Wednesday Evening News & Notes

I couldn't 'til morning. Good Lord, do I love hockey. Anyway, just a handful of notes to pass along.

• Check out the Markus Naslund slurp-fest going on in Vancouver. It's pretty pathetic, but I guess Canuckleheads, like The Temptations, ain't too proud to beg.
• Bob McKenzie has an interesting article on how the Flyers handled negotiations with prospects Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. As brave as the first man to try an oyster was, so to was the first GM to negotiate a deal with a rookie under the new CBA. Kudos to Booby Clarke for not caving.
• The Sens re-signed Dominik Hasek, the Kings re-signed Luc Robitaille. The two are a combined 79-years-old. The Caps will probably not skate a single line combination all season that is that old.
• The Panthers traded Darcy Hordichuk to Nashville. Florida? Check. Phoenix? Check. Atlanta? Check. Now if Darcy can just hit Carolina and Tampa, he'll have played for every team in the League's Crap Belt.
• Worst Idea Ever? Theo "L'il Sparkplug" Fleury has signed with the Belfast Giants. Theo Fleury. In Ireland. That's the hockey equivalent of a Catholic Priest being assigned to a Boyscout jamboree.