Ever notice that on your keyboard number 4 and $ is on the same key? That is what Blake is all about and only about.He would not let the Kings trade him at the deadline because he said he wanted to retire a King. I pray the Kings never retire his number

The Hawks are believed to have talked to Pittsburgh about 6-foot-4, 219-pound defenseman Ryan Whitney, who had 12 goals and 40 points last season.

Whitney, the fifth pick overall in the 2002 draft, is signed long term with a $4 million cap hit, but the Penguins might be looking to shave payroll after signing cornerstones Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Brooks Orpik to big contracts in the last few days.

The Russian hockey team Avangard Omsk announced it has signed the former New York Rangers star and Jagr's agent, Pat Brisson, confirmed the move Friday afternoon.

The Vancouver Canucks have announced that the team has acquired forward Steve Bernier from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a second round draft pick in 2010 and a third round pick in 2009.

Local and international media were reporting that Jagr will be paid $35 million for two years. However, in an interview with TSN, Jagr, himself, says the deal would pay him $5 million annually.

After a year of enduring the wrath of Brian Burke, Edmonton Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe finally fired back at the Anaheim Ducks' executive on Friday.

In a candid interview with Edmonton's Team 1260, Lowe - who stayed relatively quiet each time Burke went after him over the last 12 months - finally let it all out.

"Where do I begin?," started Lowe. "He's a moron, first of all. Secondly, he really believes that any news for the NHL is good news. Thirdly, he loves the limelight and I don't think anyone in hockey will dispute that. Lastly, he's in a pathetic hockey market where they can't get on any page of the newspaper let alone the front page of the sports, so any of this stuff carries on."

Burke and Lowe have been at odds since the Oilers put forth a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet to Group II restricted free agent Dustin Penner last summer - a contract that the Ducks did not match and sent Penner to Edmonton.

At the time, Burke explained he had no problem with a team putting an offer sheet forward, but the money involved was the issue. Lowe responded in kind on Friday, saying the standard for such contracts was set long before the Penner signing.

"I mean, if he wants to debate what our offer sheet did to them or to the salaries, anytime," he explained to Team 1260. "The reality is, Rick Nash's contract a number of years ago, (Patrice) Bergeron's and (Ilya) Kovalchuk's; that sets the standard - that's been going on for decades. I'm sick and tired of it. I know everybody in hockey is. I know our peers are like, 'Well, that's Burkie.' This guy is an absolute media junkie and I guess he's achieving what he wants because he gets his name in the headlines. But the reality is, I hate the fact that my name is linked to his. He's an underachieving wanna-be in terms of success in the NHL. He won a Stanley Cup? Great. I've won six Stanley Cups, you want to count rings? Who cares, it's just a little pathetic that he carries on."

The latest chapter in the feud came on Wednesday, after the Ducks signed restricted free agent forward Corey Perry to a five-year extension worth $26.63 million. Burke had some choice words about the new salary climate in the NHL after this week's high-profile signings, and blamed Lowe for eliminating the 'second contract' from team-player negotiations.

The long-standing rivalry between Lowe and Burke has also brought up whispers of a conspiracy theory that the two men are hamming it up for added exposure for the league.

"I remember (L.A. Kings general manager) Dean Lombardi last summer saying to me, 'You guys are (just) putting this on, you're not really feeling this way. The NHL likes this stuff, they want to create a little angst in the media and stuff and get some headlines?'" recalled Lowe.

"I said, 'No Dean, this is real.' He was shocked that this was going on but Burkie loves the limelight. He's all bluff and loud and Mac T (head coach Craig MacTavish) said it best - he's like the Wizard of Oz, you pull the curtains away and there's not much substance."

Burke, who joined the Ducks as general manager in 2005, helped build a championship contender in Anaheim that eventually won the Stanley Cup in 2007. That achievement didn't score too high with Lowe, who was quick to point out the other ups and downs of his time with the Ducks, along with the shortcomings of Burke's former team, the Vancouver Canucks.

"Here's a fact - he left (former Canucks GM) Dave Nonis nothing in Vancouver," he explained. "Nothing. He destroyed that team. If it wasn't for Nonis' incredible deals - to con Mike Keenan to get (Roberto) Luongo in Vancouver - that team was taking a nose dive two years ago."

"I mean, that's his M.O., but no one says anything. He goes into Anaheim and he inherits an incredible team. He gets Chris Pronger - not because of our relationship, it just so happened we had five or six teams and targeted their assets. We had Florida, Anaheim, Philadelphia, San Jose and Los Angeles. He just happened to throw enough assets our way to get the player. Kudos to him. He recognizes that at the end of the day, you throw enough assets, you get the best player and you get a good deal. You never know in this business if you're going to win at the end of the day. He could have just decimated the franchise forever. I'll tell you this, they have not much coming. Bobby Ryan has been a questionable pick at No. 2 (overall in 2005), and up until this draft, they tried to move down and did a nice job of trying to replenish their depth chart. They had nothing coming, and that appears to be his M.O."

Lowe even left an intriguing cliffhanger for the radio station's listeners.

"Don't even ask me about Scott Niedermayer, I've already lowered myself in terms of (talking about) how they acquired him," he said. "That's a story for another day, but they were able to bring Niedermayer and Pronger in and they won a Stanley Cup."

In closing, Lowe went so far as to send out a tongue-in-cheek message to his front office nemesis.

"Anaheim has decent players - Corey Perry is a hell of a player," he said. "What I really want to say about his bickering about parity and the salary cap is if you're unhappy about them, then trade him (Perry) our way, we'll be glad to have him."

Pesonen, 26, had 34 goals and 44 assists in 56 games with Karpat in Finland's SM-Liga and is in line for just a one-year deal. That's mandated by the NHL's collective bargaining agreement, which. requires players his age to get a one-year, two-way deal.

In addition to being the league's current scoring champion, Pesonen was the SM-Liga Rookie of the Year in 2003-04, has been a member of four league-championship squads and was the playoff MVP in 2007.

His size is a bit suspect -- he's listed as 5 foot 11, 179 pounds -- but his speed, skill and instincts make him an intriguing prospect if he can adapt to the smaller rinks and more physical play of North America.

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Penguins continued to restock their roster Saturday, signing forward Matt Cooke to a two-year contract.

"Matt is a versatile forward that will bring grit, energy and experience to our lineup," said Pens general manager Ray Shero. "He is the type of player that adds depth up front and is capable of providing offense for our hockey club."

It looks like hockey at Wrigley Field is a go.

The Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings will participate in the NHL's third outdoor game on New Year's Day, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported.

An announcement is expected next week before the inaugural Blackhawks Convention at the Chicago Hilton.

According to the report, the game was finally approved last week when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman met with the Hawks, Cubs and Mayor Richard Daley