Madison Square Garden was back in court yesterday - this time as a plaintiff. And the NHL was the defendant. Unable to resolve a two-year-long dispute over Web site control and other promotional ventures, Madison Square Garden sued the NHL in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. The timing of the suit coincided with the first day on which the NHL planned to fine the Garden $100,000 per day unless it relinquished complete control of the Rangers Web site, among other things. The Garden asked that a judge order the NHL to stop acting as "an illegal cartel" by monopolizing promotion of its teams. MSG is among the most fiercely independent ownership entities in sports and has repeatedly clashed with the NHL and NBA over such issues in recent years.