North Guy

Good choice with the Flames. I forgot about the Mike Keenen factor.

People... yeah, he was -28 on a "winning team". But has anyone bothered to check Montreal's (as a team) + /- ? Montreal had one of the top PPs in the league (5th overall) and didn't make the playoffs. For the season, they gave up more goals than scored, and that includes all those PPGs. (245 for to 256 against to be specific). So, probably EVERYONE was minus on Montreal. Look at their top forwards: Koivu -21 Higgens -11 (only because he missed games) Ryder -25 Their top defenceman (Markov) was even minus (at -2). You expect an offensive player to somehow individually pull up the whole team? And, because PP points don't count towards + /-, and he's a "power play specialist" with 2/3 of his points on the PP, OF COURSE he's going to be -28. Take away 2/3 of the points of just about ANY player in the league and they're going to be minus. If you're going to look at the stats, look a little deeper. I'm not saying Souray is a better defenceman than Rafalski but he fits Edmonton's needs. Souray will somewhat fill the leadership and toughness role that Jason Smith provided, yet he is a better passer and shooter than Smith. And if you remember, Jason Smith got traded for some puck-moving defenceman named Pitkanen. p.s. Five years from now when both defencemen are on their last year of their contract, Rafalski will be 39 years old making $6M while Souray will be 36 years old making $4.5M (the way the Oiler contract is structured).

I just heard it on the radio.

I bet the contract was on the cheap end for someone of Bertuzzi's stature. In Bertuzzi's situation, money is not the main factor in deciding on which team to play for. Anaheim is the perfect place to play in if you are a hockey player looking for anonymity. No one knows who you are outside of the hockey rink. Just ask Chris Pronger.

Obviously, Brian Burke's relationship with Big Bert in Vancouver had a big part in this signing. p.s. Maybe that's why Bertuzzi played crap against Anahiem in the playoffs.

Oilers obtain Pitkanen and Sanderson Staff Writer Edmonton Oilers.com Jul 1, 2007, 6:53 PM EDT The Edmonton Oilers have obtained defenceman Joni Pitkanen, winger Geoff Sanderson and a third round draft choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul. Oilers General Manager Kevin Lowe says “We are pleased to have Joni and Geoff join the Oilers. Joni is a talented young defenceman with a proven track record. He possesses the offensive skills we have been seeking on the blueline and look forward to having him in the lineup. Geoff brings a long list of accomplishments to the Oilers, foremost is the experience and leadership he possesses as a veteran of the NHL.†“As happy as we are with the addition of Pitkanen and Sanderson, it is difficult to see Jason leave us,†continued Lowe. “Jason has been an exceptional leader and member of the Oilers and has served proudly as our team captain. He and Wendy have also served this community very well and their contributions to the City of Edmonton will have a lasting effect.†The first choice (fourth overall) of the Flyers in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Pitkanen was one of the leaders among NHL defencemen in 2006-07. The 6’3â€Â, 210-pound native of Oulu, Finland scored 4-39-43 with 88 PIM in 77 games, establishing single-season career-highs in assists, games and penalty minutes. He was the third leading scorer on the Flyers roster and led Philadelphia in assists and power play assists (17). Pitkanen has been ranked among the NHL’s top 25 defencemen in scoring in each of the last two seasons. His 43 points this past season ranked him 22nd, while his career-high 13-33-49 in 2005-06 placed him 19th. He was also among the2006-07 NHL blueline leaders in assists (16th) and ice time (20th with 24:32 minutes per-game). The 23-year-old defenceman has led the Flyers in ice time in each of the last two seasons. He began his NHL career with the Flyers in 2003-04 and was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team that season after scoring 8-19-27 in 71 games. A member of the Eastern Conference Team at the 2004 NHL YoungStars Game in Minnesota, Pitkanen was second among NHL rookies in plus/minus at +15 and was second in scoring among NHL rookie defencemen with his 27 points. A key member of the Flyers powerplay unit, Pitkanen was tied for second in powerplay scoring in 2006-07 with 1-17-18 and led Philadelphia in powerplay assists. During his rookie season, Pitkanen was ranked second among NHL rookies in powerplay points (5-12-17) and powerplay assists. Prior to joining the Flyers, Pitkanen played three seasons in the Finnish SM-Liiga with Karpat Oulu, scoring 9-30-39 with 113 PIM in 105 games. He also played three seasons with the Karpat Oulu juniors and twice represented Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship, winning back-to-back bronze medals in 2002 and 2003. He received the IIHF Directorate Award as the tournament’s best defenceman in 2003.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news...d4-5dabdc7129c5 Jim Matheson, The Edmonton Journal Published: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 ....What about former Edmonton Oilers winger turned New York Islander Ryan Smyth? Where's he going? The Calgary Flames might take a run at him, but GM Darryl Sutter, who has long been a Smyth fan, would have to move Alex Tanguay's $5.25 million's salary to secure him. Dealing Tanguay, let's say to the Montreal Canadiens, wouldn't be that difficult. But would Smyth really want to play for a Western Conference team in the same division that he has battled against for 10 years? A team that plays the Oilers eight times a season? That's a concern for Smyth, even signing in Colorado where he's friends with Avalanche captain Joe Sakic. The Detroit Red Wings, with $31.1 million committed in salary for next year, still seems the best bet to sign Smyth. But they might not give him six years. The Wings have some serious money juggling to work through, however, before they can consider Smyth. "What has transpired in the marketplace so far ... free agents have set their expectations for money," said Wings GM Ken Holland. "I can't blame the players trying to get what they can, but we'll have to make some hard decisions this week. "I've got to get Dom (Hasek) back. I'd like to have Todd Bertuzzi back, Matt (Mathieu Schneider) certainly and Danny Markov played well for us, but we don't have that kind of (money) depth." The Wings probably hope Schneider, who's very comfortable in Detroit, comes back for a hometown discount rather than opt for the market. But if Holland and company want to go after Smyth, they'll have to say goodbye to Bertuzzi, even if they likely are only willing to offer him about $2.5 million on a one-year deal. They've already cut their ties to centre Robert Lang and his $3.8-million contract. "We want to build around Pavel Datsyuk ($6.7 million) and we have Nick Lidstrom ($7.6 million). We can afford another (high-end) player or two, then you have to have team players," Holland said. p.s. Steve Yzerman and Ryan Smyth good buddies from being teammates on Team Canada.

You could wrack your brain thinking what could've been. Perhaps Lidstrom or Vladdy would've been traded for a better goaltender. Or maybe the Red Wings would have the best two defencemen in the league and traded Datsyuk three years ago. Or maybe a young Sean Avery would have been a disruption in the Detroit locker room? Or maybe the Wings would have won 5 Stanley Cups in the past 10 years.

Ten years later, fallout from crash lingers in Detroit Stanley Cup celebration turned to tragedy a decade ago today Dave Waddell, Windsor Star Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 The sharp ringing of his phone 10 years ago today remains startlingly clear in the mind of Detroit Red Wings senior vice-president Jimmy Devellano. It was 10 p.m. on a fine Friday evening, June 13, 1997, and Devellano was relaxing in his apartment, still basking in the glow of the Wings' first Stanley Cup in 42 years, when a call came from a reporter asking him if he'd heard about players being injured in a limousine crash in suburban Detroit. Within 15 minutes, he had reached Detroit owner Mike Ilitch and was on his way to hospital where injured defencemen Vladimir Konstantinov and Slava Fetisov, along with massage therapist Sergei Mnatsakanov, had been taken. "It was a tragedy in every way, coming only four or five days after we won the Cup," Devellano said. "The memory of that first Cup is forever tied to that incident. The players had organized one final party before everyone scattered. The sad thing is they had done the right thing by arranging for limousines." A decade later, the effects of that limousine jumping a curb and slamming into a tree continue to ripple through the lives of the three men injured, their families and the organization. Today, Fetisov, who suffered minor injuries that hospitalized him for a week, is the most fortunate of the three. The great Russian defenceman is minister of sport in his native land where he and former teammate Igor Larionov have taken a particular interest in helping retired Russian players in distress. Konstantinov, who frequently attends Wings games as a guest of Ilitch, remains in the Detroit area and requires around-the-clock nursing care. Devellano said Konstantinov has been inspirational in the progress he's made. "I'm happy to report he has made strides," Devellano said. "He's able to walk on his own with a walker, so he isn't bound to a wheelchair. You can hold short conversations with him and he certainly understands. "He isn't bitter about what happened. There's none of the poor-me stuff. I don't think I could have taken it as well as he has." The 53-year-old Mnatsakanov hasn't been quite as visible around Detroit as Konstantinov, but is often seen attending Wings games. The team has helped ease the financial burden on the men's families by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to set up a trust fund. "We haven't forgotten them," Devellano said. The impact of the crash wasn't just limited to the individual men. The loss of Konstantinov in his prime triggered a series of decisions in the past decade by Wings GM Ken Holland. "We've been applying bandages trying to fix the loss of Vladdie for years," Holland said. "It's because of that I signed Uwe Krupp, which was a disastrous free-agent signing. Then I made the trade for Chris Chelios when that didn't work out." The trade for Mathieu Schneider in 2003 was another blue-line quick fix that cost the Wings Sean Avery, Max Kuznetsov as well as a first-round entry draft pick (2003) and a second-rounder ('04). Holland said even the drafting of Jiri Fischer in 1998 was an attempt to replace Konstantinov's size and grit. Fischer, of course, later proved to have a heart ailment that has effectively ended his NHL career. "We often wonder what this team would've been like if we'd had Vladdie all this time," Holland said. "He and Nick (Lidstrom) in their primes all these years would've given us some defence and we would've kept all those draft picks. "We've been scrambling for years because of that accident." CanWest News Service

I couldn't post this in the Suspend Pronger thread because it got locked... Actually quite a few of the fans at The Pond are extremely knowledgeable about hockey. That is because most the people in The Pond are tourist visiting Disneyland from Canada and northern U.S. states. Last year scalpers in Edmonton were selling tickets for $500 a piece during the Western Conference Final. At the same time an Edmonton high school music band visiting Disneyland was able to walk up to the gate at game time and buy $39 seats. It was funny because when I was watching the game on tv I could hear "Here we go Oilers, here we go!" and was wondering why there were so many Oiler fans in Anaheim.

If you are a Detroit fan or a hockey fan for that matter, do you prefer evening games or afternoon games on the weekend? Players are creatures of habit and they are used to playing in the evening. Ever since FOX started showing afternoon games in the early 1990s, I do not recall any memorable, classic afternoon playoff games. Fans get a better performance when players play at night. Look at Detroit's crappy record for afternoon games.

Friday: Atlanta @ Carolina Florida @ Tampa Bay Anaheim @ Dallas Saturday: NY Islanders @ Philadelphia Buffalo @ Washington Chicago @ Detroit Phoenix @ Los Angeles Vancouver @ San Jose Ottawa @ Boston Montreal @ Toronto Florida @ Carolina Tampa Bay @ Atlanta Anaheim @ Columbus NY Rangers @ Pittsburgh St Louis @ Minnesota Nashville @ Colorado Edmonton @ Calgary Sunday: Chicago @ Dallas Buffalo @ Philadelphia NY Islanders @ New Jersey Vancouver @ Phoenix Calgary @ Colorado

Friday: Tampa Bay @ Carolina Montreal @ Ottawa Philadelphia @ New Jersey Washington @ Florida Dallas @ Detroit NY Islanders @ Buffalo Columbus @ Chicago Phoenix @ San Jose Saturday: Atlanta @ Boston Minnesota @ Colorado Pittsburgh @ Toronto Buffalo @ Montreal Ottawa @ NY Islanders NY Rangers @ Philadelphia Washington @ Tampa Bay Anaheim @ St Louis Dallas @ Nashville Calgary @ Vancouver Sunday: Detroit @ Columbus Edmonton @ Chicago Boston @ New Jersey Carolina @ Florida Los Angeles @ San Jose Toronto @ NY Rangers

http://spmedia.canada.com/gallery/blog_pho...PPERANDDION.jpg The photo, of two young men -- who appear to be Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff and defender Dion Phaneuf -- smoking and surrounded by young women apparently causes the blood of some Flames fans to boil, hence the photos capline, which whines: “Maybe this is why they can’t win on the road.â€Â

Friday: Toronto @ Buffalo Los Angeles @ Chicago Colorado @ Edmonton Dallas @ Anaheim Saturday: NY Rangers @ Boston NY Islanders @ Philadelphia Atlanta @ Pittsburgh St Louis @ Detroit Buffalo @ Toronto Washington @ Montreal San Jose @ Carolina Ottawa @ Tampa Bay New Jersey @ Florida Los Angeles @ Minnesota Dallas @ Phoenix Nashville @ Edmonton Sunday: NY Rangers @ NY Islanders Boston @ Pittsburgh Calgary @ Chicago St Louis @ Columbus Colorado @ Vancouver Thanks Aussie Wing for your hard work doing this thing all season!!!!

This is from a Nashville fan on another board........ The record breaker occurred during the penalties on Tootoo (double minor for roughing) and Robitas (charging). Lost in all this was fact that Modano whacked Tootoo across the back with his stick. Interpret it as you will. Here's the video. as will be obvious, these are the preds commentator. The analyst is Terry Crisp who was one of the broad street bullies and coached Calgary to Stanley Cup. If they had announced the record breaker at that heated moment, the chorus of boos would have been loud. Further, no one in Nashville cares what the Stars' President thinks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWw_VrQiSMU

It would have been a black eye for the NHL and hockey if some of the groups/fans got their wish and engraved the names of players from the best team from another league on the Stanley Cup. There was talk of putting the London Knights or the World Canadian Juniors or the best women's team on the Cup. That would have been ultra-cheesy.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...best.gms/1.html 1. Lou Lamoriello, Devils At least Forbes was close on this one. The magazine ranked him second-best in the NHL (5th overall), behind Tampa Bay's Jay Feaster (No. 2 overall). But with a resume like this, Lamoriello stands behind no one. During his two-decade reign, he's transformed the Devils from a Mickey Mouse operation (Wayne Gretzky's words, not mine) into one of the league's most consistent and feared franchises. His success -- he's led New Jersey to three Stanley Cups and a fourth Finals appearance -- has made him the role model for GMs around the league, and his build-from-within philosophy is the archetype for the New NHL. Of the 28 players who have spent time in the Meadowlands this season, 22 were drafted or signed by Lamoriello. And while Lou's a great judge of talent, he's even better with money. His deft handling of his salary cap issues prior to this season drew howls of outrage from some corners and begrudging admiration from others. That means he's doing something right. 2. Ken Holland, Red Wings It's hard to imagine any set of parameters that would rank Holland far behind the terminated Taylor and the Rangers' Glen Sather (No. 12 overall, No. 4 in NHL), whose glorious past in Edmonton has failed to produce one stinkin' postseason victory during his six years in Madison Square Garden, but Forbes managed to work some up. Apparently, being the architect of three Stanley Cup championships over the past nine seasons threw Holland's qualifications into question. To be sure, Holland had the advantages of the robust Ilitch checkbook for much of that period. But it takes more than just money to build a winner (see: Sather). Holland is a master at finding the right pieces (Larry Murphy, Mathieu Schneider) at the right time. He's also a slick horse trader -- the Todd Bertuzzi deal is a paradigm of risk management -- and one of the savviest drafters in the game. You have to give the highest marks to a man who unearths first-line talent like Pavel Datsyuk (6th round, 1998) and Henrik Zetterberg (seventh round, 1999) so deep in the draft. 3. Darcy Regier, Sabres Regier (No. 63 overall; No. 17 in NHL) deserves high praise for not only conceptualizing what type of team would be best suited for the New NHL, but actually building it before everyone else caught on. Stacked with youth, speed and grit to spare, his club went three rounds deep last season, and is expected to go further this spring, thanks to smart trades (Chris Drury and Daniel Briere) and savvy drafting (Drew Stafford, Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller). The latter skill has allowed him to build a deep pool of talent, an asset that's helped the Sabres stay on top all season despite playing through a horror show of injuries. 4. David Poile, Predators If anyone were to write a textbook on how to nurture an NHL franchise from expansion to contention, it should be Poile (No. 21 overall, No. 8 in NHL). Starting with that 1998 expansion draft (which yielded Tomas Vokoun), he's slowly added pieces through the draft (his blue chip defense) and crafty trades (the Steve Sullivan deal is a high-water mark). After giving the team time to mature, Poile began adding the final elements through free agency (Paul Kariya and Jason Arnott) and a go-for-broke deal (Peter Forsberg) that was possible only because he managed his assets so wisely to that point. The Preds may not win the Cup this season, but Poile's given them a realistic opportunity in just eight seasons -- a remarkable achievement in the 30-team NHL. 5. Kevin Lowe, Oilers Considering the ultimate measuring stick is postseason success, it might seem odd to celebrate a man whose team is about to miss the playoffs for the third time in the last five seasons. But to be fair, Lowe (No. 46, No. 12 in NHL) has done his job with one arm figuratively tied behind his back by a small-market franchise always watching its pennies. Those financial limitations have led to the exodus of several star players, most recently Ryan Smyth. That's forced Lowe to make several deals from a position of weakness, but he always seems to make the best of a bad situation. Thanks to his deft touch, the Oilers have remained competitive and are well positioned for future success.

Friday: Toronto @ Washington Montreal @ Pittsburgh NY Rangers @ Atlanta Buffalo @ Tampa Bay Chicago @ Anaheim Columbus @ San Jose Saturday: Carolina @ New Jersey Toronto @ Montreal Philadelphia @ Ottawa Boston @ NY Rangers NY Islanders @ Florida St Louis @ Edmonton Dallas @ Nashville Minnesota @ Calgary Colorado @ Phoenix Detroit @ Vancouver Columbus @ Los Angeles Sunday: Tampa Bay @ Washington Buffalo @ Atlanta Ottawa @ Pittsburgh Los Angeles @ Anaheim San Jose @ Colorado Phoenix @ Dallas

Friday: Carolina @ Washington Dallas @ Columbus Los Angeles @ Detroit Minnesota @ Buffalo Edmonton @ Anaheim Vancouver @ San Jose Saturday: Boston @ Philadelphia NY Rangers @ Pittsburgh New Jersey @ Buffalo Ottawa @ Toronto Washington @ NY Islanders Atlanta @ Florida Montreal @ St Louis Columbus @ Nashville Chicago @ Phoenix Tampa Bay @ Calgary Sunday: Carolina @ NY Rangers Boston @ Detroit Colorado @ Minnesota Los Angeles @ Dallas Vancouver @ Anaheim Edmonton @ San Jose

If you take into consideration that daylight savings time is this Saturday night then it is really early. Spring ahead 1 hour before you go to bed Saturday night!!!

Last playoffs Detroit lost both weekend afternoon games against Edmonton in the 1st Round, not that I'm complaining. What I've always wondered is why do American teams or television stations love to schedule weekend afternoon games? For the true fans, hockey should be played in the evening. I'm sure if you poll the players they would prefer night games instead of afternoons. At times it was weird having no hockey on a Saturday night during the playoffs. Is it because Americans are accustomed to watching NBA and NFL in the afternoon?

Get over it. Steve Yzerman is a class guy and a great leader, but Messier would always be known as the greatest leader in hockey.

Personally , any jersey retirement is cheesy. At the beginning of the ceremony there was a 12 minute video of his highlights, but maybe it wasn't shown on American television. As much as you like to believe, the Oilers were not trying to out do the Yzerman ceremony (here we go again - who's the better leader blah, blah). The Messier celebration was trying to out do Coffey's which out did Fuhr's which out did Kurri's which out did Gretzky's. Messier skating with his old Oiler uniform was a tradition started with Kurri's jersey retirement. Kurri wore his full retro Oiler uniform and took a pass from Gretzky (99 was wearing a suit) at centre ice and one-timed the puck. Fuhr wore his full goalie uniform including his pure white face mask when his number was retired. Coffey sped around the whole ice surface, to show his effortless stride, on his special day. So I guess since Messier won 6 Stanley Cups he will be remembered as the guy who carried the Cup around the ice. I'm sure the Detroit fans too would of felt it was cool if Yzerman, wearing his full Red Wing uniform, skated around Joe Louis with the Stanley Cup above his head on his celebration.

Friday: Pittsburgh @ Carolina Toronto @ New Jersey Ottawa @ Atlanta Chicago @ Detroit Montreal @ Buffalo Columbus @ Dallas San Jose @ Anaheim Saturday: St Louis @ NY Rangers Nashville @ Los Angeles Montreal @ Boston Buffalo @ Toronto NY Islanders @ Washington Tampa Bay @ Florida Columbus @ Phoenix Calgary @ Edmonton Sunday: Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh Colorado @ Detroit Carolina @ Atlanta Ottawa @ Chicago San Jose @ Dallas Boston @ New Jersey Nashville @ Anaheim Minnesota @ Vancouver