Sheldon Souray and Angelica Bridges divorced two years ago, and she received full custody of their two children. But the Edmonton defenseman has gone to court to argue that her showing her ta-tas in Vegas isn't the most stable single-parent situation for them.

Bridges debuted in "Fantasy: the Hottest Adult Revue for Couples" at the Luxor hotel this week. Souray went to a family court judge in Los Angeles to say their kids would be kept away from here as long as she continued to perform.

I've lived in New York with the children. I've visited Las Vegas two dozen times, and he never made a move like this. It's only because I landed a great show on the Strip, and he didn't want me to have any success or recognition. He's only using the kids to break me."

Bridges, who the kids have already seen nude if they've learned how to Google mommy, has temporarily quit the production until the legal situation is settled.

Exclusive: Fantasy Star Fights To Keep Kids And Return To Luxor Show [Vegas Deluxe]
[Pic courtesy of 25stanley.com]

"I'm not really here to rally the blogosphere or anything," said Berry, who in his day job is a writer for Vue Weekly, an Indy news and arts publication in Edmonton. "People have cast me as the universally wronged blogger, an example of the Oilers' backwards interpretation of technology," he said. "But while I appreciate all the support I've gotten, I actually see the Oilers' side in all of this. I'm very disappointed in the way they handled it — they could have been a lot more cordial — but I understand their rules."

Berry's story goes like this: He was hired by a wire service — he won't say which one — to take notes on the Oilers' Oct. 12 game against the Colorado Avalanche and collect quotes afterward. To pass the time in the press box, he also decided to live blog the game for his own site, Covered In Oil, which is one of the most widely read hockey blogs on the computer tubes. But this didn't sit well with the Oilers PR department, who were familiar with Berry's keyboard stylings and were not, as they say, big fans. While Berry was in mid-blog, the team sent a PR Monkey to the press box to literally pull the plug on the live blog, and escort Berry from the premises. And apparently they were none to polite about it. Berry writes about it here, including the part where he is flogged, keelhauled and later used as chum.

"The specific reason I was given was that I was credentialed for another purpose," Berry said. "I wasn't authorized to write for anyone besides the wire service while I was in the press box. I apologized at the time, telling them that I hadn't been aware of the rule, but they weren't interested in hearing my side of it. They acted very unprofessionally, and that's my big complaint."

But the blogerati perceives this as something considerably deeper; a prime example of a pro sports franchise woefully behind the technological curve. Instead of embracing bloggers as the wave of the future — and therefore people to be incorporated, or at the very least tolerated — many teams like the Oilers are simply releasing the hounds, the future be damned.

But some teams have not adopted Edmonton's scorched earth policy toward bloggers. The San Jose Sharks, for one, are making a genuine effort to invite bloggers to the table, perhaps not surprising considering that the franchise is in Silicon Valley.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that newspapers are slowly going away," Sharks media director Scott Emmert said. "Blogs are one of the venues that fans are going to, and we realize that. We make an effort to follow what's written. There's the saying about there being no such thing as bad publicity, and while I wouldn't go quite that far, it is true that a pro franchise can make blogs work for them."

The Sharks actively work with sites such as Hockey Buzz and Sharkspage, because they recognize the upside of such a relationship. "But those sites have a large degree of professional accountabilty," Emmert said. "That's the thing that has to be in the equation. A lot of bloggers are out there writing things that are factually incorrect with no accountability, and we don't want to be working with them, obviously."

John Ryan, who blogs regularly for the San Jose Mercury News, sees accountability as a huge issue in the relationship between pro franchises and bloggers.

"If I write something that is out of line, the team can call my employer and there's accountability there," he said. "But when an independent blogger writes something outrageous, often the only recourse a team has is to take away his press credential. So I see that. But you can be smart about it. The Sharks were pushing us to have a Sharks blog before we even had one."

For most bloggers, the press box is still a very, very distant place, and that's the way it should be. For bloggers to be accepted into the club brings with it a certain degree of complicity; toeing the company line in order to keep the press pass.

When I was hired to live blog Charles Barkley's rounds at the American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament for NBCSports this past July, I assumed that there would be no strings attached. But one of the first things that happened upon my arrival at Lake Tahoe's shores — even before the degenerate gambling — was a meeting with an MSNBC exec who cautioned me that they didn't want me to be too hard on Barkley. "Charles has been a friend to this tournament, and we don't want him ridiculed," I was told. So, you know, kid gloves for the Round Mound. Better to stay outside of the press box entirely than to be assimilated like that. The truth is out there, but it's hard to find it while you're scarfing the free buffet.

It Ends ... [Covered In Oil]
Edmonton Oilers Get A Blogger Beat-Down After Censorship [Puck Daddy]

The headline is a quote from Slap Shot, which is both a hockey movie and the first thing I think of when anything hockey-related comes to my attention. The clip is a remarkable sequence from a Thursday night game where Patrik Stefan blew the equivalent of a 2-inch putt, and the commentator acted like he just blew a giraffe in front of a live television audience.

He goofed, for sure, and it is embarrassing. But "the most embarrassing thing you've ever seen in the National Hockey League"? Come on, guy. You've seen those television ratings, right?

Patrik Stefan bungles, Hemsky scores [YouTube]
Stars Overcome Stefan's Monster Mistake [nbc5i]

Well, the reason Pronger's wife wants to leave Edmonton is not b/c she hates the city or the people. Apparently Pronger got a female beat reporter who covers the oilers pregnant. This is why it would be difficult for the Pronger family to settle down in Edmonton.

Just rumor and innuendo at this point, of course, but it's worth noting that perhaps Mr. Pronger should have compared noted with Derek Lowe at the beginning of the season. That never works out well.

Do Puck Bunnies Have Litters? [Microbano]

(UPDATE: This has become such a big point of discussion in Edmonton that the discussion of it has been banned from the team's official site.)

(SECOND UPDATE: The woman alleged to be involved has released a statement denying that charge, and Microbano up there has pulled his post.)

• Seems like life should be good for Oilers defenseman Chris Pronger, right? He's a star. He plays for a team that just made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. The city of Edmonton loves him. Just one little problem, though: It's still freakin' Edmonton. And I'm sure it's a fine place to live, but for whatever the reasons, his wife wants to get the hell out of there. Rumors indicate that her unhappiness in Edmonton is the impetus behind Pronger's trade request. I'm sure there will be no shortage of suitors.

• This is what we call a blockbuster: The Vancouver Canucks and Florida Panthers pulled off a trade that sends sucker-punching forward Todd Bertuzzi to Florida, and goalie Roberto Luongo to Vancouver. Vancouver needed a goalie and a change of address might do Bertuzzi some good, so hey, everyone wins. A couple of other players were included in the deal, but I don't think anyone noticed.

Record 10 Americans selected in first round [NHL.com]
Oilers GM Lowe says Pronger has requested trade [ESPN.com]
Bertuzzi, Luongo swap teams in major NHL trade [canada.com]

And on the sixth day, the Lord invented hockey, and saw that it was good. And there was much rejoicing. (By the way, concerning that statuette ... why no helmets? Seems a little irresponsible of the King of Kings). Some thoughts from blogdome:

• Speaking of Christ; with all the beards out on the ice in the Finals, how could Gillette have missed this opportunity? [The Ice Block]
• The case is made that Cam Ward should not have won the Conn Smythe Trophy. Don't tell Denis Leary. [The Puck Stops Here]
• Um, do Oilers fans know they lost? (Includes the self-proclaimed gayest photo ever on a hockey blog). [Covered In Oil]
• More Oilers fan bitterness; this time directed toward the Norse god Crom, naturally. [Four Bad Men]
• Of course, this blog correctly predicted the outcome of the Finals more than two weeks ago, and has the photo to prove it. [Confessions Of A Hockey Fanatic]
• Comparing Brind'Amour's kissing of the Stanley Cup to the smooching of Al and Tipper Gore. Hey, get a room! [American Hockey Fan]
• The only way to describe this day for a Hurricanes fans, of course, is with a quote from The Princess Bride. [Sweet Tea, Barbeque and Bodychecks]

(UPDATE: SporTech Matter has the video.)

Anyway, that's all moot now, because even the most ardent NHL naysayer has to find it difficult to ignore a Stanley Cup Finals Game 7. Despite the small-market matchup, we kind of think it's a perfect contrast: The Edmonton Oilers, a Canadian dinosaur franchise remnant from back when it was possible for a sports league to have a team in Edmonton , against the Carolina Hurricanes, in which the vast history of hockey — or, at least, ice — in North Carolina is revealed as, uh, lacking somewhat.

The real story, of course, is Edmonton's massive comeback from a 3-1 deficit, a result that seemed so preordained that magazines have already put out Hurricanes Win editions, which would be like "Dewey Defeats Truman" if nobody paid attention to presidential elections.

It should be a mighty fun night. What's that? Oh. We lost you at "hockey." All right: Here's a great Len Bias tribute video.

Edmonton Ready For Game 7 [Canada.com]

So maybe, just for a day or two, we can put away all the talk about the Quite Frankly-esque television ratings, the small market teams, the fact that very few people care... and just appreciate the beauty, goodness, and purity of a Game Seven. Seven's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. Seven dwarves. Seven, man, that's the number. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby.

Erik Cole returned to the Carolina line-up last night, despite not having played since he suffered a broken vertebrae in his neck back in March. I bet 'Canes coach Peter Laviolette was expecting it to be an emotional lift for his team. Instead, everyone seemed to be preoccupied with thoughts of, "Geez, I hope Cole doesn't die tonight." Shots were 34-16 Edmonton.

Game Seven is back in Carolina on Monday night. 8:00. On NBC.

And here's how Rod Brind'Amour's pre-game pep-talk is likely to sound. From my-nhl.com, where there are seven more of these brilliant little bits.

It Will Be Seven [HockeyBird.com]
2006 Stanley Cup Final, Game 6 [james mirtle]

An eagle-eyed reader — that is to say, by "eagle-eyed," we mean to say "actually watching hockey" — pointed out this angry fan directly after Edmonton's sudden death goal to win Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night over Carolina.

Considering the Hurricanes were just one overtime goal from winning the Stanley Cup, we would understand the fan's sentiment, except for one thing: If you look close, you can see headphones the fan is wearing. Yep: Actually listening to an interview with Jeff Gordon, and that California freak just don't get what stock car racing's all about. Eff you, Gordon!

Suddenly I'm Glad To Be Alive [Covered In Oil]

• Puck Update postulates that one reason the Oilers are trailing is that they overpractice behind-the-back passes. We have to admit that we never would have thought of that in a million years; and are even somewhat surprised that such a manuever is possible. Puck Update also gives us this amusing public service announcement, which we think somehow might be relevant to hockey.

• Off Wing Opinion reminds us that, despite the latest round of testing indicating that the NHL is totally clean on the banned substances front, there are those who aren't buying the results. One is World Anti-Doping Agency head Dick Pound.

• It has been mentioned in several blogs, but cannot be stressed enough in our opinion: One of the Stanley Cup Finals refs is named Mr. Magoo. It's actually spelled McGeough, but pronounced the same as the nearly-sightless cartoon character. Come on, Oilers fans! Your're down 3-1, and one of the officials is named Mr. Magoo! If you can't work with that, there's no hope for you.

• Have we mentioned that GoonBlog has one of our favorite logos of all time? No? Well, remind us to do that sometime.

• Hey, the NHL draft is only 10 days from now, as the folks at The Ice Block kindly remind us. They have a pretty good rundown of draft articles over there, so you hosers should probably check it out. We probably don't have to point out that the St. Louis Blues have the No. 1 pick.

• So, Game 5, Edmonton at Carolina, NBC, 8 p.m. eastern, tonight. It's impossible not to like hockey right now (unless you play for the Danbury Thrashers, that is). Anyway, there'll be more scoring than France-Switzerland, we're pretty sure.

There are two ways to look at it. 1) All Carolina has done is protect their home ice, and the crowd in Edmonton will be all the way live, so the Oil isn't in bad shape, really, or 2) If Edmonton can't lure Grant Fuhr out of retirement, this one's done, because their goalie situation right now is as stable and confident as the Boom Goes The Dynamite Guy.

Between the pipes on the other side of the ice is rookie Cam Ward, the rookie sensation who will likely be your series MVP if it ends as quickly as Carolina would like. He's already the first rookie to post a shutout in the Stanley Cup Finals in 20 years and has become more famous in Carolina than a few Busch series NASCAR drivers. Okay, maybe not.

* = Courtesy Bob Uecker, Major League

Oilers regrouping [newsobserver.com]
See? Highlights Are Harder Than They Look [Deadspin]

We have felt somewhat guilty around these parts for our almost total lack of Stanley Cup coverage. We have meant no offense; we just don't get a particularly strong "Holy crap, the Stanley Cup finals are starting tonight! Gooooo Hurricanes!" vibe. In fact, since the NHL playoffs started, we've received exactly one "where's your Stanley Cup coverage?" email, and that one might have been from Mike Myers.

Nevertheless, the finals do start tonight — it's Edmonton vs. Carolina, by the way — and we are a sports site, so here you go. Here's your Stanley Cup finals preview. Your definitive source on all things NHL is, as always, Off Wing Opinion, and he'll be all over this for the next week or so. As we said: It's Oil against Water. What a matchup!

If you're into such matters, you can make your predictions in the comments, we guess.

Stanley Cup Finals Preview, Game One [Off Wing Opinion]