Nonfatal Sports- and Recreation-Related Injuries Treated in Emergency Departments --- United States, July 2000--June 2001: No sign of hockey anywhere on this CDC list. That means one of three things:

1. No one gets injured playing hockey (or at least so badly they need to go to the ER)


2. No hockey player survives their injuries long enough to make it to the ER
3. The CDC does not recognize the sport

Puck Hog hockey pool: I just set one up on Yahoo, and will forward the details to everyone shortly... Just another fun feature of this blog, of course.

NHL says no to NY Ranger contracts: In what could signal an early shot in the approaching NHL labour struggle, the league has rejected the free-agent contracts signed with the New York Rangers by both defenceman Darius Kasparaitis and centre Bobby Holik, and the players' union has countered with a grievance.

It is thought the league is opposed to the structure of the signing bonuses in each contract. Reportedly, Holik's five-year, $45-million US contract includes yearly signing bonuses of $2.7-million this year, and $2-million each of the next four years. Kasparaitis's six-year, $25-million deal reportedly includes signing bonuses of $1-million per season.

In the past, the league has been opposed to contracts designed to controvert a possible lockout when the NHL collective bargaining agreement expires in 2004. Though neither Kasparaitis's nor Holik's deals are particularly weighted toward guaranteed, lockout-proof money, it is believed that the league wants to make a statement regarding deals that could run during a labour stoppage.