Tomas Kaberle has a no-trade clause, this much we know. What we don’t know is just how close Toronto Maple Leafs GM was to trading Kaberle at today’s deadline. Both Kaberle and Burke know that Kaberle’s no-trade clause will be null and void once the summer roles around—assuming the Leafs miss the playoffs, which they undoubtedly will. In a news conference broadcast on TSN this afternoon, Burke stated that he was approached by Kaberle’s agent, Rick Curran, who “whispered in Burke’s ear” a couple of teams that Kaberle was interested in joining, teams he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for a chance to play for them. True to his word, Burke has never asked Kaberle to waive his no-trade. That said, when a player of Kaberle’s clout and skill level asks you to explore a couple of

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter Let’s face it folks, the Olympics have been a huge distraction for all of us NHL fans, a great distraction, but a distraction nonetheless. Once Sunday nights gold medal game is decided it will mark the point in which all NHL general managers will go back to work with the main focus being the trade deadline. Going forward, every NHL GM needs to establish wether they are buyers or sellers. For some, identifying their direction will be a tough one, the NHL standings are extremely cluttered, making it tough for many GM’s to decide if they should be making a run at the playoffs or if they should unload. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the Eastern Conference and which teams will be buyers, sellers or remain undecided. Eastern

With the NHL trade deadline coming up, my thoughts quickly turned to the worst trades in NHL history. The list is longer than you think, but for the purpose of fitting this article into this publication, I have created a list of 12 horrific trades. 1. Pavol Demitra gets traded from the Ottawa Senators to the St. Louis Blues for Christer Olsson. Well, we all know who Demitra is, who the heck is Olsson? Demitra has over 700 points in his NHL career, while Olsson played 25 games for the Sens, scoring two goals and adding three assists for a total of five points. OUCH! Pass the vaseline, that trade hurt! 2. The Los Angeles Kings Trade Wayne Gretzky to the St. Louis Blues for Craig Johnson, Roman Vopat, Patrice Tardif, a first and a fifth rounder. In case you

Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke is often looked upon as a bully in NHL circles. His crass demeanor and aggressive nature with the media makes Burke one of the most feared general managers in NHL hockey. Let’s face it, nobody is under the impression that the “P” in the middle of Brian Burke’s name stands for Penelope, however, you may find more than a few people in NHL circles that are willing to bet it is a five letter word that rhymes with “slick”. To be fair, Burke’s gruff nature is up for debate—I for one love his demeanor and swagger. One thing is definite, Burke is an innovator, the type of GM that looks outside the box for answers, the type of GM that is always willing to take calculated risks, and a guy that is always

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter Thus far, we have witnessed some of the most beloved franchises in NHL history play at some very impressive venues. Last years tilt between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings held at historic Wrigley Field in Chicago was probably my favorite event as it showcased the up and coming Blackhawks versus the veteran laden Red Wings, two of the NHL’s most entertaining franchises. I think when we talk about the Winter Classic it is important for the NHL to consider the teams that will be involved. A teams style of play comes into consideration as well, nobody wants to watch two defensive teams battle it out when it’s minus ten outside and nobody is interested in witnessing two bottom feeding teams play for 60 minutes either. With that in mind, when