Ducks Squeak By Stars

1st Star: Teemu Selanne, ANA: Game-winning goal
2nd Star: Ryan Getzlaf, ANA: 1 goal
3rd Star: Derek Roy, DAL: 1 goal

In the only game on the Sunday docket, the Anaheim Ducks got some heroics from Teemu Selanne, who notched the game winning goal in the third to secure the 2-1 victory. Ryan Getzlaf had the other goal for Anaheim while Derek Roy tallied for the Stars. Jonas Hiller stopped 28 shots in the victory for the Ducks.

Teemu Selanne, seconds before lighting the lamp for the winner

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So, that's going to be it for this side of the blog. Much like the Center Ice Package, this was merely a preview. If you want to follow the rest of this project, it'll be over at NHL 2012-13 Via NHL94 on the Tumblr. Follow, bookmark, whatever. Just get 'er done. Not as much in-depth stuff, but still good enough.

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. 

Kaity 'Beth's Outsourced Picks

The joys of parenthood is defined different for everyone. For me, it's someone to do my work for me. As Kaity did in her 2nd Annual Picks for the Cup.



To be fair, on FOHS last night (which you can hear when the Playoffs start, I'm sure): I did pick the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas Stars for my Cup picks, not picking a winner.

And that's what's up.

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.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Allan Bester

In a time where size is everything when it comes to goaltending, this week's AGM showed that you didn't have be big to play big. Yet, as the script goes, playing on a subpar team shows how much work one has to do, and if you hold you're own-- you have to rely on others to pick up the slack, as well. However, if nothing else-- he played for one of the better named teams in the IHL to end his career. This week, the profile of Allan Bester

Bester busted on the scene during the 1981-82 season, where he would play Junior "A" hockey with the Hamilton Kitty B's before getting a call-up to the OHL's Brantford Alexanders, where he had 19 games under his belt with a 4-11-0 record to end out his rookie year in the OHL. The 1982-83 season provided solid footing for Bester, who had a 29-21-3 record for the Alexanders and 3-3 record in the playoffs, allowing him to capture OHL First Team All-Star honors. That summer, Bester was 48th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1983 Draft.

Bester would see plenty of time in the show, as he would start off the season with the Maple Leafs, playing in 32 games, with an 11-16-4 record in the 1983-84 season, but would be sent back to the OHL. While back with the Alexanders for 23 games, Bester sported a 12-9-1 record, but 0-1 playoff record.

Bester would start out the 1984-85 season in style, getting his first win as a shutout, but would only play 15 games with the Leafs during the year, going 3-9-1. The rest of the time, Bester played with the AHL's St. Catherines Saints, going 9-18-1 in 30 games. Bester stayed in St. Catherines for the 1985-86 season, where he would be the starter and put together a solid 23-23-3 season for the Saints, then helping the team get to the Calder Cup Division Finals, but losing in seven games. Bester did get a one-game call-up to Toronto, but didn't factor in the decision.

While he started out with the now Newmarket Saints in the 1986-87 season (1-0-0), Bester would have a long ride in Toronto, playing in 36 games that season going 10-14-3 and appearing relief in a playoff game. Bester would back up Ken Wregget for the 1987-88 season, playing 30 games while going 8-12-5, as well as seeing five games in the playoffs, going 2-3 in the process. The play of Bester and Wregget's struggles allowed Bester to get the starting role in the 1988-89 season, playing in 43 games with a 17-20-3 record, but it was not enough to get into the playoffs. Despite some injuries in the 1989-90 season, Bester's 20-16-0 record allowed the Leafs to get to the .500 mark for the first time in a decade. However, Bester went 0-3 in four playoff games that year, as well as 2-1-1 in five games with Newmarket while conditioning to return. The 1990-91 season saw Bester start with the Maple Leafs, but after going 0-2-0 in three games-- he got sent down to Newmarket, where he would play 19 games there with a 7-8-4 record. Bester would get called-up for three more Leafs games and would finish 0-4-0 on the season before he would be moved.

At the trade deadline, Bester was traded to the Detroit Red Wings for a sixth round pick in the 1991 Draft. Bester would play three games to end out the 1990-91 season with the Wings, going 0-3-0. While Bester would start with the Wings in the 1991-92 season, he would only see one appearance in relief, then spending most of his time with the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL, playing in 22 games going 13-8-0 and would have a huge playoff performance, going 14-5 in 19 games, helping Adirondack win the Calder Cup. Bester would win the Jack Butterfield Trophy for Playoff MVP. Bester was back in Adirondack for the 1992-93 season as the starter, playing in 41 games with a record of 16-15-5 record, then going 7-3 in 10 playoff games.

Before the 1993-94 season, Bester signed with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, but would be immediate assigned to the San Diego Gulls of the IHL, where he would play 46 games, finishing with a record of 22-14-6, then a 4-4 record in eight playoff games. Bester was back with the Gulls for the 1994-95 season, playing 58 games for a 28-23-5 record, but only 2-2 in four playoff games.

With no NHL contract, Bester signed with the Orlando Solar Bears of the IHL for the 1995-96 season, where he would spend 51 games playing in two stints-- compiling a 32-16-2 record. With his stellar play in the early going, the Dallas Stars signed Bester in January of 1996, where Bester would play 10 games with a 4-5-1 record, before returning to the Solar Bears for the playoff, going 11-12 in 23 games, as they would lose in the Turner Cup Finals. Bester was back in Orlando for the 1996-97 season, being a workhorse for the Solar Bears in playing 61 games with a stellar 37-13-3 record, then going 4-4 in 10 playoff games. One last kick in the can for Bester in the 1997-98 season, but he would only play 26 games for the Solar Bears due to an ankle injury, going 13-8-1, then 1-0 in two playoff games. After that season, Bester hung up the pads for good.

Post-retirement, Bester stayed in Orlando and at last check was the regional sales manager of the Holiday Inn Florida Region. Bester also played in many Oldtimers games, as well as playing for the Leafs Alumni during the 2000 All-Star Weekend.

While he didn't have the best teams in front of him during his NHL career, he made the most out of his opportunities and displayed them when he got later on into his career in the minors. While he was able to get more playing time while in the minors, he probably would have liked to be in direct contact with a NHL team rather than in independent minor league team, even with the great numbers he put up.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Roman Turek

While this week's AGM is a recent retiree, it has been almost seven years since he last played in the NHL. Even so, he's been bumped many a time during his NHL tenure, which probably led him to this returning to his home country in the end. This week, we'll take a look at the career of Roman Turek.

For the bulk of the upbringing of Turek, he spent it in his home country of the Czech Republic, playing in the Czech Jr. league from 1987-88 until 1989-90 with Motor Ceske Budejovice Jr. team. He would also get his shots at two World Junior Championships for then Czechoslovakia, winning bronze in both the 1989 and 1990 World Juniors for Czech0slovakia. Thanks to his performances, he was selected in the 1990 Entry Draft by the Minnesota North Stars in the sixth round.

Instead of going over to North America, Turek would stay over in the Czech Republic with Motor Ceske Budejovice of the Czech League starting in 1990-91 and would play in 157 from 1990-91 until the 1994-95 season. He would have a 3.23 GAA, but sadly-- I cannot find any win-loss record for him. Turek would also participate in two World Championships and an Olympics for the Czechs, being named to the World Championship All-Star team in 1995.

Turek would move over to the German Elite League in the 1995-96 season with the Nuremberg Ice Tigers, playing 48 games with a 3.32 GAA. Turek would have a breakout performance in the 1996 World Championships, going 7-0-1 while the Czech Republic would take home gold and Turek would be named best goaltender of the tournament and a second straight All-Star team in the World Championships. Turek would play in the 1996 World Cup, but would go 0-3-0 as the Czech didn't get out of qualifying round.

Turek would make a jump to North America to playing for the Michigan K-Wings of the IHL for the 1996-97 season, but would be hampered with injuries, that would only have him see 29 games of action. He would finish with a 8-13-4 record in Michigan and would get six games of action with the Dallas Stars in a call-up, going 3-1-0 in those appearances. Turek would be the back-up to Ed Belfour in the 1997-98 season in Dallas, getting in 23 games of action with an 11-10-1 record, as well as a 1-1-0 record in Michigan while recovering from another injury. It was a crowning season for Turek in the 1998-99 season, where Turek would shine in his 26 appearances this season, going 16-3-3 and being a part of a William Jennings Trophy tandem with Belfour for lowest combined goals-against. Also Turek was long for the ride, as the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup that spring.

With his stock high and another young goalie up through the ranks, Turek was traded from Dallas to the St. Louis Blues for a 2nd round draft pick, only one day after the Stars won the Cup. In an effort to prove his old team wrong, Turek lit up the league with the Blues, going 42-15-9 in 67 games with seven shutouts and a 1.95 GAA; allowing him to win the Jennings Trophy again; but he would flame out in the playoffs, getting upset by the 8th seeded San Jose Sharks in the first round. Turek's time in 2000-01 season could be shortened by the emergence of Brent Johnson, as he would play 54 games, going 24-18-10 in the regular season, but Turek went 9-5 in the playoffs, help getting the Blues to the Conference Finals.

It wasn't enough for the Blues, who would actually ship Turek with a 4th round pick to the Calgary Flames for Fred Brathwaite, Daniel Tkaczuk, Sergei Varlamov, and a 9th round pick. Turek took over on a somewhat dismal Flames team as the start in the 2001-02 season and played 69 games with a 30-28-11 record, coupled with five shutouts. Turek would have a decent 2002-03 season, with a 27-29-9 record in 65 games. However, the 2003-04 season would be good for the Flames, but bad for Turek-- as he would be sidelined for 39 games with an injured MCL; which allowed the Flames to acquire Miikka Kiprusoff, making Turek the back-up when he finally did come back. Turek would only play 18 games with a 6-11-0 record and was on the bench for the Flames Stanley Cup run, as they would lose in the Finals.

During the lockout, Turek said that he would take a pay-cut to stay with the Flames, but when he returned home to play for HC Ceske Budejovice again for the 2004-05, which is where he would stay until his retirement following the 2009-10 season. Turek would play 205 games in those seasons, with a 2.34 GAA in those games and 20 shutouts.

It seemed just as the getting was good, Turek would have a bump in the road when it came to getting stellar success. While he has a Stanley Cup rings, International success, and some individual trophies, Turek will probably never been seen as a solid goaltender on the NHL scale. It seems that he'll always get lost in the generation of goaltenders better than him-- which could be construed as a shame to some, not so much to others.

Price Tag Makes Hawks Anti-Niemi; Pro-Turco

The dismantling of the Stanley Cup champions continue, as the Chicago Blackhawks walked away from their Cup winning goalie Antti Niemi's arbitration reward (one year, $2.75M). Instead, they take a more affordable option of Marty Turco, who was out there on the market forever, who's contract is reported to be over one million dollars less; as Turco signed for one year at $1.3M.

The one thing about Niemi that I don't get is the awe surrounding him. Sure, he did win a Cup; but he does remind me of a modern-day Johan Hedberg as a guy who came out of nowhere and took over the league by storm because no one knew much about him. While Niemi had a longer regular season stint and played well, as well as winning the Cup; but had the same scheme where they may have just been good because people didn't know how to read them like the goalies who had been in the league prior. That's not to take anything away from Niemi-- just calling it how I see it.

That said, I don't know how I would feel about taking Marty Turco over Niemi. Turco has all the goods, but does him being shell-shocked in Dallas the past two seasons make him a better option than a guy who's coming off a Stanley Cup victory from out of nowhere?? Niemi had better regular season numbers than Turco, sans save percentage; but the defense around Niemi was probably leaps and bounds over what Turco had in front of him. If you put Turco with the quality of what the Hawks have, it could turn his career around.

The age thing is another factor, with Turco turning 35 in the middle of this month and Niemi is going to be 27 at the end of this month. Turco hasn't been injured as often as some older workhorses, but there's always that worry he could go down at any time, which would make the move that much worse if Niemi goes on and has a stellar year wherever he lands. All eyes will be on Turco to succeed, especially in the Chicagoland area, who have a reason to be pro-Antti Niemi.

Speaking of which, where does Niemi go now?? A Cup winning goalie, under 30 years old, and able to steal games if need be and actually be effective. Sure, you'll have the obvious teams with shaky goaltending dispositions (Washington, San Jose, Philadelphia); but at the same time-- could he be hung out there without a suitor for a while and have to wait until another guy goes down in order to get a gig as a starter in the NHL??

In the end, this adds to the dismantling of the Stanley Cup Champs and the oddities of the NHL off-season; along with Ilya Kovalchuk's situation-- it's been a bizarre summer. Turco has a lot to prove, but doesn't need to do much to prove it. He's a solid goalie and behind that Chicago's defense; he'll regain what he lost in Dallas. Niemi may have a lot of people after him, but can't afford to take him on because they don't have the money to bring him in. It could be a situation where Niemi is sitting on the side, losing his allure and prowess because teams have to wait for someone to get injured.

When To Say When

The retirement of Rod Brind'Amour is something has been going through my head and the subject of whether some players know when to call it quits. Especially when you look at what Mike Modano is doing right now, which is the better option for some people. I can understand the drive some players my have; but is there a time where guys have something go off and say it's time to quit or do they need to be forced out because they're not needed. It's old conundrum if it's better to burn out or fade away.

Brind'Amour's plight is something that is a little more embarassing in my eyes. He's a guy who had a decent run for himself and didn't seem to see the signs that the game had passed him by. Sure, there were signs of brilliance every now and again, but not enough to warrant him playing past his expiration date. The fact that in his past two seasons he was a combined -52 (-23 and -29 respectively), plus his numbers have dropped and his need dropped-- which is something we saw when his captaincy was taken and given to Eric Staal-- something we all saw coming, but didn't see it in such a dramatic fashion. It didn't seem that Brind'Amour saw the writing and while he was very fit and had the conditioning, it didn't seem to play a factor into it all.

Mike Modano seems to be going that same route, but his is a bit interesting. Modano got a great big send-off in his last game in Minnesota, many in Dallas thought he was done, he got the big fanfare there and that should have been it, it would have been the magical ending to a great career. However, with him shopping himself around; it almost seem like a Brett Favre situation and we're all going to deal with this issue with him every time. You have to wonder if Modano is going to the be the new Chris Chelios and never really retire, but creep around and hope he gets a bite here and there. More over, for a guy who was with the Stars franchise his entire career; it would have been great to see him retire and show that you don't need free agency to have a nice career-- but now, will he taint his legacy by going to not only another team; but one who is a rival.

While I mentioned Chelios puttering around the various leagues looking for a gig, is that better or worse than guys like Theo Fleury or Claude Lemieux, who were taking a hiatus from playing all together, leading their post-retirement lives, then coming back out of the blue. At least with Chelios, he's staying in some kind of game shape and making himself out there, while the stuff of Lemieux and Fleury reeked of a sideshow and publicity stunt; especially with Fleury who had a book coming out at the same time.

While it's nice to have the drive for the game, there's a time where it become more of a distraction than anything else. It's the sideshow and maybe with the coverage of whether or not he can hack it with a new team that'll be something that's unneeded on most teams. Plus, the pressure that will come on the GM that sign him and backlash he could get from it all may be detrimental to him in the long-run as well.

While these guys have a solid career, it seems them almost having to be forced out of their place in the line-up is a bit of a shame and something they shouldn't have to go through to be forced out. Is there too much of a drive?? Is there not seeing the signs of giving up?? Is it just not having anywhere to go after it's all said and done?? Whatever it is, I feel they should have seen the signs before and not let their career slide off as much as it did before the called it a day in the sport. Of course, it's easy for me to say on this side of the table.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Mike Torchia

The Memorial Cup has ended with the Windsor Spitfires winning back-to-back championships. However, the Memorial Cup is a breeding ground for AGMs, especially since most of them have won the Hap Emms Trophy for Top Goalie-- Mark Fitzpatrick, Darren Pang, Eric Fichaud-- and who knows if Martin Jones will join the list of AGMs, but let's hope not. In any case, this week's AGM follows that mold. A great goalie in the juniors, but thanks to some complications; never made it to NHL stardom. This week, it's time to profile Mike Torchia as the AGM.

Torchia started out with the Toronto Red Wings in the Toronto Midget League during the 1987-88 season, playing 40 games, recording five shutouts and a 2.33 GAA average. From that, Torchia went onto the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers, where he backed up Gus Morschauser; where Torchia got 30 games in with a 14-9-4 record in the 1988-89 season. Torchia also got two games in the playoffs, going 0-2. With Morschauser getting traded at the start of the 1989-90 season, Torchia got more time with 40 games to his credit and a 25-11-2 record. Torchia also navigated the Rangers to the OHL finals, but lost to Oshawa in seven games, despite a 11-6 record. Kitchener got in since the OHL was hosting the 1990 Memorial Cup, where Torchia really shined. Despite a 3-2 record, including a Finals loss to the same Oshawa team that beat them in the OHL playoffs; Torchia got the Hap Emms Trophy for Top Goalie in the Memorial Cup and named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team.

The 1990-91 season was something to build off of, but it seems Torchia couldn't get off the number 25, as he went a second straight year with 25 wins (25-24-7), but Torchia wouldn't help in the playoffs going 2-4. Even so, Torchia got First Team All-Star from the OHL in that season, as well as being picked 74th overall by the Minnesota North Stars in the NHL Entry Draft. The 1991-92 season brought about almost the same record, with Torchia going 25-24-3 in 55 games. Torchia helped the Rangers get through the first round of the playoffs, but couldn't get through Sault St. Marie in the second round.

Torchia kept in the amateur ranks by playing for the Canadian National Team to start the 1992-93 season, winning all five of his games with a 2.20 GAA; but he didn't stay long there before he moved to the pros with the Stars' farm team; the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL. Torchia was a big fish, getting the starting role over Jeff Levy and going 19-17-9 in his first pro season, despite a 3.80 GAA and .892 save percentage. He eased into his role for the 1993-94 season, improving his record with a 23-12-2, though his GAA (3.68) and save percentage (.889) were still not at where he wanted to be. The 1994-95 season saw Torchia back in Kalamazoo (19-14-5), but the Dallas Stars brought him up towards the end of the season in order to see what he could do. In six games with the Stars, Torchia went 3-2-1 and looked like he could fight for the back-up spot in training camp.

However, before he could get into Dallas, his rights were sold to the Washington Capitals. One thing that always haunted Torchia was his weight. Torchia had a bigger frame and it always seemed to be a stumbling block for him when it came to conditioning. Because of that, Torchia didn't get a back-up job for the 1995-96 season and would spend his season with five different teams, including being traded to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks-- though he would not suit up for the Ducks or the Caps in that season. Torchia would play with the Michigan K-Wings (1-0-0) and the Orlando Solar Bears (3-1-1) in the IHL, the Baltimore Bandits (2-1-1) and Portland Pirates (2-6-2) of the AHL, and the Hampton Roads Admirals (2-2-0) of the ECHL. Torchia still couldn't crack a NHL line-up in the 1996-97 season, making him play in the IHL with the Fort Wayne Komets going 20-31-3 on the season, while stepping in for a playoff game for the Baltimore Bandits. Torchia continued in the IHL for the 1997-98 season, playing for the Milwaukee Admirals for most of the season (13-14-1) and then moving to the San Antonio Dragons (0-2-0), with a stint in the ECHL with the Peoria Rivermen, going 4-1-0.

Torchia had no opportunities in North America in the 1998-99 season, so he moved to Europe, where he would head to Italy with HC Asiago, playing 43 games; but having an inflated GAA of over four goals a game. It was enough for the goalie to come back to North America to play first in the UHL in the 1999-2000 season with the Mohawk Valley Prowlers (8-9-4) and then with the Birmingham Bulls (4-10-0) of the ECHL. The highlight of the season for Torchia was that in October of 1999, he scored a goal on an empty-net; becoming one of the handful of goalies to do so.

Again without a North American gig, Torchia went back to Europe, this time to Britain, where he would suit up for the Sheffield Steelers. His numbers would get better, playing 23 games with a 2.06 GAA and .923 save percentage in the 2000-01 season. Torchia would stay in in Britain for the 2001-02 season, but this time with the Manchester Storm, with respectable numbers-- 2.82 GAA and .916 save percentage. Torchia would only play three games for the Storm in 2002-03, but spent most his time with the lower level Guildford Flames.

Torchia would return to North American in the 2003-04 season to play in the OHA Senior League with the Cambridge Hornets. In three seasons (through 2005-06), Torchia would go 14-11-1 before hanging up the skates for good. He now is the color commentator for Rogers TV's coverage of the Kitchener Rangers, as well as working for Hometown Hockey Training and Development.

While Torchia did have his glory, the conditioning side of things that is all so important in the game nowadays is what did him in. Though many would thing a bigger goalie would be the best way to go in order to get more wins, the ability to get a job would be a hard sell if you can't get side-to-side and match the speed of the game in front of you. Even so, Torchia does have all his personal accolades to look back on and set himself up for commentating his old team now.

Testing Out The Sean-O Rookie Theorem

If you listen to the Face Off Hockey Show like I do, you are fully aware of the Sean-O Rookie Theorem. If you're just a mooch-- what's wrong with you?? In any case, the SRT works as such:

No matter how good a rookie is at the start of the season; there will be a darkhorse rookie to tear it up in the second half to win the Calder Trophy. In addition, Jason Spezza is always in the running.

So, with that in mind-- we look at the early goings of the rookie season, with John Tavares and James van Riemsdyk leading the points for rookies, with Ryan O'Reilly and Michael Del Zotto close behind. However, the hot rookie to start the season, Matt Duchene, has slumped and even demoted to the fourth line for the Avalanche.

Yet, according the theorem, we have to look for a darkhorse rookie who will rise through the ranks and take over the Calder. Going up and down the list, who can we pick out as a possible candidate for the SRT??

There's a lot of defensemen out there who can be considered for the Calder. The hype with big Tyler Myers is certainly worth buying into. Myers plays a tight checking game and has been a welcome surprise for the Sabres into the line-up. Also, Cody Fransen in Nashville could create some buzz if he can continue his solid play in Music City, USA-- though he would get lost in the defense corp with Shea Weber and Ryan Suter in the mix. Also, Davis Drewskie of LA should get some consideration for this award, as well as Olympic consideration as well. Drewskie has been a welcome surprise to the young LA Kings' squad, and is at the top of the chart of ice time. Plus, how could you forget Victor Hedman, who leads all rookie's in ice time and is a vital part on the rebuilding Bolts blueline.

At the same time, we all know defensive defensemen don't get that much consideration if they don't put up points along with it. That's why a player like Del Zotto will get more consideration over the likes of the names above.

Also, you can't look past two Dallas Stars as candidates for this award, with Jamie Benn and Tom Wandell really making some quiet noise. Wandell is a definite darkhorse, but his role playing is fairly unseen; yet Benn could make some noise if given the chance. Benn right now has 13 points in 24 games, which puts him sixth in rookie scoring and seventh on the team. The downside to Benn is maybe getting his time overshadowed by other forwards and getting lost in fold of all of this.

Even with all of that, Evander Kane goes under the radar in terms of consideration. He's second in rookie goal-scoring, he's tied for second in rookie +/-, and eight in rookie points. While he's in a market like Atlanta which often goes unnoticed beyond Ilya Kovalchuk; Kane should be one to keep an eye on should John Anderson give him an increased role with the Thrashers as the season moves forward.

Let's not forget goalie, too. Seymon Varlamov in Washington has played solid with the big club and is 9-1-2 on the season. The trap for Varlamov is not being the clear-cut start, mostly splitting time with Jose Theodore when Theodore is actually rostered for the Caps. Even so, many think Varlamov is the #1, even with coach Bruce Boudreau being coy with it. Jonas Gustavsson has a lot of hype with him, but could be a victim of being on a horrific team, which will inflate his GAA and wins for the season. Even with that, Gustavsson has keep his save percentage at a decent .900. Though, sneaking in-- Tuukka Rask could be a darkhorse, depending on how long Tim Thomas is out for the Bruins. Rask is 7-2-2 for the season and has been a shot in the arm for the B's.

In the end, however, it looks like it could be John Tavares' to lose in all of this. He's playing magnificently and really doesn't seem to be letting the hype or pressure get to him. In fact, he seems to be taking it to heart with all the eyes on him and leading the Isles to an early-season surprising start. He's leading in rookie points and goals and will probably increase those throughout his run. While van Riemsdyk is a surprise, I doubt he'll get the chance to really catch up to Tavares, even though the team around JVR is solid and may get a chance to get more time should his pace continue.

We're a quarter of the way in the season, which gave us a nice look at who's-who in the NHL rookie race and only time will tell in the new calendar year if the SRT will be put into play this season....and if Jason Spezza and finally pull this one out.

Bubble Boys-- Pacific Division

It's time to end this bit and we'll end it with the otherside of the continent. Huzzah.

ANAHEIM DUCKS: With the addition of Saku Koivu, it will be between Ryan Carter, Petteri Nokelainen and Andrew Ebbett for the final center spot. Ebbett seems to be the long-shot in this. Defensively, Luca Sbisa, Brett Festerling, and Brendan Mikkelson will be fighting for the sixth spot, though Sbisa could go back as an overager to the Junior ranks to get more seasoning.

DALLAS STARS: It was a rough season last year, but the Stars got a lot of new stars to fill the void, including one Jamie Benn. However, the battle will be on the blue line with Karlis Skrastins, Mark Fistric, Jeff Woywitka, and Ivan Vishnevskiy for the fifth and sixth defensemen on the team. Though, the defense could be the biggest question mark in the whole line-up, as everything is set for the most part.

LOS ANGELES KINGS: On the right hand side, Teddy Purcell will be in rough with John Zeiler on his heels, as Marc-Andre Cliche and Brayden Schenn will battle for a center spot, especially with Oscar Moller being sent down to the minors. Trevor Lewis will need a good camp in order to get Raitis Ivanans off of the roster. Of course, the battle in net will be something between the three goalies there, though Jon Quick seems to have the edge over Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier.

PHOENIX COYOTES: Wow....what is there to say about this club that hasn't been debated in court already. The battle of the back-ups will be between Jason Labarbera and Al Montoya to see who will catch Ilya Bryzgalov when he falters. Daniel Winnik and Viktor Tikhonov will be fighting for the right wing spot since Radim Vrbata was added back to the roster. With the addtion of Vernon Fiddler, Kyle Turris could be pushed back to the minors unless he surprises people in camp.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: With the addition of Dany Heatley, the pressure will be on. However, that helped clear up the left wing spot. Up the middle, Scott Nichol will be fighting Logan Couture for the last center spot and both could battle Torrey Mitchell for the third line slot.

That's it. Thanks for imploring me through this gimmick and here's hoping for better things ahead on this blog. And for imploring me, I give you this:

Absurd Goalie Monday: Darcy Wakaluk

For the past AGMs, I've gone into detail about goalies who had a decent amount of "heat" with them when they were in juniors, but some how had that cooled by the time they reached the pros. Not the case with our next installment, Darcy Wakaluk. He gained speed once he got to the pros, but could have been so much more. There are plenty of memorable moments for Wakaluk though.

The start to Wakaluk's junior career was a big flop, as he went 2-22-0 for the Kelowna Wings of the WHL. And while firewagon hockey was the norm for the early 80's, Wakaluk's 6.29 GAA was something more than the usual GAA. Though, to be honest-- the team only had 15 wins all-season, which more is a reflection on the team that season. However, his performance was enough to get him drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 7th round of the 1984 Draft. The next season, 1984-85, was no better, as Wakaluk got the starting position. That season, he went 19-30-4, but lowered his GAA to 4.73. After that season, Wakaluk was moved to Spokane to be with the Chiefs in their first season in the WHL. Again, his record improved going 21-22-1, but his GAA went up to 5.25, but it would be his last year in junior and really a lithmus test to see how he'd do in the pros.

Once he moved to the pros, Wakaluk grew into his own. He started in the IHL with the Flint Spirit, but sadly-- HockeyDB doesn't have stats for his nine games there in '86-'87. So we move to Wakaluk's first season with the Rochester Americans, which was a split from Flint during '86-'87 and saw Wakaluk go 2-2-0 with a 2.86 GAA in 11 games played. Not to shabby, but during the '87-'88 season is when Wakaluk got noticed. During that season, Wakaluk got starting duties over Daren Puppa and shined that season, posting a 27-16-3 season, though his GAA was a big larger at 3.45, mostly do to seeing more minutes than the previous season. That season also gave Wakaluk a milestone for an AHL goalie.

On December 6th, 1987 while playing the Utica Devils, Wakaluk became the first goalie in the AHL to actually physically score on an empty-net. While we all know Michel Plasse was the first ever goalie in the modern era when he played for the Kansas City Blues, that was in the Central League. Two days after Wakaluk's feat, Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers was the first NHL goalie to shoot on goal and score.

After that season, Wakaluk split time between the Americans and big club in the Sabres to mixed reviews. He did alright for himself, going .500 at 10-10-3 with a GAA of 2.99 in Rochester, while when called upon in Buffalo, he posted a 4-5-3 record. Little did he know it would be his last forte in the Buffalo organization, as he was traded to the Minnesota North Stars for an 8th round pick.

After a stint in Kalamazoo in the IHL for a game, Wakaluk was put into the back-up role behind the incumbent Jon Casey in net. That first season, the 1991-92 campaign, gave Wakaluk the most game action he's seen in his short NHL career playing in 36 games going 13-19-1. In '92-'93, Wakaluk saw a little less time, but played adequate behind Casey putting up a 10-12-3 record. When the team moved from Minnesota to Dallas, Wakaluk put up his best NHL season, wins wise, in '93-'94 with an 18-9-6 record with a stellar 2.64 GAA and .910 save percentage in his 36 appearances. It allowed him to get more time behind starter Andy Moog, however it would be the end of his good luck with Dallas. The lockout-shortened season in 1995 saw Wakaluk slip a bit going 4-8-0 in 15 appearances, while his last year with the club in '95-'96 had Wakaluk go 9-16-5 and made Wakaluk expendable from the Stars, especially with the likes of Manny Fernandez, Roman Turek, and the acquisition of Arturs Irbe forcing Wakaluk to free agency.

Wakaluk landed on his feet, however, when he signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, another team that relocated from their original space. However, Wakaluk didn't see much time with workhorse Nikolai Khabibulin getting a vast majority of the starts and game time. Though he only got 16 appearances, Wakaluk went 8-3-1 with a 2.99 GAA; very respectable for a goalie who wasn't getting much time between the pipes. Little did we know then, that it would be Wakaluk's last season between the pipes, as he faded out into retirement.

It didn't take long before Wakaluk landed some coaching gigs, first as a goalie coach in the WHL for the Kamloops Blazers, then as an assistant in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, then onto spots back in the WHL, including an assistant coach position for the Vancouver Giants for a season; but since the 2004-05 season, Wakaluk has been the goalie coach for the Calgary Hitmen, dealing with such talent as Justin Pogge and young up-and-coming Kings goalie, Martin Jones.

Wakaluk has been through plenty of ups and downs in his career and has gone through a lot of situations, but he always stood his ground and found a way to make something good of the worse situations, so it would seem. Now, he's passing along his trade to young goalies and seems to be succeeding to an extent. Good on you, Darcy-- and best of luck in the future.

Seven Games To See.....Or Not

Everyone has been a-buzz when it comes to the NHL schedule coming out. Me, I've been alright with it. I'm letting it soak in since we won't see action until September training camps, so I don't wanna get my hopes up in mid-July. However, having digested the schedule for a short time, I've got some games for you folks to mark down on the calendar.....or not.

For those wondering, the arbitrary number of seven is in honor of a friend who hit trip-sevens on Wednesday morning.

October 28th: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Dallas Stars-- This year's highly touted Swedish free-agent meets last year's highly touted Swedish free-agent as Jonas Gustavsson faces off against Fabian Brunnstrom. No truth to the rumors that Brunnstrom will tell Gustavsson to beware the Ides of November....right on through until the end of April.

November 10th: Edmonton Oilers vs. Ottawa Senators-- Odds are in favor of Dany Heatley will be playing in this game. For which team-- that's anyone's guess at this point. Yet, both teams could be out of the playoff contention and dealing with goaltending issues by this point in the season.

November 16th: Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Phoenix Coyotes-- If there was a game to be played in a three-ring circus, this is it. What, with the mess that we all know the Tampa Bay Lightning is and the debacle in the desert that is the Coyotes; boy howdy-- put a tent of that circus. And who's to say either of these messes will be cleaned up by then, which will make this much more fantastic to me.

December 2nd: Vancouver Canucks vs. New Jersey Devils-- With Jacques Lemaire back behind the bench for the Devils and the Canucks' defensive posture-- this could be the only documented game with negative scoring to take place.

January 1st: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins-- This game will be the Winter Classic, yes. However, it will be seen if anyone can survive the "Monster Drinking Game" with Pierre McGuire at Fenway Park. Plus, it could be the first Winter Classic where the action in the stands between the Philly fans and Bostonians could outweigh the action on the ice.

February 7th: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals-- Now, this game is one to watch if the Steelers make it to the Super Bowl (since it is Super Bowl Sunday), because it could mark the first time the Capitals would have home-ice advantage in Verizon Center in a game against the Penguins for the longest time. Of course, if the Steelers don't make the Super Bowl, this all goes out the window.

April 11th: Edmonton Oilers vs. Anaheim Ducks-- This is the last game of the regular season and could be a deciding game for both of these teams. However, this could be the most insignficant game out there if both teams are locked into their position. It could go either way, but it will prep us for the playoffs if it's a barnburner. Oddly enough, the Ducks and Oilers will have the last game before the Olympic break too on February 14th.

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.

Avery Is Ready To Return, But Is The NHL Ready??

By all accounts, Sean Avery will be cleared of his sabbatical in the NHL/PA Behavioral Modification Brainwashing Seminar soon, thus will begin his long haul back to the NHL. As Darren Dreger mentioned in his article about this, Avery is still a member of the Stars and it's their decision to find on of their 103 AHL affiliates that will take Avery on their roster once he's ready to play again, send him down there and maybe bring him back on re-entry waivers to hope he gets pluck off there from some team.

It's obvious that the Stars don't want him. They're 16-7-3 without him and they are on the verge of getting in the playoffs after they were written off in November. That alone could show what kind of guy he is, when he leaves the team finally starts to get better and play like they have a purpose in life. That could be a deterant right there.

The big factor in this is whether or not there's an AHL affiliate of the Stars that would be willing to take Avery to give the Stars a chance to get him off their hands. The Manitoba Moose already said they wouldn't be willing to take him onto the roster at all. That leaves five affiliates that may or may not be willing to expose their young players to a personality like Avery's. This is one of the big reasons why NHL teams need to have a primary affiliate so that, not only do the players who are on the bubble of the main roster and AHL rosters know where they're going all the time, but also that if you have a troubled player-- you tuck him down there to straighten him out.

Albeit, it's hard to judge Avery, not knowing what this program has done for him-- whether it has either changed him for the better or if he remains to be the same old Avery with more reasons to be pissed off because the doctors and workers there are idiots. So, the questions remains-- is there a NHL team out there who would take him off the Stars' hands??

Some people have speculated that the Rangers would be the top pick since Tom Renney was able to control him somewhat last season and because it was New York and he would have a lot of things to do there to keep him occupied. However, this late into the season, the chemistry is already set in stone and some teams will be more than hesistant to put someone like Avery, who has a checkered past to put it nicely, on their team-- no matter what the reward could be from the risk that is taken. Sure, it's unfair to an extent, but until Avery shows that he has actually changed for the better, there's going to be little interest in wanting to take him onto the roster. Though that make the circle vicious since he can't show people he has changed if no one wants to put him on a roster, AHL or otherwise. So that again puts Avery at a disadvantage of that.

It'll be a very slippery slope for Avery to climb up to get back to the limelight of the NHL and there's going to be an added obstacle with everyone having his eyes on him looking for one more imperfection to give them reason to not take him onto their roster. I personally think Avery is great at his role as an agitator and instigator, but are other teams going to look past what he's done and see what he's capable of doing, if he in fact has gotten his behavior in check or will the history of him being a nuisance in the lockerroom and in the media make teams very skeptical of how he could actually benefit the team in the long-run??

Only time will tell....

Avery Fallout-- What's Next??

The hammer fell on Sean Avery, six games worth which is retroactive to Tuesday night-- so technically four games the rest of the time. On top of that, Avery will get anger management so the next tirade he goes on doesn't sound like Andrew Dice Clay in his prime or Michael "Kramer" Richards at the LA Improv.

So, that's that, right?? We're done with this, huh??

Not so much, because the big thing now is what's going to happen with his status with the Dallas Stars. Are the Stars going to pile-on some more games on top of it to prove a point?? Coach Dave Tippett has already said there's no room for Avery on the club and according to James Duthie, many Stars players are glad to see him gone.

With the writing on the wall in Dallas, is there's a trade avenue for Avery to turn down?? Odds are that he's a toxic commodity that not many teams would take a flier on. While he could be effective on the ice, the circus off the ice could be more than any team could handle, especially this deep into the season. It's one thing to bring in a class guy during the trade deadline to shake up team chemistry, but you may as well just write-off the season if you're interested in Avery.

Please note, that by saying that-- it has officially made the Tampa Bay Lightning interested in Avery to become their 358th forward for the year.

It seems that the Stars are going to be content with eating up Avery's salary for this year and then buy out his last three years in the off-season, that is assuming they want him gone that badly. That, in-turn, would make him a free agent and then others can pass him up for nothing. Then, without the NHL, what are Avery's options?? With the Manitoba Moose, one of the Stars many AHL affiliates for the season while their AHL affiliate gets set up for next year, has stated they don't want Avery under any circumstances.

One has to wonder: if Sean Avery becomes a free agent and doesn't have a gig in the NHL, will there be a minor league team to do the "Veeckian" thing and sign him just to get asses in the seats?? Is there a team in the minors who would risk the sanity of their players, risk the chemistry in the room, and be comfortable with not getting any worse just to get a firestorm of media coverage for signing Avery??

You have to think, if Avery is out in the open looking for a job and there's a team hurting at the gate-- someone will think of the bright idea of bringing him in to get the team name out there and to get some people in the seats. It's not something that you can throw in the garbage, because it's something that very well could possibly happen.

Is Europe an option for Avery?? Will he go over there in order to get the hottest fashion trends, whilst playing hockey for some random team with numbers in the team name and dots over the "o"s?? I doubt he'd go over there and I don't think they would want to expose their players to something like that.

Only time will tell right now, but for the time being we know this: Avery is suspended for four more games, he is currently a member of the Dallas Stars, and many don't want him in their locker room for one reason or another.

And the beat goes on.

The Avery Debacle

First, Let me preface this by saying that as an agitator on the ice, I believe Sean Avery is one of the best out there right now. He has all the tools to be a great player and decent scorer, but yet his mouth is what gets him the attention in the world and not his play on the ice.

Now, onto the comments that got him suspended indefinitely. My thing with what he said is that he needs to keep the personal life out of all of this, especially when he wasn't questioned about the whole thing. It seems that he really has a big bout of jealousy in regards to his ex-girl Elisha Cuthbert, especially since she has been linked to Calgary Flames' defenseman Dion Phaneuf. It wasn't enough people were prepping for the Avery-Jarome Iginla confrontation after Avery called Iginla "boring", then we had this whole thing with Phaneuf brewing.

However, kudos to the NHL for suspending him. Granted, the indefinite side of things is crap, but I think it was only due to the fact that they couldn't have reviewed it and given a solid number in the time they were given. Avery's commentary is not what the NHL needs, and while some would argue that this is Gary Bettman's way of shutting down someone who could draw attention to the league.....but it's not the right attention they would want. Fans are upset that the NHL stopped a possible huge beating of the NHL's most hated player, but that would be more negative attention the league would get and not need.

It's a very telling sign when many of Avery's teammates are SUPPORTING the NHL's decision. They don't seem to like him very much and what happens during the first game he was out?? They go out and win 3-1. Could Avery be the thing that was breaking apart the Stars?? If they go on a huge winning streak with Avery out-- will he be the blame for the early season disaster?? With three years left on his contract at $4M left on each year, it'll be hard to buy him out, but if they get better-- they may have to spend the money to do that.

We'll have to wait and see what the future holds for Avery, but who knows what could have been done had he kept his mouth shut and let his game do the talking for him.

Third Jerseys Galore

Thanks to the fine folks at Icethetics, we have a wack of third jersey leaks to go over and some that have already been presented. First, however, let's get to the ones that have been released, which include some modern-retro designs that have been put out.

These are the Penguins new duds, which are the same ones they wore for last year's Winter Classic. Now, I'm not the biggest Penguins fan, but they came up aces with this jersey. It could be the best executed 3rd jersey and modern-retro one out there to date. It's solid, top to bottom, and really is the front-runner for best in class.

The one above is the Flyers modern retro, which brings back the orange jersey that has been a staple for the Flyers, but there's something about the white nameplate that doesn't do it for me. It's a simple effect for the jersey itself, but the nameplate really puts me off the whole thing.

For the newer ones, the jersey will be a linked pop-up because I don't have the patiences to deal with adding the photos, and really for the three leaked ones, those are all thanks to Icethetics (as you see by the watermark) and don't want to steal their thunder.....okay, it's just laziness.

Dallas Stars: Well, what a pathetic effort this was. Basically, you take your home jersey, turn it white and there ya go-- way to think out of the box. My hatred for the front numbers and the college arched name grows moreso with this jersey because there's so much more that could have been done, aside from making a white version of the home jersey. Make it green or something to set it apart.

San Jose Sharks: Now this one, I'm kinda split over. While I like the Sharks logo that they place there, you'd think they want to exploit their teal overlords a little more. Having this "black armor", as they call it, is a little too much. It looks a bit to bland, but I'm sure it will grow on me the more I see it out there.

LA Kings: There could have been so much more to this. They tease the back in black thing, they go over the history of the Gretzky era jerseys....and they come up with a sloppy logo with a whack of unnecessary piping on the sleeves and leaving much to be desired. It almost looks like a practice jersey.

Ottawa Senators: One word: FAIL!! You would think that a team who has two, TWO, alternate logos they could have gone with, they'd do more with it than a crappy wordmark. The jersey design itself is solid and works the red off the black main very well, but the wordmark is all?? Yuck. With their modern-retro "O" or 2-d Senators at their disposal, you'd think they'd utilize it and make a whack of money of it....but no, they didn't. As a fan, I'm highly disappointed in the Senators and what they have done. This concept from someone who I can't remember offhand would have been better than what they have.

So that's it for now. What have we learned?? Well, most in these batches of new jerseys are all black and somewhat bland, leaving much to be desired for some. While simplier could be better for some, I liked the days where teams would think outside the box. While some may not like the Ducks or Kings first third jerseys or the Blues prototype....it was thinking outside the box-- it was taking a chance and trying to make it work rather than working off a template.

What's Next For The Stars

It was a valiant effort by the Stars to try and make a comeback from being down 0-3, but it was stopped short by the juggernaut that is the Detroit Red Wings. However, many answers were given this playoffs, but some still remain.

One pressing issue will be what's going to happen with Mike Modano. There have been rumblings of his retirement in the distance, even though he has two more years left on his contract. Makes you wonder if the Richards trade and Ribiero re-signing were under previous notions that Modano is going to hang 'em up. That said, should he come back-- he'll have a great supporting cast. With Brendan Morrow stepping up this playoffs with the rest of the team and the bright future ahead, Modano could make go for the duration of his contract.

Defensively, the Stars were able to see how their defense has developed with the youngsters taking center stage thanks to injuries to Sergei Zubov in the playoffs. Mattias Norstrom and Trevor Daley are the only free agents this summer, with Daley more than likely getting a deal soon. Norstrom may have to look on the market as Mark Fistric, Niklas Grossman, and Matt Niskanen have stepped out of the shadows to make a name for themselves.

Marty Turco was clutch for the Stars in the playoffs and proved that he has a lot to give the team in the future to have a shot at the Cup. The wonder is what's going to happen for a back-up. Johan Holmqvist didn't get much of a look in Dallas and his track record is spotty at best. Tobias Stephan may not be ready, but with a work horse like Turco; you'd have to wonder if it really matters who's behind him.

It was a strong run and there's a lot to build off of this season. Co-GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson have built this team for the long-haul and it's paying off quick dividends. Now, if they could only re-do those god-awful black jerseys....

Fabian: Flourish or Flop

After weeks and months of speculation on what he may do, Fabian Brunnstrom has made the decision to play for the Dallas Stars. Many times, Brunnstrom has been rumored to be signing with the Vancouver Canucks and the Detroit Red Wings, but in the end, the Stars are the place for Brunnstrom.

Now, the biggest question of them all-- with all the hype and all the press this 23-year-old has been getting, will he pan out to what has been written about him??

The Swedish forward has been a hot topic item since his break-out season last year in Division 1 Swedish hockey putting up 37 goals and 73 points to go along with a +51 with Boras HC. This season, playing with Farjestads BK in the Swedish Elite League, Brunnstrom has nine goals and 37 points in 54 games with a +4 rating. That put him tied for 18th in the League, while his 28 assists tied him for 7th in that category.

The resume is definitely something that will attract the teams and the attention of many people, however, the NHL is a much different place than the NHL. It'll be a little more physical and a little better goaltending. Especially on a team that has the skill sets as the Stars, it'll be interesting to see what kind of role the young Brunnstrom will play in the line-up.

With so much buzz and hype around him, the microscope will be focused squarely onto Brunnstrom and to see what he can do in the NHL setting. If it's a flop for Brunnstrom, then it'll be a lesson to some teams about who to trust in their scouting staff and how to deal with buzz and hype given to an overseas player. If Brunnstrom is able to flourish, then the scouts who first got the sniff of Brunnstrom will be hailed as legends in the game.

Needless to say, I'm glad that this whole ordeal is done with. I was getting a little sick of all this speculation of where he would go and when he would sign. Just to get his name out of the headlines for a little while will be a relief for me and other hockey fans I'm sure.