Linking up

A links blog on this quiet morning, all of 'em guaranteed good reads or listens, as the Leafs are in prep mode (and Carlo Colaiacovo in full yo-yo bounce) for road games in Buffalo tomorrow night and Montreal on Saturday:

Ken Campbell has a look at some stats, particularly on Toronto's power play and penalty killing, and notes how Nathan Perrott came to be traded to Dallas, instead of merely put out on waivers:

Ferguson had been told over the weekend by another GM that the Stars had a heated confrontation with coach Dave Tippett recently, in large part because the players felt the team didn't have enough toughness.

With six weeks to go till the roster is announced, The Star's Damien Cox looks at the many questions facing Team Canada, and over at ESPN Scott Burnside looks a little closer at the uncertainties surrounding goaltending.

Borje Salming on Mats Sundin, who's on the verge of passing him in the Leafs' all-time scoring parade.

The United Arab Emirates national hockey team is in town. Yes, they really have one, and Geoff Baker checks 'em out.

Finally, Off Wing Opinon's Eric McErlain, with the help of fellow blogger Joe Tasca, has launched a weekly radio show on hockey. Among the first instalment is a bit on the ongoing to-and-fro with the new rules (they're not so new anymore) and their enforcement:

"Last week I saw a referee drop a puck in a faceoff circle when there were no players in it. They'd all lollygagged their way to the faceoff circle and the ref said okay, fine, you're not going to be here? I'm dropping the puck anyway."

(C.Y.)

---

Thanks, Chris. I'll jump in today with a few more links - it would just kill me not to share this next one with you:

And I don't want to ruin your day, but Harry Sinden has a warning for us about the "new NHL": It's going to kill someone. Sinden notes that there have been more 5-on-3s so far this season that the past (we all know this already - thanks to the well-documented penalty parade). Take it away Harry:

"The defensemen are getting forever to wind up," Sinden tells the Boston Herald. "They’re going to kill someone standing in front with a shot. They’ve got forever to shoot, and they shoot it so hard and so high. Most shots are high. I’m telling you, I’m worried sick about it. I’m afraid it’s going to happen. Someone is going to get killed out there."

Yeah, we've all been watching Bryan McCabe blasting away on the right point this year, but come on, Harry. Lighten up.

Off to Dallas, where welcome addition Nathan Perrott plays his first game tonight. Stars are happy to have him, using words like "difference maker" (?) thanks to a combo of good speed, thoughness and a heavy shot. Fellow Stars tough guy Steve Ott, Perrott's new linemate, recalls facing the Leaf outcast in the AHL last season. Ott estimated that 80-90 of his penalty minutes last year came against Perrott alone.

"He's a good player, and he's definitely a heavyweight. He was killing me," Ott tells the Dallas Morning News.

This link comes a little late, but if you didn't see the stories about grumblings in Sweden about leaving Marcus Naslund off their Olympic team, well, the headline in the Vancouver Province says it all:

Nitch Naslund? Are they nuts?

And look out Wayne Gretzky, another NHL legend is turning out to be a pretty good coach. Patrick Roy has turned around the Quebec Remparts season since stepping behind the bench. (SW)

Comments

[GS]

Just a quick comment on Ken Campbell's article about stats. The 3.7 points that were formerly scored at even strength do not compare equally to the 3.9 currently being scored in the NEW NHL. Because there are significantly more penatly minutes this year there is less 5-5 time and so the RATE of scoring during 5-5 situations is probably up significantly... Looks like Tiger wasn't right about as many things as ken thinks he was.

I've been reading this blog since the preseason and only posted once before... but math errors like that make me cringe so i felt the need to post.

[cy]

GS, on the subject of numbers... your's is the blog's 500th comment. Congrats.

[SuburbanHockey]

I couldn't believe it when I read that the Leafs sent down Colaiacovo to the minors for a couple of days, just to save $9,542! The Marlies weren't even playing this week (their next game is Friday)!

After all the hard work and good play of Colaiacovo on Tuesday night, the Leafs try to nickel and dime the kid. I know that $9,542 isn't chump change for most people, but come on, since when did the Leafs become the Nashville Predators? I thought that was pretty low. What happened - did MLSE forget to pay the utility bills for the ACC? Or maybe Ferguson Jr. was ripping a page out of the Harold Ballard book, "The Cheapskate's Guide to Disrespecting Your Hockey Players".

[GS]

hey cy, do i win anything for my efforts?

[cy]

GS, I have something for you that can't be measured in mere gold or base coins -- my undying gratitude (and an invitation to do my tax return next spring, of course).