Al Trautwig...

I'm not saying I could do better, but Alan Trautwig has had some questionable play-by-play calls in the 10 minutes since I've been watching the Evgeni Malkin-less Metallurg Magnitogorsk play the Rangers in Switzerland...

1) LUNDQVIST!!! ... might have gotten a piece of that shot.

2) The Rangers just keep coming and coming and coming.

3) (interrupting Joe Micheletti) Prucha gets a facial.

Alex Radulov...

Today, news is going to break that Alex Radulov from Jed Ortmeyer's Nashville Predators has defected to Russia.

The new Russian league (now known as the Continental Hockey League) has been a fall-back for mid-level players like Wade Dubielewicz, Bryce Lampman, Mike York, and Ray Emery, who have found that they have no place in the NHL this season (although I still think Dubie should have waited for July 1 to see if teams came calling). The new CHL also has a lot of money to offer players, but so far, the likes of Evgeni Malkin and Nikolai Zherdev have turned them down.

Alexander Radulov, however, wanted to return home, and this was his opportunity. He claims he called Nashville to tell them his intention, and they never returned his call, making it clear he wasn't needed there. I would assume the CHL also offered him more money then he would be getting in the last year of his entry-level contract. Maybe they also offered him the rumored Jaromir Jagr Special - a tax-free contract.

Radulov claims that Nashville won't be able to legally bring him back over, apparently because he never read this story on NHL.com about an agreement between the NHL and CHL to honor contracts made in the other league. However, the Radulov move might have been made before the deal was finalized.

If he does in fact have to come back, I think it's a lock that he will be traded from the Predators. Seeing as the Rangers have their own super-fast, incredibly-talented, enigmatic Russian winger, I say "No thanks," but I do know that this guy is a great player if given the chance, and he has an Ovechkin-like passion for the game. It's a shame we might not see it in North America anymore.

A Positive Approach

This past month has served as a sort of expose into what goes on inside the mind of a New York sports fan.

- March, 2008. The Islanders are on the verge of climbing back into playoff contention with a shootout win over the Rangers. Two nights later, Ted Nolan starts Wade Dubielewicz over Rick DiPietro, who was returning from injury. Dubielewicz let up four goals that night - none of them particularly soft - and the Islanders never recovered. Worse, the ensuing controversy over Nolan choosing Dubielewicz led to speculation about Nolan's job. Nolan's job security - or lack thereof - has been the leading story surrounding the Islanders ever since.

- April, 2008. The New York Mets defeat their biggest rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, in a 12-inning instant classic. The game ends on a play at the plate where Jose Reyes is called safe, even though he appeared to be out. Instead of celebrating the victory, fans and media alike choose to criticize the Mets' bullpen for blowing the game to begin with. Two days later, Mets fans boo free agent acquisition and ace pitcher Johan Santana as he exits the game.

- March-April, 2008. The New York Rangers heat up at the right time, climbing the Eastern Conference ranks and turning from potential playoff team to legitimate Stanley Cup threats. All along, the focus is on Jaromir Jagr's flirtations with a Russian Super League team. After the Rangers outplay the Devils and win two straight games on the road, Jagr is still the team's lead story. Instead of talking about Jagr playing his best hockey since 2006, the speculation about his future has clouded the good vibes his play has yielded.

"Why are you always asking me about next year? Can't you enjoy it now? That's what I'm doing, trying to play my best." That's Jaromir Jagr's take on the situation. And it ought to be ours as well.

Even though I hate the Rangers, I'm a hockey fan first. And what Jagr is doing right now is nothing short of remarkable. Considered washed up by pretty much everyone, Jagr is having a tremendous resurgence right now. Maybe it's because he wants one last big contract before he retires - and so what if it is? Don't we follow sports for stories like these? If you're a Ranger fan, you don't want to hear about where Jagr might be next year. That's something you worry about over the summer. Let him win you a Cup first, then worry about Jagr's destination.

I'm sick of all these stories taking the spotlight from the rightful parties. I don't care about the last year of Ted Nolan's contract. I don't care if a few idiots boo Johan Santana after the first home start of his seven-year deal. And I sure don't care if Jaromir Jagr follows Alexei Yashin to Russia. I almost feel like New York fans would rather be miserable than actually appreciate what's happening to their teams. The Islanders have a real coach. The Mets have a real superstar. And the Rangers have a real shot at a Stanley Cup.

Why ruin these things for ourselves? Let's put the cynicism aside for a little while and see what hockey has in store for us. Instead of focusing on negative things, let's just enjoy these playoffs for what they are - the best hockey we see all year.