from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,

• The NHL is in dire need of new guidance. Been rinsing and repeating this one for years now. Gary Bettman is a ringleader, not a commissioner.

• Mario Lemieux suggested a few years ago that punishment for such offenses should be institutional. He's right. When the NHL put in a measly $10,000 fine for bench-clearing brawls in 1987 — along with a 10-game suspension for any player leaving the bench — there incredibly was never another. Seriously, not one. Try that across the board, and all this garbage will disappear faster than the Sharks in the playoffs.

• Baseball writers are making fun of something other than baseball writers after that Hall fiasco?

• If the NHL is “minor,” explain why 19 of their 30 arenas have been filled to 96 percent capacity or more this season, compared to 10 of the NBA's 30. Even though NHL tickets cost an average of $10 more. The NHL's national TV ratings lag well behind, but fannies in the seats count, too.

• ESPN predictably soaked up every drop of Flames-Canucks. It'll pay attention to hockey either the next time something similar happens or if it ever has a vested interest.

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