NHL: Ice Bowl May Spark Interest

Since the years after the lockout hockey fans alike have been struggling to find the NHL on national television. This time, it's a different story. The NHL didn't go to NBC begging for them to broadcast their latest marketing ploy, NBC asked the NHL if they could air it. The "Icebowl" which takes place at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park is expected to be hosting over 70,000 fans and will also be the first outdoor NHL game in the United States. This is only good news for the NHL which seems to be a change from their usual broadcasts on the struggling Versus network. The NHL is now attempting to "make nice" with the broadcasting powerhouses to try to gain back some support. They know they need the likes of NBC, ABC and especially ESPN to expand and expose their frozen game. The question remains to be answered if it's too late.

Division: Senators' Emery May Be Shopped

Although Emery helped lead the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals last year, don't expect the teams to be lining up for offers. There have been many discoveries recently that have led to the devaluing of the once coveted Ray Emery. In the off-season he signed a hefty multi-year deal which would keep him in Ottawa for the foreseeable future. That, along with his recent struggles to stay healthy as well as consistent makes Emery's fate look fairly ugly. On top of that, it was reported that the 25 year-old exploded during practice this passed Thursday. Apparently he was held from practice for arriving late. Emery attempted to explain his childish actions to his teammates today, stating that his lack of motivation on the ice and playing time led him to display his emotions on the forefront. Now, the Senators still have Martin Gerber to carry the load but he has had his own consistency issues dating back to his days with Carolina. This leaves the Senators in another tough situation for the off-season due to the free agency of many of their key players. Antoine Vermette and Wade Redden will both be UFAs this upcoming summer and they will find it difficult to keep these key pieces to the puzzle with their current goaltending duo situation.

Another Satisfying Performance from Raycroft

With Toskala suffering from an unexpected groin injury, Andrew Raycroft has been carrying the load for the Toronto Maple Leafs in goal. Now, I for one, and I'm sure many-a-Leaf nation took a big gulp when we heard the news on Toskala but the two games Raycroft has started since have been quality performances. Don't get me wrong, these aren't stellar performances by no means. Now you might be thinking, "hey, isn't it all about the wins?" You have a good argument because the GAA and save percentage aren't there to support those solid starts but the fact that Raycroft looks like he has some confidence and killer instinct in net speaks volumes for his possible trade value at the upcoming deadline. The bottom line for the Toronto Maple Leafs is that they are 2-4 when Andrew starts and comes along with some more than gaudy stats. If somehow Raycroft can string together some solid starts along with wins, the Leafs will keep their playoff hopes alive while increasing his chances of becoming the starter in another market.