Or maybe they, like us, are just getting tired of waiting for Kovalchuk to sign.
From a CFL (Canadian Football League!) game comes this. I guess the good news is that they banded together and chose not to do the wave. That's probably a first. Remember, friends don't let friends do the wave.
To the surprise of absolutely nobody who follows the Toronto Maple Leafs, ddefenceman Mike Van Ryn will sit out the 2010-2011 season because of injury. As I look at his injury record, I'm wondering what he did in the past to have such rotten luck. My money is on a past life in which Van Ryn ran a puppy-maiming factory staffed with cancer-stricken orphans who worked in a converted asylum for the criminally insane which was, of course, built upon cursed Indian burial grounds.
In any event, here are some ways Van Ryn can spend his time off next season, after the jump:
It's the 4th of July! What a great country we live in, where we get to enjoy the likes of Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, the Sedins, Marty Brodeur, Evgeni Malkin, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Gaborik, Jarome Iginla, Nicklas Backstrom (and for that matter, Niklas Backstrom) Marty St. Louis, Vinny Lecalvalier, Brad Richards and so many more. Chant with me... USA USA USA
In a 24 hour span we go from a devastated fan base (Calgary) to one that is absolutely besides itself thanks simply to rumors that their team is making an offer to Ilya Kovalchuk (Long Island, aside from the eternal pessimists who refuse to get their hopes up). We don't even know if Kovy has considered the offer since, you know, he wanted to play for a championship and all, but apparenlty that's enough to almost make Long Island fall into itself and self-destruct. And probably get even more hammered, bro.
the isles are perfect pawns the kings failed to sign dman they need kovy the agent just needs to make the kings think kovy would consider nyi it looks like their beat writer bit. I doubt Lombardi will"
Also, Thoughtful Long Islander to the Point Where They Thank Botta for Putting Down His Beer and Typing on a Friday Night (though I think we all know Botta isn't at all the type to drink and blog):
"well it is definitely worth a look. I do not care so much about the years but it is more about the money and how it will effect us down the line with KO and JT. sorry you had to put down your cold one and fill us in. we all appreciate it though."
The 'Yo We Gonna Run This Joint Now' Guy:
"I have been saying this all along, go get Ilya and the league will have to listen to us."
And then some people just can't do math:
"Kovy + Souray = ISLANDERS RULE!!!!!!"
The second part of that equation just doesn't compute.
And just for shits 'n' giggles, here is the always rational Toronto perspective from TSN's comments section:
"...i'm sure he'd go to the leafs if Burke was interested."
Usually when a team makes a deadline day deal for a player and said player's acquisition backfires worse than that time your college roommate microwaved his chicken sandwich with the wrapper still on (true story!) said team usually doesn't bring back said catastrophic player a few months later through free agency. When you acquire a star player and that player doesn't perform. You don't bring him back. End of story.
Imagine the Rangers trading away Wade Redden and then bringing him back. That would induce a reaction from the fanbase somewhere between mass suicide and full on armageddon.
So, if you're a coherent person, you probably agree with everything I've said so far. Well then. You clearly aren't on Darryl Sutter's plane of existence. Sutter made some moves today that can only be described as completely and totally mentally unstable. Or he just wants to get fired. I'm not really sure which.
The Flames, if you recall, had a rather EPIC FAIL of a season last year. On January 5th, they were third in the West and leading the Northwest division. They then did a complete faceplant losing 11 of 12 on their way to finishing 10th in the conference including some desperation trade deadline moves. So, let's keep in mind that this is already a franchise that is probably considering restructuring and find a direction after getting pimp-slapped by the second half of the regular season.
Fast forward to today. It all started off innocently enough. Sutter brought back Alex Tanguay for a year at a shade under $2 million. Whatever. Tanguay played two seasons in Calgary a few years ago, the first was a point per game masterpiece and the second was far from that. Coincidentally, the second year Tanguay was in Calgary was also the first year Mike Keenan coached the team. That's all you really need to know to explain the drop off. This deal would all be well and good if it wasn't for Tanguay getting a no trade clause. I don't know how push came to shove, but if at any point Tanguay's agent told Sutter that his client wouldn't sign without a NTC... And Sutter, at some point, obviously agreed to it... Whew. Giving a guy coming back to town who is on a one-year deal to basically prove himself again to the League a NTC? Alright, not insane. Just kinda bizarre. Really, super, bizarre.
But wait, there's more!
You remember Olli Jokinen, right? Headcase who also failed epically along with the Flames this season and was shipped off at the deadline? Well...
This was certainly the strangest thing to show up in my NHL.com feed lately. I was excited for another story on the Wild, but I have appropriately disregarded it (I am the editor at Victoria Times and Victoria-Weather, after all. Kevin disregarded the story on behalf of BMR)
As long as we're in the market for finding odd stories that show up in my Reader, how about this one from TSN? Sure, it's not hockey, but it's from Canada. Perhaps they had Canadian bacon on the brain.
We all have awkward photos from our childhood sitting somewhere in our parents' house. This week, we'll be posting the most awkward pictures from the draft. Today's victim: Alex Burmistrov, 1st round, Atlanta Thrashers.
Photographer: Ok, Alex. Let's see that smile, buddy.
Alex Burmistrov: OK. How you like this?
P: Um, not bad. Let's try and do something more with it. Can you like... I don't know... Point at the puck?
AB: Sure. In Russia we no have fancy camera man. Instead we have mule that remembers you.
P: Yeah... Just point at the puck, ok?
AB: Yes sir, American Camera Guy sir.
P: Alright, that's great. Let's get one more. Let's go for 'sassy'. Can you show me Sassy Alex?
We all have these photos sitting somewhere in our parents' house. You know, that school picture from when you were 14 and had jheri curls. Or maybe you had a flat top. Point is, we all have 'em. But not all of us have the pleasure of having them taken by a professional photographer on biggest night of our lives. Ah yes, the growing pains of young NHL draftees. I hope those millions in future earnings will be enough to salt away these awkward photos. This week, we'll be posting the awkwardest pictures from the draft. Today's victim: Alex Theriau, 4th round, Dallas Stars.
All that being said, if anyone does see Alex Theriau, please notify the authorities. His family misses him.
/Blair Witch'd
Update: File the following under "Things I Never Thought I Would Read While Googling the Proper Spelling of 'Jheri Curls"
From wikipedia:
The Jheri Curls were a Dominican gang which was active in the Washington Heights, Manhattan neighborhood of New York City in the early 1990s. Taking their moniker, and coiffures, from the Jheri curl hairstyle that was of waning popularity in the United States during the time, the gang ran a major cocaine trafficking operation in upper Manhattan which was ultimately based out of an apartment complex on W. 157th St. and Riverside Drive.
What's up dudes, I'm Taylor Hall. I was just drafted by the Oilers, but you totally knew that. I was the only player in the draft that was awesome enough to follow in the footsteps of the Great One. Or should I say..... SKATE STEPS! Ha! Damn, I am hilarious.
Yeah, well, I am going to be the AWESOME One. Well, I guess I already am the Awesome One, because there's no way I'm going to Los Angeles. LOL. Could you imagine if both me and Ashton Kucher in the same town? Way too much awesome in one town. The terrorists would probably want to nuke the hell out of LA because they would be jealous of how awesome it is.
Hold on, check this out
Fly, right? Yeah buddy.
So yeah, you know how else you can tell I'm awesome? Guess what country I'm from... Canada. That's right, same one as the Biebs. That's Justin Bieber for those that don't know. Same as Nickelback, best rock band on the planet. Canada is just as awesome as I am. Oh sh*t, I hope we don't get nuked. Terrorists, bro.
Wait what? Awww no! My bro just iced me! I gotta go dudes,
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In a 24 hour span we go from a devastated fan base (Calgary) to one that is absolutely besides itself thanks simply to rumors that their team is making an offer to Ilya Kovalchuk (Long Island, aside from the eternal pessimists who refuse to get their hopes up). We don't even know if Kovy has considered the offer since, you know, he wanted to play for a championship and all, but apparenlty that's enough to almost make Long Island fall into itself and self-destruct. And probably get even more hammered, bro.
Usually when a team makes a deadline day deal for a player and said player's acquisition backfires worse than that time your college roommate microwaved his chicken sandwich with the wrapper still on (true story!) said team usually doesn't bring back said catastrophic player a few months later through free agency. When you acquire a star player and that player doesn't perform. You don't bring him back. End of story.
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 