David Pollak has a great item on his Sharks blog: Before the Bruins donated Joe Thornton to San Jose, they felt out the Panthers to see if they were interested. Then-Florida GM Mike Keenan was interested but ownership wasn't. You know. Because Thornton might have made them better.
Obviously, this is interesting because Keenan is coaching against Thornton right now as the Sharks are playing Keenan's Flames in round one of the playoffs. The Sharks beat Calgary 2-0 last night, tying the series at a game a piece.
Also, the Flames have playoff mohawks so the whole team looks like it's from a post-apocalyptic future. It makes me a little uncomfortable.

Did you hear the playoffs started?
I watched Rangers-Devils last night and it was strange. A lot of play in both ends, but not a lot of shots. It was like both teams were trapping, but giving everyone a free pass through the neutral zone.
And what is it with the Devils lately? They just completely lose focus in the third period. The Devils gave up the game-winning goal when Martin Brodeur froze in his crease and simply didn't play the puck quickly enough. The Rangers took game one, 4-1.
Over in Denver, Joe Sakic had only one shot on goal. Of course, since it's Joe Sakic, the one shot was the game-winner in overtime. Goalie Jose Theodore was shelled, taking 20 of his 30 shots in the first two periods. He held on well, though.Can someone finally declare the Theodore-for-David Aebischer trade a success for Colorado?

I think it's kind of funny that Olli Jokinen is always on the block, yet Florida never trades him when they have the chance. It's just so weird. The playoffs just started and already there are rumors he'll be traded this summer. If I were Jokinen, I'd be begging for a trade. The guy is just rotting in Florida. He needs to be on a competitive team.
Also, speaking of underperforming teams, the Sabres are trying to lock down goalie Ryan Miller, probably amid the flurry of rumors the Michigan native/Michigan State U. graduate is destined to be a Red Wing.
The Sabres might have finally figured out they can't keep letting talented players leave Buffalo. Bucky Gleason has a great stat:

Three postseason home games would have covered the difference between the $3.154 million Drury pocketed last season and the $5.375 million per season he agreed upon this year before it fell apart. Briere didn’t demand an annual raise and would have accepted a five-year, $25 million deal if the Sabres approached him.

The Sabres truly can't afford to let Miller go. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep him away from the Wings.

Here's a fun fact: Peter Forsberg has yet to play three consecutive games this season. The Avs have got to love that. Actually, the Wild probably do find that a fun fact, seeing as how they're meeting in the playoffs.
Sam Donnellon thinks Flyers goalie Marty Biron might be the hottest goalie in the playoffs (login info.). I think heat is a bit of a relative term for a team that basically backed into the playoffs after a giant two-week misfire, but I guess Biron has been playing well. He certainly stood up the Penguins in the Flyers last game of the season. Interestingly, the Times says the San Jose Sharks actually got too hot too soon. I think that's what doomed Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn.
Larry Brooks wonders if Ted Nolan is on his way out of Long Island, given that the team is getting younger and Nolan's reputation isn't exactly that of a developer of new talent.
Also, speaking of losing, things seem kind of awkward in Carolina, too. Luke DeCock wonders if coach Peter Laviolette is going to take the fall for the Hurricanes missing the playoffs — specifically for the way he rushed so many vets back into the lineup.

To be perfectly honest, when I first got the email asking if I was interested in reviewing NIGHT WORK: THE SAWCHUK POEMS, I thought it was a book of poems by the legendary goalie. I immediately asked for a review copy because I just had to see what poems from an old school goalie would sound like. Eventually, I figured out this was actually a collection of poems by Randall Maggs about the legendary goalie. And while I'm neither a poetry guy nor a literary guy, I was very impressed by the book and its concept. It's an imagining of the life of Sawchuk, told from multiple perspectives, and in prose form. Where a standard biography implies, forcing the reader to guess, Maggs has no qualms about putting us directly in his conceptualization of Sawchuk's head, conveying the fears and insecurities of a talented athlete working in the oppressive system that was six-team NHL.
In a lot of ways, Maggs' format makes for a much more rewarding biography. While he doesn't know how Sawchuk felt coming up in the Red Wing organization, his speculation on Sawchuk's feelings of guilt, fear, and anger sound about right. And since any biography is ultimately going to miss some important insights, I'd almost just as soon read the educated guesses of an imaginative fan.
A collection of poems based upon one very specific subject isn't going to work consistently in all places, and NIGHT WORK is no exception. There are stretches that seem included more to set-up the next section of poems rather than out of a true desire to say anything, but for the most part, the poems are surprisingly enjoyable (Not a knock against poetry or Maggs. I just haven't read poetry since I was an undergraduate. For the most part.). Maggs mixes perspective and style enough so that the story feels dynamic.
At it's core, NIGHT WORK is historical fiction. It's not a new genre, and the creative biography has been a film staple for years. Still, Maggs' passion for Sawchuk makes for an interesting and entertaining read. Even if you're not a huge Sawchuk fan, which I'm not, you have to love spending some time in the mind of a brilliant goalie.