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ICE.. I bundled up and trudged down to the Rail to catch the Dallas - San Jose game last night. The subtext to the match was the looming free agency of both Evengi Nabokov and Marty Turco. Both have longstanding relationships with their teams that have, unfortunately, been marred by post season meltdowns. The two were amazing last night, dueling through eleven rounds of shootouts before Dallas won. Nabokov must be considered a lock to return to the Sharks. Turco turned back the clock and was aggressive and confident. His future in the game is secure, even if the Stars opt to go in a different direction. The dazzling array of talent on the San Jose roster is redolent with panache and flair..but they are not tough, certainly not NHL in April and May tough. Unless the Sharks have the courage to make a dramatic move before the March 3rd trade deadline, another early post season exit looms…the Leafs get an up close and personal view of Jose Theodore tonight as the Washington Capitals pull into town. Semyon Varlamov is injured and the former Habs star, either very good or very bad, tends to the pipes…the anti-Lecavalier?; major props to Henrik Sedin. The Vancouver Canuck signed a huge multi-year contract in the off season but, unlike a prominent Tampa Bay Lightning schmuck, has used the deal as an impetus to step up his game. Sedin is third in NHL scoring and on pace for over 100 points this year…Detroit Red Wing Nicklas Lidstrom has one goal and ten assists in 31 games this year. The 39 year old superstar is fraying around the edges…that wasn’t ex Leaf Jiri Tlusty light the lamppost for the Carolina Hurricanes last night was it? No word on whether he kissed a team-mate after the goal…

GRID IRON…when the Buffalo Bills signed Terrell Owens during the off season, I was vocal in my astonishment. A far better receiver, Terry Holt, was available at a discount price and the Bills signing of a “head case” spoke of a desire for attention, not a desire to win. As usual, Holt has burned it up, helping the Jacksonville Jaguars close in on a post season berth. Owens has neither boosted the profile of the Bills nor helped the on field product…how big was the Cleveland upset of Pittsburgh to Eric Mangini? The head coach likely saved his job and earned another year with the evidence that his system and approach are gradually producing results…no other Superbowl Champion has ever lost five games in a row in the year following their title. The Pittsburgh Steeler collapse is mystifying and, maybe, the most compelling story of the 2009 season. It can’t all be Troy Polamalu…the Baltimore Ravens don’t need Ed Reed to beat Detroit this weekend and are wise to let the safety rest. They will definitely need Reed in the playoffs, which is were the much maligned Ravens are heading…the loquacious Troy Aikman has spoken out forcefully against the Dallas Cowboy decision to employ Tony Romo as their field goal holder. Aikman notes he was never expected to perform those duties while leading the Boy’s to Superbowl’s. He explains the starting quarterback already has enough on his plate and “one more duty” changes, if even ever so slightly, the routines and expectations of the pressure filled role. Now, given Romo’s December history and his previous failure as a holder, the move is one Aikman believes is misguided and unnecessary…Aikman sends out big time love to the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers, two teams quietly and convincingly gearing up for surprising playoff runs…careful with those over/under’s and big spreads; the Sporting News Scouts advise the New Orleans Saints will begin running more and providing extra protection for Drew Brees as the season wanes. They know they are dead in the water without Brees and, thus, will begin to run game plans which place maximum emphasis on his health and well being. Less receivers, less targets, more help in the backfield…the Scouts advise plays on Green Bay (big time), Cincinnati, Indy, Miami, Houston and Philadelphia. I intend to wager enthusiastically on the Pack -3, Dolphins +2.5 and Texans -6.5…yeah, sure, I’ll throw in an under play on the Saints - Falcons 50…I won’t bet against my beloved Bucs (I love them the way a mother loves her tiny retarded child) but I really think Josh “The Milkshake Man” Freeman is going to be destroyed by that fantastic New York Jet defense. Mark Sanchez is out for the New Yawkers and that, doubtless, is a reason for the relatively cheap (-3) price…

THE BASKET..why do I get the feeling Raptor GM Bryan Colangelo’s free ride in the Toronto press is about to come to a close. Colangelo has been a bust as GM, building a team with no identity or character. Ratings and seat sales are in free-fall with only masochists following the timorous Dino’s. The other shoe will drop when his inexcusable refusal to trade Chris Bosh results in the team getting little or no return on their supposed star. It looks like the Raps will start over again at the end of the 2009-10 season, and a new GM will be the first step in the process…Magic Johnson has speculated the New York Knicks will be boosted next year with the addition of both LeBron James and Bosh…

PUG LIFE..yep, it’s - yawn - fight night. The Heavyweight Championship of the World, once sports greatest title, is going to be sullied tonight in Switzerland. Vitali Klitschko, who I feel is a genuinely good fighter, though certainly not a great champion, battles Kevin Johnson in a scrap that has failed to captivate the attention of the sporting world. Hell, it’s failed to capture attention of anyone not in the combatant’s immediate family. Let’s hope Vitali closes this one out early and in impressive style, and then goes about arranging a battle with English loudmouth David Hayes. I’m not sure if Hayes can fight, but he has made it abundantly clear he is the most entertaining heavy since Mike Tyson was trying to give away wrecked Porsche’s to police officers…