Flames Used Equipment Sale 2007

The Calgary Flames FanAttic Annual Used Equipment Sale is scheduled for June 2 starting at 8 a.m. and running until 2 p.m. on the concourse at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

Use the northeast entrance to the building and look for some great deals on game-used skates, gloves, pants, goalie equipment and more.

Below is a list of some of the items that will be on sale.

Link here

Mike York’s Wife Kicks Some Ass

Former Islander Mike York’s wife Aimee was convicted of assaulting her sister-in-law at a family gathering last year, according to the Associated Press.

A Michigan judge declined to give Aimee York jail time but did order her to pay $595 in fines and expenses, according to the story.

Here comes a great quote from Jackson County District Judge R. Darryl Mazur:

“I believe she decked her sister-in-law and a cat fight ensued,” Mazur ruled.

Former NHL player pleads guilty in N.J. gambling ring case

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. -- Former NHL player Rick Tocchet pleaded guilty Friday to running a sports gambling ring, but might not have to serve any jail time.

Tocchet, who played for Phialdelphia, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington and Phoenix in a career that spanned 22 seasons, is on leave from his job as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Coyotes. He pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to promote gambling and promoting gambling. Such offenses usually do not carry a jail sentence for first-time offenders.

''It's a huge operation and I think it exposes to people the allure of gambling, illegal gambling, in New Jersey,'' state Criminal Justice Director Gregory A. Paw said outside the courthouse.

The maximum sentence for the charges Tocchet pleaded guilty to are 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Paw would not say whether prosecutors will ask for jail time for Tocchet.

The 43-year-old Tocchet is the third man to plead guilty in the case, which New Jersey authorities dubbed ''Operation Slapshot.'' The others, including state Trooper James Harney, are expected to get jail time.

Janet Jones, the wife of hockey great Wayne Gretzky, was accused of betting but was not charged in the case.

Prosecutors said in February 2006 that the ring handled $1.7 million in wagers during a 40-day stretch that began at the end of 2005 and included college football bowl games and the Super Bowl. They said there were no bets on hockey games.

Tocchet did not speak during Friday's court hearing except to answer yes or no questions. When asked by his attorney, Kevin Marino, if he ever bet on professional hockey, Tocchet said ''no.''
Marino said Tocchet has not spoken with the NHL about how his guilty pleas will affect his coaching career.

Tocchet played in 1,144 regular-season games, scoring 440 goals and 952 points. He also appeared in 145 playoff games, with 52 goals and 112 points.

Female Ottawa Sens Fan Caught Adjusting Herself

The thing that kills me is the guy rewinds and plays it back. At least shes hot.

Salming poses nude for artist


Borje Salming's play on defence was as close to artistry as the Toronto Maple Leafs had in the Harold Ballard era.

Now, the lanky Swede, who began the influx of European players into the National Hockey League, has become an objet d'art himself.

At 56, the remarkably fit Salming took off his clothes to pose for a series of paintings by Swedish artist Johan Wattberg. There are 31 canvases in all, and 10 of them go on display in Stockholm Thursday night.

The remaining 21 – matching the numeral Salming wore when he played 16 seasons on the Toronto blueline – will be shown in Toronto in the fall, publicist Andreas Grant said.

“We are working right now to find a good gallery, to show them around the time the NHL season starts,” Grant said in a telephone interview from Sweden.

The iconic Salming already had celebrity status in his homeland, both for his Hall of Fame hockey career and for his posthockey ventures. Salming's name is known by a new generation for the line of designer undergarments he manufactures.

“Borje was a bit hesitant at first, but then he saw Johan's earlier work,” Grant said. “There's a rough style to it and he identified with it. Johan's best known as a graffiti artist in the past, but he's evolved onto the mainstream art scene. His work still has a street feel to it.”

Salming said in a statement that he was skeptical at first. “I've never done anything like this before,” he said. “But it's not the everyday artsy-pantsy stuff. It's hard core. I like them and I think others will, too.”

Salming started his NHL career in 1973 and was already playing in his fourth all-star season when Wattberg was born in 1978. He played 1,148 regular season games and 81 playoff games, scoring a total of 150 regular-season goals and 637 assists. He was Sweden's first player enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Leipold selling Predators to Balsillie

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CP-AP) - The years of mounting losses and indifference from the local corporate community convinced owner Craig Leipold that he could never make his Predators profitable in Nashville.

Maybe Canadian entrepreneur Jim Balsillie - who has entered into a letter of agreement to buy the NHL team for US$220 million, Leipold confirmed Thursday - will have better luck. Or maybe it's the first step in the team's departure from the Music City.

Either way, Leipold is done after losing of $70 million during the team's nine seasons. He made the deal with Balsillie, who outbid the Anschutz Entertainment Group, which is seeking a team for Kansas City.

''I have come to the conclusion that I cannot make it work here,'' said Leipold, who became emotional and had to pause at one point. ''We are one of the elite teams in this league and we are by far the lowest revenue team in the league.''

Under terms of the deal, the sale - including approval from the league's board of governors - must be completed by June 30.

As Balsillie, co-CEO of Waterloo, Ont.-based Research In Motion (TSX:RIM), the company that makes BlackBerry handheld devices, found out last autumn when his deal to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins fell apart, that's no slam dunk.

That's probably why he was playing things close to the vest Thursday, not returning phone calls and issuing a statement saying he is respectful of all the ''due diligence'' required before the deal can close.

''This is still Craig Leipold's franchise until the deal is completed, so for me to comment at this time on any number of topics relative to the franchise would not be appropriate,'' Balsillie said in the release.

Those careful words didn't stop speculation that the Predators will soon be on the move, perhaps to the Waterloo area.

If paid attendance in Nashville does not average at least 14,000 next season - the Preds averaged 13,815, 2,000 below the NHL average in 2006-07 despite low ticket prices and one of the best teams in the league - the team could pay an exit fee of US$18 million to get out of its arena lease and leave.

Balsillie's $175 million deal to buy the Penguins unravelled when commissioner Gary Bettman attached a list of conditions to the sale, including, it is believed, one that he not move the club until every possible avenue was exhausted.

That condition likely wouldn't be needed this time, given Leipold's many failed efforts at wooing the local corporate community. While the NHL doesn't want teams moved, Nashville hasn't shown that it will support the Predators long term.

''(The NHL) knows how hard we've worked in this market and the things we've done, the group that we have and the team that's already here,'' Leipold said.

''There are some major corporations that are just completely missing in action in our business. It's not because we haven't knocked on their door.''

So while the NHL would have been Balsillie's biggest hurdle in moving the Penguins, the biggest obstacles in his way of relocating the Predators would be the lease in Nashville and territorial rights issues with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres.

Both those teams would take issue with another team in the region and under NHL by-laws, a team cannot move within 80 kilometres of another city's corporate limits.

The Kitchener-Waterloo area is right on that border.

Leipold has until June 19 to exercise a ''cure'' clause in the team's arena lease that would force the city to buy tickets and ensure attendance averages 14,000 next season. Leipold said he has not yet discussed with Balsillie whether to exercise that clause but will.

The Predators have fewer than 9,000 season ticket subscribers. The team amassed 110 points, third best in the league, but still lost US$15 million this season.

Balsillie said he would visit Nashville, talk with Predators fans and ''become more familiar with the community'' once the deal is final.

Leipold predicted that ''we'll have hockey here for a long time'' if attendance improves. Balsillie will make an effort to keep the team in Nashville, he suggested.

''I think he's going to give it a chance,'' said Leipold. ''If (attendance) is over 14,000 paid, it's not going anywhere.''

Leipold said last January he was looking for one or more local investors to buy up to 40 per cent of the team in the hope that local owners could boost attendance. No local buyer or buyers stepped forward.

If the Predators had advanced to the NHL's conference final or even the championship series, it ''could potentially change the whole aspect of this team'' and investors might have stepped forward, said Leipold.

''It didn't work out,'' he said. ''That's just the way it is.

''We had injuries and, unfortunately, we got knocked out in the first round.''
Leipold signed a multi-year naming-rights deal for the city's hockey arena with Franklin, Tenn.-based Sommet Group last week. The revenue from that agreement goes to the team.
It is Leipold's team until at least June 30.

''This is truly one of the toughest days of my life,'' said Leipold. ''I poured my heart and soul into this franchise for 10 years.''

He lives in Wisconsin.

''We have had the most incredibly wonderful time owning this team,'' he said. ''My family, my kids, we just love doing this.''

But he's tired of losing millions.

Coach Barry Trotz, whose option for the next season was picked up recently, said he spent Wednesday night calling players. He hasn't met the prospective owner but likes what he has read of the amateur hockey player.

''He says, 'I want my name on the Cup,''' said Trotz. ''There's only one way to do it, and you have to win it. So I'm really excited about that.''

New NHL Rule?

whats the story with the double goal line that they were testing out at the ducks practise? what do you guys out there think they will do? the idea came from a tv producer in LA.

Alex Ovechkin and His Equiptment.


Those Skates look sick.



Note the pictures on his stick.

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Hot selling NHL jerseys and teams

The National Hockey League (NHL) announced Tuesday sales of NHL-licensed product increased on Shop.NHL.com for the eighth consecutive month and online sales for the month of April increased56.32% compared to the same period last year.

Nineteen NHL teams experienced growth in sales for the month of April on Shop.NHL.com. Leading the group were the Buffalo Sabres, with a sales increase of more than 895% compared to last April. Other teams that increased sales of merchandise by more than 200% include: Pittsburgh Penguins (292%), New York Islanders (245%), Vancouver Canucks (234%) and Minnesota Wild (201%).

The Sabres have been consistently a top-selling team and continue to dominate player jersey sales, accounting for six spots on the top 10 sellers on Shop.NHL.com. Jerseys bearing the names of Sabres forwards Daniel Briere, Maxim Afinogenov, Chris Drury, Thomas Vanek, Jason Pominville and goaltender Ryan Miller were among the top sellers on Shop.NHL.com.

TOP 10 SELLING PLAYER JERSEYS ON SHOP.NHL.COM (April 1-30, 2007)
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres
Daniel Briere, Buffalo Sabres
Maxim Afinogenov, Buffalo Sabres
Chris Drury, Buffalo Sabres
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres
Jason Pominville, Buffalo Sabres
Sean Avery, New York Rangers
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers