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It’s that time of year again. That’s right, the NHL Beard-A-Thon is back. Get ready beard growers it is time to start growing for a great cause. The playoffs are just around the corner and will be here before you know it. So get your faces ready and lets start growing! Capitals fans be sure to check out your teams own Beard-A-Thon site at  https://www.beardathon.com/capitals/team.aspx. Here you can sign up to pledge, pledge a friend or pledge a player. Also learn about the charity the proceeds from the Washington Capitals Beard-A-Thon will support, The Fort DuPont Ice Arena. Also Bruins fans be sure to check out your teams own Beard-A-Thon site at  http://beardathon.com/bruins/team.aspx. Here you can sign up to pledge, pledge a friend or pledge a player. Also learn about the charity the proceeds from the Boston Bruins Beard-A-Thon will support, One Mission. For more information please check out http://www.beardathon.com/. You can also Like Beard-A-Thon on Facebook at  http://www.facebook.com/beardathon and follow Beard-A-Thon on Twitter at http://twitter.com/beardathon. Lets get growing and support a great cause!

Hockey Hockey Fans,

                   Tonight I want to take a look at the strongest of all the divisions in the Eastern Conference, the Southeast has really turned into a powerhouse divisions, with Atlanta coming around, the always strong Hurricanes the Capitals and the Lightning, minus Florida this division will see a Championship I bet in the next five years. Lets take a look at what needs and should be done

Atlanta Thrashers

 - This week first of all the shipped Ben Eager to the San Jose Sharks for a draft pick, a team like Atlanta could really use the skills and toughness of a guy like Eager, I myself would have kept him, sure he has had suspension trouble the latest coming when he sucker punched Colby Armstrong (Toronto) in the eye, but Atlanta could use his grittyness.

- Last years dealine was a great one for Atlanta, when they finally shipped Ilya Kovalchuk out of town, sorry I am not a fan of Ilya, it freed up enough money to make a great summertime deal bringing Byfuglien and Sopel and the earlier named Eager. Best move Atlanta ever made.

- The Atlanta defence is a scary group, when you got Dustin Byfuglien abd Tobias Enstrom standing on the blue line it can be intimidating, Tobias and Dustin make such a great pair they will most likely finish 1,2 in Thrashers scoring not bed for a defence.

- Atlanta has also stored up for the future will the great prospoects turn pro in both Patrice Cormier and Evander Kane minus the health problems Kane has had of late, he is a star that is just starting to bud. The Antropov line could see some movement rumour mill says that Nic wants out of Atlanta and could be moved at or before the deadline. I think if Atlanta had better support they could afford to bring in the final couple players they need to be a contender look for movment in Atlanta come deadline day.

Carolina Hurricanes

- I am glad so many young talents have been able to play for a guy like Jim Rutherford, he is great GM the only person still hanging on from the Hartford Whalers days. Jim has so much experiance and has done very well in both building his current team and building for years to come.

- With as many as 8 UFA's this off season, Jimmy might move some of the smaller names to free up the already 10 million available under the cap, the Canes are not a conteder this year but should be very shortly with both Staal and Ward signed long term they can really build around these two guys.

- In future players Jim has a great AHL affliate in Charolette, and a Junior team in the ECHL which hosts Eric's youngest brother Jared Staal, when you have two Staals on one team big things can happen, Jared Staal has alot to prove as a player being the less talented of the 4 boys, but he will skate in Carolina with Eric soon.

- Some fourth liner and prospects could be moved for draft picks, and Jim Rutherford could also stand to acquire a better second string tender. Rumors have been coming from Carolina as well Sergei Samsonov and Jiri Tlusty both want out of the Canes organization both are UFAs at seasons end so Jim could move them now or lose them later it could go either way.

Florida Panthers

- Florida was not been a conteder since they made there miracle run to the Finals in 1996 losing to the Avs in four straight. and it will be a few years before they are even playoff ready, and in a division like the Southeast that is a stretch, lets start with the rumors out of Miami, Thomas Vokoun is in the last year of his deal and wants to be moved, he is a great talent and is wasting his career in Florida as well as Higgins, McCabe, Reasoner, Bernier all want to be moved, I would move all of them for stronger players, and they are 6 million under the cap as well.

- Dale Tallon who help build the Hawks into a great team is now in charge of the Panthers and he likes the deadline and the draft picks, lets face it he had built the Hawks the same way. If he is traded or kept until the end of the season McCabe is done in Florida, but if Tallon was smart he would move McCabe at the deadline might as well get something for him before he walks away and you get nothing.

- Stillman is long in the tooth and wants to be on a contender, sure who wouldnt want to live in a climate like Florida but when your staring down the barrel of your career coming to a close, a contender is where you want to be. And Stillman is a great player who can still throw the body, turn over pucks, move the puck and score who woulndt want to make a title run with Cory Stillman on there side, I would rather play with Stillman then against.

- Dale Tallon has alot fo work to do and he will have alot of long days and sleepless nights ahead of him, he has a huge task of building a conteder in Florida for the first time in over ten years, Good luck, look for lots of movement in Florida, I will be shocked if McCabe is still a Panther or re-signed after the deadline.

Tampa Bay Lightning

- Yzerman has walked into a honey of a deal, he is the GM of one of the up and coming young teams and to boot he has a contender in Tampa, unlike the Panthers in Miami Tampa does not have a basketball team to contend with for the attention, they do have the Bucs of the NFL but they are done for the season so the bolts have the full attention of Tampa Bay and surrounding cities.

- Best move by Yzerman, picking up Roloson, I know it doesnt really sound like a blockbuster deal but Yzerman picked up a goalie wh ohas proven himself as a tender in the NHL with many different teams, first in Minnesota then Edmonton and he will do it again in Tampa at 41 he still shows sparks of not slowing down. Roloson has made two cup runs one as Hasiks back up in Buffalo and one with Edmonton before falling to injury before the Finals against the Canes

- Tampa is a scary team to play against when you have a line up like Stamkos, St Louis Lecavlier, Malone, Kubina and Ohlund staring at you I would be nervous, but Yzerman will not be a mover on deadline day, as he has made it crystal clear, he will not move a 1st, 2nd or 3rd rounder in the next two seasons, so he must be using the draft to build, but maybe he will move a couple late rounders.

- Dont forget that Yzerman will have to clear some cap sapce for Stammer the Hammer who is looking for a big pay day, so I think that this will be a monumental task, to make this happen Yzerman will need to be very very crafty. Only 2.2 Million in free cap space Yzerman is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do not expect a lot of moves in Tampa Bay but look for them in the playoffs

Washington Capitals

- With the Siging of Semin for next season the Caps will be a force again in 2011-12 season and the career signing of Alexander the Great, the Caps are Cup hungry and have shown that in the last couple years. However they are still missing a few pieces to the puzzle.

- Early trades this season seen the departure of Fleichmann who was sent to the Avas, for the ever popular Scott Hannan, which was a great move by McPhee, who shored up a solid defence with that trade. Together with Eric Carlson Mike Green Tom Poti and more give the Caps the best defence in perhaps the NHL, Carlson was made famous be his great play at the world juniors with Team USA.

- I think George McPhee has built a real contender in the District of Columbia, and has the best mixture or young stars and older vets to help guide the team, the only untested part of the Capitals team is the goaltending, two untested tenders can speel disaster for any team, and these guys will have all of Washington on there soilders come playoff team, but it does not stop there McPhee has a grat goalie coach in Arters Irbe made famous by his play with the Sharks.

- I can;t see alot of movement in the Caps organization at the deadline, with the Caps having great resources in the AHL in both Braden Holtby (G) and Brian Fahey (D), this team is finally headed in the right direction, the only movement I can see is draft picks and prospects.

                 With the Eastern Conferences, Southeast Division so tight, I cant see movment here on trade day except Florida, this division may be the most boring one to watch at the deadline. I do believe however that there will be a Cup winner in the Southeast Division soon possably in the next 5 years.

Thank you

The Hockey Guru

                 Hello again Hockey Fans, welcome to part two of my evaluation for the up coming trade deadline today we are going to take a look at the Northeast Division. I want to start with Beantown.

-Boston Bruins

           First things first is the Boston goaltending situation this is the best goalie duo in all of the National Hockey League, Tim Thomas is on course for another Vezina Season, not counting last nights spill in the fastest skater challenge last night, he leads the NHL in shutouts with 7 and in GAA 1.81, and who forget Tukka Rask thanks to Toronto. Rask, who carried the Bruins into and through there playoff run last year is ready willing and able to be a number one tender, but Thomas won that job fair and square, this year a non issue, goalies are staying put

           Then there is the Marc Savard saga, concussion and concussion like syptoms not saying he is not a great player Savard has skill, he is just a question mark for the future but because he is signed through the 2016-2017 season and 4 million per season that is ruffly $24 Million in salary that the Bruins would have to move and most teams just can't take that type of option on a guy with a history of health issues. I see Savard staying a Bruin for this season and next unless he keeps getting councussions they opt to buy him out and cut there losses.

          The Bruins have one million free dollars available to them in there cap, however here is the problem, they Blake Wheeler and Brad Marchand coming up as RFA's, not to forget that they also have Michael Ryder, Mark Recchi, Zdeno Chara and Mark Stuart all ending this season as UFA's, so there lies the problem, Wheeler is a great player and will probaly be strong for the for seeable future so, do they move him and keep him at 2.2 Million he could be easily moved for draft position which the Bruins are sitting pretty anyways, they could move him just to free up space under the cap. Brad Marchand and his salary could be moved to the Bruin Cubs in the Providence Michael Ryder would be worth re-signing Mark Recchi is good, but he is getting a little long in the tooth and may finish out the season with the B's and be on his way. Mark Stuart could be moved at any time, to free up space for Zdeno Chara, I would free as much space as possible to re-sign the big guy to important to Bostons defensive group.

             All and all the Bruins are sitting in a good spot and may make small moves for the trade deadline and set up for the future I see thm making a round three appereance in this years playoffs.

-Buffalo Sabres

              With only 12 players on contract for next season the Sabres have there work cut out for them, they have 7 UFA's and 5 RFA's and some of them are important to this club I can see the club trying to move Mike Grier at the trade deadline, I dont beleive that Buffalo is the future for this guy, Little Brother Niedermayer may make it thruogh the season but I see him leaving Buffalo soon and I dont beleive that I would resign him. As for the rest of there young core like Sekera, Butler, and Weber will be resigned for next year this will be there main focus.

               As far the trade deadline, I would move Lalime if I was in control of the Sabres he is just wasting his time behind Miller anyways they should move him Tyler Plante should make his NHL debut as Millers back up in 2011-12 season.

               There is ownership question in Buffalo, and with ownership questions comes the fact that some players will not sign or staying with a team after a trade because the future is unstable, players are looking for a home with stability, this may play against the Sabres in both the trade dealine and off season trading. The sabres will make the playoffs but will not go far

- Montreal Canadians

                15 players have there contracts end after the 2010-11 season, so again Montreal will see movement and the dealine. Carey Price and Alex Auld are both safe, Price will not be moved and I beleive I see Auld getting resigned with the Habs, the team has more chemistry on it this season then any in the past, the only problem is Scott Gomez and his 7.3 million a year and numbers that show that of a sub par rookie, however the Habs will be unable to mov him so he is safe. Andrei Kostitsyn not so much, I think that the Habs should move him he is a good player but I think the could him very easily to a sub par team and get a great player in return, I like him but his days are numbered

                  James Wisniewski picked up from the New York Islanders, is by far the best move the Habs have made in a few seasons, sure he is not a top tier d man but he is a smart player, and can protect the net and score goals he is a really good all around player, and I see the Canadians inking him to a long term deal. But the defensive core has been hurting this year Markov is gone again Gorges is out, I can see the Habs hunting for defensive players in this trade not really block buster deals but a defence man will join the Canadians at the dealine.

                  They also have some reinforcements in Hamilton with big Dustin Boyd sure he has only played 19 games this season, but I think that the Canadiens can move some players to move Boyd on to the big club. The Canadiens will see a little bit of movement at the dealine maily defence.

- Ottawa Senators

                  This team is complete disaray, there is no chemistry, no real connections between any top tier player, Alfredsson is clicking he is having an all right season, the big question mark is Mike Fischer he is not having a normal Mike year, maybe living away from his wife, is taking a toll on him, and is it rumored that the Los Angeles Kings are interested in picking up Fischer along with Nashville, Wild and the Panthers, with Mike being able to fit well in any of theses systems, he has a big contract but could still be moved at the deadline, and my guess is he will be a King before a Pred. Also on the block for trade as rumor has it is Sergei Gonchar, by far one of the best d men in Ottawa, it is rumored that Tampa Bay and the Stars would like to pick him up, I think this is pure rumor I see Gonchar staying right where he is.

                  Goaltending is where its at for Ottawa, I dont want to knocked Brian Elliot, but he should not be a nuumber one spot if they move Fischer to the Kings maybe they could some how get Quick in return and sign him to a deal, just a thought but only in a dream world. Ottawa needs a shake up and the deadline is the place, I see movement here, defensive, forwards and goaltending, with Melnyk giving Closton and Murray the thumbs up to at least finish the season, palyers will be getting moved, Murray will more then likley stay on as GM, but I think CLouston is out in Ottawa.

- Toronto Maple Leafs

                 Oh boy where do I begin,first things first Ron Wilson's clock as head coach is ticking and that is no secret, I believe that Pierre from TSN, will make an appreance on the Leafs in some type of role next season. Gustavsson is going to get moved some how some way he will be moved at the deadline. $1.35 million will be a fairly easy move and with Vokoun not staying in Florida Gustavsson can be moved there. 

                 JS, made it known that he would waive his no trade clause let him finish the season and then let him walk, they would have to crafty to acquire a top tender but James Reimer would be the backup. Kaberle is buying time in TO and will sign in the KHL is the feeling I am getting or maybe even retire. Toronto is the team that will be big players at the deadline they have a great core group but they need better players ina supporting role. Versteeg is rumored to by on the trading block and he could go anywhere my best guess would be a Western Conference team will make a move for him, maybe San Jose and or Anaheim. With $2 million remaining on the cap for the buds, they can sign a few furture players but I see draft picks and prospects coming Toronto ways but Burke never fails to be the block buster at the deadline. Toronto I think will be a top mover this year.

                   The Eastern Conference Northeast Division, will be the busiest team at the deadline and before, with two teams out of the picture all together and one subpar and two on the cusp of greatness, the Northeast will be the one to watch.

Thank You

The Hockey Guru  

Hello Hockey Fans,

                       Well the annual trade line is coming up fast and as every year there will be teams that are looking at moving vets, dumping salalry, picking up younger players and nailing down rosters for a deep playoff run. Tonight I want to look at the Eastern Conference starting with the Atlantic Division, first off this Divisions is cooling off this season first off you have the New Jersey Devils not the team they used to be, New York Islanders yes folks they are still in the NHL, New York Rangers having a good season needs tweaking, Philadelphia okay so one red hot team, and the Crosbyless - Malkinless flightless birds. First lets take a look at the New Jersey Devils problems

New Jersey Devils

 - First off, get rid of Lou Lamerello, the guy is over the hill and has been in control of the devils to long, he is not the GM for todays NHL, sorry for venting this is of course about the players

-  First things first Lou you have a farm team, and there are players that are want to make the big club and you have quality players in Albany I would give Matt Anderson a chance with the big club is the leading scorer in the "A" and he is an all around top notch player, Lou you need to dump some salary and give the guy a chance

- Martin Brodeur, I am not going to knock a future Hall of Famer, best goalie in the league (Stats Only), sorry Im a Patrick Roy fan, but he has trouble staying healthy, he has the same Elbow problem all year, okay its not a major issue but still an issue, where as Johan Hedberg was done great in net this season and has filled big shoes at times, maybe its time to put Brodeur out to pasture, maybe he should call it quits, Hedberg would make it as a number one but find someone who can, with a team that only has about $1 Million dollars left in there cap space you will have to move your big salary players

- Personally I see Lou having to dump big players for draft picks, I mean they are sitting pretty in the draft anyways they use this to there advantage and make a move, your not going to make the playoffs any ways, move your players to contenders and collect and the draft.

- In closing the devils find themselves in a very unfirmiler sport, Lou it is called rebuilding, they have had there success with three Stanley Cup Championships, however they need to rebuild I mean you do have Kovalchuck so you have a franchise player, build around him but drop some salary first.

New York Islanders

- First point I need to make is yes they still play in the NHL, but they need to make a change in both the General Manager spot and in ownership, I am sorry but Garth Snow pulled his pads of one night and is the GM the next, no experiance what so ever, and Charles Wang sure he may be committed to the team and to Union Dale New York but at the same time, the biggest news out of Uniondale during the off season was the fact that they now offer cupcakes during the game

- The Isles are 10.4 Million under there allowable salalry cap, this is the time to make a move, but the number one problem is most players are not willing to go to the Island, but John Tavares needs more then Matt Moulsen, I like Matt is a good player and I agree with Wang dicussion to resign him for good money that is deserved by Moulson, but Tavares and Moulsen for that matter need a better supporting cast

- First place to start for the Islanders, is a major upgrade in goaltending, they let Roloson go for a nobody, they need a standup goalie that is willing to put in the hard work to help make this team at least a playoff team instead of the joke of the NHL, hey I here Emery is looking to make a come back. Ray has experiance he is a mouth piece but can carry a team.

 New York Rangers

- I like the Rangers they are sitting pretty in 6th place in the Eastern Conference, they dont need alot of help in many areas, they made a smart move earlier in January when they picked uo Wolski from the Coyotes, he will be able to help turn over pucks and is a good two way player

- On the defensive side of the Rangers team, it is very strong not alot of holes in this group of D-Men, Marc Staal has had a littel struggle this year, but for the most part is playing strong hockey and is able to create turn overs, Del Zotto is another D-Man that has come into his own as of late, again he has struggled but is playing very sound hockey I would leave the defence alone, Goaltending is very soild Lundquisvt is an awesome goalie and should be a Vezina winner some time soon, and if he goes down Biron can for sure fill in, he is not as good as Henrick but he can make it work

- This is ther Rangers 85th season in the NHL, and although there are not a Stanley Cup caliber team this year they will be soon, John Torterella is a great coach with a good crew, if anything he will be the man to lead them there next Stanley Cup Championship, he doesnt take crap fromhis players and will give disipline when it is due, Thumber Up Johnny.

- At the trade dealine, I would like see the Rangers for a forward that is a very soild two way player, they have Avery and Boogarrd so enough with the enforcers but there are under $500,000 in free cap space so Sather will have to be crafty, I cant see them moving big names at the dealine maybe some draft picks and prospects, with the exception of Wade Redden, he will be very hard to move, but if the righ tdeal comes along Redden will be on the first thing smoking out of the Big Apple.

 - Dont forget that the Rangers also have a great team with there AHL affilate the Conneticut Whale, if they do want to stock pile for the future they have alot of movement available there, so at the dealine look for the Rangers to move only prospects and draft picks

Philadelphia Flyers

- Where should I start with the team that tied for top spot in the League, well not much to say the only move I would make as GM of the Flyers is try to move Bartulis for a second tier defencemen and a draft pick

- If this squad stays healthy it will be a great finish to the season for them, they finished strong last year with a run to the Stanley Cup Finals and they have been hungry ever since, maybe they will do what Pittsburgh did a few years back.

- Now Matty Walker has been placed on waviers and has been moved to the Phantoms, so he is not out of the Flyers line up for good, but Philly has a way of taking no names and making them stars, Pronger will be key to helping develop young d's and he is man for the challenge. Goaltending is shored up really well for the Flyers for the first time since the Robert Ecshe era, with Bobrovsky and Boucher already in Philly sounds like a very soild goaltending duo, but should one go down with injury they still have Leighton on the Phantoms who helped carry the time to the finals last year

- In April I say that the Flyers end the season first overall and with the Presidents Trophy

Pittsburgh Penguins

- First goaltending, sure MA Fluery is a very soild proven goalie however, but should he go down there is no way that Johnson can carry this team anywhere but to the golf course, but with only $100,000 left under the cap, they will have to clean house before being able to sign a great second string tender.

- I am not a Crosby hater but he has had health issues this season and with the concussion I am wondering if he is going to be a target or not.  Malkin can carry this team without Crosby, but he has been hurt twice this season as well, the birds need to find a way to get a top tier centre men to cover Crosby and Malkin inc ase these guys are ready to make a deep May June run.

- Mike Comrie ship him out of town he shoud just go away case closed

- Aaron Asham needs a bigger role on this team he is a soild player and can work deep in the corners and can cause turn overs and can move and score when needed, Asham will be a key player in any type of playoff run.

- They need to build up there farm system, instead of thinking of the now think of the furture Mario, you need a stronger farm club that actually come up and replace guys like Crosby, Malkin and Talbot, Big T is only making a million a year he will skip for more money, you need reserves, I see the Penguins moving draft picks

                      That is my take on the Atlantic Division coming up for this years draft, not alot of big names will be moved unless the Isles get there show on the road, mostly draft picks.

Thank you

The Hockey Guru

                         The All Star Teams are set for SUnday with the Fantasy Draft being held tonight on TSN in Canada. Team Staal is                                                                   Team Linstrom Is

Cam Ward (Carolina)                                                      Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay)

Alexander Ovechkin (Washington)                                Duncan Keith (Chicago)

Daniel Sedin (Vancouver)                                               Nic Linstrom (Detroit)

Eric Staal (Carolina)                                                        Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay)

RYan Kesler (Vancouver)                                               Patrick Kane (Chicago)

Zdeno Chara (Boston)                                                    Hendrik Sedin (Vancouver)

Rick Nash (Columbus)                                                  Shea Weber (Nashville)

Mike Green (Washington)                                              Tim Thomas (Boston)

Henrik Lundquist (New York Rangers)                       Daniel Breire (Phliadelphia)

Marc Staal (New York Rangers)                                   Dustin Byfguelin (Atlanta)

Patrick Sharp (Chicago)                                                Johnathan Taves (Chicago)

Dan Boyle (San Jose)                                                    Marc Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh)

Carey Price (Montreal)                                                   Jonas Hiller (Anaheim)

Jeff Skinner (Carolina)                                                   Brad Richards (Dallas)

Kris Letang (Pittsburgh)                                                Keith Yandle (Phoenix)

Claude Giroux (Philladelphia)                                     Bret Burns (Minnesota)

Erik Carlsson (Ottawa)                                                 Martin Havlat (Minnesota)

Corey Perry (Anaheim)                                                 Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles)

Patrick Elias (New Jersey)                                          Matt Duchene (Colorado)

David Backes (Minnesota)                                          Loui Ericksson (Dallas)

Paul Statny (Colorado)                                                 Phil Kessel (Toronto

                                             Even know the Sedin twins have been seperated, a number of Blackhawks are back together in Taves, Kane and big D the Trasher, all and all two thumbs up to the NHL great format for the selection of the teams I am personally a fan

                      Its that time of the year again the yearly trade dealine in the NHL is coming up fast on February 28th this is the time of the year we see lots of signings and lots of trade some teams will be getting ready for next year, some teams will be dropping salary, some teams will be stacking for the playoff push and some teams will be hoping to bolster a May & June team. Over the next several weeks there will be alot of movement, so please join me in the tracking of this information and posting of rumors and trades and I will bring you update to date information as often as I can, I will post shortly on which players I think might get moved and what players may get signed and who will be doing nothing more then dumping salary.

The Hockey Guru

Hey there everyone This is my first post on this site but these spinoramas are buggin me so much I had to vent. Am I the only one who thinks that this move is cheap and shouldn be aloud in the shootout. I thought the rule was basically anything you can do on a break away you can do in the shootout well you most certainly cannot stop in front of the net and then have time to spin around put it in the open net on a breakaway. Whats next you just let the players stop in front of the net and deek until they get the goalie down and out? of course not that would be ridic. Now dont get me wrong if it's done right it's not cheap at all and is actually a beautiful goal; perfect example would be Graboskies spinorama he kept his feet moving the whole time and used some outrageous handles to keep the puck and beat the goalie. Perfect example of a cheap one would be Stamkos vs Price or vancouvers against the islanders last night both are examples of the player coming to a complete stop and slowly spinnin around after they have practically ran into the goalie something that would never happen on a real break away. I just think it's almost impossible for the goalie to stop and the rule should be forward motion as soon as you stop your done. Let me know if you agree or disagree I wanna here some arguments for why this move is not cheap and why it should be called the play off the night on TSN when I think it should be a no goal. 

We have a long way to go until next years Winter Classic, but I would like to ask SB Nation's hockey blog a few questions on 2012's classic.

Where would you like it played? Are you in favor or against a neutral rink? For example, you could get three markets involved. Pretend you do Rangers vs. Kings in Detroit, or something like that, you would have NY, LA, and Detroit. The event itself brings fans, so they wouldn't have to worry much about selling tickets.

Who would you like to be in it? If you are against neutral rinks, which many are, and I am undecided on it, who would you like the home team to be? As a Rangers fan, I'd love to see them be the home team in a matchup at Citi Field, but I would also welcome their being the road team. To be honest most of all I do not want any repeat teams. No Sabres, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Flyers, Bruins, Capitals, etc. New teams.

What would you change from this year? One idea I had was make the game at a baseball stadium with a retractable roof. Remove the roof right before gametime, and then you don't have to worry about pregame weather concerns. Another idea is having the Winter Classic be the only game played on New Years day.

Thoughts? Happy New Year!

After reading about Tom Fenton recently suiting up for the Coyotes, and remembering Brett Leonhardt sitting on the bench for half-a-period for the Capitals, I started to wonder about how often the emergency goalie exception is needed and how often the emergency backups are actually used.  Just a quick bit of searching turned up Nathan Deobald for the Oilers and then the story of Lester Patrick (a coach at the time) for the Rangers during their 1928 Cup run.

Does anyone know of a website that keeps track of this sort of stuff, or is this kind of thing just anecdotal and in the memories of fans and the emergency goalies themselves?

With news of a potential transaction between the NHL and Matthew Hulsizer, in respect of which there have been suggestions by certain Canadian media cheerleaders (I'm looking at you, David Shoalts) that the City of Glendale may be ponying up some of the purchase price, the inevitable suggestions of the Goldwater Institute stepping up and saving the day for Canadian hockey fans everywhere have started up.  Hockey fans everywhere are warming up their armchair lawyer analyses as I write this.   

For example, over on HFBoards' Business of Hockey board (where I posted frequently for many years), many posts have already purported to address the supposedly mortal threat to any potential Coyote deal posed by the fearsome Goldwater Institute and their cadre of junior lawyers/Republican operatives. Although I had thought that we had pretty much squashed the idea that Goldwater had any kind of case back when I posted over there, the argument has risen from the dead yet again, both there and other places where matters of the Coyotes are discussed.

It really is time to put a stake through the heart of this old canard once and for all.

[Note: the following analysis makes a key assumption that, as has been reported, the Hulsizer Group transaction will involve the creation of a Community Facility District much as was the case for the Reinsdorf proposal and the Ice Edge proposal.]

The much-discussed "Gift Clause" is Article IX, section 7 of the AZ Constitution:

  "Neither the state, nor any county, city, town, municipality, or other subdivision of the state shall ever give or loan its credit in the aid of, or make any donation or grant, by subsidy or otherwise, to any individual, association, or corporation, or become a subscriber to, or a shareholder in, any company or corporation, or become a joint owner with any person, company, or corporation, except as to such ownerships as may accrue to the state by operation or provision of law or as authorized by law solely for investment of the monies in the various funds of the state."

  That section has, as some readers may know, been litigated by the Goldwater Institute, in order to determine the limits and application of that section.  The phrase "by subsidy or otherwise" has been defined by caselaw (I will get to that later).  

However, there is another provision of the AZ Constitution which is of relevance.  Article XIII, section 7 of the AZ Constitution provides as follows (emphasis added):  

"Irrigation, power, electrical, agricultural improvement, drainage, and flood control districts, and tax levying public improvement districts, now or hereafter organized pursuant to law, shall be political subdivisions of the state, and vested with all the rights, privileges and benefits, and entitled to the immunities and exemptions granted municipalities and political subdivisions under this constitution or any law of the state or of the United States; but all such districts shall be exempt from the provisions of sections 7 and 8 of article IX of this constitution."

  Note the reference to Section 7 of Article IX, which is (as noted above) the "Gift Clause".

The next question one will likely be asking oneself is "what does this have to do with CFD's?"  As noted above, "tax levying public improvement districts" are exempt from the Gift Clause.  Allow me then to outline Section 48-708, subsection B of the Revised Statutes of Arizona, which is part of Title 48, Chapter 4, Article 6 (http://www.azleg.state.az.us/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/ars/48/00708.htm&Title=48&DocType=ARS).  In short, it is the section that allows for the creation of CFD's.  It reads:

  "On its formation, the district is a special purpose district for purposes of article IX, section 19, Constitution of Arizona, a tax levying public improvement district for the purposes of article XIII, section 7, Constitution of Arizona, and a municipal corporation for all purposes of title 35, chapter 3, articles 3, 3.1, 3.2, 4 and 5."

  So, what we have at the end of all this is that the statute which creates CFD's declares that CFD's are a "tax levying public improvement district" for purposes of the AZ Constitution.  The AZ Constitution states that such "tax levying public improvement districts" are expressly stated to be NOT subject to the "Gift Clause".  

If one thinks about it for a moment, this makes intuitive sense, as CFD's by their very nature are designed to work with the private sector to develop, operate and maintain infrastructure projects.  Having them be subject to the "Gift Clause" would run contrary to their stated purpose and negate what they are trying to accomplish.  Evidently, the AZ legislators understood this, and have drafted their Constitution and legislation accordingly to avoid any conflict.  

Those who have followed this drama may have noted that, since the introduction of CFD's into the process, the Goldwater Institute has gone relatively silent.  Based on the above, that seems to be wise on their part.  To the extent that the obligations to the Coyotes remains with the CFD, the Gift Clause is irrelevant.   

The only scenario in which the Gift Clause may conceivably apply is where the City of Glendale is required to guarantee the obligations of the CFD to the team.  One may recall that, for the first Ice Edge MOU (which was competing with the Reinsdorf MOU), they had initially included a provision which required the City to guarantee any shortfalls of the CFD in fulfilling its obligations, and the City figuratively hit the roof.  Ice Edge understood that this brought the Gift Clause back into play and consequently tried to remove it, but were rebuffed in favour of Reinsdorf's MOU (another story there).  When Ice Edge came back into the picture, the City guarantee was nowhere to be found, and all was well (for a while).  

Anything is possible with Hulsizer's transaction, since no one has publicly disclosed any actual terms of the deal, but given the spadework that has been done on this issue in the past by the relevant parties, I would be surprised if Hulsizer would want to take on litigation risk involved in the Gift Clause by requiring City guarantees.  There are other ways to secure the CFD's obligations.  

Just as an aside, the Gift Clause itself has been misunderstood by many who think that it is an absolute restriction on government "subsidies".  Remember that litigation I mentioned several paragraphs above (the case name was Turken v. Gordon)?  That litigation set the applicable tests for this issue.  The AZ Supreme Court held that what one does is to look at a proposed "subsidy" and compare what the government entity is receiving from the recipient (not counting "indirect benefits" like additional taxes, etc, but what the government is receiving FROM the recipient itself) versus what the government is providing.  It is only a "subsidy" for purposes of the Gift Clause if what the government is giving is "grossly disproportionate" to what it is receiving from the recipient.  That does NOT mean that EVERY subsidy is in violation of the AZ Constitution.  As an aside, there is another prong of the legal test - that the subsidy must be for a "public purpose", but that is not really much of a hurdle for any government entity, as the court stated that government entities are to be afforded a LOT of leeway on this issue.

Of course, none of that really matters, unless there is a City guarantee of the CFD's obligations.  

It would be interesting to confirm whether Hulsizer has addressed this issue in his transaction.  Addressing this issue will certainly go a long way to Hulsizer being able to close the transaction.  Hopefully some of the media will be able to address this with their sources, although I am not going to hold my breath with the lamentably inaccurate David Shoalts.