2. You can debate Ray Shero's record all you want, but he won and there are plenty of guys who should have won but didn't. How many current GMs won a Cup in that position? Six. Shero had a clause giving him final say on hockey decisions. Owners Ron Burkle/Mario Lemieux and CEO David Morehouse wished to regain control. Lemieux's extensive knowledge leads to questions of whether this will be similar to the Trevor Linden/Brendan Shanahan setups. Whoever goes in there will want to know, "How much authority do I have?"

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13. In the last 30 Thoughts, it was mentioned that there likely will be a debate at the Stanley Cup GM meetings about the possibility of compensation for losing a hockey employee to another team. It sounds like the proposal will be a second-round selection, with the team doing the hiring having a window of several seasons to give up the pick. It's also possible there may some kind of age/experience limit, so veteran coaches/execs would be able to leave freely, as long as the new position is a promotion.

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19. Watching 20-year-old John Gibson have his roughest night as a pro in Game 7 against the Kings reminded me of 21-year-old Chris Osgood's giveaway that led to San Jose's monumental upset of Detroit in 1994. "I remember being devastated, disappointed," Osgood said Sunday. "It was a great opportunity as a young goalie. You think you can win the Stanley Cup at a young age like Patrick Roy and Grant Fuhr. I grew up idolizing those guys...You lose Game 7 as a heavy favourite on a deciding goal where you made the mistake."

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23. Mike Babcock on Hockey Night in Canada Radio about his future: "When you've been in a place nine years like I have, going into my 10th year, it becomes a mutual thing. You want to be someplace where they want you. If they don't want you, you move on. I'm going to coach in the league for a long time yet, there's going to be opportunities for me. I like what we've done in Detroit; we've rebuilt on the fly...I think we have a chance to be better next year and better in the future. So, I tell people all the time: I've got a good place to hunt, I've got a good place to water ski, my family's happy, my youngest girl is finishing school next year so I'm free that way. But there's no reason to move if you don't have to move or if it doesn't excite you to. I've always been a believer that the grass is greener right here at home as long as you fertilize and water."

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28. On the Milan Lucic/Dale Wise exchange after Montreal eliminated Boston: Fans and media love the handshake line after a playoff series. I've been surprised at how many players privately say they hate it, especially if they are the loser. Maybe the only stunner is that it doesn't happen more often.

Friedman continues at length, and as usual, his column's a must-read.