His lower body injury isn't actually a giant bite mark on the ass from karma, though you'd be forgiven for thinking that. Turns out that Gilbert rebounded so hard from that vicious hit from behind he actually blew up Carcillo's ACL. Reconstruction and rehab: six months.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Not really a surprise, but at least it's confirmed now.

A few days ago, I wrote an article on why the dedicated enforcer is an outdated concept, in response to a Cam Cole article from a week or so earlier. Among the subjects discussed is the relative efficacy of Steve MacIntyre in the prevention of injuries to the Oilers' stars, young and sort-of young.

Why else would they specifically request to cover his theme song on AV Undercover?

I recently wrote a guest article for Oilers Refinery on what Winnipeg HC could be called -- and in particular, what it shouldn't be called.

I missed most of the argument in Bookie's post in the three-point system, but this is something I wrote back in January that talks a little about how the incentives would change with the three-point system versus the 2.3-point system we have now.

As of today, if the Oilers win out, they have a 48.5% chance of making the playoffs. That seems reasonable, right? Hell, I bet Tom Renney's already gameplanning for a seven-gamer against Vancouver or Detroit.

(Actual point of confusion: the front page and team page on SCS have different numbers. Not that it's relevant, but...)

More happy returns on prospects, as Tyler "Hot Cross" Bunz stones one of the best teams in major-junior, earning a 3-2 shootout win over the Portland Winterhawks with 41 saves.

I got all of them, but I blanked on a couple for a while there, until I picked the least obvious correct answer out of all of them.

Because I know Derek's a fan of these. I got 16/22; there's some tough ones here, because you have to reach all the way back to the beginning. I mean, there's a Hamilton Tigers sighting here. (Though why they're counted separately from the Brooklyn Americans when they're the same franchise, I don't know. Oversight by the quiz creator?)

Courtesy of Neate Sager at Yahoo! Sports, Curtis Hamilton had three points, including the game-winning goal with 1:59 to play in Saskatoon's 4-3 victory over the steaming Portland Winterhawks, who had won ten in a row coming in. It was a clash of the titans, as the Hawks have the top points percentage in the WHL, while the Blades sit third overall.

Since the Puck Podcast did the Northwest Division this week, I decided to put together something "quick" (i.e. only 2,000 words) on the subject.

I'm pretty sure I'm still an optimist. ;)

Hot off the presses, my new article on Puck Podcast, produced with a big assist from C&B's own Bruce McCurdy, about how the Oilers of the '80s evolved from the Jets of the '70s, and how the WHA as a whole influenced the course of the NHL's development. (The title is a play on the book How the Scots Invented the Modern World.)

In my new gig at Puck Podcast, I compare free agency to an auction and point out who the real winners of free agency are.

Coyotes defensive prospect Michael Stone was the Eastern Conference nominee for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, awarded to the League's top defenceman. While the award was ultimately won by Tyson Barrie of the Kelowna Rockets, Stone has nonetheless been excellent as co-captain and #1 defenceman for the Calgary Hitmen, posting 21 goals and 65 points in 68 games.

Stone was the third consecutive Hitman to be nominated for the Hunter, after Washington's Karl Alzner, who won in 2008 and was ultimately named CHL Defenceman of the Year, and Atlanta's Paul Postma, who was nominated in 2009.

From the above link, Kings goaltending prospect Martin Jones was awarded the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL's top goalie in 2009-10. He led the League in shutouts (8) and goals-against average (2.21), placed second in wins (36), and fourth in save percentage (.919). This comes just days after he was named MVP of the Eastern Conference Final, in which he withstood the onslaught of the Brandon Wheat Kings' League-leading offence to lead the Hitmen to a 4-1 series victory.

Looks like the Kings have another blue-chip goalie prospect on their hands, for the low, low cost of an invite to rookie camp back in 2008.

From the above link, Kings goaltending prospect Martin Jones was awarded the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL's top goalie in 2009-10. He led the League in shutouts (8) and goals-against average (2.21), placed second in wins (36), and fourth in save percentage (.919). This comes just days after he was named MVP of the Eastern Conference Final, in which he withstood the onslaught of the Brandon Wheat Kings' League-leading offence to lead the Hitmen to a 4-1 series victory.

Looks like the Kings have another blue-chip goalie prospect on their hands, for the low, low cost of an invite to rookie camp back in 2008.

If you can pry yourself away from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a minute -- and I totally get it if you can't -- you can watch the WHL's Eastern Conference Final between Toni Rajala's Brandon Wheat Kings and the regular-season champion Calgary Hitmen on Shaw in Western Canada. After getting swept in four straight last year in the same series, Brandon leads Calgary 1-0 with a 4-2 win at the Saddledome last night. Rajala scored a beauty to make it 2-1 in the second period.

Derek's favourite ex-commenter Ender dives into the stats of last year's free agent crop. While many on this forum have argued that Khabibulin was a colossal fuck-up of a move, it turns out that most of the other available goalies were also pretty useless.

If he doesn't get mauled in the AHL next year, I think he'll have a career. He's tiny, but he's willing to go to the corners and the front of the net, so his game will probably translate mostly intact to the NHL.

If he doesn't get mauled in the AHL next year, I think he'll have a career. He's tiny, but he's willing to go to the corners and the front of the net, so his game will probably translate mostly intact to the NHL.