It is very well known that the working relationship between star center Dwight Howard and head coach Stan Van Gundy did not end well in Orlando. SVG said that Howard was trying to get him fired, Howard issued several complaints that SVG would make his actions public, Van Gundy was fired, and Dwight left in trade. All things considered, it was pretty much the worst possible resolution to the issues.
On the bright side, not all has been lost in the relationship between the two men. Currently, they're teaming up to do substantive good for Florida schools. From Mike Bianchi for the Orlando Sentinel (via EOB):
If you read my column last week, you know Van Gundy is the chairman of a political group in Seminole County called Citizens for Preservation of Property Values. The goal of the group is to increase property taxes in Seminole County to help preserve the area's traditionally strong public school system — a system that has been decimated by $73 million in budget cuts over the past five years. In the Nov. 6 general election, Seminole voters will decide whether to approve a 1-mill increase in property taxes for four years beginning a year from now. The increase would bring in as much as $25 million annually to the school district.
Van Gundy says Dwight, who was recently traded to the Lakers, is going to lend some financial backing to the cause. "Dwight has pledged his support," Van Gundy said Monday during an interview on our Open Mike radio show on 740 The Game. "He's a resident of Seminole County, and he's keeping his house here. I think his history will show that he's had great concern for kids in the Central Florida community. With him still living here, we asked him to help and he didn't hesitate."
Surprisingly to some, both Stan and Dwight say they are on good terms and have been communicating regularly over the last several weeks. Van Gundy even texted Howard and wished him good luck after he was traded to L.A.
It is typically considered good form to forgive and forget, and so we must give credit to SVG and Howard for working together to help others. Still, it's surprising that they could put all this behind them after some truly ugly action in Orlando. On the other hand, both seem to be happier now, and maybe that's all that matters.
[Also: Orlando Magic fan sues franchise over use of her image in ads]
It's a cliche to say that squabbles like the ones Van Gundy and Howard had in Orlando are "just business," but that seems to be their point of view in this case. Personally, I'm not sure that I could have seen past the arguments of the past, particularly if I'd been fired as a result. It's unlikely that these two are best friends these days, but it's also genuinely impressive that they were able to move on and do good for others. Dwight Howard has often looked like a child during this ordeal, but he deserves credit here for putting the past aside and doing good for the kids.
Outside the Game from Yahoo! Sports:
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Yes, indeed, despite the promise of impending labor Armageddon and a prolonged work-stoppage, your friends at Puck Daddy are previewing the 2012-13 NHL season (whenever the heck it starts). Why? Because this is the most important election in the history of all-time ever, and you need to know the candidates — like the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Yeah, so, that happened.
"Sigh…"
The Nash trade obviously reshapes the Blue Jackets' roster significantly with the additions of C Brandon Dubinsky, C Artem Anisimov and D Tim Erixon — as well as the deletion of Nash, by far the team's most potent goal-scorer, from the roster.
At forward … well, at the very least, the Jackets will be a pain in the ass to compete against.
Stability is in short order in Columbus, so the elevation of Richards from interim to head coach can be viewed as a positive through that prism. It's his second whack at the piñata after serving as head coach in Minnesota. He lost the room with the Wild; it's hard to imagine a similar power struggle in Columbus.
We'll go with Johnson, who assumed a leadership role on the team last season and could be in line to be its captain. They need more offense out of him, especially on the power play (an underwhelming 15.5 percent conversion rate). But if he isn't already, he will be the face of the franchise.
Was five goals and five helpers in the last six games of last season an anomaly, or does Cam Atkinson have the goods to solidify the team's second line next season? His 2.4 shots per game was third on the team.
Hold your nose and pick either goaltender: Mason because this category should probably be named after him at this point, and Bob because one simply doesn't know what he looks like away from having the Flyers in front of him.
… and has male genitalia as a mascot?
"The Columbus Blue Jackets. Not a hockey team. A corrupting force of thuggery and deviancy. Paid for by the Cleveland Barons Preservation Society."
In the last year, the Jackets fired a coach, traded a star center, traded their franchise player, finished last and lost the draft lottery. Oh, and they secured the 2013 NHL All-Star Game. You know, the one that'll probably be cancelled.
Do the Philadelphia Flyers covet defenseman PK Subban as a long-term solution to their blueline problems? According to a report from Bertrand Raymond of RDS, apparently they do. Or at least they did.
After that spectacular bar tab, jokes about the Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup hangover were inevitable and, turns out, applicable. The B's stumbled out to the worst opening month for a defending champ since the playoff format change in 1994, leading to speculation that GM Peter Chiarelli should have tinkered more with the roster in the summer.
"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.
It was another summer of tantalizing talk — like a potential trade for Rick Nash — but little tweaks instead for GM Peter Chiarelli.
At forward … the big news is the return of Nathan Horton from a second concussion, after being limited to 46 games last season. He's had a healthy summer, and should be reunited with Milan Lucic (26 goals, 35 assists) and David Krejci (23 goals, 39 assists), provided the latter isn't (finally) traded.
In five seasons with the Bruins, Claude Julien has finished with over 100 points in three of them and won a Stanley Cup. Which is incredible when you consider how often his bulbous head has been on the chopping block during that tenure.
Tuukka Rask. Thomas has back-stopped the Bruins to a Stanley Cup and five straight playoff appearances, picking up two Vezinas, a Jennings and a Conn Smythe in the process. With this team in front of him, nothing short of elite numbers will suffice for Rask.
The Bruins must chuckle when Dougie Hamilton's name pops up in trade rumors, like during the Rick Nash Derby, because there was a better chance they'd throw Rene Rancourt in a deal before the rookie defenseman. He's got Brent Burns wheels and a Chris Pronger comportment.
Cruel as it sounds: Horton. You hope and pray a player of his abilities hasn't entered the Lindros/Lafontaine spiral of concussions, but you also can't help but feel the potential is there.
[Daniel Sedin stares into camera] 
First place in the Northeast Division, near the top of the conference and challenging for another Stanley Cup … assuming Rask is the real deal and if Horton can stay healthy — and if not, that Chiarelli finds a suitable replacement — the Bruins are primed for another run at the Cup. But let's face it: The magic inherent in winning all those Game 7s in 2011 and getting the performances they did out of Marchand, Thomas and others isn't easy to replicate.
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