NHL News and Notes

AHEAD OF THE CURVE
The NHL Competition Committee has agreed to increase the legal curvature of hockey sticks. Players can now bend their stick blades three-fourths of an inch, up from the old standard of one-half inch. When reached for comment, Jaromir Jagr said, "Curves can only be three-fourths of an inch?"

Martin Brodeur, for one, has some safety concerns. Not for goaltenders, but for the less-padded forwards and defensemen standing in front of the cage. Curved blades make lifting the puck much easier, and, depending on the shooter, can also add velocity. Expect lots of high hard ones this season.

The rule change won't affect Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. Sid the Kid uses an almost perfectly straight blade, which is one reason his backhand is so wicked good. Speaking of Sid...

CROSBY HAS TO WAIT FOR C
The Pittsburgh Penguins have decided not to name a captain this year, electing instead to go with three assistants, all of whom have yet to be named. Head coach Michel Therrien said the decision was made to honor Mario Lemieux. You know a better way to honor Mario Lemieux? Quit living in the past and build on his proud legacy.

Sidney Crosby is Pittsburgh's captain. It doesn't matter what letter is on his jersey. It doesn't matter that he's only 19 years old. When the team needs a big goal, it looks to Crosby. When the team needs emotional inspiration, it looks to Crosby. And the kid always delivers.

I realize the Penguins are probably worried about putting too much pressure on Sid, but Crosby handles pressure. It's who he is, it's what he does. And he's already under more pressure than any player in the league, so it's not like he's going to be able to relax now that he won't have the C on his sweater.

Normally, it would be insane to name a teenager captain. But Crosby isn't your ordinary teenager. He's about as far from ordinary as it gets. Not only is Crosby ready to wear the C, he deserves it. Every player in that dressing room knows Crosby is the team's captain. Why wait? By putting the C on Crosby's chest, the team would be proclaiming a new era in Pittsburgh Penguin hockey. Yes, Lemieux was great. Lemieux deserves to be honored. But this is Crosby's team. This is Crosby's time.

The only benefit in waiting one more year is that the Penguins probably still won't be a playoff team this season. They're close, and if they catch a few breaks, they could sneak in, but more than likely they'll miss out on the tournament. If Crosby is merely an assistant, it would save him some disappointment, I suppose. And then Crosby will proudly don the C in 2007-08, when the Birds are truly prepared to compete for the Cup. I guess it makes sense. But don't be fooled. Crosby is an assistant in name only. He's Pittsburgh's captain right now.

I still don't think fans around the NHL truly grasp the greatness of Crosby. He's already the best hockey player on the planet. And it's not even close. It's not hype. It's not bias. It's an opportunity. You've been given a second chance to watch Wayne Gretzky... except now he's faster, stronger, and more explosive. Enjoy.

MALKIN DEBUT
Evgeni Malkin's first preseason game as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins will be Wednesday, September 20, against the Philadelphia Flyers in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Penguins actually open their preseason schedule tonight in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Crosby will play both nights.

HITCHED
He may have failed in his attempt to land Ryan Kesler, but Philadelphia GM Bobby Clarke managed to ink head coach Ken Hitchcock to a new three-year contract. Hitchcock is entering his fourth season behind the Flyer bench, boasting a record of 130-77-39. Negotiations were reportedly very easy, with Hitchcock's only demand being that he gets paid in pie. Hitchcock loves pie.

EAVES IF YOU PLEASE
Patrick Eaves will get the first crack at playing on Ottawa's top line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. Despite averaging only 12:28 in ice time, Eaves had 20 goals in 58 games last season. Of course, playing with great players isn't as easy as it seems. Remember all the Brandon Bochenski hype last year. Although, to be fair, Eaves is a much better all-around player than Bochenski. Even if he isn't scoring, he can still contribute defensively and on the forecheck. He seems like a nice fit.

And don't forget, Heatley will be playing the right side this year. So Eaves will be on left wing.

DOMI DONE
Unwilling to play for another team than his beloved Maple Leafs, Tie Domi has decided to retire. Toronto bought out the final two years of Domi's contract during the summer, meaning the Leafs will pay Domi $833,000 to sit at home and watch the "Price Is Right." Good gig. Although, now that Domi hasn't signed to play with another NHL team, he's due back at the zoo by October 1.

I'll always remember Domi for being one of the truly courageous characters in the NHL. He was a magnificent example of... aw, who am I kidding? Domi was a punk. Yeah, I know he was a consummate team guy and fought all comers, and I'm sure his teammates loved him, but he also committed some of the most vile, gutless acts ever perpetrated during hockey competition.

On October 14, 1995, Domi sucker punched Ulf Samuelsson, sneaking up from behind and drilling the unsuspecting Swede with a left hand to the face. Samuelsson was knocked unconscious, even suffering a nasty cut to the back of the head when his lifeless body collapsed to the ice. He didn't move for several seconds. The premeditated attack was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen on a hockey rink. It makes the Bertuzzi incident look like a church picnic. Yet Domi seemed proud, so much so he even sold an officially merchandised plaque commemorating the assault. Classy.

To this day, if you go to Domi's official web site, he still lets equally demented fans praise him for the cheap shot, lustily naming it their favorite Tie Domi moment.

And how about his elbow to Scott Niedermayer during the 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals? With the Leafs about to drop a 3-1 decision and the clock running out, Domi ran Niedermayer along the boards, knocking him out with a vicious elbow to the head. The puck was nowhere in sight and Niedermayer wasn't even looking at Domi, yet good ol' Tie felt the need to try and separate him from his head. Niedermayer was carried off on a stretcher. But I guess it was okay with Maple Leaf fans because, like Ulf, Niedermayer is such a dirty player. Whatever.

Good riddance. The average IQ in the NHL just went up.

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