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ICE..goaltending problems continue to plague the Philadelphia Flyers. With starter Ray Emery injured and back-up Brian Boucher also out, the Black and Orange turn to Michael Leighton, he of the .851 save percentage and 4.17 GAA in eight games this year. With goalies like Jaroslav Halak and Tomas Vokoun apparently in play, isn’t it time for the team to solidify their position between the pipes?…I was watching the Leaf game with friends last night when a shot of the very intense looking Jonas Gustavsson filled the screen. The goalies stare evokes Elijah Woods playing the madman Kevin in “Sin City”…the Sporting News opines that Marc Savard is missing Phil Kessel far more than Kessel is missing Savard…Patrice Bergeron, based on his versatility and grit, should surely make the Canadian Olympic squad…

GRID IRON..suddenly the Brett Favre fade of 2008, when he hit the wall in the season’s final quarter, is starting to look relevant. Coach Brad Childress and Favre locked into a belligerent discussion in the third quarter of the Vikes loss to Carolina, after it was suggested that the ex-Packer sit on the bench for the fourth quarter. Favre has a 76 QB rating this December and more interceptions than in the previous three months combined…the reeling Vikes have perhaps the perfect tonic for their recent ineptness; a date against the Chicago Bears…Brian Bohm starts Sunday for the Buffalo Bills. This, in case you are wondering, is a very bad thing for Bills supporters…

PUG LIFE..Seconds Out is reporting it is a certainty that Ricky Hatton will climb back into the square circle in 2010. The proposed target of Hatton’s return might not be, as expected, Oscar De la Hoya, but instead the English junior welterweight sensation Amir Khan. A Hatton - Khan fight would be enormous in England. Hatton was bludgeoned in consecutive losses to the top two fighters in the game, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, and is doubtless looking for some class relief. He may not find it in the rapidly improving Khan, a dynamic offensive fighter becoming increasing proficient under the tutelage of Freddie Roach. Khan has a one round knockout loss on his record, and that is doubtless spurring on challengers, but the Khan of recent outings appears poised and focused, attributes occasionally lacking in his early professional outings…Thomas Hauser has revealed that Jermain Taylor suffered bleeding on the brain following his knockout loss to Carl Froch. Despite this, Taylor intends to go through with a fight (slaughter) against the best super middle in the world, Andre Ward. The prospect of this fight actually coming off is making fight fans shudder. It serves no purpose and threatens to impair Taylor permanently. Taylor, who once decisioned Bernard Hopkins in back-to-back fights, regressed immeasurably after firing his long time trainer Pat Burns. Hauser claims Taylor’s work ethic dissolved after Burns was removed from his camp, making the decision one of the worst in recent boxing history…ho-hum, David Tua pulls out of a scheduled February date, citing “family reasons”. Someday Tua, like a latter day Razor Ruddock, is going to be sitting alone, in the dark, nursing a six pack, wondering why in the hell he didn’t show even a modicum of commitment or determination…

PONIES..LOOKIN AT LUCKY has emerged as a strong early choice for the 2010 Kentucky Derby. The colt is handled by Bob Baffert and is a son of Smart Strike, the Canadian runner who also sired Curlin. The colt was best in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile but sabotaged by a horrendous wide trip. On the weekend he won the Hollywood Futurity (now called something else) and is being pointed toward two preps before the First Saturday in May…last year, virtually every significant contender melted away with the winter snow. There is no point in actually wagering on a short priced runner at this time, far too much can happen to these increasingly fragile competitors…