Monday notes

Couple notes for a slow offseason Monday....

Rumours out of Saskatoon are that Hockey Canada is about to announce that the Saskatoon/Regina bid to host the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships has been successful. If true, this is very good news for WHL fans as it can't get any easier to attend a WJCs than when it's right in your own backyard.

UPDATED: it's a rumour no longer. It's official now: the 2010 WJCs are headed to the frigid flatlands. As for what this does to the Calgary/Edmonton joint bid for the 2012 WJCs, it can't be good. After being in the west in 2010, I think Hockey Canada might want to take the 2012 event to the eastern part of the country. I guess we'll see.

And a signing from the WHL, perhaps a little unexpected but good news anyway. The Toronto Maple Leafs have inked Seattle forward Greg Scott to a 3-year deal as an undrafted free agent. Scott had 38 goals and 75 points for the T-Birds last year. I love seeing kids who were never drafted end up signing NHL contracts anyway.....the NHL draft isn't the be-all and end-all of pro hockey careers and even if you don't get drafted, hard work will usually get rewarded.

Prior to the signing, Scott was the only overage candidate on Seattle's roster.....so, with him now unlikely to be back in the WHL next year, the Birds have room to acquire three overagers.

And from the NHL.....I'm not one of those folks who completely despises Gary Bettman, but this latest move is just dumb. What's wrong with some schoolyard name-calling, some rivalry building, injecting a little colour into what is becoming a colourless sport? It's the offseason, for crying out loud; any ink a winter sport can get in the summer can't be a bad thing.