The Ice Sheet: Original Deep-Sixed

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.

The trade deadline is over. The rumor well is dry, the speculation is over and Bob McKenzie has gone from obtaining fantastic insider information to spinning strange conspiracy theories about the Marian Hossa trade. It's all over but the cryin' ... and there seems like there should be a bit that happening amongst the League's oldest denizens today. Chicago's not playing for this year, so the 'Hawks can be excused for not dipping into its cache of talent to land someone like Brad Richards. But the rest of the Original Six did not exactly have a banner day:

Even with the comeback charity point in Edmonton last night, Detroit is in a tailspin. It added Brad Stuart on defense; is that trade, and return of the Wings' wounded, going to be enough to right the ship?
The Rangers did nothing but prove they held onto Al Montoya for too long and that Glen Sather can only trade with MSG expats.
Boston couldn't land anything to significantly improve its playoff chances, as their general manager potentially placed himself in front of Jeremy Jacobs's firing squad.
I'm unsure what was the most disastrous development for Montreal: Failing to land Hossa, getting a draft pick for a blue-chip goalie like Huet, or placing the fate of a team that appears to be a legit Stanley Cup contender into the tender mitts of rookie goaltenders. Please tell me this isn't another case of Habs mystique clouding better judgment, as the Cult of Canadiens assumes Carey Price is either Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy.
And don't get me started on Toronto...

(Coming Up Next: Last Night's Losers, Inside the Mind of Brian Campbell, Tonight's Must-See Games and a nice Devils/Rangers hockey fight.)

Here is Toronto GM Cliff Fletcher's press conference following the trade deadline. It's a hell of a thing -- defiant, perturbed and confident that even though he's got the interim tag, he's going to see this mess through. And he also said the obvious about Mats Sundin, which is that if Atlanta received what it received for Hossa, imagine what Captain Selfish cost the Leafs.

Last Night's Losers

Washington 4, Minnesota 1
Carolina 2, New Jersey 1 (OT)
Pittsburgh 4, NY Islanders 2: That would be 50 saves for ConkBlock; not the best way to start the post-Chris Simon era on the Island.
Montreal 5, Atlanta 1
Boston 4, Ottawa 0: Paddock fired in 3...2...
Dallas 3, St. Louis 1
Colorado 3, Calgary 2
Edmonton 4, Detroit 3 (SO): Oilers set a new NHL record with their 13th shootout victory. That and a token will get you on the subway.

Inside the Mind of Brian Campbell

Getty Images says: "Brian Campbell #51 of the Buffalo Sabres joins teammates on the bench anxiously awaiting the start of the shootout which they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers on February 25, 2008 at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York." Or, perhaps:

A. "The weather in San Jose beats the pants off the weather in Buffalo. But teal...man, I look absolutely awful in teal..."
B. The Sabres do their best to ignore teammate Brian Campbell as he, once again, starts doing the "caveman face" before the shootout.
C. Brian Campbell psyches himself up for the shootout by replaying that hit on Umberger over and over in his head.
D. "Look, I don't want to alarm any of you boys, but seriously: There's a giant friggin' tiger hiding behind the bench."

Tonight's Games You Must See

The Sharks head to Columbus, which didn't exactly improve its playoff chances at the deadline. The world will never know how many goals Rick Nash could score on Brad Richards's wing.
Nashville is in Buffalo, as the Predators end the trade deadline having added Jan Hlavac and Brandon Bochenski. OK, so they all can't be Peter Forsberg.
After a very successful trade deadline, Tampa Bay hosts the Wild.
Toronto plays in Florida: WWWBD? (What Will Wade Belak DO?)
The Coyotes continue their playoff push in Chicago.
The 1998 Colorado Avalanche head to Vancouver to play the Canucks.