Thanks For Coming Out, 2013 Minnesota Wild

After making a big splash in the summer with two big free agents landing-- the stumble the Wild had at the start of the season and then barely squeaking into the playoffs makes many wonder how much they are going to be overrated for the years to come.

Granted, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter did come along as the season happened, they both seemingly disappeared in the playoffs combining for a single point and a minus-12 rating. Of course, not many showed up for that series, seemingly-- only seven goals scored by the Wild in the five games-- but that's not the bread and butter for the Wild. Even with that, the support of P-M Bouchard and Matt Cullen helped-- but both are unrestricted free agents. Despite the Wild being under the cap as it is, they could sign both and be at the cap risking their moves during the season.

Plus, with the youth movement of Charlie Coyle and Jason Zucker coming up through the pipeline, the need to sign Cullen and Bouchard is probably not as urgent as it once could have been. Zucker did create a lot of offense, despite it not showing up in goals and assists. With having Cal Clutterbuck as a RFA, odds are Coyle and Zucker will have an advanced role next season as Bouchard and Cullen will probably be cut loose.

One of the big questions is whether or not Niklas Backstrom will be re-signed. While he did have a solid season and the health of Josh Harding and stability of Darcy Kuemper may make the Wild give him a one or two-year deal with the Wild. Nothing too long-term and something that would make him easy to unload if it comes to that point.

Going into next season, Mike Yeo will have to do a lot with the talent of the team or else he could be on his way out of there. Chuck Fletcher has done a lot to make hockey in Minnesota competitive again, but for that to happen-- he'll need to have the right person at the helm for that. Yeo may or may not be the guy for that, but if he's not-- you can bet it won't be long for Fletcher to pull the trigger on bringing in someone who can do the job the way he wants.

Minor League Silly Season: Aeros Flying North To Des Moines

Photo via AHL in Photos

Another week and another move in the AHL. According to the Star-Tribute (via Hockey Wilderness), the Minnesota Wild will uproot the Houston Aeros and move them to Des Moines, Iowa. The Wild have been unable to come to an agreement with the Toyota Center regarding a new lease for the Aeros, so they are moving to the Hawkeye State's capital.

With the Houston Aeros, it's a name that has been around since the WHA day of Gordie Howe and made a revitalization during the IHL years and moved over to the AHL during the absorption of the IHL. Not only that, but the fans have taken to the Aeros, as they rank 7th in the AHL in attendance this year and have been in the top-third of the attendance chart over the past few seasons. Moving the team is pretty interesting, especially considering they are in a big city and it is easier to get call-ups; like was stated in the HW piece.

As far as Des Moines goes, this is a city that had hockey from 2005 until 2009, first as the Iowa Stars from 2005 until 2008, then as the ever memorable Iowa Chops in the 2008-09 season. In an arena that has over 15,000 capacity for hockey, Iowa's highest average was over 5,100 in the 2005-06 season, then went downhill from there. Of course, this will be Iowa's closest parent affiliation they've had, which could draw road trips from Wild fans to see the next guys to come up to the MSP area.

Though, what does it mean for the Houston area and their loss of a hockey team?? To be honest, if there's an ownership group willing to hammer something out with the Toyota Center, the Central Hockey League may be the prime destination. With the CHL expanding to St. Charles, Missouri and Brampton, Ontario for 2013-14, it only seems right for them to move to a league with heavy ties to the South/Midwest.

Who knows how this will turn out for the Wild. If the move to Des Moines helps rejuvenate that market, then it's a smart move for them in the long-run and allows them to actually be able to keep a very close eye on them. Of course, if this doesn't work-- then many will wonder if the move was all worth it, especially if they have to move out of Des Moines after a few seasons.

Shutouts and Comebacks For Saturday Night

1st Star: Mike Fisher, NSH: OT goal

2nd Star: Pekka Rinne, NSH: 31 saves

3rd Star: Patrik Berglund, STL: 1 goal

Pekka Rinne bounced back from a rough first outing and Mike Fisher kept his hot streak alive with the game winning goal in overtime as the Predators beat the Blues. St. Louis got their first goal of the season by Patrik Berglund, while Brian Elliott stopped 26 shots.

1st Star: Corey Crawford, CHI: 18 saves, shutout

2nd Star: Marcus Kruger, CHI: 1 goal

3rd Star: Marian Hossa, CHI: 1 goal

The lowly Blue Jackets saw the lack of offense as they only mustered 18 shots on goal against the Blackhawks, making it an easy night for Corey Crawford. Marian Hossa, Marcus Kruger, and Viktor Stalberg scored for the Blackhawks in the win. 

1st Star: Niklas Backstrom, MIN: 31 saves, shutout

2nd Star: Dany Heatley, MIN: Game-winning goal

3rd Star: Ryan Suter, MIN: 1 goal

The new era in Minnesota started with a shutout, as Niklas Backstrom posted 31 saves in the winning effort. Big free agent Ryan Suter notched the insurance goal late to seal the victory. 

1st Star: Antoine Vermette, PHX: 1 goal, 1 assist

2nd Star: Martin Hanzal, PHX: 1 goal

3rd Star: Derek Roy, DAL: 1 goal

After being down 0-2, the Coyotes picked up where they left off last season with a come-from-behind victory over the Stars with two goals 1:30 apart from each other. Mike Smith made 31 saves in the victory. 

1st Star: Nikolai Khabibulin, EDM: 28 saves

2nd Star: Jordan Eberle, EDM: 1 goal

3rd Star: Daniel Sedin, VAN: 1 goal

Last second heroics, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored with five seconds left in regulation as the Oilers beat the Canucks, despite Roberto Luongo making 32 saves in the losing effort. 

Absurd Goalie Monday: Dieter Kochan

For many, you have to go through the systems in order to get to the pros, especially when bounced around before you ever start your career. However, this week's AGM went from a big leap and actually because the first player to go from so low to that high. This week, the profile of Dieter Kochan.

Born in Saskatchewan, Kochan first came into his own in Wisconsin high school, playing for the Edgewood Crusaders in the 1990-91 season, before moving to the USHL in the 1991-92 season with the Sioux City Musketeers, going 7-10-0 in 23 games that season. Kochan would move to the BCHL for the Kelowna Spartans going 34-8-0 in 44 games, then 12-3 in 15 playoff games, helping the Spartans win the BCHL and then the Centennial Cup for all of Canadian Junior A league champions.

After his Junior A venture,Kochan was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1993 Entry Draft in the fourth round. However, Kochan moved to the NCAA ranks with Northern Michigan University starting in the 1993-94 season, going 9-7-0 in 20 appearances, while in 1994-95, Kochan compiled a 8-17-3 record in 29 games. In his junior year of 1995-96 season, Kochan played in 31 games and went 7-21-2, while in his final season in 1996-97, he went 8-15-2 in 26 games.

Kochan moved to the pro ranks in the 1997-98 season with the ECHL's Louisville Riverfrogs, going 7-9-2 in 18 games. However, he would be on the move to the UHL with the BC Icemen in the 1998-99 season, going 18-16-5 in 40 games, while then going 1-2 in four playoff appearances. Also, Kochan would score a goal in a game in January against the Winston-Salem.

The 1999-2000 season was quite a busy one for Kochan, as he would start out with the Binghamton Icemen, but would bounce from there to the IHL's Orlando Solar Bears for four games (4-0-0), then to the Grand Rapid Griffins for two games (1-0-1) and then back to the Icemen before getting the call to the NHL by the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming the first goalie to go from the UHL directly to the NHL. Kochan played five games for the Bolts, going 1-4-0 before moving to the AHL's Springfield Falcons for two games (1-1-0). At the end of the season for the Iceman, Kochan went 29-11-3 for the year, getting second team All-Star honors.

The 2000-01 season settled down for Kochan, as he played primarily for the IHL's Detroit Vipers, finishing with a 13-28-3 record in 49 games, but would make 10 showings for the Lightning, going 0-3-0 in those appearances. Kochan would move up to the AHL's Springfield Falcons for most of the 2001-02 season, going 21-20-1 in 45 games; then appearing in five games for the Lightning, going 0-3-1.

Kochan signed with the Minnesota Wild organization for the 2002-03 season, playing mostly with AHL's Houston Aeros, finishing with a 15-6-3 in 25 games, while playing in one game for Minnesota, a loss.

On the move before the 2003-04 season, Kochan signed with the New York Islanders, but would be relegated to the AHL's Bridgeport Tigers-- playing in 45 games and compiling a 20-17-7 record, then 1-3 in four playoff games. However, Kochan, along with Wade Dubielwicz,won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Award for fewest goals-against in the AHL. Kochan remained in Bridgeport for the 2004-05 season, playing in 39 games and breaking even with a 19-19-0 record.

Without a job in North America, Kochan moved to Russia for the 2005-06 season for Sibir Novosibirsk, playing in only eight games. Kochan moved back to North America during the 2005-06 season, playing in 15 games for the Portland Pirates and going 9-4-1. The 2006-07 season had Kochan signing back in Houston and went 6-14-1 in 23 games for the Aeros before announcing his retirement after the season.

Kochan stayed in hockey for a bit, being the volunteer goalie coach for Michigan Tech from 2008 until 2011.

Though the orthodox route wasn't what happened with Kochan to get to the NHL, he was a guy who still hung in their rough despite not having the team around him or the record to help back him up. He had his moment to shine and will have the record to get the call from a very lower minor league to the show.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Jamie McLennan

While we seem to have a lot of commentators that have been AGMs in the past, this week's has only recently taken that step in his career. After dealing with the highs of junior success, to the fear of dying in the off-season, to the rejuvenation of his career, finally settling in with being a back-up to work horse goalies, this week's inductee has been through it all. This week, the career of Jamie McLennan.

McLennan started off by playing in the Alberta Jr. League for the Saint Albert Royals in the 1987-88 season before moving to the WHL in the 1988-89 season, first for 11 games with the Spokane Chiefs before getting traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, where he would play for seven games. The 1989-90 season had McLennan in 34 appearances and would respond well to the added time, going 20-4-2 in those games, then sporting a 6-5 playoff record in 13 games. McLennan would take the starting role in the 1990-91 season, playing in 56 games and finishing with a 32-18-4 record, then lead Lethbridge to the WHL Finals with a 8-8 record in the playoffs. McLennan would win the Del Wilson Trophy for top goaltender in the WHL.

After that season, the New York Islanders selected McLennan in the third round of the NHL Draft. That 1991-92 season saw McLennan start out in the ECHL with the Richmond Renegades, playing 32 games and going 16-12-2, while also playing in 18 games with the AHL's Capital Distrcit Islanders, going 4-10-2 in those match-ups. The 1992-93 season had McLennan staying with Capital District and appearing in 38 games with a 17-14-6 record to show for his efforts.

For the 1993-94 season, McLennan split his time between the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the IHL for 24 games (8-12-2), as well as getting into 22 games in the NHL with the Islanders, finishing with a 8-7-6 record. The 1994-95 season had McLennan in the Islanders line-up for 22 games after the lockout happened, going 6-11-2; but would spend the last part of the season with the IHL's Denver Grizzlies, going 3-0-1 in four regular season games, then going 8-2 in 11 playoff games, helping the Grizzlies win the Turner Cup. The 1995-96 season was a whirlwind for McLennan, playing on Long Island for 13 games (3-9-1), then 14 for the Utah Grizzlies in the IHL (9-2-2), then 22 for the AHL's Worcester Ice Cats (14-7-1), but it would be the off-season that would really make things interesting for McLennan.

While on his way back from Salt Lake City, Utah to his home in Edmonton, Alberta; he stopped in Lethbridge, Alberta to visit family. While in Lethbridge, McLennan got sick and went to the hospital thinking he had the flu. However, on further testing, it turned out McLennan had contracted bacterial meningitis and, had he not been treated, would have died. After spending a week in intensive care and on a heavy dose of antibiotics, he was released in good health.

Yet, the Islanders didn't re-sign McLennan, which allowed the St. Louis Blues to pick him up in the summer of 1996. The 1996-97 season had McLennan in the AHL with the Worcester Ice Cats, playing in 39 games with an 18-13-4 finishing record, then going 2-2 in the playoffs. McLennan was able to make the Blues' roster in the 1997-98 season, backing up Grant Fuhr, and playing in 30 games with a 16-8-2 record to show. Coming back that season allowed McLennan to win the Bill Masterton Trophy for dedication and perseverance to the sport of hockey. The 1998-99 season saw McLennan play in 33 games with the Blues, but finished with a 13-14-4 record, while he would only get 19 games in the 1999-2000 season, finishing with a 9-5-2 record.

With the Expansion Draft, McLennan was picked up by the Minnesota Wild, where he would play in 38 games, but would go a dismal 5-23-9. Due to that season, McLennan was sent to the AHL's Houston Aeros for the 2001-02 season, where he would go 25-18-4 in 51 games.

During the 2002 Draft, McLennan was traded to the Calgary Flames for a ninth-round pick. McLennan in the 2002-03 season went 2-11-4 in 22 games for the Flames that first year. The 2003-04 season was better in Calgary for McLennan, who went 12-9-3 in 26 games. McLennan was traded to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline that year with Blair Betts and Greg Moore for Chris Simon, while McLennan would only play four games with a 1-3-0 record.

When the lockout happened in the 2004-05 season, McLennan went to Great Britain to play with the Guildford Flames for three games, winding up with a 2-1-0 record to show in the regular season, then a 4-3 record in seven playoff games.

When the NHL returned in the 2005-06 season, McLennan signed with the Florida Panthers, where he would be behind Roberto Luongo for the season, only seeing 17 games during the season finishing with a 2-4-2 record.

McLennan signed with the Calgary Flames again for the 2006-07, where he would only play in nine games, finishing with a 3-5-1 record. However, how he ended his NHL career was memorable. McLennan was in a playoff game for the Flames against the Red Wings for 18 seconds-- in which he slashed Johan Franzen in the stomach, for which he was suspended five games. He would not play in the NHL again.

The 2007-08 season had McLennan go overseas, first having a five week stint with Russian Elite League's Metallurg Magnitogorsk, then going to play with the Nippon Paper Cranes of the Asian Hockey League, where he would appear in 17 games before retiring.

Post playing career, McLennan was a goaltending and assistant coach for the Calgary Flames for a couple of season, but would move onto the media world in 2010-- first writing a column for The Hockey News, then moving on the NHL on TSN staff.

He's been up, he's been down, and he faced death-- but the man they call "Noodles" always took things light-heartedly and was a guy who was upbeat according to his teammates. His personality helped him get jobs in the league, as well as now in the media side of things.

On the Topic Of Mascots

As the Draft is being revealed as heading to Pittsburgh for June 2012, there needed to be some shuffling of scheduling for the Consol Energy Center. One of which was a "Furries" Convention that needed to be pushed a week earlier. If you're not familiar with the "Furries" craze....then read up on it at the link.

Not only is that kind of amusing to me, but it made me wonder about mascots and how fun it would be if the mascots actually picketed outside during the FanFest wondering where the convention was and why they weren't notified.

In any case, since it's August and not much is going on out there-- this is a post on mascots that are my favorite-- sans Boomer, because I've already done something about him before.

1. Harvey the Hound-- You always got to love the first in any movement and Harvey is the first mascot in the NHL. Introduced in 1983, Harvey has been most noticeable for having his tongue ripped out by then Oilers' coach Craig MacTavish. Plus, the fact they use-- I guess-- a rescue dog for the Flames and he doesn't have a shirt on.....makes it even more interesting. Good on Harvey for being the first and most unusual-to-the-team-name mascot.

2. Badaboum-- This was the mascot of the Quebec Nordiques and it almost seemed like the starting for the Quebecors to actually have crazy muppet-esque mascots for their representation. Sadly, Badaboum did not make the trek to Colorado and could make a comeback (doubtful) if there's a team that relocates to Quebec City.

3. Youppi-- To continue with the Quebec theme, the Canadiens' mascot could be the most versatile, as Youppi was the iconic mascot of the Montreal Expos; but when they moved to Washington, DC-- the Habs picked up the pieces and kept the tradition of the Expos alive. They have the retired Expos numbers in the rafters and brought over Youppi in order to kept that tradition alive.

4. Stormy-- A hog shouldn't correlate with a hurricane, but it does in Raleigh. You see, the Hurricanes could have been called the Ice Hogs because of the all the hog farms in North Carolina. Yet, it still makes me laugh that a hog is the mascot of the Hurricanes-- but it's probably better than anything they could have come up with otherwise.

5. Nordy-- While I did say once that he was an odd looking mascot-- you have to respect the Wild's mascot. Not only is he half-bear, half-fox, half-man (ManBearFox??), but he has a mullet. Any mascot that can rock the mullet is alright in my books, even if they look freaky as hell and make people cock their heads to the sides wondering what it is.

That's my five-- and while these choices aren't like the NHL Guardians, it's a little more family friendly and unique to the team at each turn. Some have a lot to do with the team, some do not-- but the ones that do not are the best because of the guessing game of why they actually exist.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Manny Fernandez

Jumping back into the modern day this week with a guy who kind of has a tie-in to the past few weeks in the NHL. He made his name in the location where the NHL Draft was held this year, then he ended his career in the home of the new Stanley Cup Champions. This week, we look at the career of Manny Fernandez.

The hike to the top for Fernandez began with playing Midget AAA with the Lac St-Louis Lions, while going 13-5-0 in 20 games. Fernandez would be bump up to the QMJHL in the 1991-92 season, playing with the Laval Titan and appearing in 31 games with a 14-13-2 record, then going 3-5 in nine playoff game. Fernandez would be drafted that summer by the Quebec Nordiques in the third round. The 1992-93 season would be a solid one for Fernandez, first going 26-14-2 in 42 games; then running off a 12-1 record in the playoffs-- helping the Titan to the QMJHL title and the Memorial Cup, where he'd go 2-3 in those five games. Fernandez would win QMJHL Playoff MVP for his solid record with the Titan. Fernandez had another solid season in 1993-94, going 29-14-1 in 51 games with Laval, then going 14-5 in 19 playoff games; though losing in the Finals. Even with the lose, they were the Memorial Cup host and again Fernandez would go 2-3, losing in the Final. Even with the playoffs; Fernandez was QMJHL's MVP and would be on the First Team All-Star squad.

During the 1994 trade deadline, Fernandez's right were traded from the Nordiques to the Dallas Stars for Shjon Podein and a pick that would turn out to be Chris Drury. With the change of scenery; Fernandez would jump into the pro ranks in the 1994-95 season with the IHL's Kalamazoo Wings and going 21-10-9 in 41 games, while going 10-2 in 14 playoff games. Fernandez would also appear in one game for the Stars, which was a loss. The 1995-96 season had Fernandez sticking with the now rename Michigan K-Wings, playing in 47 games with 22-15-9 record, but going only 5-1 in six playoff games. Again that year, Fernandez would move up to the Stars, but for five games and a 0-1-1 record. It was a shaky 1996-97 season for Fernandez, only posting a 20-24-2 record in 48 games, then 1-3 in four playoff games. Yet, the 1997-98 season was a bounce-back year, as Fernandez would go 27-17-5 with five shutouts; then going 0-2 in the playoffs. Again, Fernandez would play in Dallas for two games with a 1-0-0 record. Fernandez would shift to the Houston Aeros of the IHL for the 1998-99 season, going 34-6-9 in 50 games before going 11-8 in 19 playoff games; helping the Aeros win the Turner Cup. Fernandez had a loss in his only appearance for the Stars.

The Dallas Stars finally gave Fernandez a chance as a back-up for Ed Belfour in the 1999-2000 season, going 11-8-3 in 24 games, then having a no-decision in his only playoff appearance.

Fernandez would be pushed out by the up-and-coming Marty Turco, so Dallas trade Fernandez along with Brad Lukowich to the newly formed Minnesota Wild for some draft picks. The 2000-01 season had Fernandez split time with Jamie McLennan, but Fernandez was the better of the two with a 19-17-4 record in 42 games. Fernandez would split time with Dwayne Roloson in the 2001-02 season, getting in 44 games and finishing with a 12-24-5 record. With Roloson excelling, Fernandez would be relegated to back-up for 2002-03, compiling a 19-13-2 in 35 games, then appearing in nine playoff games with a 3-4 record. Yet again for the 2003-04 season, Fernandez was the "1b" and would get in only 37 games with a 11-14-9 record at the end of it all.

The lockout brought Fernandez to Lulea HF in Sweden for 19 games that year, but when the NHL returned, Fernandez would be the top goalie in Minnesota. The 2005-06 season was Fernandez's best yet finishing with a 30-18-7 record in 58 games. Even still, due to another goalie coming through the ranks (Niklas Backstrom), Fernandez had to split his time in 2006-07, finishing with a 22-16-1 record in his 44 appearances. With a solid team all around, Fernandez and Backstrom would win the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals-against in the NHL.

Unhappy with the playing time, Fernandez would be traded by Minnesota to the Boston Bruins for Petr Kalus. However, the first season in Boston (2007-08) was a horrific one, as he would only play in four games with a 2-2-0 record, as he would have both back and knee surgeries, as he was recovering. Fernandez bounced back in the 2008-09 season, though a back-up to Tim Thomas; playing in 28 games with a 16-8-3 record, playing enough games to win the Jennings Trophy again. After that year, without a contract, Fernandez faded into the darkness without a formal retirement.

It seemed that he could never get a fair shake, with prolonged time in the minors and having to split the time with other goalies-- Fernandez never seemed to get the confidence boost to really show how he could perform. Even when he did, it seems he got undermined one way or another. Even still; there's a lot for him to remember and a lot of other trophies that came his way-- which can't be all that bad in the end.

Friday Five: Skating and Fighting are Two Things Goalies Do

It's been quite the odd week coming out of All-Star Weekend, which seemed to give a nice punch in the arms to the traditional ASG. Plus, we saw others going back onto the IR after another a poor decision-- which is something you could say throughout his career.

1. Rick DiPietro is back on the IR with facial fractures and knee swelling. How's that make everyone feel??

You have to feel bad for DiPietro, but when you see him make a poor decision like fighting with 17 second left in the game-- you kinda knew something like this would come from it. The knee swelling is nothing new, though and odds are he would probably be out a bit from that, but when he got lit up by Brent Johnson-- you knew it was just a matter of time before this news would come out. Worse off, Evgeni Nabokov still sits-- which maybe isn't a bad thing. As friend of FOHS, Anthony pointed out-- Nabby could ruin the Isles lottery chances if he played out of his mind and got the Isles on a little run-- which would make the Isles fans hate him more.

2. Which was more unlikely to see-- goalie race at the skills competition or the goalie fight??

Both are very rare and should be looked at in awe. However, it's more likely to get the goalie fight than to have a goalie race, that is only one race and happens once-a-year, if the Olympics to see. Even so, unless the games get out of hand-- we won't get a goalie fight in the NHL all that often, because we haven't seen one since 2007 in the regular season. Oddly enough, I liked both sides of things, but the race was more of a dance-off, where the fights are actually settling things once and for all. But the goalie race is all but a guarantee for ASG weekend now, but goalie fights are much more unlikely in the NHL.

3. After this All-Star Weekend, how much more of a change can we expect out of future events??

There will probably be some adjustments to some of the events during the Skills session, but in the end not much will be needed to be changed. The NHL did a lot of tinkering and it seemed to work on an idea that many hate because of the fact it's not real competition. When all is said and done-- the atmosphere was right, the festivities were great by all accounts, and things worked out well. To be honest, I believe you have to have the ASGs in places that are not hardcore hockey moments,

4. With the retirement of Craig Conroy, have we seen the last of the non-cliched players in the league??

I don't think we'll see one that was a good as Conroy. We have the Sean Avery and BizNasty types, but people hate him. It'll be a long time before we see a likable guy who doesn't throw out cliche lines again. With all the media training some people get in juniors and such-- a lot of guys lose their personality and only the muckers and grinders have personality-- but not many care for what they have to say because they're trying to put themselves over. Maybe PK Subban will carry the torch, but odds are he'll get roped in before he could actually make the dent Conroy did.

5. While the Bolts jerseys are getting pans and praised-- are there any jerseys that you hated or liked, then had a change of heart??

First and foremost, I hate the Caps new Edge jerseys when they first came out; as I mentioned when in Sombrero Guy's hotel room before we went to the Draft in Columbus. Yet, I love the Caps unis, especially the weagle patch. I think I finally came around to the Minnesota Wild's Christmas jerseys they use, as I did with the Atlanta Thrashers' baby-blue jerseys with the one-sleeve. At first I liked the Ducks' jerseys when they dropped the "mighty"-- but I turned on them when I thought there were really plain and then realized their alternates are what they should have done. Pretty sure that's all, but probably much more.

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And that's another week in the books. If you have questions or idea-- email me Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com and give me some ideas or whatever. If you don't-- same clap-trap you get every week.

Next Western Winter Classic

The Winter Classic has come to a close for another year, so we now speculate on where it's going to be held next. There's been two Eastern Conference Classic's in the past two seasons, so you have to believe that there needs to be a Western Conference Classic coming up, though many of the East Coast biases would say the Heritage Classic in Calgary denotes one.

Regardless, the no-brainer is either a Colorado Avalanche at Coors Field or Minnesota Wild at TCF Bank Stadium or Target Field location for the next Winter Classic. Both are very hockey mad cities, both have the climate to be able to hold a Winter Classic (though this year's showed that the NHL ice crew can do anything in any climate), and there's a rivalry that each team could have. In fact, I think it's a great idea to have the two teams face off against each other; mostly so we don't have a repeat team.

However, the idea of a Minnesota Wild and Dallas Stars game isn't horrible, if you put the Avs and Wild against each other, it's the two US teams from the Northwest Division, who get lost in the coverage because of the fact they are in with three other Canadian teams and play at insane times for being on the West Coast. Minnesota's hockey resume definitely speaks for itself, while Colorado is a two-time Cup winner and have had a lot of greats and future greats pass through their organization. It's a great display of good young talent out there.

That said, many would want to have the Winter Classic contain someone like the Detroit Red Wings or Chicago Blackhawks again, or even the Los Angeles Kings in order to get some ratings in, but sadly-- it's not always about ratings. Especially against a Pens/Caps Winter Classic which drew the best NHL ratings in 36 years. You cannot top something like that and you should put this gimmick to bed on a high-note-- but you won't because it's a great revenue generator and could be a reason to spotlight young teams who wouldn't normally get the big TV coverage.

The bottom line, the next Winter Classic has to be out west. If the idea of this is to truly grow the game, get past the Mississippi River once and a while and get those teams some TV time on the big stage. Also, no repeats-- because....come on, what fun is that if you keep having the Red Wings or Penguins or Capitals or Blackhawks in this game??

(Let it be known, I'm all for a Boise State Bronco Stadium game with the Phoenix Coyotes wearing the Winnipeg Jets blue's while on the blue turf.)

Affiliates Moving On Up

There seems to be an interesting trend that is coming to light recently. While games have been taken away from some NHL fans due to European travels and outdoor games; they have seemingly had some kind of reprive in the former of future players in their organization.

Starting tonight (December 30th), the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be one of three teams that will take the ice of their parent club. The Baby Pens will take on the Hershey Bears (the Washington Capitals AHL affiliate) at the Consol Energy Center, mostly as a lead-up to the main event on Saturday between the parent clubs. There's also a NCAA game there. However, me looking between the lines as I do-- this could be a way to give another game of revenue that is going to be missed from the arena due to the outdoor game on New Year's.

Subsequently, two other teams in the AHL will be doing the same thing. The Houston Aeros will be playing at the Xcel Energy Center on February 12th (NOTE: Thanks to Ms. Conduct from The Third Intermission for correcting this saying it's on the 13th, because a double hitter was a goofy idea) against the Peoria Rivermen as part of a day/night double-hitter, as the Wild play that night against the Blues (another NHL/AHL affiliation tilt). A few days later on the 18th, the Abbotsford Heat will be playing at the ScotiaBank Saddledome against the Oklahoma City Oil Barons in a mini-Battle of Alberta game, as the Barons are the Edmonton Oilers affiliate.

While this might seem just like a reasoning to get fans in the area more away of their AHL talent, the Wild played two games in Helsinki to open the season, one being a home game; while the Flames are playing in the Heritage Classic. It may seem like a long-shot opinion, but these AHL teams coming into the parent city could be a ploy to actually regain that lost home date in the arena and generate some more bucks.

While that's not a bad thing at all, it does seem to have a trickle down effect. Since these AHL teams are going to play in another arena, the fans at the AHL level lose a game because of it-- which isn't the best way to keep fans around. Even the most loyal of fan has to be peeved at something like. Houston is in the top-five of AHL average attendance (5,766), which has to sting a bit for their fans considering that driving to Minnesota probably isn't an option at all. In the case of the Penguins, whom are sixth (5,750), they could drive there to make up for it and see the new arena, but who knows the means some fans may have, especially with the holiday season being as it is. The Abbotsford Heat are in the bottom-five in attendance (3,382), so it could actually give them a boost when you think about it.

Even so, it's kind of a rough situation to try and pull off. It's good in some aspect, like fans who may not be as close to their prospects actually getting a live look at them, bringing in some exposure to them, and the players who get to experience what it feels like to be in The Show atmosphere if they haven't gotten a taste yet. However, it's definitely bad when fans have to lose a game at home because of one situation to another. And who knows what could happen if the ECHL team wants to play in the AHL arena and so on. The trickle-down theory could be in effect.....but doubtful, just my hypothesis.

In the end, it's all about the parent club getting some revenue in order to maybe keep the affiliate around and be able to generate interest in the home fan base for the minor league team. It definitely should peak the interest in those who aren't going to pay the NHL prices to see some good hockey in their NHL barn. Who knows if this trend will continue for teams that lose a home game or for teams who just want to get an extra date in their barn. As of yet, the other teams who participated in the overseas Premiere games (Boston, Carolina, Columbus, Phoenix, or San Jose) have yet to announce their AHL affiliate playing in their arena

Absurd Goalie Monday: Zac Bierk

While some of these AGMs are known for having one good year or being a notable back-up or even being the first for something, this week's AGMs is known for being a part of a famous family. Granted, his brother is the most notable of the family-- his does have some very interesting linage. Of course, that didn't translate too well on the ice, but still-- this week, we profile Zac Bierk.

To get it out of the way, Bierk's family is led by his late father David Bierk who was an accomplish painter in North America, while four of his brothers went on to become artist, his sister becoming an actress, and his other brother becoming Sebastian Bach, former lead singer of the band Skid Row. Thus, to say Bierk went off the beaten path is an understatement.

Bierk's career started off with his hometown junior team, the Peterborough Petes in the OHL for the 1993-94 season. While he would only get nine games in as a back-up to Chad Lang, he got his first taste of what it'll be like on a big stage, but went 0-4-2 in those games. Bierk would see more time behind Lang in the 1994-95 season, with 35 appearances and a 12-15-5 record; including getting the bulk of the time in the playoffs, going 2-3 in six games. With Bierk's performance, he would be selected in the 9th Round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1995 Draft. That would boost Bierk's confidence, as he would get the starting role in the 1995-96 season, which would lead to great things in his 58 games, finishing with a 31-16-6 record. Bierk also let the Petes to the OHL Championship, going 14-7 in his 22 games played. As the Petes would go to the Memorial Cup, they would get to the final, but lost to Granby of the QMJHL. In the 1996-97 season, it would be hard to top for Bierk, but he did his best; going 28-16-0 in 49 games, but went 6-5 in the playoffs, losing in the second round. Bierk would win the OHL Goaltender of the Year, Leo Lalonde Trophy for best overager, and first team OHL all-star.

With the success he had the previous year, Bierk would hope to parlay that to the pros in the 1997-98 season, heading to the Adirondack Red Wings for 12 games in the beginning of the season, going 1-6-1 before getting recalled by the Lightning in January of 1998 and would see 13 games, mostly as a replacement, going 1-4-1 for the year on the dismal Bolts team. The 1998-99 season would see Bierk in the IHL with the Cleveland Lumberjacks for the majority of the season, backing up Derek Wilkinson. Bierk would play in 27 games and come away with a 11-12-4 record, though he had a .914 save percentage for his troubles. Bierk would be recalled by Tampa and see one game of action, taking the loss. The 1999-2000 season would be up and down season for Bierk, as he would split time in both Tampa and in the IHL with the Detroit Vipers. While in Detroit, Bierk would play 15 games with a 4-8-2 record, while he would fare better in Tampa, going 4-4-1 in his 12 games there.

Though he did shoe promise, the Lightning left Bierk unprotected in the Expansion Draft and he would be picked up by the Minnesota Wild. However, Bierk would only see on game in Minnesota (a loss) and would spend the majority of the 2000-01 season with the Lumberjacks again. He would get a bulk of the games, playing 48 games and winding up with a 24-18-5 record, leading the Lumberjacks to the playoffs, but he would go 0-3 in the playoffs.

Bierk would be a free agent and get signed by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2001 off-season. It would back to the drawing board, as Bierk would wind up in the ECHL with the Augusta Lynx, getting only 30 games in due to hip surgery. Yet, in those 30 games, Bierk would go 16-9-3 and get a call-up the AHL's Springfield Falcons for a game, a loss. Bierk would bounce back and forth, racking up miles between Phoenix and Springfield (Mass.) for the 2002-03 season. While in Springfield, Bierk would go 6-4-1 in 13 games there, then going to Phoenix and compiling a 4-9-1 record in 16 games-- though the one tie is one for the books.

It was Bierk's second game with the Coyotes as he went up against the Chicago Blackhawks on January 8th, 2003. At the other end, Michael Leighton, who was in his rookie season. Both goalies played amazingly and the game would end in the 0-0 tie. It was the first time in NHL history that two goalies would record their first shutouts in the same game. Just another little AGM fun fact.

Bierk would be hampered with more hip issues, being sidelined for 50 games in the 2003-04 season due to a strained hip flexor. That would only allow him to play two games in Springfield (0-1-1) and four games in Phoenix (0-1-2) before he would hang up the pads at only at age 28.

The last known whereabouts for Bierk was the Team Shutout Goalie School in Brampton, Ontario, where he was coaching the students there.

If nothing else, Bierk took the road less traveled by the rest of his family members and did very well heading into the professional ranks. Then, he kind of got stuck with some not-so-good teams and then hampered with injuries, thus making him retire before the age of 30. Though, if nothing else, he can get into his brother's shows whenever he wants to-- so that's something.

Friday Five: Up Again, Down Again

This week was quite uneventful in terms of news outside of some of the cuts and injuries to some of the teams, so why not go ahead and discuss that in a nice little place, for sure.

1. With the injury to Josh Harding, can the Wild survive with a rookie back-up??

First, Josh Harding has some of the worst hockey luck ever, that freak injury cementing the argument, for sure. Second, I think that the Wild will wait and see what happens with Niklas Backstrom and how he's able to get back into the groove after a bit of a down year for him. Should he falter a bit, then they'll see what Anton Khudobin is able to handle-- and I think he'll be able to get some chances before the Wild go out and get someone like Jose Theodore or try to trade for a goalie at that point. It's very possible that Khudobin can carry the limited load he gets, but it also depends on how the rest of the team is doing in order to properly gauge what to do in net. If the team isn't doing much to help out, then they may as well stay with what they have because regardless of what happens; it won't help much if the team isn't doing much.

2. Is there anything good that can come out of all the injuries the Islanders have suffered??

It's not like all is lost, but losing Kyle Okposo for half a season and Mark Streit for mostly all of the season; it's a hard hit from it all. Sure, they already have John Tavares to anchor most of the offense, Josh Bailey, Rob Schremp, and Matt Moulson will chip in here and there, plus Nino Niederreiter will get a nice look, but it'll be interesting to see if the Isles will use up a year on his contract for this year or play it safe and send him back to the WHL. If nothing else, the Islanders could play spoiler; as no one is suspecting them to do much of anything and be the underdogs who come up big.

3. Is there anything that can get Jonathan Cheechoo back into a wanted player on any team??

Personally, I believe it's a mental game for Cheechoo to get over before he can be free-wheeling again. He had a Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals in a season under his belt, but since then-- his goals and points stats have gone down. There has to be some kind of block because it wasn't like he was a scrub while developing to have one good year of glory; but if he gets a comfortable situation and actually has chemistry with his team-- then he should be golden. However, I don't think he'll be able to get a fair shake due to the buzz around him and the microscope. Dallas could have been a great fit, but it seems they didn't think the same-- especially since they have one underachiever in Fabian Brunnstrom to deal with.

4. Any surprises so far from the first couple of round of cuts??

In Phoenix, I was taken a-back that Mikkel Boedker was sent to the AHL, but he'll most likely be a shuttle player for a bit until someone gets injured. But there's not much in terms of shock value in terms of cuts. Teams are going to go by the book and with the guys they have signed just due to most of the cap issues (self-imposed or league-imposed) and you won't see many guys who will be a surprise and crack the line-up unless they're on a lesser team. You can see the guys in Edmonton and Toronto doing it and making noise, just because they're the stars of the future-- today!!

5. Who returns to the NHL first: Sheldon Souray or Wade Redden??

That's a tough call, as both are really shunned by their teams and the rest of the NHL it seems. However, if I'm going to go out on a limp, I'll have to say Redden is going to be the guy who shows back in the NHL first. He seems like a guy who's accepting of his position being sent down and really not making a big commotion about how he's been received and treated by the Rangers brass. Whether it be through trade or re-entry waivers; he'll be back well before Souray because it seems Souray will cost a pretty penny for a bigger risk (injury and personal), even though he could provide a bigger reward. Redden should be back before Souray because he seems more willing to just go with the flow.

That said, if the contract issue was something to look at, Souray would be a better bet because he has two less years on his contract and the whole upside on him will outweigh the downside....if you think that's a good fit for the team and if you treat him good enough that he doesn't run the organization down during the summer.

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If you have an idea for questions or a theme for the F5, don't be afraid to email me at Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com to get your ten-cents in (your two-cents is free) and be an interactive part of TSOoA. Plus, if you don't like what you read and didn't contribute-- you can't really complain because you slacked in participation. So there-- I'm not responsible for the F5 sucking.

Twitiocy on Parade

There's a reason why I don't follow many pro athlete's on Twitter...and Dan Ellis proved that to me last night during his debacle last night, which is documented well on the Amazing Greg Wyshynski's page and on Sens Town, who has a very detailed account of what happened.

Long and the short of it, Ellis was referring to Reggie Bush referring to the NFL CBA and Ellis mistakenly decided to parlay that to his own life and career. First off, you can't compare the money coming in from the NFL to the NHL, so that's where Ellis should have just stopped sympathizing since he knows not of the NFL players and junk like that. Second, you KNOW when you're going to talk about losing money in this economy and in your profile; you won't get any slack-- especially after bragging about getting a Jaguar.

All of this comes on the heel of another jobber, Paul Bissonnette, comes back to Twitter in some kind of triumphant, Family Guy/Futurama revival to those who actually follow him. Of course, you know of his forte about leaving Twitter when he made a pretty shaky comment about the Ilya Kovalchuk contract. Since coming back, he's been talking about the homeless and all that other stuff; which-- if you enjoy that with the occasional shock-value humor, by all means enjoy. I'm not down for the fact I don't find him interesting or entertaining; but to each their own.

This display, coupled with the Martin Havlat episode we've seen in the past, is probably the reason why having this kind of access to the players isn't as fancy as it's cracked up to be. Aside from the fact they really don't have too much fascinating to say, gems like Ellis's comes up and really put out some kind of uproar. Sure, there's guys like Mike Commodore and Mike McKenna, who really don't do too much shocking on Twitter, but do provide some decent "tweeting" when they do it; Commodore about horse-racing and other assorted things, while McKenna actually is pretty solid on open-wheel racing and about the goaltending science during his season. They provide some kind of entertainment, without having to try all that hard to do it.

There's many who talk about media training, but you can bet that now social media will be apart of that now, if it isn't already. It should especially be for hockey players, who seem to put themselves out there a lot more and get a lot more heat for doing so in the process. I mean, when's the last time Martin Havlat had a tweet about his goings on?? The answer is February 16th. That shows that either he (a) has nothing to say or (b) doesn't really care too much about putting himself out there. If it's B, then by all means-- don't do it. You aren't going to look any better if you put yourself out there online over putting yourself out there in-person.

Sure, this will soon blow over; but the damage done and the disconnect that has happened because of it will not be soon forgotten, especially by those with long memories and long caring. You have to wonder what kind of heckling (if any) will be done and have kind of damage control that the Tampa PR will have to do in order to get things right; especially if there's people who are up and arms, trying to cancel season tickets to the Bolts due to this. That's the people who you have to mostly feel sorry for, the ones who have to clean up the mess left by someone who thought it was right to say what they did, but forgot that it's being broadcasted to the world.

Last Teams to Retire One

Since it's the dog days of summer and the announcement of Rod Brind'Amour's number 17 being retired by the Carolina Hurricanes, it made me get into The Hockey News' "Greatest Jersey of All Time" issue and look at the teams who don't have any numbers retired. Since all the teams have been in the league for 10 seasons, it's about time to look at who could be hanging from the rafters of the eight teams who don't have numbers retired.

ANAHEIM DUCKS: While the obvious guys like Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, and J-S Giguere will be seeing their numbers hanging from the Honda Center when their careers are done; the candidate now will probably be Guy Hebert, who was the first "face" of the organization. He may not have had the best stats, he was the guy who backstopped those expansion years and held down the fort for the most part.

ATLANTA THRASHERS: The odd part about the Thrashers is that all the big names are nowhere close to retirement and kind of left on shaky terms (read: Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk), so it's hard to figure out who could be next. While Dan Snyder's number was not officially retired, just taken out of circulation; maybe Ray Ferraro could be considered since he was one of the first bigger name players to start off the Thrashers' appeal. If not, Slava Kozlov may not be too far off from retiring and could be the first to have his number officially put up there.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: There's no question that David Vyborny should be the first guy have his number retired. Vyborny was on the original Blue Jackets roster and stayed there until he was done his NHL career and went home to his homeland in the Czech Republic. As it is right now, he's at the top of the Blue Jackets' all-time points, albeit they've only been around for ten seasons....still. If there's one guy who deserves to be there, it's the OG of the Jackets.

FLORIDA PANTHERS: While you have plenty of guys viable, mostly from the 1995-96 team (Scott Mellanby, Brian Skrudland), but there was no one more of a face to that team than John Vanbiesbrouck. He was a big reason the Panthers got to where they did in their Cup run and really one of the first names that came out of the expansion team and made them successful from the start of their organization.

MINNESOTA WILD: While they did the hack retirement of the #1 for the fans, Wes Walz should be the first official and proper number retired. Like Vyborny, Walz was with the Wild from the start and he was someone who encompassed the team by playing hard-nosed and being the little guy who clawed to get where he needed to be. He was much beloved, as well-- which should help the process along.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: When he retires, expect David Legwand to have his number retired, but beforehand, maybe look at Cliff Ronning for the first to go to the rafters or even the first captain Tom Fitzgerald. An dark horse could be Mike Dunham, but I don't think he left too much of a mark, but maybe more than Ronning and Fitzgerald.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: While Doug Wilson was the first captain, Arturs Irbe and Owen Nolan could be prime candidates as the first to be retired, Nolan having to wait until he's actually done with the game for it to happen. Maybe with Sandis Ozolinsh being an outside guy to steal the first Sharks being raised. You could make a point for Jeff Friesen for his time in the Shark Tank, but that would be a little odd considering what he did after he left the Sharks.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: The toss-up for the Bolts could be between Dave Andreychuk and Brian Bradley. Andreychuk was the guy who captained the Bolts to their only Cup championship to this point, but he wasn't the offensive force that Bradley was in his tenure with the Bolts. He turned it on when he got to Tampa and really showed what he had, albeit on a weak team. Even so, I think Bradley should get consideration first for overall achievements with the team.

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There could be a debate for the Ottawa Senators, who retired Frank Finnigan's #8 from the non-expansion days, but don't know how the people feel about that; so I didn't include them.

This is the time where you have to dig into the bag for things to ponder and during retirement season, it's a good choice to wonder about who could be the next going to the rafters. Especially when you have so many teams worrying about the "what have you done for me lately" ideal when it comes to retiring numbers rather than overall to the franchise.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Bob Mason

There's not much else to say about why this week's was chosen for the AGM. However, I do remember back in the day, I did have the buttons of both Capitals goalie that the booster club was giving out. One was Don Beaupre and the other was this week's inductee, who has plenty of success as a 1b or back-up and then in the minors-- but he'll be remembered mostly for being the goalie who was the loser in one of the longest overtime playoff games ever. This week, we give to you-- Bob Mason.

Mason started off his career path with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in the 1981-82 season, where he overtook the starting role over Jon Downing and played 26 games 9-15-3 for his freshman year, but got a bigger role in his sophomore year, where he came into his own. Mason played 43 games games going 26-16-1 with a 3.49 GAA . Mason was able to get the Bulldogs into the NCAA tournament, but couldn't get out of the first round. His season was able to get Mason WCHA MVP and First-Team All-Star honors for his year.

Mason got noticed by the United States National Team, who was preparing for the 1984 Olympics. Since the team had to be full of amateurs, Mason couldn't sign on with anyone and leave school to take the position. Mason took the call and played on the National Team for the 1983-84 season, going 17-10-5 with a 2.82 GAA in 33 games. In Saravejo, Mason backed-up Mark Behrend and played three games and went 1-0-1. After his strong college and international performance, Mason got signed as a free agent in late February of 1984 by the Washington Capitals. Mason played two games for the Capitals at the end of the season going 2-0-0, then was sent to the AHL's Hershey Bears going 1-4-0 in five games.

At the start of the 1984-85 season, Mason started off with the Binghamton Whalers of the AHL, but got a solid call-up in November of 1984 for the Capitals. Mason won eight game straight during his call-up and 8-2-1 with a 2.81 GAA for the season. With the Whalers, Mason went 10-6-1 in 20 games. The 1985-86 season saw Mason back in Binghamton, as the Capitals had too many contracted goalies on the big club. With the Whalers, Mason went 20-11-2. Mason went up to the Caps for one game and got a win in replacing Al Jensen. Mason finally got the call up to the big club for the 1986-87 season, though he spent two more games in Binghamton, going 1-1-0. When he got the call-up to Washington, he had to battle former AGM Pete Peeters for playing time; but Mason was able to get a majority of the starts when all was said and done, playing 45 games and going 20-18-5 with a 3.24 GAA.

However, Mason's shining moment with the Capitals came during the first round of the 1987 NHL Playoffs. The Capitals took on the Islanders and Mason was put to the back-up role for Peeters. After Game Two, Mason was the guy who got the call for the Caps, as he won Games Three and Four and replaced Peeters in Game Five. The Caps lost Game Six, which set up one of the most epic Game Sevens the Playoffs. The game started on April 18th and didn't end until Easter Sunday on the 19th. The game saw many chances in overtime, 132 shots total by the teams, which resulted in Pat LaFontaine scoring on Mason to end it deep into the fourth overtime. Mason stopped 54 shots and went through 10 bottles of water throughout the course of the game. The Easter Epic will forever live in Caps fans minds as a testament to their snake bitten history. (YouTube Highlight Pack)

It would be Mason's last game for the Caps (for now), as he signed on as a free agent with the Chicago Blackhawks. Mason would battle for time with last week's AGM Darren Pang for time, which helped when they came out with almost a split. It saw Mason go 13-18-8 for the 1987-88 season. It was short timing in Chicago, as the Hawks traded Mason to the Quebec Nordiques for Mike Eagles. Mason would spent the first part of the season in Quebec, going 5-14-1 (that includes on loss at the end of the year) and would be sent to the Halifax Citadels in the AHL because of his poor play and being pushed out by another former AGM Mario Gosselin and Ron Tugnutt. With Halifax, Mason got better with a 11-7-1 record.

Mason was traded back to where it all started for him in the summer of 1989, as the Nordiques sent him to Washington for future considerations. Mason book ended the 1989-90 season with stints with the Baltimore Skipjacks of the AHL, but had a stint in the middle of the season with the Caps, going 4-9-1 in 16 games, but went 8-2-2 in 13 games with the Jacks.

The 1990-91 season was rough, as Mason was a free agent without a team. He would keep training until the Vancouver Canucks signed him as an insurance policy in December of 1990. Mason would go to the IHL and the Milwaukee Admirals. With Milwaukee, Mason went 8-12-1 in 22 games, but got a short stint with Vancouver, going 2-4-0 in his six games with the Canucks.

Mason stayed with the Admirals for the 1991-92 season, getting the starting time over Troy Gamble and Corrie D'Alessio. Mason played 51 games and went 27-18-4, but only 1-2 in the playoffs. The Canucks moved their affiliate to the AHL and the Hamilton area. Mason continued to get starters time, but this time had to fight off the youngsters like Gamble, Mike Fountain, and Jason Fitzsimmons. Mason would see 44 games with a respectable 20-19-3 record, but saw no playoff time.

With his contract up, Mason returned to Milwaukee for the 1993-94 season, as he would team with with Larry Dyck for the Admirals tandem, seeing each of them get equal time. Mason had 40 games under his belt with 21-9-8 record for his troubles. Mason would spend 13 more games with the Admirals, going 7-4-1 after going 0-1-0 with the Fort Wayne Komets to start the 1994-95 campaign. It would be the last Mason would play hockey.

Nowadays, Mason has gotten into the coaching aspect of things. He started off with the Atlanta Thrashers in their first two years of existence, but has since moved onto the Minnesota Wild, helping the likes of Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding ply their craft and deal with the barrage of shots they are facing. He also mentors young goalies during the summer camps he holds along with Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson.

While the lasting mark of Mason will be the four overtime epic in 1987, he also will be seen as another story of logjams getting in the way of his playing prowess. While his minor league records show he had potential, and while he had some success in the NHL; he couldn't keep the NHL success constant, which really was his demise. Though, that seems to the case for most of the AGMs; lack of consistency really ruining promising careers.

2009-10 Green Jacket and Cy Young Winners

With the year coming to a close, the fantastic awards like the Rocket Richard Trophy for the most goals in the season (Sidney Crosby and Steve Stamkos) and the Art Ross Trophy for most points in the season (Henrik Sedin); as well as the William Jennings Trophy for least goals against (Martin Brodeur). But there's plenty of unhallowed awards that are unofficially handed out, but widely known.

First, which was great that this coincided with the Masters tournament, the Green Jacket award. In the Masters, the Green Jacket is awarded to the winner of the tournament and for the player who shoots the lowest score under par, or the best minus. This year, it goes with Patrick O'Sullivan of the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers, themselves, were just horrific thanks to the injuries and pure rebuilding the team is going through, but O'Sullivan took it to new height with a -35 on the year, with was a difference of 85 to the Plus/Minus winner Jeff Schultz, who was a +50. O'Sullivan did this in only 73 games, so who knows what could have happened in those nine missing games. Shawn Horcoff and Rod Brind'Amour were tied for second at -29.

The Cy Young is a baseball award in the MLB for the best pitcher in the league, mostly based on record. The hockey version of it is the player with the biggest difference between goals and assists. The winner this year is Guillaume Latendresse of the Minnesota Wild with 27 goals and 13 assists, a difference of 14. Latendresse had a big jump after going to Minnesota from Montreal, but for a non-playoff team. Matt Moulson of the Islanders was second (30g, 18a-- 12 diff.) and Brian Gionta was third (28g, 18a-- 10 diff.) for this award.

Yes, this was a filler post, but it's something fun. I'm about fun....or not. Plus, you really want to recognize the craptasticness of the league worst and who is scoring more than they're dishing.

Awkwardess of Hanging Around

As we see the smoke clear from the trade deadline and the new acquisitions don their new duds, more and more reports are coming out about trades that didn't happen and players who were so sure that they were going to be moved and then didn't; you have to wonder if there's any kind of awkwardness in the room or resentment from some guys in the long-run for not asking to be moved at all.

For instance, Brian Burke came out after the deadline was done and mentioned that Tomas Kaberle had three teams he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause for. While speculation about the teams will go on and could be obvious, the fact Burke and Kaberle went back and forth about either Kaberle would be moved during the day could have put some weird vibes in the Leafs room, although most of the faces have changed and probably wouldn't have too many issues with the whole thing as some other teams would. If it were another team with a tighter bond, the awkwardness of this guy wanting out and not getting it could have been disaster for chemistry.

Moving onto reports out of Minnesota about Owen Nolan willing to be traded to two teams, San Jose and Washington, if GM Chuck Fletcher got the call from either team. This issue is a bit different, as Nolan said he believes the Wild has a chance at the playoffs; but Fletcher was willing to give Nolan the option because he hasn't won a Cup and Fletcher wanted to give him the chance to have his moment. For a team like the Wild who is still trying to find their identity, I don't think many people would be against Nolan leaving-- especially with what's he put into the league and knowing he doesn't have much time left to play on a contender.

Even though the two names above wanted out-- what about the guys who were pretty much rumored out the door, but stuck around. Especially in the goalie department where the likes of Cristobal Huet, Martin Biron, and Dwyane Roloson were rumored to be moving, but just a matter to where. In the Biron and Roloson case, the news of Rick DiPietro being done for the year, their plans got changed. But with Huet, how much could you prove to a team that seemed willing to dump you at the drop of a hat. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was in the news because of the fans not accepting him anymore and him losing some playing time to Tuukka Rask, and while there were rumors of him getting dealt, nothing happened. Thomas was then quoted of saying he hopes he can play well enough to shove all the negativity up the arse of the media and fans who doubt him. Nicely played.

Plus, as mentioned on the show; there was something posted on Twitter about a Caps forward, with his number in the teens, having his bag outside the Caps locker room in Buffalo because he was being dealt. That cause rumors about about two players-- Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann-- being moved for something big. In the end, it was a false alarm as neither were moved. At the same time, how could you go back into the room and have to look around and feel sane with the idea of thinking the team was going to move you somewhere else-- the uneasiness of the whole ordeal would be a little much and with a team on a stretch run and wanting to get to the Cup Final; that could disrupt some chemistry. Or it could cause the rumored traded player to show his team he's worth it and prove to other teams they could have had him if they had offered the right price. Or not-- I don't know-- I wish I knew how these things go.

As it all clears out, we see more and more stories come out of this nature. It's always an interesting thing about guys not going places when they were 95% out the door. How that effects chemistry with the team and how that effects relations between the player, his agent, and the upper management is always something that brings interesting subplots to what will happen to it during the summer or other contract negotiations that happen in the future. Though, in this profession, you have to have a short memory, especially when it comes to trades, contracts, etc. It's only business.

Eur-Insanity

Okay NHL, we get it-- you want the European market. But it's a bit rough when you're trying to grow the brand overseas when it's not completely sold in some of your markets Stateside. I don't get how taking a home game away from six teams helps grows the game where you need it. In actuality, it could be doing detriment to the team's well-being.

If you haven't heard, the NHL will be holding games in three European locations to start the season, with the Carolina Hurricanes taking on the Minnesota Wild in Helsinki, the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks going at it in Stockholm, and the Boston Bruins and Phoenix Coyotes dueling in Prague.

While the NHL could call this whole gimmick a success, it almost seems like they're beating a dead horse in terms of locations. They've done all these cities before, the second year in a row for Helsinki and third year in a row for Stockholm. The best part about the first games in London was the exposure of the game to a place who wouldn't have that caliber of hockey in their country. Same goes with the games in Japan in 1998, giving top-notch exposure to a budding hockey nation. You'd think that if the NHL wanted to get the exposure throughout the European Union, they'd diversify where they would go. With emerging countries like Switzerland, Germany, and Slovakia-- those could be the countries you'd focus on getting more exposure to. Imagine the Washington Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks playing at HC Davos' Vaillant Arena for their game; magical. How about taking on the KHL in their backyard of Russia or other fomer Soviet satellite countries?? That'd be something for them to go head-to-head.

Along those lines, you have to question if the allure of it will be going down as the year's go on. The question comes about when it comes to the idea of multiple outdoors game, but with the Winter Classic being the only game for it, the allure and want to go play in it is there-- as is the excitement. With the European games, it's very taxing on the players with all the air-time they'll be logging, thus making them tired early on and could handcuff them for the rest of the season if they lose crucial points in the early season. To travel that much in the early part of the season when players conditioning isn't at the peak, it's more of a hinderance than anything.

We'll have to see what will happen for the 2011-12 season and if they expand it to eight team in four cities or whatever. The really craptastic side is if the NHL doesn't do anything with this exposure in Europe or doesn't have an NHL Europe like has been thrown out there for a while. It would almost seem like a waste of time if nothing bigger comes from this. Is there going to be a time were we'll have 15 cities hosting all 30 teams in a European Vacation for the NHL?? Only time will tell.

Definition of "Meh"

As speculated months ago from my post about the Death of Creativity, the Colorado Avalanche unveiled their third jerseys and it was the same design as was speculated. Very meh and very underwhelming considering the leaks that came out and the lack of disagreement upon the leaks. It almost made this unveiling something we were waiting to get over with.

Another "meh" looking design is the next slated third jersey coming out, which is the Florida Panthers on the 23rd of this month. The Panthers are putting out strategic leaks, including the new crest on the jersey, as well as someone from the CCSLC posting a picture of part of the new third. And I have to say, I'm a bit underwhelmed by this, as well. I mean, the Panthers already have a navy jersey, and templated at that. You'd think with their old school red jerseys when they first busted onto the scene, they'd revert back to that color. It almost doesn't make sense to have two navy jerseys-- kind of like the Bruins having a black third jerseys with their black home jerseys. Same with the Predators this year and their navy third jerseys. Usually a third jersey is something completely different from the regular sets.

The entire third jerseys unveiled this year isn't that radical at all. They are kind of going through the motions and are just putting out something just to make some kind of cash. The Wild's thirds are very meh, with the green-- and the Predators jerseys are nothing ground breaking. Maybe it's the Edge system that's handcuffing the teams, but when you look at the Blues thirds and all the retro jerseys that are around; they are able to make something look decent and profitable. It goes back to the creativity issue and why some teams are lacking it. Maybe make some of these designs from CCSLC or other boards a look and a chance. You never know how much of a hit these designs could actually be, because most people seem to like it when it's posted out in public.

Yet, in the end-- it's a cash grab-- let's be honest. Even if the minority of people aren't down with it, there's going to be a majority of people slapping some cash down in order to get into the trend of the new jersey buying. Sunrise, sunset.

Bubble Boys-- Northwest Division

We continue on our journey as the Bubble Boys dwindle down, we go to the Northwest Division.

CALGARY FLAMES: The biggest buzz of camp is obviously Theo Fleury and whether or not he could make the Flames on a try-out. He's played well in his time during the pre-season and has survived some cuts, but will this Cinderella story come to an end?? Odds are, he'll get signed and go to Abbotsford, but if he does make it, he'll have to fight off Brandon Prust and Fredrik Sjostrom to do it. On the defensive, Adam Pardy will be in deep to make the team, especially with Steffan Kronwall and Anton Stralman on his heels.

COLORADO AVALANCHE: It'll be a three-way fight for the final two spots on defense, as Kyle Quincey, Tom Preissing, and Kyle Cumiskey will be duking it out for an everyday spot. The youth up the middle will be something to be seen, especially depending on what happens with Matt Duchene. The T.J.'s, Hensick and Galiardi, will be jockeying for scoring line time, while Ryan Stoa will be biding his time while something on the left side opens up.

EDMONTON OILERS: Oddly, this won't be about Rob Schremp, who has been on the bubble for years, but it'll be more about if M-A Pouliot will be able to crack the line-up on the bottom line, same with Ryan Potulny, including the fight with J-F Jacques and Liam Reddox on the left-hand side for the final spot.

MINNESOTA WILD: With Wade Dubielwicz being sent to Houston of the AHL, the goaltending situation will be clear with Niklas Backstrom and Josh Harding. The only fight will be between Derek Boogaard and Colton Gillies, though in a real fight Boogaard will destroy. Also, if Benoit Pouliot will overtake Kyle Brodziak for the final center spot for the Wild.

VANCOUVER CANUCKS: With the addition of Mikael Samuelsson, the right hand side has been clogged up, with Jannik Hansen and Rick Rypien going at it for the final spot, maybe an longshot of Tanner Glass coming out of nowhere. Also, if Michael Grabner will crack the line-up over Darcy Hordichuk, on the left side. The spotlight on Cody Hodgson will also be high, as he seems to be ready to go, but could be held down just because he couldn't get a top-six spot.

We'll wrap it up tomorrow with the Pacific Division and then more gimmicks to be had in time for the season to get started up.