Today it's been reported that Steve Yzerman has removed himself from the Canadian Olympic roster. Unsatisfied with his production this season, he felt obligated to free up his spot for a more deserving player. I'm sure this will only add to speculation that he'll retire soon, perhaps even during the season. It's too bad that he won't get the send-off that an Olympics or All-Star Game appearance could provide - although that is probably the last thing that the Captain would want anyway.
Why is it that various media outlets continue trying to put their own spin on the "what's wrong with the NHL" story? Our latest example comes from The Hockey News , in a piece by Jay Greenburg entitled, "Excitement Level On The Decline." Take the opening sentence: Attendance is down and yet still up from before the lockout, leaving it arguable whether buildings in New Jersey and Florida are half-full or half empty. It's no surprise that attendance is down from last season, particularly if you compare the first half of 2005-06 to the first half of this year. Coming out of the lockout, there were legions of fans starved to see the on-ice product, particularly in light of the massive rule changes. This year is more indicative of business as usual, so the fact that the league is above pre-lockout levels is a positive. Toss in the projection that overall revenues are increasing despite a 1% decrease in attendance, and I'd say that paying fans have come back