And oh how the enigmatic goaltender shines in the spotlight, much to the chagrin of the league. Bryzgalov is just what the NHL hates: unique, outspoken, not from Red Deer. The embattled and well-traveled goaltender is the antithesis of the typical NHLer. His idiosyncrasies, strange even for a goalie, rankle the entire NHL establishment, from players to management to media to that guy who lives in the apartment below yours with his mother who has a "prominent Predators blog." And as Bryz adds some animation to the typically lifeless NHL discourse in his return to centre scrum, its interesting to consider why hockey hates him so. [Getty Images] For much of his career, Bryzgalov and his delightfully absurd aloofness was left to the bliss of the uncovered hinterland of the NHL. He was allowed to ply his trade in Anaheim and Phoenix with relatively little attention paid. But, in league circles, his oddities were well known, and even celebrated when the media required moments of levity. But upon his arrival in hockey hotbed, and noted goalie-killer Philadelphia, the affection the league had for Bryzgalov turned quickly to venom. His play certainly didnt help, but many an average NHLer with a slight sense of humour has been left to his own devices. But Bryzgalovs appalling strangeness in the eyes of the hockey establishment, a sinister outfit run by old white men housed in a secret lair below the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, made him a pariah, and nearly led to the end of his career. And by "end of career" I mean playing in Edmonton. Perhaps no player has incurred the wrath of the NHL like the man the Wild acquired as insurance, and who is now their last hope to extend the season. But why? Unfortunately, hockey lacks Bryzgalovs. Of the four major sports leagues, it by far eschews personality and flavour more than all others. Hell, out of any sport it certainly boasts the most boring membership. No interview is less interesting than conversations with hockey players. Vanilla mocks the rabid blandness of NHLers. And those in NHL circles who do have personalities, like Sean Avery, Ted Nolan, or P.K. Subban, find themselves ostracized from the community, or like Subban unfairly labeled as troublesome on and off the ice. One would think a league that has struggled to find a market against its more successful sports brethren would embrace personality, but thats not the hockey way. Bryzgalov is more than a goalie, more than a hockey player. Hes a genuinely interesting and interested person. He has big questions. Like, "Im very into the universe, you know like how was created, you know, like, what is it, you know? Solar system is so humongous big, right? But if you see like our solar system and our galaxy on the side, you know, like, were so small you can never see it. Our galaxy is like huge, but if you see the big picture our galaxy (is) like a small tiny-like dot in the universe." Bryz is the opposite of boring. [HBO] But hockey is a factory of boring. The sport grabs youngsters at an early age, sends them to cosmopolitan metropoli like Chicoutimi, Lethbridge, and North Bay, and where representatives of the old boys club teach them to lack in colour and dissenting opinion. There must be courses in stock answers and cliché given to aspiring NHLers, lest they find some horrific off-ice personality. One can imagine a factory churning out 62 defencemen and gritty fourth line centres somewhere outside of Medicine Hat whose only answers are limited to: • Gotta play all three periods and go hard into the boards. • Its the coachs decision. • I enjoy CBCs Heartland. Unfortunately, this formulaic tendency has corrupted on-ice play as well. In the past quarter century weve seen the game become more systems-based, removing individuality and scoring from the game. (Lets call this Lou Lamoriellos fault.)Hockey enjoys being the definition of innocuous. What it finds funny, or interesting, is in the Jeremy Roenicks of its world, a sort of low brow, low risk comedy that makes Canadian sitcoms look like the bastard children of Louis CK and Sarah Silverman. And that affection for the benign has lowered scoring, homogenized the product, and made beat reporters quest for an interesting quote an exercise in futility. Bryzgalov is the kind of guy you like to keep in your pocket and take out at parties. He was the star of HBOs24/7, an ambitious show that tries to find intrigue in NHL locker rooms.His personality is as endearing as it playful. Hes intelligent, well read, and happy to speak on any subject. And the NHL hates him for it. This is a man who when asked if he feared the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins before a playoff matchup with his Flyers responded, "Im not afraid of anything – except bear. But bear in the forest." Whats not to love? The pundits cited his personality as one of the reasons he failed in Philly, despite the fact that the Flyers organization is a wasteland for goalies whose failures have been the result of a flawed organizational concept as opposed to a Russian who enjoys tea and literature. Whats most painfully difficult to entertain in this NHL with a hatred of the entertaining is the notion that there arent more personalities like Bryzgalov. The difference with Bryz is that he shares his self with the world. I cant even describe the weird that my peers tend towards in the privacy of dark corners of Montreal bars, so one cant be naïve enough to believe that similarly intriguing oddity doesnt exist in NHL locker rooms. NHLers are only permitted to show their game face, or as Bryz puts it, "You know, I have many faces … masks. In home, I have one face. Public, I have other face. Uh … ahhhh, on ice I have different face. Day off I have four face. With you [media] I have fifth face." The tradition of the league has implemented a gag order upon its membership, which limits both its on- and off-ice products. The marketing of contemporary sport is about personality. Its what makes the moments between on-field greatness interesting. Chad Johnson, Dennis Rodman, or Steve Lyons would never be allowed to exist in the NHL. From a young age, their personalities would never be given the chance to blossom into anything other than milquetoast. Bryzgalov once said, "OK, they fire the puck from the blue line. Chief usually yelling block the shot at the defensemen. They doesnt have the goalie gear, but they have to block the shot. So who is more crazy, me or the defencemen? Who is more weird?" No one, Bryz. No one. And thats a shame. For both the sport and its fans. This is likely his last few weeks as an NHL goaltender. And then exit Bryzgalov, pursued by bear. Adidas Stan Smith Clearance .com) - The Toronto Blue Jays will look to snap a three-game skid Friday night when they continue their road trip in the opener of a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Adidas Stan Smith Authentic . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. http://www.cheapstansmith.net/ .com) - The New York Islanders will try to solve their issues against Central Division opponents when they visit the Minnesota Wild for Tuesdays battle at Xcel Energy Center. Cheap Adidas Stan Smith Shoes . PAUL, Minn. Adidas Stan Smith Wholesale . Weise will have his hearing with the NHL head office over the phone, while the league has requested an in-person hearing with Kassian. Oilers centre Sam Gagner suffered a broken jaw after getting hit with a high stick from Kassian in Edmontons 5-2 win.ATLANTA - Cobb County officials said Thursday a mix of existing tax revenue as well as new levies on business and tourism will be used to fund the public portion of a new $672 million Braves stadium planned for 2017. Under the terms of a 30-year deal released by the county, the Braves would put in $372 million, or 55 per cent, and Cobb County would be responsible for the remaining $300 million, or 45 per cent. The Cobb County Board of Commissioners is set to consider the deal on Nov. 26. "Its an excellent deal for Cobb County," commission Chairman Tim Lee said in an interview. "Its great to have a national organization like the Braves relocating to Cobb County. Its creating jobs and stimulating the economy." Key details of the planned financing was revealed days after the Braves announced the team was leaving downtown for the suburbs, moving about 10 miles north on Interstate 75. The decision caught many by surprise, including Gov. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed. Deal has said hes happy the team is staying in Georgia, while Reed has been defending his decision not to compete with Cobb Countys offer. The public contribution for the Cobb County deal is far lower than initial reports of up to $450 million and also below the average of nearly 70 per cent cited by experts. The Braves said in a statement the team would be assuming more than 90 per cent of the upfront costs for the 42,000-seat stadium, minimizing the amount of bonds that would be issued. The stadium would be owned by the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum and Exhibit Hall Authority and operated by the team. The Braves would pay $6.1 million annually in rent and payments from naming rights, parking and advertising revenue, and that money would cover the teams annual bond obligation, according to information provided by the county. "This is a very sound deal for the Braves, the Cobb taxpayer and the Cobb business community," said Mike Plant, the Braves executive vice-president of business operations. The team has no plans to use personal seat licenses to help pay for the stadium, said Derek Schiller, the Braves executive vice-president of sales and marketing. The licenses have been an unpopular element of other stadium deals and require an upfront fee from season ticketholders. Under the plan, the county would use a mix of $9.61 million in existing revenue and $8.29 million in new taxes on business and tourism to collect the $17.dddddddddddd million per year to cover the principal and interest of its share of the 30-year bonds that would be issued, according to the terms. It was not immediately clear what revenue sources might be used for capital maintenance expenses to be shared by the team and the county. Georgia State University economics professor Bruce Seaman said the plan appeared balanced with multiple sources of revenue, although he cautioned transportation must be a priority given existing traffic congestion in the area. "Additional congestion is a property value killer," said Seaman, who has done some fiscal analysis for the Braves. He said traffic could adversely affect any property value appreciation included in the countys revenue estimates. The project does include $14 million toward transportation improvements, although the long-term infrastructure plan remains to be seen. Of the new taxes, the county plan calls for $5.5 million would be generated annually through a new levy on area businesses, as well as $400,000 in a new 3 per cent car rental tax in unincorporated parts of the county and $2.7 million from a new $3 per-room, per-night charge for surrounding hotels and motels. Brooks Mathis with the Cobb Chamber of Commerce said the deal has the support of the business community and noted there were no plans for residential tax increases. "The businesses in the immediate area are all on board," Mathis said. "They know that they will benefit directly from this investment by the Braves in the community." Cobb County officials also plan to reallocate $8.67 million annually in existing property tax revenue. That money is currently being used to pay off another bond that will expire in three years, when the stadium bonds are expected to be issued, according to the commission chairman. In addition, a local business improvement district has pledged $10 million. Atlantas mayor has said the city couldnt afford to match Cobb Countys offer, saying the city would have been forced to take on some $200 million in debt to appease the Braves while facing a $900 million backlog in infrastructure projects. Through a spokesman, he declined comment Thursday on details of the Cobb financing. ___ Follow Christina Almeida Cassidy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Christina. ' ' '