Alright, here's one that I got thinking about yesterday as I prepared to coach my students to the grade seven and eight tournament:

When I was eight years old, I was playing on a travel team and we had a coach that was competitive - really competitive. Angry tirades weren't out of the ordinary, but kids being kids, we didn't always pay as much attention as he expected us to.

One day, after an 8-1 loss, the coach had been screaming himself hoarse, and ended his long rant with the words "I NEVER WANT TO BE IN AN 8-1 GAME AGAIN!". One kid, too distracted by the McDonald's Happy Meal toy he had been playing with, looked up and said "Hey coach, was the '8' for us, or for them?"

Too angry to speak, the coach just turned on his heel and left the dressing room.

Ah, kids.

Anyway, on to the links.

The NHL turned down the NHLPA’s request to meet today, complete with a flippant Bill Daly quote
Bill Daly looks like some kind of turtle. From JB. Uh, the article is from JB, the turtle comment is mine.

NHL, union talking about not talking as chance of full season evaporating
Boooooo, NHL, booooo. From James Mirtle.

The case for NHL contraction
Eric Duhatschek and James Mirtle ponder on a league shorn of the red-ink teams, a league comprised of stable franchises. They're preaching to the choir here at PPP, but I'll like to this anyway because I agree.

NHL says 82-game season unlikely; Winter Classic on the chopping block this week?
If the Winter Classic gets cancelled, I'm going to riot. From Greg Wyshynski at PD.

Islanders moving to Brooklyn is a done deal
Yeah, the Islanders are moving off the island, but they'll still be called the Islanders, and they'll probably still be crappy. From Justin Bourne.

An overview of what the Islanders move to Brooklyn means for their fans
Fans? From Justin Bourne.

Would KHL players really make us lonesome were they to go?
I have to say that I enjoy watching what I know to be unquestionably the best league in the world. The fewer great players there are, the less fun it is. Article from Ryan Lambert.

BizNasty got punked by Mike Cammalleri at BioSteel camp (video)
Not too shabby for a guy who played for the Habs. Link from JB.

The KHL Doesn't F--- Around With Mistakes
From Dirty Dangle.

Blue Jackets hire ex-Blues exec John Davidson to run hockey side
Well, he can't be any worse than Howson. From Rusty Miller of the AP at the Globe.

Marlies upcoming road trip includes a stop in Toronto
The Marlies' road trip is spread out over such a large span of time, they'll actually come home between games. From Kyle Cicerella.

La vie est une puck: Jim Corsi
This is from a really good hockey blog that's in French, so if you can read it, check it out.

Looking at Undrafted NCAA Free Agents
Article from Corey S. at NHL Numbers.

NHLnumbers Podcast: Flyers Forward Matt Read
Matt Read actually joins the guys for an interview about playing in Europe. Good stuff.

Kulemin & Malkin shown up by Ponikarovsky and Fedotenko, Semin shuts down Ovechkin, and more
Steve Dangle has another KHL update.

From The Branches