Before the season, I had given my buddy Keith soem grief about Calgary throwing a wad of cash at Cory Sarich. Not that I don’t like Cory, not that I feel Cory doesn’t bring anythign to the table or doesn’t contribute, I just think he got paid too much in his new deal.

Well, this Sarich hit from the other night has turned into celebration and a rallying point for Flames fans:

Cory’s gone but not forgotten in TB. i revel in his moment.

A little south of Obscured:

Find more funny toons about the NHL at The Instigator

First off, let me give belated congratulations to the Anaheim Ducks for their 2006-07 Stanley Cup victory. For the third season in a row the Fianle for the NHL has been a USA vs. Canada affair and for the third time — Canada has been stymed.

But I need to congratulate both franchises for what they accomplished… see, three years ago I dubbed the 2004 playoffs the “Pass the Friggin’ Torch Tour” as I believed it signified a changing point in the NHL. It wasn’t predicting the lockout of 2004-05 but it was saying that the franchises that the new expansion franchises of the past 15 years were coming of age and coming into their own. Two out of the four 1992-1994 expansion teams have now won the Stanley Cup while all four have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

On a sidenote — I’ve made soem minor changes to Boltsmag for the off season… A new background was put up jsut for kicks and I changed some stuff with the quote areas on posts… Nothing major

OK, I’m participating with some other fans from across the continent concerning the Stanley Cup Finals over on FanHome. Any and all Boltsmag regulars (or general hockey fans) who want to join the discussion (or liven it up) are invited over there to participate.

It’s a piece of marketing work that is absent from the NHL by and large — though the individual markets see it more often than not — teams reaching out to do something for the fans that supports the base and keeps the NHL product in plain view of all those who wish to see it.

It would seem the Lightning themselves are the ones to thank for getting Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on broadcast television in the greater Tampa Bay metro area. After WFLA abandoned ignored passed over hockey fans in the area and the chance to broadcast the game — they didn’t step up to find a host for the show in their “absence”.

The Lightning, on the other hand, did.

The Lightning brokered a deal Friday afternoon to have the game be shown on WTTA-Channel 38. The game is being broadcast by NBC, but WFLA-Channel 8, the local NBC affiliate, could not carry the game because it is carrying its annual All Children’s Hospital telethon.

It’s believed the Lightning is spending $20,000 to buy up all the local advertising time so that Ch. 38 would agree to show the game. Channel 38 is channel 6 on Bright House Networks cable systems and channel 14 on Verizon.

(hat tip to RJ)

UPDATE: THE DEAL FELL THROUGH. The Lightning game will only be broadcast locally on Catch 47 (Bright House Cable network) and WFLA’s HD channel…

RJ at Bolts Blog pointed out a travesty in the local media market that needs to be rectified — STAT!

In case you haven’t heard, channel 8 is preempting the game Saturday to run the All Children’s Telethon. As of yet, there has been NO alternate channel named that will carry this game in the Tampa market. If you want to see this rectified, call NBC Corporate (212) 664-4444, and Channel 8 locally (813) 228-8888, and tell them to get off their behinds, and get this game on down here. To think that in an NHL market, there would be no way to watch game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals is just ridiculous.

To be fair — WFLA has been carrying that telethon for years upon years and pre-empting important things in favor of fundraising. That being said, they sure-as-shit could and should have already done something to make sure the game airs locally for hockey fans around the greater Tampa Bay metro area.

Please take RJ’s advice: Call NBC corporate and WFLA and make some noise about things.

UPDATE: Lee let it be known in comments that WTTA TV 38 will be carrying the game for the hockey fans in the area.

Yeah, I’m late out of the gate on this seeing that the Conference Finals are on the verge of being closed out…

But here’s an open discussion thread for Lightning fans to talk about the East/West conference finals and the Stanley Cup Finals.

…To Patricia at 2 Man Advantage who figured that the Devils were dead in the water. Surprise, Surprise!

No, Ma’am. Not while Colin Campbell is still in a job. I’ll leave it at that.

One more time, with Feeling!

Well, after the I told you so of game #4….

The pressure is on to put another nail in the coffin — but when the pressure has been on for the Bolts to perform, they’ve faultered.

…I’m wondering if Marty is being pompous?:

Still, he was the 2004 regular-season MVP, so it was notable when St. Louis said, “I agree,” when someone mentioned they believed his overall game is better than his Hart Trophy season.

“I have more experience, more maturity,” St. Louis, 31, said. “I know the level I have to go to in the playoffs to help the team win.”

He backs it up on ice but still — these aren’t always the types of stories you want to hear going into a clutch game.

…and if the Lightning will continue their in-season trend and drop another crucial game when things still are open season? We find out tonight…