FreeStanley.com

The aftermath of the National Hockey League’s labour dispute has reaped some interesting prospects online, least of which is FreeStanley.com - a site co-founded by three Edmonton hockey fans Tom Thurston, Michael Payne and Mark Suits. The site is dedicated to prying the coveted Cup from the grips of the NHL and the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Pffft! Good luck.

In any event, the site itself is interesting, informative, interactive, and attractive - all the things the modern day NHL isn’t. The site proposes that the Stanley Cup be returned to its original challenge cup format. Meaning team competition among the remaining top-level hockey leagues operating in Canada while the NHL lies dormant.

An end of season tournament involving the winner of the Canada University Hockey Championship, the Memorial Cup winner of the CHL, the Allan Cup winner (senior men’s hockey), and the best team from among the Canadian minor professional hockey league teams in leagues such as the AHL and ECHL, would square off for the right to raise Stanley.

Fans are encouraged to vote on the issue.

It’s a neat concept and the creators most certainly know their hockey and Stanley Cup history, but the chances of their vision coming to life is about as likely as it is there’ll be NHL hockey being played this year.