I was under the impression that the NHL lockout and the new salary cap system was suppose to allow teams like the Buffalo Sabres to play with the big boys.
Instead, since the lockout, the Sabres are now the NHL version of the Montreal Expos.
They keep producing all these talented players who eventually walk away or are traded because they cannot afford to re-sign them.
The latest example is defenseman Brian Campbell.
Since the famous this will solve everything lockout, Buffalo has lost the following players :
BRIAN CAMPBELL
DANIEL BRIERE
CHRIS DRURY
DAINIUS ZUBRUS
MARTIN BIRON
JP DUMONT
MIKE GRIER
JAY MCKEE
TAYLOR PYATT
What do the Sabres have to show for losing these 9 players ?
The answer would be Steve Bernier,a first round pick in 2008 and defenseman TJ Brennan who was drafted last year with the pick from the Biron trade.
Now the Sabres are fighting for a playoff spot...and survival.
Remember what happened to the Expos after the 1994 players strike.That's right, the fire sale in the spring of '95 when Marquis Grissom,John Wetteland and Ken Hill were traded and Larry Walker left as a free agent.
The strike did not save major league baseball in Monteal it killed it and the lockout hasn't been the solution for the Sabres...or should I say the Buffalo Expos !
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Gainey strikes out !!!
No Marian Hossa, no Brad Richards, no Martin Havlat, no Impact player...unless the Canadiens have acquired Mauro Biello.
At 3pm on trade deadline Tuesday the Canadiens are a worse team than they were 24 hours ago.
Habs fans who live in the past will bring up the names of Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986.
Let's be clear , Carey Price will be the goalie of the future and he may go on to win a Cup , but I believe that Bob Gainey has taken a huge risk by trading Cristobal Huet for a second round pick in 2009.
This is the same GM who last year,at the deadline, hung on to Sheldon Souray, Radek Bonk and Mike Johnson who were all UFA's at the end of the season.What was the rush this year to trade away your number one goalie.It just doesn't make sense.
In the end the Canadiens still need a top six forward, and now they will go into the final 19 games of the regular season and the playoffs with two unproven goalies.
With this move, the spotlight is now on Carey Price.He is only 20 years old and the pressure will be unbearable.Gainey should have protected Price with at the very least an experienced backup, not a 22 year old Jaroslav Halak.Did Gainey jump the gun on Huet believing he had a deal with Atlanta for Marian Hossa and Johan Hedberg ?
Huet was a very popular player in the dressing room and a good teammate for Price.This move is a big mistake by Gainey.
Saturday, 21 273 fans stood and applauded Bob Gainey, the player.
Today, a whole city is booing Bob Gainey, the general manager.
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At 3pm on trade deadline Tuesday the Canadiens are a worse team than they were 24 hours ago.
Habs fans who live in the past will bring up the names of Ken Dryden in 1971 and Patrick Roy in 1986.
Let's be clear , Carey Price will be the goalie of the future and he may go on to win a Cup , but I believe that Bob Gainey has taken a huge risk by trading Cristobal Huet for a second round pick in 2009.
This is the same GM who last year,at the deadline, hung on to Sheldon Souray, Radek Bonk and Mike Johnson who were all UFA's at the end of the season.What was the rush this year to trade away your number one goalie.It just doesn't make sense.
In the end the Canadiens still need a top six forward, and now they will go into the final 19 games of the regular season and the playoffs with two unproven goalies.
With this move, the spotlight is now on Carey Price.He is only 20 years old and the pressure will be unbearable.Gainey should have protected Price with at the very least an experienced backup, not a 22 year old Jaroslav Halak.Did Gainey jump the gun on Huet believing he had a deal with Atlanta for Marian Hossa and Johan Hedberg ?
Huet was a very popular player in the dressing room and a good teammate for Price.This move is a big mistake by Gainey.
Saturday, 21 273 fans stood and applauded Bob Gainey, the player.
Today, a whole city is booing Bob Gainey, the general manager.
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Thursday, February 14, 2008
Rent-a-player time
12 days before the NHL trade deadline(Feb.26th 3pm)
I believe TSN's coverage has just started.
While the two biggest names are Mats Sundin and Marian Hossa, many players who are UFA's at the end of the season could be moved before or on deadline day.
With so many teams close in the standings, some may feel that they are one veteran defenseman or an experienced forward away from making a run in the playoffs.
Here is a list of UFA's that could be on the move:
FORWARDS :
Mats Sundin
Marian Hossa
Bobby Holik
Pascal Dupuis
Yanic Perreault
Martin Lapointe
Vinny Prospal
Chris Gratton
Andre Roy
Sergei Fedorov
David Viborny
Mike Peca
Scott Thornton
Martin Gelinas
Miroslav Satan
Mike Comrie
Ruslan Fedotenko
Trent Hunter
Josef Vasicek
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Campbell
Bret Hedican
Dan Boyle
Adam Foote
Rob Blake
Ron Hainsey
Dick Tarnstrom
Bryan Berard
Frddy Meyer
Bryce Salvador
Barret Jackman
Wade Belak
*******************************************************************
Very interesting interview on Wednesday between James Duthie and former Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr on TSN.
He was asked which players he considered untouchables on the Leafs.
Ferguson's answer was :
Tomas Kaberle
Vesa Toskala
Justin Pogge
Anton Stralman
Jiri Tlusty
Alex Steen
and
Nikolai Kulemin a 21 year old Russian forward.
While everyone seems to believe that the Leafs will be in the Eastern conference cellar for years to come , I believe that if Cliff Fletcher makes the right decisions and the right deals, the future is not as bleak as many observers will have you think.
The four contracts that are killers are: Jason Blake (4 more years-16m),Pavel Kubina(2years-10m),Hal Gill(1year-2.1m)and Andrew Raycroft(1year-2m).
In the case of the last two, the Leafs could easily buy them out.
*************************************************************
I believe TSN's coverage has just started.
While the two biggest names are Mats Sundin and Marian Hossa, many players who are UFA's at the end of the season could be moved before or on deadline day.
With so many teams close in the standings, some may feel that they are one veteran defenseman or an experienced forward away from making a run in the playoffs.
Here is a list of UFA's that could be on the move:
FORWARDS :
Mats Sundin
Marian Hossa
Bobby Holik
Pascal Dupuis
Yanic Perreault
Martin Lapointe
Vinny Prospal
Chris Gratton
Andre Roy
Sergei Fedorov
David Viborny
Mike Peca
Scott Thornton
Martin Gelinas
Miroslav Satan
Mike Comrie
Ruslan Fedotenko
Trent Hunter
Josef Vasicek
DEFENSEMEN
Brian Campbell
Bret Hedican
Dan Boyle
Adam Foote
Rob Blake
Ron Hainsey
Dick Tarnstrom
Bryan Berard
Frddy Meyer
Bryce Salvador
Barret Jackman
Wade Belak
*******************************************************************
Very interesting interview on Wednesday between James Duthie and former Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr on TSN.
He was asked which players he considered untouchables on the Leafs.
Ferguson's answer was :
Tomas Kaberle
Vesa Toskala
Justin Pogge
Anton Stralman
Jiri Tlusty
Alex Steen
and
Nikolai Kulemin a 21 year old Russian forward.
While everyone seems to believe that the Leafs will be in the Eastern conference cellar for years to come , I believe that if Cliff Fletcher makes the right decisions and the right deals, the future is not as bleak as many observers will have you think.
The four contracts that are killers are: Jason Blake (4 more years-16m),Pavel Kubina(2years-10m),Hal Gill(1year-2.1m)and Andrew Raycroft(1year-2m).
In the case of the last two, the Leafs could easily buy them out.
*************************************************************
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Sens send a loud message
WOW!!!
What a loud and clear message sent by the Sens.
A week ago, Habs fans were talking of first place overall in the eastern conference, but after Saturday night's debacle it is a very humble Canadiens squad that will jump on the ice Tuesday night in Tampa.
I have a couple of observations on tonight's game.
Once again, I did not like the way some players responded when they were challenged.
Yes, Maxim Lapierre drew two penalties on the same play after being attacked by Mike Fisher and Chris Neil, but no one came to his defense when Neil jumped on him and Lapierre should have challenged Fisher later on in the game.
Then, later on in the third period, Patrice Brisebois went after Nick Foligno.If you are a veteran and you are running after a rookie, better do something about it.
Instead, Brisebois started something and the result was that Sergei Kostitsyn got knocked out by Wade Redden.
Again, it was Francis Bouillon to the rescue of his young teamate who was in a vulnerable position after a big uppercut by the bigger and stronger Redden.
The lack of a legitimate tough guy is not the reason why the Canadiens lost in Ottawa, but with back to back games coming up against the Flyers next weekend and another visit by the Rangers, I am worried that the physical play from the opponents will not go away.
************************************************************************
What a loud and clear message sent by the Sens.
A week ago, Habs fans were talking of first place overall in the eastern conference, but after Saturday night's debacle it is a very humble Canadiens squad that will jump on the ice Tuesday night in Tampa.
I have a couple of observations on tonight's game.
Once again, I did not like the way some players responded when they were challenged.
Yes, Maxim Lapierre drew two penalties on the same play after being attacked by Mike Fisher and Chris Neil, but no one came to his defense when Neil jumped on him and Lapierre should have challenged Fisher later on in the game.
Then, later on in the third period, Patrice Brisebois went after Nick Foligno.If you are a veteran and you are running after a rookie, better do something about it.
Instead, Brisebois started something and the result was that Sergei Kostitsyn got knocked out by Wade Redden.
Again, it was Francis Bouillon to the rescue of his young teamate who was in a vulnerable position after a big uppercut by the bigger and stronger Redden.
The lack of a legitimate tough guy is not the reason why the Canadiens lost in Ottawa, but with back to back games coming up against the Flyers next weekend and another visit by the Rangers, I am worried that the physical play from the opponents will not go away.
************************************************************************
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A Giant upset!
One way or another, football fans will witness history this coming Sunday in Glendale, Arizona.
If the Pats win , they will complete the greatest season ever, becoming the first team in NFL history to go 19-0.
If the Giants win, it will be considered the greatest upset in Super Bowl history joining Joe Namath and the Jets in 1969 over the Baltimore Colts.
Since I have been on the Giants bandwagon(read blogs below) over the last couple of weeks , I will pick the upset in what should be a very entertaining Super Bowl.
Here are the 10 reasons why the Giants will win Super Bowl 42 :
10) The Giants scored more points (35) on the Pats than any other team this season.
9) Eli Manning threw four touchdowns passes, the most by any QB against New England this season.
8) Over the past two games , the Giants have beaten the second best offense (Packers) and the third best offense (Cowboys) in the NFL.Next up: number one (Pats-411yds per game)
7) Including the last game of the regular season against the Patriots, the Giants have held opponents to 3.1 yds per rush over the last four games.In those four games, the Giants have held opponents to 98 yds rushing in the second half, an average of less than 25 yds per game.
6) The play of rookie running back Ahmad Bradshaw whom the Patriots have not yet seen this season.
5) Plaxico Burress will be matchup problem against the Pats starting cornerbacks of Ellis Hobbs and Asante Samuel.He is coming off his best game of the year(11 catches/151yds)
4) Rookie tight end Kevin Boss had his best game against New England in week 17 (4catches/50yds/1TD) He will be a challenge for safety Rodney Harrison and the Pats linebackers.
3) The Pats defense has average only 1 QB sack per 34 pass attempts in the last three games.
2) The play of the Giants secondary in the playoffs especially Corey Webster,Sam Madison, Aaron Ross, RW McQuarters and Gilbril Wilson.
1) The physical running style of Brendan Jacobs with big fullback Madison Hedgecock running over the Pats older linebackers and small corners.
****************************************************************
If the Pats win , they will complete the greatest season ever, becoming the first team in NFL history to go 19-0.
If the Giants win, it will be considered the greatest upset in Super Bowl history joining Joe Namath and the Jets in 1969 over the Baltimore Colts.
Since I have been on the Giants bandwagon(read blogs below) over the last couple of weeks , I will pick the upset in what should be a very entertaining Super Bowl.
Here are the 10 reasons why the Giants will win Super Bowl 42 :
10) The Giants scored more points (35) on the Pats than any other team this season.
9) Eli Manning threw four touchdowns passes, the most by any QB against New England this season.
8) Over the past two games , the Giants have beaten the second best offense (Packers) and the third best offense (Cowboys) in the NFL.Next up: number one (Pats-411yds per game)
7) Including the last game of the regular season against the Patriots, the Giants have held opponents to 3.1 yds per rush over the last four games.In those four games, the Giants have held opponents to 98 yds rushing in the second half, an average of less than 25 yds per game.
6) The play of rookie running back Ahmad Bradshaw whom the Patriots have not yet seen this season.
5) Plaxico Burress will be matchup problem against the Pats starting cornerbacks of Ellis Hobbs and Asante Samuel.He is coming off his best game of the year(11 catches/151yds)
4) Rookie tight end Kevin Boss had his best game against New England in week 17 (4catches/50yds/1TD) He will be a challenge for safety Rodney Harrison and the Pats linebackers.
3) The Pats defense has average only 1 QB sack per 34 pass attempts in the last three games.
2) The play of the Giants secondary in the playoffs especially Corey Webster,Sam Madison, Aaron Ross, RW McQuarters and Gilbril Wilson.
1) The physical running style of Brendan Jacobs with big fullback Madison Hedgecock running over the Pats older linebackers and small corners.
****************************************************************
Saturday, January 26, 2008
All-star average skills competition!
Just finished watching what the NHL calls the SuperSkills competition.Looked pretty average to me.
When you see better moves and more excitement in a regular season game , there is a a problem.
The new and improved format was a little better but the new breakaway challenge which was suppose to give us a youtube moment was a complete flop!You can also can the obstacle course and the fastest skater.
The NHL is still a few years away from being in the same league as slam dunk all-timers Michael Jordan , Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter and Spud Webb.
Next year leave the goalies home(Nabokov coming out to poke check St-Louis) and make sure the participants know well in advance so they have time to practice a couple of weeks before the competition.
The highlights from AverageSkills Saturday :
-Ovechkin trying a baseball swing goal in the breakaway challenge
-Tomas Kaberle going 8 for 9 in the accuracy shooting
-Lecavalier's 101.9 mph shot
-Chara beating him with a 103.1
-Youngstars game with great goals by Patrick Kane,Nicklas Backstrom and Marc Staal.
Can't wait for Sunday night's All-star game...then again maybe I can !
***************************************************************************
When you see better moves and more excitement in a regular season game , there is a a problem.
The new and improved format was a little better but the new breakaway challenge which was suppose to give us a youtube moment was a complete flop!You can also can the obstacle course and the fastest skater.
The NHL is still a few years away from being in the same league as slam dunk all-timers Michael Jordan , Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter and Spud Webb.
Next year leave the goalies home(Nabokov coming out to poke check St-Louis) and make sure the participants know well in advance so they have time to practice a couple of weeks before the competition.
The highlights from AverageSkills Saturday :
-Ovechkin trying a baseball swing goal in the breakaway challenge
-Tomas Kaberle going 8 for 9 in the accuracy shooting
-Lecavalier's 101.9 mph shot
-Chara beating him with a 103.1
-Youngstars game with great goals by Patrick Kane,Nicklas Backstrom and Marc Staal.
Can't wait for Sunday night's All-star game...then again maybe I can !
***************************************************************************
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Sticking with the Giants
I know that most NFL fans are dreaming of a Brett Favre-Tom Brady Super Bowl match up, but I am not getting off the NY Giants bandwagon.
For the Giants to upset the Packers at Lambeau on Sunday night, they will have to play another perfect playoff game.No turnovers,solid running game,very disciplined football,great special teams and putting pressure on the quarterback.
The Giants have won 9 road games in a row.In those 9 wins they have only allowed a mind-boggling128 points.That is an incredible average of 14 points a game given up by the defense against teams that have home field advantage.
This is not a fluke or a couple of good weeks, we are talking since week 3 of the regular season.
The reason why the Giants are one win away from playing in the Super Bowl is not Eli Manning,Tom Coughlin,Amani Toomer,Michael Strahan or Osi Umenyiora but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.This guy learned from one of the best in the business working under Jim Johnson with the Philadelphia Eagles since 1999.
In his first year as defensive coordinator with the Giants, the team finished 7Th in the league in total defense and first in QB sacks with 53.
Watch for Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to carry the football 30 times , Eli Manning to pass less than 25 times and the defense to force Brett Favre out of the pocket and create turnovers.
Against Tampa Bay and Dallas , the Giants did not turn the ball over and they have been penalized only 8 times for a total of 66 yards.Meanwhile the opposition has turned the ball over 4 times and have been flagged 15 times for 109 yards.
In the playoffs , if you don't turn the ball over, you win football games.
That is why the Giants will face the Patriots in Super Bowl 42 on February 3rd.
******************************************************************
For the Giants to upset the Packers at Lambeau on Sunday night, they will have to play another perfect playoff game.No turnovers,solid running game,very disciplined football,great special teams and putting pressure on the quarterback.
The Giants have won 9 road games in a row.In those 9 wins they have only allowed a mind-boggling128 points.That is an incredible average of 14 points a game given up by the defense against teams that have home field advantage.
This is not a fluke or a couple of good weeks, we are talking since week 3 of the regular season.
The reason why the Giants are one win away from playing in the Super Bowl is not Eli Manning,Tom Coughlin,Amani Toomer,Michael Strahan or Osi Umenyiora but defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.This guy learned from one of the best in the business working under Jim Johnson with the Philadelphia Eagles since 1999.
In his first year as defensive coordinator with the Giants, the team finished 7Th in the league in total defense and first in QB sacks with 53.
Watch for Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw to carry the football 30 times , Eli Manning to pass less than 25 times and the defense to force Brett Favre out of the pocket and create turnovers.
Against Tampa Bay and Dallas , the Giants did not turn the ball over and they have been penalized only 8 times for a total of 66 yards.Meanwhile the opposition has turned the ball over 4 times and have been flagged 15 times for 109 yards.
In the playoffs , if you don't turn the ball over, you win football games.
That is why the Giants will face the Patriots in Super Bowl 42 on February 3rd.
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