Last night on Twitter, Maclean's writer Colby Cosh said this regarding the Oilers' ongoing arena woes:

My stance has always been that it would be goofy for the Oilers to abandon the most important heritage building in hockey.

He caught some flak for it, and even some discussion about how since both Toronto and Montreal left MLG and the Forum that the Oilers leaving their building shouldn't be a problem. His reply?

Sorry, but talk about a silly argument. Leafs/Habs abandoning their heritage increases the value of ours, doesn't it? How else would it work

I called him out on this stating that Rexall Place, yes that shit box of a stadium that's only been around since 1974 and whose name most hockey fans didn't even know until this whole Katz drama, and got flak back because "important games were played there". Look, yeah Gretzky and the Oilers dynasty played there, but the building itself carries no larger sentiment. MLG, MSG, the Forum, Olympia, Chicago Stadium these were shrines built for hockey that were loved for more than the games that took place inside of them. They were/are entities unto themselves. Rexall Place is an ugly, cookie cutter sports arena built in the middle of a giant parking lot with none of the charm that comes with other old rundown piece of crap arenas. What say you? Would you say that Rexall Place has heritage to it? Is it a heritage arena in the same vein as MLG and the Forum?

Here there be links.

Richard Peddie on the Brian Hayes Show

He talks NHL and stuff for some reason.

Contraction a Necessary Evil for Survival of NHL says Economist

10 to 1 odds we hear about expansion once this CBA stuff gets settled.

The NHL Lockout?

Mike at VLM stands with Ted Lindsay.

Shockbox Concussion Sensor Gets Investment on Dragon's Den

It's aimed at "diagnosing" concussions but I think it's a worthless piece of garbage.

As Mediation Fails, NHL Suggests a Meeting Between Owners and Players

What a ridiculously stupid idea. This is going to be good.

From The Branches