APOLOGIES

I was without internet from Friday around 6PM and just got it back a few minutes ago. That is why there was no FTS on Saturday. It will return tomorrow as normal along with PLUS/MINUS

FTS - 12/5/08

TOP STORY

Joyeux Anniversaire Les Habitents

(Photo Credit: Paul Chiasson - Canadian Press)

George Laraques, Maxim Lapierre and Steve Begin celebrate a goal in their romp over the Rangers

Montreal Canadiens (15-6-4) over the New York Rangers (18-9-2) 6-2

TOP PERFORMER = Canadiens LW Steve Begin - 1 Goal, 1 Assist, +2

The Montreal Canadiens celebrated the franchise's 99th birthday in a big way. What better birthday gift is there than to beat up on an Original 6 rival at home. The Canadiens scored four goals (Andrei Kostitsyn, Steve Begin, Alex Tanguay, Maxim Lapierre) before the Rangers would finally get on the board midway through the 2nd period. Markus Naslund (PPG), and Nigel Dawes would cut the lead in half, but that would be as close as the Rangers would get. Robert Lang and Matt D'Agostini tacked on two more goals to complete the win.

Canadiens G Carey Price made 18 saves in the win while Rangers G Henrik Lundqvist made 33 saves in the loss. The six goals tie a season-high for Montreal, who also scored six in an Oct. 11 win over the Maple Leafs. Montreal is 3-0-0 so far on their seven game homestand.

The Canadiens, founded on Dec. 9, 1909, as an inaugural member of the National Hockey Association, unveiled bronze statues of Howie Morenz, Maurice "Rocket" Richard, Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur outside the Bell Centre earlier in the day. As part of the team's centennial year celebrations, Montreal wore throwback uniforms in the style of the franchise's first Stanley Cup champions in 1915-16, one year prior to the NHL's formation. "We wanted to win, especially tonight, with this uniform," Begin said. Price, who stopped 18 shots, wore brown goalie pads and gloves as part of the promotion, the first of four variations of retro jerseys from the Canadiens' first decade that the team will wear for certain games over the course of the next 12 months.

Next up for the Canadiens is the Devils at the Bell Centre on Saturday night while the Rangers will host the Flames on Sunday night.

OTHER HEADLINES

!!!THE NHL HAS SUSPENDED SEAN AVERY FOR THE COMMENTS HE MADE BEFORE TUESDAY NIGHT'S GAME AGAINST THE FLAMES. MORE ON THIS IN TOMORROW'S FTS!!!

-To unload Avery's $3.875 salary this season, the Stars could place Avery on waivers and if he clears, send him to the AHL. The Stars have a partial affiliation with the Manitoba Moose and currently have five Dallas players on their AHL roster; however the Moose have made it clear they are not interested in providing a place for Avery to play. Moose owner Mark Chipman told TSN, ''We wouldn't take him under any circumstance.'' Chipman says the Stars approached Moose general manager Craig Heisinger recently, several days before Avery's latest offensive remarks on Tuesday to ask if Manitoba would make room for Avery if he cleared NHL waivers. Following a brief internal discussion, the Moose declied and Dallas decided not to waive him. The Stars also have players assigned to Hamilton, Grand Rapids, Peoria, Iowa and Houston. We are still awaiting word on Gary Bettman's decision on Avery's future after their meeting yesterday. (Courtesy Darren Dreger - TSN)

-Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios is expected to be assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) for conditioning on Friday and play in the Griffins' home games against Toronto and Hamilton this weekend. The 46-year-old Chelios fractured his leg blocking a shot in a preseason game on Sept. 30 and returned to practice with the Red Wings this week. Chelios, who has played in 1,616 NHL games, is preparing to play in his 25th NHL season, which would tie him with Mark Messier for second all-time behind Gordie Howe's 26 campaigns. Chelios, who would also be the oldest player to ever suit up in the 73-year history of the AHL, is the NHL's active leader in games played and penalty minutes. He also ranks 12th all-time with 2,873 penalty minutes and eighth all-time among defensemen with 763 assists.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

Pittsburgh Penguins (15-6-4) over the Carolina Hurricanes (12-12-2) 5-2

TOP PERFORMER = Penguins C Sidney Crosby - 4 assists

-Hurricanes HC Paul Maurice's coaching debut was spoiled by an offensive onslaught by the Penguins. Petr Sykora scored two power play goals for Pittsburgh and Evgeni Malkin had two assists to stay atop the league leaders in points (he's ahead of Crosby by two points). Dany Sabourin made 32 saves for Pittsburgh.

New Jersey Devils (13-8-2) over the Philadelphia Flyers (12-7-6) 3-2 (OT)

TOP PERFORMER = Devils LW Patrick Elias (2 goals - 1 was the GW)

-Flyers D Kimmo Timonen and Devils LW Zach Parise (14th of the season) would trade goals in the 2nd period and Scottie Upshall (PPG) and Patrick Elias would trade goals in the 3rd period. In overtime, Elias would score on a feed from Parise and Colin White to end a three game winless streak against the Flyers. Elias extended his points streak to eight games and Brian Gionta extended his points streak to five games. Flyers LW Simon Gagne, who leads the Flyers with 31 points, was taken out of the game after the second period when he became dehydrated and started to cramp up.

Washington Capitals (14-9-3) over the New York Islanders (10-13-2) 5-2
TOP PERFORMER = Capitals LW Alexander Ovechkin - 1 Goal (PPG), 1 Assist

-The Capitals received goals from five different players (Oveckin-PPG, Viktor Kozlov-PPG, Donald Brashear, Erik Fehr-PPG and Nicklas Backstrom-EN) and Brent Johnson made 27 saves to help the Capitals to victory. AO has 14 goals and 20 assists in 24 games so far this season. Trent Hunter and Mark Streit (PPG) scored for the Isles and Joey McDonald made 42 saves in the loss.

Detroit Red Wings (17-4-4) over the Vancouver Canucks (14-10-2) 6-5

TOP PERFORMER = Red Wings D Nicklas Lidstrom - 1 Goal, 2 Assists

-Taylor Pyatt opened up the scoring for Vancouver early in the 1st period, but Detroit would answerr back with two goals from Jiri Hudler. In the 2nd period, Kyle Wellwood (PPG) and Mason Raymond put Vancouver back ahead, but Daniel Cleary would tie it up heading in to the 2nd intermission. In the 3rd period, Detroit came out on fire with goals from Derek Meech, Nicklas Lidstrom and Daniel Cleary (PPG) within the first 6 minutes. Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows would make a late rally for Vancouver, but they would fall short. This was the final meeting between the teams for this season.

Boston Bruins (17-4-4) over the Tampa Bay Lightning (6-11-8) 3-1

TOP PERFORMER = Bruins G Tim Thomas - 30 saves

-Martin St. Louis scored for the Lightning 1:21 in to the game, but that would be the end of their offensive output for the game. Phil Kessel tied things up in the 2nd period and David Krejci scored a beautiful shorthanded goal in the 3rd period to put Boston up for good. Phil Kessel added an empty net goal. Tim Thomas improved to 7-1-1 in his last 9 starts. Boston C Marc Savard had two assists, giving him 14 assists and 16 points in his last 10 games. Lightning G Mike Smith made 23 saves in the loss.

Florida Panthers (11-11-3) over the Buffalo Sabres (11-11-3) 2-1

TOP PERFORMER = Panthers C Gregory Campbell - 1 Goal, 1 Assist

-The Panthers would get on the board in the 2nd period when Gregory Campbell and Keith Ballard would score 37 seconds apart. In the 3rd period, Ales Kotalik would score a PPG to cut the lead to 1, but that's as close as the Sabres would get. G Craig Anderson made 45 saves in the win (and Peter DeBoer is still trying to tell us that Anderson isn't the starter in Florida, c'mon man). Florida D Jay Bouwmeester extended his points streak to five games. Sabres D Craig Rivet missed his second consecutive game because of an upper- body injury.

Nashville Predators (13-10-2) over the Colorado Avalanche (12-13-0) 3-2

TOP PERFORMER = Predators C David Legwand - 1 Goal (GW)

-If you had to stop watching this game after the 1st period, you didn't miss anything. Vernon Fiddler scored his 3rd goal of the season for Nashville to open up the scoring. Ryan Smith would answer back on the power play four minutes later to tie the game. Shea Weber gave the Predators the lead back on the power play. Wojtek Wolski scored a shorthanded goal four minutes later to tie the game again. With one second remaining in the period, David Legwand (who played in his 574th game for the Predators, a team record) gave the Preds the lead for good on a set up from Dan Hamhuis and Antti Pihlstrom. Nashville G Pekka Rinne improved his record to 5-0. It was his second win in a row. The Predators are 7-0-0 when leading after the first period and 10-2-0 when scoring the first goal. They're also 8-1-0 when Weber scores.

Phoenix Coyotes (12-11-2) over the Toronto Maple Leafs (9-11-6) 6-3
TOP PERFORMER = Coyotes C Martin Hanzal - 3 Goals

-Martin Hanzal would score two of his three goals in the 1st period, but Alexei Ponikarovsky would score two of his own to keep the game tied. Martin Hanzal would complete the hat trick in the 2nd period, but Jason Blake would answer back 14 minutes later. In the 3rd period, the Coyotes would pull away thanks to two goals from Steve Reinprecht and one from Todd Fedoruk. Phoenix's weeklong goalie saga took another twist when Mikael Tellqvist was pulled in favor of Ilya Bryzgalov after allowing three goals on nine shots in the first two periods. Tellqvist, the Coyotes' backup, had started five of Phoenix's last six games. "We're a team that needs all 23 guys contributing at all different times," head coach Wayne Gretzky said. "I felt Telly had got us to that point, Bryz had worked hard the last three games and we needed a pressure cooker out of him in the third. I had the gut feel it was the right time to make the change. I did it more to push the team."

San Jose Sharks (22-3-1) over the Columbus Blue Jackets (11-11-3) 3-2

TOP PERFORMER = Sharks G Evgeni Nabokov - 29 saves

-Rick Nash drew first blood in the game on a feed from Jan Hjeda and Kristian Huselius. In the 2nd period, captain Patrick Marleau tied the game on his 76th career power play goal (team record) and 250th career goal. In the 3rd period, Jeremy Roenick scored on the power play :44 seconds in to the period. Three mintues later, Fredrik Modin tied the game, but Joe Thornton would give San Jose the lead for good three minutes after that. Sharks D Marc-Edouard Vlasic contributed three assists in the win. The Sharks improved to 15-0-1 all-time at home against Columbus and 14-0-1 at home this season. San Jose is now 22-0-2 in their last 24 home games dating back to last season. Sharks D Brad Lukowich injured his groin in the second period and didn't return. RW Jonathan Cheechoo missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury.

RUMOR MILL

-Panthers D Cory Murphy could be on the move soon. The rumored destination is Montreal, who is still trying to fill the void of Mark Streit.

-An interesting intradivision trade could happen between the Leafs and Senators for G Vesa Toskala.

-Blackhawks G Nikolai Khabibulin's name is surfacing in trade rumors again. Just like last time, New Jersey is the rumored destination.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-Buffalo Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta is out indefinitely after being placed on the IR yesterday because of a head and neck injury. Kaleta, who ranks second on the team with 49 hits, was hurt in a 3-2 loss at Montreal last weekend and did not play in a 2-0 loss to Nashville on Monday. The fourth-line player has a goal and assist and 48 penalty minutes in 21 games this season. The Sabres, who open a three-game road trip at Florida on Thursday, recalled D Mike Weber from their AHL Portland (Maine) affiliate to bolster a banged-up blue-line.

-Blue Jackets left-wing Raffi Torres was set to have arthroscopic knee surgery Friday. He will be sidelined two to four weeks. The 27-year-old Torres, acquired from Edmonton in exchange for Gilbert Brule on July 1, has a goal and three assists in 14 games with Columbus.

-Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke has made an attempt to strengthen his front office, offering Dave Nonis the position of Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations. The offer was made Thursday morning, however Nonis hasn't accepted the position yet, and negotiations are ongoing. A decision is expected by the weekend.

-Florida D Noah Welch was assigned to Rochester of the AHL on a two-week conditioning stint.

GAME OF THE NIGHT

Vancouver Canucks (14-10-2) @ Minnesota Wild (15-8-1) - 8PM

The Canucks look to prevent a fifth consecutive loss for the first time in almost three years on Friday night, when they aim for a third straight win over the Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. Vancouver went 8-0-2 from Nov. 4-24 with Luongo winning five of seven starts as he compiled a 0.97 goals-against average. But the captain went down with a strained groin in a Nov. 22 win at Pittsburgh, and the Canucks have gone 1-4-0 without him. They have lost four in a row including a 6-5 loss to Detroit last night. After allowing a season-high six goals on Monday in a loss to Colorado, the Wild bounced back on Wednesday when Niklas Backstrom made 22 saves en route to his third shutout of the season in a 4-0 victory over St. Louis. "I think we learned our lesson Monday that we're not going to get anything for free in this league," said Backstrom, who has a 2.27 GAA. Though Backstrom lost both matchups against the Canucks last month, he is 7-3-3 with a 2.10 GAA in 14 career meetings. Minnesota has won four of its last six games, thanks in part to a resurgent offense that has scored 26 goals and converted 40.6 percent (13-for-32) of its power-play opportunities in that span.

Other Action:

Calgary (14-10-1) @ St. Louis (10-11-2) - 8PM

Colorado (12-13-0) @ Dallas (9-12-4) - 8:30PM

Edmonton (11-11-2) @ Los Angeles (10-11-3) - 10:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN

*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out Monday evenings

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS - 12/4/08

TOP STORY

OUT WITH THE OLD...

IN WITH THE OLDER

(Photo Credit: Chris Seward - Raleigh News & Observer & Getty Images )

Peter Laviolette is fired as Hurricanes Head Coach while Paul Maurice gets a 2nd stab at the gig
The Carolina Hurricanes fired head coach Peter Laviolette on Wednesday and named former coach Paul Maurice as his replacement. Laviolette, who guided Carolina to the 2006 Stanley Cup, has been unable to match that success since and failed to make the playoffs in the last two seasons. The change comes with the Hurricanes slipping down the Eastern conference standings after losing four of their last five games to drop into eighth place with a 12-11-2 record.

I'm very thankful to Peter for the job he has done. He did a lot of good things. He played a big part in bringing the Stanley Cup here, but we have a team right now that in my opinion is not playing with the kind of confidence it needs" said GM Jim Rutherford on Hurricanes.nhl.com. "We looked at the coaching situation three or four times... it's not about the last four or five games. It's about getting the chemistry back on our team, getting the confidence back." Laviolette exits as the most successful American-born NHL coach with 244 wins. He is the third coaching casualty of the season after Chicago Blackhawks' Denis Savard and Tampa Bay Lightning's Barry Melrose were fired earlier this season.

Paul Maurice returns to Carolina and holds the franchise record for most wins (268 - from 1995-2003). He spent the past two seasons as head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs who let him go at the end of last term. The Canadian coach will be assisted by Hockey Hall of Fame player Ron Francis, who spent 16 of his 23 NHL season with the Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes needed to do something, and in these situations, it's usually the coach that goes. This firing goes back to the end of last season when the Hurricanes blew the division and a playoff spot on the last weekend of the season. The 'Canes have good talent up and down the roster and are better than an 8th place team.

Carolina has been consistent at being inconsistent. Here is their win/loss game log of the season:
2 wins, 2 losses, win, loss, win, loss, win, loss, 2 wins, loss, win, 3 losses, 3 wins, 3 losses, win, loss.

I like Laviolette and he will definitely land on his feet somewhere else, but it was time for a change in Raleigh. It's early December, so Carolina has plenty of time to right the ship in a weak division.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Joe Sakic has been bothered by a bad back all season and will be sidelined at least six weeks while receiving treatment for a herniated disc. Team doctors recommended he not return to the ice until mid-January. Sakic originally strained his back in the weight room, causing him to miss a game against Minnesota on Nov. 6. He returned two days later and played against Nashville, but was sidelined for five more games because of the back. An infected tooth caused him to miss a game at Anaheim on Nov. 24 before he returned to the lineup Nov. 26 against St. Louis, only to get hurt again two days later.Sakic had his most difficult season last year, missing 38 games following hernia surgery before returning to the lineup to help the team reach the playoffs after a one-year absence.-year and is not even considering the possibility of playing in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in his native Canada

-Philadelphia Flyers center Daniel Briere will miss the next four to five weeks with a groin strain.Briere left Tuesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning after taking a hit in the second period. Prior to that contest, he had missed 14 of the previous 16 games with a series of injuries. In only nine games played this season, Briere has five goals and four assists with 10 penalty minutes.

-NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will meet with Sean Avery about his off-color comments before Tuesday night's game against Calgary today.

LAST NIGHT'S RECAP

New York Rangers (18-8-2) over the Pittsburgh Penguins (14-6-4) 3-2 (SO)
TOP PERFORMER = Rangers RW Petr Prucha - 1 goal (Game-Tying Goal)
-For the second visit in a row for the Penguins to MSG this year, they blew a two goal lead and lost in a shootout. Penguins D Mark Eaton got the Penguins on the board in the 1st period and Jordan Staal would make it 2-0 in the 2nd period. Rangers RW Nikolai Zherdev would cut the lead in half on a beautiful deflection from Scott Gomez. In the 3rd period, Petr Prucha would score with six minutes remaining. In the shootout, all three Rangers shooters (Markus Naslund, Zherdev, Freddie Sjostrom) would score to give them the win. Rangers D Wade Redden had two assists in the victory. The Penguins have now lost their last seven games in Madison Square Garden.

Ottawa Senators (9-10-4) over the Atlanta Thrashers (8-14-3) 5-1
TOP PERFORMER = Senators LW Dany Heatley - 1 Goal, 2 Assists
-The Pizza line put this game away early (Heatley, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza-PPG) by scoring a goal a piece and having a 3-1 lead after the 1st period. Brendan Bell (PPG) would score for Ottawa in the 2nd period and Shean Donovan would add a goal in the 3rd period. Eric Boulton scored the lone Thrashers goal. Senators D Filip Kuba chipped in with 2 assists. The Senators have gotten points in six of their last seven games (a season high). On the flipside, the Thrashers have given up four or more goals in five straight games (all losses).

Minnesota Wild (15-8-1) over the St. Louis Blues (10-11-2) 4-0

TOP PERFORMER = Wild G Nicklas Backstrom - 22 Saves (Shutout)
-Wild C Eric Belanger drew first blood for Minnesota in the 2nd period on a set up from Pierre-Marc Bouchard. In the 3rd period, Andrew Brunette and Marek Zidlicky scored on the power play and Antti Miettinen added an empty net goal to seal the win. Nicklas Backstrom earned his second shutout win of the season. Minnesota is 10-3-1 vs. St. Louis since the lockout.

Chicago Blackhawks (11-6-6) over the Anaheim Ducks (14-10-3) 4-2
TOP PERFORMER = Blackhawks C Jonathan Towes - 1 Goal, 1 Assist (GWG)
-Patrick Sharp scored on the power play late in the 1st period on a set up from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Teemu Selanne would score the only goal of the 2nd period on the power play to tie the game up. In the 3rd, Chris Pronger would give Anaheim a 2-1 lead for most of the 3rd period. With 5:45 remaining, Martin Havlat would tie the game for Chicago. Four minutes later, Jonathan Toews scored the game winner and David Bolland would add an empty net goal. Ducks G Jonas Hiller made 37 saves in the loss while Christobal Huet made 30 saves in the win. The Blackhawks improved to 7-1-4 at home. Former Chicago RW Steve Larmer was honored before the contest and dropped the ceremonial first puck. Larmer played in a team-record 884 consecutive games spanning 11 seasons.

Edmonton Oilers (11-11-2) over the Dallas Stars (9-12-4) 5-2
TOP PERFORMER = Oilers D Lubomir Visnovsky - 1 Goal, 1 Assist
-The weight of Sean Avery being lifted off the Dallas Stars' shoudlers was short lived. Shawn Horcoff, Lubomir Visnovsky, and Marc-Antoine Pouliot gave Edmonton a 3-0 lead after two periods. Mike Modano would score a minute in to the 3rd period and would get Dallas close when he scored again with 1:40 to go. Ales Hemsky scored an empty net goal with :51 seconds to go and Andrew Cogliano added another goal with :13 remaining. Mathieu Garon made 23 saves to go to 4-5-0 on the season in his first start since 11/6. There was a scary moment midway through the third when Dallas' Stephane Robidas' slap shot hit teammate Mark Parrish in the face, but the forward was able to remain in the game.

RUMOR MILL

-The Edmonton Oilers have thrown their hats in to the Jay Bouwmeester sweepstakes.

AROUND THE BOARDS

-The Phoenix Coyotes have acquired forward Joakim Lindstrom from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman Logan Stephenson. Lindstrom, a second-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets, has four goals and four assists in 37 career NHL games. He scored seven goals and added 14 assists in 21 games for Iowa of the AHL this season. Last season, Lindstrom split time between the NHL and AHL, registering three goals and four assists in 25 games with the Blue Jackets. The 24-year-old Lindstrom will join the Coyotes' American Hockey League affiliate in San Antonio. Stephenson, the 35th overall pick of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, has recorded one goal and one assist, as well as 40 penalty minutes in 19 games this season while playing for San Antonio.

GAME OF THE NIGHT
New York Rangers (18-8-2) @ Montreal Canadiens (14-6-4) - 7PM

The Rangers seek their fifth win in six games on tonight as they visit the Montreal Canadiens, who are in the midst of a record seven game homestand. The Rangers rallied from a two-goal deficit, and all three shooters converted in the shootout for a 3-2 home win over Pittsburgh last night. The Rangers regained sole possession of the Eastern Conference lead with the win. Henrik Lundqvist earned his NHL-leading 16th victory in the win. New York has won three of its last four road contests. The Canadiens are coming off an interesting game with the Trhashers. With a 3-0 lead heading into the final 20 minutes, the Canadiens allowed three unanswered goals in a 59-second span before a pair of tallies helped them hang on for a 5-4 home victory over Atlanta on Tuesday. It has alternated wins and losses in its last six in Montreal, but has won six of the teams' last eight matchups (6-1-1) since the start of the 2006-07 season.

Other Action:
Pittsburgh (14-6-4) @ Carolina (12-11-2) - 7PM
New Jersey (12-8-2) @ Philadelphia (12-7-5) - 7PM
NY Islanders (10-12-2) @ Washington (13-9-3) - 7PM
Vancouver (14-9-2) @ Detroit (16-4-4) - 7:30PM
Boston (16-4-4) @ Tampa Bay (6-10-8) - 7:30PM
Buffalo (11-10-3) @ Florida (10-11-3) - 7:30PM
Colorado (12-12-0) @ Nashville (12-10-2) - 8PM
Toronto (9-10-6) @ Phoenix (11-11-2) - 9PM
Columbus (11-10-3) @ San Jose (21-3-1) - 10:30PM

^ALL TIMES EASTERN

*My weekly power rankings, "PLUS/MINUS", comes out Monday evenings

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out Wednesday evenings

FEEL FREE TO COMMENT OR EMAIL ANYTIME HERE OR AT FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

DROPPING THE GLOVES with ANDREW BOGUSCH - 12/3/08

One of Sean Avery's many antics during his career

It was crude and unnecessary, but it was also hilarious (and not to mention true). It should be remembered as one of the better bits of trash-talking in recent memory. It should not have led to Sean Avery being suspended indefinitely pending a hearing with Gary Bettman.

The Stars winger unleashed this barb on TSN hours before Tuesday night’s game in Calgary: “I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don’t know what that’s about. Enjoy the game tonight.”

Hey, Dion, how are you?

As you know by now, Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf is dating (super-hot) actress Elisha Cuthbert, whom Avery dated in the past. The remark was only going to make this game more interesting since it was the teams’ first meeting since Avery called Jarome Iginla boring. Instead, the Commissioner took Avery off the ice for the all-encompassing “conduct detrimental to the League or the game of hockey”.

But what is so detrimental about a guy running his mouth? It is safe to assume Phaneuf did not crumple into his locker stall in hysterics upon hearing Avery’s words. Ms. Cuthbert certainly does not need Mr. Bettman to defend her honor. This, coupled with the shot at Iginla, should have been settled on the Saddledome ice. And it would have been, because, to his credit, Avery understands the repercussions of his actions and is willing to drop his gloves when necessary.

There would also have been some fallout inside the Stars locker room. Mike Modano has already called out Avery (and Steve Ott) for his antics during an early November loss to the Bruins. In the wake of this drama, team owner Tom Hicks said the team would have suspended Avery if the league had not. And a handful of players failed to defend Avery, clearly fed up with his behavior. Mending those bridges should have been the bulk of Avery’s punishment.

And this is not about freedom of speech – that argument should only come into play for important things like race or religion. Simply put, this is the stuff that gets the game discussed on SportsCenter, on the web, and on national radio, like it or not. That’s not to say the League should promote such comments, but it does not have to punish people for them.

Did the NBA intervene when Shaquille O’Neal tore apart Kobe Bryant in a freestyle rap last summer? Google O’Neal’s “performance” and see how much meaner, crasser and more outrageous his words were compared to Avery’s. But David Stern did nothing because they were only detrimental to the speaker, not his league or his game.

Commissioner Bettman should have let us love or hate Avery more for what he said. He should have given Phaneuf or Iginla or whatever Flame a chance to shut Avery up. Instead, he did the only thing he should not have done.

P.S., I’d pay good money to be in the room when Avery and Bettman sit down to discuss this…

* * *

This week’s column was originally going to commemorate Claude Lemieux’s return to professional hockey with a list of the NHL’s best pests. The 43-year-old Lemieux signed a tryout deal last week with the Sharks’ AHL affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts. As of Tuesday afternoon, Lemieux had one goal, one assist and (surprisingly) only 2 PIM through three games. Avery would have been #1 on our annoying list, with his big mouth as one of the main reasons. The other players that were to be “honored” were (in no particular order): Alex Burrows, Milan Lucic, Ian Laperrierre, Jordin Tootoo, and Jarkko Ruutu.

The Shootout…No team had won 21 of its first 24 games until last night, when the Sharks took care of the Maple Leafs, 5-2. San Jose has scored 13 more goals than anybody else and is tied for 4th in goals-against. The power play and penalty kill are Top 7 units. Joe Thornton, Devin Setoguchi and Patrick Marleau are Top 10 scorers. And Todd McLellan is the early leader for Coach of the Year. All of that, though, does not matter. The Sharks’ recent history has been dominated by postseason failure. Until they win the Western Conference, the numbers are just numbers…

Brian Burke inherits a Maple Leafs team that is not as bad as most people predicted coming into the season. Going into Tuesday’s game in San Jose, Toronto sits ahead of Ottawa and Tampa Bay in the standings, and is only two points out of 8th place in the Eastern Conference. Mikhail Grabovski and Matt Stajan have been more than solid down the middle. If their defense can stay healthy, if Vesa Toskala can steady himself, and if Burke pulls off a shrewd deal or two, the Leafs should stay in the playoff chase…

A shrewd move Burke apparently cannot make is re-signing Mats Sundin. Burke said at his introductory press conference that his new team did not fit Sundin’s list of requirements. Whether that is true or not, some think we are very close to a Sundin decision. And those same people think once Sundin picks a team, we will get a flurry of trades from those that lose out on the Swedish center. Marion Gaborik and Jay Bouwmeester are the biggest chips that could move in the wake of a Sundin signing.