I Could Be Vice-President

Having spent a day up north, I can certainly say that I have a ton of respect for the people who live and work up here. I'm not totally in the North Pole or anything. I'm spending a few days in northern Manitoba doing work. It's been an eye-opener already. They talk of -60 Celcius in the winter. They talk of scraping ice from car windows in October. They talk about how the leaves have already changed colour and fallen like it's no big deal. And no, you can't see Russia from where I am, although I'm sure I have the same amount of foreign relation experience as Sarah Palin does. Considering that the last sentence amounts to nothing more than a cheap shot at the American political scene, I'm probably best just to move on and not make a huge deal out of that. Good for you? Good for me too.

• The saga between the NHL, the KHL, and the IIHF got a little messier today as the IIHF ruled that Radulov is in breach of his contract with the Nashville Predators. However, the IIHF also stated that it can't prevent him from playing domestic hockey, meaning he is free to participate in the KHL with no recourse. Of course, the KHL is stating that nothing is settled until the entire ordeal is settled in court. I'm starting to tire of this story.
• Ryan Callahan ruined a huge payday for a few people as his late goal propelled the New York Rangers to a 4-3 comeback victory against Metallurg Magnitogorsk on Wednesday night. Callahan shows some heads-up play when he picked off a pass between the two Russian squad's defencemen, and went in alone on Andrei Mezin. Mezin went down, and Callahan streaked to the far side of the net before tucking it home. The Rangers collect the $1 million prize for winning the Victoria Cup.
• Jim Balsillie is back in the running for the Nashville Predators. Well, not all the way in, but he is looking for a piece of the pie. Balsillie is looking to buy the minority share that was originally owned by William "Boots" Del Biaggio before he was arrested for fraud.
• Matt Ellis is on the move again. After being picked up by the Kings on waivers last season, the Kings waived him, and he was claimed by the Buffalo Sabres. Ellis has three goals and five assists last season, and was never really utilised by the Kings in anything but a fourth-line, penalty-killing role.
• In a rather strange move to me, the Edmonton Oilers placed forward Ryan Potulny on waivers today. Potulny was acquired by the Oilers from the Flyers in exchange for defenceman Danny Syvret on June 6. While I understand that Potulny was a long shot to make the NHL squad this season after the moves the Oilers made, the trading of Syvret was absolutely useless now. Remember, kids: if you trade for a fringe player on a one-way contract, you're basically making a stupid trade.

I have to be up early again tomorrow, so I'm cutting this one short. If you have any comments or want to see something on this blog, please leave me a comment. Heck, just say "hello" if you stop by. Otherwise, how will I know what you - the readers - want to see?

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!