Tidying The Place Up

Today's entry is one of odds and ends. The reason I'm not posting a long article today is that I will be attending the Amadeus Steen Foundation's Charity Benefit tonight, and I have a pile of stuff to complete before that. Also, I feel there are a number of small things that I need to address before carrying on in my normal hockey diatribe. In any case, this article is simply some housekeeping so that you're aware of some of the stuff that may have been added and/or changed. And it's always good to be kept aware of changes, especially when you're here to read about hockey. Here we go.

• Hockey Blog In Canada has taken on a sponsor! HBIC is proud to have SportsDiamond.com featured on this site. They offer a ton of equipment in a variety of sports at competitive prices. Specifically, they have a ton of hockey equipment, including goalie equipment. If you're in the market for some new gear, please check out SportsDiamond.com!
• A huge "thank you" goes out to Puck Daddy and, more specifically, Kevin Kaduk of Big League Stew for mentioning me in Kevin's "5 Ways I'd Change The NHL". Personally, I think the realignment of the divisions would be easy to do, and the NHL really needs to embrace this idea sooner rather than later.
• Some patch news to pass on your way. As shown earlier in a previous article, EA Sports' NHL 09 showed the Montreal Canadiens wearing two varieties of the 100-year Centennial patch. According to the Habs' website, one of those patches will be worn all season to commemorate 100 seasons of hockey in Montreal. No word on the second patch yet, but we know that Montreal will have at least one patch to wear this season.
• The Columbus Blue Jackets will be joining Montreal in wearing a patch this season. The Blue Jackets announced that they will honour the team's late founder and majority owner, John H. McConnell, with a patch on their right shoulders. The same logo will appear in the trapezoid behind each net for this upcoming season as well.
• The AHL All-Star Game takes place in Worcester, Massachusetts this season, and we have our first glimpses of the All-Star Game logo. It's nothing special, but at least you know that Worcester has sharks. I mean, these Sharks.
• Does anyone find it slightly disconcerting that both TSN's Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger haven't posted anything all summer on TSN.ca? Did they get the same summer break as kids in school? Personally, as long as they come back with the same solid reporting that they did last season, I'm ok with them taking a break, but I miss my fill of McKenzie's insights. As for Pierre McGuire, just keep him off the air.
• Even worse, Mike Toth of Sportsnet.ca needs his head checked. His "Pass The Puck" articles are ridiculous. Toth has apparently never covered hockey in his life, and proves that he doesn't even follow the stories in the hockey world with his three-part essay. You can read Part One, Part Two, and Part Three if you like, or you can simply read the reactions posted by The PensBlog and Sean Leahy's Going Five Hole to give you the full reasons as to why Toth rarely appears on camera anymore.
• Aneesa of Love The Game, Don't Like Puck Bunnies conducted an interview with Washington Capitals' owner Ted Leonsis. Personally, I think Ted has a great grasp on the game and how to market it through new media. And the fact that he still has about 30 items to complete on his list of 101 things to do before he passes on means there will be no shortage of Ted in the near future.

Ok, I'm off. I have more work to do than I can shake a hockey stick at. You know what to do for comments and questions. With my attendance at the Charity Benefit tonight, expect a picture-laden post of tonight's function in the near future!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!