Who's Left From NHL '94

With Joe Sakic, Claude Lemieux, and evidently Mats Sundin all calling it a career this week (or will eventually....we're looking at you Mats), you can almost tell that the era of NHL '94 could be in its twillight. It's almost like the "Tecmo Bowl" in football, NHL '94 seems to be the gauge on how old we all are and why we won against the computer with the offsides turned off.

So, with those three big timers leaving-- who is left amongst those where were in NHL '94. And yes, I'm well aware that didn't make sense-- there were nouns and verbs, but all jumbled together. Deal with it.

Let's do this roster by roster, and if I miss anyone.....tell me (Thanks to NHL94.com with the Roster Info):

ANAHEIM: Sean Hill-- While Hill is buried over in Switzerland, he is still somewhat active and will be added to this list. Although his 44 rating was hurtful, he was great for an expansion team.

BOSTON: All Retired

BUFFALO: Brad May, Dominik Hasek-- May is a free agent and could be off this list soon, but odds are someone will take a chance. Way down the list due to skill, May was a scrapper and you only put him in if you had to make a line-change. Hasek was the second stringer behind Fuhr and with his unretirement to play in Czech Republic-- he's back on the list.

CALGARY: All Retired

CHICAGO: Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios-- Both of these guys could be gone in a second, but both were studs in NHL '94. Roenick was the top forward, Chelios the top defender on the Hawks and knew how to rip it up. It's not so much me as it is Roenick-- he's good.

DALLAS: Mike Modano-- Modano is back for another season and continues to be somewhat consistent, much like he was in the game itself. Along with Russ Courtnall and Dave Gagner, the Stars appeal was only up-front as the rest of the team was abysmal.

DETROIT: Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom, Slava Kozlov-- While Kozlov was still getting a taste for the NHL, Fedorov was a stud and Lidstrom was starting to get noticed. Though Feds is back in Russia, Lidstrom and Kozlov motor on in the NHL.

EDMONTON: Doug Weight-- Weight is still around on Long Island, but who knows how much time he will have left. A top guy for the Oilers, he could be the only guy who was a starter, but was not in the top three ratings for forwards.

FLORIDA: All Retired

HARTFORD: Michael Nylander-- Though many still hate him in DC, Nylander is the last Whale player from this game and it's almost sad to think really.

LOS ANGELES: Rob Blake, Alexei Zhitnik, Darryl Sydor-- All defenseman, but only Blake and Sydor remain in the NHL-- Zhitnik is in Russia.. For a team with great up-front presence, the back line wasn't too shabby either.

MONTREAL: Mike Keane, Mathieu Schneider, Sean Hill-- This was the thing with NHL '94, you had expansion teams, but they kept the player on their team from the year before-- like Hill. Keane is still toiling in the minors, while Schneider remains in limbo, as he is a UFA.

NEW JERSEY: Bill Guerin, Scott Niedermayer-- Both of these guys were deep in the depth chart because they were on the younger side, but now they have both flourished throughout. Niedermayer was being Bruce Driver, for pete's sake.

NY ISLANDERS: Darius Kasparaitis-- He's still around, folks-- albeit it in Russia, but it counts. A top d-man on a subpar team, his hitting was used to keep people away from Glenn Healy and his 47 rating.

NY RANGERS: Alexei Kovalev, Sergei Zubov-- Kovalev just signed a new deal in Ottawa, while Zubov has been sturdy at times, but fragile in others. Both young bucks in '94, somehow stuck around.

OTTAWA: All Retired

PHILADELPHIA: Mark Recchi, Rod Brind'Amour-- Recchi has one year left in him and will soon be off this list, while Rod "the Bod" could outlast everyone else because of his insane conditioning. It would be the great honor to be the last '94ers around.

PITTSBURGH: Jaromir Jagr-- Though he's in Russia, he has thought about coming back. It would be interesting to see if he still had it if he did-- but don't get your hopes up; looking at you, Edmonton.

QUEBEC: Adam Foote, Owen Nolan, Chris Simon-- Simon is toiling in Russia, but both Foote and Nolan are veteran leaders in Colorado and Minnesota, respectively. Foote made a tour stop in Columbus before coming back to Colorado.

SAN JOSE: Sandis Ozolinsh-- Ozo is in Russia, like many others, to play out the end of their careers.

ST. LOUIS: Brendan Shanahan, Bret Hedican, Curtis Joseph-- All three are UFAs, all three could be gone in a split, especially Shanahan and Joseph. Hedican may have some left in the tank, but who knows how this could come out come next season.

TAMPA BAY: Roman Hamrlik-- Hammer is still getting it done on the Canadiens now, but could be playing out the last few years on this list. Though he's done better in the past few years, you wonder how much this luck can last.

TORONTO: All Retired

VANCOUVER: Petr Nedved, Jiri Slegr-- Both of these guys are back in the Czech Republic, but both had their moments for the NHL. Built for speed, these guys could wheel in the 16-bit world.

WASHINGTON: All Retired

WINNIPEG: Teemu Selanne, Keith Tkachuk, Teppo Numminen-- All three guys are still kicking it and kicking it pretty well. Though Selanne has been indecisive, Numminen has had health issues, and Tkachuk has been at the buffet-- they round out a great trio of players around in the NHL.

While there's still a decent amount of players out there-- they could all be gone within two years....tops. It's something where it's a loss of innocence for hockey fans of a young age who grew up to love this cult-classic game. So, now I'm taking bets on who will be the last player to play who was rostered on NHL '94.

How to Lure a Monster

Though the title may be misleading, this isn't about how you can get Pierre McGuire to come out of his little box between the benches so you can punch him, nor does it have to do with my own personal things (wocka, wocka), but how you can get Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson on your roster and lead your team to victory.

Gustavsson is the prized Swede of the summer, following Fabian Brunnstrom last season, which could spark warning signals considering how inconsistent Brunnstrom was with the Stars. It's a risk/reward situation when you bring a European trained goalie into the NHL. By all accounts though, Gustavsson will be fairing just fine in his new dig wherever they may end up being. Plus, since he'll be seen as a franchise goalie, the odds are that the team will build around him and give him what he needs to feel protected. That was the main issue why he said he was going to wait until after July 1st to sign with a team, in order to see which of his suitors would give him the most help in his first years over in North America.

Cue Brian Burke's signings.

You can bet that after hearing that news, any kind of other plans the Leafs had on the free agent market went into the can when they heard that news and focused on giving their goaltender some help, whoever it may be. However, to say they aren't hoping for Gustavsson to sign in Toronto is silly. That's the main thing they are gunning for, it seems, with the signing of two defensemen of the "shut down" style of play. Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin will provide grit and solid defensive play for whoever is in the Leafs net this season, and if it happens to be a rookie Swede who was wooed by the two signings....sobeit.

The question remains on if the young Swede will go to a place where the defense is better or if it's a balanced system. There's the flaw by the Leafs, who do have a solid defense now, but the fact remains they don't have many guy who can bury the puck in the back of the net. If Gustavsson cares about goal support, that could be a detriment to the Leafs push in signing him.

But who else is out there for Gustavsson??

Depending on who you listen to, it's down to four teams: Toronto, Dallas, Colorado and San Jose. The issue with the Stars and Sharks is Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov respectively, both who have time left on their contracts and both of whom are workhorses. If Gustavsson wants playing time, he probably wouldn't want either of those teams. Colorado needs a solid goalie, but their hinderance is the lack of defense......or much of anything for that matter right now. It may take time and Gustavsson may be willing to grow with the team, but who knows his mindset.

That leaves Toronto, and we know Burke wants this kid bad because he focused so much on the defense and he's gone over and visted with him a couple times from April. He could be a cornerstone to the franchise, which is what the Leafs need in net.

While we await the decision, another thing is the Brunnstrom comparison I made earlier. It's harder to develop goalies into the NHL, especially if they have never played in North America prior. The risk you take with Gustavsson is that you throw him into the starting role much too early and ruin the kid's development in the process. It's a big deal to wonder if the chase is worth him being mediorce when all is said and done.

Only time will tell how Gustavsson will fare after he choose where he will go, but everyone in the hockey world will await with bated-breathe to see if the "Monster" will live up to the hype made by some.

Ups and Downs to Reuniting

Habs fans' hearts are a-flutter with the moves made by Bob Gainey in the past week. First, it started with Scott Gomez being traded to Montreal and has followed with the signings of Brian Gionta and Mike Camalleri, which could be a sign of a new offensive outlook for the Habs. Of course, their loss of Mike Komisarek is a hit on the defensive side, but the lack of sturdy offensive production needed to be addressed....apparently.

However, the thought of a reunion of the magic that Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez had in New Jersey could give the Habs faithful belief that it is still there even though they had spent two seasons apart. Considering they were solid the year after the lockout, but crashed the next season-- why is there such a buzz about the magic they had-- it was one good year. Albeit, the one good year is all it takes in some cases, but we're getting away from the point.

Was this move to sign Gionta after the trade for Gomez used in order to get the tandem back together?? Because if it was, it may have not been the best move. Sure, the chemistry they may share is a nice tool to have, but to believe that lightning can strike more than once is a little silly and short-sighted. Lest we not forget the fiasco that happened in Colorado with Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya in '03-'04 which was going to be used to spark the offense, but turned out to be a horrible, failed experiment.

While there are other tandems who were successful at the end of the day, odds are that if they have been apart for a time; the magic doesn't come back as it once did and will hinder a team's fortunes rather than help them. With the pressure to successed coupled with the pressure put forth by the media and fans alike; you can almost think that this is a recipe for failure for Gionta, Gomez, and ultimately the Habs. Of course, that failure could be Gainey's last stand-- but only time will tell if it'll be a risk that pays off for Gainey or not.

Heater on the Hot Seat

If I'm Dany Heatley, I'm quoting Gob Bluth right now: "I've made a huge mistake."

He has to be feeling that way, what with the fiasco that has gone on in the past few weeks with word of him requesting a trade out of Ottawa being leaked to the media, then Sens' GM Bryan Murray getting a deal in place with the Edmonton Oilers, but Heatley then blocking the deal due to his no-movement clause. Now, reports are coming out that the Sens could file a grievence because Heatley demanded a trade, then wouldn't lift his NMC; which I don't know how they'd win that one since Heatley was in every way right to keep his NMC clause in tact, but still-- this is turning into a bigger circus than it needs to be.

Now, with the July 1st deadline come and gone for the roster bonus of $4M owed to him, you wonder if Heatley will play the loyalty care of figure out a way to sneak out of town like the Baltimore Colts did in 1984. It's not like they can send him to Binghamton with his NMC in effect, which would not only bury him, but bury his contract-- and they could suspend him without pay if he refuses to show up to camp when it starts, but odds are he will, whether they want him there or not. Of course, that last scenario is pending on whether or not he's been traded prior to the Sens camp.

Yet, you look at this and you wonder how the Senators always get into trouble with a superstar player clashing with management. The Alexei Yashin drama was just getting out of the heads of some Sens die-hards and now-- it seems that Heatley is turning into Yashin 2.0. Sadly, Mike Milbury isn't around to make a horrible deal to the Sens in order for the Sens to save face. Albeit, also Yashin was his own worst enemy, Heatley isn't up to that level....yet.

While Heatley is claiming philisophical difference between him and coach Cory Clouston, did Heatley really expect things to be the same as they always were with a new coach behind the bench?? Especially considering the Sens haven't had a stable coach since Jacques Martin was given the boot. This is the fourth straight season with a new head coach to start the season for the Sens and you'd think in that time, Heatley would realize that they would be differences with the revolving door that's at the ScotiaBank Place. Though considering his numbers have been on the decline in the past two years (154 points in past two years in comparison to 208 points in first two years), maybe it's time to sell now. Sure, it's an ego hit and payroll hit due to the $4M bonus, but if he's going to continue to slide on the team, as well as be a disturbance in the locker room, let him make a deal for himself and that way everyone can be happy.

There's plenty of blame to go around for this situation to go as nuclear as it has been, with loose lips sinking ships, but ultimately, Heatley is one who is going to villified when all is said and done. He may not like the situation, but he couldn't expect that things would stay the same when he signed his six-year extension, especially in this day-in-age for the hockey business. The fact he's not willing to take a lesser role or accept change under the helm of Clouston also shows to some that he may not be a team player and is only in business for himself-- which I'm sure plenty of teams will be scrambling to get (sarcasm).

Donning my Sens fan cap for a second, I say you see what happens in the months leading up to camp. Feel out the process, while listening to offers and seeing which one would help the team out more and which Heatley would be willing to go for. If he still balks at the idea, you keep him on the roster and gauge the interest of his teammates as camp draws closer. Then you can see if he does show up to camp and go from there. If he does show up and his teammates want to see how it goes in the first part of it-- then observe and roll. If they have a pure detest for him, then hold him out of camp and see what deal you can scrounge up. Of course, should Heatley not report, then you suspend him without pay and rework as needed.

The end of this all will have everyone involved licking some sort of wound, some wounds bigger than others. Whether it's Bryan Murray, Dany Heatley, or even Cory Clouston-- there's going to be a lot of finger-pointing and armchair GMing to go around for the aftermath....if there is an aftermath.

Flags + Fire Reference = Flames Affiliate

The Abbotsford Heat, formerly the Quad City Flames and Ak-Sar-Ben Knights, are going to playing next season as the Calgary Flames affiliate. This past week, they put out their new identity which is something that was a change from the usual take the Flames jersey, paste a Flames-esque logo on the jersey, and play. Parts of that is true, but still.


As you see from the new set, the logo itself at the top is kind of....meh. Of course, the assumption that the Flames would bring back the old Atlanta Flames "A" for the jersey would have actually made sense and move some merchandise for those who love that logo and look for the Flames. In fact, looking at the logo-- it almost looks like it's a logo from a lacrosse team.

The jerseys are pretty much the Flames jerseys, but with the yellow in the Flames template being replaced with silver and the Alberta flag being replaced with the British Columbia flag, which make sense since the Heat will actually play in BC. I mean, I guess the scheme works, but you have to wonder....when has heat ever been silver?? I mean, I think heat, I think red, orange, yellow, and black as the aftermath. Maybe that's just me-- I'm old school like that.

As a whole, it's something we've come to expect from the Flames when it comes to their franchise affiliate and having something to do with the Flames name. It's been very rare that the Flames have had an affiliate without the matching named. I would have loved to see the flaming "A" on the jersey with like a Flames' template motif, minus the black on it-- just to see how it could hold up, but it is not to be. Once they take the ice, it'll be easier to judge, but now we have just take from this hope for the best later.

For the Picks, For the Fans

The Entry Draft has come and gone for another year and you can pick and choose who you want to say who picked well, who picked suspiciously, who may have given up too much, and who’s going to get the 26th pick this time around. However, this one thing I thought about was spirit of this whole thing, to steal a line from Charlestown Chiefs beat writer Dickey Dunn.

History lesson: I started going to Drafts at the ripe age of 19 in Toronto in 2002. When I got there, it wasn’t that big of a festive thing. It just seemed like some people saw something was going on and glided into the Air Canada Centre just because they had nothing better to do. The next Draft in Nashville, I wasn’t expecting much under the assumption that because if a devoted hockey market like Toronto couldn’t get up for something, what would Nashville put out??

Boy, was I wrong.

The Sommet Center was alive with fans, lots of reactions, lots of glamour, lots of just fun times by fans and media alike. Granted, after the Predators make their pick in the early first round, the mass exodus happened, but regardless—the thing was that they showed up and put Toronto to shame for turn out. The same went for Raleigh, Vancouver, Columbus, Ottawa, and this year in Montreal. The energy in a place like the Bell Centre is amazing just to have that feeling for the pick they made (Louis LeBlanc), what is this place like when there’s a playoff OT winner??

Now you have blogs blowing up at a rapid rate, you have Tweet-ups going round and round in order to get more fans connected to each other, and you have everyone getting together for a somewhat common goal. The Draft is the perfect spot to do it because not only can you meet people in your own area, but you have those coming from all over the place for a vacation to meet up with and connect with. It could be a good thing or a bad thing, just depends on how you see things at the time.

Plus, you while you have the host fans there in droves and cheering their team whilst booing their rivals, the hospitality from them are great wherever. It seems this could be the only time where the cease-fire of sort is put in place. People are at the bars drinking with each other, joking, drinking—it’s a fun time had by all until the bars close up and you go back to your homes, hotels, cars to sleep it up for the next day. It’s an event like no other for fans and seems to just grow building to building. You just have to hope that maybe, just maybe—it can keep the momentum up wherever it lands net year, which is still yet to be determined.

While it’s a great two-days for those kids getting picked and taking the next step in their hockey careers, on a personal level, it’s a great day for fans because people whom they’ve only corresponded with on emails, message boards, blog post—they are meeting for the first time and putting a personal aspect to their comments, good, bad, and indifferent. It creates for a tighter knit community, a better understand of where people are coming from, and just how much they really know when they aren’t with their statistics in front of them. Plus, it may create a light-hearted atmosphere for even the most hardened of hard-asses. Good times for all, that’s for sure.

Draft Tweeting Extrava-DANZA!!!

Hey all, I'm here from Riser 1 with JonnyP making up Team Media Riser. I'll be tweeting thoughts on Twitter rather than do it on a live blog. Check me out there at Scotty Wazz's twitter. It's fun for the whole family.....or not.

Never Go Against The Pizzeria

This is the lesson that Brent Sutter should have learned in his time in New Jersey-- you never go against the pizzeria or the family. With Sutter wanting to leave for "family reasons", everyone knew that after Mike Keenan was dismissed as Calgary coach-- odds were that he was going to head there to be with brother Darryl. Why couldn't he be upfront with people and be a straight-shooter and not try to pull the wool over people's eyes when it was blatantly obvious what was going to happen.

Frankly, I believe this to be a bad move for the Flames. There's a need for a drastic change and I don't think that bringing in another Sutter could be the cure for what ails them. Sure, it's nice to see some kind of lineage there, but this could have been time for a change in thought, a change in appeal-- but alas, we have the same gimmick we've always seen with the Flames in the past few seasons.

While Brent's numbers don't lie and his success at the junior level and to an extent when he was in New Jersey during the regular season is impressive, his inability to get the Devils out of the first round of the playoffs in each of his two seasons is something that should be disturbing to Flames' fans. Especially for a team who hasn't been out of the first round since they were in the Cup finals four seasons ago. Whether it's the players fault or the coach's fault is still something left up for debate, but the fact remains that Sutter's coaching record isn't that you would want to see when you need to get a team to that next level.

However, the one thing that Sutter could be able to do is get Dion Phaneuf back to his old self which made him a top-10 pick in 2003. Phaneuf was coached by Sutter in his years in Red Deer and Sutter was able to get the most out of the hulking defenseman, which could turn out to benefit the Flames in one aspect. What Sutter could do with Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff may be another tale, but one worth looking at right now.

Yes, another Sutter in Calgary, which could be nepotism at it's best, but it is what it is. Once Sutter said he was leaving Jersey, fact of the matter is that regardless of how much he denied, regardless of his reasons-- WE ALL KNEW what was going to happen next. That mistrust to the Devils and Lou Lamoriello may cause karma to come back to Sutter in a bad way and be the worse thing for Sutter and Flames fans when all is said and done. Had he been up front, I'm sure people would be more forgiving and allow this be the course of action; but to claim family reasons and that reason being he wanted to coach next to his brother the GM, that's a tad underhanded and a bit classless.

However, when all is said and done, should Brent fail-- there's 150 other Sutters who could be the next in Darryl's holster to take over for Brent. Of course, this assuming that Darryl would still have a job. This may be Darryl's last gimmick for the Flames and should this not pan out-- it could be curtains for the Sutter regime in Calgary.

Reg Chelios or Chris Dunlop-- You Decide

Tyler McKenna over at NHL Digest had an idea and he Twitter'd dat:

The #Habs need a Defense coach now & Chelios was let go by the #RedWings - How about player/coach Chris "Reggie Dunlop" Chelios?

Now, how far-fetched is that?? Are we at the point where we have guy who are not going to give up, so we may as well give them a coaching spot in the process to ease them into the transition of the post-playing life?? Now, Tyler said that he's joking, but at the same time-- I believe this to be a very true possibility. In fact, Chris Chelios actually created the thought of a coach behind the bench instead of on the ice when hockey first started.....true story (to steal an O&A bit; Linger Longer).

Of course, if Chelios can still play; it's not a bad idea to have him in an increased role on the team and teach some of the younger kids the small nuances of the games and position, as well as tell them about how the phonograph became so popular and how he doesn't get this new fangled iPod stuff......okay, a reach. Anyway-- you sign the guy to the league minimum and you can utilize him as a player or as a coach when/if he's injured or too tired to play.

Granted, if you're the head coach of any team, you don't want to see this. That's an awkward position to be put into as a coach to say to a guy that he's not good enough to play, but how about you stand beside me on the bench and watch the guy who is taking your spot do better than you. It seems like putting salt in the wound to make this guy watch the man taking his spot. Think of the tension that it could create through the lockerroom if that were to happen. Although, you never know if Chelios has resigned to the fact he's not going to be able to keep up with the speed of the league and may have to take this option to play some rather than none at all; though I doubt his pride will let him do that until it's the last ditch effort.

This has been able to work before in the lower-minor leagues, but I doubt it would fly in the NHL. However, if there's ever one guy to do it-- it will probably be Chris Chelios. The last player-coach in the NHL was yet another seasoned defenseman, Doug Harvey-- so history could be kind to Chelios. Yet, like Tyler-- I doubt any of this will happen, but it may be nice to see someone carry on the Reg Dunlop tradition for a new generation that may only know the "Slap Shot" heritage for the Hanson Brothers, Stephen Baldwin, and awfulness.

Playing Possum With Their Pick

By all accounts, John Tavares will most likely go #1 Overall. He seems to be the best player on the board, with the hype in full effect to help him out. Everyone seems to believe that he's the guy to go after since the Islanders need a big boost in order to get them out of the dregs of the NHL standings. But they aren't going all out by saying they'll pick-up Tavares, even insisting that they may go with the Swede Victor Hedman. Of course, the wily Matt Duchence has been mentioned as a darkhorse candidate for this #1 overall spot.

But is that such a horrible idea to keep people guessing?? Especially with the knowledge that a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning need a player like Victor Hedman on their blue line to maybe turn the corner. Plus, what will the ripple effect be if Duchence or Hedman goes before Tavares, how many strategies change, how many teams start to phone up the Bolts to see what they want for their second overall pick?? Does that make the second overall pick the most valuable in this whole draft??

Good on Garth Snow and Charles Wang for keeping their ideas close to their chest and making other teams work out scenarios in their head and working out what to do and what to offer in different situations. To be honest, how could you go wrong with any pick out there?? Tavares a total package that has been talked about for the past three years going in this positions, Hedman is a man-child who has the size and ability to step in tomorrow and head-up the defensive corp, and Duchence is an underrated player who has the skill set and all-around play that could make him beneficial to the future of an organization. Many speculate that Duchence could be picked because the Isles like what they see in him and think he could be more willing to play in Long Island than the other two.

If you're playing the odds, the Islanders would be best going with Hedman, as there hasn't been a big defensive bust since the Bruins picked Gord Kluzak in 1982 as their 1st overall pick. Of course, Kluzak's injuries were his downfall and he holds the distinction for playing the least amount of games for a 1st overall pick pre-2000 with 299 games played. Though, it seems that the defenseman spot is due for a downfall, you wonder if picked-- would the Swede be in line for a disaster, much like Kluzak who was a big, hulking defenseman (like Hedman) when he was picked. Well, it's going to have to happen first for us to get a true gauge.

Yet you have to like the secrecy, the tight-lipped portion of it all and keep it all in house until it's time. You can't really see a downside to it, because it keeps people guessing, keeps people on their toes, keeps the kids wonder and worry in anticipation. It's not a boring sure thing, which is nice at times-- but to keep the media and fans on their toes is an act of showmanship by the Isles and they could use all the attention they could get at this point.

Gimmicks Gone Wild

We all know about the 2010 Winter Classic all but certainly going to Boston's Fenway Park with the Bruins taking on either the Washington Capitals or Philadelphia Flyers. However, there seems to be not so much competition for the site, but a partner for the site as EJ Hradek first broke that the Calgary Flames could be playing a Winter Classic game at McMahon Stadium against another Canadian team.

First, I'll get my hopes up that this is true and that living in Calgary may pay off in this instance. If this does happen, you can bet I'll be trying to get some kind of entry into this, whether it be for press credentials or overpaying for a ticket, but somehow-- I'll try to get into this game.

Now, with that out of the way-- I have to say that this may be pushing the envelope of making this gimmick tolerable. The magic about the Winter Classic is that it's something that is/was exclusive to one game and two teams. If you try to throw a second game in there, doesn't it take away from the prestige of the whole thing?? You would think that if the NHL wanted to show off the game and make it special-- why can't you keep it at one game?? I know that this could be the ploy to not exclude the Canadians to this whole thing since there hasn't been an outdoor game in Canada since the Heritage Classic in 2003. Add this to the Montreal Canadiens saying they want an outdoor game-- this could be a disaster for the uniqueness of the game format.

Plus, while a game in Calgary could be nice-- the problem is that it could be anywhere from -40c/f or +14c/57f in these crazy weather times in Calgary-- it snows in June here for pete's sake. Of course, the former is more likely, which could turn into a bad thing for fans and players alike....because that's damn cold, I don't care how tough you are. I know a lot of players weren't too pleased when they had to play in Edmonton in those freezing temperatures. The case could be the same with this ordeal, if the weather is just right. Sure, it just adds to the tradition of the thing, but still-- there's a line you don't need to cross when it comes to player's health so they don't get some kind of hypothermia. Sure, that's an extreme, but should not be discounted.

If you try to overuse a gimmick, it will grow stale, it will get old, and it will not be as profitable anymore. Sure, everyone wants to see and play in an outdoor game, but if you overdo it, you'll get sick of it and want them to stop it. It's just nature of the beast and something that goes with anything in this world. The NHL needs to take heed and realize that maybe you can get too much of a good thing.

We Will See Jim Balsillie Again

Mark my words, Jim Balsillie will come back and will not rest until he gets his team.

The moxie that he possess is something that draws me in, especially when you see guys who could care less about owning a hockey club; Balsillie is a breath of fresh air. Though, his own downfall is being too anxious to own a team and usually ruins the deal by being overly aggressive. That was the case in the Phoenix Coyotes' case mostly due to the fact that the time line he put out there for a team was much too short to sort things out. However, Balsillie is getting closer and closer to getting it right, but no cigar just yet.

Frankly, had Balsillie been a little more leinent with his time line, had he been more flexible for when he wanted this to be solidified, then he probably could have gotten his team and maybe been able to move them to Hamilton. However, strong-arming the system doesn't often work out to be the best way to go about things. You have to wonder though, if the Balsillie camp will throw their hat into the ring to re-bid for the Coyotes now they could be purchased by anyone right now.

If he doesn't get back into the Phoenix gimmick, you can bet there's some owners out there that will be willing to listen to Balsillie's pitch if they are in trouble enough. The Panthers have had interests from some former baseball players, but those buyers may or may not actually be getting into the game. Plus, with Charles Wang having his regrets buying the Islanders and having issues with getting a new arena, you know that Balsillie may have been put on Wang's speed-dial now that he's a free agent prospective owner.

If Balsillie can calm down a little bit on his anxiousness, if he can be able to actually go somewhat by the way of the law, he will be fine. He got closer this time by going that route rather than the tactics he tried with the Penguins and Predators in the past. Maybe he just needs to get away from the letter P in the alphabet to be successful, since it hasn't worked for him thus far. Yet, this is another learning experience for Balsillie and his Make It Seven campaign was amazingly put together and got support very quickly and very noticeably. Balsillie is a great marketing man and a solid businessman. Right now, he just needs to have the patience to get things through to get an NHL team and he'll be perfectly fine.

I will make this prediction, which could be considered bold or obvious-- you be the judge: Jim Balsillie will be back and he will own a NHL franchise when all is said and done.

Coyotes Survive, But For How Long??

The Phoenix hockey fans got a small reprieve by Judge Redfield T. Baum saying that there wasn't enough to sort out all the legal issues before Balsillie's June 29th imposed deadline. I'll have more on Balsillie coming up later on in the week, but the fact of the matter is that Balsillie's overanxious nature to get another team in Canada is his more endearing quality, as well as his greatest enemy.

In any case, it's now time for the NHL to step up to its promise of having four bidders ready to buy the team and keep them in Phoenix. Gary Bettman and the league's legal team made a big deal about having other interest ready to keep the team where they are at. If these bids don't come down as the best for anyone-- who is to say that it's going to work out in the end. Plus, if there is a bid and the team doesn't get any better and the team continues to hemmorage money-- who's to say we won't be in this situation again five years down the road??

The thing with the Balsillie bid is that it was going to recoop most of the money that the was lost by the creditors. What's to say that these bids that have been talked about and have been flaunted by the NHL are going to be up to that kind of snuff or if they are actually going to relieve anyone of their financial heartache they suffered from the investment into the Coyotes. One of the more interesting quotes or implications from Judge Baum when it came to the other offers is that with no firm offers being out there for the team, he dismisses the bids are hearsay and may or may not even happen in the end.

So, let's say now that these bids that the NHL has made up these stories about these bids, what if there's just been guys sitting around the bar, sipping martini's saying, "Hey, if I bought the Coyotes, I'd keep them in Phoenix", to which the NHL spy took that and ran with it saying they have the money and willingness to keep the team in Phoenix. Truth be told, if there are no bids on the team by any of the suitors the NHL have said there were, how can we even believe that any of these guys had an interest to keep the team in Phoenix, much less keep the team period?? Maybe they had an interest until they saw the books and projections for the Coyotes and then started to back away slowly from it all. All the fans know is that it seems everyone is chomping at the bit to buy a team who has lost more than $300M in 13 years and keep them in their current enviroment. See how crazy that sounds??

So, here we are pretty much the same way as we started. The Coyotes are still in financial trouble, the NHL still promises a white knight to come for the Coyotes and yet no one has stepped solidly to the plate for them, though apparently they are out there. Though one could say that you can buy a team that has its financial woes and turn them into a big money maker, like the Cup Champion Penguins-- but thanks to good management the Pens were able to be built into a champion and get a wealthy investor to believe in them enough to pony up money for a new arena. I don't know if there's anyone who has looked at the books and thought this was still a solid investment when all was said and done.

This Coyotes' situation is far from over, but if what the NHL says is true-- expect bids to pick-up very shortly.....because the league wouldn't want to lose face by not delivering on some promises, right??

Final Mock Draft For 2009

Now that we're done with the Playoffs, we have three things to look forward to. First, the farce that is the NHL Awards show in Vegas, no less. Third, the Free Agent Frenzy that'll happen on July 1st, but we'll talk about the second part now-- the NHL Entry Draft. We'll have all kinds of mocks, but this right here is my final Mock Draft leading up to the June 26th Draft.

Now, clarification when scoring-- and I don't mean at home. I'm pretty much drafting for position, not so much team. Sure, I'll put why the player would be an asset to the team, but if he lands in that same slot to a different team-- I'll claim victory. I'll also claim victory if a team moves up and picks the player I had them with.

Example: If say the Winnipeg Jets were slated at 20th and I had them picking John McHockeystrom (patent pending), but the Jets trade up to 11th and still pick McHockeystrom-- big in.

Basically-- it's almost fool proof for me to get them wrong-- but I still will. I won't give any reasoning, but if you want a reason, leave it in the comments and I'll see what I can do to explain it. With out any further adieu....

1. NEW YORK ISLANDERS: John Tavares, C, London Knights (OHL)

2. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: Victor Hedman, D, MoDo (Sweden)

3. COLORADO AVALANCHE: Matt Duchene, C, Brampton Battalion (OHL)

4. ATLANTA THRASHERS: Jared Cowen, D, Spokane Chiefs (WHL)

5. LOS ANGELES KINGS: Brayden Schenn, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

6. PHOENIX COYOTES: Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson, LW, Timra (Sweden)

7. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: Nazem Kadri, C, London Knights (OHL)

8. DALLAS STARS: Evander Kane, C, Vancouver Giants (WHL)

9. OTTAWA SENATORS: Olivier Ekman-Larsson, D, Leksand (Sweden)

10. EDMONTON OILERS: Jordan Schroeder, RW, Minnesota (NCAA)

11. NASHVILLE PREDATORS: David Rundblad, D, Skelleftra (Sweden)

12. MINNESOTA WILD: Simon Depres, D, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

13. BUFFALO SABRES: Dmitri Kulikov, D, Drummondville Voltiguers (QMJHL)

14. FLORIDA PANTHERS: Ryan Ellis, D, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

15. ANAHEIM DUCKS: Zack Kassian, RW, Peterborough Petes (OHL)

16. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Scott Glennie, C, Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)

17. ST. LOUIS BLUES: John Moore, D, Chicago Steel (USHL)

18. MONTREAL CANADIENS: Peter Holland, C, Guelph Storm (OHL)

19. NEW YORK RANGERS: Jacob Josefson, C, Djurgarden (Sweden)

20. CALGARY FLAMES: Carter Ashton, LW, Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)

21. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Chris Kreider, LW, Andover Academy (USHS)

22. VANCOUVER CANUCKS: Jeremy Morin, C, US NTDP

23. NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Drew Shore, C, US NTDP

24. WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Kyle Palmeiri, C, US NTDP

25. BOSTON BRUINS: Calvin de Haan, D, Oshawa Generals (OHL)

26. NEW YORK ISLANDERS (FROM SAN JOSE): Landon Ferraro, RW, Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

27. CAROLINA HURRICANES: Nick Leddy, D, Eden Prairie (USHS)

28. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: Olivier Roy, G, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL)

29. DETROIT RED WINGS: Stefan Elliott, D, Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

30. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS: Tim Erixon, D, Skellefta (Sweden)

What's Next: Pittsburgh Penguins

Redemption.

That's one of the many things that the Penguins can take away from this season, this series, this year. From a team who looked dead in the water in February, once coaching change, a couple of trades, and this team is Stanley Cup champions. Plus, if nothing else-- Sidney Crosby gets his Stanley Cup, while the NHL and Reebok reap the benefits of him lifting the Cup.

Next season may see some minor changes for the Penguins. First off, you can imagine Petr Sykora, Bill Guerin, Miro Satan, and Ruslan Fedotenko may not be back next season, though Fedotenko may be one of the few who comes back out of the four. Plus, not to worry for the Penguins, who have one of the best one-two combos in the league in Crosby and scoring champ Evgeni Malkin in their line-up. Sure, the secondary scoring will be an issue, but Jordan Staal, Maxime Talbot, and Tyler Kennedy showed signs of scoring savvy in these playoffs and many Pens fans could hope that they can continue that into October and next season.

Defensive defense is a weak point for the Pens, with Kris Letang and Sergei Gonchar leading the rush more often than not, but the key here is whether or not they will be able to get their top defensive d-man, Rob Scuderi under contract at a reasonable price. Scuderi's stock rose through these playoffs and could be best known for the big stop in Game Six, which gave the Pens the win, for the most part. I'm sure Ray Shero will be able to talk to Scuderi and make him buy into the system and stay with the team. However, you can wonder if there will be a big push to retain the services of Hal Gill (probably not) and Philippe Boucher.

In net, M-A Fleury bounced back big time from the Game Five shelling, and won two big games in Six and Seven, with a huge save at the buzzer in Game Seven to capture the Cup. While the future of Fleury is not in doubt, who will back him up is another question. Mathieu Garon is unrestricted and you wonder if he'll be brought back or if they'll let John Curry to be the back-up for Fleury.

Last year was a start and while the parallels are being drawn to the 1984 Edmonton Oilers Cup team are being drawn and the talk of a dynasty is being brought up-- it's almost a bit of putting the cart before the horse. Let the kids cherish it now and worry about next year in October. It's hard to keep your core together when you have a salary cap to deal with, but let them savor the flavor now, and worry about the future when it comes.