NHL Msg

From where I sit, the NHL's legal battle with Madison Square Garden over online marketing rights seems to have been going on forever. But while the dispute is simple -- MSG and the Rangers want to maintain control over online businesses that the league believes the member clubs have ceded to its collective control -- the legal details are pretty esoteric. To keep it simple, here's Skip Oliva of the Voluntary Trade Council:

Madison Square Garden, owner of the New York Rangers, sued the National Hockey League last year, claiming league rules regarding joint website marketing violated the Sherman Act. It's a strange argument. The NHL is, by definition, a form of "collusion" among the 30 member clubs. MSG's argument is that this collusion is legal when it likes the outcome of the league's decision-making process, but it's illegal if it doesn't. In other words, anytime a sports franchise is on the losing side of a league vote, it should be allowed to reverse the outcome under the antitrust laws.

Thanks to Skip for putting the legal dispute into terms everybody can understand. But the next thing everybody has to understand is that the NHL has filed a counterclaim against MSG alleging breach of contract and is asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to allow the league to proceed with internal disciplinary proceedings against MSG. That's an action that could result in termination of MSG's franchise rights to the Rangers. To read the complaint, which includes a letter to Cablevision Systems Chairman James Dolan describing potential disciplinary proceedings and possible outcomes, click here.

Now, does this really mean that the NHL is on the brink of taking the Rangers away from the Dolan family?

I once interviewed former NHL goalie and current Devils TV commentator Glenn "Chico" Resch in what ended up being close to a three-hour telephone conversation of funny recollections from an old-school soul surveying a new hockey landscape. There's an undeniable charm to the guy; he's one of those local broadcasters whose lack of cynicism and occasional (Devils fans: "Occasional?") state of befuddlement creates a perfect storm for factual goofs and folksy sayings -- or, as they have been defined, "Chicoisms."

A "Chicoism" is "an endearing and often goofy description during live hockey telecasts" or "stating an observation of events while the guys in the truck show differently." Or at least that's how a new T-shirt celebrating the phenomenon describes them. I touched base with the creator of the shirt -- who prefers to go by the moniker "Richer's Ghost" -- and he said he did a mock-up of a "Chicoism" T-shirt to post in a New Jersey Devils forum. When someone asked where they could buy one, he decided to do it for real. A close-up of the list of "Chicoisms" can be found here, but a few of the highlights include:

"Looks like there's going to be a too many men on the ice penalty, or an illegal line change. Oh, my mistake, it's an icing call."

"Owww, Doc. It caught'em right in the pants area."

"...that puck would have been in the net if it hadn't been saved."

Richer's Ghost (I wonder if that's a reference to Stephane's habit of disappearing for stretches of games) said that if the "Chicoism" T-shirt sells he may create a "Doc-ism" shirt in honor of Resch's broadcast partner (and food critic) Mike Emrick or a "Chuck Norris" like tribute to Devils coach Brent Sutter. As Chico might say: "HUBBA HUBBA!"

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.

I know it's too early to draw any lasting conclusions after having played only one full weekend of the 2007-08 NHL schedule. Still, even this early, we're already seeing some interesting performances on the ice that are -- at least for the moment -- defying the predictions of a lot of the experts. So while nobody is probably shocked that the Senators are 3-0 (this after going undefeated in seven preseason games), it's safe to say that there are a number of fans around the league who are suddenly experiencing the sweet and light burden of increased expectations.

How High is the Ceiling In Washington? Everyone knew that after acquiring free agents Michael Nylander, Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti that the Washington Capitals were going to be a better team this season. The real question was how much better would they be? After watching the first period of their Saturday night game against Carolina, the answer might be a lot better than anyone anticipated.

In the first period, the Caps put on an absolute clinic with their new, "puck possession" style, cycling relentlessly and keeping Carolina bottled up in their own zone, outshooting the Hurricanes, 14-2. By the time it was over, the score was only 1-0 but the message had been sent: The Caps were a far different team, one that seemed more skilled, more tenacious and more physical than in many a season. Perhaps most frightening for opponents is the seemingly-psychic link that has developed between resident superstar winger Alex Ovechkin and Kozlov, his new center, never more so than in the first period when Kozlov executed a beautiful drop pass to Ovechkin at the top of the slot, with the younger Russian wiring a wrist shot past a helpless John Grahame. The goal was the 200th point of Ovechkin's NHL career.

When the inevitable Carolina surge came in the third period, the Caps and goalie Olie Kolzig were more than up to the challenge, playing more carefully to protect a lead, and doing the little things that often mean the difference between winning and losing, like when Ovechkin threw himself in front of a slap shot late in the period to help preserve a 2-0 win.