Sunday morning homily XX

Like most hockey fans, I certainly enjoyed yesterday's Hockey Day in Canada presentation. To have a day celebrating hockey's heritage from British Columbia to the Maritimes, from snow-covered driveways to big-city arenas, is just one example of why the game is so important to its fans.

Here in the states, though, the day passed with little fanfare. And, to me, that's a shame.

While loud and convincing arguments can be made that baseball, football, basketball and, ahem, even soccer, hold greater importance in the United States, I can only wonder what the response would be if the American hockey landscape were to stage its own day of dedication.

From youth leagues right on up to Original Six matchups (Detroit vs. Chicago and Boston vs. New York), as well as strong regional rivalries across the nation's professional leagues, I believe it would be a wonderful, and hopefully well-received, idea to have such a day.

With all due respect to the game's Canadian roots, hockey in America has grown far beyond the Miracle on Ice. With such living legends as Dallas' Mike Modano, Detroit's Chris Chelios and San Jose's Jeremy Roenick still playing, as well as a growing pipeline of young prospects (Chicago's Patrick Kane and Flyers pick James vanRiemsdyk come to mind), the profile of U.S.-born players raises with each generation.

The time has come, I believe, for a Hockey Day in America.

This doesn't bode well

With a purported sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning to Hollywood goremeister Oren Koules sidetracked by financing problems, I'm beginning to wonder whether this deal will happen at all.

It seems that Societe Generale, the scandalized French bank that apparently was to provide financing for the deal shuttering its sports-lending unit, I can't imagine too many other banks, especially given the credit crunch within our economy, willing to step up with a silver platter of cash for the stagnant franchise.

Perhaps Koules, the producer of the bloody Saw movie franchise, will rush out Saw V this year to help pay for the transaction. Until then, the Lightning will only, in a best-case scenario, tread water.

5 Big Sigs

Amended Feb. 12: Even though two teams will be visiting Tampa Bay this weekend, I thought I'd likely limit my hounding to just the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Too bad, though, that forecasts for thunderstorms scrubbed the trip. The Capitals, in town on Saturday, will come back later in the season.