A few rules are observed when it comes to reading notes columns in the Lounge. If the source is the Sun, as in Ottawa Sun, Edmonton Sun, Calgary Sun, Toronto Sun, etc., I am skeptical. And if it is the work of Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun that is being cited, then I have a hearty laugh and say shame on me for reading.
Garrioch, who has been labeled as Malkin to the Kings on the Puck Daddy blog, is the undisputed king of sources said, according to league officials, is believed hockey journalism. I do like to read ESPN.com's NHL rumors blog posts, if only for the heavy amount of play Garrioch gets. Every day, somebody is believed to be interested in a certain player, according to a league official, if only because said player happens to be in the NHL at that moment. In other words, everyone is in play.
Garrioch's Malkin to the Kings report was the high point of humor, in that the Kings would received Malkin for a draft pick and, perhaps, Mike Cammalleri. Of course, only league sources is presented for attribution on the Penguins' offering of Malkin.
This unnamed source in notebooks and sports briefs is not uncommon, but it can be laughable when it appears again and again, if only to knock down other similarly attributed columns.
In his don't call it a sports blog, the blogger Murray Chass had a few issues with ESPN.com's reporting on baseball's labor talks and decided to blacken a few eyes:
In the space of less than two weeks, ESPN.com raised the possibility of a serious problem in the talks and practically had a new labor contract signed, sealed and delivered.
According to the Web site, in articles loaded with anonymous sources, a new labor deal has gone from being “still stuck in negotiating limbo” to having the “stalled” talks taking “a step forward” to the owners and players being “on the verge of a new labor deal” that could be concluded by the end of this week.
I love Chass's use of "loaded with anonymous sources," which is loaded with scarlet paint to damn the reporting.
But after all that, what does Chass do to support his argument that, what else, he is right and ESPN.com is all wrong?
“I think you have a valid point,” one labor negotiator said. ...
I would repeat something I wrote earlier this month about a management person saying that Jerry Reinsdorf, the Chicago White Sox chairman, told Selig the players wouldn’t strike over slotting, but Selig was incensed that I had invoked Reinsdorf’s name in connection with his decisions, and I don’t want to incite him again so soon. ...
“The deadline is Dec. 11,” said an official, referring to the expiration date of the current agreement, “and there will be a deal. ...
He's probably right, but I don't trust this kind of reporting any more. Steal little or steal big, not naming names is simply that to this reader. I've been burned enough to know that I need a name of a source, not a rank, to better believe what I am being told. That's just how it works in the Lounge. No credit given, no tabs. That's the name of that tune.
Time to roll the scores.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Carolina 3, Toronto 2
San Jose 4, at Colorado 1
Detroit 4, at Anaheim 2
At Vancouver 2, Ottawa 1 OT
Summaries and standings are here
AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Bridgeport 5, Adirondack 3
At Charlotte 4, Rockford 3
At Worcester 3, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 1
Connecticut 3, at Providence 2 SO
At Milwaukee 3, San Antonio 1
At Toronto 4, Peoria 3
Abbotsford 1, at Houston 0 SO
Summaries and standings are here
EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
At South Carolina 6, Gwinnett 1
At Toledo 6, Cincinnati 3
Trenton 3, at Wheeling 2
Summaries and standings are here
QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Acadie-Bathurst 6, Saint John 5 SO
Rouyn-Noranda 5, at Cape Breton 3
Victoriaville 6, at Prince Edward Island 4
Chicoutimi 5, at Baie-Comeau 2
At Blainville-Boisbriand 2, Drummondville 1 OT
Halifax 2, at Rimouski 1
Summaries and standings are here
ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Barrie 3, at Kingston 1
At Ottawa 5, Niagara 2
Brampton 3, at Sudbury 0
At London 3, Owen Sound 2 OT
Windsor 5, at Oshawa 2
Mississauga 6, at Sault Ste. Marie 4
Summaries and standings are here
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Saskatoon 6, at Calgary 5
Brandon 7, at Moose Jaw 6 OT
Kootenay 4, at Vancouver 1
Summaries and standings are here
NCAA DIVISION I
WCHA
At Bemidji State 1, North Dakota 0
NONCONFERENCE
Lake Superior State 4, at Canisius 2
Summaries and standings are here
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