I just got this memo from the NHL in my inbox.

NEW YORK/TORONTO (April 14, 2008) -- National Hockey League Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell today issued the following advisory on the interpretation of Rule 75 - Unsportsmanlike Conduct: "An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play."

I can't imagine what sparked it:

There's a new feature story on the main site (top story panel #3) about former Atlanta Flame Bobby MacMillan. I spoke to him for about 45 minutes and I opted to let his words tell the story in the feature. He had a lot of great things to say about Atlanta and that's the theme of the piece as the Flames return to their old stomping grounds tonight. He had some other interesting things to add that I didn't work in to the article though, and here they are verbatim.

On signing with the WHA's Minnesota Fighting Saints after being drafted 15th overall by the Rangers in 1972:

"I'm not sure what that was all about. You go through life and you make decisions and some of them aren't so well thought out or whatever. At 19 it wasn't the right thing. It worked out okay, but I shouldn't have done it. If I could do it over I wouldn't have went. I was 19 and I grabbed the first contract that was offered, even though I went pretty good in the draft. I look back now and it wasn't a huge mistake, but like everybody else you look back at what you would have done differently, and that was one of those things I'd have done different."

On where his nickname, Bobby "The Knife" came from:

"To be honest I don't know. It just takes one reporter to write it up and then it sticks sometimes they're taken from a song or whatever. I did get a lot of breakaways so maybe it had more to do with splitting the defense. Kind of cutting through and getting the perfect pass from Chouinard or Vail. You can tell Eric I got a whole lot more from Guy than him."

On what type of player makes the best coach:

"It's a funny thing. I played for New Jersey (1982-1984) and at that time we were the worst team. We'd gone 18 games I think without a win. That's a month and a half. It was pretty dismal. But off of that team there are eight guys at least that are head coaches or assistants. Don Lever coaching in the American league. Mike Kitchen in St. Louis. Dave Lewis coached last year in Boston. Joel Quenneville in Colorado. Rick Meagher is the head scout in St. Louis. The list just goes on. Davey Cameron coaches in the AHL (Ron Low has coached in the NHL as well and Pat Verbeek is scouting for Detroit). And the reason why, I've come to figure out, is because the big stars like Orr and Lafleur and the Brett Hulls- the superstars- they didn't have to pay attention to the coaches. They could just go out and they had so much skill. But a not very good team of players with so-so skill- just enough skill to get to the NHL- they've got to do everything in their power to stay in the NHL and they listen to every little thing that the coach says and every little trick that will help them stay in the league. At the end of their career they take all of that experience of how to play the game the right way and they translate that into a coaching career. The superstars just played and didn't have to worry about soaking up the details as much. They had so much skill they didn't need to. That's one reason you don't see the great ones turn into coaches. That's my take on it anyway."

The cynicism is mind-numbing. It appears as if all of the bigwigs in the Professional Hockey Writers Association got together and decided that they needed to rip apart the game that provides them with a living. I don't expect everything to be sunshine and roses all of the time but take a look at what some of the more prominent hockey columnists have written about in the last 24 hours or so:

• Rick Westhead from the Toronto Star: Ovechkin should be playing elsewhere
• Stephen Brunt from the Globe and Mail: Leopold Rewarded for loyal service (more cynical than it sounds)
• William Houston form the Globe and Mail: Canadian TV Ratings Down
• Scott Burnside and Damien Cox on ESPN.com: Is it time to bring tennis balls and sack races to the All-Star Game?
• Al Strachan at Fox Sports: Leopold means more suffering for Wild fans

And most of those are just headlines I gleaned from Kukla's Korner. Never mind the articles coming out of Toronto and New York calling for sweeping changes for the Leafs and Rangers. You'd think the NHL was in dire straits,, but as it stands American TV ratings are up in most markets (Atlanta notwithstanding), we're in for an incredibly tight playoff race, attendance is strong in most markets and merchandise sales are up.

From a jaded writer's point of view maybe there's just too much material out there to ignore for bitter articles. But from a fan's point of view the league is stocked with young stars and the standings are as tight as can be.

The Thrashers point total to this point might not be what fans were looking for, but as a fan of the game I'm pretty excited about this season is shaping up overall.

Am I wearing rose-colored glasses or are there way too many cynics writing about hockey these days?

By my count the Canucks passed seven times before they took their first shot once they got control of the puck in Edmonton's end. Then they passed five times on their next possession, followed by three times, one pass before a shot, two more sequences of three passes, another five pass flurry and then three more passes before they finally scored. 30 passes. But they also took eight shots (some of which missed the net or were blocked) and that's where they differ dramatically from the Thrashers.

The simplest change for the Thrashers to implement tonight, and one which could make the biggest difference, is for them to shoot more often. The forwards are playing like they think only a perfect shot will score, so when they don't have a perfect shot they pass. Guess what? Goalies make mistakes, so shoot first and force them to be perfect instead of putting pressure on yourself. Sometimes bad shots go in.

Five days. That's how much longer you have to wait until opening night. Until you see the Southeast Division Championship banner get raised in person at Philips Arena. There are still a few tickets left, so get them while you can if you haven't already. 

We're planning to roll out some fresh content between now and then (a quiz, a Todd White feature and a season preview) but today is housekeeping day. Headshots to be cropped, executive bios to be updated- all sorts of fun stuff. In the meantime here are some news links from the last few days that you might not have come across:

• AJC: Handicapping the NHL Awards
• Sunday Paper: A New Ice Age: Todd White Looks To Bolster Offense
• Courrier Laval: Perrin Finds His NHL Home In Atlanta
• Fox Sports: Eastern Conference Predictions
• ESPN Fantasy: Rookies You Should Know
• NHL.com: 82 Reasons To Rejoice In Hockey's Return
• NHL.com: The Eastern conference's Top Rookies

Those should keep you busy for a little while.

A few quick tidbits of Thrashers news- the incoming rookies have finalized their jersey numbers. Tobias Enstrom will suit up as #39, Bryan Little opted for #10 and Brett Sterling is going with #21. Mark Popovic is going from #6 to #7 now that Greg de Vries doesn't have it.

Oh- and the captains will be announced tomorrow night at the annual season ticket holder Fan Faceoff event. If you're not going to be there stop by atlantathrashers.com to get the scoop.

There's been some chatter recently about the possibility of teams targeting restricted free agents this summer and trying to lure them away with offer sheets. Craig Custance mentioned it on the AJC Beat Blog yesterday and the comment section over there is still going strong talking about various scenarios..

I obviously have no clue if GM's will actually try to poach restricted free agents. The fan in me would love it if other teams did it, just because player movement is always exciting, but I wouldn't be too thrilled if someone lured one of guys like Garnet Exelby away. By the way- I don't think that's going to happen. I'm willing to bet that Ex will be locked up before July 1.

But here's the thing will all of the restricted free agent talk. A team can't just offer a young sniper on a team with cap issues $3.5 million per year and then laugh as they sign him away from his former team. Teams that lose restricted free agents are due compensation from the signing team in the form of draft picks and the amount of compensation is based on how much the player is signed for.

Here's what a team would have to give up if a player accepted an offer sheet from them (on top of paying the salary):

Trying to lure away a third liner winger for just under a million dollars per year might work out okay, anyone that wants to give up four high draft picks for a second-line scoring winger making $4-5 million per year better be pretty sure it's going to pan out. On the other hand you can be pretty sure some of the big young names will sign extensions over the next year or so, because there are definitely teams out there that would throw a bucket full of money and four first round draft picks at Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby if they ever became restricted free agents.

So because of the draft picks that would have to go the other way I don't think many mid-to-upper level players switching teams via offer sheets when they become restricted free agents. It's more likely that a third or fourth line guy might get an offer, but those are the guys that teams should have in their system anyway.

What's more likely is that teams tender offer sheets to teams that are tight against the cap that have unrestricted free agents to sign. It's a way for GM's to force a team to raise it's payroll and use up valuable cap space just to keep the guys they have. For example, Team A has to re-sign unrestricted free agents (UFA) X and Y and restricted free agent (RFA) Z. Team B comes in and offers RFA Z $3 million when his team had been planning on signing him for about $2 million. #$3 million is high, but the player has potential so they match the offer to hang on to him. Now they have $1 million less to spend on UFA X and Y and they might not be able to sign them both. Team B can now come in and bid on those players knowing Team A is in a jam that Team B actually helped to create.

I'll be shocked if it doesn't happen at least once this summer, but I'll be more shocked if any players of note actually switch teams as restricted free agents.

In other news, Edmonton has three first round picks this year and is looking to do some shopping before July 1 rolls around. they also have plenty of prospects and enough young guys on their roster that they might be willing to part with a forward or two. Who would you want from the Oilers?

Finally, Dan Kamal has a blog post up about the NHL's look at hits to the head. It's definitely worth a read.

I know it's fashionable to criticize ESPN these days for their lack of hockey coverage but ESPN.com's Page Two has a fun (albeit sarcastic) Stanley cup Final preview up. Yes, I'm a couple days late posting it. Did I mention that it was a holiday weekend? Web guys take time off too.

If you need lots of Ducks and Senators blogs, Eric McErlain has them for you.

By the way, the best way for fans to push for more hockey coverage form ESPN, the AJC and other news outlets is to support the coverage that's out there. Web site traffic is easily measurable, and if hockey content draws eyeballs it will inevitably draw more resources.

Some quick hits from around the blogosphere today:

• What was Kari Lehtonen's save percentage this season with his glove? His left Pad? How about Johan Hedberg's save percentage on five-hole shots? What would you say if I told you that someone had calculated those numbers for our goalies and every other goalie in the NHL for this season. Crazy but true. Check it out.
  
  
   
• Did you know that the Edmonton Oilers acquired Anaheim's 2008 first round draft pick last night? They got it as part of the Chris Pronger trade, thanks to a condition that said that if Anaheim won the Western Conference title in 2007, 2008 or 2009 their first rounder went to Edmonton the following year. It's obviously not going to be a high pick, but who doesn't want an extra first round selection? Thanks to Kukla's Korner for the pointer.
   
• Tom over at The Fanhouse posted a friendly reminder of how compensation works if teams start trying to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. Here's the breakdow

Anyway- Ottawa is without a doubt one of my favorite cities, and one of the reasons is because it's so well-suited to large gatherings. Pretty much everything of interest is in a 30 square block area around Parliament Hill, and the hill ends up being the focal point for everything. When something big is going on in Ottawa you feel it.

I remember watching the 2004 World Cup of Hockey gold medal game on Elgin Street and afterwards I followed the mob that wandered from a sports bar up the street to Parliament Hill and then through the market are. It was a few hundred people, loudly but peacefully celebrating Canada's victory. No violence. No vandalism. At one point someone tipped over a newspaper stand and they actually got yelled at by half a dozen other people in the crowd as someone set it upright.

All of this leads up to the following video. I know plenty of Thrashers fans aren't so fond of the Senators, but having lived in Ottawa I'm happy for the fans in the city. The enthusiasm they showed on Saturday when they eliminated the Sabres was incredible, and I only expect to see more of it during the Cup Finals. Congratulations Ottawa. Even the team was impressed with the outpouring of support.

Here's a question for you- if the Thrashers were to advance to the Cup Finals with a road win like Ottawa did and fans decided to celebrate in the streets, where in Atlanta would that celebration be held?

I sat down in front of the TV, opened up my browser and checked my handy RSS reader and via James Mirtle I found this Memorial Cup preview (which has a nice quick profile on future thrashers blueliner Chad Denny). Moments later I noticed that Versus was airing Youngblood again, which happens to wrap up with the Memorial Cup championship game.

Ahh Youngblood. I wish someone would make a couple more hockey moves so Youngblood didn't end up on everyone's Top Ten Hockey Movies list by default. As if junior refs would let two players spar with sticks after a championship had just been won (which the movie kind of glosses over). It was one of the first movies that Keanu Reeves appeared in though so it can't be all bad, can it?

Now it's time to enjoy some Anaheim/Detroit action. Go Ducks.

In case you didn't get it, that was Luc Robitaille (668 career NHL goals) and Martin Brodeur (494 career NHL wins so far). And in case you were wondering, Delissio and DiGiorno pizza are the same thing and are both made by Kraft. Delissio is sold in Canada- DiGiorno is sold in the United States.

For other great hockey-themed commercials just do a quick YouTube search for Nike Hockey. That ought to keep you distracted from work for a while.

Somebody out there has an unhealthy Tomas Kloucek obsession.

His partner in hockey crime, Jes Golbez, happens to have the same teams winning their conference finals as I do.

Greg and Jes are absolutely fanatical hockey fans and are my go-to resources for Slovak and Czech hockey (when Marian Hossa and Bobby Holik aren't available).

Does anyone else out there have five or more game or practice worn jerseys from the same player?

If this is the first time you've heard of John Tavares I can promise you it won't be the last.

A few years ago word got out that Wayne Gretzky thought that a then 15 year-old kid named Crosby had a shot at beating some of his NHL records. Well, Tavares broke one of his OHL records this season, potting 72 goals in 67 games, including 22 goals in 13 games in January. That mark of 72 bested Gretzky's record of 70 goals in a season- the previous record for goals by a 16 year-old.

Tavares finished second in OHL and was named the OHL's most outstanding player, beating out Patrick Kane (who won the scoring race and will enter the NHL draft this year a top-rated prospect) and Thrashers draft pick Bryan Little. Kane is two years older than Tavares. Little is three years older.

Tavares had 134 points in 67 games with the Oshawa Generals this year. That's exactly two points per game. At 6'0" and 183 lbs he's already a decent sized player, but he's still just 16 and he has two more season of junior hockey ahead of him before he's even eligible for the NHL draft in 2009. You're going to be hearing a whole lot more about this kid over the next two years.

For more about Tavares check out this CTV video from February.

Thanks to NHL Fanhouse for the links.

Are you ready for the playoffs? Well, if you haven't hit up Thrashers Playoff Central  yet you aren't. Make sure you check it out. We're scouring the internet to find all the content worth linking to so you can have it all in one easy spot. If you find something that we missed please let us know so we can share it with everyone.

As for other blogs, Southeast Shootout and NHL Fanhouse are quickly rising to the top for their early overage. Southeast Shootout is doing a Thrashers Roundtable discussion, which I'm participating in, and they have plenty of other good stuff on the go. Make sure you stop by regularly. Meanwhile the guys at Fanhouse are quickly making the site my go-to blog for league-wide news, even if they didn't recruit me to join the team. Kukla's Korner would edge them out if the RSS feed actually updated in Bloglines for me.

In other news, people have been asking about the rumored scarf giveaway on Thursday. The rumors are true, and here i what is being given out. There are also giveaway tiems planned for games two and five.

Oh- have I mentioned that I'll be going to New York and traveling with the team throughout the playoffs? If you're gong to be at MSG let me know- I want to talk to some Thrashers fans up there. And feel free to let me know what kind of content you'd like to see from my road trip.

Finally, thank you to everyone who bought 50-50 tickets at Saturday's game. the proceeds went to the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation and the Thrashers Foundation and thanks to your generosity the winner went home with over $3,200. Here's a picture of Dan's mother, LuAnn, as she drew the winning ticket number, which happened to have Dan's number (37) and birth year (78) in it.

I have a weird hobby. I like to point out blatant errors on TSN.ca and ESPN.com. I don't find many on ESPN.com anymore because I stopped checking their site for anything other than articles by Scott Burnside or columns by John Buccigross. But TSN.... oh boy.

About 25 minutes ago they posted this article (which may change) which I captured with the following screenshot:

I thought it was kind of weird since I'm on the NHL news release email list and I hadn't seen this one. then I got the email from the NHL, which should be up on their site shortly. Selanne, McDonald and Sturm aren't the three stars. Henrik Lundqvist, Jeff Hamilton and Evgeni Nabokov are. I can sympathize with typos- goodness knows I've posted more than my fair share on this site. But writing an article that gets all three stars wrong, and then posting it before the stars are actually announced? Come on folks.