Rumors Are Out Of Control

In just the few days leading up to the NHL Draft, which is generally Trade-O-Rama time, the rumor mill picked up at an epic pace, much in thanks to actual reporters being allowed on the Internet to blog their feelings and their supposed findings.

I say "supposed" because a few of these folks seem to be taking the nod from the infamous Eklund, who a couple years ago created a ridiculous Internet buzz with his blog talking about trade rumors because he supposedly had insiders deep within that would hook him up with information. Of course, when that information seemed to be right less than 1% of the time, that causes a bit of a credibility problem.

This, of course, would not deter Eklund as he now has a new website which you have to pay him money to read his rumors.

And you think I'm joking. Nevermind the awful precedent this has set, it's no wonder guys like Buzz Bissinger get upset at us Water Heater Jockeys in the Basement who don't leave home for anything. Clowns like Eklund make it harder for everyone because they create a stir that isn't actually there and causes idiotic questions to be served up to coaches and general managers that have zero idea where this stuff came from.

Enter Bruce Garrioch from the Ottawa Sun - a supposed actual reporter working for a tabloid-style rag in Canada's Capital City.

Garrioch started the firestorm this week by saying he had it on good authority that the Pittsburgh Penguins were shopping Evgeni Malkin to Los Angeles for a package of players and the #2 overall pick this year. Those players involved? Dustin Brown and Alex Frolov. If there were any inkling of truth to this, this would mean that a deal like this would be EPIC.

Of course when Dean Lombardi, the Kings GM, was asked about this it was all news to him, saying only that he'd received only two offers worth considering for the #2 pick and still opted to pass on them. I don't believe for a second that he would've taken that phony Pittsburgh offer either as Dustin Brown is a stud and Alex Frolov is likewise when he stays healthy.

Garrioch was roasted for causing such nonsense by folks all over the Interweb and he's continued to do nothing but throw crap at the wall to see what sticks or gets him some attention.

Shameful. A guy in his position should actually, you know, take advantage of having access to all these executives and coaches. Instead, he fabricates some rumors to get people talking and in the process ticks everyone off. Let's face it, nothing intrigues folks more than trade rumors - it's an instant conversation starter. Is Player A worth Player B and C? It's great...as long as its founded in some actual truth.

As it is, no one knows what Pittsburgh is actually up to regarding Malkin or Marian Hossa or any of their potential free agents. Hell, it's been rumored for over a week now that Ryan Malone was going to get traded to Columbus so they could have a week to negotiate directly with him. It hasn't happened and it won't happen because Malone already stated that he's going to be an unrestricted free agent.

At least one guy has some sensibility - who would've guessed it would be the player in this case?

As it is, none of the rumors that have come up in the last week have nor will they materialize.

Ray Emery getting traded to St. Louis? Not going to happen now after Emery was waived and bought out by Ottawa. To add to that, the Blues traded for Chris Mason from Nashville for a fourth round pick. Nashville was able to do that because they signed Dan Ellis to a new deal which means that Pekka Rinne will be the new backup for the Predators.

Speaking of the Blues, they dished Jamal Mayers to Toronto for their third round pick. Mayer is not very good nor very worth it and the fact St. Louis got a third rounder for him is stunning.

There's rumors currently swirling that Montreal and Toronto may be hashing out a deal to give Montreal exclusive negotiating rights with Mats Sundin for the next week. This one has to be an Eklund/Garrioch tag team special because there is no way these two teams would work out a deal that would be mutually beneficial - nevermind that it would be a complete PR nightmare to have the Leafs dish Sundin to a hated rival and watch him succeed there.

There's also a story popping up from RDS (for you French-Canadiens) that Anaheim may be shopping Chris Pronger around. Again, I don't buy this for a minute because Anaheim needs him too much and he fits in all too well on that team, like it or not.

All we know for sure now is that Tampa Bay is selecting Steven Stamkos and we'll be here during or after the draft going over anything overly ridiculous that goes down during tonight's First Round.

Chris Simon: Now We've Got Your Back

Hey, remember when I wrote this?

Yeah...my bad, Chris. I say that only because you were cool enough to call out Colin Campbell.

To the quote board!

"I think it's definitely not fair," Simon told the Minnesota
Pioneer-Press. "My opinion is there's obviously two sets of rules."

If you look at the (video) tape and look at his history, you
can't say we're different, other than he's a star player and I'm not."

A home run all around from the mouth of Chris Simon. Of all people to call Colin Campbell out on the carpet it's the former poster boy for boorish thuggery.

Well...he still might be the poster boy for that, but as far as we're concerned he's irrelevant until he plants another stick into some guy's face. Until that happens, he's now the shining star as to why the NHL is ripe with hypocracy and a crock.

To prove that, here's more wisdom from Chris Simon:

"Because you look at the evidence, at the tape of both cases. You have to put in
the facts of both players being suspended (previously), and I'm being treated
unfairly. The tape proves it all, and his history proves it all. I have nothing
against the other players, I just want to be treated fairly, and in this case I
don't think I have been."

DAAAAAMN!

In typical toothless and brainless fashion, Colin Campbell fired back:

"[Simon's] skate drop on the Pittsburgh player was in a totally
different context than Chris Pronger's," Campbell told
the Pioneer-Press in an email.

"Mr. Simon can state his opinion. Our job is to assess what we
feel is fair and right. If Chris didn't do what he has done, he wouldn't need to
complain about how we handle discipline."

Seriously Colin? Couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone on this one? Real nice.

And the decision is...

Colin Campbell says:

Eight! Eight games! Ha-ha-ha!

So as I postulated last night about this, he'd get just enough of a suspension to make some of the casual fans feel good about it all the while doing Anaheim a huge favor in giving their minutes horse on the blue line a couple weeks off before the start of the playoffs.

The way this suspension works out, Pronger doesn't even miss the rest of the regular season (which I figured would happen) and instead gives Pronger the extra favor of having one game to get his legs back underneath him before the Playoffs start!

Absolutely incredible. I guess that since Los Angeles hasn't been a viable hockey market since Gretzky left town, the NHL is pushing all their chips in on Anaheim using the "close enough" corollary. Not familiar with it? You should be - after the NHL shot itself in the foot after the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994 and the owners locked out the players for the better part of the following year, they had essentially killed all momentum gained by the Rangers winning it all.

The Rangers had essentially gone into the tank (good-bye New York market!) but the Devils used losing to the Rangers in their epic seven-game series the season before to come back even more fierce in 1995 and winning the Stanley Cup.

By virtue of this "close enough corollary" the league decided that putting all their eggs into the Devils basket in regards to rule enforcement and quality of entertainment figuring that the savvy hockey fans from New York City would latch onto a winner instantaneously and therefore keep the budding world-wide hockey takeover train rolling along!

Oops. The league soon found out that the Devils, while initially a great and lovable story about a team that finally rose out of mediocrity to win it all, became a not-so-fun side show of domination and boredom. Many, including yours truly, postulated that the lost season of 2004-2005 due to the lockout and the rule re-establishment borne from that was the way for the NHL to cleanse itself of all the clutch-and-grab styles that were adopted thanks to the success the Devils and Stars gained from that.

And now here we are at another crossroads in hockey history, a team developing a style of play that is completely opposite of what hockey was meant to be and using the same styles adopted by New Jersey (the grabbing, the slowing down, the constant interference) and then adding a different twist to it with the cheap hits, dirty play and constant fighting. You'd figure that since Bettman has been on a crusade to eliminate fighting from the game so he can market hockey to his precious and mythological "wider audience" he'd have figured that Anaheim would be a bad thing.

That's where Anaheim has got him by the balls - just being in Southern California - hitting on Bettman's other more pressing weakness, successful hockey teams in the new markets that came out of reckless over-expansion.

Hell, you don't need me to tell you what a bonehead Bettman is for pushing his garbage, listen to him yourself! Not only doing a half-ass job congratulating the winning team, but mostly to brag about how great hockey's doing in California and how quickly success has come to one of their expansion teams.

I wish I could tell you I was making all of this up, but real life allows me the creative freedom to come up with something so crazy sounding that it seems plausibly true.

Stompy McUnibrow Update

It appears the smoking gun/Zapruder film/second gunman has decided to make its appearance in regards to the Chris Pronger stomping on Ryan Kesler incident.

Be sure to check this link first to see it for yourself if you were doubting the validity of Kesler's claim.

Also doing a mea culpa with this is TSN's Bob McKenzie who had initially said he didn't believe Pronger should be suspended based on the "inconclusive" video evidence presented before. Now, with the new video showing a closer view of what exactly Stompy McUnibrow was doing to Kesler... he feels action should be taken.

The main guy changing course in all this, however, is Colin Campbell. Campbell had asked for Pronger to come to New York City to meet with him to discuss his newly minted indefinite suspension. Pronger opted to exercise his right to have his hearing over the phone.

What I found oddly amazing about this part of the story was this:

Traditionally, the type of hearing usually speaks to the number of games a
player can be suspended. The phone hearing normally means four games
or less, while an in-person hearing means five or more.

By waiving his right to an in-person hearing, Pronger acknowledges his
suspension could be more severe than the phone treatment usually determines.

So... basically you know how screwed or not screwed you are based on how they want to conduct business. I also find it a bit odd that the player who's about to be punished has the option of whether or not they come to meet with Campbell. Shouldn't something regarding what will likely be a long suspension have to require their presence in person? This would be like having a defendant be tried, convicted and sentenced all while never having to set foot in court....ever. Then again, it's not surprising that the NHL would operate in such a way.

This should prove interesting to see how harshly the NHL comes down on Pronger - remember, the bar is set at 30 games (what Chris Simon got for doing exactly the same thing). Also, remember that Simon and Pronger now both have the same number of doled out punishments from the NHL. I'm thinking Pronger will miss out on the rest of the regular season and then will be back and ready to go for the playoffs where he'll probably continue to be a beligerent rule breaker and menace to the safety of everyone on the ice.

This really couldn't have worked out any nicer for Anaheim.

The Double-Standard is Clear

Remember Chris Simon? Yeah, he's on the Minnesota Wild now, but while he was a New York Islander he helped add to his fun legacy by both using Ryan Hollweg like a batting tee and Jarkko Ruutu as a Dance Dance Revolution mat.

I get to mention that last incident because it elicited this response from NHL Discipline Lackey Colin Campbell:

Several factors were considered in imposing the longest suspension in NHL
history for an on-ice incident. While it was fortunate there was no serious
injury to Mr. Ruutu as a result of Simon's action, the deliberate act of kicking
an opponent with an exposed skate blade, especially where the opponent is in a
vulnerable position, is and always has been a repugnant and totally unacceptable
act in the game of hockey.

In addition, while the act itself was
extremely dangerous, the fact that this is the eighth incident requiring the
imposition of supplementary discipline on Simon compelled me to impose a very
severe penalty in this case. When a player repeatedly evidences the lack of
ability to control his actions and conducts himself in total disregard of the
rules, as well the health and safety of other players on the ice, each
subsequent incident is deserving of enhanced scrutiny and more severe
discipline.

This response serves not only the purpose of imposing
appropriate punishment for the player involved, but also the purpose of
deterring the player and all other players from engaging in similar conduct in
the future - hopefully creating a safer long-term work environment for all NHL
players.

I ask that you keep these words ringing through your head as I show you this.

That is Chris Pronger of the Anaheim Ducks, the darlings of the NHL, deliberately stomping on the Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler with his skate in their game just last night. In case that sentence was too much to handle, here are the operative statements to keep in mind:

Chris Pronger
Anaheim Ducks
Deliberately
Stomping
On

Now that I've painted that clearly for you, the outrage from the Canucks and from Ryan Kesler was rather obvious:

"He stomped on me," Kesler told reporters after the game. "He got me on the
calf."

Again, our operative word here is:

Stomped

After Colin Campbell reviewed the incident, he followed through as how one would expect someone to on a repeat rule-breaking violent-hitting offender...

Chris Pronger Will Face No NHL Disciplinary Action for Stomp

Of course...why would the NHL suspend a guy they had their media gurus persistently sucking up to all last playoff season?

Wait, he was suspended twice during the playoffs last year for dirty hits? Once in the Western Finals and again in the Stanley Cup Finals? That can't be true! He's the best defenseman since Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey had a love child together with Scott Stevens! He's all parts fantasticness!

Wait a minute, what's this I read here?

Chris Pronger has been suspended seven different times before in his career? How is that possible!? I was told all playoffs long the last two seasons that Chris Pronger was the greatest thing to ever set foot on the ice that played the defensive position. This must be an egregious oversight.

After all, Chris Simon is the lowest form of low on the face of the hockey earth and he's been punished über-severely multiple times because he's got a bad temper and a bad reputation and he's been suspended by the NHL eight different times! He's bad! Boo Chris Simon!

Folks, I don't know how many more times I need to stress the idiocy of those in charge of the NHL in all offices. I feel like I'm a broken record here sadly and I'd love... LOVE to talk more about the great things going on in the game (basically Alexander Ovechkin) but I can't ignore these stories. The NHL is finding new ways to make me hate being a professional hockey fan on a weekly and sometimes daily basis and that makes me sad. I love the game more than anything.

But this...this circus of errors, hypocracy and ignorance on all levels from the Commissioner's office to the Discipline office to the General Managers and Owners on down to the fans who have been duped over the last 10-15 years into thinking this brand of hockey is good. It's downright shameful and an absolute disgrace.

Dear Hockey Media: YOU FAIL!

It's the All-Star Break which gives everyone pause to reflect on how things are going and where things are headed. I'll have a piece up here soon going back to check out the standings, much the way I did earlier this season.

In reading up on some of the fluff pieces written at this time of year, one writer has done something that no other writer apparently has - asked an obvious quesion. Thanks to ESPN's Scott Burnside, he's actually asked a question I've been wondering about since about February of last year and he asked a guy I particularly don't like at all in Chris Pronger.

Pronger's answer, however, is suprising and a revelation - is he trying to win us over? Yeah, probably, that is until he picks another fight with a gooning stalwart like Dan Cleary:

Speaking of the big Anaheim defenseman, he also might be be the liveliest
interview in the league. Asked whether he believed officiating was relaxed a bit
to allow for more physical play in the defensive zone, Pronger didn't
hesitate.

"You know what, you are right. They are letting us get away with a lot
more. I don't like it. I don't like it," Pronger said. "Again, I haven't given
much thought to it.

"This is actually the first time I've actually answered this question … we are getting away with more, probably from the top of the circles in respect to the little hooks, quality scoring chances, things of that nature. You're able to limit the elite players, the players that are going to be able to create the bulk of the chances. Which is a good thing. For me. Probably not for those guys."

Emphasis mine on that quotation, of course.

So we have a thorough stable of guys that cover all the teams in the NHL for radio, TV and newsprint. We have multiple cable channels covering the sport in Canada and the United States. We have national networks in both countries that cover the sport - and NONE OF THEM HAVE ASKED ABOUT THIS?!

Un-freaking-real. You all embarass me because even an arm-chair loose-cannon like myself that only gets to catch NHL games on TV can see these things happening, especially in the playoffs where referees are even less likely to want to "decide a game" with a call. Deciding games with a host of non-calls is more the way to go nowadays.

This is sickening. The reporters, in this case, have to be the gatekeepers to keep everyone aware of what the hell is going on. Of course, when you still have a lot of games cranking out where teams are scoring six, seven or eight goals in a game - it sends the message to these ninnies that all is well. As we witnessed in the playoffs and end of the season last year as well as for most of this year - all is NOT well and old habits are returning in force.

I'd like to think that a stunning quote like this from one of the league's biggest stars would be enough to draw attention to things....but even in Scott Burnsides' article, it's buried beneath talking about the different events in the Skills Competition, the lack of big stars turning out for the event and the possibility of the league adding two games to the schedule next season.

I guess if its two more games full of lockdown boredom hockey people might start to notice and get worried again. Then again, none of the hockey writers seem to notice or care in the first place.

Consistent Inconsistencies

Dare me to say, Game 3 was....good? See what happens when goals are score, gumming up everything becomes secondary to having to put the puck in the net. It's incredible! Goals are GOOD for hockey. Who knew?

What's not good for hockey? The answer these playoffs is pretty clear: Chris Pronger

Now I made enough of a stink during the Detroit series about Pronger's cheap hit on Tomas Holmstrom and had I been blogging about the NHL for the last ten years or so, I'm sure there would be an extensive history of my words on how much a real cretin Chris Pronger is - since there's not, you're just going to have to believe me that I'm not a big fan.

Last night during the early part of the third period with the game knotted up at three, Ottawa's Dean McAmmond got a step on the Ducks defense and was chasing down a rebound. Watch the nonsense that ensues here.

A couple of things to note after watching this:

1. Chris Pronger had all day to decide how exactly he was going to put a hit on McAmmond. Rather than deliver what would've been a tide-turning crunching body blow, he opted to elbow McAmmond in the head as he skated by. Yes, he really manned up on that one. Congrats Chris.

2. What in the world was the official looking at here? You'll notice in the lower right corner of that video that one of the referees is right there watching the play happen and even has McAmmond slide to his feet after he's been knocked out - something that finally prompted him to blow the whistle. Now if the hit happens away from the play I can understand not seeing it - but this was on the puck, the heart of the play! Open your eyes ref, you're missing a good game.

This egregious display of ignoring the rules of the game and the rules of respect players are supposed to have for each other, Pronger escapes without a penalty on the play much the same way he didn't get a penalty for being the far more guilty participant in the hit on Holmstrom. The NHL has once again had it put on their plate to cover up for their on-ice officials and this time have truly dropped the ball.

Before we get into breaking down what possibly could've been going through Colin Campbell and Gary Bettman's head on this decision let's take a look at the book that no one in the NHL Front Office must ever read - the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Quoth the CBA (once again, emphasis mine):

Factors In Determining Supplementary Discipline

In deciding on supplementary discipline, the following factors will be
taken into account:

1. The type of conduct involved: conduct outside of NHL rules; excessive force in contact otherwise permitted by NHL rules; and careless or accidental conduct. Players are responsible for the consequences of their actions.

2. Injury to the opposing player(s) involved in the incident.

3. The status of the offender, and specifically whether he is a
first time or repeat offender. Players who repeatedly violate NHL rules will be more severely punished for each violation.

4. The situation of the game in which the incident occurred: late in the
game, lopsided score, prior events in the game.

5. Such other factors as may be appropriate in the circumstances.

So based upon what is written there...how do we figure that Chris Pronger gets a one-game suspension? It's pretty easy to figure out why.

A) It's the Stanley Cup Finals

B) Pronger is the big marquee name for the Ducks, at least as far as their marketing is concerned.

C) Bettman and Campbell combined have no guts.

Now I'm not about to turn this into an NBA vs. NHL pissing match, but David Stern has seen no problem with throwing his hat in the ring when he's had to to uphold the letter of the law, even when the on-court officials may miss things.

Gary Bettman in this case has decided that he doesn't want to rock anyone's boat and upset any potential future clients and would rather not have his actions dictate what happens on the ice. Well too late for that Gary - you're ignoring what was agreed upon by the owners and players in favor of keeping one of your big names on the ice still, presumably out of fear that people won't watch the games if Pronger's not playing.

Here's another hint to Gary: The only defensemen in NHL history that fans have ever said, "Man, I've got to see that game because _______ is playing!" are Raymond Bourque and Bobby Orr. THAT'S IT!

Chris Pronger doesn't keep people watching TV or put fans in the seats. The one thing he does do, however, is to do stuff like this and not just in these playoffs - he's got a long history of doing things like this and only now is it coming to light.

What's all the more amusing about this, however, is that Chris Pronger's physics lesson that he delivered to us before about how his height made sure that he hit Tomas Holmstrom in the head from behind with his forearms is again being thrown around as a reason as to why he hit Dean McAmmond in the head with his elbow.

Some quotes here for hilarity's sake:

"We think it was totally unintentional. The league thought different,"
Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said. "Chris Pronger is a competitive player. Some
people will say he's using his size as an excuse.

"The fact of the matter is his elbows are higher than most
people's elbows. It's not like he raised his elbow to deliver a blow to the head."

You've got to be kidding me here. I can't wait to hear what Brian Burke will say about this because I'm sure it'll be neanderthal-like and completely bogus.

The Ducks should consider themselves lucky that the NHL has no sense of anything because Pronger should be getting sat down for two games. After all, the Collective Bargaining Agreement does say that players who repeatedly violate the rules are subject to stiffer suspensions.

Then again, it pretty much makes sense that they can't even stay consistent with their own rules and regulations even off the ice. After all, since it can't be done on the ice, why be consistent off of it? It amazes me how much the NHL is able to find new and inventive ways to embarass itself - if only Gary Bettman could find a way to upset the owners enough so that they'd ask for him to step down. It's really unfortunate that Bettman is so much of an ownership lackey that we'll never see it happen.