Eleven

Aren't they (the Bruins) already? In any event, I'm out after regular time. I have too much going on tomorrow. Goodnight all!

I'll note that the arena is silent, SILENT, @PASabreFan in a game 7 with the home team up. It's DC, which I've explained before is not a hockey city, but it is SILENT.

Good point.

Everything I saw early mentioned the Sabres and the Sens in the same sentence, so I'm going with an educated guess that it was Martin or his agent, since neither team would report on what the other is doing.

Well, Botterill isn't the one who floated it. I'll blame him if he hires the guy, but I'm not going to blame him for the news of the day.

So going back to "the call" for a minute--I've read a couple of things elsewhere that have expanded my view. What happens if the refs don't give 5 + game to Eakin? You have a situation where a team is down 3-0, with ten minutes left, their captain is out and bleeding from his helmet, in a series where there had been plenty of nastiness on both sides. The refs would have completely lost control. I think you're looking at a Buffalo vs. Ottawa situation there. Since everything I've read indicates that 2 + 10 would not have been allowed, the refs might have saved a few players some headaches (not metaphorically) with that call.

What the players will be doing during video sessions if Martin is hired.

It's not proven, true, but if it were the Sabres in that situation, I'd be screaming for a timeout.

Do you still coach soccer? If there were a sudden and overwhelming momentum shift and you had the ability to take a timeout (I know there are no timeouts in soccer), wouldn't you? You see it in college basketball all the time in that situation.

***** Carolina.

That and a lack of professional distance from Botterill.

Dammit.

If he hires Jacques Martin, he shouldn't last a day longer on the job. Last coaching hire indeed.

Dead ringer for Inspector Clouseau: http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3427

Bye, Canada.