NHL Stuff. Really.

Some NHL stuff because I've been neglecting hockey for basketball lately.

• Jaromir Jagr might very well be done as an NHL player. He says he's going to play next year, but unless he takes a huge pay cut, which would shock me. If he will take said pay cut don't be surprised if he lands with one of the teams that are still alive in the playoffs. A return to Pittsburgh for 1 more Cup sounds about right don't it?
• He's retired more times than Jay-Z or Jordan but I think it's about time to stick a fork in Dominick Hasek. He was one of the greatest goalies of his era, a surefire Hall of Famer and an MVP who personally carried an offensively challenged Buffalo Sabres team for over half of a decade. His mind my be willing but his body is broken down. Helluva a competitor, it wouldn't surprise me if he still tries to play in the Olympics, regardless of his NHL status.
• It would never be a popular subject but it might be time for the NHL to consider contraction (reducing the # of teams) or relocation. The league stretched itself too thin by over-expanding in the last 15 years. Too many teams led to too little talent, which led teams to overpay for players, which led to the year off and new CBA. Hit it here for the NHL attendance figures. If I had to pick 4 teams they would be Atlanta, Phoenix, Columbus and Nashville. Delete the 4 teams and hold a mini-draft with those players. Or move all 4 teams to real hockey markets. Go back to your roots. Try maybe Winnipeg, Las Vegas, Seattle and Ontario. Canada would get 2 more teams which is a no-brainer, Seattle has market hole with the SuperSonics leaving and being the first professional team in Vegas would give you instant market share.
  
• I like Wayne Gretzky, coach/executive about as well as I liked Magic Johnson coach/executive. That's not saying much. At least Johnson is an excellent businessman. Gretzky just has his wife place bets for him. Just playin. Maybe.
• Buffalo averaged the second highest average game attendance. Buffalo has let go of almost every key player they had over their 2 year Eastern Conference Finals run. They are young and talented but they have almost no veteran leadership that's not on the coaching staff. Sorry Sabres fans. If y'all don't go to the games the team will have to leave town. Tough situation for great fans.
  
• Watch out for the Boston Bruins next year. They've got some pieces and any New England area team seems to able to do no wrong lately.
  
• The NHL has to do something about the Vs. situation. The network has tried very hard but it's still difficult to find the channel in some markets. I've never liked their announcers very much and they still haven't mastered how to properly film and broadcast the games. They've improved but not enough. I'm not one to shill for the Worldwide Leader but having the games on ESPN2 or something would've been much better for the NHL.