Been away for a few days — totally recommend a visit to Petersburg National Battlefield, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, and my family near Raleigh* and friends near Philly, though I’m not sure the latter bunch are expecting you — and technically not back to work (thanks, Garth), so catching up from, once again, my living room:
–Here’s ESPN prospects writer Corey Pronman on the kids the Islanders got for Michael Grabner today.
–The Rangers’ training camp roster included a little surprise: Kirill Kabanov on an apparent tryout. Last year I talked about how I kind of wished we’d had a chance to see the dynamic between Kabanov and Brent Thompson? Kabanov and Ken Gernander might be similar, if we get that chance. Hartford also signed ex-Sound Tigers forward Jack Combs, who did well in the ECHL last year with a detour to Europe.
–This was building before I left, so might as well let it out: I have a 1996 Team USA World Cup poster in my living room. USA-Russia at MSG in 1996 was one of the best hockey atmospheres I’ve experienced. In short, I’m more or less the target audience for the World Cup. And playing it all in Toronto without true national teams… I’m left cold.
–RIP, Moses Malone, Fred DeLuca, Milo Hamilton and Joe Morrone.
–And I’m devastated to see what’s happened to the paper I grew up reading, to people I’ve respected a lot for a long time. This business stinks sometimes.
*-Turns out Bojangles is not just a dancer/actor and a name attached to a Coliseum in Charlotte! Try the biscuits.