2013 World Junior Championships: USA Wins Gold Over Sweden, 3-1

Gibson, a draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks, was named tournament MVP while teammate Jacob Trouba was named Top Defenseman. Grimaldi was the star of today's game, however, as his two goals made the difference and he contributed some pesky forechecking to contain any attempt at a Swedish comeback in the third period.

For Team USA, this is their third championship all-time at the WJC's, with the previous ones coming in 2010 and 2004.

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Nashville Predators draftee Jimmy Vesey had one shot on goal during the game, finishing the tournament with one goal and four assists. For a look at other Preds who have World Junior Championship history, check out this recent article over at Predlines.

Next year's tournament will take place in Malmo, Sweden. If anyone wants to sponsor me to go over there and cover that event, I'm all ears! Ages ago I made some business trips to nearby Lund, and it's just an incredible place to visit.

Saturday's Dump & Chase: Arena Upgrades on the Way

Nashville Predators News

Changes coming to Bridgestone Arena | nashvillepost.com
Plans are being drawn up for major renovations to the south entrance the arena, which faces the new Music City Center. It's great to see the way this building has evolved over the years, rather than just staying as-is and requiring replacement after 20 years or so.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

MOTY 2013: WJC Edition | mc79hockey.com
Tyler takes a slightly more sophisticated angle on Canada's hockey prowess than Don Cherry did the other day.

Mediator, 'disclaimer' play crucial roles in NHL talks | Hockey | CBC Sports
Eliotte Friedman provides some insight into how a federal mediator carefully helps to usher the talks along.

Woman arrested after drunken, on-ice striptease at men’s rec league hockey game | Puck Daddy
Oh, Canada.

Ten Thousand Things: Or, Why Sports Nationalism is Good Nationalism | Backhand Shelf
Hey, better we cheer against each other in sports than go a-pillagin', eh?

Greed | The Committed Indian
Sam's not about to appoint Gordon Gecko as the next NHL Commissioner.

Friday's Dump & Chase: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Nashville Predators News

Nashville Predators' payroll in good shape for 2013-14 | The Tennessean
Many teams would be forced to exercise the compliance buyout option to meet the proposed 2013-2014 salary cap of $60 million, but the Preds are probably OK.

Admirals Torpedo Wolves 4-3 | Jerseys and Hockey Love
Longtime hockey blogger James "Tapeleg" Gralian is taking a hockey road trip, and happened to catch last night's Milwaukee/Chicago game. This is a fun read that's delightfully free of NHL lockout nonsense.

Admirals Complete Comeback Against Wolves | Admirals Roundtable
For a more conventional game recap, Sutty's got you covered.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Deal in days or it's over: source - Winnipeg Free Press
We're about a week away from Gary Bettman scratching the season, according to this report.

Talks going from embarrassing to worse - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN
Pierre LeBrun opens up a can of whoop-ass on the two sides for this ridiculous farce.

A wasted day in NHL labour talks | Hockey | CBC Sports
No wonder the players are voting again to give their executive committee authority to file a disclaimer of interest, they apparently need that threat in order to get progress out of the NHL.

NHL labor talks haunted by mistrust | Red Light - SI.com
Did the owners backtrack on previously agreed-to items regarding Hockey Related Revenue?

Grange on CBA: The bottom line is the floor - sportsnet.ca
It may not be the cap that's the big issue... but rather the floor.

Why the NHL’s push for a variance limit matters - The Globe and Mail
James Mirtle details the battle over cap circumventing contracts.

World junior championship: Racial tinge to social media slams of Canada goalie Malcolm Subban - Buzzing The Net
Twitter: putting the scum of the earth on public display since 2006.

Jeff Vanderbeek Now Fully Owns the New Jersey Devils - In Lou We Trust
A cloud hung over the Devils for all of last season, but a deal has been struck to rework the team's debt.

Thursday's Dump & Chase: Team USA Beats Canada at World Juniors

Nashville Predators News

Adding teams to the NHL playoff picture is a terrible idea… | Section 303
Jeremy isn't excited about seeing losers added to the playoff picture, either. Last season, for example, three of the four teams that would have earned those extra playoff spots won less than half their games.

NHL Lockout Effect On Downtown Business - NewsChannel5.com
Businesses around the arena are certainly missing out. I know I haven't been downtown in a long time!

What A Drama-Free Nashville Predators Off-Season Could Look Like - Predlines
It's only six months until the next free agent season begins, and it should be much quieter for Nashville than the last two.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

World junior championship: The leave Malcolm Subban alone post; it was Team Canada’s ‘collective failure,’ people - Buzzing The Net
Or you can call it "Team USA's collective triumph". The American squad moves on to the finals of the World Juniors thanks to a 5-1 victory over Canada, including this goal by Preds draft pick Jimmy Vesey:

2012 NHL Lockout: NHL And NHLPA Gain Some Traction And Will Continue Talks For Fourth Straight Day - Blueshirt Banter
Slowly but surely, it appears that progress is being made, and the NHLPA decided not to file a disclaimer of interest (although they could re-vote & file at any time).

NHL may extend olive branch of rivalries - sportsnet.ca
Golly, there's talk that Game 1 of a shortened season would feature "rivalry" games. Who's up for Columbus (because you know they'll probably go Detroit/Chicago).

In a country mourning hockey, marketers take their best shot - The Globe and Mail
Corporate marketers have to get creative in light of the lockout. But hey, they're paid to be creative, right?

Nail Yakupov labelled a "prima donna" after his refusal to talk to media ignites storm | Edmonton Journal
Is Nail Yakupov a problem in the making for Edmonton, because he didn't talk with the media after a recent World Juniors game?

Great Work, Eklund! | Edmonton Journal
Yes, Eklund broke a story recently regarding the CBA negotiations. No, that doesn't make him (or other anonymous rumormongers) a respected source of information.

Why Does Hockey Appeal to the Everyday Housewife? - Lighthouse Hockey
Take a walk back in time to 1979...

Wednesday's Dump & Chase: Doomsday For the NHLPA?

Nashville Predators News

102.5 The Game Shuffles Daytime Lineup for 2013 - Nashville Sports Hub
The Preds' flagship station has added The Dave Ramsey show during the afternoon, so that has triggered some adjustments to their weekday schedule.

NHL 2013: 10 predictions, from the Stanley Cup to Realignment | Puck Daddy
How will Shea Weber fare relative to Ryan Suter? That's one of Greg's points here...

Five Reasons Sergei Kostitsyn Won't Lead Nashville In Scoring - Predlines
Jason argues with Cooper's prediction from a few days ago, but his first "Reason" actually suggests that SK74 would score at a rate high enough to lead the Preds in any of the last three seasons.

Bourque still out for Admirals - Predators Insider
Gabriel Bourque hasn't exactly been able to build off his solid play in the second half of last season.

So If The Lockout Ends….What Happens Here? | Admirals Roundtable
Especially in light of Cooper's update on Bourque, Ryan's analysis is required reading.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

It may be 1 minute to midnight for NHL talks | Hockey | CBC Sports
Today is the deadline for the NHLPA to file a disclaimer of interest, which would certainly complicate negotiations at this point. Elliotte Friedman walks through the details of how that works.

NHL, NHLPA continue productive lockout talks ahead of their self-imposed deadlines | Puck Daddy
The two sides got down to some serious business last night.

Should NHL expand the Stanley Cup Playoffs by four teams? | Puck Daddy
Please, please don't do this, NHL. Do we really need a bunch of teams who don't even win half their games getting into the playoffs? It would further devalue what is already a relatively meaningless regular season.

Alex Ovechkin and Maria Kirilenko are engaged - Washington Post
Sorry, ladies.

U.S. pound Czechs to face Canada in world junior semis - CBC
Early this morning, the Americans beat the Czech Republic 7-0, and will meet Canada next.

Is It Time For Canada to Consider a National Team Development Program? | Maple Leafs Hot Stove
Has Team USA come up with a model that our neighbors up north should follow?

Hockey Prospectus | Howe and Why: Passes
This is an interesting idea to pursue, but the confidence factor for the results needs to be addressed. These numbers have to be pretty darned fuzzy.

What Was the Biggest Nashville Predators Story of 2012?

Presented in no particular order, here are a few of the major news stories regarding the Nashville Predators from 2012. Vote in the poll below, and make your case in the comments as to why one of these was the Greatest...

• Radulov's Return - Nashville's trade deadline acquisitions were nice, but the return of Alexander Radulov to the Predators gave fans reason to believe that the team had the elite-level offensive difference-maker who could help lead them deep into the playoffs. Of course, we all know how that story turned sour during the Phoenix series - a late night out with Andrei Kostitsyn led to being benched for Games 3 & 4 of that series, with the Preds then eliminated in Game Five. It looks we've seen the last of Rads in Predators Gold, but that last fling was quite a wild ride, wasn't it?
• Suter & Tootoo Leave as Free Agents - The question of how the Big 3 could be retained long-term hung over Nashville for the last year or more, and once Pekka Rinne signed up for a 7-year contract extension, the reluctance of Ryan Suter & Shea Weber to do the same raised doubts among many fans. Sure enough, Suter left for big bucks and familiar territory in Minnesota, and in addition, Jordin Tootoo, one of the most popular figures in team history, signed with hated rival Detroit after a tumultuous final year with the Preds.
• Shea Weber Offer Sheet Matched - It was as bold a ploy as has ever been attempted in the history of NHL offer sheets. 14 years, $110 million of heavily front-loaded money was put on the table by the Philadelphia Flyers, and Weber's agents implied in public that their client would prefer to play for the high-spending Eastern Conference contender. The Predators had the option to match the offer and retain their captain, which they did. It will be interesting, however, to see how the next CBA deals with such outlandish contracts, and how that will impact the Preds under the salary cap.
• Preds Beat Detroit - Winning a playoff series had been done in 2011, but defeating the Red Wings in the first round of 2012 was a milestone achievement for a franchise which has long looked up at Detroit in the standings. The Preds have finally beaten the Central Division bully, just in time for a new power in St. Louis to arise.
• Predators in Las Vegas - Once again, David Poile, Shea Weber & Pekka Rinne were finalists for the award recognizing the best in their profession (GM, defenseman & goaltender) but came up short. Mike Fisher brought home the NHL Foundation Player Award, however, recognizing his charitable endeavors.

I could go on and on, but those seem to be the five major contenders for the Biggest Nashville Predators Story of 2012? Which gets your vote?

I also want to take this occasion to thank all of you for your support during the year gone by. Until this stupid lockout came along, it was a damned good year for OTF. Our community kept growing, we were named Best Sports Blog in Nashville, and stretched in a few different directions, by welcoming in new writers and launching our YouTube channel. Here's to hoping that we can all get back to Game Threads and goofiness again real soon.

Until then? Well, there are other sports stories in Nashville to talk about...

Poll

Which was the Biggest Nashville Predators Story of 2012?

• Radulov's Return
• Suter & Tootoo Leave as Free Agents
• Shea Weber Offer Sheet Matched
• Preds Beat Detroit in Playoffs
• Poile, Weber & Rinne Finalists in Las Vegas, Fisher Wins

  27 votes | Results