Thoughts on recent events

-Chris Chelios has finally decided to hang up his skates at the age of 48 and so the NHL has finally lost one of the greatest of his generation and, much like his countryman Jeremy Roenick, someone who had no qualms about telling you what he thought. While some sports are critisized for having too many loudmouth athletes, the NHL quite frankly could use a few more loud mouths.

-An arbitrator has ruled that the NHL was within it's rights to reject the 17 year Ilya Kovalchuk contract today. Not only does this make Kovalchuk a free agent again but it now set's a precedent for contracts in the NHL. Now Bettman and his boys will be able to more aggresively attack lengthy contacts that they deem ridiculous and the NHLPA has lost an important battle to the NHL with labour negociations looming in the next couple of years.

-Teemu Selanne will be returning to the Anaheim Ducks for another season this year which will be his twelth with the franchise. Likely influenced by his good friend Saku Koivu resigning for two years, the forty year old winger has decided to give it at least one more season. This has sturred up rumours that friend and former Ducks captain Paul Kariya may return to Anaheim with Selanne for a farewell season. The Ducks seem to be a budget team so we'll see if that happens and if it does then Kariya will have taken a pay cut to do so.

-While Edmonton's arena drama between Darryl Katz and Edmonton city council has been well documented, another Canadian team's fight is getting very ugly, very fast. Hamilton Tiger-Cats owner Bob Young has reportedly told the mayor of the city that he is withdrawing from negociations for a new building that would house his team and the Pan Am games and said that he would move the iconic CFL franchise if his demands are not met. This situation is getting very ugly and now Hamilton may seriously consider getting into bed with the aformentioned Katz if he truly does want to buy the Tie Cats as has been rumoured.

-Tiger Woods had his worst finish as a professional this past weekend at the Bridgestone Invitational. He finished +18 for the tournament and had it been a major he probably wouldn't have made the cut after the first day. Tiger is clearly mentally shot and badly needs time off after the beating he has taken both emotionally and physically over the last year and a half. Tiger may never be the golfer he was just a few years ago but he wouldn't be this bad if he took some time off to recouperate.