What a drag

Jim Kelley has a must-read column on Sportsnet that looks at yesterday and wonders what happened to the battle for "cost certainty" and the hilarious "drag on salaries" that cost the NHL and its fans a year of hockey.

Although I don't agree with many of Jim's player evaluations - Wade Redden may have some issues, but he's a better defenseman simply falling out of bed than Brooks Orpik - his point is strong.

Remember the talk during the lockout of a $40 mill max cap? Now that's just the floor.

The revenue generation in other sports is at a level where the NBA, NFL and MLB can look you in the eye and say semi-sincerely that their fans won't pay the price for player salary escalation.

The NHL is my favorite league, but you know who's ultimately paying the cost for Manic Tuesday. Can't wait to see what Hainsey and Orpik get today.