Say what you will about Larry Brooks and his Sunday NHL column in the
New York Post, there's little doubt that everyone in the league reads it -- which is probably why Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) President and CEO Tim Leiweke decided to turn to Brooks when it came to
coming clean about AEG's low-profile loan to William "Boots" Del Baggio.
One of the hottest stories going in the league off the ice during this offseason has been the starting revelation that Del Baggio had some covert help when it came to financing his purchase of a minority interest in the Nashville Predators.
As most folks have read by now, Del Baggio, who seems to have been a little light in the wallet when it comes to his own cash reserves, was able to buy a piece of the Predators thanks to some creative financing from AEG, the owners of the LA Kings, and Craig Leipold, the former owner of the Predators who is now in control of the Minnesota Wild. And, as we've also subsequently discovered, the deal was pulled off without the commissioner knowing a thing about it.
From the outside looking in, it's clear Leipold was looking for any way to grease his skids out of Nashville after losing millions on the Predators, while you don't have to be a rocket scientist to conclude AEG was in on the deal to help Del Baggio gain control of the team and move it to Kansas City where another AEG-owned arena is looking for an anchor tenant.
Needless to say, the commissioner is a little miffed and is promising an investigation.
Enter Leiweke, a sports executive who has been around the block a few times.
It's been an interesting few days in the continuing standoff between the National Hockey League and Russia's Kontinental Hockey League. Let's recap some events:
The 
While most of us in North America were trying to find a way to get away from the heat, Paul Kelly, head of the National Hockey League Players Association wasn't being chary about raising the heat when it came to the fight that's beginning to engulf international hockey. 
As if the 
Earlier today, the 
After about a week of back and forth sniping in the international sports press, the NHL and Russia's Kontinental Hockey League have come to an agreement to respect each other's contracts. The following comes from a statement issued by the KHL Press Service in Moscow:
As multiple outlets have already reported, Nashville Predators winger Alexander Radulov has l
After hearing the news this week, you might be asking the same questions that I am. How is it that crooks and hooligans such as William "Boots" Del Biaggio and 
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