Depending on how long you’ve been a hockey fan, you might remember a time when the Canadian province of Quebec had two hockey teams – the Montreal Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques.  Could the Battle of Quebec be returning to the NHL?  I hope so!

As a native Montrealer, I was saddened when the Nordiques were sold in 1995 and became the Colorado Avalanche but that’s the nature of the game.  With all of the controversy surrounding the bankruptcy and ownership of the Phoenix Coyotes, a lot of people have been saying that they’d like to see another team up in …read more

Theoren Fleury wants to come back to the NHL.  Yes, that Theoren Fleury.  During his heyday, Fleury was a big deal.  He might not have been the biggest guy on the ice (at 5’ 6” and 180lbs) but he made his presence known with his physical style of playing.  After being drafted by the Calgary Flames in 1987, he played more than 1000 NHL games with the Flames, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks.  His career had some major highlights – he won the Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1989, scored 1000 points and earned a gold …read more

Canadian billionaire, Jim Balsillie, has thrown his hat in the ring and has made an offer to buy the struggling Phoenix Coyotes for a cool $212.5 million USD.  The co-chief executive officer of the Blackberry maker, Research in Motion, swooped in after the club filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  In the meantime, he’s given then $17 million to continue operating through the proceeding.  Wow.
There’s just one catch – Balsillie would want to move the team to southern Ontario.  I don’t like the idea but Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided to weigh in on the matter: "I’d love another …read more

I never thought I would type those words but Montreal Canadiens captain, Saku Koivu, doesn’t know if he will be returning to the team.  This comes after 14 seasons with the Habs. 
Koivu will become an unrestricted free agency (along with nine of his teammates) on July 1, 2009 but contract negotiations have not been initiated.  "If I’m not signed by July 1, I don’t think I’ll be back in Montreal," Koivu said. "Finishing your career with one team would be awesome in a way, but it’s too early to say because I don’t know what the team’s plan is. …read more

Despite the denial of some people, the Montreal Canadiens are indeed for sale and there are 10 potential buyers interested in owning the historic hockey club.  The Bank of Montreal is confirming that these buyers have signed confidentiality agreements allowing them to review the team’s financial records.

Some rumored investors include the Caisse de dépôt et placement (in charge of the province’s pension fund), Guy Laliberté (owner of Cirque du Soleil), René Angelil (husband and manager of Céline Dion), Claridge Investment House, media giant Quebecor, Joey Saputo (owner of the Montreal Impact soccer team), Roustan Capital, the Molson family, …read more

I’ve been reading reports that Mathieu Dandenault is actually asking to leave the Montreal Canadiens.  Wow.  This could mean major changes on the bench with Steve Begin being traded yesterday.
The defenceman allegedly went directly to  general manager, Bob Gainey, with his request.  This could be a mutually beneficial move – Dandenault could leave the team and, in return, the Habs will have a little more wiggle room in terms of their salary cap at the trade deadline.
The 33-year-old is in the third and final year of a deal that nets him $1.75 per season.
image: TSN

I don’t know what’s going on but less than a year after Vincent Lecavalier signed a “lifetime” deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, there’s all this gossip about whether he’s about to be traded away.  Back in February 2008, some were even saying that Vinny was asking to be traded but then he signed that contract and I thought it would be the end of the rumors.
Instead, I’ve been hearing that people in the front office down in Tampa are fighting because some want to trade him while others want to keep the original agreement.  With an $85 million contract …read more

Has yet another NHL hockey player snagged a female celebrity?  There is all sorts of talk about Ottawa Senators center, Mike Fisher, dating American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood. 
Apparently, fans saw her on the “hug cam” at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto in the VIP box with Fisher’s family.  Despite cheering him on during a battle against Toronto Maple Leafs, the Sens lost 3-1.
Here are some more hockey couple pics:

Hillary and Mike Comrie out for dinner
Elisha Cuthbert and Dion Phaneuf in Hawaii.
Underwood, Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler cheering on Jordin Tootoo 

image: Bauer-Griffin

The hockey world was rocked when 19-year-old New York Rangers draft pick, Alexei Cherepanov suddenly died after collapsing during a game in Russia this past October.  Thousands attended his funeral while many people wondered what could have happened to the promising young star.  I first noticed him during the World Junior Championship in January where he helped Russia defeat the Americans (Team Canada ended up winning gold, though) so I was shocked to learn that he had passed away.
I knew there was an investigation going on which revealed that he suffered from myocarditis (not enough blood gets to the …read more

Seriously, Mats Sundin and the whole drawn-out drama over what team he’s going to join has gotten boring for me.  He’s going to wait until he’s too old to play well, if he’s not careful. 
Anyway, the news now is that Sundin has narrowed his choices down to the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks.  The Canucks can offer more money but New York seems like a better fit so I’m not sure how this is going to go.  His agent said that he expects Sundin to make his decision in the next week so that “he can join one …read more