Pre-emptively, there is nothing preventing Cherry from winning the Foster Hewitt, which goes to, "members of the TV and radio industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting."

Eight pre-season games. One of the reasons the playoff stretch into late June. Get rid of the meaningless prospect camps, start training camp Sept. 1, ply 4-5 pre-season games and start the regular season by Sept. 15. There's your month right there.

One of my favourites: After the Leafs won the EC final in 2002, Mogilny was sincerely bewildered at all the over-the-top celebrations. "What's the big deal?" he said. "We've only made it halfway through the playoffs." To which I said, "You really are new around here, aren't you?"

In the second round of the PWHL draft, the two-time champ Minnesota Frost selected Abby Hustler from St. Lawrence. If she's not a doggedly determined third-liner, what are we even doing here?

On the night Matthew Schaefer realizes one of his dreams, this remarkable young man has his mother watching over him.

Kent Hughes just traded one of his surplus defensemen who has spent the last two seasons in the minors for a 20-goal scorer. Yeah, he did that.

Undersized forward L.J. Mooney, a fourth-round pick in 2025, is certainly looking like a steal. With that in mind, and in honor of July 4, watch Ken Campbell’s video for a list of the the top 10 U.S.-born players who were taken in the 4th round: thehockeynews.com/news/latest-ne…

My latest for THN. In the spirit of the 4th of July, here's my list of the top-10 US born players taken in the fourth round of the draft.

But my point is that if they can't afford to pay their players and have them travel, they shouldn't have a team. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can justify paying the players the way they do. No other entity gets away with it.

And while I'm on the subject, I'm going to assume that you are paid at least decently for doing play-by-play for the Blades. Would you be willing to do your duties for the Blades for the same money the players make?

On the Blades website, I see 8 people in hockey ops. An additional 24 in business ops. Six more in support staff. Eight more on the scouting staff. I'm going to go ahead and assume that they're not working for poverty wages, either. And if that's the case, why should the players?

My latest for THN in light of the NHL continuing the decentralized draft. I hate to be the one to say it, but the NHL draft is not designed for our entertainment. It's a vital process in which organizations build their futures.

I really feel for the Brampton Steelheads and their coach-GM James Richmond, who is a really good person and coach who runs a great program. What is happening to them is an indictment of major junior hockey, which is, in my opinion, getting everything it deserves at the moment.

Have been very reticent to comment on today's verdicts, but I will say this: You can think both that, from a legal standpoint, justice was served and that the toxic masculinity and culture in hockey absolutely needs to change.

Just got off the phone with Mike Brophy (Mike Brophy), who is in the Ottawa Civic Hospital preparing for a kidney transplant tomorrow morning! Beyond thrilled for him and his lovely wife, Marilyn, and their kids and grandkids. Loving that we get to keep this bonehead around.

My latest for The Hockey News.

My latest for THN. The U.S. is winning hockey tournaments it never used to win, and that should concern their neighbours (Canadian spelling) to the north.

The Toronto Blue Jays channelling their inner New York Yankees in the field in the bottom of the eighth.

Memo to hockey fans everywhere: Don't get your shorts in a knot over players who were/were not invited to Olympic summer orientation camps. Teams will be selected based on a combination of players' pedigree/reputations and how the play the first half of the season. Nothing else.

It looks as though former Red Wings' prospect Red Savage, who played at Michigan State last season, will sign a two-year American Hockey League deal with the Rochester Americans today.