If you checked out for the weekend, you might be tickled to learn an NHL goaltender actually said this about his counterpart during the Stanley Cup final: "I've been pumping tires ever since the series started. I haven't heard any one nice thing he's had to say about me, so that's the way it is."

All this time, I had no idea my old high school girlfriend was playing goal for the Canucks. (I actually did say nice things about her back then, but maybe using this analogy now proves her point...I better bring this up in counseling.)

Of course everybody ran with that -- a curse gift of having two off days in the middle of the series. Before all the scribes became obsessed with what was happening off the ice since nothing was happening on it, there was buzz from the GM meetings late last week, including the Flyers needing to shed a big salary if they hope to sign Ilya Bryzgalov. The popular rumor was Jeff Carter to Columbus.

More fun from this and that:

Islanders-ish

• How awesome is Michael Grabner's birthday cake? Do forgive the RBK uni/logo format.
• 'Round this time in 1978, some guy became the Islanders' third Calder winner in five years. So that's how you get a dynasty...
  
• Botta & Compton do a Q&A on Tavares, Nielsen, the areener.
  
• Okposo Net asks: Who Should Be Captain?
• Eyes on the Isles reviews Josh Bailey
• Larry Brooks took Milbury to task and rightly pointed out he's the truck driver from Thelma & Louise.
  
• On Belmont and casinos and such: Casino in Belmont parking lot 'a possibility' | Belmont Stakes Odds: Final leg of Triple Crown will depend on slot machines

NHL Draft

• Imagine if Columbus had drafted well? BruinsDraftWatch runs with a post by our favorite Columbus writer to discuss the importance of building a core through the draft.
• That site has a ton of draft content including several videos from the Combine, by the way.
• In the Mock Draft run here by the SBN hockey sites, the Devils took Sean Couturier and this is why. So we selected Dougie Hamilton for the Islanders. (Picks were made in late May.)
• Jamieson Oleksiak has a cool first name and is very big. Defending Big D takes a look.
  
• Matt Puempel has a funny last name and a #12 ranking from The Scouting Report. Injuries hampered him a bit this year.
  

NHL

• A pretty good roundup of all the silly comments da mediar fetch and run with in the Cup final series.
• If the Canucks win the series, they might make history for how badly they've been outscored. Not just in the final, but in the playoffs, too. This of course is only possible if you've been blown out multiple times.
• On the Canucks' two bigger divers.
• On the goal that led to the question that led to the comment that started the Luongo-Thomas silliness: Kevin Bieksa created it. He's a bit of a beast. And a free agent.
• Because it's very important to Canada that a Canada-based team win the Cup in the league where every team has a plurality of Canadian players, here's a look back at the last Canada-based team to luck into the Cup. They were called the Canadiens, but that's totally just a coincidence. They could've been called the Canucks or the Nordiques or ... wait.
• Does Canada have a goalie crisis?
• This is cool and overdue: USA Hockey focusing on bodychecking education. Today's idiots in the NHL started out as kids trying to impress somebody.
  
• The Lightning have signed an ELC with Brett Connolly.
• Looking at Winnipeg's team; Who We Be, Winnipeg HC? --- Centres - Behind The Net
• Who will be the Manitoba Manifest Destinies' coach? Could be Craig Ramsay, but they're interviewing others.
  
• Even though he was a Ranger, Bubba Beck will always be a Don Cherry Colorado Rockie to me. Turns out he once had an incident with Cherry's dog. Good Q&A overall.

Video

In honor of the Calder winner mentioned above. I don't often wear a number, but when I do, I prefer #22.

Hope you had a great weekend. Tonight might be the last NHL game of 2010-11.