Nashville Predators rank high in ESPN's "Ultimate Standings" 2012

The Nashville Predators have placed 14th among all 122 North American major league sports teams in ESPN's latest edition of their Ultimate Standings, which ranks franchises based categories such as on-field performance, ownership stability, fan relations, and other factors.

This puts them fourth among NHL teams on the list, trailing Phoenix, Tampa Bay, and New Jersey, and represents a climb up from 18th spot last summer. The Preds' strongest areas was Affordability (7th overall), while their weakest was "Title Track", a measure of championships either recently won or reasonably expected soon (61st). Here's a comparison of this year's vs. last year's rankings:

Year	Rank (of 122)	Bang for the Buck	Fan Relations	Ownership	Affordability	Stadium Experience	Players	Coaching	Title Track
2012	14	22	27	35	7	25	30	17	61
2011	18	33	6	41	7	23	16	14	70

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The interesting bit to me is the drop in the Fan Relations ranking. Has there been a difference in service level that you've seen as a Preds fan, or might this instead mean that other franchises are picking up on what teams like the Predators are doing?

Either way, the continued climb upwards should be considered a validation that Nashville is indeed making progress towards their oft-stated goal of providing the top sports & entertainment venue in the world, centered around a championship hockey team.

At the other end of that spectrum, as has been the laughing stock of the hockey world since being talked about on Puck Daddy yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs came in dead-last at #122.

Locally, the NFL's Tennessee Titans ranked 72nd, a healthy climb from their #98 ranking of 2011.

Remembering Lokomotiv: Friday's notes

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the terrible plane crash which claimed the lives of the KHL's Yaroslavl Lokomotiv team, so our hockey notes focus not only on the latest news regarding the causes of that accident, but on those family members who are still grieving the lost.

Nashville Predators News

Welcome To My Blog - Nashville Predators
Stu Grimson is glad to be back at the rink full-time, as the team's radio color man. And now, he takes up the keyboard and enters the lowly world of blogging, too.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Hockey’s ‘darkest day’ remembered - The Globe and Mail
Eric Duhatschek brings us a look back to that tragic day, through the eyes of Kelly McCrimmon, brother of Lokomotiv head coach Brad.

Pilot documents forged in Russia hockey team crash | Reuters
Now it sounds like the pilot & co-pilot in the Lokomotiv plane crash were flying under false training credentials. Awful, awful stuff.

Spector on KHL: Worth the risk? - sportsnet.ca
The KHL may want to compete with the NHL for the title of world's greatest hockey league, but they have a long ways to go, especially in regards to off-ice matters.

Bettman, Daly and Fehr all plan to decline salary during NHL lockout - The Globe and Mail
A sensible gesture, but somehow I think they'll get by.

Canadian NHL clubs sacrificing revenue - The Globe and Mail
When people complain about some teams showing up on national TV too often, you know you've got some real divisiveness going on.

NHL labour: Ontario government rejects NHL players’ plea for help in talks - thestar.com
Apparently the NHLPA tried to invoke government intervention to help avoid a lockout, but that attempt fizzled.

Shane Doan: Deal in place with Coyotes, waiting on lease agreement to go through | Puck Daddy
Somebody just wake me up when all this is over, m'kay?

Bobby Ryan's Mea Culpa & The Meeting That Never Was - Anaheim Calling
Bobby Ryan has backed off his trade talk from a few months ago, but Jen notes an odd lack of communication between he and Ducks GM Bob Murray.

Lowetide.ca | THE GREAT EXPANSION VOL 1
An ambitious historical project, here, which makes for very interesting reading.

Pekka Rinne: Great Goalie, Questionable GM

As part of the marketing push for EA Sports NHL13, the "Ultimate Team" feature is being touted today, and an article at NHL.com showcases how some of the league's leading stars would put together a 6-man unit from their current competitors that would dominate all others.

For example, Philadelphia's Claude Giroux put himself on a line with Pavel Datsyuk and Steven Stamkos, with Erik Karlsson and Zdeno Chara on defense, and Pekka Rinne in goal. That makes sense.

Pekka was included in the fun, too, but I think his talent assessment skills might be a bit off:

First, he puts Martin Brodeur in goal. OK, that's a nice nod to the old veteran, and a demonstration of the humility which makes Rinne so endearing.

Second, he puts Shea Weber & Ryan Suter on the blueline. Given the years he spent working behind them, this is totally understandable.

Up front? There's Teemu Selanne & Mikko Koivu, a reasonable tribute to his Finnish countrymen. Selanne led the Ducks in scoring last season, and Koivu is a pretty wonderful two-way center. We'll give him a homer's pass here.

But Rinne's last forward pick?

Rich Peverley.

Yup, the waiver-wire wonder who left Nashville back in 2009 and has forged a successful career in Atlanta and Boston was Pekka's selection to round out his Ultimate forward line. Not Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, or any of a dozen All-Star-caliber forwards. Rich Peverley.

Just listen to the lineups as described in the following video. Does it strike anyone else as odd to hear "Crosby, Malkin, Ovechkin, Stamkos... Peverley"?

Who knows, maybe there's some bizarre video game trick in NHL13 that turns Peverley into the next Jeremy Roenick circa NHL94, but I just don't see it!

Shea Weber Is Back In Town: Thursday afternoon notes

Well aren't you lucky? For the first time in ages (it seems) we have enough goings-on to bring you a double-dose of hockey notes today, so we'll start you off with the news that Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber has finally returned to Music City...

Nashville Predators News

Nashville Predators' Shea Weber back in town | The Tennessean
At long last, the captain has returned to Nashville. Josh Cooper caught up with him at Centennial, where he worked out with some of his teammates earlier today.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Fantasy hockey leagues that reward PIMS make zero sense | Backhand Shelf
Sure they do - it's because fantasy hockey is about having fun, and hey, at least it adds some meaning to all the sideshow fights.

NHLPA gives players lockout preparation memo – USATODAY.com
Well, at least it sounds like J.P. Dumont will still get his money.

NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement: State of the discussions - ESPN
Pierre LeBrun masterfully sets the current scene, covering just about every different major issue being discussed right now.

McKenzie: Expiry of CBA significant for some young RFAs - TSN
There are still a number of high-profile players waiting on new contracts. Should they get them done soon?

How Alex Ovechkin Can Make The Most Out Of A Lockout - Japers' Rink
A Capital notion, here.

Will Caps be more aggressive under Oates? - CSN Washington
Once the season does start, Washington will be one of the more fascinating teams to watch. Will they get back to an up-tempo offensive game under new head coach Adam Oates?

Bruins sign Malcolm Subban to entry-level deal - Stanley Cup of Chowder
Boston inks their 1st-round draft pick from this summer.

A new day is coming... SB Nation United

We've got some very cool news to share with you this morning from the founder of SB Nation, Tyler Bleszinski:

It's with great pleasure that I unveil the first step in the next evolution of On The Forecheck. In the next month SB Nation will be undergoing a dramatic upgrade to our platform and our editorial process. There will be much more detail to come but for now, the new logo seen here is just a first taste of what is coming for On The Forecheck.

This is a small, but important sample of what is coming when our network undergoes its most exciting and radical transformation in the eight-year history of the company. A new visual identity here and across the network is only one step we are taking to unite our network of sites. United through individuality is the underlying theme of this project. You'll notice that our team colors and the unique spirit of our individual community is maintained while making it clear to sports fans that each site is a part of the larger SB Nation network. We want everyone to know that they can find the same type of great writing, video and conversation that we offer here on all of our 350 plus sites. You can browse through all the new logos on a special page we put together at sbnation.com/united.

Our commitment to passionately follow our sports will never end. It's what makes SB Nation a special place and that will only be enhanced by these new changes. In the meantime we're setting up additions to our store so you can be sporting the latest and greatest before it even launches. Welcome to our future.

The new logo won't go live until the dawn of SB Nation United, but we wanted to give you a taste of what's coming.

Young Predators on the rise: Thursday's notes

The Nashville Predators' plan for success in 2012-2013 rests largely on improvement from a number of young players entering their second, third, or fourth NHL campaigns. This is the kind of development which flies under the radar as other teams make splashy free agent acquisitions, and our morning hockey notes begin with a pair of stories which look at individuals who are gearing up for what we all hope is an 82-game season...

Best of Nashville 2012 - The Nashville Scene

This year they have a reader poll for "Best Sports Blog". Can you help us defend our title from 2011?

Nashville Predators News

Hockey Night in Nashville: Smith no longer 'wandering around in the dark' at NHL level
Robby spoke with yesterday's birthday boy about the challenges heading into his second season.

Smashville 24/7 - Determined to recapture NHL spot, Blum has ‘a lot to prove’
Can Jonathon Blum fulfill his potential as a first-round draft pick? At least he's doing the right things this summer to give it his best shot.

Episode 6: Penalty Box Radio 09/05 by PuckScene PuckCast | Blog Talk Radio
Conspiracy theorists will long debate what happened during the Lost 5 Minutes at the end...

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

NHL's Bill Daly questions players' urgency in labor talks - latimes.com
It doesn't sound like much will happen this week, but next week, big internal meetings for both sides in New York could provide a signal as to how entrenched they are.

Daily Debate: Ready to rumble, CBA-style - Cross Checks Blog - ESPN
A trio of writers banter about the state of the talks.

Dirty Dangle Hockey: Everybody Hates Gary
How do fans dislike the Commish? Let Dirty Dangle count the ways.

Recess is over. NHL and NHLPA talks resume behind the scenes, reports Peter Adler | Edmonton Journal
Forget Fehr & Bettman, I just want to see Peter Adler (for the owners) and Larry Brooks (for the players) duke it out to decide upon a new CBA.

Panel hits ‘culture of sexual entitlement’ at BU hockey - BostonHerald.com
A new report raises serious concerns about the culture of the hockey program at Boston University, of which current Preds Brandon Yip & Colin Wilson are alumni.

Canadian Summit Series hero Phil Esposito is beloved in Russia, and he loves them back | Puck Daddy
Espo is the talk of the town as the gang from '72 is celebrated.

The Complex Dynamics of Premium Seating Demand | The Business of Sports
While the discussion here relates to football, it raises some of the issues which are likely being addressed by the new "501 Club" at Bridgestone Arena.

Who is King of Hockey’s Twittersphere in 2012? Bob McKenzie, of course. | Edmonton Journal
Uncle Bob rules the roost, but the Tennessean's Josh Cooper made the list of fastest-growing Twitter accounts in hockey.

Shea Weber contract finalized, does not contain No-Trade Clause

File this one under "why the heck did this take so long?"

Josh Cooper of the Tennessean reports this afternoon that Shea Weber's 14-year, $110 million contract has finally been signed, sealed & delivered, per his agent Jarrett Bousquet.

Recall that since the Preds agreed to match Philadelphia's offer sheet, by rule the financial terms of the contract were set and not open to negotiation. Weber's agents had asked for a no-trade and/or no-movement clause to be added, but really, what did they have to offer the team in exchange?

With this issue out of the way, not only is the contract finally registered with the NHL, but Weber can finally receive that initial $13 million signing bonus, which I'm sure his fiancee can put to good use planning their wedding.

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Trade Chances Unlikely, But The Option Is Valuable

I know a story like this will have fans in some markets salivating about a possible trade for Weber in the near future, but the Preds aren't allowed to trade him for a full 12 months after matching his offer sheet, anyway. After that, they'll already have $27 million paid out to him, and it would make little sense to let him leave after much of the highest-cost days of the contract have passed.

The Preds do have the option of moving Weber down the road at their own discretion, however, which could prove important. Remember, this is a guy with a concussion history, so a Matthew Lombardi-type situation is not out of the question at some point, where a wealthy team could better afford the financial risk associated with a top-notch, but injured player with an uncertain future.

It's not anything we want to obsess about, but having that option available is an important bit of risk management for a budget-conscious team like Nashville.