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

Friday's Dump & Chase: Team USA vs Russia at World Juniors

Nashville Predators News

Ads finally win two in a row, beat Rivermen 2-1 | Admirals Roundtable
Goals by Chris Mueller & Ryan Ellis, along with strong goaltending from Jeremy Smith, made the difference.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

2013 IIHF World Junior Championship: USA vs. Russia Preview | The United States of Hockey
It's Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo vs. Nikolai Volkov & the Iron Sheik, hockey-style.

Potential short-season impact on revenues - The Globe and Mail
James Mirtles surveys the likely damage to revenues under a 48-game model.

NHL lockout can't be ignored, but give Gary Bettman credit for Team USA - NHL - Sporting News
Giving Bettman credit for anything is a dangerous business these days.

Today's Oilers as seen through Paul Coffey's eyes - The Globe and Mail
One of my favorite all-time defensemen digs the run & gun potential of Edmonton's young forwards.

Bye Everyone! Five for Howling Now Under New Management - Five For Howling
Say farewell to Travis Hair, who is stepping down as editor of SB Nation's Phoenix Coyotes blog.

Thursday's Dump & Chase: Klein Shines

Nashville Predators News

Danes treat Predators' Kevin Klein like a superstar | The Tennessean
In one night of Danish league action, Klein racked up almost as many penalty minutes (27) as in his last two full NHL seasons (28)!

Boclair: Forget the Mayans, real doomsday arrives in January | Nashville City Paper
So much for building off the momentum from last spring's playoff run, eh?

Nashville Predators draft pick develops his game by playing for Team USA | The Tennessean
So far, so good for Jimmy Vesey.

Nashville Predators sit calmly in lockout | The Greenville News
Josh Cooper looks at how some likely developments could impact the Preds as a franchise.

Ten ways the Nashville Predators can entice fans back after the lockout | The Predatorial
Kris offers his suggestions on how the Preds can win back the masses if & when hockey returns.

Checking in with Cincy and Looking at the Big Picture | Admirals Roundtable
Trey looks a step down the developmental ladder to see what's going on at the ECHL level.

PuckCast Episode 15: Nick Brunker | PuckScene.com
...and Patten chats up Cincinatti's play-by-play man as well.

Smashville 24/7 - Top 10 Preds stories of 2012
'tis the season for year-in-review posts...

A Pekka Rinne KHL Video For Christmas - Predlines
How desperate are you for some Pekka Rinne footage?

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

2013 IIHF World Junior Championship: USA vs. Germany Preview | The United States of Hockey
Team USA gets started today against Germany (8:00 a.m. Central on NHL Network), but it doesn't sound like Jimmy Vesey will be in the lineup.

Team USA WJC Preview: Five Biggest Questions for U.S. to Answer | The United States of Hockey
And here's a quick primer for you.

Nail Yakupov on Team Canada: "Those guys play dirty" | Edmonton Journal
Controversy!

Drop Dead Date | mc79hockey.com
Tyler floats the notion that this could drag out for another month or more.

Larry Brooks: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is missing the big picture in his willingness to throw away another season rather than give minor concessions to the league’s players - NYPOST.com
Brooks can fire off an anti-Bettman screed as easily as falling out of bed, calling the commissioner to task for his third lengthy lockout.

Red Wings owe Detroit cable debt, records show | The Detroit News
This has the makings of a thorny situation, given the Red Wings' desire to build a new arena.

10 ways for NHL to recover from lockout - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN
Pierre LeBrun's way out there on a speculative limb with many of these ideas, but the NHL does need to be open to radical change.

Mortality Play | Backhand Shelf
If you need a little extra motivation to make that "get active" resolution (like I do), read this.

3 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Forlorn Hockey Fan

Bring On The Funny

If you're a regular reader here, then you're familiar with the comedic stylings of Down Goes Brown, the hockey humor blog that lives up to all the hype. Being funny on a regular basis is damnedly hard stuff, but somehow DGB manages to do it. Now, you can order The Best of Down Goes Brown: Greatest Hits and Brand New Classics-to-Be from Hockey's Most Hilarious Blog via Amazon, and support a hockey blogger who provides genuinely unique, valuable content for us grateful readers.

Get The Book on Bettman

The publishers of John Gatehouse's new biography The Instigator: How Gary Bettman Remade the Game and Changed the NHL Forever were kind enough to send me a review copy, and even the most bitter members of the "Fire Bettman!" movement would be well served reading this book.

It portrays the commissioner as singluarly focused on fighting and winning battles on behalf of NHL owners. Whether we're watching him squeeze extra millions out of nervous TV executives or endure the taunts of fans while handing out the Stanley Cup each spring, Bettman isn't shy about taking a few shots in order to get the job done. Whether you hate him, or hate him a lot, you'd be best served learning more about the most powerful figure in the sport.

Put a Spring in Their Step

Just a week after Christmas comes New Year's, with all those resolutions about getting into shape (I know I sure need to make one). A very cool way to get those good intentions put into motion is with Reebok ZigTech training shoes with the color & logo of your favorite NHL team. These proved very popular when I posted about them over at Hockey Gear HQ last year, but they went out of stock for most of 2012. Now, they're back with the new ZigLite training shoe, and there are also sandals available.

The Nashville Predators shoes, for example, do look pretty sweet.

Hopefully those three ideas can help you round out your 2012 holiday shopping, and cheer that hockey fan in your life up a bit. We know that the NHL players and owners certainly aren't going to do the job...

Note: The links above are affiliate links - if you click through them and purchase something at those sites, I'll receive a small commission from the retailer for sending you to them. Thanks for your support of OTF throughout 2012, and Happy Holidays!

Thursday's Dump & Chase: Do You Believe in the Power of Yes?

Nashville Predators News

Threat Of Nashville NHL Lockout Damage Still Real - Predlines
Jason wonders how severe the damage will be, given the number of diehard fans asking for ticket refunds these days.

Nashville Predators' Shea Weber remains silent on possible free agency | The Tennessean
What if the NHL started over from scratch and voided all existing contracts? The Captain won't discuss that scenario publicly.

Vanderbilt Commodores Gear is Nashville's Hottest - Nashville Sports Hub
Predictably, Preds apparel isn't exactly selling right now.

The Milwaukee report - Predators Insider
Kind words from head coach Dean Evason for rookie goalie Magnus Hellberg.

Hogs take control early, sink Ads. | Admirals Roundtable
It sounds like the Admirals had an off night.

Beyond the Bradley Center: Home Cooking for the Holidays, Lots of Rockford & Peoria on Tap | Admirals Roundtable
After a road-heavy early schedule, the Admirals will spend more time in Milwaukee these days.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Will we have a season? Bill Daly says ‘yes’ on Hockey Night in Canada radio | Puck Daddy
And to think, they only had to pull off three fingernails to get that answer.

Fehr responds to Daly’s comments, waiting on NHL to resume talks - The Globe and Mail
It doesn't sound like anybody is rushing back to the negotiating table.

Only NHL game being played is waiting game | Hockey | CBC Sports
Nobody dishes out the morsels of hockey goodness like Elliotte Friedman.

Hockey’s Wealth Redistribution Problem: What’s Really Behind The NHL Lockout | TIME.com
Gary Belsky lays it out simply for the readers of Time: "NHL owners with struggling teams, to the extent that they are actually struggling, are largely in the shape they’re in because of their fellow owners, not because of NHL players."

Does the NHL have a winning case in court? - The Globe and Mail
A handy Q&A as the lockout gets litigious.

Dowbiggin: Lockout will force NHL to take its medicine, only question is when - The Globe and Mail
At this rate, I think we're looking forward to more commercials for farmer dating services and public service announcements during hockey games. Who would pay to sponsor a league like this?

Paul McCann - Looking to Mom to Solve the Lockout
Sometimes it takes a mom to smack some sense in to stop the squabbling.

Twitter picture of Kane holding stacks of cash stirs social media hornets’ nest - The Globe and Mail
Yeah, probably not the wisest of choices by Evander Kane here.

World junior championship: The 10 things you need to know about Ufa - Buzzing The Net
Better to be Salavat Yulaev than Emeliyan Pugachev, apparently.

Tuesday's Dump & Chase: Legal Limbo

Nashville Predators News

Throwing in the Gold Rally Towel: Guest Post by Zack Bennett | The Predatorial
Another season ticket holder goes for a refund. My question is, to what extent will the team go to win fans like this back, and how will that go down with the "Loyal Legion" who have left their money with the team throughout the lockout?

Top 30 NHL Affiliated Prospects - TSN
Austin Watson makes the cut based on his hot start with Milwaukee (found via Josh Cooper of the Tennessean).

What If There Were No NHL Lockout This Year? - Predlines
Jason looks at what we've missed already.

Paul McCann - You M.A.D. bro?
Paul figured out there is at least one group winning in all of this...

Hockey Operations Internship - Nashville Predators
Oh, to be 20 years old and not needing a paycheck! This looks like a cool gig for you college kids.

Frustrated Predators fans turn to high school hockey | The Tennessean
Well, at least some local kids are getting instruction from Hal Gill.

Nashville Predators prospect Taylor Beck fights through injury | The Tennessean
After suffering a concussion last month, Beck is back in action.

Milwaukee takes 4 points from 3-in-3 with win over Hamilton | Admirals Roundtable
Speaking of Beck, he played a role in the Admirals' win.

Also, listen in as Pete Weber joined 102.5 The Game's 1st Quarter this morning:

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Legal Look: The NHL's lawsuit and what's next - TSN
Here's a good overview of the legal nonsense going on right now. I have little stomach to follow this stuff on a day-to-day basis. Either get a deal done, cancel the season, or blow up the whole thing.

NHL Network to Air, NHL.com to Stream All U.S. Games Live | The United States of Hockey
Good news - the US team's World Juniors games will be on the air. Bad news - the hours are challenging, to say the least.

NHL lockout doing ‘alarming’ damage to brand - The Globe and Mail
Canadians are squawking over the lockout, but I have my doubts as to whether they'll truly stay away once games resume.

Puck Daddy’s 10 most memorable hockey images of 2012 | Puck Daddy
I do love #9 here.

More on NHL Faceoffs | Statistical Sports Consulting
Let's put it this way - Kevin Klein's ability to play tough minutes without taking penalties is much more valuable than Paul Gaustad's faceoff skills.