Sunday Linkage, JOHNNY HOCKEY! Edition
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- There is no bad way of eliminating the Canucks, of course, but I was especially happy to see this guy get the game winner. In addition to the personal tragedy, Stajan took a lot of abuse from Flames fans (and I plead guilty!) for being the primary return in what looked like the disastrous panic trade of an elite defenseman. The punchline is that rather than realizing his potential Phaneuf regressed into an acceptableish second pairing guy at best with an elite contract — a disaster in a league with a hard cap, in other words. Stajan, while certainly not a top player, turned himself into a solid two-way center who was the key reason that the Flames were able to contain the Sedins when they had last change. The Flames won what turned into nearly a nothing-for-nothing trade even before Stajan scored the franchise’s biggest goal in a decade. More on the series in the next preview round.
- If the NHL tries to put another team into an American market with no hockey fans it will not work well again. So apparently it will happen.
- The nice thing about being a hockey (and/or NBA fan) this time of year is that it’s even easier to ignore the WHCD entirely, but here’s your annual reminder that it’s a cesspool.
- Tim Marchman’s epic Mekons post.
- Irin Carmon reads the anti-SSM amicus briefs so you can get some grim chuckles.
- It’s not easy to be by far the most morally objectionable host on the Skip Bayless Trolls America Hour, but Stephen A. Smith can pull it off.
- The FBI’s junk science disaster.