Saturday's Dump & Chase: Admirals Stun Chicago

Nashville Predators News

Nashville Predators inspired by Minnesota goalie's courage | The Tennessean
Josh Cooper gets reaction from the Preds to Josh Harding's MS diagnosis.

Fantastic finish sends Ads to third straight win | Admirals Roundtable

Quite the 3rd-period comeback for the good guys last night.

Carrie Underwood talks about fame, being a hockey wife, and giving back - Ottawa Citizen
Mrs. Mike Fisher talks about the frustration of the lockout, and preparing to go back to Ottawa for a concert after stealing their man away (as some saw it).

Smashville 24/7 - Nashville has become Mason’s second home
And right now, he's got a lot of time to mow the lawn, clean out the garage, clean out the gutters, etc.

Also, Sergei Kostitsyn done got blowed up in the KHL.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Increasingly high cost of hockey is making the game an elitist sport - The Globe and Mail
Yup.

Down Goes Brown: Forbes Magazine excuses
Suddenly realized that Gary Bettman has created league where 25 teams can finish over .500 every year, so he's obviously way better at advanced theoretical mathematics than we'll ever be.

Lockout theatre; NHL Shakespeare | Backhand Shelf
Call me a Debbie Downer, but rather than Shakespeare, I'm picturing the final scenes of Apocalypse Now (one of my absolute favorite movies of all time), with Gary Bettman as Col. Kurtz, and Don Fehr playing the role of Captain Willard.

And lastly... is bikini hockey better than no hockey?

NHL CBA Talks: Mediation Fails After 2 Days

(SB Nation News) -- The first attempt at the NHL and NHL Players' Association to find common ground with the held of mediation has come and gone within a period of two days. After each side met separately with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on Wednesday, Thursday's meeting between both sides and the FMCS resulted in closed negotiations, according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun.

LeBrun added that no more meetings were planned between the two sides, and a statement released by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly echoed that stance:

"After spending several hours with both sides over two days, the presiding mediators concluded that the parties remained far apart, and that no progress toward a resolution could be made through further mediation at this point in time. We are disappointed that the mediation process was not successful."

LeBrun reports that after the negotiations closed on Thursday, the NHL opened the possibility of the league owners and players meeting without any league officials present.

According to ESPN, the mediation didn't help with the lingering issue of the NHL and union being far apart in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. Sources told ESPN that the meetings were held in Woodbridge, N.J.

The FMCS, who reached out to both sides to set up the meetings, was also involved in the NBA and NFL lockouts in 2011, though its presence did little to help resolve those situations.

Friday's Dump & Chase: NHL Heads Into the Void

Nashville Predators News

Puustinen recovers from splitting knee cap - JSOnline
Holy cow, the recovery process described here sounds awful. Kudos to Juuso Puustinen for his hard work in getting back on the ice.

Reflecting On The 1st Quarter | Admirals Roundtable
Can you believe hockey season is this far along already?

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Kings Mourn The Passing Of Longtime PA Announcer David Courtney - Jewels From The Crown
Our condolences go out to the L.A. Kings organization and their fans, we here in Nashville certainly know what a prominent member of the community a PA announcer is.

30 Thoughts: Harding has kindred hockey spirit in Sigalet | Hockey | CBC Sports
As always, Elliotte Friedman's weekly column is required reading for hockey fans. Josh Harding, labor issues, and a small note on Patrick Cehlin, too.

Where do CBA talks go as mediation fails? - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN
The road ahead is more than a bit foggy after the mediation farce concluded yesterday.

Contraction a necessary evil for survival of NHL says economist - The Globe and Mail
With Quebec City, Toronto, Seattle, and a few other markets in the mix, I don't see contraction coming any time soon, if ever.

Write Your Own NHL/NHLPA Negotiation Story | PuckScene.com
Man, this sure makes things easier.

And lastly, a musical tribute in honor of the progress which the owners & players are making in these negotiations:

Wednesday's Dump & Chase: The Fitz is Back

Nashville Predators News

Former Predator Tom Fitzgerald enjoys 'best job' with Pittsburgh | The Tennessean
As a player development guy, Fitzergerald is still busy.

Day in the Life of an Admiral (weekend edition) - JSOnline
Meet Mark Van Guilder...

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

NHL Lockout: TSN’s Bob McKenzie says the gap between the league and NHLPA could be about to get wider | Edmonton Journal
Well this doesn't sound good. At least I'm keeping busy over the Nashville Sports Hub. Stop on by, won't you?

THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball
"The solution to stupid owners is smart GMs." Yup, pretty much. You fail, Columbus.

Arrest report: Red Wings prospect Riley Sheahan was 'super drunk' in Teletubby costume | MLive.com
If this guy ever makes it to the NHL, I can't wait for the "Tinky Winky" chants when he hits the ice. Or would it be "Drinky Winky"?

Knaack Comes Through And Gives Phoenix Coyotes Another Chance - Five For Howling
Great news for Phoenix Coyotes fans, if the league ever drops the puck again.

Wild employees taking paycuts, going to 4-day work weeks | StarTribune.com
Because, you know, Craig Leipold spent money like a drunken sailor this summer. Of interest here is that "approximately 10% of season-ticket holders have requested refund options".

Ryan Murray to have shoulder surgery, WHL days surely over - Buzzing The Net
The #2 overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets has suffered a torn labrum.

Crosby says Europe 'a lot more possible now' - sportsnet.ca

Hold your breath, Penguins fans...

Vancouver Canucks: Be careful when looking at Cory Schneider’s stats | The Province
You'd hope that a major network's "stats guy" would understand that some numbers bounce around randomly from one season to the next, while others have more predictive heft behind them. Then again, the networks don't really care about getting the analysis right, they just need to toss out oddities for entertainment's sake.

How do you expect a hockey player to carry himself after a loss? | Backhand Shelf
Justin Bourne takes on the establishment view of how players are supposed to conduct themselves.

The NHL Website's Fan Polling Oddities - Battle of California
Strange things are going on at NHL.com...

Down Goes Brown: A look back at the superstar careers cut short by the last NHL lockout
Mark Messier - Is perhaps best remembered for flashing a huge grin as he was being handed the 1994 Stanley Cup, since it was the last time in history that an NHL player would ever smile near Gary Bettman.

NHL CBA Talks: Federal Mediators Called In

(SB Nation News) -- Just a week after league deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that mediation was not the preferred course of action to solve the ongoing 2012 NHL lockout, federal mediators in the United States have announced that they're getting involved.

George Cohen, the director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, released a statement on Monday afternoon. Cohen and his agency played a role in both the NFL and NBA lockouts of a year ago.

"I have had separate, informal discussions with the key representatives of the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association during the course of their negotiations for a successor collective bargaining agreement," Cohen said. "At the invitation of the FMCS, and with the agreement of both parties, the ongoing negotiations will now be conducted under our auspices. I have assigned Deputy Director Scot L. Beckenbaugh, Director of Mediation Services John Sweeney, and Commissioner Guy Serota to serve as the mediators."

"Due to the extreme sensitivity of these negotiations and consistent with the FMCS's long-standing practice, the Agency will refrain from any public comment concerning the future schedule and/or the status of the negotiations until further notice."

Mediation from the FMCS is always voluntary and both sides have agreed to have Cohen and his team step forward in trying to solve the work stoppage. The FMCS cannot force a resolution but according to its website, it can "help keep talks moving, focused an on track," it can help "generate new options" for the two sides and "help establish ground rules and realistic expectations."

The NHL and NHLPA spoke on Monday, according to reports, and plan on involving the mediator in formal talks later this week.

Tuesday's Dump & Chase: Shea Weber Stays Hopeful

Nashville Predators News

Weber: the captain, the contract and the expectations | Nashville City Paper
David Boclair sits down with Shea Weber to get a look at how far he's come as a hockey player, and what the future holds.

Nashville Predators' workouts keep group size steady | The Tennessean
The troops are hanging in there, a bunch of them anyway, practicing at A-Game regularly.

Lockout reading recommendation - Predators Insider
Take a trip behind the Iron Curtain with Josh Cooper...

Nashville Predators organization features defensive depth and two-way forwards - Hockey's Future
Take a tour around and check out the prospects.

Around the Wide Wide Word of Hockey

Guy Serota removed from NHL lockout mediation, thanks to Twitter hack or terrible jokes | Puck Daddy
Moments after Guy Serota was appointed to mediate the NHL/NHLPA negotiations, folks checked out his Twitter account, and things quickly detoured into the absurd.

We are Kevin Westgarth, David Backes, and Mathieu Schneider, current and former NHL players, AMA - Reddit
3 NHL players participated in an open forum on Reddit. Apparently Backes digs his trips to Nashville...

Building a NHL Fantasy Predictor: How Much Playing Time is My Forward Getting Next Year? | NHLNumbers.com
If we ever have to deal with fantasy hockey again, here's a deep think on projecting ice time (which is a key factor in expected production).

Monday's Dump & Chase: Downtown Nashville Feels the Lockout Pinch

Nashville Predators News

Canceled NHL games take financial toll on Nashville's downtown businesses | The Greenville News
The impact downtown is only starting to be felt.

Predators reach out to business sponsors | The Tennessean
So far it doesn't sound like much long-term damage has been done to the progress which the Preds have made on the corporate front in recent years.

Apathy: The NHL’s Worst Enemy | PuckScene.com
I agree with Patten here, there's not exactly a wellspring of passion being tapped into with each consecutive cancellation of games. I'll be honest, it's hard for me to find the motivation to even post daily notes these days.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

In Ontario Hockey, Minor League Hopes to Limit Major Fights - NYTimes.com
Fights are down about 20% in the OHL, but I'll be interested to see how that number tracks in the later stages of the season, as more guys approach the new 10-fight limit.

New York Islanders prospect Ryan Strome sets up 4 goals in final 5½ minutes of epic comeback (VIDEO) - Buzzing The Net
Down 5-1 with just a few minutes left? No problem...

And lastly, check out the former Pred notching the hat trick for Salavat Yulaev in the KHL. No, it's our old pal (and Corsi superstar) Antti Pihlstrom!

Sunday's Dump & Chase: NHL Lockout Picture as Cloudy as Ever

Nashville Predators News

Nashville Sports Hub: Tennessee Titans vs Jaguars Week 12 Game Thread
In case you missed it last Wednesday, we've launched the Nashville Sports Hub, a new site which will cover the Titans, Preds, Commodores & Vols among other things. If you're starving for a Game Thread, join us over there!

Ex-Nashville Predator Blake Geoffrion begins road to recovery | The Tennessean
Josh Cooper checks in with Boomer, as he enjoyed the holiday weekend in Chicago.

More lockout frustration from Weber - Predators Insider
I can think of 13 million reasons why these last several weeks have been easier on Shea Weber than the rest of the team.

Nashville Predators' Paul Gaustad honored by hometown Portland, Oregon team - The Tennessean
I wonder if they roasted Goose.

Nashville All-Star chances hurt by cancellations - Predators Insider
With this season's All-Star Game being cancelled, that likely pushes Nashville an extra year down the road.

Ads get 3 of 4 points in Illinois two-in-two | Admirals Roundtable
Austin Watson has the hot hand these days for Milwaukee.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Legacies : Tom Benjamin's NHL Blog :: CanucksCorner.com
I tend to agree with Tom here - unless the players are really willing to go to the wall, these last couple months will have been a complete waste.

From ‘Fire Bettman’ to beer, Operation Hat Trick reunites NHL players and fans with hockey night | Puck Daddy
It looks like all involved had a fun night here...

NHL lockout's not ending anytime soon, so send in replacement players - Ottawa Sun
Yeah, it's a silly argument, but there's a grain of truth in there.

NHLPA’s solidarity forever means censorship right now, Peter Adler argues | Edmonton Journal
Peter Adler is so deeply in the ownership tank it's downright hilarious.

Larry Brooks’ Slap Shots: Moderate owners must step forward in order to end NHL lockout - NYPOST.com
And in the interest of balance, here is the NHLPA's cheerleader.

Barry Brust breaks 55-year AHL record for shutout goaltending | Puck Daddy
Congratulations to Brust, but I have a hard time working up any energy to celebrate AHL accomplishments.