Other NHL News (Not That It Really Matters)

Amazingly, there are other stories in the NHL other than the Penguins...

-Rumor has it that over-the-hill goon Bobby Holik will retire. Good riddance. The guy is a joke, a cheap shot artist extraordinaire and long-time thorn in the Pens' side. A few years overdue, in my opinion. At least he'll never be burdened with the rigors of being a team captain anymore.

-Speaking of guys that need to retire immediately, Jeremy Roenick is opening his mouth once again, accusing Red Wings coach Mike Babcock of hating American-born players. His reasoning? Babcock chooses not to play Chris Chelios on a regular basis.

"The coach just doesn't like him for some ungodly known reason. I think he's got a grudge against American players, but he does not like Chelly at all."

Let's see here...why would you play Chelios? Zero points in 28 regular-season games. A Red Wings roster chalk full of defensive studs named Lidstrom, Rafalski, Stuart, etc. 47 years old. Chelios dismissed the story, realizing that while he might be only a few months away from collecting Social Security, he's at least not losing it as fast as Roenick. I'm tired of talking about Jeremy Roenick, please do us all a favor and hang 'em up.

-Another two aging NHL stars plan on leaving the NHL, but not the game of hockey entirely. The Washington Capitals may have two holes to fill this offseason, with the announcement that both Sergei Fedorov and Viktok Kozlov are bolting the NHL for their native home of Russia to play next season in the KHL. While both are past their prime and don't contribute on the ice as much as they once did, they provided a comfort zone for fellow Russian countrymen and teammates Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, and this could be a huge blow for the up-and-coming Caps.

-The Colorado Avalanche might be making a huge mistake in their questionable pursuit of Patrick Roy as coach/executive/whatever. While I admire his impeccable hockey accomplishments and hatred of the aformentioned Jeremy Roenick, he has never coached at a level higher than his sons' junior teams. And we all know how that went...

Roy is a hothead, and while he knows a ton about the game, I question this love affair. Having Roy aboard will not put more people in the seats. For a franchise that made one of the best deals ever, this move is a real head-scratcher.

-And now for my closing editorial. Please, please, PLEASE bring the NHL back to ESPN. I long for the days of NHL 2Night and daily coverage of the game. It was so refreshing seeing the Worldwide Leader kick off Sportscenter with in-depth coverage during the Pens-Caps series. Now that NBC is in control, we might have to wait TEN DAYS between games here in the 'Burgh, with the below-average biased local coverage being our only fix. If Gary Bettman really wants to expand the game's audience, swallow your pride and get back in bed with ESPN.