Ah, when I take out the picture of Gary Bettman, you know I'm in a bad mood and I'm about to complain about a bunch of stuff. Take a seat and have a read.

1. Tim Thomas/White House situation. Since my good friend Ty "Mr." Anderson wrote a blog defending Thomas's right to choose, I'm going to give a contrasting opinion, just because he's wrong on this one (no offense).

Did Thomas have a right to bow out of the White House meal? Yeah, sure. Should he have? No. It was classless and he embarrassed his team by doing it.

On his Facebook page, Thomas listed his reasons. I'll save you some reading. It was some yammering about government being too big, and how both parties are letting the country down. Hey, I get why people want to protest how government is run. What percentage of people in the US vote nowdays during Presidential elections? 30? 40? Most stopped caring a long time ago. People feel detached from their leaders, and in many situations, decisions made reflect the needs of special interest over the wants of the greater populous.

Some ass-hat sends me a message on Twitter saying, "if the Flames invited you to a meal with them, you wouldn't go because of your beliefs". Moronic. People should be forced to pass an IQ test before they get a Twitter account.

For one thing, comparing lunch with Jay Feaster to lunch with the President of the United States doesn't make sense. Most of you know I'm fairly left-leaning in my political beliefs. I'd never vote for the guy we have as Prime Minister in Canada. But, if he invited my "team" for lunch to celebrate a big accomplishment, I'd go. I'd be honored to go, too.

Why go?

- A free lunch is a free lunch. Beats the hell out of sitting in Arby's.

- I have respect for my country and the people who lead it, even if I don't agree with them.

- I would show some respect to my fan base, many of whom are patriotic. It might mean something to them to see me with Obama for five minutes.

- I would have respect for my teammates, coaches, and the people who pay my salary. For some of them the White House thing meant something. Instead, now all the focus is on one person's decision to make a stand. Thomas more or less ruined the moment, protesting the "size" of government. Lame. Get a real cause. What are you, a Suffragette?

- I would recognize that as a player, I work for the NHL; a league that still struggles to find an audience in many American cities. I would use the opportunity to promote the league, and not turn it into a media gong show that debates issues that have absolutely nothing to do with hockey.

I'll offer a real-world example to explain why Thomas sucks:

Old aunty so and so dies. You didn't like her when you were growing up. Why? Because he bright red lipstick and hairy upper lip scared the crap out of you. She smelled funny. She bossed you around and told you how much better her kids were to you. But now she's dead, and your mom is on the phone asking you to go to the funeral. Do you go? Yes, of course you do. Why? Because she meant something to your mom. Sometimes loyalty to family comes before anything else. So does a sense of honor, a belief in tradition, and pride.

In life, a person can't just think about themselves all the time. Sometimes, you have to think about the people around you, occasionally tolerating and enduring moments silently. If you show no respect to others, even the people you don't like or appreciate, no one will respect you back. Thomas isn't going to get a do-over here. He's an old hockey player, and the chance of the Bruins winning the cup again are so-so (not because they suck, but because it's really tough in the modern NHL to win consecutive cups). Someday, Thomas might look back at his decision with regret.

Oh, and would I go for lunch with the Flames if they offered to honor me for some reason? Darn rights. I'd be appreciative for the invite, too. Feaster would likely sneak up behind me and hit me over the head with a baseball bat, but whatever.

2. The following story confused me almost as much as the Thomas one did: So let me see if I understand this - Alex Ovechkin has been suspended for three games, but the suspension would cross into the All Star weekend, and the league still wants him at that. Ovechkin says he's not going, because it wouldn't be right if he went while he was suspended. Hmmm, what's the REAL story here?

The REAL story goes like this: NHL players hate the All Star Game more than real hockey fans do. Most players see the All-Star break as their opportunity to lay on a beach somewhere warm with their sweetie for five days. But then you get invited, and the tixs to Hawaii are now junk. Instead of surf and turf, you're stuck in a photo op.

Hmmm...this kinda goes back to my first discussion about Thomas and the honor thing. Sometimes you have to put the good of the game ahead of what you want personally. Interesting.

No player wants to get suspended, but there's a bright side to everything. Ovechkin likely wants to make plans to cut another rap song with his buddies instead of "living it up" at the All-Snore game in Ottawa, of all places. The "I'm suspended so I shouldn't play" is one of the funniest excuses I've ever heard. Without Sidney Crosby playing, Ovechkin is the league's next most marketable asset. Some of these players need to be reminded who they work for, and just how rich they are getting off this league.

3. Switching topics completely: TSN was discussing last night how trade talks between teams is pretty cold right now. Will we see a mild NHL Trade Deadline compared to the last few seasons? We might.

Strange year in the NHL. In the East, it's not even February and the playoff race seems to be only 10 teams challenging for 8 spots. Teams like Montreal, Tampa and Buffalo could be sellers, but the problem is, would anyone want to buy what they are selling? The three teams mentioned have plenty of big contracts they'd like to dump, but big deals and small returns aren't exactly the stuff Stanley Cup runs are made of.

In the West, five teams are fighting for the 8th playoff spot. Teams 1-7 seem to be decided. Not the order they will finish, but the fact they'll make the playoffs. Out of the five teams on the bubble in the West, four of them don't spend much money, and the one that does is close to the cap already. Teams on the bottom of the standings in the West don't have many quality assets to part with. Obviously, the Oilers and Blue Jackets would love to move a player or two, but with teams looking less than motivated to make deals, potential returns for trades might be tremendously disappointing. I saw one list of the "best players available" yesterday, and yawned. What you could see happen is a bunch of small deals with 4th line forwards or 5/6 pairing defensemen. I wouldn't be holding my breath for a blockbuster. Not this season.

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