Farewell Lubo

I would Vo-et for you anytime, and I will miss you sorely.  Good luck in (shudders) Anaheim.

Young Players

Another nice NYT article, this time about the retreat the MLB sends top prospects on to prepare them for the pressues of fame, media, and other changes in their lives with making The Show.  Sounds like the NHL would do well to have similar, if they don't already?

Is it Me?

Or does this Twitter from the Oilers team account contain a whiff of the judgemental?




Quinn: Brule out for grandmother's funeral, for the sixth time this year. Will miss tonight's game.

Exchange Rates, Canadian NHL, and Making Payroll

Canadian teams have learned to protect themselves by hedging their bets on swings in foreign exchange rates. This often involves buying contracts to purchase United States dollars at different levels, up to several years in advance. This helps insulate the teams from big changes in the exchange rate. But it also means that the current rise of the Canadian dollar may not translate into a gain for teams, or as large a loss when the Canadian dollar slips.

The effect of the fluctuating dollar also hits N.H.L. players. Ottawa Senators forwards Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson were with the team early this decade when the Canadian dollar was weak and team finances were shaky. “Quite a few of us even bought season tickets to help out,” Alfredsson, the team’s captain, said. Fisher said that once the paychecks arrived late.
“We were on thin ice for a few years,” Alfredsson said.

I highly recommend checking out this really interesting article in the NYTimes about  how fluctuations in the exchange rate affect payroll for Canadian NHL teams.  It all makes sense when you think about it, but I certainly never had before.

If you're faced with a jumble of hockey players:

This google ad I saw in my RSS reader should provide the answer:

I wonder how many GMs are using this?

Winning in Boston

Why not losing in Boston?  That is what we (the BoSox) did today, right?

Yeah.  I don't have the energy right now, but consider it a placeholder for a rant I've had brewing awhile.  More soon.

Opener

Against my better judgement, here I am, and I even dug my jersey out of the closet. Fresh bread will come out of the oven soon, but it better NOT be the best part of the evening.

GOilers.


UPDATE:

*HEADDESK* *HEADDESK*

I dunno if I can take a whole season of our awesome new goalie.