FanHouse Blackhawks

Darren Dreger of TSN reported today that the Tampa Bay Lightning have alerted center Brad Richards they're trying to deal him. Richards has given management a list of teams for which he'd be willing to waive his NTC; GM Jay Feaster will take the offers he's received -- allegedly from Vancouver, Columbus and Dallas -- to ownership, and a former Conn Smythe winner making $7.8 million per season until 2011 could be gonzo by the trade deadline.

If you go by the hockey rumoristas, Richards has been on the block longer than a septuagenarian prostitute. But this time could be different, if Dreger's on point with this line from his TSN.ca piece: "Tampa Bay's incoming owner Oren Koules is said to be heavily involved." Koules has taken over a losing team with the gross national product of Guyana tied up into three players; snipping a valuable but under-performing Richards would, I imagine, be something he might be interested in.

There are several teams rumored to be in the hunt for Richards. But would he improve any of them in the short term or the long run?

Over the next 48 hours, Peter Forsberg will decide which NHL team will have the honor of giving his bum wheel a two-year contract. Or he'll decide to remain in Europe because he isn't healthy enough for Stanley Cup Playoff-level competition. Either way, this farcical season-long tease could finally be coming to an end; I only hope the Swedish postal service commemorates it with a stamp that depicts an indecisive Forsberg holding a Flyers jersey in one hand and a hospital chart in the other.

After eliminating some teams from the derby recently, the field for Forsberg's services has been thinned. The suddenly slumping -- but rapidly healing -- Avalanche are still waiting to hear from him. Dave Nonis told HNIC over the weekend that he believes the Canucks haven't been eliminated from the competition. One late addition to the mix has been the Chicago Blackhawks, who Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune said may be offering a three-year commitment to the Indian that would certainly intrigue Forsberg and his agent.

But the front-runners have always been the Philadelphia Flyers, who have a sense of urgency thanks to an inexplicable seven-game tailspin. The question is whether Forsberg is the right fix -- or whether joining another team might give him a better shot at more hardware.

As I'm sure all of you are aware, this is Hockey Weekend Across America. (Did you remember to wear your favorite jersey to school on Friday?) Here at FanHouse, we were going to commemorate the occasion by celebrating the 15 years the U.S. has successfully kept Lord Stanley's chalice out of the syrup-covered hands of our neighbours to the nord, but we figured some members of the team might object to such blatant jingoism. Much more agreeable: A celebration of blood, fists and fury.

One look at the indispensable HockeyFights.com list of U.S.-born pugilists leaves one feeling ... yeah, I think "underwhelmed" might be the word. All due respect to Chris Tamer and Jim Cummins, there aren't enough "punchers" and more than a few "speed bags." But here they are, in completely debatable order and with little regard for anything that occurred more than 30 years ago: The Top 10 U.S.-Born Fighters in NHL History...

10. Derian Hatcher (Born: Jun 4, 1972 - Sterling Heights, Michigan): He was able to use his size (6-5, 235) and strength in a fight, unleashing some real bombs in a brawl. Check out this tussle with Darren Langdon of the Rangers to see how he handled a fellow heavyweight. Is he a cheap-shot artist? Sure. Did he pick on undersized and weaker opponents? Absolutely ... but is there anything more American than that?

When it comes to awards, the NHL basically has things covered. Nothing your friendly neighborhood FanHouse puckheads might develop could possibly rival the historic significance of the Lady Byng Trophy or the functionality of the William M. Jennings Trophy, which doubles as a delightful chili con queso bowl. But we can try, dammit. Here's four of the eight categories in our lusty gaze at 2007 in the review mirror (sans Mirtle, who decided to check out on life to concentrate on the true meaning of Boxing Day this holiday season.)

NHL Man of the Year

JP: Brian Burke. Wins a Cup, lets MacT overpay for Penner (while adding some great drama to the whole situation), only has to pay for half a year of Niedermayer but still finds himself just a stone's throw from first place in the division (granted, that's 8th place in the Conference). You may not like the way the game behind the game is played, but Burke sure is playing it. Oh, and he secured Edmonton's first pick in the upcoming draft as part of the Penner compensation, and that could very well be the #1 overall pick (i.e. Stamkos).

Earl Sleek: I'd guess Crosby is the man, but I could see a case for Pronger (has anyone been robbed of two Conn Smythes in a row?) or even Sammy Pahlsson -- that guy killed this year, though in a very non-celebratory way.

Kevin Schultz: After some dirty hits in the playoffs, I can't see Pronger getting MOTY.

Being the best thing in a crap-fest is a sure-fire recipe for superficial glory; I mean, Megan Mullally was nominated for seven Emmy Awards on "Will & Grace," right? The classic knock on the Detroit Red Wings is that they're annual President's Trophy contenders not because they're one of the best teams in hockey but because they're usually the only Norris Central Division team worth a damn. Those monster regular-season point totals look flimsy when the Wings fail to advance out of the Western Conference, as they have in the three years prior to and the four seasons following their last Stanley Cup.

It's a theory I've espoused myself over the years and an ideology some might be tempted to swallow again this season, as the Wings were 25-6-3 (53 points) entering Thursday night's divisional tilt in St. Louis. It's no secret that the Central's a tougher go this season -- thanks for joining the party, Blackhawks and Blues. A little less publicized is that, evidently, the rest of the NHL has gotten easier for Detroit, based on its out-of-division record:

20-1-1

I had a bit of a WTF moment when "Boomer" Gordon let that stat drop on XM Home Ice tonight, but it's true: Detroit's lone blemishes outside the Central were a 6-3 loss at Anaheim on Oct. 15 and a 4-3 shootout loss against Edmonton on Dec. 13. It's a stunning mark -- Ottawa, for example, was 12-5-3 outside of its division entering tonight's action. As Jamie Samuelsen wrote on his Detroit Free Press blog, the "fool's good" in the Red Wings' regular-season record is gone. Detroit's sterling record is legit.

Every day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.

• Semi-Retired (adj.): 1. A near or incomplete state of retirement. 2. A code word, frequently used in professional hockey circa 2007, that describes a veteran player who is content to loaf around during the regular season until he decides to rejoin his team, causing a domino effect of financial repercussions.

Scott Niedermayer returned from semi-retirement last night in Anaheim's shootout loss to the Sharks, but the real loss appears to be to his once-sterling reputation. His decision to "leave" the Ducks before the season contributed to their post-Cup malaise and lack of success on the ice; his decision to return cost Anaheim one of its top offensive forwards (based on reputation, if not this year's numbers) in Andy MacDonald, a loss that Niedermayer can only blame himself for instigating. While the move will create a little more wiggle room for GM Brian Burke next off-season as he attempts to keep Corey Perry from Pennering the Ducks, it does little to address the destitute offense that has Anaheim 28th in the league in average goals scored per game and has all but three of its forwards with 10 points or less on the season.

Unless, of course, the Ducks' other star in semi-retirement decides to lace'em up again.

(Coming Up Next: This Weekend's Losers, Scandalous and Hilarious Puck Headlines, Life as Andy Sutton of the Islanders, The Blackhawks' Shooting Gallery, Ovechkin Comes To Motown, The Fan Who Broke the Doug Weight Trade and the Ottawa Senators Wish You an Awkward Christmas.)