HOCKEY NIGHT in DSP 07-08

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:44 am

Flyers have the Panthers tonight...please get a win.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 1:08 am

Put the rope and the chair away, man, it's not worth it.

I'm going to go check exactly how the NHL draft lottery works.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 3:21 am

Feanor wrote:Put the rope and the chair away, man, it's not worth it.

I'm going to go check exactly how the NHL draft lottery works.

Yeah, not only do we lose, Richards tears a hammy (out 3 weeks)...whoopee!

I left my belt and shoelaces at the door

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 12:00 pm

That was probably the most dis-heartening regular season loss I've ever seen. They worked very hard, gritted out a goal on 40+ shots, and then the Panthers barely gain the zone with 10 secs left and score on a wrister from the point with 3.7 secs left? Disgusting. The OT goal is another shot Nitty should've had. Either way, it's 10 in a row and a franchise record.

The fact that Richards is basically knocked out for the season is practically the nail in the coffin. If they have to work that hard and still lose at home to one of the worst teams in the league, I can't imagine them turning it around and making the playoffs, which they are now out of. Trade Knuble, trade Smith, but I'm assuming no one wants Kapanen or Hatcher. At least Jeff Carter played a great game last night and was all over the ice, but the next step is actually scoring on one of your breakaway attempts.

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:20 pm

I've heard some things that some teams are considering shying away from Sundin because they're afraid that he'll be emotionally distraught if he's traded away from the Leafs. I don't put much stock into that theory, because he really does control his own fate. I still can't envision a Leafs team without him, however.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm pretty sure my beer league team is going to get absolutely destroyed tonight. Sad days...

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:34 pm

Every player ultimately wants to get a Stanley Cup, when you play in the NHL. Put your emotions aside and waive off your NTC Mats. Do a K.Tkatchuk thing and resign with Toronto if you so much love the Leafs. But to hold off any decision and a chance to win Lord Stanley is something I don't understand if the Swede stands pat.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:40 pm

Airdog wrote:I've heard some things that some teams are considering shying away from Sundin because they're afraid that he'll be emotionally distraught if he's traded away from the Leafs. I don't put much stock into that theory, because he really does control his own fate. I still can't envision a Leafs team without him, however.

If Sundin is that much of an emotional marshmallow, then what the hell is he doing as the captain of the Leafs? Captains are supposed to be emotionally tough.

Yeah, I know Mark Messier cries like a faucet at Hall of Fame and jersey retirement services, but Mess knew hockey was a business and that he could be moved at any time. Surely Sundin must have a grip on that.

Take care,
PK

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 10:58 am

Sundin doesn't believe in "rental players".

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=230511&hubname=

Also, guess who one of the hottest Oilers with 5 points in 7 games is PK?

Curtis Glenncross! He scored again yesterday!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:31 am

Gangrel wrote:Sundin doesn't believe in "rental players".

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=230511&hubname=

Also, guess who one of the hottest Oilers with 5 points in 7 games is PK?

Curtis Glenncross! He scored again yesterday!

Yep! The Oilers' best line the last two weeks has been their fourth line of GlennX, Huggy Bear (Stortini) and Brodziak.

Nice comeback win for the Oil last night, but at a steep price. Captain Ethan Moreau, who missed more than 110 straight games over the last two seasons with injuries, may have broken his leg again last night after getting his heel jammed into the boards.

The Oil just can't catch a break with injuries. Moreau probably will join Horcoff, Souray and Torres on the shelf for the season with injuries.

Now, moving on to the Sundin situation. He's acting like a selfish prick, period.

If Sundin loved the Leafs so much, he would go for the next three months. The Leafs could get good value in picks or players for Sundin, and then Mats could show his love for Toronto by returning to the TO at a fair or bargain price this summer as a UFA.

Take care,
PK

Airdog · Post by **Airdog** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:09 pm

Apparenly Sundin's not even sure if he's going to be playing next year, but I'm pretty sure he will be.

I'm not going to say that the Leafs couldn't use the players/draft picks they would have gotten from trading Sundin, but I'm not too sure that he's a selfish prick either. For me, it's sort of refreshing that a player be bound to the team that he signed to beyond contractually.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:17 pm

Airdog wrote:For me, it's sort of refreshing that a player be bound to the team that he signed to beyond contractually.

That's a very quaint notion ... if it was 1988. We're in the era of free agency and rental players in all sports. And Sundin is hurting the Leafs with this move, period.

As Adam Proteau said at The Hockey News, Fletcher should offer Sundin a one-year deal at $1.7 million for next season -- the same amount for which Steen just signed -- to create badly needed cap room for the Leafs. Then we'll see just how loyal Mats is to the Leafs.

Sundin is playing risky poker here with Leafs' management and Leafs' fans because if Fletcher offers Sundin a cut-rate deal to create cap room and Sundin rejects it, he'll be a turncoat to Leafs' fans. Or is Leaf Nation that delusional, that blind with affection toward Sundin?

Take care,
PK

Gangrel · Post by **Gangrel** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:47 pm

Moreau gone for season confirmed....

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=230531&hubname=

There must be a burial ground under Rexall or something, as this is the second year in a row that injuries to key guys happened late in the year.

I just hope they don't go 1-20 the rest of the year like the last one!

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:12 pm

I can't see how Sundin not waiving his NTC is an act of loyalty. If he wants to help his team he should what Doug Weight did-accept the trade and re-sign. That will make the team better.

I think the inescapable fact is that the guy doesn't want the cup badly enough to deal with the personal upheaval of a late season trade. Now if you were a cup contender, you would trade to trade a top young player and first round pick for that guy? No way.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:22 pm

Naples39 wrote:I think the inescapable fact is that the guy doesn't want the cup badly enough to deal with the personal upheaval of a late season trade. Now if you were a cup contender, you would trade to trade a top young player and first round pick for that guy? No way.

EXACTLY.

This is the story of a guy who is unwilling to leave his comfort zone as the patron saint of the ACC and Toronto. A guy who is afraid to fail in a new market, where they won't be nearly as tolerant of failure. A guy who is afraid to go to a team and not be The Man.

A p*ssy, basically.

Take care,
PK

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:42 pm

How gratifying is it to come in at the end of a project and make it a success? You're brought in after all this foundation is layed, hardwork is done, and then get a cup? Was that really YOUR cup? Perhaps he doesn't see the point?

He's played for the leafs forever, through some of the worst teams and crap and never complains in public. Give the guy a break.

(ANd I HATE the leafs by the way.. I'll take most opportunities to call them out.. but I don't feel it necessary on this one.)

If they didn't want him to have the option to stay, they should not have given him the no-trade clause.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 3:55 pm

That's only part of the point, James.

The main point is that he could help the franchise by leaving for a few months, earning the Leafs significant picks or players in the deal. But instead, he stays in Toronto so deluded Leaf fans can canonize him even further.

As Naples said, why not take the Doug Weight route? Weight knew what was best for the franchise, in the ultimate display of being a team player. Sundin is doing what's best for HIM, not for the franchise for which he supposedly has undying love.

That's why I really hope Fletcher offers him a fair or low-ball contract this summer. Then we'll see just how much Mats loves the Leafs. And if Mats leaves Toronto after this summer or demands a deal at $6 or $7 million per season, then how does that help the franchise?

This isn't as much of a cut-and-dried question of loyalty as Leafs' lovers think. It's a question about what's best for a very sick franchise. And with this decision, Sundin is putting himself and his legacy ahead of that of the team's.

He's playing for the name on the back of the sweater, not the crest on the front.

Take care,
PK

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:02 pm

James_E wrote:How gratifying is it to come in at the end of a project and make it a success? You're brought in after all this foundation is layed, hardwork is done, and then get a cup? Was that really YOUR cup? Perhaps he doesn't see the point?

I don't know Doug Weight personally, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that coming out with a separated shoulder sustained in the playoffs and raising the cup crookedly over his head was probably the most gratifying moment of his career.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 5:21 pm

Yeah, winning the Cup met nothing to Ray Bourque, either:

Yeah, Bourque, another one of those selfish, me-first mercenaries who left a franchise for which he bled, sweat and gave all for nearly two decades so he could have a shot at a Cup.

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:22 pm

Forsberg signs with the Avs. How do Flyers' fans feel now? Losers of 10 straight and now kicked in the nuts by Foppa:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3264425

I don't get this signing for Forsberg. Does he really think he's going to win a Cup with Colorado? The Avs aren't even in the playoffs right now.

This is a move designed to sell tickets in Denver. Period.

Take care,
PK

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 6:51 pm

My first reaction is another kick in the nuts to the Flyers. I knew the longer Forsberg waited to come back, that was working against the Flyers. When his buddy Gagne went down with concussions that was one strike against the Flyers, and now with the team in freefall and injuries piling up, there's a good chance the Flyers will miss the playoffs, making signing with the Flyers pointless. The Avs might be out of a seed right now, but they are getting healthy and there is at least the possibility of a postseason run.

Aside from the nut-kick factor, I don't really mind. Forsberg didn't really fit in the Flyers plans and this team is going nowhere this year. Also, I have to be skeptical about the medical miracles that were worked this week, as a week ago Forsberg was saying he just couldn't do it after 9 months of working towards coming back, then it all changes in a week? Sketchy.

Now does Forsberg signing with the Avs this year mean he won't sign elsewhere after this season if he stays healthy? Hard to say.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:39 pm

when will the trade floodgates open?

pit will get hossa
van will get madden
crl will get torres
edm will get cole
col will get jokkinen

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:18 pm

pk500 wrote:Forsberg signs with the Avs. How do Flyers' fans feel now? Losers of 10 straight and now kicked in the nuts by Foppa:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3264425

I don't get this signing for Forsberg. Does he really think he's going to win a Cup with Colorado? The Avs aren't even in the playoffs right now.
This is a move designed to sell tickets in Denver. Period. Take care, PK

COL will be a sellout again no doubt but who knows what can happen once your team is in the playoffs and your keeper has the hot hand? With Sakic returning they may bring their old magic back and with P. Stastny ready too, they are a scoring threat. But to make a strong push, COL needs a couple of D-men and a few prayers that Foppa' injuries are finally behind him. But first they have to make it to the playoffs.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 8:26 pm

5 minutes in Sabres score 2 goals in 11 seconds...2-0 Buffalo over my Flyers

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:19 pm

pk500 wrote:Yeah, winning the Cup met nothing to Ray Bourque, either:

Yeah, Bourque, another one of those selfish, me-first mercenaries who left a franchise for which he bled, sweat and gave all for nearly two decades so he could have a shot at a Cup.

Take care,
PK

Bourque didn't win in his "rent a player" year did he? it was the year after?

Hey.. I'm not saying I 100% agree with Sundin's decision, but I do respect it and understand it.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:58 pm

Sudz wrote:when will the trade floodgates open?

pit will get hossa
van will get madden
crl will get torres
edm will get cole
col will get jokkinen

Explain to me why Carolina wants Torres when he's underachieving and out for the season with torn knee ligaments? Has that transaction been rumored in print or from a reputable online source -- Eklund does NOT count; he's a moron -- anywhere?

Spector (Lyle Richardson) usually is one of the most accurate guys out there in the blogosphere:

http://www.spectorshockey.net/index.php ... 3&Itemid=9

Hossa and Richards are the two prizes tomorrow. Interesting to see where they go.

NHL trade deadline day might be the most enjoyable day of the sports year for me, right there with Race Day for the Indianapolis 500.

Take care,
PK