The View From Wisconsin

It's scary when you find out that your last name was the name of a Polish post-grunge metal band that disbanded in 2003 - via Google search.

Anyways:

• Oh, surprise: Marian Hossa is going to be brought in to the NHL's offices for a hearing on his hit to Dan Hamhuis. Gee, that's nice. Too bad that's like locking the door after the horses have run from the barn.
  
• Hamhuis, Hornqvist, Tootoo - we're a bunch of walking wounded in Nashville. You know things are bad when Denis Grebeshkov is getting significant playing time in a playoff game; you know Trotz has thrown in the towel if Wade Belak starts tonight.
  
• This should say it all (and yes, I'm aware I messed up with the phone number):
  
  
• Seriously though: How in the world do you explain the issues this team has had on the power-play, and how in the world do you fix them? And who is responsible for this mess? Is it really all because Hornqvist isn't out there that we're having so much trouble?
  
• Okay, someone want to explain how the Crew can hang 20 on the Pirates, but lose two to the Cubs - and already be down 3-0 in the top of the first today? (Oh by the way -had to look it up, but this was the fourth time Milwaukee has scored 20 in a game. Milwaukee put up 20 against the Tigers in 1996, and against the Angels in 1990 - both were 20-7 wins. The 20 run difference tied the largest margin of victory in team history, as the Brewers beat the Jays 22-2 in August of 1992 at the SkyDome.)

Thought of the day: "Life is what happens to us between hockey games." - Fred Shero.

My personal observation: "I'd really prefer if I didn't have much of a life after tomorrow." (Admirals and Predators are both in elimination games tomorrow evening...)

I have come to an agonizing conclusion in the sports world:

If you're not in New York, Boston, DC, Chicago, Dallas or LA, the only way anyone who cares about sports is going to give you the time of day is if you win a championship. Otherwise, they'll give you thirty seconds of airtime, then move on to something else.

Case in point - today's Nashville/Chicago playoff game on NBC. Doc Emmerick and Eddie Olczyk spent maybe about 30 seconds analyzing David Legwand's first goal of the game, with maybe one or two replays. When Andrew Ladd scored a few minutes later - BAM! About a dozen different angles, and about a good minute or two droning on about how Ladd got left all alone, how the play was set up, blah blah blah.

For all the times that Emmerick dropped Shea Weber and Ryan Suter's names on the Olympic hockey telecasts, you'd think they might have spent a little less time analyzing a game-tying goal. But no - because the goal was scored by the home team, the one who plays in the Big City, you gotta spend countless minutes analyzing how the light reflecting off of Jonathan Toews' skate blades blinded the hapless defender just long enough to cause a turnover that led to a goal... Oy.

There are times when I would wish nothing more than for all four major league team sports to not have a single team from any of the Big Six cities in their post-season dances. But the odds are too good that they will have at least one.

2010 FINAL NATIONAL LEAGUE GOALS CREATED/HART/VEZINA POINTS ALL-STARS

NHL GOALS CREATED TOP 10
_Player____________Tm_Pos_GP__G__A_PTS_+/-_PM_ATOI___GC__
Alex Ovechkin......WAS LW 72 50 59 109 +45 89 21.80 149.2
Henrik Sedin.......VAN CE 82 29 83 112 +35 48 19.65 144.4
Nicklas Backstrom..WAS CE 82 33 68 101 +37 50 20.45 135.3
Sidney Crosby......PIT CE 81 51 58 109 +15 71 21.95 120.2
Daniel Sedin.......VAN LW 63 29 56 .85 +36 28 19.08 119.5
Alexander Semin....WAS LW 73 40 44 .84 +36 66 19.12 116.5
Mike Green.........WAS DF 75 19 57 .76 +39 54 25.48 112.1
Zach Parise........NJD LW 81 38 44 .82 +24 32 19.77 104.3
Joe Thornton.......SAN CE 79 20 69 .89 +17 54 19.85 103.1
Patrick Kane.......CHI RW 82 30 58 .88 +16 20 19.20 102.9

HART TROPHY ALL-STARS
EASTERN CONFERENCE

C - Sidney Crosby, PIT (81 GP, 120.2 GC, 167.1 FPTS, 105.1 HART)
LW - Alex Ovechkin, WAS (72 GP, 149.2 GC, 201.5 FPTS*, 127.4 HART*)
RW - Marian Gaborik, NYR (76 GP, 99.0 GC, 137.9 FPTS, 83.9 HART)
D - Mike Green, WAS (75 GP, 112.1 GC, 148.0 FPTS, 110.5 HART)
D - Chris Pronger, PHI (82 GP, 72.8 GC, 106.0 FPTS, 77.3 HART)
G - Martin Brodeur, NJD (77 GP, 187.25 FPTS, 56.98 HART*, 134.11 VZNA)
G - Ryan Miller, BUF (69 GP, 177.36 FPTS, 49.19 HART, 131.47 VZNA)

WESTERN CONFERENCE

C - Henrik Sedin, VAN (82 GP, 144.4 GC, 166.6 FPTS, 101.8 HART)
LW - Daniel Sedin, VAN (63 GP, 119.5 GC, 143.8 FPTS, 83.7 HART)
RW - Patrick Kane, CHI (82 GP, 102.9 GC, 126.8 FPTS, 73.5 HART)
D - Duncan Keith, CHI (82 GP, 87.3 GC, 108.3 FPTS, 86.7 HART)
D - Drew Doughty, LOS (82 GP, 76.1 GC, 110.0 FPTS, 77.5 HART)
G - Evgeni Nabokov, SAN (71 GP, 182.35 FPTS, 52.58 HART, 135.72 VZNA*)
G - Craig Anderson, COL (71 GP, 177.21 FPTS, 52.42 HART, 131.53 VZNA)
G - Ilya Bryzgalov, PHX (69 GP, 182.21 FPTS, 51.32 HART, 134.94 VZNA)

THE ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

C - Matt Duchene, COL (81 GP, 55.1 GC, 79.9 FPTS, 39.9 HART)
C - John Tavares, NYI (82 GP, 37.8 GC, 66.6 FPTS, 31.2 HART)
LW - T.J. Galiardi, COL (70 GP, 43.5 GC, 55.8 FPTS, 30.1 HART)
RW - Niclas Bergfors, NJD/ATL (81 GP, 33.5 GC, 54.4 FPTS, 22.6 HART)
D - Tyler Myers, BUF (82 GP, 59.3 GC, 74.7 FPTS, 53.0 HART**)
D - Ryan Wilson, COL (61 GP, 32.1 GC, 42.7 FPTS, 20.3 HART)
D - Cody Franson, NAS (61 GP, 35.1 GC, 41.9 FPTS, 18.2 HART)
G - Jimmy Howard, DET (63 GP, 156.88 FPTS, 43.43 HART, 123.52 VZNA)
G - Tuukka Rask, BOS (45 GP, 110.33 FPTS, 22.87 HART, 93.54 VZNA)

THE NO-STAR TEAM

C - Rod Brind'Amour, CAR (80 GP, -11.9 GC, 2.7 FPTS, -2.0 HART)
LW - Kyle Calder, ANA (14 GP, -5.4 GC, -3.1 FPTS, -2.0 HART)
RW - Fernando Pisani, EDM (40 GP, -8.5 GC, -5.6 FPTS, -3.4 HART)
D - Steve Staios, EDM/CGY (58 GP, -21.0 GC*, 3.1 FPTS, -5.6 HART)
D - Taylor Corney, EDM (42 GP, -18.6 GC, -15.1 FPTS#, -9.8 HART#)
G - Patrick Lalime, BUF (16 GP, 14.08 FPTS, 2.76 HART, 35.04 VZNA)
G - Devan Dubnyk, EDM (19 GP, 15.75 FPTS, 3.76 HART, 37.81 VZNA)
G - Yan Danis, NJD (12 GP, 12.55 FPTS#, 0.97 HART#, 22.41 VZNA#)

* - League Leader. ** - Leading Rookie. # - Worst in league (VZNA based on 10 GP minimum).

According to a news article posted on Topeka, Research In Motion magnate Jim Balsillie purchased the Detroit Red Wings from Little Caesar's Pizza honcho Mike Illitch.

Details were sketchy, but it's believed that Balsillie will move the team to Hamilton, Ontario for the 2010-11 season.

A press conference was scheduled for today at 4:01 PM.

No word as of yet from the NHL about the sale.

(If you can't guess by the reference to "Topeka" that this is a joke, you're obviously too far gone.)