Clearing the Airwaves

*** Thought we'd start the Sunday reading period with some thoughts after Don Cherry detailed his thoughts about Daniel Carcillo and Sean Avery during the Coach's Corner segment Saturday night on "Hockey Night in Canada."

Little rats. If you are talking to Cherry, that's what he sees in Avery and Carcillo. Now I'd have to look into the archives, and I will during the Olympic break, but are these two rats doing anything different from the original rat, Kenny "The Rat" Linseman?

Cherry's argument about the instigator makes some sense at face value. You allow a tough guy to police the situation when an Avery or Carcillo takes on a star, and you take away the threat of an extra penalty for instigation, and things get put back in place. Order is restored.

But I don't remember Linseman ever having to defend himself in the old days. He'd poke some one and as soon as a Ranger or Islander came in to settle the score, instantly there was Paul Holmgren or another large Flyer fluent in fist arriving quickly to protect Linseman.

I'll have to check into this, because Cherry has a point about Avery and Carcillo taking advantage of the rules that allow them to play outside the rules to challenge star players.

But the Kenny the Rat played the same way in a tougher era. And I'm pretty certain he got away with pretty much everything without ever paying full price. We shall see.



*** All eyes of Canada, or a large share of them, will be tracking the progress of the Anaheim/Edmonton game tonight. More likely, they will be tracking the status of the Ducks' Ryan Getzlaf, who is considered to be a critical figure in Canada's drive for hockey gold in Vancouver.

This daily watch reminds me a lot of the daily updates about Paul Kariya before the NHLers went to the Nagano Games in 1998. Kariya, recovering from a concussion, never made it to the Olympic tournament. And right up to the point of his status being made official, hockey writers across Canada were making calls to determine Kariya's health and the likelihood of him being in the lineup.

We'll be watching tonight as well.

*** I'm not a big fan of the NHL taking a break so its players can play in the Olympics. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy most of the men's tournament, but I do not enjoy seeing the rest of the NHL shut down.

The junior leagues and U.S. colleges do not shut down for the World Junior Championship. In fact, junior-age players participate in more games outside of their leagues than you might imagine. If you count the WJC, Russia-Canada challenge series, league all-star games, CHL prospect games, etc., there are a lot of extracurricular activity.

But their leagues don't shut down.

During the New York Islanders/Tampa Bay Lightning broadcast on MSG-Plus, Butch Goring said he did not support shutting down the NHL to allow the Olympic tournament to have NHL players. He said it should be an amateur tournament.

Those days are not coming back, however. You dictate that Canada and the United States send only amateurs and that's where that movement stops. Sweden, Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic are going to send their best. The Olympics and the IIHF want the best in the world tournaments.

An amateur-only tournament then, is only likely in the World Junior Championship. If the NHL wants to skip the 2014 Games in Russia, I have no problem with it; others would disagree. But I don't expect the rest of the world to go along with the amateurs-only concept.

That ship has sailed.

Snow Days and the Olympic Break

Getting ready for the Vancouver Olympics, and that means it's the perfect time for the Recess Monkeys' cover of the Chilliwack's "My Girl." It doesn't quite measure up to the original performed in the late 1981 by the band out of Vancouver. But it's the thought that counts. Thanks, SCTV.

*** The state of Ryan Getzlaf's health has prompted a summit meeting among the heads of Team Canada. Getzlaf underwent an MRI, which the Anaheim Ducks said found no "significant ligament or muscle tears."

His day-to-day status has Team Canada chief Steve Yzerman taking the same approach, but with a limited number of days left before the Olympic hockey tournament begins, there has to be a plan, and it has to be announced soon.



*** I have to say that Russia is the team that most interests me. I like the skill level on the forward and back lines. I think this team can compete on the small ice. What would concern me if I were running the Russian operation is the goaltending.

On some nights, Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov plays a man's game. On other nights, he can be as unimpressive as the list of things to do or find in San Jose.

(Need help? I'll give you the first two on the list: 1. Finding a ride to San Francisco. 2. Finding a ride to Monterey.)

That's why Ilya Bryzgalov is the critical player in my projection of Russia as the gold medal winner in Vancouver. After all, I've looked up and down the roster, and there is no Giorgy to turn to when times get tough.

*** From where I'm sitting, with my face pressed to the window overlooking Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, the snow storm does not look as severe as feared. That means the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers most likely will play tonight at MSG 4.0

Larry Brooks of the New York Post says Marian Gaborik is not expected to be in the lineup for the game. Gaborik. Rangers' main scoring threat. Rangers' lone scoring threat? He received a deep thigh cut when he came across the skate of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in practice on Tuesday.

Brooks says Gaborik may not be in action again until the Olympic tournament starts. But that is of no help to the Rangers, who need him to score early and often.

I'm off to shovel some snow.

Don't Look Too Far Ahead

Rearranging the coasters on the Lounge bar.

*** With a 4-2 victory last night at Honda Center, the Anaheim Ducks put a period on a record winning streak by the Los Angeles Kings. The downside? Ryan Getzlaf. Down on the ice. Sprained ankle.

Did you hear that, Canada? Someone you are counting on for grit and a scoring touch in the Vancouver Games is on crutches. Getzlaf's status will be re-examined today.

And that is what passes for heart-stopping moments as we approach the Olympic men's hockey tournament, which begins next week. Any injury, however slight, will cause GMs in the NHL as well as the men running the Olympic teams to reflect, re-evaluate and resolve to remain committed to NHLers in the Olympics.



*** This video might appear a bit old -- it's from Saturday -- but not as old as some of the pretzels served here in the Lounge.

Michigan at Wisconsin at Camp Randall stadium. Gotta warm up the hockey crowd somehow. Did someone say House of Pain? Time to jump around and recirculate the blood, or whatever antifreeze that is not doing the job at the moment.

The Badgers won. Camp Randall still standing. A nice scene. Glad I was indoors, watching in the Lounge.

*** Back to the Olympics. NHL.com has a page devoted to the Vancouver games -- All Access Vancouver -- with rosters, features, schedules and, one assumes, plenty of stats and summaries as we move toward Russia defeating Canada for the gold medal. Yes, that's my pick, even though I am not firmly behind the goaltending of Evgeni Nabokov and Ilya Bryzgalov.

As for the United States, I see problems in goal, a lack of size up front and a defense that is not a strong as some of the tournament entries. I see a loss to the Swedes in the bronze medal game.

What say you?

*** Some lucky fans in North America will not have to pay to watch the Carolina Hurricanes face the Minnesota Wild next season. Those two teams will open the 2010-11 season with a double dip in Helsinki.

Also heading to Europe for two games are the Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes. The Blue Jackets and Sharks will play twice in Stockholm; the Bruins and Coyotes will meet twice in Prague.

*** Roy MacGregor of The Toronto Globe and Mail gets to have the final word in the Lounge when it comes to Bob Gainey, who leaves the Montreal Canadiens in much the same way he found it. A franchise with great history, a hallowed sweater and few players worthy of wearing it.