Random Thoughts

The Detroit Red Wings were robbed of a game tying goal late in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks in Game Three of the Western Conference Semi Final. With the puck laying in the crease, the referee lost track of the puck and blew the whistle just moments before the puck was knocked into the net. It was clearly a major error by the official and one that cost the Red Wings the game.

Now maybe I've just been watching more NHL games this year, but I've sure noticed a lot of "quick whistles" this year. I think it's something the NHL needs to address with its officials this off season.

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Expect a long, drawn out and messy court battle involving the National Hockey League, Phoenix Coyotes and Jim Balsille, CEO of Research in Motion (creators of the Blackberry).

Now most of you know the details so here's the jist of it...

- Jerry Moyes, CEO of the Phoenix Coyotes, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection.

- Jim Balsille made a $212.5 Million offer to purchase the franchise on the condition that the team would relocate to Southern Ontario.

- The City of Glendale, Arizona is disappointed

- NHL Commissioner, Gary Bettman, is believed to be angry and caught by surprise by today's events. They've indicated that they will take this to court.

- The NHL has removed Jerry Moyes from all positions of authority to act for or on behalf of the Phoenix Coyotes organization.

- There's conflicting reports that the NHL took control of the franchise earlier this year, by loaning it money since the owner was struggling financially. The Coyotes have denied the report while the NHL has had no comment.

Now I'm no lawyer but if in the eyes of the legal system the National Hockey League was in fact controlling the Phoenix Coyotes, then logically it would seem to me that they could say that Jerry Moyes acted without their permission and in fact the team would not file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection.

With that said, I do not understand why the NHL refuses to sell to Jim Balsille and allow him to move a struggling franchise to an area where a team would flourish and make the league that much stronger.

As cliché as it sounds, the NHL is only as strong as its weakest link. They'll be better off with a team in a strong financial situation than one where it loses money hand over fist. The Coyotes have never been successful in Phoenix and quite frankly, to try and find a buyer during a recession will be difficult - never mind trying to find one for a market that has never seen success.

By moving the franchise to Southern Ontario, the league would lose a "have not" team and gain a "have" franchise. It's one less team that would rely on revenue sharing and it would only make the league stronger. It's not as if the Coyotes were a dominant team or even had a strong presence in television or media coverage.

Either way, this is going to be a long battle in court and it'll be interesting to see what happens.

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I watched a documentary tonight on the rise and fall of the World Trade Center. The events of 9/11 still seem surreal and I can still vividly remember the events of that unforgetable day. Hard to imagine that we're coming up to the 8th Anniversary of that terrorist attack.

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After seeing the trailer for the new Star Trek movie, I have absolutely no interest in seeing it. Then again, I've never been interested in it. It'll break records when it comes out - no doubt about that. I'll save my money for when Transformers 2 comes out this summer... now that's a REAL movie.

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Manchester United proved today why they are one of the greatest soccer teams in the world. They schooled Arsenal in the second leg of their Champions League Semi-Final with a convincing 3-1 win (4-1 on aggregate). As a result, the "Red Devils" are off to Rome for the Champions League final where they look to become the first team to win back-to-back Champions League Titles since the tournament was renamed back in 1992.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a role in all three goals today. The first was a nice pass inside the box to Park Ji-Sung who took advantage of a fallen defender to bulge the twine. The second was a beautiful goal off a free kick - classic Ronaldo! And the third... well I'll let the video do the talking...




It wasn't so much the finish that was beautiful, but the lead up into it. Ronaldo with a nice pass, then sprints down the length of the field, where he takes a picture perfect pass from Wayne Rooney and puts the icing on the cake. Beautiful goal from the World's Greatest Player!