Tampa Bay Lightning Bolstering Roster with Tanguay Signing
Alex Tanguay has found a home in Tampa Bay. The 29 year old signed a one-year deal with the Lightning worth $2.5 million. Tanguay spent last season with the Montreal Canadiens, he registered 16 goals, 25 assists for a total 41 points. He played in only 50 games suffering from a separated shoulder.
Lightning GM Brian Lawton told the Times that Tanguay was “the guy we wanted.”
Alex Tanguay is a versatile forward who can play both left wing and centre. He’ll be joining fellow Quebecers Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. The Lightning had a disappointing 2008-09 season, they signed many big names prior to training camp which included Mark Recchi, Jussi Jokinen, Gary Roberts, and Olaf Kolzig. Not one of these signings worked out, in fact not one of these players were on the Tampa roster by the end of the season.
I discussed in an earlier post “The Montreal Canadiens Will Fail” that signing everyone doesn’t work. Tampa Bay finished with the second worst record in the league with only 24 wins and a total 66 points. The Lightning have also added veteran Mattias Ohlund, most likely to help develop 2009, second overall draft choice, Victor Hedman. Both are from Sweden.
Sophomore Steven Stamkos is returning and hopes to build off the success he had late last season. The Tampa Bay Lightning appear to be headed in the right direction, hopefully they learned from last years mistakes and stick with the current roster they’ve built.
Tanguay still only 29 has a lot left in the tank, he logged 81 points in 81 games with the Calgary Flames in 2006-07 for his best season. The Montreal Canadiens who cleaned house were barely able to see what Tanguay could offer the club. I think he’s a great fit in Tampa and I’m sure they will have a more successful year with the tweaks they’ve made.
Hockey Fan Gets Owned After Jumping On Ice
One of the things I love the most about hockey is how drunk and riled up the fans get during the game. And nothing gets a hockey fan’s adrenaline pumping more during a game than watching a good ol’ fashioned brawl. So I want all of you hockey fans to do me this favor, watch the video! And next time you have an urge to jump on the ice and get in on the action, DON’T! Unless of course you can hold your own better than this fan did:
NHL Investigating Contracts of Pronger and Hossa
I’m not going to lie – I follow the Blackhawks more than any other team. I illustrated that in my first post here, “Will the Chicago Blackhawk’s Offseason End?” But this is an issue close to my heart for reasons that for the good of the NHL. I try not to be bias, and I do not think I am here.
It was been reported at the end of July that the new contracts of Marian Hossa, and Chris Pronger are under investigation by the NHL to see if they are “circumventing the CBA.” Hossa is scheduled to earn close to eight million the first handful of years in his contract, and in the last four years, it diminishes to nearly nothing.
Why is this a problem? Even though Hossa is getting that $7.9 million his first year his cap hit is closer to $5 million. In theory, if a team executed this constantly, they could actually be paying out $65 million to your team, and have a cap hit of only $55 million.
“But its twelve years,” you say. “When Hossa is making less than $1 million, his cap hit will be $5 million.” That is true for the ‘Hawks under two conditions. Hossa is still playing and is in Chicago.
Teams like Nashville, Los Angeles, and Phoenix all have some sort of financial issue, and are not able to spend money like Chicago, Philadelphia and other teams with plenty of money. Last year, the Kings had an issue with the cap – making the floor. A contract where the cap hit may be $5 million and you only pay the player $1 million looks very good, doesn’t it? After all, the organization is a business.
But what if Hossa retires 7 years into his contract? Because Hossa signed when he was under the age of 35, if Hossa retires for whatever reason he still gets paid his money and his cap hit goes away. In this scenario, the ‘Hawks would have had a collective cap hit of $36.4 million, and truly paid out $55.3 million – a difference of close to $19 million.
Chris Pronger’s contract is being investigated for the same reason as Hossa, but there’s a catch with Pronger. Does the contract signed mean his cap hit counts even if he doesn’t play? “But Pronger was 34 when he signed!” This is true, but the contract extension becomes effective when he’s the age of 35. Philadelphia rightfully challenged this ruling, and the CBA is a bit fuzzy in my opinion as to which category the extension falls into. If the NHL rules that Pronger counts no matter what, this will be a huge setback for Philadelphia.
I first noticed this “loophole” in contracts a while back when Detroit started handing out similar, but less extreme contracts. It did not occur to me that there’s a difference in cap hit, and actual salary until then. I thought it was just player preference. As long as the player retires before the actual salary is lower than the hit, usually these are smart deals for both sides.
To me, without question that the contracts of Pronger and Hossa were intended to get around the cap. The structure of their contracts say it all and the player’s are not going to care too much about when the money comes in. Where I have a big problem with the investigation is the NHL approved both contracts, then came back a month later and investigated them. The Flyers and Blackhawks did not give contracts that other teams cannot offer. These contracts are legal under the CBA and neither team should be punished for giving them out. But the teams where players do not want to go, like Edmonton, just lost the ability to overpay for players to come there. The big market teams are still able to throw their money around and overpay players under the CBA and that was the reason everyone lost the 2004-2005 season. Teams such as the Rangers were able to carry a team salary of $80 million, where Edmonton cannot get a player to come there.
My solution is simple. Modify the 35 and older part of the contracts to include everyone. For example, if you are 26 and sign a 20 year deal, you are going to have a cap hit no matter what for 20 years. If you get hurt, that’s part of the game. Every team runs that risk. This will discourage teams from handing out these long contracts. I also am a firm believer in if your salary is $5 million, your cap hit should be $5 million. You are only creating potential problems by making the salary hits and actual salary different.
Veteran Mike Sillinger Retires from Hockey
After a lengthy 17 years in the NHL, Mike Sillinger is calling it quits. Sillinger announced his retirement on Wednesday, saying his hip injury was the main reason for his decision.
Sillinger was drafted 11th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, he was a top prospect in juniors scoring 53 goals and 131 points in his second WHL season. Sillinger struggled to have the same success in the NHL as he did as a junior player; he was traded nine times and played for 12 different teams during his career.
“To play the sport of hockey, something I’ve had a passion for all my life, at the professional level for the past 17 years and to be able to support my family has been a dream come true,” said Sillinger during the announcement.
Sillinger was the definition of hard worker; he was able to play 17 NHL seasons with mediocre talent. His best season came in 2005-06 where he netted 22 goals, 19 assists with the St. Louis Blues and 10 goals, 12 assists with the Nashville Predators for a total 63 points in 79 games played.
Sillinger holds the NHL record for most teams played on. During his 17 seasons he played for the Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Phoenix Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators, and New York Islanders
Sillinger is from Regina, Saskatchewan, he has a wife and three sons, and they plan on remaining in Regina following his retirement.
Skatin’ the Web: NHL’s Bid to Buy The Phoenix Coyotes
Now that the NHL has put their hat in the ring with a bid to buy the Phoenix Coyotes, everyone in the NHL world is waiting and watching to see where the madness will end. Of course the NHL would presumably be content to have the Coyotes stay put in Phoenix until they can find a suitable buyer who is not going going to pull a “Balsillie” and try and uproot the team. But then again, what is the NHL really thinking putting in a bid on a team that is leaking funds faster than any sieve goalie the NHL has ever seen?
Here are some thoughts from some other blogs around the interwebs:
The Hamilton Spectator is reporting that the NHL’s bid for the Phoenix Coyotes is $140 million, which is lower than three other attempts to purchase the franchise: Those of billionaire Jim Balsillie ($212 million) and Ice Edge ($150 million), both of whom are formally in the auction for the team; and the Jerry Reinsdorf group’s now-aborted $148 million proposal.
Nominally, the NHL’s goal in trying to buy the Phoenix Coyotes out of bankruptcy is to keep them operating in that same unhealthy market by dishing the franchise off to a third party as soon as humanly possible. The reality is, the chances of some anonymous deep-pocketed gazillionaire doing commissioner Gary Bettman that favour over the long term is virtually nil – which brings up a delicious scenario for anyone hoping to see a seventh Canadian team join the NHL sooner rather than later.
Yes, the Ice Edge boys remain one of the bids, but for how long remains to be seen. Their offer is contingent on negotiations with the city, and given they’ve been in the picture several months less than Jerry Reinsdorf and he couldn’t make any progress there, it seems doubtful they’ll get what they want by Sept. 10. In other words, they very well could be the next party to walk.
TSN:
A group headed by Jerry Reinsdorf has pulled out as a potential buyer of the Phoenix Coyotes just as the NHL and a partnership of Canadian and American investors filed separate bids in U.S. Bankruptcy Court to purchase the team and keep it in Arizona. The NHL announced its bid filing a few hours before word came that the investors’ group, known as Ice Edge Holdings, had met Tuesday’s court-imposed deadline. Ice Edge chairman Keith McCullough said in a news release that the plan was to “revitalize NHL hockey in Arizona and the southwestern United States.”
The league is going to continue to fight the Canadian billionaire’s ability to bid in the intervening weeks, but it’s looking more and more like the NHL will have to put their number up against his and hope the judge rules in their favour on Sept. 10. The league obviously isn’t compelled to bid quite as high as Balsillie given the potential impact relocation will have on the size of creditors’ claims, but in theory, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the number he can put on the table.
Do you think the NHL is putting too much at risk by putting in a bid?
Gary Coleman + Mark Messier = Photo Gold
After the hilarity and gut wrenching laughter subsides from viewing this photo of actor Gary Coleman and hockey legend Mark Messier, head on over to Yahoo’s Puck Daddy for the back story on how such a thing could happen. ‘Hey Mess, nice facecloth’
The Dany Heatley Saga, “Oh, Dany Boy”
The Dany Heatley saga continues. The unwilling superstar remains determined to make life difficult for himself and the Ottawa Senators.
He finally spoke out publicly about his delinquent behaviour, saying the main reason he signed with the Senators was “to be an integral part of the team”, and that he requested a trade because he felt the team wasn’t utilizing him the way he wanted. Then he had the brass to also call himself a “team player”. Does that even make sense? I wonder if Dany Heatley has ever looked up the word “contradiction” in the dictionary. He can’t possibly be this selfish, can he?
The city of Ottawa embraced Dany’s arrival after the tragedy in Atlanta; he needed to get away from the haunting memories of Dan Snyder’s death, Ottawa allowed him to just play the game of hockey. Heatley was arguably on his way to becoming the most popular Senator player ever; he certainly was among a top three in most fans eyes, so why is he going through all this? Because his ice time was narrowly cut down?
How many breaks does this guy expect during his life? I hope the media gives him the beating he deserves for the rest of his self-seeking NHL career.
Heatley also explained why he declined a trade to Edmonton, saying he wanted “options” Um Dany Boy, your “options” wish was voided when you signed your name to that $45-million dollar contract. You did sign it, right? You can’t honestly expect to choose from a list of your preferred NHL teams and force Senators GM, Bryan Murray to accommodate you?
The only positive thing Sens fans can take from this headache is that if Dany wants a roster spot on Team Canada, he’s going to have to play his gonads off to make the cut. This means if he’s still an Ottawa Senator when the season begins, he’ll be scoring goals, most likely with a pout on his face.
Does anyone else find it ironic that Heatley was quoted saying “I love playing in Canada?” He may need a “Geography Colouring Book” along with that dictionary, because last time I looked Ottawa and Edmonton were both in Canada.
If I were Bryan Murray, I would be sewing that “A” on another jersey as soon as possible. Dany, score as many goals as you can during the rest of your NHL career, maybe that will soothe your conscious, but the city of Ottawa and the kids that sported your name on the back of their Sens jerseys won’t soon forget your betrayal. If I were someone who is close to Dany, I would be encouraging him to find new representation, because he is getting some horrific advice. Congratulations on becoming another spoiled athlete.
They should hold a poll on opening night at Scotiabank Place between Alexei Yashin and Dany Heatley titled “Who is greedier?” I bet it wouldn’t even be close.
Team Canada’s Goalie Situation Isn’t Cut and Dry
It seems everyone has decided Martin Brodeur will be the starting goalie for Team Canada at the upcoming 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He is after all the leader in NHL history for games won by a netminder, so naturally this choice is reasonable, right?
You may want to ask Roberto Luongo and 2008-09 Stanley Cup winner Marc-Andre Fleury if they think it’s reasonable.
Brodeur 37, hasn’t brought his New Jersey Devils past the second round of playoff action since winning the cup in 2003. Brodeur has been average during the past few seasons, and certainly looked far below average in the last couple minutes of play against the Carolina Hurricanes in game seven of the playoffs this past season. So why is he a lock for starter or even a guarantee for the team at all?
Cam Ward and Steve Mason are both young star goalies who could easily play well for Canada. Ward won a cup in 2006 with Carolina and was very good with the team this past season, leading them back to the Eastern Conference finals. Mason won the Calder Trophy last year being the most proficient rookie. Marty Turco can still hold his own, but he wasn’t even invited to camp.
Roberto Luongo hasn’t exactly been flawless during his career, so I don’t necessarily think he should be guaranteed the starting position either. Luongo has been in the NHL for nine seasons and has only been to the playoffs twice. He hasn’t made it past the second round yet either, but his reputation is equal to someone who has actually been a cup winner. Until Roberto wins something, he’s not in the company of Roy, Hasek, and other former Stanley Cup champions.
I think the goaltending battle is the most hotly contested debate at Team Canada’s camp; it will certainly be interesting to see which three will be chosen to don Canada’s jersey. Who do you think we will see between the pipes for Team Canada during the Olympics?
Team Canada Starts Olympic Training Camp Today
Steve Yzerman is a Team Canada legend. The guy not only had a huge run in the NHL, but also in international competitions for Team Canada. Now that his playing days are over, Canada has turned to Yzerman to lead them back to the ‘Gold Standard’ after an embarrassing medal denial in the 2006 Olympics.
That quest starts today, as Yzerman has assembled all of the Team Canada try-out invitees in Calgary this week to get to know each other, their potential coaches, and see what they’ve got. Yzerman and the selection group won’t be picking the final 23 man roster until December, but they should be able to get a feel right now for which guys play well together and which ones don’t.
With the 2010 Olympics being hosted by Canada in Vancouver, don’t think for a second that Stevie Yzerman doesn’t feel the pressure of an entire country being laid on his shoulders to make this thing happen. Here are some details on camp from Yahoo Sports:
The Olympic team will only have one practice together before taking the ice for its first game in February. Yzerman wants to make sure that every player walks into the dressing room in Vancouver and sees familiar faces.
It could be particularly important this time around because there’s likely to be quite a few Olympic rookies – 19 of the players invited to camp are currently 25 or under, with the youngest being 20-year-old Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty(notes).
Among those also receiving an invitation were Sidney Crosby(notes), three of the four Staal brothers and a trio of Calgary Flames defencemen – Jay Bouwmeester(notes), Dion Phaneuf(notes) and Robyn Regehr(notes).
There are four players each from the Flames, Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers. Crosby will be joined by Penguins teammates Jordan Staal(notes) and Marc-Andre Fleury(notes).
During the camp, the players will be put through their paces by coach Mike Babcock and his staff. That’s another important aspect of the experience.
Hockey’s 10 Greatest Teams: #10 – 1996 Team USA
I had considered doing a Top 10 list of the greatest to ever play the game of hockey, but after viewing literally hundreds of these lists over the years, I decided to stir things up and try something a little more unique. I will present one of “Hockey’s Greatest Teams” each week over a ten week period. I’ll discuss why I think they are deserving of being ranked a top 10 team and what they accomplished as a team. Enjoy.
1996 Team USA
The United States isn’t recognized for having a potent hockey program, but at the 1996 World Cup without warning they shocked Team Canada by posting a 5-2 win achieving their first bona fide international hockey victory. Tony Amonte will forever be remembered for scoring the go-ahead goal beating Curtis Joseph.
“When we play against Canada, will we honestly believe in ourselves as a unit that can win, that we belong there? That’s the hurdle we have to jump if we’re going to win, and that’s what this training camp will be all about.” – Mike Richter
I think this win over Canada was the beginning of a new era for American hockey, the veteran hockey players for USA finally believed winning was possible. Never before was Team USA able to compete with the Canadian powerhouse, but having players such as Mike Modano, Pat LaFontaine, Chris Chelios, and a world class goalie in Mike Richter allowed them to not only compete, but eventually win the title over Canada.
Roster: Tony Amonte, Keith Tkachuk, Scott Young, Brian Rolston, Shawn McEachern, Mike Modano, Joel Otto, Bill Guerin, Shawn Chambers, Adam Deadmarsh, Steve Konawalchuk, Phil Housley, Bryan Smolinski, Doug Weight, Gary Suter, Mathieu Schneider, Chris Chelios, Derian Hatcher, Kevin Hatcher, Pat LaFontaine, John LeClair, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch (captain), Guy Hebert, Mike Richter, Ron Wilson (coach).
