Sporting an opinion

Tomorrow: The Toronto Maple Leafs are in Anaheim for the first time since November, 2003. Canada's most recognizable franchise (unless you favor Montreal) is like Halley's Comet in these parts. Get a front-row seat to the game, and maybe you'll be seen by millions of Canadians on CBC's nightly highlights package!

Thursday: All-star reserves are announced. Expect Ryan Getzlaf to get his first all-star nod and a trip to ... Atlanta. (In diametric opposition to an outdoor game in Buffalo, an all-star game in Atlanta just seems wrong.)

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ducks defenseman Shane Hnidy skated with his teammates at 10 a.m. today, then was told to pack his bags.

The defenseman was sent to Boston in exchange for RW Brandon Bochenski and a sixth-round pick in the 2008 draft. The Ducks also relinquished the option on the Bruins' fourth-round pick in 2008 that they acquired in November 2006 for Stanislav Chistov.

Bochenski, 25, had 6 points in 20 games for the Bruins with a +1 rating. There had been talk in past weeks about coaches and management being dissatisfied with some defensemen – even after Scott Niedermayer came back. Guess this means Hnidy was the one.

If you've been keeping score at home, you can now add Hnidy to Ilya Bryzgalov, Mark Mowers, Andy McDonald and Maxim Kondratiev to the list of players you've crossed off your opening-day roster.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)