NHL Buyers and Sellers

Did you know Tuesday is a national holiday in Canada? No, not really, but that is when the NHL trade deadline passes.

There has been much written lately about teams "renting" players, that is those who will be unrestricted free agents after the season. Thank the Carolina Hurricanes for that. The Canes won the Stanley Cup last season thanks in part to acquiring forward Mark Recchi from Pittsburgh and center Doug Weight from St. Louis at the trade deadline. Both players resigned with the teams that had traded them during the summer.

Several notable trades already have taken place, but here is a team-by-team look at whom I anticipate buying and selling.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

BUYERS
Atlanta - Needs more scoring, especially down the middle, even with acquisition of Eric Belanger. A disciplined defenseman would help, too.
Buffalo - The injury bug is biting them again, and they appear ready for a Cup run. Dealing backup goalie Martin Biron for a veteran player or two would be bold, but it could put the Sabres over the top in the East. Lots of organizational depth.
Carolina - They acquired center Josef Vasichek, but they're not finished. Maybe they'll bring Weight back again.
Montreal - Just a guess, but they're gonna make a blockbuster trade involving Sergei Samsonov, Alexei Kovalev or some of their defensemen. With a good group of young forwards coming up, they could move prospects, though I don't get the sense that's the plan there.
N.Y. Rangers - They've added F Sean Avery, but could use more secondary scoring and toughness now that Brendan Shanahan is hurt.
Ottawa - Need veteran forward, preferably a tough one. A big defenseman also would help. Gary Roberts and Brad May are among the possibilities.
Pittsburgh - Some veteran defensemen would help Sidney Crosby and Co. on a playoff run.
Toronto - They're on the fringe of the playoffs. Not making them isn't an option. Scoring is the first order of business. Cap space is an issue because they've overspent on their blueline.

SELLERS
Boston - If the price was right, forward Glen Murray could go. They made their big splash already by dealing Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau. Defenseman Andrew Ferrance, acquired in the Stuart trade, could be trade bait. It appears Marco Sturm isn't going anywhere.
Florida - Forwards Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas and even Todd Bertuzzi (if healthy) are available in and walk years. Goalie Ed Belfour has playoff experience.
Philadelphia - Trading Peter Forsberg was the first step. Forwards Kyle Calder and Geoff Sanderson could be next. If anyone would take one of their goalies, they'd deal them, too.


STANDING PAT
New Jersey - Cap space is an issue and this seams like a team that is coming together.
N.Y. Islanders - Re-signing forward Jason Blake should be their first priority.
Tampa Bay - Hamstrung by the salary cap. Rumors of dealing one of their big three forwards for Nikolai Khabibulin are intriguing but unlikely.
Washington - Not much of interest to other teams aside from 5-6-type defensemen and fourth-line forwards.


WESTERN CONFERENCE

BUYERS
Anaheim - The Ducks need secondary scoring, and knowing GM Brian Burke, they'll likely get it. But they might have to deal another of their promising young forwards.
Detroit - The Wings would love to bring forward Martin Lapointe back, but other power forward possibilities include Gary Roberts, Bill Guerin and Keith Tkachuk.
Edmonton - This depends on whether the Oilers think they have a shot at the playoffs, which appears dicey right now. They badly need help on the blueline, yet they traded Marc-Andre Bergeron for a prospect last week. With a wealth of young forwards, they could get a top-four defenseman.
San Jose - The Sharks need blueline depth, particularly of the physical variety, and they have plenty of young players to deal to get it.
Vancouver - The Canucks need scoring and would like blueline depth. What they trade for it complicates matters. If they make a splash, they're a Stanley Cup darkhorse.

SELLERS
Chicago - Defensemen Adrian Aucoin, who has been linked to Montreal, and Jassen Cullimore, rumored to be headed to Vancouver, are available. Center Brian Smolinski is a hot commodity, as is power forward Martin Lapointe. If GM Dale Tallon got an overwhelming offer, goalie Nikolai Khabibulin might go, too.
Colorado - It will tough, though not impossible, for the Avs to reach the playoffs. I don't buy the rumors that they'll trade Joe Sakic. However, the Avs have a lot of veteran forwards who could go. I'd be surprised if forward Milan Hejduk was dealt, but it could happen. They'd love to unload goalie Jose Theodore, but no one will take on his salary.
Columbus - Any number of veterans, such as defenseman Adam Foote, forwards Anson Carter, Fredrik Modin and Sergei Fedorov could be dealt.
Los Angeles - A team in need of veteran defensemen (Rob Blake, Mattias Norstrom, Aaron Miller, Brent Sopel) would be wise to call GM Dean Lombardi. They've already dealt forwards Sean Avery and Craig Conroy. Goalie Mathieu Garon might go, too.
Phoenix - Any number of veterans could be traded, starting with forward Owen Nolan (a return to San Jose or Toronto perhaps?), goalie Curtis Joseph, forward George Laracque and possibly a defenseman such as Derek Morris and Nick Boynton. Expect the Coyotes to be very active.
St. Louis - Despite the Blues' ascent up the standings in the past two months, it's expected they'll deal forward Bill Guerin and possibly Keith Tkachuk. Many teams would love to acquire defenseman Eric Brewer, but he is reportedly close to re-signing with the Blues. Expect St. Louis to be active.

STANDING PAT
Calgary - The Flames have obtained forwards Craig Conroy and Wayne Primeau and defenseman Brad Stuart without damaging their core. If they are healthy and gel, watch out.
Dallas - Obtaining forward Ladislav Nagy might be the extent of it. The Stars need to get healthy down the stretch.
Minnesota - The Wild has phases where it plays very well, and others where it doesn't (mainly due to injuries). If goalie Manny Fernandez is out longer than expected, they might try to grab an inexpensive backup such as Chicago's Patrick Lalime. A veteran forward would help, too, but this is a conservative franchise and it will stick to its plan.
Nashville - Acquiring center Peter Forsberg might have put the Predators over the top in the West if he can stay healthy.

I was wrong ... and other stuff

Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts on their XLI Super Bowl victory.

I thought the Bears would not make the amount and types of mistakes that they did: wrong.

I thought the Bears defense tackled better: wrong.

I thought the Bears' blitzes would get to Peyton Manning at some point, or at least pressure him into more bad throws: wrong.

I thought the Bears' running game would help them control the clock: wrong (the opposite happened).

So who was the real MVP of the game? Manning is a compelling choice, as is RB Dominick Rhodes or RB Joseph Addai for that matter. But Indianapolis' offensive line carried the play, and dominated it at times.

Key stats of the game: Turnovers and time of possession, and the Colts dominated both. Had Indy been able to cash in on more of its red-zone opportunities, this one would have been an even bigger blowout even sooner.

My Super Bowl pick

The Bears.

Much as I hate to admit, I think Chicago will win. The matchup vs. the Colts reminds me a lot of the Bills-Giants Super Bowl. Great offense vs. great defense. I think Chicago will follow the Giants' blueprint and grind out a close victory using a ball-control offense (thus limiting QB Rex Grossman's opportunities for mistakes) and a stout defense. That will be the best way to neutralize Peyton Manning and Co. - keep them off the field. The Bears have the components to execute that.

What the Super Bowl means to me

Why does the Super Bowl matter so much to me?

Yes, I enjoy sports, especially pro football and hockey. Yes, I dedicated nearly two decades to working in an industry that provides information about sports to its subscribers. However, for me it runs a bit deeper.

It has a lot to do with beginnings, and a lot to do with history for me.

I arrived on the scene one month and eight days before the first "AFL-NFL Championship" did. I arrived in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the first of three children to two very hardworking parents.

I don't need to remind you who won what now is referred to as Super Bowl I. (or Super Bowl II for that matter). ...

Before there were 24-hour sports networks, online sports sites and enough statistical data to fill the whale that swallowed Jonah, there was one 24/7 sports operation carved into my mind and that of pretty much every other male in Northeastern Wisconsin: The Green Bay Packers.

As a child I lived close enough to Lambeau Field to ride my bike to training camp and watch practices. My godparent's daughter was "adopted" by safety Johnny Gray one summer (he rode her bike to the locker room after practice each day). She and I also met then-coach Bart Starr one summer at team photo day. 30 years later, I remember him being one of the kindest people I've ever met. We weren't special, Bart has been nice to thousands, maybe millions, of people.

Bart Starr was MVP of Super Bowls I and II. ...

While neither averse to nor in love with televised sports, my wife of 14-plus years has grown to at least tolerate them. I left her little choice on Sunday afternoons in the fall (and a lot of Saturdays). When asked recently by a co-worker to name her favorite NFL team growing up, she paused and said, "The Chiefs."

Starr and the Packers defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl I. ...

I worked at a newspaper in Green Bay during the mid and late 1990s. To supplement my income (and build my sports apparel wardrobe) in the fall of 1996, I worked morning shifts at a sports store in a mall on the near west side of town. Many Tuesdays, various athletic-looking individuals would visit the store. We'd talk as they asked about what jerseys were selling, both Packers and players from other teams in the league. Thanks to my night job and an insatiable taste for all things NFL, I realized who many of them were instantly. I'd often joke, "We're out of the Brian Williams jerseys, or too bad they don't make Desmond Howard or Shannon Clavelle jerseys!" We'd get a good laugh and that's as much as would be said about their day jobs. Sometimes they'd buy gifts for family members "back home," ask where the nearest post office was and if we had any wrapping. Mostly, they just wanted to be regular people on their day off, and a mall at 10 a.m. in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on a Tuesday was a good place for that. ...

The Packers defeated the New England Patriots to win it all for the first time since January 1968. Quarterback Brett Favre, if ever there was a hero who fit the city he played in during the past two decades it's him, got the Packers started toward the victory, Super Bowl XXXI MVP Desmond Howard returned a kickoff for a touchdown when things got close, and the late Reggie White sealed it with three sacks in the second half to finish off Boston's best.

Desmond Howard was one of my frequent Tuesday visitors. ...

What rational person would stay up all night reading, re-reading and re-reading again the same stories? Fortunately, I was paid to do it, but given the excitement of seeing my hometown team win a Super Bowl for the first time in 29 years, I would have done it for free. A co-worker and I stayed up all night to produce updated Super Bow Champions editions and commemorative editions of the Green Bay Press-Gazette after Super Bowl XXXI. After all, there was a parade in town the next day, and we knew that we could not print enough papers that proclaimed, "The Lombardi Trophy is coming home!" ...

It was freezing! Below freezing! I think it was made worse by the lack of sleep, but it didn't matter. My brother had driven up from Chicago to watch the game in Green Bay, and we were determined to watch a Super Bowl victory parade. The newspaper building afforded us a front-row seat for a second day we will never forget.

My first "adult" Packers jersey came from my brother - a green Reggie White model. ... No. 92. I was married in '92. ... For his wedding present, my wife and I took him and his wife to a Packers game at Lambeau Field. The Packers blew an opportunity to defeat the Rams in the final minute. Two months later, we realized a victory on that unseasonably warm October day would have positioned the Packers to reach the playoffs.

My sister-in-law is a Bears fan. The Packers crushed the Bears in their final game of the season on New Year's Eve. (Had to get that jab in there.) ...

Super Bowl I was played in Los Angeles. 40 years later, taking a path that led us through a combined six states, my wife and I have found ourselves first-time homeowners in the City of Angels. We're going to a Super Bowl party with her co-workers on Sunday.

Strange how that works out, isn't it?

A Super holiday

Let the holiday parties begin.

Super Bowl parties that is.

Sunday's game has become the United States' biggest unofficial holiday. TV ratings and advertising revenues prove it. The casual or non-football fans' sudden interest and passion about it reinforces that notion.

It's more than a game. Think about it - what do you remember most about last year's game? Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens' drops? Willie Parker's long runs for the Steelers? Or who you watched the game with? Your favorite commercials? Where you watched the game.

It's fitting the game falls on a Sunday, a day traditionally dedicated to gatherings of worshippers. The venues are different, but there are parallels.

Many gather with dear friends or make new ones. The messages regularly are riveting, inspiring and redemptive. The undercurrent is community. For one day, everyone belongs. Pick a team and you've got a stake. Pick a team and there is plenty to talk about, be it food, sports or other less important things in the world, and plenty of people to talk to about it.

Oh for more Super Bowls.