From the trading floor observatory-- It’s closing time

The final hour of the trade window was a rather calm affair, with a few housekeeping trades working their way through the system, leading up the most anticipated moment of the day, when Hossa leaves the Hotel…

The final hour starts off with confirmation that Marian is indeed still lounging around the room, probably snacking on some fine room service cuisine, using the wireless Internet service to check out the latest rumour and maybe once and a while picking up the phone to make sure that the line is still in service.

While the network panel groups leave him to whatever may be his thoughts for the hour the last hour of dealing gets underway.

Word comes out of Florida that there has been a massive power failure in the southern part of the state,(something that they're surely used to by now) leaving the Panthers in the dark both perhaps accounting for the lack of movement in the Olli Jokinnen prospectus.

There’s no power shortage in Toronto where the various network websites all originate from, but there’s some serious sluggishness in the access to them over the last few hours. TSN seems agonizingly slow and Sportsnet while still viewable also responds in a lethargic way. Clearly if you're looking for an Internet fix it's time to seek out other options.

So it's over to HNIC Radio we go on the CBC site, with a fairly good feed available and low and behold they too have the Hossa hotel watch on full boil, too bad we never hear what the name of the hotel is from any of our sources, we could have asked for the Marian Hossa suite at our next visit.

While HNIC slinks around the hotel district they also update a number of deals, and feature some solid background information on the days happenings, featuring some familiar HNIC faces in Elliot Friedman, Cassie Campbell and Scott Morrison.

The minor deals begin to filter in for the final hour; Hal Gill is off to Pittsburgh for draft picks.

The Rangers pick up Christian Backman from the St. Louis Blues for a fourth-round pick.

And then as the final minutes approach the anticipated deal of the day, finds Mr. Hossa making plans to check out of his hotel room and he’s off to Pittsburgh where he’ll join fellow team mate Pascal DuPuis who was also shipped to Pittsburgh, the Pens send Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen and prospect Angelo Esposito, plus future first round draft pick to Atlanta.

Pierre McGuire seems to be the most against the trade, suggesting that the Pens are damaging some chemistry in Pittsburgh, giving up too much for a rental player and taking away a familiar line mate for Sidney Crosby with the departure of Armstrong.

Reminders are made that Hossa has some history with Ray Shero the Pens GM, as they were both once part of the Senators organization.

While everyone tries to figure out if the Pens have made the right or the wrong move of the day, the final tick of the clock passes by, the deadline is in effect and while there will be a few trades confirmed over the next hour or so, no more applications will be received at the league offices.

The post mortem now begins, sifting through the deals determining winners and losers, wise traders or foolhardy risk takers, who may soon see the error of their trades.

And in Montreal, finally a weary hospitality worker can clean out the Hossa hideaway, no longer the focus of the hockey world, now back to just another hotel room, apparently with a great view of Montreal however.