Hey now, my Leafs would never sign anyone as young as Radulov… add 10+ years and a couple mil and we can talk :-(

Posted by WingMan from Canada on 07/14/08 at 02:26 PM ET

Yeah, yeah, yeah… The lower average skill level in the Russian league meant that Radulov would be a relatively better player, and worth a larger percentage of the cap in Russia than in North America--possibly even a larger amount of money.  And the prospect of having a legitimate NHL-calibre hockey player, especially a homegrown one, might create buzz and publicity around the team, making such a player even more valuable than just his stats would indicate.  $4.3 million is overpaying for Radulov in the NHL, but we really don’t know whether or not that’s true in the KHL as well.

Also, the cap has salaries fixed, and even if every current player up and retired, NHL teams would have to find people to pay, and they’d still earn a (mostly) fixed percentage of league revenues.  The KHL poaching players hurts the NHL because it affects the talent level of the league, not players’ salaries.  It’s a problem because Radulov is a better player than his replacement will be, not because he’s being overpaid.

And by the way, suggesting that someone doesn’t “live in the real world” because he would prefer to earn six times his current salary is indescribably asinine.

Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 07/14/08 at 02:51 PM ET

Yikes, and in my rush I didn’t even bother to read the second half of the article (or proof-read my comment).  Guidelines about what players can and can’t do with the Cup?  Seriously?  The Stanley Cup is the most magical trophy in sports because of all the great legends about it, and someone seriously suggests writing a list of rules to prevent any more legends from being created?

Hockey isn’t a clean, sanitized game.  A clean, sanitized trophy does the game no justice at all.  If eating ice cream out of it isn’t okay, should we really allow players to drink champagne from it?  In fact, is this post-Memorial-Cup-incident world, where trophies might break at any time, why are players even allowed a victory lap?

Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 07/14/08 at 03:02 PM ET

I don’t see the horrible indignity of having kids eat ice cream out of the Stanley Cup.  Or Timbits.  Or cereal.  And I’m sure there are guidelines the Cup Keepers enforce regarding anything that might cause damage - a silver alloy bowl hasn’t been permanently harmed yet by sugar shock, as far as I am aware.  If it’s harmless, then shut up and leave the athletes alone.

(And for anyone worried about baby poop, there are few things more sanitizing than a good shot of ethanol - and I’m sure there has been more than enough alcohol running across the bowl to take care of any germs.)

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 07/14/08 at 03:09 PM ET