Some say goodbye… one says hello again, Coyote talk, and Pat Kane incident

Today I wanted to start out by saying goodbye to two of the NHL’s best. Probable Hall of Famers — Jeremy Roenick and Teppo Numminen.

JR’s interviews with the media were epic and he always had me clamoring for more. His on ice antics weren’t bad either. I’ll never forget the night in Vegas where JR decided to do a little disco dancing… awesome. He put the Bee Gees to shame with that one. Let’s not forget the player though either. Roenick was as tough as nails and he had a relentless motor. My old man is a Flyers fan and he was crushed by the news. Great personality and great player. Enjoy retirement JR.

I would like to wish the same to Teppo Numminen as well. Talk about a solid career. This guy was an inspiration to everyone in Finland and brought a great set of skills to every team he played for. Even in his 40’s he could skate, pass, hit, and rifle the puck. We all know if it weren’t for the heart issues Teppo could probably play another 2 seasons. I’m sure he’ll keep busy though in retirement, hand crafting each and every Montreal stick that comes off the line.

The most interesting thing that has happened since my last blog though is the return of the fallen son… the return of Theo Fleury. Much like the story of Lucifer or Satan, Theo fell from the elite of the NHL and into England. Playing hockey in England may as well be hell…

But Theo is refusing to go out the way of Bob Probert. He wants one more chance to prove himself and supposedly he has been sober for four years now.

As one of Theos biggest fans I am really hoping a team is willing to give him a shot. And before you even begin to think, “who in their right mind?” Remember that Claude Lemieux was able to land a contract with one of the top teams in the league last season. If Theo can still play half as good as he use to he should be able to do much better then Lemieux did in his comeback. Theo was a devastating force in the league for many years… and that’s at 5′6. Ask Martin St. Louis or Paul Kariya how difficult that is.

Unfortunately I have to talk about the Phoenix Coyotes here… again. Just ship this team out already. For crying out loud Phoenix would hardly remember they were there to begin with. The team is pathetic, management is pathetic, current ownership is pathetic, and the fan base is so small it barely registers in census polls.

This organization under a new owner, new management, and placed in Canada would clean up. It would make more money then probably every other team and never lose a dime. Hamilton is hockey starved and I say we serve them the Coyotes. Recently Judge Redfield T. Baum made a decision that would allow every bidder to take a shot at the Coyotes in an auction to be held on September 10th. If this happens no one will outbid Balsillie and we could expect a Hamilton team within a year or two.

Bettman is taking one last shot at stopping him… let’s hope he fails.

Finally… how do I not talk about Patrick Kane punching a taxi driver in the face over 20 cents? …. Really? C’mon Kane…

What kind of athletes do you want us to lump you in with…. Ron Artest? Plaxico Burress? It’s 20 cents dude… I got it in the ashtray of my car, you can have it.

You made about $3.725 million last year.

What’s next? Am I going to find out you’re running a dog fighting ring?

Stay classy Pat Kane… you’re walking a shaky line at a very young age.

Russo #18

Marty Turco answers the tough questions, Bruins raising some eyebrows, and THE hockey hotbed (7/26/09)

Don’t you just love it when it hits that point in the off-season where team websites have absolutely nothing to talk about? Apparently the Dallas Stars website has hit that point. The interview they did with Marty Turco was one of the most stupid things I think I have ever seen on a team website. Worse yet NHL.com found it “important” enough to go on their own front page.

Link:

Some of the tough questions they asked Marty were as follows;

Have you seen any good movies this summer?
What are your thoughts on Michael Jacksons and Farah Facetts deaths a couple of weeks ago? (Cause were all dying to know… thank god Marty Turco finally chimed in on this…)
What are you doing to keep cool in the hot summer?
Are you planning to use different equipment this off-season?

The only serious questions were about the Stars draft picks and his training for next season… but believe me when I tell you there wasn’t much there.

I would have had some different questions for Marty…

How does it feel to have had your GAA inflate every season for the last three years?
Why has your SV% dropped the last three seasons?
Tell us why you think the Stars are going to turn it around next season after a brutal 2008-2009…

Moving on…

I also wanted to talk a little bit about the Bruins. They have been making some really questionable moves lately. It starts with dealing Aaron Ward back to the Hurricanes for absolutely nothing. The Canes sent Patrick Eaves the other way but Boston immediately bought him out.

When I saw this I could only reason it one way — they are trying to dump some salary so they could fit Kessel under the cap. That makes sense…

Then the Bruins turned around though and signed Derek Morris to a 1 year, $3.3 million contract. When I saw this my head spun. I had so much respect for the Bruins, they were my pick for the cup last season. This was a stupid move though. Any chance they had at keeping Kessel may be gone now. This is also a massive overpayment for Derek Morris… just ask Andrew Brunette.

What has Derek Morris ever done over the course of his career to earn that kind of cash? Michal Roszival and Wade Redden couldn’t believe this contract got done.

Before I leave I have one more final thought.

Being a self proclaimed hockey genius I get asked a lot from friends and family. I couldn’t tell you how many drunk texts I get from friends of mine in which I have to settle some drunk bar argument about who scored how many goals when or who was that douche between the pipes for whoever in the early 70’s…

There is one question that I would finally like to put to rest however. That is…. where is the greatest hockey hotbed in the United States?

The answer my friends… is Phoenix. Yes, Phoenix is the hockey hotbed in the United States. Never have I seen such rabid, puck hungry fans in my life. The city of cactus, the hometown of Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner. Flying next to vultures on the plane… seeing the infamous Jobing.com Arena off in the distance. The fans clamoring outside while the place rocks on the inside. Talk about atmosphere…. some players just can’t handle it.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that owner Jerry Moyes recently had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that the Globe and Mail recently reported that the Coyotes lost more than $60 million last season.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that less than 500 people showed up to a rally to save the franchise.

And lastly… don’t be fooled by Jim Balsillie and the MakeItSeven.ca campaign. They are trying to trick people into thinking this franchise would actually be more profitable in Canada. Pfffft. I may not be the smartest guy on the net but I know one thing… there is no place in Canada that loves hockey more than the fans in the Phoenix/Glendale area. Plus, look at their current roster, this Coyotes team has nowhere to go but up — both in standings and in pesos.

Russo #18

Marian Hossa’s new deal, Gabby in the Apple, and other NHL notes (7/22/09)

Since there is so much to catch up from when I last posted I decided to just skip all of it. It’s all boring nonsense anyway… Pens win the Cup behind the play of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Marc Andre Fleury… Tim Thomas gets the Vezina for best goaltender in the NHL, OV-1 got the Maurice Richard Trophy, ‘Geno’ Malkin got the Art Ross, and JR mouthed off at the NHL award ceremony… BIG DEAL! Get over it.

Seriously though before I get started let me say congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins on their run to the Stanley Cup Championship. Since I’m an honest guy I’ll tell all of you my picks for the Stanley Cup before the playoffs were the Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins, boy was I wrong.

The Penguins played filthy though — absolutely crushing the ‘cardiac’ Canes on there way to what I think was a stunning game 7 upset in Detroit. Way to go guys. And don’t tell me that any of you even thought Maxime Talbot would be the hero… I’m not even that good.

Now onto some more recent topics…

Let me start with Marian Hossa who has become a whipping boy for hockey fans everywhere. He ended the year before last playing for the Penguins in the Stanley Cup final and losing a heartbreaking game 6. Instead of coming back to the Pens this past season (after being offered a big contract by them as well) he went and made an ass out of himself. He said that ‘winning’ was most important to him and jumped ship to the Red Wings. Oh my goodness, the Red Wings then went on to lose the Stanely Cup to…. the Pittsburgh Penguins. I would never take Marian Hossa to the tracks because he really doesn’t know how to pick a winner. Janet Gretzky made wiser bets…

Things get worse though for Marian as now he has been the subject of countless topics for another reason this off-season. Hossa signed a lucrative 12 year, $62.8 million deal with the Hawks. While the actual cap number seems reasonable, $5.23 million, it is tough to imagine Hossa still being as valuable to the Hawks when hes 37 or 38… the contract will last until hes 42 by  the way. This also completely handcuffs the Hawks for the future with players like Dave Bolland, Dustin Buflyguien, Pat Kane, Jonathen Toews, Brent Seabrook, Kris Versteeg, Patrick Sharp, Cam Barker, and Duncan Keith all looking to cash in themselves within the next year or two.

Hossa’s deal also helped lead to the firing of GM Dale Tallon… although Tallon’s little ‘woopsie’ handling the RFA deals didn’t exactly help his case.

Being a Minnesota ‘Mild’ fan (HAHAHA… isn’t that hilarious? SHUTUP) I also had to touch on the whole Marian Gaborik saga that finally came to an end this off season. New Wild GM Chuck Fletcher was unable to trade his rights away at the draft table and unable to  negotiate a new deal with the slovakian superstar. From what has been released, Fletcher didn’t even offer him a deal.

Is it upsetting though? Not really, and heres why…

Gaborik made up his mind when he turned down Risers contract offer that was rumoured to be around $8 million a year. It wasn’t a money thing, it was a ‘I don’t want to play here thing.’ And for those who thought a new coach and new general manager would help the situation were fooling themselves. If Gaborik didn’t want to be a part of the conservative environment Riser and Lemaire created why would he want to stick around for the rebuilding and remolding that Fletcher and Richards would inevitably have to do.

Not to mention the Wild were able to replace him with someone equally as injured… Martin Havlat. The key to the Havlat deal is the price tag though. Havlat played nearly his first full season last year without injury and at $5 million a year you couldn’t ask for a better price. Havlat is no Gaborik but he is an exciting player all the same.

Some other things around the league I wanted to talk about….

I know I have a past of critisizing the Islanders a bit much and maybe I do lay it on too thick. But when I turned my head a minute ago and saw that they signed Martin Biron to a one-year deal I had to open my big mouth. Why would the Islanders do this? Ricky ‘Dynamite’ is signed to a ninety-year deal and they just picked up Dwayne ‘I ain’t no stinkin backup’ Roloson earlier in free agency. While I have always been a big Marty fan this doesn’t make sense for either party. Two backups? Roli or Marty in the minors? That isn’t happening. Man alive the Islanders are confusing. At least they didn’t sign a sumo wrestler to be their third goalie…. this time.

Finally I want to wrap up with a little Habs talk…

Now don’t get upset but are the Canadians from Montreal or Smurf Village?

I thought their primary color was red not blue?

Will they be replacing their helmets with spiffy white caps?

I don’t know what’s softer — the Habs or Charmin extra soft toilet paper? Heck I don’t even know which one I would rather poo on…

Nothing? Okay… I can talk serious for a minute.

I personally think the Habs have made some pretty lousy moves this off-season. They got rid of beloved captain Saku Koivu who is not only one of my favorite players but the heart and soul of that organization. They then traded for the worst contract in hockey — that of a Mr. Scott Gomez. Afterwords they decided they were going to sign Brian Gionta. Gionta is not only getting old but his numbers are dropping quicker than Theo Fleury after happy hour. Mike Camalleri seems like a apparition to me as well. The guy put up huge numbers last year playing with Iginla and I would expect his numbers to drop in Montreal.

That’s it for now folks…. you’ll hear from me again soon.

Russo #18

I’m back… (7/22/09)

Hello everybody!

For those who started to read my blog, or who glanced at it once or twice, I feel really badly. When I first started this up my intention was to deliver hockey  news on a consistent basis. Seeing as how my last post touches on Marian Gaborik trade speculation I would say I’ve fallen off the charts here.

But I’m back, and I’ve brought my passion for writing back with me.

Before I post up my newest views on what’s happening around the NHL though I would like to give everybody a little background on myself…

My name is Nicholas Russo and I’m from Western New York. I’ve played hockey since I was 5 years old (22 now). I’ve played a lot of different levels — house, travel, high school, and the club level in college (also tried out twice for a division III team… but was cut). I’ve loved the game of hockey my whole life. My father pushed me towards being a North Stars fan as a young kid, can’t really tell you why… that was just his team I guess. When the North Stars left I followed the NHL as closely as ever but never really picked a team.

That was until 2000, when the NHL brought back a Minnesota franchise — the Wild.

I fell in love right off the bat, despite their ‘boring’ style of play… god I get sick of hearing about that.

Anyway, I just thought it would be cool for those of you out there actuallly reading my crap to know a thing or two about me.

You can all expect my first real post back later tonight or sometime tomorrow. All of my posts will be dated from now on as well.

Thanks…

Russo #18

Major League III, On pace stats, Gaborik rumors, and paying respects

In the movie Major League III: Back to the Minors, the Minnesota Twins lose a ball game to their fictional minor league affiliate — “The Buzz.” This of course brings great embarrassment to the entire Twins organization. The reason I bring this up is because something like this really happened and it happened to the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL. To add to the laughs it was the last game ever to be played at the famous Philadelphia spectrum. The Flyers lost 4-2 to the Phantoms. Apparently the defense and goaltending supplied by the big club that night couldn’t stop the offensive juggernauts; Patrick Maroon and Jonathen Matsumoto. The Flyers are going to need to seriously step up their game. I mean… a loss to your minor league team? Oh, and I don’t think the addition of Andrew “McGilla Gorrilla” Alberts is going to help shore up that blueline either.

I also wanted to talk about the infamous “on pace stats.” I can’t be the only one who thinks these things are hilarious to look at after the first couple games of the season. Here are some of my favorites…

1) Ethan Moreau of the Edmonton Oilers is on pace for 0 goals and 164 assists after playing his first game last night against the Avs.

2) Daniel Sedin is on pace for 82 goals and 123 assists while his brother Henrik is on pace for 41 goals and 123 assists — I’m sure Canucks fans wouldn’t mind seeing either of those totals.

3) Minnesota’s Derek Boogaard is on pace for 0 goals and 0 assists…. although that one may ring earily true.

4) Sharks rookie Lukas Kaspar is on pace for 27 goals and 0 assists.

5) Ladislav Nagy is on pace to not play in the NHL this season… or for the rest of his career.

6) Kevin Bieksa is on pace to hurt his leg 41 times this season… ouch.

Now that I have had some fun I think I should try to get back on track here. Allow me to do that by talking about the Marian Gaborik trade speculation. Latest from everyones favorite blogger, Eklund, had Gaborik possibly making his way to Ottawa. As a Wild fan I am truly fed up with this whole situation (And for those who haven’t figured it out yet, I AM a Wild fan). Some reports state that the Wild offered Gaborik a 10 year deal somewhere in the range of $80 million dollars. If these reports are true… then Doug Riseburough is officially INSANE… YOU’RE INSANE DOUG! Gaborik is not worth that kind of coin and never will be. I would rather the franchise player on this team be a center first of all, a guy like Vinny Lecavier. Gaborik is a fairly soft winger with a bad injury history. He can score like the greats but he doesn’t have a lot of intangibles. If Ottawa wants him then I say trade him. I would love to get a guy like Nick Foligno or Antoine Vermette in some kind of package deal.

Finally I wanted to pay my respects today to both Luc Bourdon and Alexei Cherepanov. Both players were way too young to leave this earth. I thought the ceremony the Canucks had for Bourdon was beautiful and the game Luc’s best friend Alex Burrows had was deeply inspirational. I’m sure the Rangers will be having a similar ceremony for their 2007 first round pick. It’s just so sad to see, what would have been two great careers, cut short like that. I’m sure that there is a special rink up there in heaven for them. God bless.

Mats Sundin, The Wizard of Oz, love for Sid, and THE RETURN

Mats Sundin has been pissing off a lot of people lately. Why? Indecisiveness, of course! But before we all go pick up our pitchforks and torches let me try to put this in perspective. You come home after a long day at work and you’re starving. You open up your freezer door to see Stoufers frozen Meat Loaf and Potatoes. Then you glance to the other side and see a Hungry Man Meat Loaf and Potatoes. You think…. hhhhmmmmmm. Ten minutes go by and you’re still starving. Which one will be better? Stoufers or Hungry Man? Finally, after 20 minutes of deliberation you pick the Hungry Man (fine choice by the way). For Mats Sundin the gravity of the situation is much heavier than picking a frozen meal after work. This choice will affect the rest of his life and the rest of his families life. How would you feel if people kept telling you that “you have 10 seconds to pick out the Meat Loaf you want” and then started bitching at you when you didn’t make up your mind by then. Stop with the time lines people! Let the man take as much time as he needs to get things figured out. It’s not like hes going to come to camp out of shape for whatever team he decides on — It’s SUNDIN for crying out loud!! The mans been getting it done for years now.

I wanted to use my piece today to show some love for a couple of players as well. I would like to start with one of my all time favorites, Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris ‘The Wizard of OZ’ Osgood. For years I have cheered this man and for years I have had to defend him against naysayers. Osgood is Hall of Fame in my book and always has been. The case is clear — 363 career regular season wins, 59 career playoff wins, once named to the NHL Second All-Star Team, twice an NHL All-Star (even though he should have been named many more times, IMO), two William M. Jennings Trophies, and yes… THREE Stanley Cups. Everybody said he was done a few years ago, said that his time was up and that he would be a backup to finish his career. He didn’t look like a backup this season, especially not in the playoffs. In this years playoffs he went 14-4 with a 1.55 GAA, a .930 SV%, and 3 shutouts… spectacular! I am really looking forward to seeing him start next season.

The other player I wanted to throw some love at is Sidney Crosby. Good god… everybody hates him! Not quite sure why either. I know he gets called a whiner but so did a lot of the other greats. This guy is a great hockey player and I appreciate his game. I am not going to be afraid to shout, “I like watching Crosby play!” He’s a ton of fun to watch. Very smooth skater, great hands, deceptive shot and man alive he has awesome vision on the ice. One of my good friends, Chris, who I grew up playing hockey with absolutely DESPISES him. I just don’t get it. Great players only come around so often, you may as well take the time to enjoy them.

Finally I wanted to touch on the return of Joe Sakic for his 20th NHL season. Way to go Joe! For the last 8 seasons you have made me miserable. Watching you go all “snipeshow” on every goaltender that has ever entered the Wild’ crease hasn’t been all that fun. Now I have to suffer through one more season of watching you pick top corners with ease…. and at all the worst moments of course. But seriously, Joe is a great player and deep down in my heart I am glad he has decided to comeback. The NHL just wouldn’t be the same without him.

*THIS JUST IN*

Stu Barnes has just announced his retirement from the National Hockey League. I was always a fan. Good luck in whatever you decide to do. I wish all the best for you and your family. You had a very solid career. Man, I am going to miss Rick Jeanneret’s goal call for him….. “goal scored by SSSSTTTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU BAAARRNNNEESSS!!”

(www.TheScoreBoards.com)

Fedorov being sued, Ted Nolan gets fired, and more…

The funniest news to happen over the last week or so is the headline on TSN that reads, “Fedorov being Sued by Michigan Bank.” The bank claims that Fedorov owes up to $2.1 million in interest and principal. This is what happens when you go to the Darren McCarty School of Finance. The truth however is that none of this really matters. Not only did Fedorov ink a one year deal with $4 million with the Washington Capitals for the upcoming season but he has a long history of ‘cashing in’ wherever he goes. In other words, this is like a drop in the pond for Sergei.

The clown show that is the Islanders continues to be a laugher. Just recently they parted ways with head coach Ted Nolan.

Lets go over the Islanders saga to this point…

1) Remember who drafted Roberto Luongo? It was the Islanders. Not only did the Islanders trade the best goalie currently in the NHL but they also packaged him with sniper Olli Jokinen in a deal with Florida. Who did they get back? Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. That move made more heads spin then Markus Naslund for Alek Stojanov. Brutal.

2) Raffi Torres and Brad Isbister for Janne Niinimaa and Evgeni Tunik. While Isbister is a total scrub Torres has proven his worth over the last few seasons. Despite being a bit inconsistent he is still a fairly young guy and is known to be one of the hardest working guys in the league. So wheres Janne Niinimaa now? Try Switzerland.

3) Trading Denis Grebeshkov for Marc-Andre Bergeron. While Bergeron was a wash on the Island Grebeshkov turned himself into a valuable piece of the Oiler puzzle. In 71 games last season with the Oilers he had 3 goals, 15 assists, and was a plus +2. Look for him to expand on those numbers.

4) Hiring Neil Smith only to fire him about 10 minutes later. What is this ‘The Apprentice?’

5) Hiring your backup goaltender to take over the General Manager duties. No disrespect to Garth Snow but the idea is just so ridiculous. This has also raised expectations for backup goalies around the league to do more. I hear Johan Hedberg, Curtis Sanford, Alex Auld, and Craig Anderson have all been beefing up their management resumes.

6) Giving Ricky ‘Dynamite’ a 15 year contract. While I like DiPietro and think he is a great goalie a 15 year deal is just WAY too much. Ricky has had some knee injuries in the past that should make Islander fans worry. Not to mention he could go all Jim Carey on us at any second. Once a goalie hits that downward spiral its a tough climb back up — just ask Patrick Lalime.

Ted Nolan took two terrible teams and made them very competitive in the east. He got them to the playoffs the year before last with some Richard Park magic and made Viktor Kozlov think it was 2002-2003 all over again. It might be a while before Nolan finds another coaching job in the NHL and that’s just sad. Nolan is as tough as nails and a great hockey mind.

I also wanted to touch on the retirement of Dallas Drake. Not a big deal right? Well it is to us DUSTERS. For those who don’t know what a duster is I will explain. A duster is someone who isn’t all that good at hockey. Good enough to make the team but not good enough for a serious role. So what does a duster do? A duster goes around hitting anything and everything that moves while trying to get under the skin of the opposing team. How do I know this? Because I am a duster. Heres to you Dallas Drake! After 16 years of mucking and grinding you got your cup. You’re an inspiration to kids playing on the 4th line of their teams everywhere!

The last thing I was going to discuss was the announcement of the outdoor game at Wrigley Field. This game is set for January 1, 2009. The game will be held between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings. Man do I love those outdoor games. I can remember watching (then) Canadians goalie Jose Theodore with his winter hat on over his helmet. Watching Crosby win the one last year in a shootout was also something that will stick with me. Lets hope this one is just as good if not better than the last two. And hey, lets hope for some snow again too!

(www.TheScoreBoards.com)

Lowe Vs. Burke and other random NHL notes

Greater than Ali V. Frasier… the ongoing feud between Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke and Oilers GM Kevin Lowe. For those who don’t know this all started the year before last when Kevin Lowe offered young Ducks power-forward Dustin Penner, a Restricted Free Agent, an offer sheet worth $21.25 million over the course of 5 seasons. This of course came after the Oilers offered Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres (who was also a Restricted Free Agent) a $50 million contract, 7 years deep. The Sabres were able to match and keep the star winger but the Ducks were not. Penner became an Oiler.

Burke was quick to strike, calling Lowe’s maneuver both ‘gutless’ and ‘classless.’ Also stating the obvious, that both offers from Lowe were ‘grossly inflated.’ Since then the words have gotten much stronger. Burke now pins the absurd salaries and contract offers that we have seen this free agent season on Lowe. Even going so far as to say that Lowe has completely eliminated the second contract. Normally that is the deal that bridges the gap between being a good young player and a good veteran player. Lowe fired back at Burke this off season stating; “He’s a moron” and also claiming that Burke butchered the Vancouver franchise before leaving and ‘inherited’ a great team in Anaheim.

No need to fear if you are an Oiler or Ducks fan however — Gary Bettman is putting his foot down (Take a moment to get the laughs out….). Yes it’s Pee-Wee Herman to the rescue ladies and gentlemen.

”We felt for a host of reasons it was important to bring the parties together and make it clear to both organizations that public comments disparaging the other were bad for the business and would no longer be tolerated.”

Bettman couldn’t be more of an idiot. If he knew anything about business he would let these two have it out. The media loves the trash talk and I think most of the fans do as well. Let these two go to war. Give them some boxing gloves and put it on PPV if you have to. Edmonton and Anaheim is a great budding rivalry and I say we pour some fuel on this fire. Chris Pronger being a jerck-ass to the people of Edmonton isn’t enough. We need a steel cage match. On one side you have the Oilers, a storied franchise in the heart of Canada. And on the other side you have the Ducks (should have stayed Mighty), a franchise that was built in memory of an awful Disney movie… that somehow won a cup. Let this hate grow! Charlie Conway (Long time Ducks Captain) is an obnoxious punk… I would love to see Fernando Pisani take a run at this softy.

I also wanted to talk some more about the Free Agent Frenzy as it seems to be winding down.

Owen Nolan signed a two year contract worth $2.75 million a season with the Minnesota Wild. In retaliation the ‘Just For Men’ hair people immediately extended Keith Hernandez, Walt ‘Clyde’ Frasier, and Emmit Smith. I thought this was 2008… not 1998. But on the other hand he does still bring a fine physical presence to the ice. No one crashes and bangs like Nolan, even now. And who could forget that sweet move he had at the 97′ All-Star game? Messier lost the puck in his legs, Nolan got the breakaway, called his shot top corner, and drilled it. Hasek hadn’t looked so confused since Rob Ray asked him to sign a stick for charity…

Also getting signed recently was Todd Boo-tuzzi. The Calgary Flames signed him to a one year deal worth $1.95 million. Soon after the signing Steve Moore quickly demanded $1.9 million of it. Bertuzzi has never been the same player since the Moore incident. Last year with the Ducks he scored a lousy 14 goals despite getting Power Play time and playing the wing at times for Ryan Getzlaf. Canucks fans were thrilled to find out they would be seeing Bertuzzi 8 times this season, 4 of which will be played at GM Place.

And finally I would figured I would talk about the Tampa Bay Lightning. Let me start off by saying that I couldn’t be happier to see the return of THE mullet. For all the naysayers out there you need to cool it. Tortorella was a great coach but Melrose belongs behind the bench. Tortorella is bound to find himself a new team soon (Probably should have been the Leafs). For those who grew up watching Melrose run the bench in LA and followed his every word on nhl 2 night (ESPN 2 was too cool for capitol letters back then) this is a time for celebration. He’s no Don Cherry but hes all American Kids have. We don’t get Coaches Corner or Behind the Mask here in the states… we get MELROSE!

Hope you all enjoy my newest blog and stay tuned for more to come….

(www.TheScoreBoards.com)

The Draft and Free Agency Madness

A lot of action going on in the NHL recently. Let’s start with the draft…

Taken number one overall this year was Steve Stamkos. Stamkos is a young center who shot up the ranks playing for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting. In 61 games played for the Sting Stamkos posted 58 goals, 47 assists, and 88 Penalty Minutes. What was really impressive to me however was the fact that he scored 11 goals in just 9 playoff games. That’s pretty clutch.

While I don’t think he will be a bust you can never tell with these things. For every Sid ‘The Kid’ theres an Alexandre Daigle. For every ‘Super’ Mario theres a Brian Lawton. And for every Joe Thornton theres a Patrick Stefan. We would like to think that the #1 overall pick becomes a star for all to enjoy but as we all know thats just not the case.

I do like Stamkos though and you can put me on record right now; this guys going to be great.

Some intriguing trades took place during the draft. The deal that sent Olli Jokinen to Phoenix was a total head scratcher for me. The first player in this deal made sense; Keith Ballard. Although Ballard has been traded a few times in his young career he is a very good young defensemen. Big, mobile, and steady. Florida needed a good young defensemen too with the issues they are having with current #1 guy Jay Bouwmeester. The second part made less sense; Nick Boynton. For those who don’t remember, Nick Boynton is a pirate. Or at least he looked like one when he gave a throat cutting gesture a few years back to (then) Montreal Canadians forward Mike Ribiero. All that was missing from that scene was a plank and a crows nest. And as is usual in a package deal, a second round pick was also thrown in.

Rumors of a deal from Ottawa that may have included Antoine Vermette, rumor of a deal from Minnesota that may have included Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and rumor of a deal from Vancouver that may have included Kevin Bieksa made this one tough to understand. So what was Jacques Martin thinking? Who knows. Most fans feel as though he could have gotten much more than what he did. And if you’re a fan of Florida then I just feel bad for you. Jokinen was your #1 center, a 4 time 30+ goal scorer, and your captain.

Now I’m going to move on to Free Agency…

If you’re a Colorado fan then you have my deepest sympathies. Enjoy Andrew Raycroft. Tyler Arnason wasn’t enough? If the goal in Colorado is to acquire the laziest players in the league then you are about half way there with those two. For those who haven’t seen it there is a great video of Raycroft falling asleep on the bench in Toronto… pretty much sums up his career. The video of course can be found on YouTube. I guess Mariusz Czerkawski or Roman Turek weren’t available….

And what would Free Agency be without the Leafs making a stupid decision? $3.5 million dollars a year for Jeff Finger? Jeff Finger? I could only hope this Finger plugs a big hole for you Leafs fans. Back in 2003-2004 this guy was playing for the ECHL’s Reading Royals. For those who don’t know the ECHL is the equivalent of the Federal League portrayed in the movie Slapshot. He has a total of 94 NHL games at the age of 28. While he did play pretty well last year this is still a massive overpayment. Old Fletch’ better make sure Brian Burke doesn’t catch him in an alley…

The disaster that is the Canucks has been fun to watch this off season as well. $10 million dollars a season for Mats Sundin? Yes, I am aware that they have the money to spend… but that doesn’t mean you spend it all like that!! What makes this hilarious though is the fact that Sundin doesn’t want to sign anywhere for another month or two. This leaves the ‘Nucks completely handcuffed. Oh and lets not forget… Sundins good friend and former Canuck captain Markus Naslund has headed to the Rangers…

Finally I wanted to discuss the Devils. Their off season reminds me of a bad version of the show High School Reunion. I love Brian Rolston but the guy is 35. Not exactly an ideal time to be giving him $20 million over the course of 4 years. Bringing back Bobby Holik was an odd move too, seeing as how he is 37 years old and hasn’t been relevant since his last season in the blue and red. Playing the role of the sad puppy outside the Prudential Center would have to be Sergei Brylin. While all his old friends are coming back he is being sent packing. Poor Sergei. Hopefully someone will bring him in. He has always been a great two-way player. Not to mention he has 3 Stanley Cups to his name.

Well thats it for now. Hope you enjoyed and feel free to comment!

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