greatest assets hockey has is the history and tradition that runs deep in the sport. Sure many people might not know that the Lady Byng trophy, presented to the player least like to knock your goddamn head off, was donated by... you guessed it Lady Byng. This hip lady was wife of the former Governor General of Canada and a huge hockey fan.

As much as we would love to see Le Magnifique honored by a trophy it should not be at the cost of losing the history that is already there. Gretsky, Orr, Lemieux and Howe will forever live on in hockey... but for Christ's sake don't rename the awards after them!

*Side note* Sean Leahy of Puck Daddy proposes an idea Rustbelt can get behind. Rename the divisions after these big hockey names. This about it... Pittsburgh as the 2010-2011 Buries It Division Champions!?!? AWESOME!

h/t to the Pensblog

Sports Blog Outsourcing 1.0

We may be a bit behind on some of this news, but back the fuck off...

Tom Barrasso and John LeClair were both inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame.
Kudos to both of you along with Frank Zamboni without which we would have nothing to watch in between periods of NHL 93. Tommy B. helped the Pens win 2 Stanley Cups in the early 90's while John LeClair had 58 points over two seasons with the Pens.

Pittsburgh Steelers TE Heath Miller signs 6 year contract extension.
Good call by the Steelers who are facing the daunting task of signing or replacing Casey Hampton, Brett "Diesel" Keisel, Ryan Clark, Willie Parker, Jeff Reed, Willie Colon and Justin Hartwig... Oof. Miller is one of the most underrated tight ends in the league and locking him up long term provides Roethlisberger with a tiny bit more protection for years to come.

Puck the Media grabbed a terrific interview with legendary hockey broadcaster Mike Lange.
We don't care if you love the Pens or hate them... OK maybe we do, but either way you have to admit that Mr. Lange is one of the best in the business.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk gets the big middle finger from Steelers Nation.
Florio lists the top 10 reasons the Pittsburgh Steelers will pick up Michael Vick. Jesus fucking christ man... you're main source for an article is a bunch of bookies saying that the Steelers will toss aside Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon in favor of Michael Vick. Then you go on to weave an intricate web of connections between Vick, Dan Rooney and Omar Epps Mike Tomlin?! I know it is the off season and all, but come on man...

Strike three for Jim Balsillie as the NHL says nay to his offer for the Coyotes.
Gary Bettman and the NHL Board of Governors unanimously voted to reject an offer from Jim Balsille to buy the Phoenix Coyotes and move the team to Hamilton, Ontario. The Board of Governors approved the sale of the struggling team to a group of investors led by Jerry Reinsdorf. The Coyotes have lost money every year since moving to Phoenix, so by all means Mr. Bettman... keep them there and hide behind the Board of Governors... joke.

Pirates trade Freddy Sanchez for a... pitching prospect...
Wait! Don't run away just yet... Tim Alderson, the 22nd overall pick two years ago, was considered the no. 4 prospect in the Giant's system coming into this year. He has posted a 7-2 record and a 3.65 ERA in AA ball this year. Maybe Neal Huntington and co. have some sort of plan... maybe... anyone?

Goddamn you NBC

Fuck me gently with a chainsaw:

NBC and the NHL are set to announce an extension to their relationship for another two years, past the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics and Stanley Cup playoffs.

Bad news bears Pens fans... you can count on Mario's TV disappearing during the playoffs time and time again while this contract runs on. I know the NHL needs a major network beyond the home of competitive curling to broadcast these games but COME ON! Could they please find some place with announcers slightly more competent than our current merry band of dumbasses. Could they please find a place that ACTUALLY seems to give a damn about hockey and not just their own ratings? Maybe a place that won't cut away from overtime in favor of horses running in a circle to their generally certain and untimely demise!

Sorry... I've finished my rant now. Note to Gary Bettman... if you want the league to be respected as much as all the others you may want to consider taking a stand on this whole network thing once in a while. Or, you know, keep taking it in the ass from the likes of Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk.

The ice is melting in the desert

In other NHL news, the Phoenix Coyotes have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This move comes after many years of financial losses and toiling in the lower ranks of the NHL. Since moving from Winnipeg for the 1996-1997 season, the Coyotes qualified for the playoffs five teams, losing each series in the opening round.

The Coyotes best season? A 40 win season in 2001-2002. This was the high point of franchise history and shortly there after the team dropped like a rock from any playoff contention and has remained there since.

Shortly after the announcement, Jim Balsillie and PSE Sports & Entertainment LP placed a bid to buy the team for $215.5 million dollars. Balsillie is a name familiar to Pens and Nashville Predators fans alike as the shmuck who keeps trying to buy every damn team in the NHL. He failed in both bids to buy the aforementioned teams and is now tossing his hat into the desert. The one stipulation to this purchase is that Jimmy boy gets to move the team to his promised land in southern Ontario.

Not so fast Mr. Silly balls... Gary Bettman, czar of all things NHL, stepped in.

The NHL, which has said the Coyotes won’t relocate, later issued its own statement saying it’s investigating the circumstances surrounding the filing. The league also stripped Coyotes Chief Executive OfficerJerry Moyes of authority to act on behalf of the club.

Once again Gary, you're fucking with hockey. In his attempt to expand hockey's appeal to audiences beyond their current niche markets (see also Canada and cities above the Mason-Dixon line), Gary is potentially hurting the league. Yes, the Jets left Winnipeg because they ran out of money, but they also had the smallest arena in the league and played in a time when player salaries would make Bill Gates look like a beggar... ok, maybe not, but you get the idea.

While Balsillie may be the bizzaro Mark Cuban of hockey, this move has to be done. The Coyotes were never really feasible in this market that already has the Suns and Cardinals with established fanbases. Their original arena was shared with the Suns, and when they finally did build a new one, they consistantly had trouble filling the seats. The possibility of the Coyotes going bankrupt was prominent throughout the season, and the NHL bailed the club out with a loan in late February after having already repeatidly loaned them money.

Bettman's attempts to keep the current franchises in their cities is not going to work, and above all else he fails to realize that the other clubs must approve an ownership change before it can happen. LET HOCKEY GOVERN ITSELF YOU POMPOUS JACKASS! Many of the ownership groups in place have a better idea of where and how this sport should develop and what will be best for the sport. Along with this, not only is the fate of hockey in North America on the line, but with the current profit sharing agreement... so are their asses. No one ownership group is stupid enough to make a move that would bring down the NHL, and to be honest Jimmy boy cannot do much worse in Southern Ontario than all parties did in Phoenix.

Moving a club back to Canada isn't a bad idea Mr. Bettman... it just isn't yours. Remove your head from your ass and let the actual club owners figure this one out.