Wild Canucks Arrested after Bachelor Party

Carolina Hurricanes star Eric Staal and his younger brother Jordan, along with a number of their cousins, were arrested Saturday morning in Minnesota. They were charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process. Jordan Staal, the 18 year old rookie with the Penguins, was also charged with consumption of alcohol while under 21 years of age. The arrests came after the 20 or so men at Eric's bachelor party grew rowdy and were warned "multiple times."

Luke DeCock of the News & Observer reports,

"After leaving the property, the group gathered on Highway 61 and began harassing passing motorists," the Sheriff's office said, at which point 14 members of the group were arrested at approximately 4 a.m.

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Breaking News: NHL "Ice Bowl" Update - Crosby's Opponent Revealed

Earlier today I wrote about the NHL planning an outdoor game on New Year's Day in 2008. According to sources, the Penguins would be the visiting team in the game, which would be hosted by either the Red Wings or Sabres.

Well, the NHL just released its 2007-2008 schedule at 2:00pm today. Taking a quick look at the games scheduled for January 1, I see that the Penguins are playing the Sabres at 1:00pm EST.

So, although this has not been officialy announced by the NHL, it looks like the 2008 New Year's Day "Ice Bowl" will feature the Penguins and Sidney Crosby versus the Buffalo Sabres on NBC.

Sidney Crosby to Play in Outdoor NHL Game on New Year's Day

from Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The league reportedly desires at least one U.S. team involved in "Ice Bowl," which would be a spin-off to the Heritage Classic that took place in November 2003 between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens. That game, played at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, drew a crowd of nearly 60,000 and was played in sub-zero temperatures.

The Heritage Classic was the first NHL game played outdoors and attracted the largest live audience to watch a league contest. However, it was not televised live in the United States.

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According to multiple sources, the NHL will stage an outdoor game involving Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins on New Year's Day in 2008. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the Penguins have agreed to be the visitors in the outdoor game, which will be hosted in either Buffalo or Detroit. The game would be marketed as the "Ice Bowl", and would air on NBC on January 1, 2008 opposite college football bowl games.

Talks of a planned outdoor NHL game started last year. Those plans reportedly had the Rangers playing the Islanders in an outdoor game on New Year's Day at Yankee Stadium. Those plans never materialized, but the NHL remained interested in playing a outdoor game in 2008 to help increase the league's exposure. NBC is interested in televising the event, as it looks to add sports programming on New Year's Day after losing its college football bowl game rights.

Penguins Sign Crosby to Five-Year Extension

from Dave Molinari at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Penguins have signed center Sidney Crosby to a five-year contract extension.
The deal is worth $43.5 million, an annual salary-cap hit of $8.7 million. It will take effect in the 2008-09 season.

The contract breaks down this way:
2008-09 -- $4 million salary plus $5 million signing bonus.
2009-10 -- $9 million.
2010-22 -- $9 million.
$2011-12 -- $9 million.
2012-13 -- $7.5 million.

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Kansas City promised NHL team, sources say

from Matthew Sekeres of the National Post

The National Hockey League was prepared to deliver a team to William (Boots) Del Biaggio and Kansas City's Sprint Center as part of a plan to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, sources told the National Post yesterday.

Del Biaggio, now the frontrunner to purchase and relocate the Nashville Predators, and Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), the company that operates the Sprint Center, aggressively pursued the Penguins late last year, offering the team a rent-free lease in the new arena.

But sources said the league, which didn't want to lose a value market in Pittsburgh, asked the Kansas City investors to back off their chase of the Penguins while indicating to the group it would be next in line for an NHL franchise.

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Yesterday, I questioned why the NHL would want to put a team in Kansas City -- the 31st largest market in the US. Today I have my answer. Apparently the NHL is rewarding the Kansas City investors for not buying the Penguins and moving Sidney Crosby to a small non-traditional hockey market. I guess in that respect, this move will help NHL tv ratings, because it keeps Crosby in a market that actually watches the sport.