From Voice of Valeri: Drew Drewiske is hurt. OH NO!
The Kings have placed D Drew Drewiske (UBI) on the IR.
via Voice of Valeri.
Also, “the likes of” Bernier or Johnson are the “expected return price” for Kovalchuk. I know, shocker.
Kukla’s Korner cut/pastes Eklund and it reminds me of Monty Python and leads to the development of Eklund’s Law
Here’s the Eklund tweet grabbed by KK:
It makes so much sense that a few people on here [sic] know more about the truth behind what I write than say the teams and NHL does [sic]. You would think if I was just making these rumours up the NHL and teams wouldn’t invite me into the press box. And yes, not only does bob mckenzie follow me, but he sent me his book and will be a guest on my podcast in the coming weeks.
-Dwayne (he prefers Eklund) to his readers.
This is the relevant Python:
I admit the connection is very, um, right-brain. But it seems pretty clear to me that Eklund “has his own hat.” Because the math of what he just “wrote” reduces to:
False rumor + invitation to press box = true rumor.
Gauthier and O’Donnell to Oversee Kings’ Defense, According to People who Don’t Do Their Homework
One unexpected windfall of successful clubs dealing with salary-cap troubles is that valuable talent is forced elsewhere. Such was the case with the Kings’ newest addition, Rob Scuderi, late of the Cup champion Penguins who was inked to a four-year deal.
He, along with 37-year-old Sean O’Donnell and 32-year-old Denis Gauthier will oversee an evolving defense which paradoxically allowed the second-fewest goals in the Pacific Division despite a last-place finish.
At its best, the Kings defense used its size advantage to clear space in front of the net while maintaining puck possession to jump-start a dynamic transition game. Keeping the road-block O’Donnell on course and having the hit-happy Gauthier patrolling the blue line is a solid foundation.
via 2009-10 Los Angeles Kings Preview – Hockey Wires – MiamiHerald.com.
From Mike Chen’s Hockey Blog: Can’t You Remember?
Quote of the day, from Dany Heatley:
“I love playing in Canada. I think there were some Canadian teams on the list that I gave the Senators earlier in the summer.”
via KuklasKorner : Mike Chen’s Hockey Blog : Can’t You Remember? .
From Tom Benjamin’s NHL Blog: Defending McDonough
Tom Benjamin blogs on/for/re the Canucks and weighs in on the Hawks fiasco:
The good news going forward was that the excellent young team grew into an excellent team period. The bad news was that they did this despite the fact that Tallon did little to demonstrate competence. Indeed he made several mistakes – Savard, Campbell, Huet – even before the qualifying offer fiasco. The salary cap has been mismanaged badly, so badly that there will not be enough money to sign three stars – Kane, Toews, and Keith – whose contracts expire this year. Finally, it doesn’t really matter who is to blame for not getting the qualifying offers out on time. The underling who goofed was not instructed properly, or did not understand the importance of the offers, or was not competent. That goes directly to the concern about Tallon – Is he capable of running a large and complex organization?McDonough decided that the answer was “No” and so he pulled the trigger despite the fact that he knew he would get blasted for it.
From The Fourth Period: Dale Tallon Finds Solution to His Cap Concerns (say I, not the fourth period; their headline was more like “Blackhawks fire Tallon”)
TFP has confirmed that the Chicago Blackhawks fired general manager Dale Tallon late Monday and an official announcement will be made on Tuesday.TFP Columnist and Comcast Chicago anchor Josh Mora has also confirmed that Stan Bowman, the clubs assistant GM, will be taking over as GM.Tallon was named the eighth GM in team history on June 21, 2005. Prior to becoming GM, he served as assistant GM, and was the clubs director of player personnel from 1998-2002.Tallons job had reportedly been on the fence since the Hawks season had ended.Sources close to the situation tell TFP “the embarrassment over the negative publicity of the contract situation regarding the clubs restricted free agents was the clinching blow.”The Blackhawks were believed to be late in notifying the agents of their main RFAs that they had received qualifying offers. As a result, the Hawks had signed those players, including Cam Barker and Kris Versteeg, to new contracts.More details to come as the story develops.
What We Learned: Boston’s Winter Classic will be interesting – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports
Bruins reporter for WEEI.com and all-around swell guy, this morning:
“Heard today that Bruins and Flyers are going to have to share same Red Sox home clubhouse between two teams during the Winter Classic. Yikes”
Yikes indeed. Granted, Fenway is the oldest park in baseball, and the unfortunate accommodations are, most likely, because the park is the oldest in baseball and as such has an objectively terrible set-up. I’ve been in the Red Sox clubhouse and it’s barely big enough to hold the Red Sox’ 25-man roster on a given night, and even then with limited comfort.
Now imagine 40 hockey players squeezed into it like sardines. And factor in that, because of that whole Patrice Bergeron(notes)/Randy Jones incident (two players, I should note, that are still with these respective teams), these teams seem to really not like each other at all, how cozy that Red Sox clubhouse is going to feel. Good work, NHL.
via What We Learned: Boston’s Winter Classic will be interesting – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports.
Oilers Insider Hockey News and Rumours: Clerical Errors a Bit Bigger Than Getting Caught Photocopying Your Butt
With the news now that Kris Versteeg has been signed by the Chicago Blackhawks to a contract worth more than $9 million over 3 seasons and a full year prior to his original entry level contract coming to an end, one has to wonder what’s been going on in NHL offices around the league.
This is the third similar instance in almost as many days. Just recently, the Blackhawks were forced to re-sign Cam Barker (D), who was likely not in the immediate plans contract wise. Not to be outdone, the Philadelphia Flyers inked Chris Pronger to a seven year extension, not realizing that every single one of those years count as a cap hit to the Flyers teams should Pronger leave prior to the conclusion of the seventh year. Of course Edmonton Oiler fans are not unfamiliar to such controversy, with the current status of Dany Heatley, who is… well is Dany Heatley.
All in all, one has to wonder how team presidents, GM’s and those in charge of professional multi-billion dollar NHL franchises are interviewing candidates for positions of such importance. It’s not like the secretary got caught photocopying his butt and sending out the copies in a memo around the office for a good laugh. These are mistakes that are literally handcuffing each respective team during the summer and possibly for years to come.
There’s more at Oilers Insider Hockey News and Rumours: Clerical Errors a Bit Bigger Than Getting Caught Photocopying Your Butt.
Daly: Pronger contract an ‘over-35′ deal – Broad Street Hockey
Daly told Friedman that the deal is in fact an over-35 contract because of the date it goes into effect. It does not matter that the deal was signed before Pronger is 35 years old (he’s 34 until October 10 of this year), because it does not go into place until the 2010-11 season.
The league’s collective bargaining agreement uses June 30 as the cut off date, and Pronger will be 35 on June 30, 2010.
All indications from Pronger point to him not playing until the end of his contract, considering he will be 42 at its conclusion and he said at his press conference on Monday that he has no intention of playing “as long as Chris Chelios.” If he doesn’t play out the remainder of his contract, his cap hit could seriously handcuff the Flyers in later seasons.
via Daly: Pronger contract an ‘over-35′ deal – Broad Street Hockey.
From Bob McKenzie @TSN: HEATLEY REJECTS TRADE AFTER DEMANDING TRADE??
Now, it gets interesting.
Dany Heatley did not waive his no-movement clause to facilitate an agreed-upon trade between the Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers that would have sent Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid to Ottawa.
For now, and quite possibly forever, the deal is dead.
via TSN .
Chemmy (felixpotvin) on Twitter asks the question:
Has there ever been a player who demanded a trade and then invoked his NTC?
From (the great) Matthew Barry: I Loved All The Things That DIDN’T Happen!
1) Tavares – So Dreger and the Union Leader and almost everyone else on XM204 was saying Duchene was going first – THAT didn’t happen and it didn’t seem like there was ever any doubt it was Tavares.
Dreger – so plugged in, and yet…
2) Brian Burke’s failure to move up – yes, he good a great draft pick and that was a CLASSIC sound byte of him telling Bryan Murray “we’re taking your guy” – but what I loved even more was the look on his face when the Kings took Schenn.
What’s extra funny was that it was obvious even before I heard about the sound byte that this is exactly what he was doing. You don’t usually get a quote — much less an exact quote — and MUCH MUCH less a sound byte of an exact quote — of what would normally be a “photoshop a caption” moment. Also, I agree completely, the shot of Burke after Schenn was selected was like a Saturday Night Live parody.
3) As Ek mentioned, JayBo didn’t move – Vinny didn’t move – Jack Johnson and Alex Frolov are still Kings. Every time Bettman said “we have a trade” it was for draft picks. THAT’S HOW IT SHOULD BE – It was about the DRAFT and not trading players.
4) Flyers fans weren’t given a box of chocolates after being used, abused, and pounded like a slab of veal. FOUR first round picks???? FOUR for Pronger???? That’s just NUTS!!!!! The price just went UP, UP, UP on Heater and every other talented player. If you’re going to pay 4 1st rounders for a guy with 1 year left on his contract and will be on the other side of 35, what’s Heater and Gaborik and Hossa and all of the others worth?
I don’t think it’s going to inflate anything, for the simple reason that, in Heatley’s case, Murray is over a barrel, and the UFAs have to find someone with cap room, which is a rare commodity and getting rarer all the time. Also, to state the obvious, Philly is (probably) out of the UFA market.
Okay, okay, take it easy, I know Lupul was a complete salary dump and I’ll be so happy not to see Prongers stupid grin in the West anymore, but still, Sbisa and 2 first rounders is still a serious price to pay – Now, tell me, now that you ADDED a million dollars to payroll, who gets dumped next?
At least six million worth of somebody.
via HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – I Loved All The Things That DIDN’T Happen! .
If Burke wanted Schenn so bad, why was he holding on to Kaberle?
–The Thrashers, with the No. 4 pick, would have surrendered it for Tomas Kaberle and the No. 7 pick, paving the way for the Leafs to draft Brayden Schenn or Evander Kane. But Burke did not want to use Kaberle to move up in the draft, so that negotiation went nowhere.
via The Spin.
I’m surprised Burke wasn’t willing to part with Kaberle, given how miserable he looked when the Kings took Schenn. What — did he think he was going to luck out and the Kings were going to pick Cowan and PHX was taking MSP?
Frankly, it’s odd that he talked so much about moving into the top five since he was unwilling to deal Kaberle, who is the best chip he has to play. He was going to send him to Boston for Kessel anyway.
Weird.
Burke Reveals Standards, Updates Zeno’s Paradox
Burke stated that the Leafs had no interest in the two-time 50 goal scorer, largely because of the way he has chosen to handle his trade request. “We’re not going to be in on that,” Burke stated. “He’s a good player but I have certain guidelines on how players ask for trades. [...] When you have players come ask you for a trade, I tell the players ‘don’t finish that sentence,’ because once you ask, I’m going to move you,” Burke stated. “If a player wants out, you’re darn right I’m going to move you.” [That's pretty clear. Call it Rule #1. "If you ask for a trade, I will trade you, provided you finish the sentence."] “I’m not kissing anyone’s ass to play in my town, so to hell with you, don’t finish the sentence.” [Okay. I guess that's Rule #1a: "...but I hate you now."] My second rule is if I hear about this, you’re not going anywhere.” [Rule #2: "However, if you tell anybody else that you want a trade, and I hear about it, I will not trade you. Instead, I will make your life a living hell."] While Burke stated that he has no problem with players requesting a trade – [But, see Rule #1a above.] — he was unhappy with Heatley’s decision to go public with his request, thus making Senators’ general manager Bryan Murray’s chances of moving the sniper extremely difficult. ”For a player to pop off and say he wants out or leak it (to the media), in my mind you are now no longer interested in your team. […which, per rule #2 above, you will play for until your contract expires, because of rule #1a above.]
KuklasKorner : Abel to Yzerman : Gary’s Wallpaper
Fascinating, must-read:
We’re going to say this one more time and I’m going to make it as clear as I can. No one here has claimed a “conspiracy.” No one has said Gary Bettman orchestrated a Pens Cup. It’s not Gary Bettman’s fault that Hal Gill accrued a grand total of 2 penalty minutes over the entire series. Really. It’s not.
What we have said, and will continue to stand behind on this blog, is that he got what he wanted. He wanted a North American “face of the NHL.” He wanted to be able to point to the Pens as a franchise he “saved.”
He marketed Sidney Crosby. He branded him. Now he’s got him.
That’s not all of it. Read the rest: KuklasKorner : Abel to Yzerman : Gary’s Wallpaper .
Mike Emerick’s Broken Thesaurus
I will preface this by saying there are very few play-by-play announcers who I would seek out on their own merits (Vin Scully and Bob Ufer would be two; Ufer, we used to turn down the sound on U of M TV broadcasts, in order to listen to his radio call). And there’s nothing especially bad about Mike Emerick. However: every time I’m forced to listen to him, I find I am annoyed by the same three offenses:
1) he uses “knife” as a verb. e.g. “Gonchar knifes the puck down.” But he’s not knifing the puck down. He’s knocking it down. To use knife as a verb is to suggest stabbing (which is not what’s going on) or slicing (ibid). This would be annoying to have to listen to once, but you could build a drinking game around how many times he says it. Everyone is knifing everything on every play.
2) he says “recoil” when he means “regroup.” This he uses when the puck has been cleared and the team regroups for another attempted offensive attack. He is I guess thinking of the fact that the team is reloading — like a gun — and coiling — like a snake — in preparation for firing or striking. Unfortunately, he’s mangled his intent and is left with “recoil.” Recoil once literally carried the meaning “to coil again” and it would still be useful as such, were it not for the overwhelming preference among everyone on the English-speaking planet for its primary meaning, “to shrink back, in fear, disgust, etc.” Everytime he tells me that Detroit recoils, I picture them scared out of their minds, as if Chucky just leapt out.
3) he says “regather” used when he’s tired of “recoil.” Regather. Sorry. If you ask me, it shouldn’t even be a word; but if you’re going to let it into the dictionary, at least have it refer to something when you use it in a sentence. Detroit regathers what? The puck, I guess. In that case, “retrieves” would be more natural. Although he could mean “gathers themselves” as in “collects themselves again,” “gets their wits about them.” Blegh. Regroups, goddamit.
Bonus annoyance: At least Emerick doesn’t refer to the face-off circles as the f-ing “ladies’ tees” like the idiot Ducks announcer.
Kings Blog Takes Down Dreger – Pension Plan Puppets
It may have the worst wall paper since that Urkel tribute my-space page, but the blog entry makes up for it with a nice take down of Dreger’s latest trade rumour make-believe.
via Kings Blog Takes Down Dreger – Pension Plan Puppets.
Now hang on.
Bozo Weighs in @ Oilers Nation
From commenter Bozo [who is not me]:
All I’m saying is, not naming your sources is one thing but making a claim that’s so wishy washy that it could never be shown to be wrong is bad form. It makes Dreger look like he’s guilty even if he isn’t. And it makes me a little more wary of Dreger than I was before.
via The lowdown – OilersNation.com.
I wish I had said that.
OilersNation.com: some Bozo blogger thinks Darren Dreger of TSN might be pulling NHL trade rumours out of his *ss and making things up
So, some Bozo blogger thinks Darren Dreger of TSN might be pulling NHL trade rumours out of his ass and making things up, eh? Dreger’s inquisitor on a website known as Kings Kool-Aid calls himself “qwisp,” which may or may not be a version of his real name. That doesn’t matter, even though the thought of somebody who might be tapping while using a fake name calling out Dreger rings just a tad goofy. It’s a witty bit of interpretive scrawl by qwisp, but it goes to show how little this person knows about the challenges facing MSM types like Dreger, who earn their living by gathering information, and the rules of the insider game as they pertain to protecting sources. The point being pushed by qwisp is Dreger’s item on Vincent Lecavalier and possible interest in him by the Los Angeles Kings is vague and written in a flimsy enough way it could be nothing more than the product of a fertile mind on a slow news day. Vague and flimsy? Yes. Intentionally so. The product of a fertile mind? Not a chance. What, did Dreger issue an E-3 with this?
RULES OF THE GAME
Whether it’s a ridiculously connected guy like Dreger or TSN running mate Bob McKenzie or those of us further down the information gathering food chain in the MSM, there are tried-and-true ways of protecting sources and keeping the information pipeline open. Many of those tricks of the trade — not attributing comments, using unnamed sources and even employing good old-fashioned mis-direction to protect somebody who has given you the drop on something — fly in the face of what old-school types like me learned when getting into the business. But the business has changed. The demand for immediate information is greater than it’s ever been. People want the goods now. If you’re getting your dope from the morning paper, you’re late. You either deliver or you don’t. On top of that, people love rumours. They eat up speculation.
While that opens the door for any kook or clown with a blog template to float all kinds of unsubstantiated rumours, pass off gossip as fact and flat-out make things up, that’s not the case with Dreger. Granted, it can sound that way — “Well, where’s the quote from the GM or the player in question?” — but disguising the fact somebody spilled the beans is essential in making sure they keep talking to you down the road.
HOW IT WORKS
Dreger doesn’t need me talking for him, so I won’t, but here’s some of the ways I’ve protected sources. Let’s go on the premise GM X has told me he’s interested in trading Player X because he wants too much money.
– You can be vague, as Dreger was with the Lecavalier item: “The Edmonton Oilers will likely be listening to offers for Player X at the trade deadline and there could be six teams interested, including the Los Angeles Kings . . .”
– You can say it yourself without attribution: “The Edmonton Oilers are looking to trade Player X at the trade deadline . . .”
– You can use an unnamed source: “A source close to the Edmonton Oilers says the team is considering trading Player X because he wants too much money . . .”
– You can ask the question: “Are the Edmonton Oilers contemplating trading Player X at the trade deadline because he wants too much money?” Or, “What’s this I hear about Player X wanting $20 million over four years from the Oilers?”
No matter which of the four ways you frame it, you can follow up by saying, “When asked to confirm the possibility Player X might be traded, GM X declined comment,” or “GM X laughed off suggestions Player X might be traded and said, “We’re not shopping Player X.” Of course, shopping Player X means actively communicating with other GMs looking for offers, as opposed to being willing to trade Player X if his salary demands don’t change. In that sense, GM X isn’t lying.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The problem is, people with no contacts and no inside information can play loose with all of the above and toss as much stuff against the wall as they want in the hope some will stick. Not because they’re protecting sources, but because they don’t have one real shred of information. You’ve read it. I’ve read it. There’s 100 screens of the stuff out there on any given day. There’s always some Bozo making stuff up. This qwisp is suggesting maybe Dreger fits in that long-shoed group. I think not. I know not. For information junkies trying to separate intentional mis-direction or vagueness employed by a reporter to protect a source from bogus rumours with no factual basis, it’s difficult to know what to put much stock in. In the end, it comes down to credibility.
Who wrote it or said it? What’s their record on getting it first and getting it right? How connected are they? Who do they answer to if what they write or say is absolute fantasy?
Whether it’s a MSM guy like Dreger or some Bozo blogger, the same questions should apply.
via The lowdown – OilersNation.com.
I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say about this when I think about it, but right now I’m going to watch a tivo-ed Windsor/Kelowna game. For the record, I have no sources, named or otherwise, and don’t purport to report. Hey, that rhymes.
UPDATE: I never said he was making it all up. There’s actually very little “it” to make up or not. He talked to this guy. The guy said something about Johnson’s dad. Unrelated to that, Johnson’s name had come up in previous trade rumors. People read that and think, well, if it’s on TSN it must be true. Look at the comments on “Inside the Kings.” Many people react to articles like Dreger’s with the attitude that “where there’s smoke there’s fire.” It seems to me that the article was written knowing that people react this way. The result is a report that’s just wisps of smoke. People have noted that [paraphrase] this is the nature of sports reporting/the rumor mill/etc. and there’s a big appetite for these things. But I think that’s a problem. It shouldn’t be the nature of sports reporting. Reporting should be reporting. It’s denigrating to everyone for reporters to stoop to passing along gossipy tidbits just because there’s an appetite for them. Who cares if there’s an appetite for them? When I read the writing of a reporter like Dreger, I would like to be able to assume that he knows what he is talking about and is not wasting my time.
I am not any kind of reporter. I am just a guy who likes the Kings. Like everyone else, I rely (when it comes to sports news) on reporters for … well … everything. Which is why it’s irritating to wade through “it is believed” etc. only to find that not only is there no “there” there, but that now people are going to take whatever was reported as some version of a fact.
Edmonton Journal: Darren Dreger Crucified
Reporting trade rumours is the crack cocaine of hockey writers. It’s sure to bring in traffic, so it’s highly addictive, but it doesn’t always do much for the credibility of the rumour-monger, as Darren Dreger has just been told in no uncertain terms by an angry but clever L.A. Kings blogger.
Me, I wouldn’t be so hard on Dreger. There is a reason they are called “trade rumours,” as opposed to “trade facts.”
Unless the rumour comes from a beat writer very close to the team, I don’t pay them much attention. They are no big deal, just some fluff, some fizz, some froth, part of the fun of following the NHL. I never read the sites that specialize in these rumours, but I can’t see how they do any harm.
P.S. For what it’s worth, I heard from an NHL insider that Vince Lecavalier was going to be moved to the L.A. Kings last winter, but it didn’t happen then. Will it happen now? It’s certainly fun to speculate. But that’s all it is, speculation.
via Darren Dreger crucified – Cult of Hockey .
I didn’t mean to be angry. However, I don’t think reporting of rumors is really reporting, by definition. It’s just gossip.
It is Believed that Darren Dreger at TSN May Have Been Among Those Mentioned as Someone Who Possibly Could Be Pulling S*** Out of His *ss
Here’s the text of Dreger’s recent “report” with my comments/interpretation:
The conversations surrounding Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier are likely to heat up as we get closer to July 1, when the no-trade clause on his contract kicks in. [TRANSLATION: something will happen in the future, but is not happening now.]
The two teams mentioned most [by ______? See, that would be important information to have, who is doing this mentioning; we do know who it's not: the actual parties involved, who, after all, don't do any public "mentioning" of potential future trades] when Lecavalier’s name comes up seem to be ["seem to be" means this sentence isn't even true enough for him to use the word "are"] the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings. With regards to the Kings, defenceman Jack Johnson is one of the players mentioned [again, mentioned by ______] as possibly [really high standard here, since everyone is "possibly" involved] being involved in any deal with Tampa. [A reasonable translation of that sentence would be, "people who aren't involved in the situation think anything could possibly happen at any time."]
I had an interesting chat with Barry Smith, who is the head coach of SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL – and he said Johnson’s father, Jack Johnson Sr., contacted St. Petersburg [Dreger does not say that Smith said JJ Sr. contacted him, but "St Petersburg," presumably meaning the team, not the town. If Smith had talked to JJ Sr., Dreger would certainly have written that. I am fascinated by the possibility that Jack Johnson's dad speaks Russian; alternatively, how exactly are we to believe this "contacting" took place? He saw someone in the hot-dog line prior to one of the games? He cold-called the GM of the team? The mayor? What?] prior to the World Hockey Championship to see if the team would have interest in signing his son to a one-year contract.
Smith said he would have interest in Johnson, [I can't tell if the ambiguity here is intentional: who did Smith say this to? I'm guessing, to Dreger. But Dreger makes it sound like Smith said it to JJ Sr., whom he apparently didn't really speak to] and believes he can make the defenceman a better player.
It is believed [although not by anyone in particular; is this what Smith said to Dreger? It is believed by whom?] there is some unhappiness from Johnson’s camp [which presumably consists of Johnson, his agent and his dad - but probably just his dad], as the young blueliner is a restricted free agent [note that this sentence actually says: "Because Johnson is a restricted free agent, he or someone he knows is unhappy."] While Smith has not heard back from Jack Johnson Sr., it is a possibility. ["it" in this sentence refers to "some unhappiness in Johnson's camp." Therefore, the sentence actually says: "While Smith has no reason to believe Johnson is unhappy, it's still possible that he's unhappy, since (per above) anything could possibly happen at any time."]
The speculation that continues to hover around Lecavalier and the Los Angeles Kings [speculation is a free-floating entity, apparently] really began just prior to the NHL’s trade deadline – there were some conversations between the Lightning and the Kings. [Here Dreger veers dangerously close to reporting an actual fact. My attention is piqued.]
How serious were the conversations? If you talk to both sides, they’ll say they weren’t very serious – but they always say that anyway. [I especially love the "they'll say they weren't serious" part. He's actually anticipating in his own article that the people who are actually involved in the rumor he's spreading will say it's all b.s.. Actually, I especially-ESPECIALLY love the "if you talk to both sides" bit. If I talk to both sides? Shouldn't he have done that?]
via TSN .
Ducks GM Accused of Cross-Checking Fan
While the players were on the ice exchanging handshakes, high above in an executive suite Ducks General Manager Bob Murray was seething over the controversial goal that ended his team’s quest for the Stanley Cup.
A Detroit Police report lead to an assault investigation involving Murray. An upset and angry Murray, the report notes, picked up a high bar stool and hit 55-year-old Rachel Paris on the left chest, arm and shoulder area. She was treated by first aid personnel and interviewed by police.
Paris said in a phone interview she was in the press box working as a stage manager for a media outlet that she would not identify. A passionate Red Wings fan, Paris said Murray was apparently upset over her enthusiasm and used a stool on her to express his displeasure.
“I was taken to the boards by Bob Murray and survived the hit. I felt like I was cross-checked and I didn’t even have the puck,” said Paris.
Should Murray be charged with a criminal misconduct? Paris said “no” and declined to file a formal police complaint.
Red Wings ‘blown’ away – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports
The Detroit Red Wings were jobbed, hosed, robbed, disrespected — really, pick your terms of non-endearment — when referee Brad Watson and his intent to blow an early whistle wiped out a Marian Hossa(notes) game-tying goal late in the third period at the Anaheim Ducks in Game 3. The puck’s in the net before the whistle, but Watson already ended the play in his brain. And it’s not a reviewable play in the NHL.
[...]
Premature whistles during a scrum in front of the net have been a pox on these playoffs. Worse yet have been the instances of “Intent To Blow,” in which the referee has ended the play with his mind before an ounce of lung power has entered his whistle. Like in Game 4 of the St. Louis Blues/Vancouver Canucks series, in which a Blues goal wasn’t allowed and they were later summarily dismissed from the playoffs in overtime.
Sure, as Romig said, early whistles happen and you just hope they don’t happen to your team. Doesn’t make it right; and it doesn’t change the fact that ”Intent To Blow” runs counter to the NHL’s primary doctrine for its officials, which is to support and nurture offense while restricting defense.
Obstruction, the puck over the glass rule, the goalie trapezoid, no change on an icing, the leeway given to players who crash the crease … all of it encourages scoring. Which makes the hair-trigger ending of hockey plays by an eager beaver referee such an annoying anomaly. And what’s the sense of having a second referee on the ice to make the calls the first referee isn’t in a position to make if he can’t overrule “Intent To Blow” on plays like last night’s?
via Red Wings ‘blown’ away; Canucks get their boring on – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports.
IT’S INSANE.
Tomas Surovy channels 100 years of frustrations at your %@^${%^#@ crappy goalie
Edmonton Journal Brain Farts a Hemsky for Dustin Brown AND Matt Greene Trade Har De Har HAR
If the Oilers could get two front-line players for him, at least one a bigger, stronger body like winger Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings and retrieve hard-nosed defenceman Matt Greene, too, would they consider it?
Is it that far-fetched? I don’t think so.
via Hemsky trade is plausible .
I do. Think it’s far fetched. Far fetched and stupid. I might not throw up at the idea of Hemsky for Matt Greene straight-up. Might not. But, might.
ESPN jumps gun.Helene Elliott Shows You How to Insert Judgmental Bulls*** into Theoretically Objective Reporting
Sharks center Joe Thornton found a heart, the Ducks lost a chance to pull off an upset and the teams’ playoff series became a lot more interesting — and at least one game longer.
Thornton, conspicuous in the first four games only for his indifference, showed a new and fiery side Saturday. With the top-seeded Sharks one goal from elimination he threw the puck in front of the net for Patrick Marleau to prod past Jonas Hiller at 6:02 of overtime, which gave the Sharks a 3-2 victory and cut the Ducks’ series lead to three games to two.
via Thornton comes up big for the Sharks – Los Angeles Times.
“Joe Thornton found a heart”???
Incompetent B.S. from the Edmonton Journal on the Topic of Hossa, Franzen and the cap
It’s no surprise that Johan Franzen is getting an 11-year, $43-million contract that runs until 2021 to spread out the cap hit ($1 million the final two, years when he’ll be 38 and 39 years old).
Uh no, the cap hit is the same every year, dumba**. [UPDATE: oh, I see. The parenthetical refers not to that which precedes it, but to the contracted payment; at least, I think that's what he thinks he's saying.]
Same story with Henrik Zetterberg ($6.1 million cap hit over 12 years). They may eventually close that loophole, but Wings’ GM Ken Holland is simply playing by the rules now. And Franzen’s average cap hit of $3.95 million is actually close to what a veteran agent thought he’d get last week. Franzen will get $36 million in the first seven years, starting at $5.5 million next season — his salary more in tune with his tremendous goal-scoring ability. “Let’s see now, we have an 11-year contract and a 12-year contract, so I guess Marian will take 10 or 13 years,” laughed Hossa’s agent Ritch Winter, who talked to Holland about numbers Saturday, although Holland won’t be able to sign Hossa until June because of their cap situation.
Actually, that makes no sense at all.
Hossa is going nowhere. His cap hit will be in the $6-million range. “I will tell you this: despite what people are saying, the salary cap in Detroit will definitely be no impediment to Marian signing there,” said Winter.
Right. Do the math: in order for the Wings to sign Hossa with a cap hit of $6MM, they will have to dump at least two huge salaries. Who are they going to get rid of? Filppula and Stuart? Kronwall and Stuart? Take your pick. But you can’t say there will be “no impediment.”
UPDATE: Just to be sure, I added the numbers up again. A Hossa cap hit of $6MM would leave the Wings with a cap number of $59.3 with four players left to sign. That means, assuming entry level salaries, that they would have a cap hit of around $62MM. Assume the cap will go up nominally, a couple million. The Wings must shed at least one huge salary and probably two, in addition to losing Samuelsson and Hudler. So call it Samuelsson, Hudler, Stuart and maybe someone else. I don’t believe it. And still, it’s not NO impediment.
via More Hockey World .
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