17 trades went down today and not one of them involved Rick Nash. Awkward.
Last week his GM Scott Howson asked him if he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause and he apparently gave the shortest list of teams possible that he might be willing to join. Then 3pm came and went and Captain Nash jerseys didn't hit the sale rack as expected since he wasn't traded. This isn't to say he won't be traded draft day this June but for now his season will end where it began: in Columbus. Maybe the Blue Jackets are looking to move Howson instead and find someone that can build a team around Rick Nash, James Wisniewski and newly acquired Jack Johnson, except that they are still missing that high scoring winger for Nash. Oh wait, they traded him to LA since he made it known he disliked being in the middle of nowhere since the day they picked up him last summer. So the Blue Jackets are almost back to where they started. Once again. It's gotta be like groundhog day there, year after year after year....
The best name and pickups made today have to be Daniel Winnik and TJ Galiardi to the San Jose Sharks. The trades are all right here.
Have to say hockey Christmas was disappointing this year. It was almost like your mom told you you were going to get a new bike and there was no bike. Wonder if this is how Nash feels right now. He was so close to leaving for a team with a chance of making the playoffs, but he's still so far...Maybe he secretly likes having from April thru August to play golf....
Monday, February 27, 2012
Hockey Christmas Once Again
Well it's finally here. The trade deadline for the 2011-2012 season is here. 3pm rosters will be mostly set barring any emergency call up and shuffling within the organizations own system. The AHL has moved their deadline for final rosters till March 5 to give the teams some breathing room in figuring out who to put where (so in this case the recent call up of the Baby Penguins goalie Brad Theissen; he can still head back to WBS through the 5th, so the Penguins can decided between him and Johnny if need be).
Last week we had our first big name player moved: Jeff Carter. I saw this trade coming a mile away and I'm glad they didn't make us wait any longer. Jack Johnson for Jeff Carter. Sorry for Johnson having to head to the Blue Jackets but I have a feeling Carter and his old buddy Mike Richards will be lighting up the place once again. Now they can sleep more soundly knowing they are not only in the same time zone again, but most likely in the same house. C'mon, you don't really think Richards is gunna let Carter sleep in a hotel room for the rest of the season? Isn't that why he has a guest bedroom? He's been waiting to be reunited with his bff!! Jackets got a good D but whats 1 more decent piece of the pie if you traded a good one away (though that piece made it clear he never wanted to be there). Kings win in this trade.
Nashville is reported to have just reunited the Kostitsyn brothers by bringing in Andrei from the Canadiens. His brother Sergei already plays for Nashville. Reunions are always nice, especially since your brother isn't going to make you sleep in a hotel...at least you hope not.
The New York Rangers are apparently out of the Rick Nash derby (thank god) but hopefully Glen Sather can control himself and not do anything potentially more stupid than selling off assets to bring in Nash; like selling of assets to bring in useless pieces that will hurt the cap. Sather, just sit pretty like Pens GM Ray Shero. Shero is rumored to be doing nothing today since he's not thrilled with the options out there. He knows the missing puzzle piece is already in Pittsburgh, just sitting on the IR eating hot dogs in the press box instead of dressing for games. He might be looking for a backup goalie, but he currently has Theissen up from WBS and he won his first NHL game last night. Theissen is also the reigning AHL goalie of the year. Could he stick up in Pitt for the remainder of the season to give Flower a rest? Interesting possibility.
More later after the deadline has passed...
Last week we had our first big name player moved: Jeff Carter. I saw this trade coming a mile away and I'm glad they didn't make us wait any longer. Jack Johnson for Jeff Carter. Sorry for Johnson having to head to the Blue Jackets but I have a feeling Carter and his old buddy Mike Richards will be lighting up the place once again. Now they can sleep more soundly knowing they are not only in the same time zone again, but most likely in the same house. C'mon, you don't really think Richards is gunna let Carter sleep in a hotel room for the rest of the season? Isn't that why he has a guest bedroom? He's been waiting to be reunited with his bff!! Jackets got a good D but whats 1 more decent piece of the pie if you traded a good one away (though that piece made it clear he never wanted to be there). Kings win in this trade.
Nashville is reported to have just reunited the Kostitsyn brothers by bringing in Andrei from the Canadiens. His brother Sergei already plays for Nashville. Reunions are always nice, especially since your brother isn't going to make you sleep in a hotel...at least you hope not.
The New York Rangers are apparently out of the Rick Nash derby (thank god) but hopefully Glen Sather can control himself and not do anything potentially more stupid than selling off assets to bring in Nash; like selling of assets to bring in useless pieces that will hurt the cap. Sather, just sit pretty like Pens GM Ray Shero. Shero is rumored to be doing nothing today since he's not thrilled with the options out there. He knows the missing puzzle piece is already in Pittsburgh, just sitting on the IR eating hot dogs in the press box instead of dressing for games. He might be looking for a backup goalie, but he currently has Theissen up from WBS and he won his first NHL game last night. Theissen is also the reigning AHL goalie of the year. Could he stick up in Pitt for the remainder of the season to give Flower a rest? Interesting possibility.
More later after the deadline has passed...
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Starting to heat up
Since February ends in just over a week that means the NHL trade deadline for the 2011-2012 season is fast approaching. Before we know it we will be talking about off season acquisitions, who made the most of draft day and where the Stanley Cup got to travel to and what hijinks it managed to get into (along with it's player-babysitter). But before we get to that point, we have a deadline to adhere to.
Some minor trades have been made in the past week (here is a list on ESPN that is tracking all the trades this season), but the Habs trading Hal Gill signaled the beginning of the end of Montreal's season. They are now thinking about golf shirts and where to vacation sans a Stanley Cup on their arm. Dismantling mode is in full effect for the Habs. Gill on the other hand is continuing his tour of Eastern North America. Nashville is his 5th stop on the Eastern coast, having been to Boston, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Montreal already. Wonder if he has West Coast issues? Anyway, the U.S.S. Hal Gill has been docked in Nashville - for now.
Evgeni Malkin has continued on in beast mode for the Penguins and is making a case for a nice extension when he's due. James Neal was due for an extension and he decided to dominate all Penguins wingers by being the first in a decade to break the 30 goal mark. For this feat, he inked himself a 6 year $30million contract, averaging $5million a year. Nice raise from the under $3million he's making now. I'm thinking Mario and Ray bought themselves a bottle to congratulate themselves on picking him up last year. He barely cost a human since they received Matt Niskanen (D) with Neal in the package for Goligoski and Nisky has been much more reliable than the overpaid services of Paul Martin, who can't seem to decided which Paul will play each game. Now if Shero can do something about Martin's contract, he's officially the mad scientist of building hockey teams.
An unofficially kept stat is man games lost. The teams all track this but the league doesn't (you would think they would) and currently battling it out for the number one ranking are the Penguins and Canadiens who are ranked 1 and 2 respectively. Oddly enough these teams are on different paths with the Penguins doing everything to hold on to a playoff spot and sure up their roster, while the Habs are in selling mode. Obviously the biggest reason why the Penguins are up this high is Sidney Crosby who has accounted for a bulk of missing games. Imagine if Crosby was playing, Malkin was in beast mode and Neal was playing on his current pace? The Penguins would be going toe to toe with the Rangers. Maybe its a good thing they are not because I have always liked the Rangers having grown up watching their games mainly (till I moved to PA and had no access to MSG airings and had the Baby Pens in my backyard) and that would be tough to pick a team to root for harder.
One of last seasons biggest off season signings was the Rangers signing Brad Richards, but his story was one and done. He knew he wanted New York and New York wanted him. A few teams tried to make a pitch for him and he kindly listened to them but his mind was made up before Wayne Gretzky came on screen to tell him LA was the place to finish out the next 9 years of his career. He wisely went with his gut and suddenly the Rangers chemistry this season is off the charts. They have a lead over the league and have a goalie who looks to be on his way to winning his first Vezina. They have all the right ingredients and a coach who still thinks they can elevate their game, and they have all bought in.
The big question they are asking now is should Glen Sather mess with success and chemistry by attempting to bring in Rick Nash? Do they need Nash? No. Would be a great pick up? Yes. Will he mess with chemistry? Possibly. There's no way of knowing what a trade can do. In this case he can be an asset since he is a proven scoring winger that the Rangers want, but I'm not sold that it's that needed. Plus the Rangers have a history is screwing up contracts and then needing to buyout or pray someone retires to get it off the books. I say the Rangers need to stay out of this race. Plus if Zach Parise is available this off season, he's a better pick in my opinion if the Rangers decide to go that direction.
The second biggest off season trade last season was the soap opera of them all and seems to still be going on. This one almost made the Ilya Kovalchuk trade from the then Thrashers to the Devils look tame. This trade saw the Coyotes offload "I need parks" goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to the Philadelphia Flyers who had to in turn dump the salaries and personalities of Captain Mike Richards and his co-pilot Jeff Carter to the LA Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets respectively. Richards faced his fate quite well since LA parties are in a different league than a Philly party. Carter had a much harder time facing his fate. Ohio does not sound appealing and their team record is even less appealing. A year before he was on a team battling it out against the Blackhawk's for the Cup win and now he is somewhere in Ohio. He made it clear he was not happy to be in Ohio by not making a statement for days and not showing up for a over a week. He killed any chance he had of being liked by fans there before he even showed up since he can't fake happiness and now he might be on a one-way train out of town. I'm guessing he will attempt to be nicer to the next team immediately so he doesn't wear his 4th jersey in a 2 year period. Carter seems like a sure trade from the Jackets to any team willing to give them anything half-decent in exchange. His contract for $5 million through the 2022 season will scare away most teams before his attitude even came into play. A reunion with his buddy Richards in LA might be possible because the Jackets need a goalie and the Kings have one to spare.
So this trade seems to have been 2/3's of a disaster all around. Richards seems to be the only one adjusted and happy. Carter is Charlie Brown come to life and Bryz had a staring moment in 24/7 only to not star in the Winter Classic and drink tea from his thermos while watching the action on the heated bench. Bryz could have a tv show with his thoughts and my god would be he make a great dinner buddy but he's not exactly playing the way Philly imagined when they traded away 2 young guys that have proven scoring abilities. Since Philly needs help scoring, they are interested in entering the Rick Nash derby. Could they trade away Bryz and the remainder of his 9 year, $51 million dollar contract to the Blue Jackets for Nash? Doesn't seem out of the realm of possibiity at this point. It doesn't matter who is in goal for the Flyers these days, whichever Russian it is, they have a breakdown of some sort so why not trade away another disaster contract before he poisons the team and has little upside to any team. Right now you can say Philly wasn't a good fit, but another season or 2 and you've exposed him to just not being that elite goalie he was built up to be. Trade him while his stock is still decent. Maybe Philly should invent a league in which teams don't need goalies, they'd do quite well then. I think.
Teams interesed in the Rick Nash derby: NY Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs (he's from the area) and the LA Kings. The Jackets have some interesting options since they are shopping 2 high profile names. The Nash trade will be harder since he has a no movement clause that allows him to veto any deal he doesn't like, so if he has issues with say the city the team is in, he can stay put and not be forced to leave his death sentence in Ohio. Of course since he signed the death sentence I can't say I'd be shocked if he stays put.
Moral of the story: a trade does not always translate as well in real life as it does on paper. And when it comes to Philly, it really is goalie hell.
Some minor trades have been made in the past week (here is a list on ESPN that is tracking all the trades this season), but the Habs trading Hal Gill signaled the beginning of the end of Montreal's season. They are now thinking about golf shirts and where to vacation sans a Stanley Cup on their arm. Dismantling mode is in full effect for the Habs. Gill on the other hand is continuing his tour of Eastern North America. Nashville is his 5th stop on the Eastern coast, having been to Boston, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Montreal already. Wonder if he has West Coast issues? Anyway, the U.S.S. Hal Gill has been docked in Nashville - for now.
Evgeni Malkin has continued on in beast mode for the Penguins and is making a case for a nice extension when he's due. James Neal was due for an extension and he decided to dominate all Penguins wingers by being the first in a decade to break the 30 goal mark. For this feat, he inked himself a 6 year $30million contract, averaging $5million a year. Nice raise from the under $3million he's making now. I'm thinking Mario and Ray bought themselves a bottle to congratulate themselves on picking him up last year. He barely cost a human since they received Matt Niskanen (D) with Neal in the package for Goligoski and Nisky has been much more reliable than the overpaid services of Paul Martin, who can't seem to decided which Paul will play each game. Now if Shero can do something about Martin's contract, he's officially the mad scientist of building hockey teams.
An unofficially kept stat is man games lost. The teams all track this but the league doesn't (you would think they would) and currently battling it out for the number one ranking are the Penguins and Canadiens who are ranked 1 and 2 respectively. Oddly enough these teams are on different paths with the Penguins doing everything to hold on to a playoff spot and sure up their roster, while the Habs are in selling mode. Obviously the biggest reason why the Penguins are up this high is Sidney Crosby who has accounted for a bulk of missing games. Imagine if Crosby was playing, Malkin was in beast mode and Neal was playing on his current pace? The Penguins would be going toe to toe with the Rangers. Maybe its a good thing they are not because I have always liked the Rangers having grown up watching their games mainly (till I moved to PA and had no access to MSG airings and had the Baby Pens in my backyard) and that would be tough to pick a team to root for harder.
One of last seasons biggest off season signings was the Rangers signing Brad Richards, but his story was one and done. He knew he wanted New York and New York wanted him. A few teams tried to make a pitch for him and he kindly listened to them but his mind was made up before Wayne Gretzky came on screen to tell him LA was the place to finish out the next 9 years of his career. He wisely went with his gut and suddenly the Rangers chemistry this season is off the charts. They have a lead over the league and have a goalie who looks to be on his way to winning his first Vezina. They have all the right ingredients and a coach who still thinks they can elevate their game, and they have all bought in.
The big question they are asking now is should Glen Sather mess with success and chemistry by attempting to bring in Rick Nash? Do they need Nash? No. Would be a great pick up? Yes. Will he mess with chemistry? Possibly. There's no way of knowing what a trade can do. In this case he can be an asset since he is a proven scoring winger that the Rangers want, but I'm not sold that it's that needed. Plus the Rangers have a history is screwing up contracts and then needing to buyout or pray someone retires to get it off the books. I say the Rangers need to stay out of this race. Plus if Zach Parise is available this off season, he's a better pick in my opinion if the Rangers decide to go that direction.
The second biggest off season trade last season was the soap opera of them all and seems to still be going on. This one almost made the Ilya Kovalchuk trade from the then Thrashers to the Devils look tame. This trade saw the Coyotes offload "I need parks" goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to the Philadelphia Flyers who had to in turn dump the salaries and personalities of Captain Mike Richards and his co-pilot Jeff Carter to the LA Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets respectively. Richards faced his fate quite well since LA parties are in a different league than a Philly party. Carter had a much harder time facing his fate. Ohio does not sound appealing and their team record is even less appealing. A year before he was on a team battling it out against the Blackhawk's for the Cup win and now he is somewhere in Ohio. He made it clear he was not happy to be in Ohio by not making a statement for days and not showing up for a over a week. He killed any chance he had of being liked by fans there before he even showed up since he can't fake happiness and now he might be on a one-way train out of town. I'm guessing he will attempt to be nicer to the next team immediately so he doesn't wear his 4th jersey in a 2 year period. Carter seems like a sure trade from the Jackets to any team willing to give them anything half-decent in exchange. His contract for $5 million through the 2022 season will scare away most teams before his attitude even came into play. A reunion with his buddy Richards in LA might be possible because the Jackets need a goalie and the Kings have one to spare.
So this trade seems to have been 2/3's of a disaster all around. Richards seems to be the only one adjusted and happy. Carter is Charlie Brown come to life and Bryz had a staring moment in 24/7 only to not star in the Winter Classic and drink tea from his thermos while watching the action on the heated bench. Bryz could have a tv show with his thoughts and my god would be he make a great dinner buddy but he's not exactly playing the way Philly imagined when they traded away 2 young guys that have proven scoring abilities. Since Philly needs help scoring, they are interested in entering the Rick Nash derby. Could they trade away Bryz and the remainder of his 9 year, $51 million dollar contract to the Blue Jackets for Nash? Doesn't seem out of the realm of possibiity at this point. It doesn't matter who is in goal for the Flyers these days, whichever Russian it is, they have a breakdown of some sort so why not trade away another disaster contract before he poisons the team and has little upside to any team. Right now you can say Philly wasn't a good fit, but another season or 2 and you've exposed him to just not being that elite goalie he was built up to be. Trade him while his stock is still decent. Maybe Philly should invent a league in which teams don't need goalies, they'd do quite well then. I think.
Teams interesed in the Rick Nash derby: NY Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs (he's from the area) and the LA Kings. The Jackets have some interesting options since they are shopping 2 high profile names. The Nash trade will be harder since he has a no movement clause that allows him to veto any deal he doesn't like, so if he has issues with say the city the team is in, he can stay put and not be forced to leave his death sentence in Ohio. Of course since he signed the death sentence I can't say I'd be shocked if he stays put.
Moral of the story: a trade does not always translate as well in real life as it does on paper. And when it comes to Philly, it really is goalie hell.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
And in other news...
In the 'what took so long' category:
-Mike Comrie announced his retirement. After undergoing his 3rd hip surgery in 5 years, he has finally decided to announce what everyone else realized last season, sometime around November, that his career was done.
-Rick Nash has finally realized he will NEVER win a Cup with the Blue Jackets. Only took 6 years.
-Zac Rinaldo of the Flyers was suspended. It seems he's been hitting everything that gets in his path these days so it was only a matter of time he felt the Shanan-hammer. He had ample chances to avoid it.
In the 'still waiting' category:
-Marc Savard to announce his retirement.
-Rick Nash to say these words outloud, "I would like to explore my options with a team that can compete for a Cup before my grandkids enter the league in 50 years"
-No real word on the future of hockey in the Phoenix desert, only the same mumble jumble. But the never-say-die Coyotes are making it difficult for people to not want to pull for them. Most GM's were hoping to dismantle the team at the trade deadline and feast on key players, but instead the boys are playing for their lives and hanging on to a playoff dream, which means they are not in a selling bodies off state of mind.
-Brian Burke for the first time might not have a fire sale of players before the deadline this year. He's still got 2 weeks to work some magic, but the Leafs seem interested in playing hockey and making the playoffs which could mean Burke won't sell off assets. It's nice to see a team grow up like this. But like I said, he's still got 2 weeks.
In the 'no surprise' category:
-The Devils plan on retaining Zach Parise till he's a free agent to get last bit out of him. They dream of resigning him, but their creditors have dreams of getting their money back. He's in a line for a payday that the Devils just can't provide right now.
-Rick Nash not saying he wants out of Columbus. He's too nice to do such a rude thing, but being nice will only get you so far. Like being stuck in Columbus for the next 6 years after having already been there for 6 years.
-The Jeff Carter experiment in Columbus has gone belly up and he wants out and they want him out. (He is everything Nash is not when it comes to voicing his opinions). The problem: That lifetime contract for over $5 million a year through the 2022 season. WTF. Contracts like that (you can thank the Flyers) should never be allowed to be moved, they should be stuck with the team that wrote them for life.
-The Capitals are hot mess and continue to spiral in ways no one has seen since they picked up Ovie and co. Alexander Semin is apparently on the trade block and if he doesn't leave town before March, he will be preparing for what his most likely his last spring in the nations' Capital. The Caps are not only in danger of not winning the Southeast which they have usually dominated, they might also miss the playoffs. Then again when your goalie juggles the puck into the net to allow a goal, maybe you shouldn't be in the playoffs.
-The Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman released a statement yammering on about supporting his head coach, Joel Quenneville through Chicago's recent struggles. This translates loosely to, "Joel, brush up your resume because it might come in handy this summer". Many coaches just a few years removed from a Stanley Cup winning season have been relieved of their coaching duties and the path Quenneville is on currently looking like a one way street to unemployment.
-The Philadelphia Flyers can't find a goalie that can win a game. They paid Bryz a handsome sum of money last off season to lure him to "goalie hell" from the desert and he's spent a fair amount of time warming the bench since Bobrovsky, his backup, had the hot hand. That hot hand has lasted for a hot second it seems since Bob is just as messed up as Bryz. A goalie tandem that can't figure out who should try to be the hero- which means nothing has changed in Philly. Nothing.
-The New York Rangers want a Stanley Cup. And they want it NOW. With their roster already reading like an All-Star lineup with names like Callahan, Richards, Lundquist, Gaborik, Girardi and Staal, they are poised for a deep playoff run, but bringing in Rick Nash could be a great addition. And wouldn't it be nice to see him play for a team with some real talent? This rumor has grown some legs since the Blue Jacket scouts have been roaming around the Garden and have made no secret that they want Brandon Dubinsky. Can you imagine, NYC could potentially have a second parade down the Canyon of Hero's in one year? Get it done Rangers....Where's Messier to make "the guarantee" part deux because we all know Captain Cally isn't stupid enough to do that like his predecessor.
And in honor of this utterly ridiculous holiday (Valentines Day: also referred to as the day before the candy goes on sale and 2 months till my birthday), Puck Daddy has some Valentine candy hearts, photoshopped with saying for various players. This is a rather good use of candy hearts since I think they are rather terrible tasting. Enjoy!
-Mike Comrie announced his retirement. After undergoing his 3rd hip surgery in 5 years, he has finally decided to announce what everyone else realized last season, sometime around November, that his career was done.
-Rick Nash has finally realized he will NEVER win a Cup with the Blue Jackets. Only took 6 years.
-Zac Rinaldo of the Flyers was suspended. It seems he's been hitting everything that gets in his path these days so it was only a matter of time he felt the Shanan-hammer. He had ample chances to avoid it.
In the 'still waiting' category:
-Marc Savard to announce his retirement.
-Rick Nash to say these words outloud, "I would like to explore my options with a team that can compete for a Cup before my grandkids enter the league in 50 years"
-No real word on the future of hockey in the Phoenix desert, only the same mumble jumble. But the never-say-die Coyotes are making it difficult for people to not want to pull for them. Most GM's were hoping to dismantle the team at the trade deadline and feast on key players, but instead the boys are playing for their lives and hanging on to a playoff dream, which means they are not in a selling bodies off state of mind.
-Brian Burke for the first time might not have a fire sale of players before the deadline this year. He's still got 2 weeks to work some magic, but the Leafs seem interested in playing hockey and making the playoffs which could mean Burke won't sell off assets. It's nice to see a team grow up like this. But like I said, he's still got 2 weeks.
In the 'no surprise' category:
-The Devils plan on retaining Zach Parise till he's a free agent to get last bit out of him. They dream of resigning him, but their creditors have dreams of getting their money back. He's in a line for a payday that the Devils just can't provide right now.
-Rick Nash not saying he wants out of Columbus. He's too nice to do such a rude thing, but being nice will only get you so far. Like being stuck in Columbus for the next 6 years after having already been there for 6 years.
-The Jeff Carter experiment in Columbus has gone belly up and he wants out and they want him out. (He is everything Nash is not when it comes to voicing his opinions). The problem: That lifetime contract for over $5 million a year through the 2022 season. WTF. Contracts like that (you can thank the Flyers) should never be allowed to be moved, they should be stuck with the team that wrote them for life.
-The Capitals are hot mess and continue to spiral in ways no one has seen since they picked up Ovie and co. Alexander Semin is apparently on the trade block and if he doesn't leave town before March, he will be preparing for what his most likely his last spring in the nations' Capital. The Caps are not only in danger of not winning the Southeast which they have usually dominated, they might also miss the playoffs. Then again when your goalie juggles the puck into the net to allow a goal, maybe you shouldn't be in the playoffs.
-The Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman released a statement yammering on about supporting his head coach, Joel Quenneville through Chicago's recent struggles. This translates loosely to, "Joel, brush up your resume because it might come in handy this summer". Many coaches just a few years removed from a Stanley Cup winning season have been relieved of their coaching duties and the path Quenneville is on currently looking like a one way street to unemployment.
-The Philadelphia Flyers can't find a goalie that can win a game. They paid Bryz a handsome sum of money last off season to lure him to "goalie hell" from the desert and he's spent a fair amount of time warming the bench since Bobrovsky, his backup, had the hot hand. That hot hand has lasted for a hot second it seems since Bob is just as messed up as Bryz. A goalie tandem that can't figure out who should try to be the hero- which means nothing has changed in Philly. Nothing.
-The New York Rangers want a Stanley Cup. And they want it NOW. With their roster already reading like an All-Star lineup with names like Callahan, Richards, Lundquist, Gaborik, Girardi and Staal, they are poised for a deep playoff run, but bringing in Rick Nash could be a great addition. And wouldn't it be nice to see him play for a team with some real talent? This rumor has grown some legs since the Blue Jacket scouts have been roaming around the Garden and have made no secret that they want Brandon Dubinsky. Can you imagine, NYC could potentially have a second parade down the Canyon of Hero's in one year? Get it done Rangers....Where's Messier to make "the guarantee" part deux because we all know Captain Cally isn't stupid enough to do that like his predecessor.
And in honor of this utterly ridiculous holiday (Valentines Day: also referred to as the day before the candy goes on sale and 2 months till my birthday), Puck Daddy has some Valentine candy hearts, photoshopped with saying for various players. This is a rather good use of candy hearts since I think they are rather terrible tasting. Enjoy!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Super Bowl Sunday
Its the last Sunday of the football season and that means someone tonight will be hoisting the Lombardi trophy and another guy will be saying he's heading to Disney! Of course since its the Giants I'm even more excited than usual. From the game to the commercials to the halftime act, there's something for everyone. Of course Madonna singing some horrible new song this year will be highly debated since she has a collection of hits she could tap into, but I can always use this time to go to the bathroom since when else are you expected to go?
While reading articles this past week leading up to the showdown, I started to think about superstitions. Every sport and athlete has their own quirks about this stuff but do fans also have some superstitions? I possibly might fall into that category. I have a really cool Giants shirt that my step-dad had made for me but I wore it one fateful Sunday and guess who lost? That's right. The Giants lost and where has that shirt been on Sundays since then? The drawer. A bit superstitious? Maybe. But how can I wear it when they are on such a hot streak that has lead them back to a rematch of 4 years ago? I have my Manning jersey that I have been faithfully rocking since the t-shirt loss incident and will continue to do so today. Maybe next week I can safely wear that made for me t-shirt again when the champion will have been determined and my choice of clothing can no longer affect who will win. Nuts I know, but if I as a life-long Giants fan can have a thought like this, imagine what the athletes think and go through.
As we all know Sidney Crosby comes from Planet Crosby with his mile long list of superstitions that were featured in 24/7 but they left out the fact that he refuses to talk to him mom before a game. Mom is bad luck for him since he's been injured every time he's had a pregame chat with her. Yikesss
Here's some other famous guys with some of their quirkiness, er superstitions.
-Michael Jordan always wore his UNC baby blue Tar Heel shorts under his Bulls shorts.
-Caron Butler who played for the Wizards had a few strange ones. He would chug half a 2 liter of Mountain Dew before the game and the rest at halftime. He also liked to chew on straws, but they had to be McDonald's straws. Dollar store straws be damned!
-NFLer John Henderson would have the assistant trainer slap him on the face before games. That's one way to get pumped up I suppose.
-Former Yankee closer John Wetteland used the same hat season after season after season...I'm doubting it was allowed to be washed either. Gross
-Wade Boggs is another one with a list a mile long, but how about this; pre-game meal of chicken, exactly 150 ground balls and he could only enter the batting cage at 5:17 and then started wind sprints at exactly 7:17.
-Tiger Woods in a red shirt for the final rounds, as an ode to his alma mater Standford.
-NBA player Mike Bibby in college would sleep in his game day shorts the night before a game. When he made the NBA he started to bite his nails during the game until someone gave him fingernail clippers. Now when he hits the bench he is handed his clippers to work on his nail. WOW. Would he like some polish with that?
...and of course hockey players are the worst of the bunch.....
-Goalie Patrick Roy refused to step on the red or blue lines on ice and talked to the goal posts like they were friends.
-Another goalie (they are simply just nuts) Pelle Lindbergh, would only drink a Swedish beverage called Pripps in between periods but it had to be served just right: 2 ice cubes and it must be delivered by the trainer. He also made the team keep resewing his favorite t-shirt that he wore under his uniform when it got holes in it instead of getting a new one.
-Current Czar of discipline Brendan Shanahan should enjoy today's halftime show, since he used to rock out to Madonna before games.
-The Senators have a team superstition in hotels. They stay in the same hotel in each city and if they begin to lose to the home team too much, they switch hotels.
-Danny Briere rewards his sticks. He has 3 with him and if he has a good game, he gives that stick the night off.
-Joe Nieuwendyk eats 2 pieces of toast before games and they can only have peanut butter on them
Suddenly my t-shirt issues don't seem so crazy. But to keep myself sane, I'll wear my number 10 jersey. You don't mess with success do you?
While reading articles this past week leading up to the showdown, I started to think about superstitions. Every sport and athlete has their own quirks about this stuff but do fans also have some superstitions? I possibly might fall into that category. I have a really cool Giants shirt that my step-dad had made for me but I wore it one fateful Sunday and guess who lost? That's right. The Giants lost and where has that shirt been on Sundays since then? The drawer. A bit superstitious? Maybe. But how can I wear it when they are on such a hot streak that has lead them back to a rematch of 4 years ago? I have my Manning jersey that I have been faithfully rocking since the t-shirt loss incident and will continue to do so today. Maybe next week I can safely wear that made for me t-shirt again when the champion will have been determined and my choice of clothing can no longer affect who will win. Nuts I know, but if I as a life-long Giants fan can have a thought like this, imagine what the athletes think and go through.
As we all know Sidney Crosby comes from Planet Crosby with his mile long list of superstitions that were featured in 24/7 but they left out the fact that he refuses to talk to him mom before a game. Mom is bad luck for him since he's been injured every time he's had a pregame chat with her. Yikesss
Here's some other famous guys with some of their quirkiness, er superstitions.
-Michael Jordan always wore his UNC baby blue Tar Heel shorts under his Bulls shorts.
-Caron Butler who played for the Wizards had a few strange ones. He would chug half a 2 liter of Mountain Dew before the game and the rest at halftime. He also liked to chew on straws, but they had to be McDonald's straws. Dollar store straws be damned!
-NFLer John Henderson would have the assistant trainer slap him on the face before games. That's one way to get pumped up I suppose.
-Former Yankee closer John Wetteland used the same hat season after season after season...I'm doubting it was allowed to be washed either. Gross
-Wade Boggs is another one with a list a mile long, but how about this; pre-game meal of chicken, exactly 150 ground balls and he could only enter the batting cage at 5:17 and then started wind sprints at exactly 7:17.
-Tiger Woods in a red shirt for the final rounds, as an ode to his alma mater Standford.
-NBA player Mike Bibby in college would sleep in his game day shorts the night before a game. When he made the NBA he started to bite his nails during the game until someone gave him fingernail clippers. Now when he hits the bench he is handed his clippers to work on his nail. WOW. Would he like some polish with that?
...and of course hockey players are the worst of the bunch.....
-Goalie Patrick Roy refused to step on the red or blue lines on ice and talked to the goal posts like they were friends.
-Another goalie (they are simply just nuts) Pelle Lindbergh, would only drink a Swedish beverage called Pripps in between periods but it had to be served just right: 2 ice cubes and it must be delivered by the trainer. He also made the team keep resewing his favorite t-shirt that he wore under his uniform when it got holes in it instead of getting a new one.
-Current Czar of discipline Brendan Shanahan should enjoy today's halftime show, since he used to rock out to Madonna before games.
-The Senators have a team superstition in hotels. They stay in the same hotel in each city and if they begin to lose to the home team too much, they switch hotels.
-Danny Briere rewards his sticks. He has 3 with him and if he has a good game, he gives that stick the night off.
-Joe Nieuwendyk eats 2 pieces of toast before games and they can only have peanut butter on them
Suddenly my t-shirt issues don't seem so crazy. But to keep myself sane, I'll wear my number 10 jersey. You don't mess with success do you?
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