Instant replay has become the bread and butter of the NFL. We can look at any call with the ball fumbling in the receiver’s hands as he slams into the ground to determine if it was a catch or if the ball completely crossed the goal line as a running back gets slammed trying to punch in a touchdown. We can also look back at the call in the snow in the AFC championship game in 2001 and debates can arise, but those are exceptions instead of the rule. Even though I’m the furthest thing from a Detroit Redwings fan, during a game about a month ago they were denied a goal on a Todd Bertuzzi shot that had clearly crossed over the line in. How the league missed this call is beyond me. However, if there were sensors in the puck it would be possible to have a flawless way of controlling this. Although it’s rare, the human eye can make mistakes in instances like this and when you consider that we have I-phones and other devices that are hooked up to satellites that tell us where to go for the best beer in the French quarter or where to find organic dry cleaning, you would think that the NHL would have a way to perfect this. During the next CBA, it’s likely that this will be debated. Whenever there is a replay on a goal, announcers like to bring up the “war room” in Toronto. The fact that we already have an elaborate network of cameras points to the fact that there should be replays on certain plays, especially on goals. Whether or not it’s possible to have a computerized chip installed into the puck is yet to be determined, but I’m sure there’s an MIT student who would like to try that out at the NCAA level.

I congratulated the New Jersey Devils in a previous blog for their acquisition of Ilya Kovalchuk. If he isn’t signed, the highly skilled Russian sniper will be the most sought after free agent on July 1^st. I’m 100% confident that Lou Lamorello will get the job done. Although no teams were given the chance to speak with Kovalchuk’s agent prior to the trade, I have a gut feeling that Lamorello was able to pull a string or two. He is the only active GM who is in the hall of fame for his GM duties. He was instrumental in working on the current CBA during the lockout. What he gave up to get Kovalchuk was marginal in comparison to what many other GM’s probably had on the table. Lamorello gave up a 3^rd or 4^th pairing puck moving defenseman, a young 3^rd line winger with some upside, a late 1^st round pick, and a prospect with a hit on his head. Never mind the fact that other teams were offering a lot more, I have to scratch my head at how little the Devils had to give up. I ponder the intelligence of Don Waddell in yet another move.

It is going to be a good day of hockey as there are 14 games going on around the league. I’m watching the Canuck’s play at Boston as I write this. With the Canucks on a marathon road trip right now, every reporter and blogger has been talking about the length of this trip and how the team may tire out. With the Olympics starting in Vancouver in less than two weeks, GM place is going a massive overhaul as more dressing rooms are constructed, the ice sheet is expanded to the Olympic size, and other modifications are made. As a working musician, I’ve traveled coast to coast, slept on people’s couches, driven all night, carried my gear all over the place, gotten little to no sleep, lived on fast food, and a lot more. These athletes have chartered planes, every meal is prepared, their bags are carried, massage therapists are on hand, and have every other amenity at their disposal. I don’t feel sorry for the Nucks at all right now.

The massive blizzard that has hit the mid Atlantic region has crippled the nations capital as well as NBC’s crush for ratings for an afternoon tilt between Alex Ovechkin’s Capitals and Sidney Crosby’s Penguins. There is debate going on right now as to whether or not the game should be rescheduled. Although I can complexly understand this, what do they do in Toronto, Montreal, or Edmonton when extreme weather hits? Friends from Minnesota and Ontario have often laughed at the St. Louis and New York media for the fuss they make over snow and ice. Personally, I’d like to watch the game, but not at the expense of Washington fans risking their lives to make it to and from the game.