The Ice Sheet: Lightning in a Bottleneck

Every day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.

St. Pete Times reporter Damian Cristodero dropped a bomb the other day, quoting Tampa Bay GM Jay Feaster that huge changes could hit the Lightning if the team hasn't turned things around by Christmas: "Being sub-.500, being 13th or 14th out of a 15-team Eastern Conference isn't cutting it, given the money we lose, to think we're going to keep payroll where it is and not make changes."

Naturally, Vinny Lecavalier became the topic of conversation for everyone from Vancouver to Montreal, who believes it should own Vinny based on birth-right. Lyle "Spector" Richardson -- one of the few level heads when it comes to trade speculation in the NHL -- points out that unlike high-priced teammates Brad Richards and Marty St. Louis, Vinny does not have a no-trade clause in his contract. But Spector also claims that Feaster has gone on the record stating that "he wouldn't go down in history as the man who trade(d) Lecavalier." Which, to me, means it's more likely that the Bolts will fire John Tortorella or trade Vaclav Prospal if the team doesn't turn it around.

But even if Vinny were on the block, the notion that he could be had for some sort of mediocre Joe Thornton package is ludicrous.

(Coming Up Next: Last Night's Losers, Scandalous and Hilarious Puck Headlines, More CBC Hockey Blogging Reaction, Wade Belak Hits Pay Dirt, Games You Need To Watch Tonight, NHL Limericks and Why Hockey Players Need To "Where Visors.")

Check out the delusion in this thread from the HF Boards -- like a Philly fan who thinks Lecavalier could be had for Knuble/Carter/Giroux/Parent/1st. If Feaster ever does this, he's going Lindros Trade. The Philadelphia talks start with Mike Richards and Ryan Parent. They start with Carey Price in Montreal, they start with Paul Stastny in Colorado, they start with Anze Kopitar in Los Angeles. That's reality -- even if the Bolts ever trading Lecavalier isn't.

Last Night's Losers

• The Red Wings played the kind of game last night in Montreal that reminds you why they're always picked to potentially win the Stanley Cup until they run into a team with more momentum in the postseason. Four-to-one over the Habs, who at times looked like they didn't belong on the same sheet of the frozen stuff -- and they're not exactly a bad hockey team. From the insult to injury department: Nothing like seeing Chris Chelios still chugging along at 45 years old while the guy they traded him for is wearing a suit in Chicago.
• John Paddock whistles "look on the bright side of life" as the Senators continue their longest win-less streak since Damian Rhodes and Don Beaupre were between the pipes.
• Calgary gets lucky, defeats St. Louis. In the words of Hannu Toivonen: "It sucks."
• "Leafs Commentators Kiss Up To Balls" is the headline for the Forechecker after the Predators dropped a 3-1 decision in Toronto. "Balls" as in Jim Balsillie, the guy who nearly owned the Preds and moved them up nord. As the Forechecker heard it:

"...in the second intermission the topic of ownership change in Nashville came up, and both Stellick and his comrade Bill Watters launched into a diatribe repeatedly calling Nashville a "false hockey market", and offering their sage prediction that in three years Boots Del Biaggio will move the squad to Kansas City. Of course they were probably just playing to the home television audience, but the utter lack of class towards the Nashville organization and its fanbase was insulting."

About That HNIC Blog Story

Chances are that if you're the kind of Web-savvy hockey fan who reads The Ice Sheet six days a week (the FanHouse hockey gods rest on Sunday), you've heard about CBC's Big Blog Story that ran over the weekend. Our own James Mirtle had one of the best round-ups of blog reaction to the piece, including some interesting perspective from Islanders Outsider. I've posted thoughts on the HNIC piece in several places, but to summarize here:

That Elliotte Friedman was able to put together a thought-provoking piece about blogging that didn't use the words "parents' basement" or "pajamas" speaks volumes not only about the quality of his work but, perhaps, of the changing dynamics in this debate about where bloggers fit within the mainstream media. Sure, the MSM still expects to come to a professional press box and witness bloggers cheering or booing; but when CBC's cameras don't catch that sort of thing, it's yet another barrier broken down for hard-working sports bloggers.

I had a chance to speak with Friedman as a guest on Hockey Night in Canada Radio last Friday, and the conversation was an interesting one. Right out of the gate, I mentioned that Friedman is a moderator for SportsJournalists.com, which is a message board for professional sports journalists to rant and rave about the business or sports in general. It's a place where blogging is a hot-button issue. And, like I said to Friedman, it's an interesting contrast to the blogosphere: Here is a message board where a collection of very talented professional writers can opine anonymously -- without accountability, without corporate pressure, without the need to butter up to sources -- and the results are frequently vulgar, frequently politically incorrect and sometimes damn-near brilliant. In other words: Better than what you'd read in the newspapers they work for under their real names. This isn't evidence that anonymity is somehow virtuous; it's a reminder that great things can happen when the constraints of traditional media are broken.

Single biggest moment of personal joy: Seeing Tom Benjamin of Canucks Corner get his due on Hockey Night in Canada. As I said on his site: His curmudgeonly view of hockey is one of the first blogs that opened up my eyes to the potential of smart, informed editorial writing in the alt hockey media. He remains one of the few must-reads on the Web.

Puck Headlines

• The hockey world is coming to Woodstock. And while I know it's not THAT Woodstock, I still wouldn't eat the brown acid.
• USA TODAY's Kevin Allen explores the goalie mask; why does John Grahame have a woman in a bikini on his mask?
• Speaking of hockey misogyny, Manitoba had found its Hottest Hockey Mom. Liz Chang has the details at OFB.
• With Scotty Greedermayer near his return (potentially), Eric Duhatschek looks at trade possibilities for Anaheim.
• FanHouse's JP wonders: Should the Caps call on Mark Recchi?
• Finally, the Melt Your Face Off boys hilariously break down an NHL.com auction; 10 grand to visit Pittsburgh in the winter does seem a little steep.

Tonight's Games You Should Be Watching

Claude Julien faces the Devils, but isn't looking for revenge.

Flyers, Wild could be an interesting one. Especially if Steve Downie plays.

I thought the Sabres and Ducks could be a good one, too... back in September.

San Jose visits Dallas. Cheechoo's doing that thing again where he scores five goals before the New Year and then, like, 160 between Valentine's Day and the start of the playoffs. Most. Frustrating. Fantasy. Player. Ev-ah.

Most Embarrassing Stat Line of the Night

Wade Belak, defenseman, Toronto Maple Leafs: 1 G, 0 A, 1 Shot, 2 PIM, 4:30 TOI. Not embarrassing for Belak, who scored for the first time since 2003. Embarrassing for the Nashville Predators, WHO ALLOWED A GOAL TO WADE MOTHERFLIPPIN' BELAK!

This Week's Glimpse Into the Maddeningly Awesome World of the HF Boards

Three words: NHL Limerick Battle! Sample prose:

Congrats Mortal Fear of the HF Boards; for starting this one, your Aitch Effy is in the mail!

Gratuitous YouTube Embed

Hey! It's an animated PSA by Yo Wang encouraging hockey players to "where visors!"