Yesterday, I briefly mentioned that Pelotonia was taking place to help raise money for cancer research. Nearly 5,000 riders hit the road on several courses, riding up to 100 miles as part of the fundraiser. Among them were 4 riders from the Blue Jackets – Scott Howson, Rick Nash, Aaron Johnson, and R.J. Umberger.
As they rode the course, R.J. ran into a bit of trouble, but with an assist from his captain…well, he wasn’t going to let a broken bike frame stop him.
Congratulations to everyone who rode yesterday, from the ironmen and women tearing through the entire 100 mile course to the casual riders who took the 13 mile course. Well done!
In the truly strange news, David Aebischer is gunning for an NHL job in Winnipeg. In reality, this is probably a last gasp for a veteran – at best I could see him ending up as a member of the IceCaps, but I suppose we could always be surprised.
Over at Strait Jackets, Dannie breaks down the Springfield Falcons 2011-2012 schedule. For those interested in checking out the Jackets’ prospects, unless you’re thinking of a New England road trip, Wilkes-Barre or Hershey may be your best bets.
Speaking of Winnipeg goaltending, check out Chris Mason‘s totally metal mask.
The Cannon Report guys have their Cannonfest Recap up.
It looks like Ethan Moreau has landed in Los Angeles. With all due respect to the Kings, this is a head-scratcher, even for 600k. With Moreau, that makes 14 NHL level forwards on the roster – even if you assume Colin Fraser will be on the shelf, what happens if you get a surprise from a prospect? Would Moreau accept playing in Manchester? To say nothing of his ability to stay healthy…it seems like Moreau is being brought in for the grit and locker room role that we had hoped to see from him in Columbus, and his injury woes prevented him from really standing out at either level. Perhaps things will be different in LA, but I have doubts about how much gas will be left in his tank.
The QMJHL pre-season began this weekend, with Jackets’ prospect Petr Straka scoring a pair of goals and a pair of assists against Quebec on Friday, while Michael Chaput had a goal in regulation and the shootout in Shawnigan’s 3-2 victory against Drummondville.
Almost 1,000 people attended the memorial service for Rick Rypien.
NHL12 will be released on September 13th, and LTL found a preview video for Rick Nash.
The Sports Business Journal did a study to try and figure out the best markets for NHL expansion or relocation. However, their metrics on pure personal income make the numbers a bit…flawed, potentially. Bridgeport, CT, for example, scores ridiculously high…perhaps because it’s the home of ESPN and a number of highly paid television and radio personalities, and not reflecting the wealth of an average family in the area. There’s also no look at municipal infrastructure, available facilities (or willingness to build them), or, y’know, interest in hockey. It’s also worth pointing out that several of the top rated cities are currently home to AHL franchises that would have to be cannibalized or eliminated. PHT and Puck Daddy both have reaction pieces, and the central theme is “Well, that’s interesting, but there are a lot of things not being taken into account.”
That said, if you moved the Islanders to Honolulu, at least you wouldn’t have to worry about changing the name…
Die By The Blade looks at how Buffalo can get out of their salary cap crunch.
Perhaps it’s a bit self-serving, but the guys at PHT (part of the NBC family) are looking at some of the most exciting NHL on NBC weekends for this season.
Ever heard the cliche “The two goal lead is the most dangerous in hockey”? According to the guys at Puck Scene, that myth is totally busted. (Walrus moustache and berets optional.)
One Puck Daddy reader provided an impassioned defense of the shootout.
Rick Peddie, long time president of the Maple Leafs, will retire shortly, but he’s still got a clause in his contract to get his name on the Stanley Cup if the Leafs can erase their 44 year old drought in the next three seasons.
Finally, Puck Daddy starts turning their “Guilty Pleasures” lens on themselves with Ryan Lambert running down his answers, including his deep abiding love for the Mighty Ducks and Gary Bettman.