Cap to up to 52 million?...Outdoor games encore?

There are a few interesting tidbits out there that may have gone unnoticed due to the Cup Final euphoria/Chris Pronger suspension and all.

Here's the latest news...

-Salary Cap to go up to $52 million

Larry Brooks reported recently on his blog, very briefly, that the NHL Salary Cap ceiling may be at $52 million for the upcoming season, this contradicts previous reports from media moguls like TSN, Sportsnet and the Score, that the cap will rise to an estimated $49 million.

All I have to say is, NHL, watch out.

I'm getting a bad feeling in my gut that the annual raise in the Salary Cap will bring us back to those old NHL days, and that NHL GM's will continue spending in a pricey way.

Why does the cap have to keep going up, why can't it just stay at say $49 million for a long while, and in 5 years or so, the NHL evaluates its finances and how it's improved and decides from there.

The people in the NHL's Board Room are making decisions that could potentially harm the game, especially if GM's go back to their freespending ways.

Thank God we are not in the MLB, that's all I have to say.

-Outdoor hockey game revisited?

ESPN claims inside NHL sources report that the NHL is indeed planning a follow-up to 2003's highly successful ''Heritage Classic'' which featured the Canadiens and the Oilers, and both of their vintage teams.

If your memory is foggy, guys like Guy Lafleur and Wayne Gretzky faced off in the Old-Timers game, while Jose Theodore introduced the Canadiens tuque he wore on his head in the actual NHL game as they skated in sub-zero temperatures at a packed Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

I would very much appreciate another outdoorer, even if it didn't include my Habs, would a Rangers vs. Islanders, or Detroit vs. Toronto game sound good?
Meh, the fact that it was two Canadian teams that faced each other made it more interesting than if it was some American team.

Then again, Original Six teams like the Rangers, Red Wings, Maple Leafs, Bruins or Blackhawks (as long as they got their old-timers) might make that an interesting experience.

-NHL to announce 2 expansion cities?

Bob McCown, during ''Primetime Sports'' on the Fan590 radio waves in Toronto 4 days ago, said that there's a rumour the NHL will announce two Western expansion towns, and that Las Vegas and Kansas City are two strong options, McCowan noted that Winnipeg was rejected and that these ''meetings'' have already taken place.

Hmmm, why not a place like Portland instead of Kansas City?
Geez, I just cringe at the thought of bringing hockey to a place like KC, I mean that's almost as bad as bringing a hockey team to Oklahoma!
And why, God tell me, was Winnipeg rejected while Kansas City, who can't even field a decent baseball team, is considered a strong option?

Just, please, Gary Bettman: let these two cities be legitimate hockey towns, and not KANSAS CITY or OKLAHOMA!

--BBR