ran into abdelkader last night

[martyrme19 73]

So Justin was at Lou Ha's last night - I was sporting my vintage wings shirt that I bought down the street at Dean Miller's store (Ryan and Drew's dad), and he was kind enough to chill with me while having a few drinks.

A couple of points you guys might be interested in -

I asked him what he expects to make in his new contract and he said somewhere just under a mil. I asked him how he communicates with his agent when getting a deal done and he basically says that he stays out of it but you just pretty much compare yourself to other guys in the league.

So then I continued to tell him how I think its bulls*** that I beat him a few years back (he remembered we killed them 8-2) and now he's about to be a millionaire and i'm stuck making around 10 grand a year being a s***ty part time waiter. He laughed.

So then I asked him what happens to him if the wings end up signing Modano. He said that he probably wont get as much at that point, around 800k, but that he'll be signing no matter what and he's not really thinking about it cus he's basically just waiting.

I also asked him if he ever goes online to read message board posts (since I know we've have a few threads asking that question) and he goes definitely not and kind of laughed. I told him that most everything I read everyone gets a boner cus they expect you to be a huge fighter as he gets older. So I asked him if Holland and Co ever sit him down to talk about an "enforcer" role and he said no. Its all up to him, he just fights when he feels like it and there is never any talk about him bulking up or getting in more fights.

I also asked if Illitch and the family are as awesome to the players as us wing fans like to believe and he said that really they are. He stressed that he's heard other players make comments about it before.

He went on to tell me a little bit about how surreal it is for him to be playing for the wings since he grew up being a fan of them. I could only imagine just how surreal it must be.

I meant to ask him if he knew anything about Helm's situation but I forgot. All in all it was a cool convo. Hopefully it peaked some of your curiosities.

Ok, and side note about O'hallaran -

My girlfriend lives in the same neighborhood as O'hallaran (sp?) but she would never tell me what house is his because she knew I would do nice things like mow his lawn, or unexpectedly clean his car. Anyways, apparently her other family members who also live across the street from him think he's a huge jerk for other reasons and they just got in another fight with him. So she got pissed off and went and showed me his house.

So i was just wondering - should I post the guys address so people can send him nice letter's of appreciation or maybe leave thoughtfully paper bagged wrapped presents on his front porch? Or would this be in poor taste?

[Travis 576]

That's really awesome of Abby, especially since it sounds like you sat him down for an interview, lol.

[NvrFrgtRussian5 85]

it would be in complete poor taste to post someone's address, please don't do it.

[Frozen-Man 144]

it would be in complete poor taste to post someone's address, please don't do it.

I second that, let the guys home remain at least semi-private

[Hockey Convert 55]

Interesting, thanks. I like Abdelkader and would hate to see him leave the Wings, so this is somewhat reassuring.

As far as O'Hallaran, I'll echo the others: let it be. If he's an *******, he's an *******, but let him have his home life.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

So Justin was at Lou Ha's last night - I was sporting my vintage wings shirt that I bought down the street at Dean Miller's store (Ryan and Drew's dad), and he was kind enough to chill with me while having a few drinks.

A couple of points you guys might be interested in -

I asked him what he expects to make in his new contract and he said somewhere just under a mil. I asked him how he communicates with his agent when getting a deal done and he basically says that he stays out of it but you just pretty much compare yourself to other guys in the league.

So then I continued to tell him how I think its bulls*** that I beat him a few years back (he remembered we killed them 8-2) and now he's about to be a millionaire and i'm stuck making around 10 grand a year being a s***ty part time waiter. He laughed.

So then I asked him what happens to him if the wings end up signing Modano. He said that he probably wont get as much at that point, around 800k, but that he'll be signing no matter what and he's not really thinking about it cus he's basically just waiting.

I also asked him if he ever goes online to read message board posts (since I know we've have a few threads asking that question) and he goes definitely not and kind of laughed. I told him that most everything I read everyone gets a boner cus they expect you to be a huge fighter as he gets older. So I asked him if Holland and Co ever sit him down to talk about an "enforcer" role and he said no. Its all up to him, he just fights when he feels like it and there is never any talk about him bulking up or getting in more fights.

I also asked if Illitch and the family are as awesome to the players as us wing fans like to believe and he said that really they are. He stressed that he's heard other players make comments about it before.

He went on to tell me a little bit about how surreal it is for him to be playing for the wings since he grew up being a fan of them. I could only imagine just how surreal it must be.

I meant to ask him if he knew anything about Helm's situation but I forgot. All in all it was a cool convo. Hopefully it peaked some of your curiosities.

Ok, and side note about O'hallaran -

My girlfriend lives in the same neighborhood as O'hallaran (sp?) but she would never tell me what house is his because she knew I would do nice things like mow his lawn, or unexpectedly clean his car. Anyways, apparently her other family members who also live across the street from him think he's a huge jerk for other reasons and they just got in another fight with him. So she got pissed off and went and showed me his house.

So i was just wondering - should I post the guys address so people can send him nice letter's of appreciation or maybe leave thoughtfully paper bagged wrapped presents on his front porch? Or would this be in poor taste?

Cleary he lets his agent handle the contract negotiations, because if he thinks he'll only get around $800k if Modo signs he's not familiar with the CBA at all...which I find hard to believe (atleast in regards to RFA salaries). According to the CBA, the minimum salary he can get next year is $892,500 which was the required amount Kenny's qualifying offer had to be. Based on the minimum RFA salary increase rule and given his salary last year, he's required to get a minimum 5% raise ($42,500) which would bring his salary to no less than the aforementioned amount.

[martyrme19 73]

I'll probably play along and not post it long enough until he makes another bulls*** call. I might have a change of heart by then.

Also, that doesn't mean I wont have my own biddings to do. I feel like I owe Red Wings nation a little redemption.

He actually was gonna go into a whole explanation about RFA's but I told him I knew most of it already and frankly the stuff kind of bores me so I told him not to bother. I'm sure he knew the exact amount but was probably just roughing it for me after that.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

I'll probably play along and not post it long enough until he makes another bulls*** call. I might have a change of heart by then.

Also, that doesn't mean I wont have my own biddings to do. I feel like I owe Red Wings nation a little redemption.

He actually was gonna go into a whole explanation about RFA's but I told him I knew most of it already and frankly the stuff kind of bores me so I told him not to bother. I'm sure he knew the exact amount but was probably just roughing it for me after that.

Perhaps, but then he should've 'roughed' it by saying $900k. I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just saying he can't make less than $892,500 next year based on the qualifying offer he already had to have received in order to stay a Red Wing RFA.

_____________________________________________________

Simple FYI for those that are interested in our unsigned RFA's:

Restricted Free Agents: A player set to become a restricted free agent will become an unrestricted free agent if his current team does not make him a qualifying offer that adheres to the minimum raise policy of the CBA. The deadline to qualify all RFA's is June 29

* Qualifying Offers: A qualifying offer must include the following minimum raises:

o Previous salary < $660,000: 10% increase in salary

o Previous salary < $1,000,000: 5% increase in salary

o Previous salary > $1,000,000: Match previous season's salary

[martyrme19 73]

Perhaps, but then he should've 'roughed' it by saying $900k. I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just saying he can't make less than $892,500 next year based on the qualifying offer he already had to have received in order to stay a Red Wing RFA.

_____________________________________________________

Simple FYI for those that are interested in our unsigned RFA's:

Restricted Free Agents: A player set to become a restricted free agent will become an unrestricted free agent if his current team does not make him a qualifying offer that adheres to the minimum raise policy of the CBA. The deadline to qualify all RFA's is June 29

* Qualifying Offers: A qualifying offer must include the following minimum raises:

o Previous salary < $660,000: 10% increase in salary

o Previous salary < $1,000,000: 5% increase in salary

o Previous salary > $1,000,000: Match previous season's salary

lol well you are.

Look, we were both pretty housed last night. we were just chilling and talking about hockey in our highschool days since he played with guys i played with and then i just started asking him whatever came to mind. I dont think either of us were too worried about exact figures.

And like I said, i was pretty housed. My figures could easily be off as well. This is a story in a bar setting, take it for what its worth.

[zata20 4]

Perhaps, but then he should've 'roughed' it by saying $900k. I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just saying he can't make less than $892,500 next year based on the qualifying offer he already had to have received in order to stay a Red Wing RFA.

_____________________________________________________

Simple FYI for those that are interested in our unsigned RFA's:

Restricted Free Agents: A player set to become a restricted free agent will become an unrestricted free agent if his current team does not make him a qualifying offer that adheres to the minimum raise policy of the CBA. The deadline to qualify all RFA's is June 29

* Qualifying Offers: A qualifying offer must include the following minimum raises:

o Previous salary < $660,000: 10% increase in salary

o Previous salary < $1,000,000: 5% increase in salary

o Previous salary > $1,000,000: Match previous season's salary

His salary last year was $710,000, his cap hit was $850,000 because of bonuses. So then the minimum he could make is $745,500.(5% increase). Now I'm not sure if it is calculated with the bonuses included or not, but I figured I'd just throw it out there.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

lol well you are.

Look, we were both pretty housed last night. we were just chilling and talking about hockey in our highschool days since he played with guys i played with and then i just started asking him whatever came to mind. I dont think either of us were too worried about exact figures.

And like I said, i was pretty housed. My figures could easily be off as well. This is a story in a bar setting, take it for what its worth.

I'm really not, I'm just trying to nip the $800k signing expectation in the bud so members on LGW don't go ballistic when he signs for atleast $100k more than that.

Either way, sorry if it came off douchey.

His salary last year was $710,000, his cap hit was $850,000 because of bonuses. So then the minimum he could make is $745,500.(5% increase). Now I'm not sure if it is calculated with the bonuses included or not, but I figured I'd just throw it out there.

I would assume it's based on the cap hit of the previous deal. Otherwise, RFA's would always want their contracts back-loaded.

[martyrme19 73]

Oh I gotchya. Fair enough.

Obviously my intentions arent to mislead anyone. I appreciate the clarification now.

[WizardOfOz30 1,886]

Ok, and side note about O'hallaran -

My girlfriend lives in the same neighborhood as O'hallaran (sp?) but she would never tell me what house is his because she knew I would do nice things like mow his lawn, or unexpectedly clean his car. Anyways, apparently her other family members who also live across the street from him think he's a huge jerk for other reasons and they just got in another fight with him. So she got pissed off and went and showed me his house.

So i was just wondering - should I post the guys address so people can send him nice letter's of appreciation or maybe leave thoughtfully paper bagged wrapped presents on his front porch? Or would this be in poor taste?

That's the kind of stuff you don't make public on the boards here. Even if he isn't liked here, some people just don't respect others privacy and no matter how much we hate the guy he deserves to be able to go home and not worry about what someone might do to vandalize his home or getting hate mail.

[martyrme19 73]

lol like i said....we'll see what everyones notions are the day he costs us a game. Just lettin ya know...i have it

[Guest EZBAKETHAGANGSTA]

Post his address on 4chan and claim he tortured a cat. They'll do all the dirty work for us.

Edited July 30, 2010 by EZBAKETHAGANGSTA

[ben_usmc 253]

you should have asked him to pimp slap Crosby next time they play

[Guest Hatethedrake!]

So Justin was at Lou Ha's last night - I was sporting my vintage wings shirt that I bought down the street at Dean Miller's store (Ryan and Drew's dad), and he was kind enough to chill with me while having a few drinks.

A couple of points you guys might be interested in -

I asked him what he expects to make in his new contract and he said somewhere just under a mil. I asked him how he communicates with his agent when getting a deal done and he basically says that he stays out of it but you just pretty much compare yourself to other guys in the league.

So then I continued to tell him how I think its bulls*** that I beat him a few years back (he remembered we killed them 8-2) and now he's about to be a millionaire and i'm stuck making around 10 grand a year being a s***ty part time waiter. He laughed.

So then I asked him what happens to him if the wings end up signing Modano. He said that he probably wont get as much at that point, around 800k, but that he'll be signing no matter what and he's not really thinking about it cus he's basically just waiting.

I also asked him if he ever goes online to read message board posts (since I know we've have a few threads asking that question) and he goes definitely not and kind of laughed. I told him that most everything I read everyone gets a boner cus they expect you to be a huge fighter as he gets older. So I asked him if Holland and Co ever sit him down to talk about an "enforcer" role and he said no. Its all up to him, he just fights when he feels like it and there is never any talk about him bulking up or getting in more fights.

I also asked if Illitch and the family are as awesome to the players as us wing fans like to believe and he said that really they are. He stressed that he's heard other players make comments about it before.

He went on to tell me a little bit about how surreal it is for him to be playing for the wings since he grew up being a fan of them. I could only imagine just how surreal it must be.

I meant to ask him if he knew anything about Helm's situation but I forgot. All in all it was a cool convo. Hopefully it peaked some of your curiosities.

Ok, and side note about O'hallaran -

My girlfriend lives in the same neighborhood as O'hallaran (sp?) but she would never tell me what house is his because she knew I would do nice things like mow his lawn, or unexpectedly clean his car. Anyways, apparently her other family members who also live across the street from him think he's a huge jerk for other reasons and they just got in another fight with him. So she got pissed off and went and showed me his house.

So i was just wondering - should I post the guys address so people can send him nice letter's of appreciation or maybe leave thoughtfully paper bagged wrapped presents on his front porch? Or would this be in poor taste?

Ask O'Hallorhan if he got his 2007 Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup ring from Brian Burke yet.

[Carman 387]

I remember playing against him at Mona the year I played high school.

I remember I won a face off, and that's about it. You could definitely tell he was a step above everyone else.

Nice story man, it's always fun to have a drink with anyone especially a pro athlete.

[martyrme19 73]

where'd you play that year?

[Carman 387]

where'd you play that year?

Small Catholic school called Gabriel Richard.

[HankthaTank 1,100]

you should have asked him to pimp slap Crosby next time they play

From what I have heard from every player in the league this isn't something that has to be asked of. They just do it as much as possible with Skid mark. But on topic with the post thats awesome Abby hung out with you and even was cool enough to talk about things like that. I could see him being of them guys that would sit down and toss more than a few back. I mean he did go to State (U of M guy here through and through) so that is also a pre-requisite. Can't wait to see what Fritters has in store for these guys this coming season.

[Jedi 1,865]

I'm going to make a common sense judgement call here and say that you should not post O'Halloran's address here unless you have his express permission to do so.

This is a public forum. Since people don't have to join the forums to read threads, you would be broadcasting the home address of an NHL referee to basically the entire world. (LGW threads can even be brought up in Google searches). So even though LGW members might not do anything extreme, you can't deny that there are some *crazy* people out there who might. Do you really want to risk someone doing something stupid and hurting him (or God forbid, his family) because you got upset over a blown call in a stupid hockey game? I damn sure wouldn't want that on MY conscience.

Awesome story about Abs, though. Good to get some insight on how he's feeling with the Modano situation being dragged out.

[martyrme19 73]

In all honesty...If there was someone out there who would go through the lengths to do something drastic to him or his family, they wouldn't need my help. It would already be done.

With that being said, if the worst that happened was he got some hate mail out of it, his yard teepeed, his porch shat on, or even his car keyed....i wouldn't lose sleep over it. just sayin.

[Guest DatsyukianDeke13]

Hmmm idk man if he f***s the Wings over again, I would not be opposed to forming a giant mob!!

[Buppy 1,720]

Perhaps, but then he should've 'roughed' it by saying $900k. I'm not trying to be difficult, I'm just saying he can't make less than $892,500 next year based on the qualifying offer he already had to have received in order to stay a Red Wing RFA.

_____________________________________________________

Simple FYI for those that are interested in our unsigned RFA's:

Restricted Free Agents: A player set to become a restricted free agent will become an unrestricted free agent if his current team does not make him a qualifying offer that adheres to the minimum raise policy of the CBA. The deadline to qualify all RFA's is June 29

* Qualifying Offers: A qualifying offer must include the following minimum raises:

o Previous salary < $660,000: 10% increase in salary

o Previous salary < $1,000,000: 5% increase in salary

o Previous salary > $1,000,000: Match previous season's salary

He could take $500k if he was willing. The minimum raise is ONLY for qualifying offers. His actual contract can be for any amount, from minimum to maximum.