Turris to make NHL debut this year?

The Phoenix Coyotes are apparently trying to convince Kyle Turris that leaving the Badgers and joining the NHL is his best bet for the future. Coyotes GM Don Maloney wants to have a sit down with Turris and his representatives to "see how much sense turning pro makes" after Wisconsin's season ends. With UW going into the WCHA playoffs as the #6 team, this could be sooner rather than later. Possibly before the start of the NHL playoffs.

In theory, if the Badgers don't make it past the 1st round of the league playoffs (ending March 15), Turris could be with PHX for the last 2 weeks of the NHL season & the playoffs.

Turris currently leads the Badgers with 10-18-28 in 24 games (6th overall in scoring in the WCHA; 4th amongst freshmen in NCAA play).

In other NCAA news, a junior for Sacred Heart, from Regina, is named Bear Trapp. You know you're from Saskatchewan when ...

Minnesota pwned ... again

Grumbles! UMN played UMD in an all-Minnesota matchup last night, which ended surprisingly badly. Or maybe it's not surprising, considering how the Gophers like to smite me. It was a relatively close game (3-2), but going into the playoffs, and facing #4-ranked Minnesota State, UMN has to step up to the ... face-off dot ... and start playing better.

Minnesota managed only 18 shots (compared to UMD's 25) and fell behind 2-0 by 12:35 of the 2nd. It took a 5-on-3 powerplay for them to break the goose egg at 14:54 of the 2nd, though UMD got a powerplay goal of their own before the end of the period to go up 3-1. Early in the 3rd (4:07) Justin Bostrom pulled the Gophers within a goal, but they didn't manage any more offense before the final buzzer.

Playoffs start this Friday (03/14) with a best-of-three series.

Oh crap ... I'm starting to respect Ovechkin

Don't tell anybody I said that. I was always on the Crosby side of the "which rookie is better" debate (though I'm not sure I want to admit to being a Crosby lover either). But with Ovechkin's crazy good season this year (especially the 5-point night and natural hat-trick of a couple games ago), I'm about to jump on the bandwagon.

The Japers' Rink blog has a number of milestones that Ovechkin has either already reached (with his 2-goal performance last game) or is going to reach very soon. Par example: #53 set the record for "most goals in a 3-year span with the Caps"; #54 was "Most goals by a Capital in a season since 1981-82", as well as "Most goals in a season by a left wing since 1992-93". Keep an eye out for goals #61 (most in a season by a Capital), and #64 (most in a season by a left-winter).

Also notable from Japers' Rink is this picture which features some of my favourite things EVER (Brunswick sardines, mullets, turtlenecks & the Pens). I need to do more research on this ad campaign, because this is HUGE for the Connor Brothers. Why is this not at the entrance to Blacks Harbour, NB? No, I'm serious.

2008 Moto GP preview

It's season #60 this year, and I am so ecstatic about all things Moto GP that I can barely contain it. Firstly, March 9 (this Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!) is race #1 in Qatar. More exciting than that, is the fact that it will be the inaugural night time race, which is sure to be great (and a lot cooler than the Losail circuit is known to be).







This season also marks the first time in my conscious memory that two races will be held in the USA, with the US GP at Laguna Seca on July 20, and the Indianapolis GP at the Brickyard on September 14. The only way I could be more excited was if Canada got a GP race (though it would probably be Toronto or Montreal ... so I might as well just go to Laguna Seca).







I'm excited to watch Melandri perform on the Ducati GP8 (though I don't think he'll be spectacular), and I'm excited to see Casey Stoner continue to dominate. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Rossi fan, but I'm a bigger Duc fan ... and #1's name is my name.







Other notables: Colin Edwards usurped from Fiat Yamaha by Jorge Lorenzo, and relegated to the satellite Tech 3 team; Kawasaki picking up John Hopkins from Suzuki (who replaced him with Loris Capirossi); and everybody's favourite Brit wünderkind, Bradley Smith, riding 125cc for Aprilia (the Polaris World Ateam). Incidentally, Smith could be the first person with that surname to EVER race at Indianapolis (thanks Wiki!)

With this open source, I thee ... type

I'm all about things that are free. I'm the type of person who will take a free pile of crap over a cheap item (that is less crappy), simply because it's free. Now, if something is free AND good ... well that's even better!

With that in mind, I give to the world a .ttf file of my handwriting. I think this may fall into the "free pile of crap" category (especially since it's not your handwriting), but I think it's pretty nifty. It would be a sin to keep all this greatness contained in my computer, and not spread throughout the blogosblogs for all to enjoy!

Casey.ttf