joshy207

If the league investigates and finds that the Oilers and Nylander had a valid contract, then his rights would belong to Edmonton. Remember the infamous Lindros double-trade, when Quebec's owner had agreed to deals with both Philly and the Rangers? The Philly deal was completed first and satisfied the requirements of a legal trade, so the subsequent Rangers deal was voided and the rest is history. That trade was primarily responsible for the Rangers winning the Cup in '94 (probably wouldn't have happened if they got Lindros) AND the Avalanche winning it in '96.

Derek Meech is probably the 7th guy right now over Quincey... if I'm not mistaken, Meech would have to clear waivers to go to GR, and Quincey wouldn't. Detroit's D will move the puck extremely well, but doesn't offer much of a physical edge.

It's not at all up to the NHL. Jerseys that are currently in stores (or in online stores' warehouses) have already been manufactured and sold by CCM/RBK, so it's out of their hands too. It's up to each store what they do with their jerseys--they own them. I would expect to see the larger retailers mark jerseys way down (I saw Red Wings jerseys at Kohl's for 50% off the other day) and some of the smaller collectible or hockey stores might put them on sale too. I also expect that anything CCM/RBK has left in stock is already on closeout.

They were afraid that he would file for arbitration and get a ridiculous award. Rather than face that, they just cut him loose.

I've played all my life, started when I was 5. I play at least once a week during the winter, but I'm taking this spring/summer off. I also coach a Bantam (13-year-olds) travel team in the same rink where I played as a kid.

I really like the new Caps and Bruins jerseys. Both are traditional and classic-looking (although Washington's throws in some modern design work too). I'm anxious to see Vancouver's. I'm hoping they go with something similar to their retro/original jerseys... And I agree, the league is ready for some yellow jerseys. I'd love to see the Kings return to Gold and Purple. If the Lakers can still pull it off, the Kings could too. Maybe Dallas could go with a Gold and Green combo, a la the old Golden Seals.

Both Kozlov and Datsyuk have worn 13 their entire careers. Kozlov wore it when he was here. But now Datsyuk wears it and he has established himself as a premier player. Datsyuk can offer up the number if he wants. Kozlov can ask Datsyuk for the number, and Datsyuk can say yes or no. If he says yes, there's a price, Kozlov would buy Datsyuk something or take him out for (an expensive) dinner. But once a player is given a number, it's his... he can choose to give it up if asked, or he can keep it.

I don't remember the Wings ever having lace-ups... check http://www.nhluniforms.com Boston's new jerseys are shown at the bottom of the first page of this thread...

How are the Islanders not on most people's lists? They have been a freak show for YEARS. Mike Milbury was involved, we shouldn't have to go any further, but we can! One of their previous ownership groups was a fraud. The league didn't do their homework and were embarrassed when the new "owners" couldn't come up with any money. Their current owner is a mess. Yashin's contract was an albatross, and now they've bought him out. DiPietro got a 15 YEAR contract (WTF). They hired and then fired Neil Smith as GM last summer. They hired Ted Nolan to coach before they hired Smith, so Smith didn't have a chance to hire his own coach. Then they hired Garth Snow--their backup goalie--to be the new GM. Their rink is a dump. They share second-fiddle status (with the Devils) behind the Rangers in the NYC market. Joke. That said, they're nowhere near as bad as the Blackhawks. 1. Chicago. Someone needs to step up and force Wirtz to sell the team, it's the only thing that will save Chicago as a viable NHL hockey market. The Hawks get outdrawn by the AHL Wolves! 2. Islanders. See above. 3. Bruins. Despite the BEAUTIFUL new jerseys for next year, Jacobs (the new head of the BOG, help us...) has the O6 franchise in a shambles. One step forward, three steps back for this club. 4. Toronto. For every fan they have, they alienate 10. Everything they touch turns to s***. A real shame, considering Toronto is really the center of the hockey universe. 5. Can't really choose here. Phoenix isn't healthy. Nashville's in real trouble if the sale to Balsillie isn't approved... and they're gone if it is. Washington, see Phoenix. Relatively new ownership in St. Louis could provide results like in Ottawa. Thankfully Disney's out of the picture in Anaheim.

No logo, they just had an "O" on their jerseys. You can see them at http://www.nhluniforms.com click on the 1910s, 1920s, or 1930s and then pick a year. Also, here... http://www.logoserver.com/NHL.html and scroll down to Ottawa.

Not the same as what's coming out next year. I have an RBK jersey too, like you say it's the same or heavier than most practice jerseys, but it's not the new material or fit. Besides, nothing beats a Southfield Warriors jersey! (I coach the 94 team, we skated after you guys on Mondays last year.) Even an indoor rink can get pretty warm in the spring/summer... the ice stays cold but the air is affected by outside temperatures.

Posting.

If I was the League Commissioner and I had to buy back 4 franchises, I'd contract Phoenix, Florida, the New York Islanders, and either Washington or Chicago. Phoenix and Florida have lukewarm fan support and are perennial cellar-dwellers. The New York Islanders' front office is a circus, and their arena and attendance are horrid. Washington or Chicago would be a very, very tough call--I'd force Wirtz to either invest in the Hawks, sell, or lose the franchise. They are the worst-run franchise in pro sports, even worse than the Detroit Lions. Beyond that, I would not stand in the way of sensible franchise relocations to viable hockey markets in the northern US or Canada. Saskatoon and Halifax would not get teams, but Winnipeg, southern Ontario (wherever Balsillie decides to move the Predators)... no problem. Quebec would have to show the desire and the investment before getting another team.

Well, the sun even shines on a dog's ass some days...

The NHL needs to more aggressively promote the game of HOCKEY and stop bastardizing itself in order to attract American "fans" with short attention spans. If people wanted to watch hockey with no offsides, then roller hockey would still be a pro sport.

Eklund is no Dickie Dunn, that's for sure!

This is a pretty tough call. Hudler always did struggle with his skating and his (lack of) defensive awareness. Both were significantly improved this season. Good enough to play regularly all season and in the playoffs? I think in a lot of our opinions, yes, over guys like Samuelsson and Lang. But obviously none of us are NHL coaches, Babcock either saw something he didn't like or didn't see things he wanted to see in Hudler. I was pretty surprised though, when Kopecky found his way back into the lineup before Hudler in the Ducks series. I know Kopecky is bigger and tougher, but he hadn't played in months, and a broken collarbone isn't an easy injury to recover from. I have no doubt anymore that Hudler will be a solid NHLer. Maybe not here, but somewhere. He is small and is not a good skater, but he has a nose for the puck and can score, which are tools a lot of players don't have. He'll just always have to work on his skating and make sure he doesn't take any shifts off, do the most he can with the icetime he's given, and force his way into the lineup. 2nd line might be a stretch, Hudler is probably best suited to the 4th line on a team that rolls 4 lines, seeing 10-12 minutes a game. However, the Wings are loaded with 3rd- and 4th-line type forwards, so he may be able to sneak onto a top-2 line. It's worked for Holmstrom...

I'm really torn on expansion. I think the league is a little too big as it is, and more teams won't necessarily mean better market share. But it's great that Bruckheimer wants to get involved--that could lead to more hockey-themed movies and TV shows, or even a more subtle approach (hockey in the background of shows or movies). For instance, there was a movie that came out a few months ago where the main character was a hockey player whose career was ended by injury, and he turned to robbing banks with his brother or buddies or something like that... can't think of the movie or the star's name. But Bruckheimer is really in a position to help boost at least the awareness of the game, if not the popularity. Also, having 4 equal divisions would be great, and would let the league return to divisional playoffs. (This could also be accomplished with 28 teams, or 24, or even 20.) I've always hated the Conference playoff format. If the timing and conditions are right, then I guess I wouldn't complain, but let's not expand just for the sake of expanding.

As much as I'd love to see an NHL Network in the US, I'd love it even more if it went beyond just the NHL. I would want to see an AHL and ECHL Game of the Week, as well as regular College hockey coverage; in-depth shows, like a version of Cribs, a "Day in the Life" type show, and some team-specific shows; coverage of Team USA in international competition (WC, WJC, 18-U WC, etc); maybe even some broadcasts of the NTDP games in Ann Arbor; and of course, show hockey movies and tapes of old classic games. Also, they could tape and show USA Hockey National Championship games.

Yeah, that site is utterly useless. Perfectly in line with the club's PR. MLB and NBA teams use league-hosted websites, and I'm assuming NFL teams do also.

Haha, that's exactly who I thought of when I read the title!

If the Wings were that much better than the Ducks, why did they only have a 1-goal lead with less than a minute to go in Game 5? It should have been over by that point, right? And if the Wings were that much better than the Ducks, why didn't they score another goal until the 3rd period of Game 6, when they were already down 4-0? Face it, it's over, the Wings lost. No amount of crying, whining, complaining, citing who wasn't in the lineup, what calls the refs blew, or any other words will change it. The Ducks were not the only team to commit a rule infraction during the playoffs. The Ducks will be back next year... and so will the Wings.

Here's a point that hasn't been brought up yet... kicking an opposing player is a match penalty. Suppose someone tries to kick a puck in the net, but misses and instead kicks the defenseman. Match penalty? Should be, he kicked the guy. Even if he was just trying to kick the puck in the net. It's like a high-sticking penalty, you're responsible for your stick even if you accidentally clip someone. Same situation would go for a kick. Do you want players suspended for trying to score? Neither do I...

Yes, Fischer is officially a UFA this summer. And it was the other Markov--Andrei--who re-signed with Montreal. The free agency period starts July 1st. Until then, players may re-sign with their current team but not another team.

Pass on Samsonov. As already said, he could have been acquired for much less salary and/or return cost, but was not... and if he couldn't even DRESS for Montreal (who missed the playoffs) then how would he play here? He's a guy who should flourish in the "new" NHL but doesn't.