SNAP SHOTS

Couple of quick news items worthy (to me) of noting:

ZEBRAS--OFF THE ENDANGERED LIST

So I was thumbing through The Hockey News earlier today and I stumbled across the headline that the NHL was negotiating a collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Officials Association.  I had no idea their CBA was even up.  Speculation was that there was a good chance a deal wouldn't get done and the league would be forced to start the season with (GULP)  replacement officials.

Yeah, I wasn't too happy about it either.

Thank the Hockey Gods, however, because a new deal has been worked out that will keep the boys in the stripes in the fold for four years.  We all get on the refs and linesmen for mistakes made and calls that go unseen.  But hey, you can't play the game without them and you may as well have the best you can get.  These gentlemen are just that--a credit to their profession.  Thanks for continuing to do what you do and doing it well.  And please continue to screw up as little as possible.

\

Flame MorrisON!

Well our old buddy Brendan Morrison, he of the failed 1-year experiment, has convinced the Calgary Flames to offer him the same for this season.  Will he be of any use in Calgary? Maybe and maybe not, but it's certain that his best days are behind him.  I just hope for their sake he doesn't, er, Flame out like he did last season. 
If you read the link he sounds pretty confident in his ability to contribute.  He's either an eternal optimist or in a major amount of denial.  He's already flunked out of a second shot this year with the Vancouver Canucks.  What's he trying to do?  Get cut by every Canadian team?

Here's when he falls over after when Max Talbot tells him the one about the sound of the oil and vinegar trucks colliding!

Oh, I'm so going to hell for that one!