Tuesday Links: Ott, Larsen Move on at World Championship

I'd like to post some Steve Ott video from the World Championship. I'd like to give you a game by game blow of how he's doing. Blame the IIHF web site for both shortcomings, as it makes video very scarce indeed and stats come in awkward PDF files and summary categories (leading scorers, etc) include only the best of the tournament.

Suffice it to say that Ott is playing about 14-15 minutes a game, he's not among the leaders in penalty minutes for the tournament (I was disappointed) and in a game where Canada scored 12 goals, he had only one assist. Most importantly, he's still healthy.

Still, he generates what passes for "Dallas Stars" related news in this, the summer of our discontent (part two).

• He's the second most experienced player on the Canadian roster, evidently. [Canadian Press] Proving once again why there's so little interesting in the World Championship, even among the hockey crazed. That they occur during the Stanley Cup playoffs might have something to do with it as well.
• The Windsor Star quotes Don Cherry from 'Coaches Corner' on Sunday. He wanted to draft Steve Ott in the OHL draft in 1999. High praise? A commendation from a senile old crazy guy? You decide. Either way, Don Cherry and Steve Ott have one thing in common: They're both wildly entertaining.
• Richard Durrett had an interesting note this weekend about the the Modano/Quinn/Lites group:

He's still involved in a group headed by Billy Quinn to try to buy the Stars. That is in the early stages. The group toured American Airlines Center and StarCenter in Frisco (two places Modano knows well) and is going through the Stars' financial records as the process begins. [ESPN Dallas]

• NHL.com has a routine recap of the Texas Stars failings in Hamilton this weekend. There's an interesting number here, however...
  

The Texas Stars were defeated by the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-1 on Sunday in front of 2,897 fans at Copps Coliseum in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

I find that to be a low attendance judging by what Stephen of Hundred Degree Hockey has told us about attendance in Cedar Park for the Stars. In the fact according to the AHL's web site, Texas is averaging over 1,500 more fans in the playoffs than Hamilton.

• Scott Glennie is playing in the Memorial Cup, and Dallasstars.com has a good story on him here. The young man is not lacking for confidence if this quote is any indication:

"Probably they think I’m a pure goal scorer and maybe they think that’s what they need right now and I’m going to fit pretty well in that role in Dallas," Glennie said. "A lot of speed, goal-scoring and playmaking ability, that’s what I’m going to bring to Dallas."

• Finally, if you want a headache, try to figure out what USA being in the "relegation round" all means at the World Championship. Hint, it's not good. You can visit the IIHF's home page, or the ultimately more helpful Wikipedia page on the tournament.