Must Be That New Math

by Ryan

Just some NHL News leading up to the Draft.

-Vinny Prospal's rights are heading back to Tampa. This means the Bolts have exclusive negotiating rights with Prospal until July 1st. Let's do a quick math problem to figure out what he's worth:

February 25th: 35 games (18+17), 27 points (14+13)
2009 2nd Round Pick
Alexandre Picard

June 18th: Exclusive negotiation Rights for 13 days
2008 7th round pick (196th overall)
2009 Conditional Pick

Yeah, I think that sounds about right. Prospal made $1.9 mill the past three seasons, and he's due for a pretty big raise after a 71 point (33+38) season. If Tampa gets a deal done it's not a bad price to pay, considering how much they got back for the 35 game rental.

- The NHL Board of Governers adopted a few rule changes. Look out AP, here come the blockquotes:

A change to Rule 76.2 will place the first faceoff of a power play in the defending zone of the team that committed the foul.

Probably won't change play very much, as most teams push the puck up ice when a delayed call is at hand anyway. However, the extra offensive zone faceoff is a nice bonus.

A change to Rule 81.1 states that “any contact between opposing players while pursuing the puck on an icing must be for the sole purpose of playing the puck and not for eliminating the opponent from playing the puck.”

The amended rule further states that “unnecessary or dangerous contact could result in penalties being assessed to the offending player.”

This is the "broken defenseman" rule. I'm actually glad no touch icing got the axe, I've never been much of a fan. There is something about everyone on the ice stopping to watch the puck glide past painted lines waiting for a whistle that seems to... obstruct the flow of the game if you ask me. It's like a third baseman watching a ball roll up the line and praying it goes foul, except it stops dead on the line every time. Not exactly my kind of baseball, either.

In addition, a change to Rule 85.5 provides that if a puck is shot off the goal frame, goal post or crossbar, the subsequent faceoff will remain in the end zone where the puck went out of play.

More of a clerical move if anything. In reality it classifies the net as a "defender" and eliminates any of that "It didn't touch me, I swear" nonsense the goalies with size 78 jerseys try on the refs. Speaking of that, any idea when the equipment committee meets?

- Page 2 keyboard banger writer Jemele Hill wrote this article and said this:

“Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim. It’s like hoping Gorbachev would get to the blinking red button before Reagan.”

She was asked to take the next couple of plays off because of it. I can't say I'm terribly upset about this, but I'd rather bad writers get in trouble for the fact that they are flat out incompetent instead of over a stupid analogy. I mean, what about this fine waste of tubes? Jemele is the master of taking the underdog position and making stupid arguments in defense of it, as well as taking-ah hell, just look at her archives, they won't be changing anytime soon.

- Among the Hockey Hall of Fame inductees is Ray Scapinello, whose book I promise I will get to this summer. So far I've been slow to get going on The Game because of a new business venture that has taken up a lot of time the past few weeks. I promise, we will have some reviews up shortly. Maybe even a music post, if it comes together.