stevkrause

Please don't get our hopes up... this is a tragedy any way you cut it, but if Salei was not on this plane, that will be a silver lining to a VERY dark cloud, I can't help but feel especially ill about Salei, seeing as he JUST had a baby, something about a baby having to live without their father from such a young age, just REALLY cuts like a knife to me...

Youth players too?!?! The more I read, the more this story makes me sick... this is unbelievable, I am in shock right now......

I don't want to think this, but it's hard not to... if only they had been able to get NHL gigs... this is so sickening, I feel so bad for all the families involved...

We gave him a lot of flack here, but McCrimmon was on the plane as well... my stomach just dropped, Salei JUST had a baby... this is tragic...

Even if Lombardi never played an NHL game again, getting Franson and getting rid of the horrible Lebda contract was clearly black magic... now that Lombardi was cleared AND will be ready for the start of the season, this is shaping out to be one of the most lopsided trades I can remember... I'm not a huge Burke fan here either, but you gotta give it to the guy, this was one HELL of a trade...

Well there it is... when did it happen? All I had read to date was they were thinking about it... Trotz needs to get out of there and go somewhere that actually wants to win...

I would love Lebda on my team... literally, my team, my beer league adult league... however, if I were an NHL GM, no way... First Lebda would need to play... there's already a lot of talk than Nashville may buy him out... I honestly don't see him winning a roster spot if they go off skill and ability alone, with all the young, skilled dmen they have in their system...

This topic was in regards to one specific trade... can we stay on topic here? This by no means makes him a great GM, or even a good one, so let's not go down that road, but the fact is, this specific trade was a fleecing

I wish I wasn't on my phone, so I could plus it to even it out... I've stopped trying to understand the plus/minus scores people give on here...

It's sad... I actually hesitated before I posted it too, because of that... but then thought "what the hell, if someone can't laugh at things and doesn't have a sense of humor, I don't need to appeal to them anyway" Our world would be a better place if people learned to laugh more... Strongly disagree... it doesn't even have to do with the money, Franson could be a top 4, possibly top 2 dman if used right and Lombardi is a FANTASTIC 3rd line center/pk/faceoff specialist (if truely healthy)... both players will fill very important roster spots for Toronto

The problem with the St Louis/Colorado deal, is that one side isn't mentally competent (Col), so really, it's like stealing from a handicap kid... look at all the deals Col has made in the last 2 years - their management has clearly been eating paint chips, and lead based ones at that... Burke just flat out fleeced another competant GM with black magic, jedi mind tricks and/or blackmailed photoshopped pics of goat/donkey play... and that is much more impressive to me, than taking the toy from the kid drooling all over himself with a Leggo up his nose...

This is a thread JUST for fun... since we're all chomping at the bit for pre-season to begin and start watching some real hockey, I figured I'd start a thread for some laughs - Put what "held you back" from making it to the NHL - I'll start it off. I could have made it to the NHL if... My knees had held up, I came from money AND I were 5 inches taller and, go...

With all the sad news this summer, it's nice to read a story that's uplifting... the game has been covered by a dark cloud this off-season...

Uh oh... queue the sponsors on jerseys debate...

Draper would not have gone to GR, whereas Johnson almost surely will if he's actually signed... right now though, this is just a try-out and will probably never materialize into more...

my thoughts as well, it's such a shame... Cooke is such a POS... With that said, I think he came back prematurely and the doctors that cleared him should probably be looked at...

Such a shame... this summer has been terrible...

only one way to find out... if you have the opportunities, skill and doctors to get past it, then don't look at it in the defeatist sense... look at it as you WILL make it and work to get there and if it doesn't happen, oh well, at least you gave it your all, but as soon as you start doubting yourself, you're already setting yourself up for failure... that was my inspirational speech for the day, haha now get to the gym and train damnit - No one ever got good at hockey from message-boarding, more practice for you! why would you put yourself down like that?!?

for the bolded part Agility sports usually aren't really helped by steroids in the traditional sense... now, other PED's... that's a different story... I've always wondered how much of that actually is in the NHL... always came across as the cleanest of the big 4 to me...

I'm actually surprised that as many people here have taken it as far as they have... impressive!

Very cool about LT, good luck this upcoming season and keep us posted on how you guys do!

Bonus points for the Manon Rheaume reference!

I guess it was, haha... It wasn't really meant to be complimentary or derogatory to be honest, it was more just an observation... but now that I think about it, I guess it shows a level of insight and maturity to your posts, as well as your knowledge of the history of the game that someone younger might not have the appreciation for, so in that sense, you are correct to take it as one! Are you guys a div 2, or div 3 team, or is more of a club sport there? Either way, it's pretty cool that you get to play college hockey... I'm just interested about LT's hockey program, as I was unaware they had one until now - I was in talks with the AD at MSU about being a walk-on before I blew my knee out... granted, I was WELL aware of my skill level, even then(this was over 13 years ago) and knew I would be a 4th liner, seeing limited ice time at BEST and was never going past college level at best, but I always wish I could have had the chance to play college hockey...

right on, better than most will ever do! What school do you go to/play for? I don't know why, I always got the impression from your posts that you were in your 30's...

???? You're still in the age group where this is obtainable? I thought you were older than that???