hockey

CALGARY -- So naturally, your first thought is, what could they possibly be thinking?

It's tempting to call the $57.12 million for defenseman Brian Campbell or the $23 million for goaltender Cristobal Huet crazy money, but really, what constitutes crazy money any more in today's National Hockey League?

It isn't often an National Hockey League coach hosts his own conference call, but it's clear the Barry Melrose era is going to be different right from the beginning.

If you stroll by venerable Maple Leaf Gardens this time of year, you can almost hear Toronto Maple Leafs super fan John Arnott of yesteryear from his seat high above the ice holler "Come o-n-n-n, Teeder."

Why this time of year? Well, this is when the NHL hands out its hardware.

Unlike the Pittsburgh Penguins, who will be in a mad scramble to keep their roster together this summer, the Detroit Red Wings are nicely positioned to follow up their Stanley Cup championship with another and another and perhaps still another after that.

PITTSBURGH -- Two-time Stanley Cup champion Bob Errey, as recognizable a hockey name in Pittsburgh as just about any short of Lemieux and Crosby, laid out the hard truth before the Stanley Cup final.

"Only one team can win," he said. "Two weeks from now, you'll either be the happiest guy in the world or the forgotten bridesmaid."

PITTSBURGH -- Few remember anymore, but nine years ago, Nicklas Lidstrom thought about leaving the Detroit Red Wings to return to his native Sweden.

DETROIT -- It all sounded so hollow at the time, strictly false bravado from a team that looked to be little more than a speed bump on the Detroit Red Wings' way to their Stanley Cup parade.

There is no greater individual honor for a hockey player than to have a "C" stitched onto the front of his jersey, signifying the revered status of team captain.

Two of the NHL's best are facing off in the Stanley Cup Finals: Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom and Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby.

PITTSBURGH -- This was exactly what the Pittsburgh Penguins had in mind when the most significant ping-pong ball in NHL history bounced their way back in the summer of 2005: Sidney Crosby would grow up in front of our eyes and become a hero in a Stanley Cup playoff game.