You know summer is coming to a close when hockey dominates the conversation - and our sportsnet.ca columnists return from hiatus.
It is August, and within a few days the Toronto Blue Jays, the Canadian Football League, soccer and everything else will be pushed back in the sports pages as Canada's Olympic team convenes in Calgary.
Didn't the Stanley Cup just end?
Made a mistake
Raise your hand if you never did anything stupid when you were 20 years old.
It's just that, when Patrick Kane had his moment of temporary brain failure, he had the pleasure of reading about it in the newspapers. And, of course, standing behind the dais at a press conference this week in Chicago.
Arguing with a cab driver over a $1.20 tip was dumb - as he is alleged to have done - and it wouldn't surprise us if Kane and his cousin were in the third period of a bender when that decision was concocted.
"I know when I was Patrick Kane's age, I did a couple of things that I wouldn't want to talk about up here," Team USA GM Brian Burke said from behind the same microphone Kane had faced on Monday.
Kane seems like a pretty good kid to me. Here's hoping he looks in the mirror, learns from the mistake, and doesn't blame the media for covering a story that he created, unlike the guy in the next item.
For Canada, not in Canada
Will Dany Heatley have the cojones to finally speak up to a situation of his own creation? Or will he foist his self-made controversy on to the Team Canada camp in Canada next week, forcing the Hockey Canada media relations staff to deal with his problems?
Typically, Heatley is probably wishing he would have got his media obligations out of the way a long time ago. Now he's flying into Calgary and right into a whole swarm of us next Monday.
Kane had the "this issue is before the courts" line to hide behind on Monday, refusing to answer questions. Heatley doesn't have that luxury, though we'll be surprised if he steps up to provide any real answers in Calgary.
Clearly, as Hall of Fame writer Jim Matheson points out, Heatley wants to play for Canada, but not in Canada.
Big Bert a 20-goal guy
We're not sure what to think about Todd Bertuzzi this summer.
Our natural inclination is to say we wouldn't want him on our team. Bertuzzi's body of work, now at age 34, just has not lived up to his overall deficiencies as a player. He still takes way too many minor penalties, and tends to be a minus-player who doesn't bring a lot of intangibles to the table.
But if Red Wings GM Ken Holland likes him enough to bring him back to Detroit for next season - as he did Tuesday with a one-year deal - maybe we should be rethinking our opinion of Big Bert. There aren't any smarter management groups in the NHL than what they have in Detroit.
At about $1.5 million, Bertuzzi will be paid second- or third-line money, and will be counted on in a support role on a heavily talented Detroit club. And perhaps that's where Bertuzzi's career has settled: not as a first-line leader, but just a solid, support winger who can chip in 20 goals, if he can stay healthy.
Great guy back in the game
One of the nicest guys I've ever met in the game is back as the Washington Capitals' goaltending coach. Welcome back Arturs Irbe. Great to have you around again.
Senators, Oilers & Sharks
So, the Edmonton Oilers can't get free agents - or even trade for many players - because they simply don't want to play there. Ottawa isn't far off on that count, as they are no doubt finding in their quest to trade Heatley.
The San Joe Sharks have the opposite problem: they can't get rid of anyone with a no-trade clause, because the weather and lack of media scrutiny make San Jose such a great place to play.
GM Doug Wilson's club is over the salary cap. So they have to move as much salary as they bring in - or more. That means if Heatley comes in, Marleau has to go out.
He won't go to Ottawa, nor would he go to Edmonton if the GMs could engineer a three-way deal. For a guy who promised a makeover after last season, Wilson hasn't been able to pull the trigger all summer.
As the Maple Leafs learned in the wake of GM John Ferguson Jr.'s reign, the no-trade and no-movement clauses have become one of the important parts of an NHL contract these days.
