Hi everyone!  Sorry for the small update this week, but this weekend is promising to be quite hectic, what with Canada Day and all, family coming over to visit, and me still in the middle of the final revision of my soon-to-be-published book, but hey, something is better than nothing, right?  Besides, most of you who live in Canada will probably be glued to your TVs watching Free Agent Sweepstakes Day.  Who will be this year’s David Clarkson, and clog up one unlucky team’s budget for the next eight years like an accumulation of Big Mac and poutine fat in the arteries?  Only time will tell.

So first off, we have a brand new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame. This week, we are featuring Vancouver’s Dave Balon in another of O-Pee-Chee’s famed cut-and-paste jobs.  I absolutely love this card, and I absolutely love the 1971-72 set due to the many goofy-looking photos it features. Cards just aren’t this fantastic anymore.  They may have all this fancy gold and silver foil lettering and glossiness, but the cards from the post-expansion era of the late 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s were just wonderful for many reasons.

The other new addition this week is a short article about the rumour the Cleveland Barons were moving to Houston, Texas as part of the merger that was then being discussed by the NHL and WHA.  As you know, the merger did not happen until 1979, a year after the Barons and Aeros both folded.  Interestingly enough, within weeks, the Barons did in fact discuss merging with another club, but it was Minnesota, not Houston.  Who knows how the hockey landscape would have changed had the Barons and Aeros merged leaving the North Stars to hang in the balance.  Perhaps Houston would still have a NHL team to this day, and perhaps it would have been the Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars who would have been contracted?

Don’t forget that voting for the Seals Hall of Fame is drawing to a close soon.  So far, there are three clear-cut favorites for induction, but I’m not saying who they are.  You’ll just have to vote for your favourites and hope for the best.  The inductees will be announced the week of the site’s one-year anniversary at the end of July.  Until next time, stay gold, and have a safe and happy Canada Day!