Bits: Islanders Prospect Talk, NHL Trade Deadline Madness

Beyond last night's 5-1 loss to the Blues, a lot of hot topics making the rounds from the Islanders to the NHL trade deadline, and your usual hockey what-not. Here's a sampling of what has come up from our readers and other contributors:

• Rob Schremp Hockey misses Long Island.
• Kevin at IPB weighs in on the Nino Niederreiter usage issue.
  
• All of the 30 Rock hockey love, including fun Isles references.
• Audio for Isles prospect Scott Mayfield, Rookie of the Week.
• Talking to Rhett Rakhshani about his season.
• Didn't know this, but it's big: The NHL-CHL agreement expires this summer [FanShot]. It's too late for Nino, but...
• TWC customers: How Jeremy Lin might get Rangers, Sabres, Devils and Islanders back on Time Warner cable | Puck Daddy

• Hockey Weekend Across America has LaFontaine remembering his own hockey roots.
• Oh, Romano: Sound Tigers Loan Romano to Chicago Express - SoundTigers.com Update: Fornabaio has more here.
• Eric Duhatschek on trade deadline madness, which is usually only curable with rest and Internet deprivation.
• Speaking of madness, Aaron Portzline has five teams believed to be on Rich Nash's approved list.
• And yet more madness: Trent Hunter is on waivers and OH MY GOD Jack Johnson is IN PLAY.
• Last bit of madness, or at least fan bigamy: This is me writing of Al Arbour from the other half of my NHL fan soul.
• (And not at all related, but speaking of yore: A story about bowties that excludes Bill Torrey? Nonsense.)
• Another report saying the AHL Chicago Wolves owner is interested in an NHL Seattle franchise.
• On faceoff specifics: Stu Hackel Week on Arctic Ice Hockey: Faceoff Specifics - "Stats the NHL Ought to Keep" - Arctic Ice Hockey
• Fights! Shane Doan vs Dustin Brown, Feb 16, 2012 and Martin Hanzal vs Mike Richards, Feb 16, 2012
• Stupidity! Milan Lucic’s church was vandalized with Canucks taunts, according to girlfriend | Puck Daddy
• Debate! Return of the Dead Puck Era My Ass - Pension Plan Puppets
• Obsession! Ovechkin and O-zone Obsession - Japers' Rink
• Why Kubina go, where Kubina go? Lightning keep defenceman Kubina off ice awaiting trade

For you FIG (First Islanders Goal) folks, look for those pools for Saturday and Monday to be posted later today in the FanShots section. I'll be traveling this weekend -- and Monday is a matinee game -- so I wanted to get those up before I forgot.