The Canadian Sports Hall of Fame could have spread their superstar talent across multiple tables to have a more balanced attack, but instead they said screw it and made the most super of super lines.

Also last night the Canadian Hall of Fame honoured Wick with the distinction of Order of Sport.

And if getting that honour wasn’t enough good done in the day, Wick hammered home the final nail in the coffin of Hockey Canada with this quote to the media. “I spent 23 of my life around Hockey Canada. It’s been beyond disappointing, and I would say disgraceful, what I’ve seen. It’s kind of taken a while to process.” Wickenheiser then smiled and said, “regardless of what goes on in the board rooms, the lights will always be on!”

Oh, Captain, my Captain. Damn right. That last line is a shot at Hockey Canada’s line (via Andrea Skinner) that they keep the lights on, so let them do whatever they want. Nah, it doesn’t work that way.

Wickenheiser’s comments came minutes before this report from Isabelle Ethier at TVA, translated into saying Scott Smith’s resignation is imminent.

Gary Bettman weighed in earlier in the day, dumbfounded at the dumbfoundary, which is saying a lot coming from the protector of the NHL’s owners.

Here’s a preview for what the next round of hearings might be on. There’s a lot to cover here.

The Leafs are almost certainly going to do something clever with the cap and LTIR. Whether that’s sneaking together prorated LTIR or banging at Pierre Engvall’s knees until he’s actually injured for a month. I’ve been watching the phrasing coming out about the injuries closely. Every day seems to be a different story. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

In better health news, Rodion Amirov is working with the Leafs strength and conditioning staff (I believe this is Artie Hairston in the picture, but I can’t confirm).

And finally, CCM is partnering with the PWHPA as a sponsor and equipment supplier. This is a huge boost to the organization as (we all know) equipment is a significant expense for players.

From The Branches