10:39 PM: For you hockey video gamers out there - NHL 11 playable demo is available today in the Playstation Store...and I imagine on XBox Live too, whenever they do their next update...

Nice of EA Sports to drop the demo just in time for my birthday...the official release is in a few weeks...September 7...for both NHL 11 and the new NHL Slapshot for the Wii...I have 'em both reserved so I should get a ton of goodies with it...apparently there are some exclusive codes and downloadables being offered from Game Stop for preordering...works for me...

So Patrick Kane, the OT hero in Game 6...got two days with the Cup...the first day he took it to Niagara Falls on the NY side, and on day 2, he was told by Chicago brass he'd have to take it to Chicago...which wasn't a problem for Kane...the venue - a Jimmy Buffet concert...wasted away again in Margaritaville...sounds pretty cool, if you actually know another song of his that is...

Dustin Byfuglien gets the Cup next...then it goes to Adam Burish...

Heard a sneak peak of Trace Adkins' new CD today and I'm liking it...who knew I'd be into country music before I'm 40?!?!  But seriously, I'm not getting soft (I also gave Iron Maiden's "Final Frontier" a listen)...we're going to be hearing this album at parties for years to come...it's playful stuff - with titles like "Hold My Beer" and "Whoop A Man's Ass", it's the best thing I've heard country wise since Big & Rich came out with "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy"...we're talking Garth Brooks "Friends In Low Places" here...an instant country classic...

Doing that Celebrity Apprentice show couldn't have hurt his career either, I reckon...

I just can't imagine doing a country radio show today on, say, a Friday night...you go from Kenny Rogers "The Gambler" to "Whoop A Man's Ass"?!?  I'm feeling great just thinking about it...and no I did NOT have any alcohol today...only on weekends, folks...

Time to see what Howard's up to...they had some "Fast Food" show on Howard 101 last night...Hey nowwwwwwwwwww...

11:57 AM: So, by now you probably are well aware that Tomas Kaberle is still a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, and will not be traded unless he waives his no-trade clause, which went into effect as of midnight. 

"While a number of clubs made offers, none of them reflected Tomas’s value to our team," said GM Brian Burke. "I understand a period like this is stressful to the player and we are pleased that there is a resolution and we can all continue to prepare for the coming season."  While the Leafs' blue line is crowded at best, they should be solid at the position...with some of the other moves Toronto has made, along with a healthy Phil Kessel, there shouldn't be any doubt what the team's goal is - make the playoffs...and if they can't do it with the team they have, then there's something seriously wrong...

So, this much is almost certain - we're most likely going to go through at least one more trade deadline where we wait and wonder if Kaberle gets traded...depending on where the team is in the standings...

uLAr suggested to me Kaberle for Souray straight up...which would be fine by me and would fit the cap on both sides (both contracts are more or less the same $), not sure if either player would approve it, though...

5:13 PM: I've been meaning to get this up on the blog - but unfortunately real life (ie. Work) has been in my way until now!!

Ethan Lucas Souliere, who by 2028 will (hopefully) be NHL Draft eligible, came into our world at 7:41 PM on August 9, 2010.  Needless to say, new parents Stephan and Catherine are proud as punch...congratulations both of you...Ethan weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces at birth and has an awful lot of hair for a little guy, doesn't he?

Anyhow - I'm guessing Stephan's Saturdays will now be occupied both by Hockey and the new addition to the family...

Nothing else much doing in the NHL since the Kovalchuk announcement...no doubt a handful of teams are busy structuring a deal that the league will actually allow this time...

Patrick Kane was seen in the Niagara Falls region with the Stanley Cup...and next week (August 18-19) the NHL's Research and Development camp (sponsored by Gatorade G) will be held in Toronto...

Even though I'm quite confident there won't be any (new) hockey games on tomorrow, Sportsnet One officially launches...they were using Nelly's "Number One" to promote the channel...is that a dig at TSN 2 I'm hearing!?  ("Cause 2 is not a winner and 3 nobody remembers...")

8:27 PM: So, this shouldn't really come as any surprise to anyone - but the arbitrator handling the Ilya Kovalchuk case on behalf of the NHLPA's appeal, has ruled the contract to be invalid and Kovalchuk indeed is still a free agent...his services are once again available to the highest bidder...but not TOO high...just remember that...

And over on the West coast - where Kovalchuk still might end up...Teemu Selanne has decided he will indeed lace them up for at least one more season with Anaheim..."after thinking about it for the last few months, I've decided to return and play for the Ducks.  I'm excited about the summer additions the team has made.  I know this team can win."  Wonder who he means?  Scott Niedermayer retired and was replaced by Toni Lydman and Danny Syvret...brother Rob is over in Buffalo...and that Trevor Smith signing, whoa...what a blockbuster...seriously, I mean no offense to Trevor, but isn't it a little bit embarassing when the New York ISLANDERS won't offer you a contract after just 7 games of NHL experience!?...just wondering.  OK, so staying with the Ducks for one second...Bobby Ryan should be a better player as a sophomore, and can only get better with...ahem...Saku Koivu as his mentor...and I guess we can't very easily discount the dreaded Corey Perry/Ryan Getzlaf combination...oh well, bottom line - Selanne is not ready to skate into the sunset just yet...

OK OK OK - I'll just come right out and say it - how much money was the Selanne contract worth, and how much of a signing bonus/incentive did he get to say those words at the press conference?!?  I see the Ducks at BEST a good team...I don't see them as a contender...not even close...not without a defenseman of Chris Pronger/Niedermayer caliber...and I'm sorry, Lydman is NOT it...

Could be worse, I suppose...their best defensemen could be Jason Strudwick and Tom Gilbert...

2 more today - Ruslan Salei, the former Duck, signed in Detroit - and Liam Reddox re-ups with Edmonton...

12:18 PM: It's still weird seeing Steve Staios in a Calgary jersey - but I must admit, that's a hell of a jersey they've chosen for the next Heritage Classic...not only pays homage to the earlier days of the Flames, but also pays homage to the Atlanta Flames to a certain extent...my guess is the plan is to include Montreal in all of these...or maybe the next outdoor game held in Canada will feature Toronto...who knows...

In Detroit - it's official - Mike Modano will play at least one season for the Red Wings...since some guy who you may have heard of named Gordie Howe used to wear #9, Modano will don #90...

The Minnesota Wild, who continue to be active in the free agent frenzy, signed John Madden to a one year deal...Chicago loses another piece of the puzzle...

Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky had their days with the Cup in Slovakia...Hossa staged a street hockey celebration...nice touch...

There was an arbitration hearing in Boston over the Ilya Kovalchuk thing - a decision is expected by Monday...

Now, this one just blows my mind...Martin Gerber - who was just one in what seemed like a long line of goalies who bolted for the KHL the last few seasons (and second to have played in Ottawa, go figure), is coming back to the NHL on a two way contract with Edmonton.  While an article in the Sun today insists they didn't sign him as "prison insurance", what else could it be?  If the Oilers really wanted to sign a veteran goalie who could go between Edmonton and Oklahoma City without having to clear waivers, are you telling me there weren't other options available?!?  Then again - Gerber had a decent season last year in the KHL, playing 30 games, and posting a 15-6-6 record along with a .914 save percentage...not bad when you consider his last game in the NHL saw his team getting swept out of the first round by the Penguins...

Furthermore, rumors that Khabby might be on the way out in the city of champions are false, according to assistant G.M. Rick Olczyk...he further went on to say even if there wasn't the looming DUI case in Scottsdale, they would still have signed Gerber...

I guess on the bright side, if Martin can win 15 games this year for the Oilers, might end up 15 more games than they won last season...there is a Swiss connection on the team - new assistant coach Ralph Krueger coached Team Switzerland for 13 years, including the 2006 Olympic team that Martin was a part of...

Looks like it's going to be a nice weekend...sunny skies but less humid than it's been...we hit 43 Celcius with the humidex on Thursday...ever try to breathe through a straw?  It was like that...good think I have central air...it, however, can get a break today, as can the electric bill...

5:26 PM: Couple of two-way signings today for the local Senators...more than likely roster spots for the farm team in Binghamton, but perhaps names you'll recognize, particularly if you're a New Jersey fan - defenseman David Hale, the former Devils draft pick, played 39 games for Tampa Bay last season, has seen stops in Phoenix and Calgary, not to mention Lowell, Albany and Norfolk of the AHL.  Definitely a solid depth player should the Sens need him, but I can't see him playing the full season in Ottawa...

Francis Lessard, played last season with Phoenix' farm team in San Antonio...a Carolina draft pick, the 6-3, 224 pound forward has played 91 NHL games, all with Atlanta - as he enters his 11th professional season, with the kind of forward depth the Sens already have it's almost a given he'll play in Bing-ho...barring an injury or trade...

Both players signed 1 year, two-way contracts...which, of course, means they don't have to clear waivers to be sent down or called up...

So, TSN has TSN 2...and now Sportsnet has Sportsnet ONE - a national version of the Sportsnet regionals...they'll still have the East, Ontario, West and Pacific feeds, Sportsnet ONE will be considered a national channel, outside of Ottawa Senators/Vancouver Canucks broadcasts, which will still be considered regional...Sportsnet ONE launches in 10 days...August 14...word here in Ottawa is the channel will include Sens broadcasts that we otherwise wouldn't see...which is really a handful of games anyway (if you don't already have Centre Ice, that is)...more or less eliminates the local A Channel from any further Sens activity...

Moral of the story - if you're a Senators fan...move to Ottawa...best news coming from this - all the games will be in HD, whether on Sportsnet East or One...get ready for another Digital channel alignment...

And yet more Ottawa news - Rob Murphy, who spent 44 games on the roster during the expansion '92-93 season, has joined their scouting staff...Murphy is a native of Gatineau, Quebec...the Hull side...

6:05 PM: I can't believe I'm a mere two weeks away from being yet another year older...

Welcome to the back end of what's been an awesome summer...so far...

Weather wise, on the other hand - up until yesterday around 5 PM it was another wonderfully hot summer day - still muggy out, even though we've had off and on thunder showers - just had a wicked one this afternoon that completely knocked me off the phone/network and everything...I don't mind spending the end of my day attempting to reboot my system...nice touch...even lost my phone for a few seconds there...way to go...

All things considered, however, it's already Wednesday tomorrow...hard to believe...the time as always is flying by...

Interesting developments in Chicago over the long weekend (yesterday was a Civic Holiday in these parts)...Antti Niemi, the proverbial little engine that could (remember everybody was criticizing him for not being the goalie who could make it all the way?  Well I doubt anybody is questioning that now) went to arbitration over a new contract - won his case...leaving Chicago to do what only they could do given their Salary Cap constraints - they walked away...Niemi was offered, or awarded, rather, $2.75 million...so the Hawks went with a cheaper alternative - Marty Turco...he signs a one year deal worth $1.3 million, and gets the chance to play for whom many still consider a contender, even though I'm not so sure anymore...the only thing that makes them a contender is the fact they won it all this year...moving forward, forget it...especially if Turco has the same kind of year he had last season...

In the meantime, Niemi, it's almost certain, will have multiple offers on the table, as he is now free to sign wherever he pleases...hey Antti, you ever spend any quality time in Edmonton aside from the two games you played there last season?  Just wondering...I figure if the Oilers can afford to pay $5 million to Khabibulin, surely they can afford Niemi...especially if Khabibulin ends up behind bars...

And another player Dallas walked away from - Mike Modano, is set to finish his career where many players looking to end their career on a high note go to play - Detroit...looks like a one year deal there...wonder if Chris Chelios will come out of retirement...

Seems the theme this summer is teams walking away from the arbitration awards - or at least attempting to...an arbitrator awarded Tim Kennedy of the Buffalo Sabres a $1 million contract - and they immediately placed him on waivers...Buffalo signed former Washington defenseman Shaone Morrisonn for 2 years...well they needed to do something after losing Tallinder and Lydman...Jordan Leopold won't be able to do it all alone...now it will be interesting to see if Kennedy gets claimed or if the Sabres will have to buy him out...under a certain amount, teams can't simply walk away, they have to follow the waiver process first...don't you love the CBA?

Devon Setoguchi is back with the Sharks for 1 year...

Looks like we might see Ryan Walter back in the broadcast booth this season - the Canucks have decided to fire him as assistant coach - Mike Gillis quoted as saying only "the decision was mine, I'll leave it at that"...

And Andy Sutton is headed out west, signing a 2 year deal with Anaheim...Donald Brashear appears to be finished, heading to Atlanta in a minor trade - expectations are he'll be bought out...

And now you're up to date...and I need to workout in the worst way...

The more I'm hearing about EA Sports' offerings for this fall, the more I'm realizing I need to get my hands on NBA Elite 11 - it will also include the new NBA Jam game...and they're coming out with an MMA style game in place of their Fight Night series!?  Cool...I'm still torn on which hockey game will be better - NHL 11 on PS3 or NHL Slapshot on the Wii...either way I am LOVING the fact they got the CHL licenses this year...I remember a few years ago I used to download a CHL mod, now I don't have to...

So many games, so little time...

As always, if I hear anything worth reporting, you'll be able to read about it here...

--------------------

For questions, comments, disagreements, or just to say hi, please send E-mail to puckin45@puckinaround.net

More Puckin' Around...