NHL Hockey Bet-No 'qualified' bids for Coyotes

Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes has challenged Jerry Reinsdorf's bid to buy the financially troubled NHL hockey Bet team.

In a motion filed in bankruptcy court on Thursday, Moyes' attorney said that Reinsdorf's bid "cannot be approved as a matter of law" and that "there are no qualified bidders" based on terms set by the court.

The motion did not elaborate but says that Moyes' objection will be laid out in court documents on Friday, the deadline for filing objections to Reinsdorf's bid.

By disputing the legality of Reinsdorf's offer, Moyes is setting the stage for a battle pitting him and unsecured creditors against the NHL Hockey Bet and the city of Glendale.

Later Thursday, attorneys for Glendale and the NHL asked the court to postpone next Wednesday's local bid auction, saying Reinsdorf and another potential bidder, Ice Edge Holdings of Canada, needed more time.

The league said in its filing Thursday that it understood that Ice Edge would make a bid on Friday.

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NHL Hockey Bet transactions

National Hockey Bet League

EDMONTON OILERS-Agreed to terms with F Liam Reddox and F Ryan Potulny.

MINNESOTA WILD-Re-signed G Josh Harding to a one-year contract.

OTTAWA SENATORS-Signed D Derek Smith and F Jeremy Yablonski to one-year contracts.

PHOENIX COYOTES-Re-signed LW Scottie Upshall and G Josh Tordjman to one-year contracts.

ST. LOUIS BLUES-Signed D Bryce Lampman.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING-Named Rick Wilson associate coach and agreed to terms with him on a multiyear contract.

American NHL Hockey Bet League

CHICAGO WOLVES-Signed C Kevin Doell.

PEORIA RIVERMEN-Signed G Sebastian Dahm.

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USA NHL Hockey Bet Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced

Former NHL stars Tony Amonte, Tom Barrasso, John LeClair and the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey team will be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

The 2009 Hall of Fame class announced Tuesday by USA NHL Hockey Bet also includes the late Frank Zamboni, inventor of the storied ice resurfacing machine.

Amonte scored the winning goal against Canada in the deciding game of the first World Cup of Hockey in 1996.

Barrasso won two Stanley Cups as a goalie for the Pittsburgh Penguins, while LeClair was the first American-born player with three-straight 50-goal seasons from 1995 to 1998.

The 1998 U.S. Olympic Women's team won the gold medal at the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

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NHL Hockey Bet-Burke adds some Primeau beef

The Maple Leafs have broken the logjam on their blueline slightly by acquiring a little more jam up front.

Toronto yesterday picked up Wayne Primeau, a 33-year-old journeyman grinder, from Calgary in exchange for defenceman Anton Stralman, forward Colin Stuart and a seventh-round draft pick in the 2012 NHL Hocket Bet draft.

While Primeau doesn't fill the Leafs' need for offence – he didn't score in 24 games with the Flames last season and has just 66 goals in 715 career games – he is a prototypical bottom two-line guy in the world of Leafs general manager Brian Burke. Big at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, fearless and willing to mix it up in the corners, he's also regarded as a solid dressing room presence.

Primeau, whose brother Keith was a star in Philadelphia and Carolina, missed 58 games last season with an ankle injury that he says was the result of "a freak accident" when he was hit by a Dion Phaneuf slap shot at the tail end of a practice. It was at first diagnosed as a bone bruise and Primeau kept playing, but it got worse and worse until a foot specialist found multiple fractures in the ankle and he went under the knife.

"They had to go in and remove some pieces and shave it down. It was a tough season," he recounted in a telephone interview last night. "To miss the last 60 games and the playoffs was really tough."

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Big Winners in NHL Free-Agency

The first wave of NHL free-agency has closed out, and now that the dust has settled, we can look back and see who the big winners and losers are. Did your favorite NHL Hockey bet make the grade? Let’s find out!

Vancouver Canucks Re-Sign Sedin Twins

Stanley Cup Odds: +1600

The big scare in Vancouver was that the Sedin twins, who scored 82 points apiece last season, were going to bolt for greener pastures in Toronto. Instead the Sedin twins re-signed in Vancouver for $5.5 million each for the next five years. It’s a great signing for both the Sedin’s and the Canucks, who can now move on in confidence that they have the corps of their team in hand for a half-decade.

Calgary Gets A Real Defensemen

Stanley Cup Odds: +2000

Dion Phaneuf has been parading around as a defenseman for far too long. Now Calgary gets a guy coveted as one of the best defenders in the game in Jay Bouwmeester. The former panther signed a five year, $33.4 million deal and will anchor a Flames defense that has been unable to protect Mikka Kiprusoff for the last two seasons.

Of course, the Flames lost 40-goal scorer Mike Cammellari but who’s counting?

Tampa Bay Signs Mattias Ohlund To Mentor Youngsters

Stanley Cup Odds: +6600

Don’t worry, the Lightning won’t be making any noise in the playoffs for a few years, but they now have a player with years of experience to mentor Victor Hedman, the defender Tampa drafted in the 2009 NHL Draft. Ohlund will also get a 7-year deal that will net him $24.5 million and give him the opportunity to influence one of the more dangerous young teams in the league. Huge signing that will go under the radar…until Tampa starts winning games.

Edmonton Loves Old Goaltenders

Stanley Cup Odds: +3000

I have to be happy when anything goes well in Edmonton. Though they lost out on Dany Heatley, the competitive Oilers got their goaltender in Nikolai Khabibulin who signed a 4-year $15 million contract. At age 37, “The Bulin Wall” is no spring chicken, but his experience and grit were invaluable to a young Hawks team went all the way to the Western Conference Finals. Khabi can still steal games with his incredible athleticism and vision, but its also his big game experience which will be invaluable to the Oilers.

Toronto Maple Leafs Get Tougher

Stanley Cup Odds: *shaking my head*

I know, I know. The Leafs are still garbage. But a team that is short on finesse (and everything else) just got a whole lot tougher on the blue-line. All this comes with the sigh of relief that Leafs fans exhaled after Tomas Kaberle remained in the blue and white. But the Leafs also went out and stole Mike Komisarek, the tough and tenacious shot blocker from Montreal. They also dealt for Garnet Exelby and Colin Stuart meaning that they finally have guys who aren’t afraid to throw down and get penalty minutes.

The Leafs were beat up last year by virtually everyone, and now their blue line will be one of the tougher ones in the league. With Luke Schenn and Kaberle flanked by some serious head cases, the Leaf’s defense will be far more reliable than it has been in the past.

Brian Burke has always been a sneaky genius when re-building clubs and he’s doing what he’s always done by building from the crease out. There’s still some talent to steal at the forward position, but Toronto has taken a big step in the right direction.

Toronto Maple Leafs Rebuilding Slowly , But Surely

The difference between Brian Burke and the recent GM’s of Toronto, who created the mess that Burke is trying to clean up, is that this GM is not going to panic like the rest. He went out and tried to lure the Sedin’s. He inquired about all the big names out there, including Phil Kessel. But Burke has always built from the inside out, meaning that Toronto is building a foundation on the blue-line, and in net, that they can rest on in spite of offensive woes.

Offense was not the problem in Toronto. The Maple Leafs have always been a team designed to get the puck to the net, averaging 2.98 goals per game, good enough for a top-10 finish last season. The problem has always been defense, where the Leafs ranked dead last with 3.49 lamp lighters against. The Leafs finished one-game shy of .500, with a 34-35-13 SU record. At home, they were 16-16-9.

So what has Burke done in the off season? He’s secured a billion gritty defensemen. The biggest name is Stanley Cup winner, Francois Beauchemin and former Montreal Canadian Mike Komisarek. They will join Tomas Kaberle, Luke Shenn, Mike Van Ryan, Jeff “Give ‘em the” Finger and Ian White on the blue-line. Suddenly, the Leafs have a bevy of talent on the blue-line and guys who will make life hell for opposing teams.

The problem, however, is that you can’t carry that many blue-liners. Typically, Kaberle and Schenn would suck up nearly 25 minutes of hockey, and the rest is distributed amongst four more players (three lines of defense). This screams of “trade! Trade! Trade!” but Burke is not one to make moves just for the sake of it. He’s sat on goldmines for Luke Schenn and Tomas Kaberle since last season’s trade deadline.

Burke’s philosophies on hockey are about as old school as you can get in the modern era of the NHL. He refuses to just tank for a half-decade just to secure better draft picks, then wait for this picks to mature. And Toronto, a team entrenched in a Stanley Cup drought which began in 1967, doesn’t have the patience for a rebuilding phase. They never have, quite frankly.

But Burke is succeeding where he’s predecessors haven’t. He’s building the team with chippy, blue-chip guys. No Dany Heatley’s. No Marion Hossa’s. No big name softies. If you want to play with Burke, you have to be hard as nails.

And if you want NHL Hockey bet on the Leafs, you have to be as tough as an overcooked steak. The Leafs are +10,000 to win the Stanley Cup this season. A far cry from a “safe bet” by betting standards. In a league whose salary structure is as complicated as Fermat’s Theorem, but if anyone can build a serious contender in Toronto, it’s Burke. This is a club worth tracking, especially when our divisional and conferenceare released in the NHL futures.

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Jacques Lemaire Returns to New Jersey Devils

Talk about a blast from the past! The New Jersey Devils, never one to make big noise in the free-agent market, have opened up the gates to one of hockey’s better coaching talents. Infamous for developing the strategy referred to as the neutral zone trap, Lemaire returns to the team where he won his one and only Stanley Cup Championship as a coach in 1995. Lemaire has been coaching the underachieving Minnesota Wild for the past eight seasons, having gone as far as the conference championship in 2002-03.

What exactly does this do for the new jersey devils ? Besides familiarity, I’m not so sure. The president and general manager of the Devils, Lou Lamoriello, has been lambasted for making the Devils’ coaching position a revolving-door. But Lemaire, who has 11 Stanley Cups as a player/coach/executive, is the kind of grizzled coach and hockey wizard that the Devils need.

Lemaire has a gift for developing young talent, and the Devils are in a tough spot when it comes to considering the future. In net, they have the best goalie of all time in Martin Brodeur. However, at age 37, and having played just 31 games last season, Brodeur’s health remains a concern. When Lemaire and Brodeur were first united during Lemaire’s previous tenure as a Devils coach, they made history together and put Brodeur in the position he enjoyed last season, passing Patrick Roy on the all-time wins list to assume the mantle as greatest all-time.

Now Lemaire’s task will be similar to the one he assumed in 1993 when he first joined the Devils. He’ll have to take a young team and find the right mix to make things work in the playoffs. Zach Parise scored 94-points for the devils last year, and four players after that scored more than 60-points. To make things even more promising, Lemaire boasts a crop of young talent on the minor league affiliate that will help restore some youth and grit to a Devils lineup that was lost last season.

Notorious for moving players up and down lines during games, Lemaire’s coaching strategy will bring cohesion to a unit that lost its way last season. It didn’t help that Lamoriello has been made the coaching position in New Jersey a hot-seat. After Brent Sutter left to go coach the calgary flames, Lamoriello did what he had to do to instill some consistency and faith in the coaching staff, especially given the youthful age of the roster – he went out and found the only man he could trust.

With Lemaire behind the bench, the Devils will be making noise once again. They are rarely a team that rattles the cages in the free-agent market, or partakes in massive, jaw shattering trades. They are a team which conserves funds and builds from the inside. Bringing back Lemaire is the first-step in to ensuring Game 7 collapses, and first round exits, don’t become a part of the Devils’ storied past of success.

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NHL Hockey Betting-Thrashers Coach Talks About Next Season's Plans

Thrashers head coach John Anderson took a break from remodeling his home in Chicago to attend the team’s Prospect Development Camp last week. He sat down with AJC Thrashers beat writer Chris Vivlamore to discuss the team’s offseason moves, why the team struggled early last season and even how one comment landed him in Sports Illustrated.

At 16, he was playing with the Toronto Marlies, and two years later he was the team captain. But on the day he turned 18, he became part of the controversy that was the standard players contract for the OHA.

Q: What are your thoughts on the offseason acquisitions?

A: We got a pretty good player with the fourth pick [Evander Kane]. It gives us good youth at the core. Certainly, [Ilya] Kovalchuk is not old. [Bryan] Little and [Zach] Bogosian, Kari [Lehtonen] is not old. The strength of our team will be in our youth. It bodes well for the organization because we will be good for a long time.

[Nik] Antropov up the middle is a big, strong guy. We needed to add a little size, because if you saw the size of us last year, we weren’t an overly big team. [Pavel] Kubina, again, a bigger, stronger guy.

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NHL Hockey Betting-Colorado's first family of hockey

Shortly after the University of Denver hockey team captured the 2004 NCAA championship, Drew Shore left sticky notes at prime locations throughout his parents' Cherry Hills home.

The 13-year-old's scribbled notes weighed the pros and cons of moving to Canada to live with a host family in British Columbia to develop his hockey career in order to eventually play for the Pioneers. He moved, all right, and this fall the 18-year-old center will skate onto the ice at DU as the leading member of a family of hockey prodigies.

"They're almost like the first family of Colorado, in terms of hockey, based on what their kids are achieving," said Angelo Ricci, director of the Littleton Hockey Association. "They're polite young guys, and they're driven to achieve."

Shore, who was selected 44th overall in last month's NHL Hockey Betting draft by the Florida Panthers, is the oldest of David and Sarah Shore's four sons. He's the best player in the family right now, but younger brothers Nick, 16, and Quentin, 15, are on elite-level teams and the fast track to follow in his skates. And the youngest, Baker, 9, is one of the state's top squirt-level players.

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NHL Hockey Betting-NHL milking Winter Classic For All It's worth

Bettman is clearly excited about the NHL's popular outdoor game, and he has every reason to be. The New Year's Day contest has generated a great deal of positive buzz in the United States, where, in just two years, it has become the most anticipated hockey game of the season.

But is the league running the risk of over-hyping the Winter Classic and running a good idea into the ground? On one hand, the NHL Hockey Betting would be silly not to capitalize on the outdoor game's popularity, but then again, it's possible that too much of a good thing could be bad.

The NHL is used to being shoved into the margins in the U.S. sports pantheon, as it is forced to take a back seat to baseball, basketball and football, but hockey has become a player in America as well, if only for that one day when a pair of teams battle the elements under the open sky.

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NHL Hockey Betting Details At Fenway

When the Boston Bruins [team stats] take on the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park [map] on the first day of 2010, four top brands will converge on the iced-over infield.

“No one ever imagined that a hockey game could wrest a modest part of New Year’s Day from college football,” said Stephen Greyser, marketing professor at Harvard Business School. “But these four terrific brands - the NHL Hockey Betting , the Winter Classic, the Bruins and Fenway Park - have turned a national event into a global one.”

The National Hockey League’s outdoor matchup has become a big draw since it was launched in snowy weather in 2008 at Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium and next held at Chicago’s Wrigley Field.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the event is so popular because it puts hockey where it was meant to be played - outside.

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Future Of Ice NHL Hockey In Danbury up In The Air

The future of minor league ice hockey in Danbury is looking unsettled in light of comments made Tuesday by Pat Lovett, the commissioner of the new North East Professional Hockey League.

Lovett said in a phone conversation with The News-Times that the Danbury Mad Hatters and the Eastern Professional Hockey League folded weeks ago.

"The Hatters are a dead entity because they were part of the EPHL," said Lovett. "There's not really any movement in it."

Lovett added that the NEPHL, which announced Sunday it would start its inaugural season in November of this year, planned to locate a new team in Danbury.

"We're absolutely looking to have a team there," said Lovett.

As for the Mad Hatters, Lovett said he heard ongoing negotiations between team owner Tim Kolpien and potential buyers went nowhere.

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Hockey Beat The Heat

When the idea to put two ice rinks on top of the garage of Ballston Mall was hatched back in 1998, the main goal was to attract the Washington Capitals as lead tenants and make the rinks their practice home.

But when the team joined up with Arlington County in a public-private partnership, county officials made sure the facility would not be exclusive to elite hockey players, it’s aim being to create more of a skating community center for the public to enjoy.

Eleven years later, Kettler Capitals Iceplex is not only home to the George Washington and Georgetown University NHL hockey betting teams, but also the unofficial rink of choice of six area high schools, several youth leagues, and numerous skating programs.

So while some choose to escape the heat in the pool this summer, KCI and the Washington Capitals are offering a wide array of camps meant to supplement the skills of everyone from those just learning to skate to high schoolers attempting to make it to the elite levels of the hockey world.

"Kettler summer camps are a great way for kids to cool off, have fun, and learn a new skill this summer," said Iceplex marketing director Racqel Self. "Cooling off from a deep playoff run, the Capitals have organized specialized summer camps to fit the needs of each camper."

Camp sessions are weekly and run from July 13-Sept. 4.

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Hockey's money bummers:pending CBA headaches

There's an underlying vibe to this offseason that's been a total bummer, and one can't help taste the familiar bile of impending doom that gurgled up before the lockout.

This summer, it's the precipitous salary cap deflation that will allegedly cause Armageddon for teams that are carrying large payrolls next summer. It's not the level of gloom that infected everything NHL-related before the lockout; it's just that nasty aftertaste for every offseason transaction.

Like when Marian Hossa(notes) is signed to a long-term deal by the Chicago Blackhawks, and there's more talk about what it means for their salary cap next July than what it could mean on the ice for them next June.

This is a symptom of cap culture: transforming the debates that make sports delightful escapism for fans into sullen evaluations of business practices from armchair financial analysts.

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Indian Hockey Team For Europe Tour

Hockey India on Tuesday announced a 23-member side for the Indian team’s forthcoming tour of Europe.

The squad is packed with 11 forwards and nine midfielders. The major omission in the squad is seasoned defender Dilip Tirkey, who was left out because of an ankle injury.

India will play four Tests against England (in Birmingham) and three each against Belgium (in Antwerp) and Spain (in Terassa). Besides, it will also play two Tests versus Holland in Amstelveen during the 25-day tour.

The squad: Goalkeepers: Adrian D’Souza, Baljit Singh. Defenders: Sandeep Singh (Capt), V. Raghunath. Midfielders: Gurbaj Singh, Vikram Pillay, Prabodh Tirkey, Sardar Singh, Ajitesh Roy, Ignace Tirkey, V.S. Vinaya, Dhananjay Mahadhik. Forwards: Tushar Khandker, Shivendra Singh, Rajpal Singh, Arjun Halappa, Prabhjot Singh, Gurwinder Singh Chandi, Hari Prasad, S.V. Sunil, Bharat Chikara, Ravi Pal Singh, Birendra Lakra. Chief coach: Jose Brasa. Coach: Harendra Singh. Asst. Coach : Romeo James. Human Performance Analyst: Jesus Garcia Pallares. Doctor: B.K. Nayak. Trainer: Pradip Dutta. Physiotherapist: Shrikant Iyengar. Masseur: B.R. Barafsingh. Manager: Jagbir Singh.

The schedule: India v England: 1st Test (July 27), 2nd Test (July 29), 3rd Test (July 31), 4th Test (August 2).

India v Belgium: 1st Test (August 4), 2nd Test (August 5), 3rd Test (August 7).

India v Spain: 1st Test (August 9), 2nd Test (August 10), 3rd Test (August 12).

India v Holland: 1st Test (August 14), 2nd Test (August 16).

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NHL Hockey-Koivu Joins Selanne In Anaheim

When he was not invited to return to Montreal, his NHL home for the last 13 years, Saku Koivu chose to recreate a part of his homeland.

Koivu, the 10-year captain of the Canadiens, yesterday selected to sign with the Anaheim Ducks, where he will skate with fellow Finn Teemu Selanne. The two have played together for Finland's national team and Koivu hopes to recreate the chemistry in Orange County.

"Obviously here in July I'm not about to start making lines, I'll let the coaches do that job, but we played together at the Olympics and at the world championships and we really enjoyed it. We've had some success," Koivu said yesterday.

"I wanted to play with Teemu and I'm confident that's going to work out ... I don't have any doubts that if we play together on the same line it'll work out."

Koivu admitted recent conversations with Selanne played a major role in him signing on the West Coast for one year and US$3.25-million.

The friends played together for Finland in 2004, winning a silver medal at the World Cup of NHL Hockey Betting. They also skated together at the 2006 Winter Olympics, winning silver once again, and shared the tournament's scoring title with 11 points apiece.

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Hockey transactions

Movements in the world of hockey Tuesday:

National Hockey League

ANAHEIM MIGHTY DUCKS-Signed C Todd Marchant to a two-year contract.

ATLANTA THRASHERS-Re-signed F Joey Crabb and D Nathan Oystrick.

CALGARY FLAMES-Re-signed C Jamie Lundmark. Signed F Jason Jaffray.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS-Agreed to terms with D Cam Barker on a three-year contract. Signed D Simon Danis-Pepin to a three-year contract.

DALLAS STARS-Signed D Jeff Woywitka to a two-year contract.

DETROIT RED WINGS-Agreed to terms with C Kris Newbury and F Jeremy Williams on one-year, two-way contracts, and D Travis Ehrhardt to a three-year entry-level contract.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS-Agreed to terms with D Chris Pronger on a multiyear contract extension.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING-Signed LW Stephane Veilleux.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS-Signed G Jonas Gustavsson to a one-year contract.

American Hockey League

AHL-Announced the board of governors has suspended operations for the Iowa Chops for the upcoming season, citing violations of the league's constitution and bylaws.

Murray Promoted To Manager Of Hockey Operations

The ECHL announced that Mike Murray has been promoted to manager of hockey operations.

Murray joined the ECHL in September 2008 as coordinator of hockey operations.

“In a short time, Mike has proven to have leadership abilities and a firm grasp of league rules and regulations,” said Rod Pasma, ECHL Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations. “This new title better reflects his input into hockey operational matters.”

Murray will be responsible for the organization and release of team rosters, including the daily monitoring of contracts, salary cap and player background while also overseeing all transactions, including trades, waivers, recalls and injuries. He will be responsible for administration and tracking of all player fines and will assist with league and player immigration matters.

The 29 year old interned as a law clerk in the Labor Relations Department for the Massachusetts Port Authority following two years at Pro Athletes Management Inc., a law firm in Boston that represents professional athletes, and one season as an assistant to the general manager of the Lowell Lock Monsters of the American Hockey League.

The native of Dover, Mass. played hockey for four years at Dartmouth College and two seasons as a professional including in the ECHL with Augusta, Cincinnati, Reading and Trenton.

Murray received his bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth College and his juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School where he graduated cum laude.

Ghana 2009 Hockey:Tough test for Black Sticks

Ghana's Black Sticks will begin their campaign to be crowned Men's Hockey Champions with a potentially explosive match against South Africa.

The evening fixture, which will start at 7pm prompt on Saturday July 11, will be game number two after another tough encounter between Egypt and Nigeria at 5pm.

The Egyptians who arrived on Saturday night from Cairo were the first team to touch down for the tournament and will start as one of the favourites but South Africa seem to have peaked just in time for the African Nations Cup in Accra.

The talented side are full of confidence after lifting the 4-Nations Elektrostal Cup in Russia a few weeks ago and boast of a world class team who destroyed Canada 8-1 in the final.

The two-week competition will bring crack hockey nations from across the continent including South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria.

Ghana's Black Sticks would be no pushovers and will be highly motivated by pride and incentives that have boosted team spirit and resolve.

In addition, sound preparations and a vibrant home support should give the team that extra bite and desire to play 100% heart and soul. A major trump card for the Black Sticks would be the suprise element of their game which could catch their more predictable opponents off guard.

The Black Sticks were in Holland for a fortnight preparing for the competition. And according to Osei Boakye, coach of the team, they put finishing touches to their preparations before returning home Ghana for the big take-off.

Meanwhile the National Hockey Pitch which has been elevated into an international stadium will be officially commissioned on Monday July 6 by His Excellency President Mills after the completion of work on the 1,200 capacity stadium.

Abuga Pele, Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) said the country was committed to hosting the tournament, hence the construction of the world-class stadium.

Activity at the Hockey LOC has shifted into overdrive as officials and volunteers work round the clock ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday. A number of activities have also been designed to ensure the successful hosting of this tournament including a juniors’ match followed by the seniors to test the state of the art water based pitch.

The CEO of Ghana 2009 African Cup of Nations Mr. Magnus Rex Danquah added that the set target was to ensure that the country hosts a tournament that would leave a lasting legacy. In a related development the deadline for media accreditation has been extended to Monday July 6, 2009.

Hockey Canada unveils Olympic camp list Thursday

The face of the Canadian men's 2010 Olympic hockey team is about to take shape.

On Thursday morning, Hockey Canada will announce the players invited to the summer orientation camp.

Steve Yzerman, the team's executive director, will send invitations to 40 to 45 players. The camp will take place in Calgary from Aug. 24-27.

Players who make the final roster are not required to have attended the camp, but each Team Canada member at the previous two Olympics have participated in it.

NHL Future Odd Prices To Change-NHL Hockey Betting

The NHL free-agent supermarket opens tomorrow and while some teams go on shopping sprees, some will look to maintain status quo.

As it stands, this year’s Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings are the odds-on favorites to make a return to the Stanley Cup finals and win–the Wings are listed at +350.

With the free-agent frenzy tomorrow, futures odds are sure to change.

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