Brian Costello's Column

Robyn Regehr trade makes no sense for Calgary Flames

Robyn Regehr trade makes no sense for Calgary Flames

by Brian Costello - June 27, 2011 2:13 PM EDT

Why did the Flames trade Regehr and also have to include a second round pick? What is GM Jay Feaster's plan?
I’m having a tough time seeing Jay Feaster’s logic in the trade the Calgary Flames made with the Buffalo Sabres over the weekend.


Fond memories of Atlanta's first draft weekend

Fond memories of Atlanta's first draft weekend

by Brian Costello - June 3, 2011 1:20 PM EDT

THN's Future Watch guru looks back to his trip to Atlanta in 1999 when everything seemed to be working for the Thrashers.
In the beginning, the Atlanta Thrashers had it all. They had a growing and vibrant world-class market that just a few years earlier hosted the Summer Olympics.


NHL Draft Preview showcases game’s next wave

NHL Draft Preview showcases game’s next wave

by Brian Costello - May 14, 2011 10:02 AM EDT

There are always plenty of story lines to follow at the NHL draft and this year is no different as you'll see in THN's Draft Preview.
Twenty years ago this month the Edmonton Oilers dynasty was officially over – five Cups in seven years – and most hockey fans were talking about an NHL final that featured Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Minnesota North Stars.


THN.com Blog: How to determine who is a prospect in Future Watch

THN.com Blog: How to determine who is a prospect in Future Watch

by Brian Costello - March 15, 2011 11:45 AM EDT

Readers often wonder where the cut-off point is from prospect to NHL player, so the editor of our Future Watch edition explains the classifications.
One of the many questions we receive in feedback on our annual Future Watch issue, now available on newsstands and in the THN.com store, is what constitutes a prospect.


THN.com Blog: Maple Leafs' Gardiner no longer of first round pedigree

THN.com Blog: Maple Leafs' Gardiner no longer of first round pedigree

by Brian Costello - February 12, 2011 10:37 AM EST

Toronto GM Brian Burke is banking on recently acquired prospect Jake Gardiner blossoming into a top-four blueliner, but scouts have their doubts.
In acquiring Jake Gardiner from Anaheim this week, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up a prospect who was selected in the first round (17th overall) in 2008, but who probably wouldn’t carry first-round pedigree if that year’s draft were to be re-held today.


THN.com Blog: 17 players make our People of Power and Influence list

THN.com Blog: 17 players make our People of Power and Influence list

by Brian Costello - January 8, 2011 9:33 AM EST

We look at the NHLers who make our annual PoP list and explain why they sit where they do and why one doesn't make the No. 1 spot.
A neighbour once asked me why on Earth we always put NHL commissioner Gary Bettman No. 1 on our People of Power and Influence list - he gets booed everywhere he goes, yet fans fork out big cash to watch Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin and they’re further down the list.


THN.com Blog: NHL fans can boo who they want

THN.com Blog: NHL fans can boo who they want

by Brian Costello - November 13, 2010 9:31 AM EST

GM Brian Burke chastized Toronto Maple Leafs followers for booing Dion Phaneuf, but they're well within their right.
I must admit I was a little hurt and confused in the aftermath of Toronto Maple Leaf fans booing their new captain Dion Phaneuf barely 10 games into the season.


THN.com Blog: Top 100 players by position ranking makes for great debate

THN.com Blog: Top 100 players by position ranking makes for great debate

by Brian Costello - October 9, 2010 10:25 AM EDT

When THN's Top 100 Players of All-Time by Position special issue is released, expect a lot of debate on where more recent players landed.
The good things in life, I must confess, reach new standards each time they come around. An excellent meal instantly becomes one of the best I’ve ever had.


THN.com Blog: Chelios and NHL lockouts – looking ahead to 2012

THN.com Blog: Chelios and NHL lockouts – looking ahead to 2012

by Brian Costello - August 29, 2010 10:10 AM EDT

How great would it have been to see 'Cheli' make it to 50?...And why a lockout in two years is anything but a certainty.
I’ve been thinking about 2012 a lot lately, both the good and the bad. The bad news? Sadly, we won’t be watching Chris Chelios celebrate his 50th birthday patrolling the blueline as some NHL team’s seventh defenseman.


THN.com Blog: Teams still with work to do this off-season

THN.com Blog: Teams still with work to do this off-season

by Brian Costello - August 6, 2010 10:35 AM EDT

It's quiet around hockey circles so far this August, but things are bound to pick up; and why rookies may negotiate for smaller salaries.
Things are so quiet around The Hockey News office, you can literally hear a pin drop. True story. With web editor Rory Boylen, myself and interns Kyle Palantzas and Jamie Ross holding down the fort while the eight other chaps in editorial are on vacation, the newsroom got very quiet.


THN.com Blog: NHL free agent goalies having tumultuous off-season

THN.com Blog: NHL free agent goalies having tumultuous off-season

by Brian Costello - July 17, 2010 11:55 PM EDT

The supply-and-demand nature of the crease dwellers has resulted in some odd happenings this off-season, and it's far from over.
The vocation of NHL goaltender has been thrown a wrench this off-season thanks to Stanley Cup winning goalie Antti Niemi and finalist Michael Leighton.


THN.com Blog: Joe Nieuwendyk a worthy first ballot Hall of Famer

THN.com Blog: Joe Nieuwendyk a worthy first ballot Hall of Famer

by Brian Costello - June 19, 2010 9:28 AM EDT

In a weak induction class, Nieuwendyk leads the way and touched the threshold of greatness along the way in his career.
I had a nice exchange with a reader a couple weeks ago after he called me out for writing that Joe Nieuwendyk was a “shoo-in” for first ballot Hall of Fame induction this year.


Who should the Vancouver Canucks hire as their new head coach?








"Probably not. Their depth and our play right now...it doesn't look too good."

- Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, when asked if his team could come back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Contests

Our Partners