Good morning. The Rangers have been forced to another Game 7. And Ryan Suter sounds like he wants a lifetime contract -- hey, the Islanders are good at those! Anyway, moving on...

This Fourth Period profile of John Tavares is from a few months ago but maybe not seen. His outlook on the task ahead is great, but I also like how he talks of one of his finest yet underrated traits:

"people talk about the hand eye coordination but I think some of the biggest things are being able to protect your body. Roll of checks. Ward off defenders. Beat guys one-on-one. Moving through traffic, it's a physical sport. You need to be able to take a good beating."

Oh, Tavares did okay I guess [good TSN highlights] in Canada's close win over Switzerland yesterday. Mark Streit didn't look too happy.

I joked yesterday that Putin might've done ""The Dictator" trailer thing and pulled out a gun, but ... seriously. Is the goalie here expected to concede or be shot? Even with the Backhand of Judgment move, Putin skates in a shootout slower than Rob Schremp Hockey.

Ryan Strome's Niagara dogs are down 3-1 in the OHL final.

Interesting outline of where cap-era, post-lockout Cup winners had their investments allocated.

NHLNumbers.com is totally different now; advanced stats heaven to come. Also, odd tattoos.

No matter what you think of Torts, this is a good collection: The Top 5 Craziest John Tortorella Moments

When media people do foolish things, I: CBC's Ron McLean Attempts Hackneyed Comparison Of Hockey Players To 9/11 First Responders, Fails

When media people do foolish things, II: David Menzies: You Can't Hide Behind the Gay Flag, Brian Burke

Which negotiations will be smoother: Suter in Nashville, or Karlsson in Ottawa?

On Ilya Kovalchuk, team player.