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ICE…is the Philadelphia goaltending crisis going to exist in perpetuity? The franchise has been punished for their latest silly move, the signing of Ray Emery, with the news the former Senator will be out for the remainder of the season. The Flyers could end their woes with one bold move today; the acquisition of Tomas Vokoun from Florida. The price will be steep but they have a talented pool of players and prospects from which to entice the Panthers. The long joke between the pipes could be over for the next half decade if they find the gumption to snatch the readily available puck stopper…Washington and Chicago are both rumoured to be interested in Vokoun. His addition would be a massive boost to their playoff bids…Chicago’s Antti Niemi, facing the New York Islanders, allowed three goals on twelve shots before being replaced last night…well, it’s difficult to know what to make of the Leafs acquisition of Luca Caputi for Alexi Ponikarovsky unless it was meant as an ironic comment on the team; kaput. Penguins GM Ray Shero was doing his best to remain circumspect but, according to the Sporting News, he couldn’t let slip his delight, noting, “I didn’t think this was a deal we would be able to do”. Getting Ponikarovsky without sacrificing a roster player or, really, even a legitimate prospect, was just the tonic for the Penguins GM. The tonic for Leafs fans appears to be another sip of poison. This deal requires some explanation…I just took a random poll, asking people; would Canada have won the Gold if Martin Brodeur had retained his starting position in the Canadian net? Would they have won Gold with Marc Andre Fleury? I was amazed at the answers for the admittedly completely unscientific poll. Virtually everyone I spoke to believed that while Brodeur would have cost Canada the Gold, Fleury would not. The belief, and it’s probably based on last year’s playoff as much as anything else, is that Brodeur is enjoying a charmed life as the backstoppper for the stifling New Jersey Devils…my opinion? No doubt, in my mind, that Brodeur would have brought home the Gold. Fleury, too…

GRID IRON…the Philadelphia Eagles are the subject of contradictory rumours. ESPN is reporting the team will start the 2010 season with Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick on the roster. The St Louis Post Dispatch, on the other hand, claims the St Louis Rams are making “intense” efforts to acquire Donovan McNabb. It’s a muddle and persistent whispers claim the Eagles are very high on Kolb. They would receive maximum value for McNabb, a proposition that would not be available should he lose his job to Kolb, indicating the stories may have some merit. The Rams motivation is puzzling; what would this hopeless squad gain by acquiring an elite QB? The answer could lay in a decision to draft a QB and have him mentored by McNabb - or, the scenario where the Rams swap picks with the Bucs and pick up Josh Johnson. Wait. I’m spending way too much time thinking about the Rams. The Rams don’t spend this much time thinking about the Rams…where have you gone Sage Rosenfels?…

PONIES…Rachel Alexandra completed her first work in company yesterday, travelling six furlongs in 1.13.4 at The Fair Grounds. Trainer Steve Asmussen was a tad disappointed, expecting her to move a bit quicker, but he noted she has been very aggressive at the start of her works and is coming under major restraint from her exercise rider. As she settles down after the long vacation we can expect Rachel to affect a calmer demeanour and resume her wicked ways. One gem from yesterdays work; when set down and asked to pass her stablemate, she drilled her final quarter in 22.4. Rachel is scheduled to make her seasonal debut March 13^th…Equidaily has posted a video of the work, for those who are interested…

RANDOM…did you get a look at the contents of John Daly’s 456 page PGA disciplinary file? The document was made available for public consumption as the result of a lawsuit and its contents are alarming; Daly has been ordered to alcohol re-hab seven times, cited for not giving his best effort on Tour twenty one times and suspended outright five times. The documents were released as a result of Daly’s lawsuit against a Florida columnist. Dumb-ass….who were the one in five Canadians who did not bother to watch any of the Olympic final Sunday? Well I’d put those myopic NACAR fans on the list. They’re the only people giving me grief for missing last weekend’s race from Las Vegas. Yeah, missing another Jimmie Johnson exhibition, what a tragedy. I’m getting extra special attention as, six races in (including the duels and shootout) the leader of the sacred NASCAR Pool would be this guy!…puzzling; Jimmie Johnson has won two of the first three Sprint Cup Series races but ranks only sixth in the standings…

MEDIA…big battle brewing in Hollywood after Nicolas Chartier, who financed and produced The Hurt Locker, sent an e-mail to members of The Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences suggesting they vote for Kathryn Bigelow’s film instead of a “500 million dollar” movie (Avatar). Ding, ding, ring the bell! A talentless man like James Cameron does not survive in Hollywood without knowing how to rumble. Last Friday, after the Chartier e-mail rocked Babylon, the Los Angeles Times went front page with an article denouncing The Hurt Locker as inaccurate. The piece quoted upset veterans and even suggested the U S Military had withdrawn support for the film after viewing the script. The movie was released in the summer, to critical acclaim, so the timing of this denouncement, four days before voting for the Academy Awards closed, had tongues wagging. Chartier has been banned from the Oscar ceremony (his e-mail soliciting votes broke the rules) and some are speculating the controversy could cost Bigelow her Best Director Oscar (no woman has ever won that award). Americans might not be receptive to being ordered about by a Frenchman, just saying…Quentin Tarantino was most gracious when he cast his support for Best Director to Bigelow. Tarantino had been considered a dark horse for his magnificent work on Inglorious Basterds… and thanks to Kurtis M for his kind comments yesterday. The Meridian began as a racing site years back and has morphed into it’s current role as a harbinger of parties, prosperity and pugnaciousness…