Where do I begin?
How about right here in town, where we continue to see reactions to the hiring of Todd Richards as the team’s permanent head coach.
At the Dispatch, Michael Arace decries the “safe” move, while Dannie over at Strait-Jackets found the move a bit circular.
Meanwhile, Rob Mixer has an interview with Senior Advisor Craig Patrick, who explained why he felt Richards was the right man for the job.
Big news came down yesterday when the NHL formally informed the NHLPA that they wish to renegotiate the CBA. On the surface, that’s a bit scary. After all, if the two sides can’t come to an agreement by mid-September, it will impact the start of training camp and potentially the beginning of the 2012-2013 season.
On the other hand, both sides have a lot to lose if the threat of another lockout rears its’ head, and for every stick in their arsenal, they also possess quite a few carrots – particularly realignment and participation in the 2014 winter olympics. DBJ is right when he says this is a dangerous game, but it’s also one that I think can be “won” by both sides.
In somewhat more fun news, the proposed new arena in Seattle is moving forward, and they still hope to bring the NHL in, while the Oilers also released concepts for their proposed new arena.
Icethetics IceHL logo contest is up and running, and fan voting has begun!
Phoenix’s Martin Hanzal was suspended one game for a nasty hit on Dustin Brown Tuesday night, but Justin Bourne argues it wasn’t enough.
Over at Ten Minute Misconduct, Jeff catches up with some of the recent happenings around the league, and will also be taking part in a new site for the Hockey Writers called “Overtime”, where his first post on the arcane subject of NHL rules is a must read.
Given Patrick Kane’s recent adventures, it’s interesting to see Ellen Etchingham’s look at the history of the NHL and alcohol.
Hey, want to learn more about frequent Cannon commenter Zekebud? Of course you do. Check out this neat interview at #CBJ.com
Winding it down, DBJ says goodbye to the player that got him to start watching the Blue Jackets, Puck-Rakers think that Aaron Johnson is moving on, and the Dispatch has a new Cannon Fodder podcast ready to go.
That’s it for now – have a great morning!