Happy Fourth of July!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Fourth of July and getting a chance to relax or do whatever it is that you want to be doing. We are not going to break much new ground here today so it will be short if not sweet.

Yesterday, was one of my few off days at work and my wife and I went for a ride through the backwoods down the Natchez Trace Parkway. We went to a spot called Metal Ford on the Buffalo River and sat on a rock in the middle of the river for a while.

We then ventured further south to Florence, Alabama which seemed like a really cool spot as it sits on the side of the Tennessee River and has a large lake nearby. The downtown area was really vibrant with a lot going on with a couple of stages with music and lots of folks out and about.

That being said, we did stumble across one street that had been blocked off and a wrestling rink was set up in the middle of the street. Some of the worst fake wrestling that I've ever seen was going on free to the public, where everyone could see it. The adage that you get what you pay for certainly applied here.

Just so you don't think I am exaggerating, here is a sample.



Hopefully, we won't see anything as tragic today as we head to Waverly, Tennessee for music and fireworks with the family.

In Pred Nation...

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun has a different talke on the Radulov situation, saying that Rads may fear retribution by the Russian Olympic Committee if he were to return to the NHL this year. Bill Daly says that Raduulov's KHL contract is not a block to his return to the NHL. Interesting read, check it out.

It's interesting to see the story in Ryan Ellis's hometown paper about his heading to Nashville.

Happy 11th Anniversary to Steve Sullivan and his wife, Kristen.

Mark at the View From 111 has a good reminder of the meaning of Independence Day.

Around the NHL...

Ryan at the RedLightDistrict has not been slowed by the holidays as he continues to cover the signings and trades better than anyone. On this Fourth of July, he is in the patriotic spirit by suggesting the roster for Team USA for the Olympics too.

In a big trade yesterday, the L.A. Kings solved their log jam at D by sending Tom Pressing , Kyle Quincy and a pick to the Colorado Avs for Ryan Smith. A veteran presence on the young Kings team will go a long way toward putting then in the playoffs this year. The West only gets tougher with this move.

Rick Nash and the Blue Jackets got together on an 8 year deal worth $62.4 million which is a bit on the high side, but all involved seem pleased with it.

NHL Snipers has his grades for all the teams so far in free agency.

A rare story from the AZ Republic on the Coyotes. Must be a slow news day in Phoenix.

Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass