Last week saw an NHL trade deadline unlike any other. While last Wednesday was the busiest trade deadline day in league history - 31 deals were made - many of the swaps were of the Kris Newbury-for-Jordan Owens variety.
Who? Precisely.
Before we blame the lack of intrigue on the usual post-lockout suspect - the salary cap and how its restrictive nature prevents teams from making significant moves - it is necessary to consider a couple of other contributing factors.
First, there was the pair of pre-emptive blockbuster deals that occurred about a month prior to the deadline, when Toronto obtained the star-crossed defenceman Dion Phaneuf in a seven-player trade with Calgary, which was soon followed by Atlanta sending their elite goalscorer Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey in exchange for prospects and draft picks.
Suddenly, the list of available players was bereft of big names. Kovalchuk was the obvious candidate to be the darling of the trade deadline because he is eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer and his desire to remain in a losing situation in Atlanta had disappeared.
When he declined the Thrashers' mid-season contract offers of seven years for US$70 million (Dh257m) and 12 years for $120 million, the die was cast and Kovalchuk's days in Atlanta were numbered.
The expectation was that NHL general managers would besiege Don Waddell, the Thrashers' GM, with outstanding offers, and that Atlanta would wait until the final moments of trade deadline day before accepting the most outrageous package of players, prospects and draft picks
It did not exactly happen that way, though, with the New Jersey GM, Lou Lamoriello, making Atlanta an early offer that Waddell could not refuse.
And then we had the Olympics - there was an NHL trade freeze while the Winter Games were on.
Since the Olympics did not end until February 28 and the trade deadline was March 3, this gave teams 72 hours to wheel and deal.
GMs could talk during the trade freeze - and apparently many of them did, given the volume of business - but nobody was interested in doing anything bigger than Lubomir Visnovsky (to Anaheim) in exchange for Ryan Whitney (to Edmonton).
A notable deal, but hardly one that will drastically alter the league's power balance.
All of this is not to say the NHL trade deadline was completely without interest.
The Washington Capitals bolstered their championship chances by adding four enviable pieces in the grinding forwards Scott Walker and Eric Belanger and the defencemen Joe Corvo and Milan Jurcina.
And Phoenix, the league laughing stock last summer, made no fewer than seven transactions, bringing in a number of support players.
Not bad for a franchise who were given up for dead. Who knew the Coyotes would be loading up for their first playoff appearance since 2002?
Finally, Calgary and Edmonton pulled off the first trade in the history of the "Battle of Alberta" rivals as the Flames obtained the sturdy defender Steve Staios in exchange for another solid defenceman, Aaron Johnson.
A significant swap? Of course not, except when you take into account the unlikely deal between two teams who have a strong dislike for each other.
The 2010 NHL trade deadline had plenty of action, but few moves of consequence.
The salary cap was a constraining factor, but the lack of big names being shopped and the Olympic trade freeze were the real reason the deadline was a downer.
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Teams in the EHL
White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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MATCH INFO
England 2
Cahill (3'), Kane (39')
Nigeria 1
Iwobi (47')
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0