NHL News and Notes

Papa Smurf Steps Down
I had predicted Gainey would be gone by Thanksgiving so I was a little off, but still, this was long overdue.  The Canadiens let him go down gracefully by putting up the "it's time for me to leave" front.  As one commenter on TSN said: "The only GM Glen Sather ever fleeced" (The Scott Gomez deal).

Ryan Getzlaf Could Miss Olympics
I'm with Don Cherry and think Steven Stamkos should get the roster spot if Getzlaf can't go.  The leader in the clubhouse seems to be Jeff Carter since he was supposedly the last forward cut, but who has been better than Steven Stamkos in the past few weeks?

Leafs Lose to Sharks
The Leafs moved closer to lottery position on Monday night.  I watched this game and I must say that Kessel looked very good.  He had a goal and a very nice assist in the game.  The good news for us as Bruins fans is that J.S. Giguere looked very human after starting his Leafs career with two straight shutouts.  Heading into Tuesday's action, the Leafs had the 2nd worst record in the league.

Isles In Trouble
After a solid start to the season, the Islanders have fallen off the earth.  This is bad news for us as Bruins fans since they find themselves only 5 points ahead of the Leafs heading into Tuesday's action.  After winning a shootout at home against the Panthers on January 21, the Isles have not won a game.  And they haven't even acquired a point (0-7-0).  Get it together on Long Island and stay ahead of the Leafs fellas.