cusimano_brothers 1,655 Report post Posted July 28, 2010 One more sleep. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titanium2 867 Report post Posted July 28, 2010 Is TSN or CBC going to have a one hour special about whatever happens to the Hawks? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted July 28, 2010 Turco to hawks for $1M ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HankthaTank 1,100 Report post Posted July 28, 2010 Sounds good to me. The guy can't win at the Joe. 1 Original-Six reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Hearing tomorrow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bring Back The Bruise Bros 1,029 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Hearing tomorrow. Add Niemi to the list.He'll be awarded somewhere around $3 Million. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Stick around! (unlike Niemi) 2 HankthaTank and Original-Six reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Original-Six 254 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 judgment day has arrived.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 *lays back in my recliner with popcorn* 1 Original-Six reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tommy_Like_Wingy 25 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Chicago is retarded for even letting it pan out this long. Anything awarded to him for over $2m would be an absolute joke. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zion 93 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Sorry, couldn't resist... 2 Original-Six and HankthaTank reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
henrik40 76 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 (edited) Anyone know what time the hearing is and when we could possibly know the outcome? Edit: Found the answer to my own dumb question. Edited July 29, 2010 by henrik40 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hockeytown0001 7,652 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Imagine if this was Ken Dryden or Billy Smith, Grant Fuhr or Patrick Roy. You cannot even compare the situation between Antti Niemi and the Chicago Blackhawks to a more modern-day NHL case like Nikolai Khabibulin bolting the Tampa Bay Lightning after winning the Stanley Cup. "The Bulin Wall" was an unrestricted free agent. He was free to leave, and no one was surprised when he did.Antti Niemi is the No. 1 goaltender of the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. The parade was just six weeks ago. The goalie doesn't turn 27 years old for another month. His NHL career consists of just 42 regular season and 27 playoff games. The Blackhawks love Niemi, a quiet, calming influence between the pipes and behind a cast of characters. The goalie from Finland doesn't want to play for any hockey franchise on the planet other than the Chicago Blackhawks. For perspective, just three years ago Niemi took a second job as the Zamboni driver at his Finnish team's rink to make a few extra bucks. And yet in a conference room in a Toronto hotel on Thursday morning, Niemi, his agent, Hawks management and a couple of lawyers are arguing -- respectfully, there is no doubt -- over how much the No. 1 goaltender of the defending Stanley Cup champions is worth. If Niemi's business team does a good job and an arbitrator awards him every dollar he deserves, the Blackhawks might have to walk away from their beloved goalie and sign someone else for a lot less. All because Chicago is still pushing the limits of the CBA-mandated salary cap. Wouldn't that be something? Reports of the "core" of the Blackhawks being torn apart in the weeks since Patrick Kane's Game 6 overtime Cup-winner in Philadelphia have been exaggerated for dramatic effect. Several good players, several key players, have been traded for salary cap purposes. Andrew Ladd, who reportedly settled with the Thrashers for one year and $2.35 million before his own arbitration hearing Thursday, and Kris Versteeg (now a Maple Leaf) made up two-thirds of one of the best third lines in recent memory. Dustin Byfuglien was a cult hero turned Cup hero in Chicago. Like Ladd, he was acquired by Rick Dudley in Atlanta. Fourth-liners John Madden, Adam Burish and Ben Eager were warriors and invaluable leaders in the locker room. However, if general manager Stan Bowman and his staff know what they are doing -- evidence suggests they do -- all of the above are replaceable. Niemi is not -- at least not by any of the goaltenders still left on the unrestricted free agent market. Certainly not by someone the Blackhawks might be able to sign for $1 million instead of the $2.5-$3.5 million Niemi could be awarded. None of this can be used as comparable in an arbitration case, but consider two events in the NHL marketplace over the last week. In arbitration, third-line forward Clarke MacArthur was awarded $2.4 million for scoring 16 goals combined over 81 games last year with Buffalo and Atlanta (the Thrashers walked away from MacArthur, as is their right). For the more accomplished scorer Matt Moulson (30 goals), the Islanders settled with his agent on a contract for $2.45 million for the coming season. For all of their talents, MacArthur and Moulson did not play in a single playoff game last season. What does the Stanley Cup-winning goalie deserve? An arbitrator with nothing on the line is going to decide over the next 48 hours. The Blackhawks only have two options. They can accept the decision, pay Niemi and make another roster decision. Or they could say goodbye to the 26-year-old goalie from Finland who was one of their five most valuable players when Chicago won its first Stanley Cup in 49 years. Bill Zito, Niemi's agent, has very publicly stated that this arbitration case is all about salary cap management and is nothing personal. Hockey is a business. This is something else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Z Winged Dangler 2,082 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Without the Hawks team that just won the Stanley Cup infront of Antti Niemi, we'll see just how average of a goalie he is. that hawks team was sick and niemi still let in some questionable goals in the playoffs. he played some pretty good games, but he wasn't a difference maker in most of them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeff48109 474 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Without the Hawks team that just won the Stanley Cup infront of Antti Niemi, we'll see just how average of a goalie he is. that hawks team was sick and niemi still let in some questionable goals in the playoffs. he played some pretty good games, but he wasn't a difference maker in most of them. people keep forgetting he had a great series against SJ. he stole games 1 and 3 for Chicago, with two 44 save performances. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cusimano_brothers 1,655 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Wouldn't it be funny if Chicago loses the arbitration and then walked away? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HankthaTank 1,100 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 people keep forgetting he had a great series against SJ. he stole games 1 and 3 for Chicago, with two 44 save performances. Well Jimmy was far from great in the playoffs but stole some games from Phoenix and in the last few against SJ was stellar. With this team in front of you I would say the Hawks still probably had a good shot. Niemi is nothing to s*** the bed over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Original-Six 254 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 people keep forgetting he had a great series against SJ. he stole games 1 and 3 for Chicago, with two 44 save performances. people also keep forgetting this was only his rookie season. He was also playing much better than average up until the finals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grim 5 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 supposedly Stan Bowman will hold an impromptu press conference some time tonight. Judging by the hasty timing, they've probably come to terms with Niemi... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Hawks phoneconference at 7pm ET... interesting Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grim 5 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 ooo.... now i'm hearing it's indeed a phone-conference supposedly to announce a signing for Jose Theodore. Niemi's being dumped. very interesting predicaments indeed! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broken 16 381 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 (edited) ooo.... now i'm hearing it's indeed a phone-conference supposedly to announce a signing for Jose Theodore. Niemi's being dumped. very interesting predicaments indeed! Omg... PLEASE! Please let this be true! The Blackhawks will officially have a sieve in net. Edited July 29, 2010 by Broken 16 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted July 29, 2010 (edited) Jose Theodore was a wall the two meetings with caps last year when the wings lost that 2nd game in their barn, wings had 56shots or something and scored just once... Edited July 29, 2010 by mindfly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Broken 16 381 Report post Posted July 29, 2010 Jose Theodore was a wall the two meetings with caps last year when the wings lost that 2nd game in their barn, wings had 56shots or something and scored just once... Stopping a hundred perimeter shots does not a wall make. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
