ESPN choo-choo-chooses Barnaby

Ok - this isn't an official announcement, yet, but the rumor from Buffalo News is that in the next few days everyone's favorite (in recent times) instigator Matthew Barnaby (everyone loves Matthew Barnaby) will be announced as ESPN's replacement for Barry Melrose, who left ESPN to return to coaching for Tampa Bay.

This isn't the first news suggesting this WONDERFUL information, as back at the end of June Puck Daddy on Yahoo! had this bit of information on the subject including some links proving the leak.

While Wyshynski is right that ESPN could still screw this up, Barnaby has an excellent opportunity to help the NHL find it's way back to the biggest sports network in the US.  It's not that he'll be organizing the return, but his personality and lack of smug holier-than-thou attitude (can't stand Melrose, sorry) allow him the opportunity to really get people who have forgotten the NHL since the lockout thinking about the sport again.

While I don't personally care about those people, it's THEM that can demand ESPN return the NHL back to it's TV glory - them and HD camera systems!