Franchise Notes

In N.Y., Mike Lupica notes for the second time in four years, the Giants have won "better than any New York team ever has." Lupica: "We are reminded once again in Indy on Sunday night that the Giants, when they are on top, feel like the biggest game in town, and you know 'town' includes Jersey, too. Other teams win big. The Rangers were beyond big in 1994. The Giants win better" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/7).

STICKING WITH TRADITION: In Charlotte, Scott Fowler noted an NFL Panthers fan last week wrote to the team website and said that he "really wanted the Panthers to change their uniforms since the team already has altered its logo." Panthers Owner Jerry Richardson responded to the fan and said that he was "a traditionalist and the uniforms wouldn't be changing" in his lifetime. Richardson also told the fan that the Panthers' helmets "would change in 2012 but that he wasn't going to go into specifics about that" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER.com, 2/6).

STILL MOVING FORWARD: In St. Louis, Jeremy Rutherford noted the group attempting to buy the Blues "missed a deadline Friday, a date scheduled to provide a commitment letter from its bank," but an NHL source said that the development "would not hinder the sale process." The source said that the ownership group, led by Blues minority Owner Tom Stillman, signed a purchase agreement last month and "remains on track to complete the sale." Stillman's group has a "75-day exclusive period to finalize a sale with the Blues, a period that would run until mid-March." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly "estimated last week that the sale could close in March" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/4).