Chairman Maouth

I'm far from being a cap expert, but they could move SOB, park Alberts and Hordichuk in Manitoba, hang on to Bieksa until Salo returns, then trade one of them. I think there are all sorts of options available still. Gillis will do the right thing.

Confirmed that Mitchell has signed with the Kings - 7 mil - 2 years. Canucks will likely hang on to Bieksa. Ehrhoff-Edler Hamhuis-Ballard Bieksa-O'Brien(Salo) Very solid D-core top to bottom.

I'd add either Mitchell or Bieksa to that list. At least one of them should still be a Canuck to start the season, if not both. edit: solid rumour that Mitchell has signed a multi-year deal with the Kings. http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2010/08/25/mitchell_willie_kings/

Too many people preaching practices around here.

No no no. Not when it comes to guitars and other musical instruments. You have that one "baby" and you stick with it. And no musician has that many identical guitars. Epiphone actually markets a Paul McCartney Signature Texan guitar that's identical to his original minus the Red Wings sticker. I have a feeling those guitars are part of a promotional run of the series. They've even got the identical wear and tear on all them. edit: and no musician has what appears to a bus devoted to carrying one type of instrument.

Here's a photo that will make you go -- WTF????? http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/4602/paulmccartneyacouepi.jpg

I'd be pissed if I were a Wings fan. I'm pretty sure that Wings sticker has been alone on his guitar since his days with "Wings" -- that's back in the 70's. McCartney just messed with your karma.

I'm a Canucks fan, and I thought it was huge injustice that we lost to a guy with hair like that. In the UFC, with few exceptions, you always bet against the guy with the bad hair.

If I were Byfuglien I would have worn something that showed no team affiliation at all. But in Byfuglien' case, maybe the cop uniform from the guy in the Village People. http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4430/ukk9k.jpg

:beerbuddy:

What do you call it when a player dives, draws a penalty, and whines -- all on the same play?

The "ïnvestigation" is nothing more than a tactic by the NHL that serves notice to anyone considering designing similar contracts in the future. The public relations nightmare that would come with voiding previously registered contracts is something the NHL wants no part of, let alone what the other implications of voiding contracts would be for the teams involved and the possible retaliatory measures they could take. Voiding Roberto Luongo contract would be ‘in complete violation’ of CBA: prominent agent http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Voiding+Roberto+Luongo+contract+would+complete+violation+prominent+agent/3382913/story.html

The atmosphere around the Canucks has changed a great deal since Mike Gillis took over. Players are not only choosing to stay in Vancouver at a discount, but they're coming to play here at a discount too. Yes we're already stacked with defencemen, but Salo will be on injured reserve for a long time and that comes off the cap. Also, odds are that Bieksa is on his way out and Alberts will probably find a new home in Manitoba. On an unrelated note... Was anyone else having trouble getting redirected to Facebook when trying to view this thread? The thread would open, and then about 5 seconds later it would get redirected to Facebook. It was annoying as hell. Never seen anything like it.

I just don't see Mitchell leaving Vancouver. It means a great deal for him to stay in Vancouver. He's home-grown, and dreamed of playing for the Canucks his entire life. There's even a photo floating around somewhere of him at about 4 years old in a Canucks jersey. I doubt he can picture himself in another uniform any better than Canucks fans can can. I know there have been other current Canucks who have been on the team longer, but next to Trevor Linden, for me, there is no Canuck who seems like a better fit for Vancouver than Willie Mitchell. I think he'll take a home-town discount to stay and prove his durability. The wild card is if there are issues which we know nothing about.

Confirmed at 2.55 million per year. Great signing for the Canucks.

So you don't like Rypien not only because he fights smart, but because he has more stamina than May. Got it.

Leaving out a single word on an internet post can be a *****. You've proven that I perhaps should have said grinders "rarely" or "generally don't get chosen for the Canadian Olympic team." Aside from the fact that I said Linden was "more than a grinder", you got me there champ.

Linden was more than a second or third line grinder. Second or third line grinders don't get chosen for the Canadian Olympic team. He was also made the captain of the Canucks at 21 years of age. But there's more to Linden than simply hockey and two awards he received reflect that. He's received the King Clancy Award for contributions on and off the ice and the NHL Foundation award which has to do with enriching the lives of people in the Vancouver community. His jersey hangs from the rafters at Rogers Arena for more than just hockey, and rightfully so. Some NHL teams have a player who stands above all others in the respect and love he receives from the community for the love and respect he has shown that same community, and in Vancouver, that player is Trevor Linden. His overall NHL numbers may not be Hall of Fame worthy, but his character certainly is.

Emanuel Steward: Bob Probert could've boxed Kronk boxing founder Emanuel Steward, who guided Hilmer Kenty, Tommy Hearns and Milton McCrory, among others, to titles, would have loved to have trained and managed former Red Wings enforcer Bob Probert, who died suddenly Monday at age 45. Steward gave Probert and fellow Bruise Brother Joey Kocur private sparring lessons during their hockey careers. "He could have been a world champion," Steward, below, said Tuesday. "He had the coordination, reflexes and toughness. He was also extraordinarily humble and gracious. "He was a tough guy. He was afraid of nobody, including heavyweights I trained in the gym. I taught him to tighten up his punches. Make them short and hard. Oh, my God, dead at 45. It's just too young to die." Quick hits • Probert's father, a former Windsor police officer, died of a heart attack at age 41. More: http://www.freep.com/article/20100707/SPORTS18/7070322/1053/Sports/Emanuel-Steward-Bob-Probert-couldve-boxed

Yeah I did too. Mitch Albom is a very good writer. http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/15/kevin-smith-will-hit-somebody-with-mitch-albom/

Fantastic article by Mitch Albom. Apologies if it's been posted already. Bob Probert's tough story ended far too soon BY MITCH ALBOM FREE PRESS COLUMNIST What is a man? Is he the worst he’s ever done? If so, Bob Probert will be remembered for a night he dropped his pants at the Canadian border and a packet of cocaine fell out. He’ll be remembered for handcuffs, for jail, for alcoholism, for wrapping a Monte Carlo around a utility pole, for crashing a motorcycle with his bloodstream laced with substances, and for year after year single-handedly exhausting the patience of the Red Wings’ front office. What is a man? Is he the best he has ever done? If so, Bob Probert will be remembered for a good heart, a gentle soul, a giant’s body that on skates could do that rarest of combinations, speed, score and wallop. He’ll be remembered for the countless attempts he made at cleaning up instead of giving up, his loyalty to his teammates, his love for his kids, and his sincere desire, each time he said it, to get his life together and live out his days in peace. What is a man? Bob Probert, the son of a Windsor cop, was the most maddening athlete I have ever covered. Charming. Irresponsible. Repentant. Hard-headed. And now he’s gone. Lay down your arms, No. 24. A character from a video game “I’ve always thought, ‘I’m Bob. I’m big guy Bob. I don’t need anyone’s help,’” he once told me. It was the kind of bitter honesty that made you want to give him another chance. He got a lot of them. Young kids won’t understand our fascination with Probert. They don’t make his kind anymore. But there is a reason you still see people wearing his jersey at Joe Louis Arena, more than 15 years since he last played for Detroit. Coming up in the 1980s, Bob Probert was the sort of warrior they now model video game characters after. Relentless. Brutal. Single-minded. Unafraid of blood. He was an enforcer, a goon, a guy whose main purpose was to make sure nobody messed with his team’s stars. Someone touched Steve Yzerman? Bob Probert touched back hard. Someone ran the goalie? Probert ran him harder. His fights are legendary and are no doubt being downloaded at a record clip this morning, after news of his sudden death Monday while boating with his family on Lake St. Clair. But Probert’s battles on the ice were small compared to the ones he fought within. I remember choking up when he told me about his childhood, the early death of his father, the way his teenaged hockey pals encouraged him to drink, drink, drink until he was wrapped around a streetlight or vomiting in the street. As the big guy, the tough guy, in some ways, he never stood a chance. He was soaked with alcohol before he ever became an NHL player. Once he had money, the parties were endless. Cocaine entered the picture, and with an addict’s personality, that was disaster for Probert. His border arrest was just the start of his high-profile troubles. This was a guy who, at times, couldn’t play away games because he wasn’t allowed out of the country, a guy who had to live within walking distance of the Joe because he wasn’t allowed to drive. I once did an interview at his place, and at the end he asked for a lift to the rink. His time in Detroit ended badly “Even when he’s just gotten in trouble,” Jacques Demers once lamented, “he has that look that says, ‘I’m sorry. Help me.' " And you wanted to help. You wanted Probert to shake his demons. He had that ruddy face, that goofy grin, that tousled hair, the look of a man who could be so happy when he was happy. And he had such skill. So Demers, the coach, stuck out his neck, and Jimmy Devellano, the general manager, stuck out his neck, and Mike Ilitch, the owner, stuck out his neck, and in the end, they all got burned. Probert walked away after a motorcycle crash, signed a free-agent deal with Chicago and made millions more before retiring, finally, in 2002. By that point, he was a memory here, part of the Bruise Brothers days, a guy who averaged more than 3.5 penalty minutes a game. Ironically, he checked out before the Wings began winning Stanley Cups and he never did get a ring. He had several incidents with the law and alcohol in 2004 and 2005. Most of us don’t know what the last few years have held. He was 45 when he collapsed Monday afternoon. News spread quickly around here — “Bob Probert died?” — and we were stunned because he seemed so indestructible. But no one is indestructible. Who knows what finally took him? But it took him too soon. Even to the end, you wanted Probert to make it. He should not be remembered by the worst he did, and he cannot be whitewashed by the best. But whether an opponent, an image, an addiction or a past, Bob Probert was always fighting something. He can lay down his arms now. And finally be at peace. http://www.freep.com/article/20100705/COL01/100705037/1082/Col01/Bob-Proberts-tough-story-ended-far-too-soon

You could change out pretty much any single player on Team Canada with a quality player who didn't even make the team and Canada probably still would have won. It's a team game.But maybe we can just cut right to the chase here and you tell me who actually contributed to winning the gold medal and who didn't.

I was in Vancouver in February. Are you sure about that?

The comment Luongo made about the 5 goals had nothing to do with people questioning whether he should be captain or not. Those questions arose out of his sub-par season in general. As for Kesler's contract, you're on your own there bud. I don't think it's bad considering he's a good rival of Datsyuk and 6 years younger, but you won't find anyone here who will agree with you.