John Shannon

John Shannon is an analyst on Hockeycentral.

In No Particular Order...

Someone asked me the other day if I thought Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis is a whiner. The answer is yes, just like the other 29 general managers in the NHL. It's part of the job; to lobby, cajole and whine their teams' way to victory. Even the best of intentions of a GM looks like whining.

-- I take that back, I don't think Devils GM Lou Lamoriello whines. He plays within the rules and delivers what is expected of him; nothing less, nothing more. I do know that he has a special relationship with commissioner Gary Bettman, for which the game is a better place.

-- Lamoriello told the Fan 590's Primetime Sports last week that former Leafs and Habs coach Pat Burns is again fighting the good fight against cancer. They were hopeful that Pat would have enough strength in the next few weeks to get out of the house and into a couple of NHL arenas. Good on you, Pat.

-- Heard Joe Thornton this weekend say he wants to help both Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley score 50 goals this season. It begs the question: when is the last time an NHL team had two 50-goal scorers in one season? The answer: Pittsburgh in 1995-96 with a couple of guys named Lemieux and Jagr.

-- You know when there are bad hits at any level of the game, there is a ripple effect through all of hockey. Junior players Patrice Cormier and Zack Kassian, while young stars, are embarrassing the game as a whole because of their head-hunting hits. I'm not sure when the lack of respect started, but I would sure like to be around when it ends. It's doubtful to happen, though.

-- John McDonough, the man who has really resurrected the Blackhawks franchise, had his contract as team president renewed. That is really great news. McDonough has used a great deal of common sense in putting the Blackhawks back on the map. It makes you wonder if the Cubs might want him back to help rebuild that team's image.

-- I see that Eddie Belfour has decided to stay home with his family for a few more years, rather than be a goalie consultant for the St. Louis Blues. The Blues were thrilled with Belfour's coaching and would love to have him back, but respected his decision to put his family first. When he was with the Leafs, I saw him create goalie drills that were unique, simple and effective. He should probably write and book or do a video.

-- All this talk that the Atlanta Thrashers franchise is in trouble if it can't sign Ilya Kovalchuk and are forced to trade him, is not really accurate. It's already in trouble, and in fact Kovalchuk's value to the franchise might be better as a tradeable commodity. If he's not in the lineup, I don't think the attendance at Philips Arena will change all that much, and if GM Don Waddell gets what he wants for him, the team would have a few more quality players. And don't be surprised either if goalie Kari Lehtonen is traded from Atlanta as well, if he ever gets healthy.

-- Sportsnet colleague Nick Kypreos brought it up last week -- the name Steve Ellman is circling in Phoenix. He was the guy who moved the team to Glendale, as part of his plan to build a shopping/restaurant complex called Westgate in the West Valley. It seems that Ellman's investment in the area will suffer a great deal without the hockey team should the Coyotes move, so he's working to make sure that either the Ice Edge boys get a good lease deal from Glendale, or that there is another buyer in the wings. Did it ever occur to anyone that Ellman is the reason the franchise is having the problems it has?

-- And finally, did you know that, on skates, the Bruins' Zdeno Chara is the same height and 10 pounds heavier than the Celtics' starting centre, Kevin Garnett?

Happy hockey everyone!