The good news is Minnesota Wild right-winger Cal Clutterbuck is starting to earn a National Hockey League salary.

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Cal Clutterbuck.

Photograph by : Getty Images

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The bad news is that every day he spends with the Wild, rather with Houston of the American Hockey League, it's costing him money.

But the 20-year-old isn't complaining.

"The day I was called up, I was moving into my new apartment, so all my stuff's in my car at the Houston airport right now," Clutterbuck told the Minneapolis Star Tribune "It's like 30-something bucks a day, and I've been here 12 or 13 days, so you do the math."

Clutterbuck is earning a prorated NHL salary of $558,000 US, so it won't be much of a problem to pay the huge parking tab.

But if he stays with the big club too much longer, he'll have to ship his keys back to Houston to have one of his Aeros teammates retrieve his car.

"It's kind of difficult at first being a call-up," he said. "Right away you feel like you're kind of just temporary and a fill-in. Now that I know the guys, I can have a regular conversation with them as opposed to last year when I was kind of tiptoeing around here and never really got comfortable. I feel like I'm part of this."

Clutterbuck has gone pointless in five games, with an average ice time of 12:08. He leads the team in hits with 18.

Boynton winning battle with diabetes

Nick Boynton has not only battled his way to become a regular NHL defenceman, he's done it while worrying about Type 1 diabetes.

The Florida Panthers defenceman is one of only two players in the NHL with the disease - Dallas Stars centre Toby Petersen is the other.

"I should watch what I eat a little more, but I do watch my diet," Boynton told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "I know what I'm taking in and I know how it affects me."

Boynton has played 445 career NHL games while keeping the disease, which stops the body from producing insulin, under control.

The 29-year-old native of Nobleton, Ont., who checks his blood sugar levels 10 days a day, wears an insulin pump everywhere but when he's on the ice.

While he's on the ice, it's like he doesn't even have the disease.

"It's good because it really hasn't stopped me from doing anything," he said. "You don't necessarily have to change what you're doing. You just have to learn how to live with it and adapt."

Election gets players' attention

With the United States presidential election slated for next week, NHL players plan to do their duty in the democratic process.

Among them are New Jersey Devils defenceman Bryce Salvador, who was born in Brandon, Man., but became a U.S. citizen on July 11.

"Growing up in Canada, it kind of seemed that Canada and the United States were the same thing," Salvador told the New Jersey Star Ledger. "You're able to work down here and pretty much live in the same type of cultures.

"Then, going through the ceremony there were 57 other people from all over the world. Some of those people were crying and their families were able to come over and start working. You kind of take a step back and realize, 'Wow, this is a big deal.' It was kind of an eye-opening experience. Things you kind of take for granted, some of those privileges, a lot of people spend their whole lives and fight and die just to share that dream."

Salvador's teammate, Bobby Holik, was born in the former Czechoslovakia, growing up in a Communist state. But he, too, became an American citizen, back in 1996, and is a registered Republican.

"I've cared about politics for as long as I can remember," Holik told the newspaper. "Maybe since I was six or seven years old. My dad and grandfather always had debates or arguments.

"My dad was the son of a small-business owner whose butcher shop in 1948 was taken by communists. They were thrown on the street. My grandfather was a member of the Communist party since 1948 because he grew up prior to that without a father or family in the 1920s and 1930s. He was a peasant, so the communists gave him a chance to better his life. Those are the kind of people they target. Any dictator. It's like a religion. They target people whom they give hope."

That's the ticket

The NHL's annual Winter Classic may be the hottest ticket in Chicago, but it will also be one of the costliest tickets.

The Blackhawks sent out ticket information this week to their season-ticket holders, indicating that the three price levels are $325 US, $225 and $75 for the Jan. 1 outdoor game at Wrigley Field against the Detroit Red Wings.

Seats at the $325 price point will be for the upper deck, while the $225 ducats are mostly for reserve grandstand and some field boxes down the right-field and left-field lines.

The cheap seats, for $75, are mainly bleacher seats with some in the higher rows of field boxes.

Blackhawks season-ticket holders get first crack at the tickets beginning on Monday, while the NHL will announce that day how the general public can purchase tickets.

It's expected that Wrigley will hold 41,000 for the game.

He said it:

"I couldn't really sleep for a couple of hours and it was a long day of travel, but I think I could go a day without sleep to play in my first NHL game."

- San Jose Sharks left-winger Jamie McGinn, who made his NHL debut on Tuesday, after being called up from Worcester of the AHL at 11:30 p.m. Sunday.

"I really think that unless it's an Easter-egg hunt, you should not ever wear a pink shirt."

- Fashion expert and Dallas Stars pest Sean Avery, dispensing advice to readers of Askmen.com

"You know the referees are watching me. I know they're always watching. Pretty much every power play they say, 'Watch out for the crease, Tomas.' But maybe I'll get more of those calls that cost us goals in the playoffs if I move back two feet, where there is less doubt about interfering with the goalies."

- Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom, telling NHL.com he plans to back away from the crease to avoid interference penalties.

Ice chips

Boston Bruins right-winger Chuck Kobasew is skating daily, trying to work his way back into the lineup after breaking his leg in the season-opener. Kobasew, who picked up two assists in his only game, likely won't be ready until next week . . . Heading into Wednesday night's game in Dallas, the Minnesota Wild had yet to allow a power-play goal in seven games, the best penalty-killing streak since the 1962-63 Toronto Maple Leafs started the season with seven straight games with successful penalty killing . . . The Chicago Blackhawks have yet to lose a game in regulation time at home (3-0-2), but are winless on the road (0-3-1). . . . Tampa Bay Lightning left-winger Vinny Prospal played his 800th career game on Tuesday against Toronto. . . . The Washington Capitals are unbeaten in their past 10 regular-season home games (9-0-1). . . . Atlanta Thrashers rookie Zach Bogosian underwent an MRI Wednesday on his injured left leg. . . . Buffalo Sabres forward Paul Gaustad could return to the lineup as soon as Thursday. He hasn't played in the regular season yet due to a thumb injury.