On the Topic Of Joey MacDonald's Future in Calgary

With the Calgary Flames season in disarray, the look is to the future-- which many think is not looking too much better for the foreseeable future-- especially between the pipes. With the future of Miikka Kiprusoff up in the air with how serious he is when it comes to his retirement threats, what's to come next for the goaltendings.

Enter Joey MacDonald and his audition that has been going in the past two weeks or so. MacDonald has gone 4-1-0 since March 27th in his seven appearances with the Flames and, to me, I think he's at least garnered another contract for at least next season to be in a 1A/B model for the 2013-14 season for the incoming European goalies-- or as a back-up for Kiprusoff should he not stick to his retirement talk.

MacDonald has been a somewhat serviceable back-up or third string goalie, though his numbers tell a different tale. Despite being 7-6-1 overall for the Flames, the fact he has been playing better as the team has been getting somewhat better is a definite good sign for things moving forward. Plus, considering the fact MacDonald has been known to linger on the bench for long stretches at a time-- should Kipper come back, he'd be one of the best choices for a back-up as any of their younger guys or European import.

Taking into account that Kiprusoff won't be back-- what could the Flames do with their prospects coming over for next season. Karri Ramo has been highly regarded by GM Jay Feaster as the best goalie not in the NHL, but while he has done well in the KHL-- it doesn't mean it'll always translate to the NHL game. Same goes for the other European goalie in Reto Berra, who has done well in the Swiss league, but may not be able to thrive in the NHL or North America as a whole.

Already in their system is Danny Taylor, who was signed by the Flames when Kipper went down with an injury. Taylor overtook the starting role in Abbotsford of the AHL from Barry Brust, who was hot for Abbotsford early in the season, but Taylor has taken the NHL experience and stepped his game. So much so that the once promising prospect in Leland Irving has been relegated to third-string in Abbotsford and very much off the radar for the Flames.

With all this uncertainty, it definitely makes a strong case for MacDonald to actually get another shot with the Flames. He's the devil that is known and can actually get the job done on a team that may not know or understand it's new identity. MacDonald is having a strong stretch run and if Feaster just let's MacDonald get away in hopes that the imports without contracts and who have been out of (or not been in) the NHL for a while will be a better option-- then he deserves to be tarred-and-feathered after his firing.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Jacques Cloutier

This week's AGM is a goalie who was able to be a workhorse in the junior leagues, but was never able to stay healthy enough in the pros to show off his talents. Of course, it could be a harder transition for him, but he did what he could and then moved to a teaching role after learning so much. This week, the profile of Jacques Cloutier.

Cloutier started his trek in the QMJHL with the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs starting in the 1976-77 season, playing in 25 games and posting an 11-6-2 record. Starting in the 1977-78 season, Cloutier became a workhorse for Trois-Rivieres, playing in 71 games of the team's 72-- compiling a 46-17-7 record, then going 12-1 in the playoffs, helping them win the QMJHL Championship. Cloutier would go 1-3 in the Memorial Cup that season. Cloutier played all 72 games for Trois-Rivieres in the 1978-79 season and had a 58-8-6 record, then 12-1 in the playoffs again, then 2-2 in the Memorial Cup. After the Buffalo Sabres drafted Cloutier in 1979, he had his workload cut down, playing only 55 games in the 1979-80 season, finishing with a 27-20-7 record-- then 3-4 in the playoffs.

Turning pro for the 1980-81 season, Cloutier would head to the AHL with the Rochester Americans; getting into 61 games and coming up with a 27-27-6 record. In the 1981-82 season, Cloutier went 14-7-2 in 23 games in Rochester, while being called into duty for the Sabres and putting up a 5-1-0 record in seven games. Cloutier stayed with Buffalo for the bulk of the 1982-83 season as a back-up (10-7-6), but the Sabres traded for an experienced back-up; putting Cloutier back in Rochester-- where he would go 7-3-1 in 13 games, then posting a 12-4 playoff record lifting Rochester to the Calder Cup.

The 1983-84 season, Cloutier was back in Rochester playing in 51 games with a final count of 26-22-1 and then going 9-9 in the playoffs. In the 1984-85 season, Cloutier would play 14 games in Rochester (10-2-1) and one game in Buffalo (0-0-1) before he tore some of his knee ligaments, putting him out for the rest of the season. The injury would keep Cloutier out until midway through the 1985-86 season, but he would get into 14 games with Rochester (10-2-2) and then 15 for Buffalo (5-9-1); then playing five games for Canada in the World Championship, helping the country get bronze.

Thanks to injury and inconsistent play for Tom Barrasso, Cloutier was able to stay up with Buffalo for the 1986-87 season, going 11-19-5 in 40 games, but the 1987-88 season saw Cloutier get into a logjam in Buffalo, playing only 20 games and posting a 4-8-2 record in that time. In the 1988-89 season, Cloutier was still in the logjam, but injuries and a horrific moment to Clint Malarchuk would put Cloutier in the spotlight. Cloutier would have a 15-14-0 record in 36 appearances and would go 1-3 in the playoffs. Also, Cloutier spent 11 games in Rochester, but with a lackluster 2-7-0 record.

Before the 1989-90 season, Cloutier was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks, where Cloutier would be a starter in that season for 43 games and compile an 18-15-2, then going 0-2 in four playoff games. Cloutier was hung up in another logjam in Chicago during the 1990-91 season-- being pushed out by Ed Belfour and then Dominik Hasek-- only getting on 10 games with a 2-3-1 record.

During January 1991, Cloutier was traded to the Quebec Nordiques and would finish the season there, appearing in 15 games with a 3-8-2 record. As a back-up in 1991-92, Cloutier appeared in 26 games and posted a 6-14-3 record. Cloutier was the third goalie during the 1992-93 season for Quebec, only appearing in three games and going 0-2-1. The 1993-94 season, brought more games for Cloutier-- but finishing with a 3-2-1 record in 14 appearances. After that season, Cloutier would retire from playing.

Cloutier stuck to hockey, but hired by the Nordiques as an AHL assistant coach with the Cornwall Aces from 1994 until 1996, then being promoted to assistant/goalie coach of the Colorado Avalanche-- winning Stanley Cup rings in 1996 and 2001. He was let go by the Avalanche in 2009, but would go over to Switzerland to help coach with Bob Hartley and help the Zurich Lions win a league championship and moved with Hartley from Switzerland to Calgary to be the assistant coach of the Flames whenever the lockout ends.

Junior stand-out that got hampered by injury and during a time where goalies were plentiful, Cloutier was part of the casualties that, but did make a good enough name for himself and had his mind for hockey-- transitioning it to a solid coaching career.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Rick St. Croix

When it comes to AGMs, the expansion side of things help get some guys a chance to show their talent, but also get lost in the shuffle of other young goalies the organization may think are better. This week's goalie had the experience of the latter, but still was able to actually make something out of all of the curves thrown his way. This week, the profile of Rick St. Croix. 

Starting in the 1970-71 season, St. Croix started a crazed junior career-- playing for the Kenora Muskies in the 1970-71 and 1971-72 season for a total of 66 games, while also playing for the Winnipeg Jets of the Western Canadian Junior League for three games in the 1971-72 season. 

In the 1972-73 season, St. Croix started with the OHL's Oshawa Generals, where he would play three seasons and a total of 117 games. St. Croix would get Second All-Star team honors in the 1972-73 season, as well as being drafted in the 4th Round of the 1975 Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers. 

The 1975-76 season and 1976-77 season, St. Croix played in the IHL for the Flint Generals for a total of 95 games over the two seasons, while getting one game in the AHL with the Springfield Indians which was a win. The 1977-78 season saw St. Croix get a promotion to the AHL's Maine Mariners, where he would go 22-14-2 in 40 games, then 1-3 in four playoff games, while also playing in seven games with the Flyers-- totalling a 2-4-1 record. The 1978-79 season, St. Croix bounced between two AHL teams, the Maine Mariners for 22 games (10-9-3) and the Philadelphia Firebirds for nine games (4-4-1); as well as a two game stint for the Flyers (0-1-1). 

It was a big season for St. Croix in the 1979-80 season, where he would go 25-14-7 for the Maine Mariners and despite a 1-4 playoff record, would garner First All-Star Team honors and won the Hap Holmes Memorial Award for Fewest Goals-Against with teammate Robbie Moore. St. Croix would also play in a game for the Flyers, a win. 

In the 1980-81 season, the Flyers promote St. Croix to the main squad where he would split time with Pete Peeters and Phil Myre. That first season, St. Croix played in 27 games compiling a 13-7-6 record, while during the 1981-82 season-- he went 13-9-6 in 29 games. St. Croix's tenure with the Flyers would come to an end at the mid-point of the 1982-83 season, playing in 16 games (9-5-2) before being shipped out.

The Flyers sent St. Croix to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Michel Larocque in January of 1983. St. Croix finished the season with the Leafs, appearing in 17 games and finishing with a 4-9-2 record. The 1983-84 season saw St. Croix start off with the Leafs for 20 games (5-10-0) before being send to the AHL and the St. Catherines Saints for the final eight games of their season (7-1-0) and three playoff appearances (1-1). It was another split season for St. Croix in the 1984-85 season, playing in 11 games with the Leafs (2-9-0) and then in another 18 games with the Saints (6-10-1). 

With no NHL chances, St. Croix went to the IHL for the 1985-86 season for the Fort Wayne Komets where he would go 25-13-0 in 42 games, then 3-4 in the playoffs. St. Croix would share the James Norris Memorial Trophy with Pokey Reddick for Fewest Goals Against. After that year, St. Croix would retire.

Not out of work for long, St. Croix moved onto coaching starting in the 1987-88 season with the Winnipeg Jets for a couple seasons and would get a Stanley Cup ring as he was the goalie coach for the Dallas Stars when they won the Cup in 1999. St. Croix is now an assistant coach with the St. John's Ice Caps and has two sons in hockey: Michael (Edmonton Oil Kings/New York Rangers) and Chris (Calgary Flames draftee/European player), as well as two daughters. On top of all of that, he also has his own goaltending school to help aide the youth of the goaltending. 

Getting lost in the shuffle didn't seem to fade the spirits of St. Croix. He was able to take his experiences and start to pass it along to the next generation of goalies and be a teacher to them so they could learn the deeper intricacies of the position outside of just playing the game. 

Neuvirth's Big Talk Needs Big Results

It wouldn't be a summer without a controversy with the Washington Capitals and their goaltending. This time, it could have been preventative and maybe it's just the inability for the one party to curve how they really feel....but they are screwed because they are cursed for not having a true personality and then when they slip-up, they are condemned for it.

In any case, Michal Neuvirth gave an interview to a Czech website in regards to this coming season and there's many interesting points, mostly about Braden Holtby being his "weakest competition yet" and him advising Tomas Vokoun to go to Pittsburgh rather than Russia. You can check out the rest of the stuff thanks to the folks at Russian Machine Never Breaks who have a great translation of it.

While many people believe this is Neuvirth's mouth writing a cheque his play can't cash, especially against Holtby, he could have a point and maybe the style of hockey that has been played-- as the lovely and talented Greg Wyshynski points out-- could have helped out Holtby's stat-line. Granted, Holtby does have a regular season record of 14-4-3, this could also be chalked up to the fact that the NHL level players hadn't figured him out. His time with the Hershey Bears last season was a decline of the 2010-11 season, but it could also be due to the jet-lag he had because of shuttling from AHL to NHL. Even so, it seems that he can get figured out if players and coaches have enough game-tape of him.

Neuvirth small nagging injuries have plagued Neuvirth for the past two seasons, mostly lower-body injuries, but it makes you wonder if he would be able to actually go a full season without actually missing any time on the IR. Personally, that alone would make me wonder about his spot as the starting role, as well as his decline over the past couple of seasons-- which could be chalked up to the injuries or what Holtby will discover in a stat-line decline because of players figuring his style out.

However, I think this is something that I wonder if the Capitals are slowly creeping up to the Philadelphia Flyers range when it comes to goaltending. Since Olaf Kolzig unceremoniously left-- Neuvirth, Holtby, Vokoun, Jose Theodore, and Semyon Varlamov, have tried their hand in net, leaving coaches and fans wondering why they're in there over another.

At the end of the day, you have to wonder what's going to happen with this and whether or not stability can be found in either of these two for the long-term with the Caps. Especially with Philipp Grubauer coming up through the ranks-- they could get even more pressure. Yet, with the goalies bickering amongst themselves, it could be an issue when the season starts and the attention put forth could be unneeded pressure on Neuvirth when he didn't need to actually go that way when questioned.

For Neuvirth's sake, I hope that he's healthy enough to actually perform the way he thinks he can-- because it could be a huge bonus for the Caps. Though, if he can't-- the heat he may/will get over his comments will be immense. More over-- this has to be bulletin board material for Holtby, motivating him to be better than before to show how "weak" he can be.

Isles Smartly Sign Grahame...Wait, What??

John Grahame has signed with the Islanders. In 2012.

I'll just let that sink in.

If he plays, the Islanders would have had six goalie play in a game for the the team, one off the NHL record.

The question however that seems to come up is why would the Islanders do it if they have guys like Kevin Poulin and Anders Nilsson in Bridgeport of the AHL to come up?? Why not give the young guys some time in the NHL??

The point is that this is a stop-gap move. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are in the mix for a division title and a spot in the playoffs in the AHL. To pull up that team's goalie just to sit on the bench in the NHL and MAYBE get some playing time in-- seems a bit ridiculous for the long-run, especially for meaningless games in the NHL, since the Isles have been eliminated.

While it's suspect, especially since it's been a while since John Grahame has been in the NHL (he did play in the KHL and last year in the AHL), it's a smart move to have a guy that's in some kind of game shape, rather than someone that could be just a beer-league guy to sign to an amateur try-out contract or to pluck someone from the AHL or ECHL in order to get them a taste of the show AND maybe stifle the chances of that team to actually make the playoffs or be there for a stretch to get them in the playoffs.

Yet, the biggest question is whether or not John Grahame will get some time in net. Considering there is five games left, considering the Islanders seem to be cursed with goaltending injuries-- you would think he could get some time in there to see if he can actually hack, as well as saving up Al Montoya from possible bad things happening to end the season.

Grahame has been the goalie coach for the USHL Sioux City Musketeers this past season and was 23-19-5 over 48 games in the past two seasons prior with the AHL's Lake Erie Monsters, so he could be ready to actually get something done. There's two games that I could see Grahame getting without having accusations of the Islanders tanking-- one against Winnipeg and one against Columbus-- as both teams are eliminated from the playoffs. Heck, if Montoya slips and Grahame comes in as a reliever and lights it up tonight; it could be sooner.

In the end, people will say this was an out of left field thing for the Islanders and another sign this is a team with no direction at all. I say it's a smart decision when you take into account that their younger guys will be able to experience meaningful games in the minor leagues rather than gathering dust on a NHL bench.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Mike Veisor

It seems that there's many times where a goalie often gets lost in the shuffle and will get bounced around, not because he's not good enough, but because he just didn't fit the needs of the team. This week, we have a guy who had solid footing in net, but because he didn't have the best team around him and got there at the wrong time-- he was slighted. This week, the career of Mike Veisor.

Veisor's trek to the NHL started in Junior "A" with the Hamilton Red Wings, playing in 96 games with no record on record because it seems they didn't like to keep them up to date back in 1969 through 1971. Veisor then moved onto playing with the Peterborough Petes for the 1971-72 season, playing in 49 games (again, no record there) and helping the Petes win the OHA, going 11-2-2 in the playofs; then going 2-1 in the Memorial Cup, where the Petes would lose the Cornwall Royals in the Final.

Following his performance, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Veisor in the 3rd Round of the 1972 Amateur Draft and he would immediately go to the Central Hockey League Dallas Blackhawks for the 1972-73 season, playing in 39 games with four shutouts and a 2.75 GAA. Those numbers would get Veisor on the CHL's First All-Star Team, fewest goals against, and the Ken McKenzie Award for Rookie of the Year.

Veisor was called up onto the Chicago Blackhawks for the 1973-74 season, where he would play 10 games, going 7-0-2 backing up the workhorse of Tony Esposito. Veisor was the second goalie of Jewish decent to play in the NHL, though he wanted to be first-- yet, he was beaten out a year earlier by Boston's Ross Brooks. That great debut didn't last for Veisor, as he went 1-5-1 in nine games with Chicago in the 1974-75 season, which would get him sent back to Dallas. In Dallas, he would play 16 games, bouncing back with an 11-5-0 record, then going 6-4 in ten playoff games.

The 1975-76 season had Veisor back in Dallas, where he would get the starting gig and go 28-22-9 in 62 games with five shutouts. Again, Veisor would get CHL First All-Star Team honors and fewest goals against honors for the year. Veisor would stay in Dallas for the bulk of the 1976-77 season, playing in 40 games and compiling a 17-15-6 record, then going 0-2 in two playoff games. Also, Veisor would be called up for three games with Chicago, going 1-2-0.

Veisor would be given another chance as the Chicago back-up to Tony Esposito for the 1977-78 season, playing in 12 games and going 3-4-5. It would get a bit better for Veisor in the 1978-79 season, playing in 17 games and having a 5-8-4 record, but the 1979-80 season had him going 3-5-3 in only 11 games.

In June of 1980, the Blackhawks traded Veisor to the Hartford Whalers for a 2nd Round pick in the 1981 Draft. Veisor would play behind John Garrett in the 1980-81 season, appearing in 29 games with a 6-13-6 record. Veisor would only be in Hartford for 13 games in the 1981-82 season (5-5-2), as he was pushed out by the acquired Greg Millen. Veisor spent some of the 1981-82 season in Binghamton with the AHL team there, also named the Whalers; going 13-8-1 in 22 games. That was enough to have Veisor back in Hartford for the 1982-83 season, playing in 23 games, but with a dismal 5-16-1 record, as well as being a part of the Canadian World Championship team that spring, but never playing.

The 1983-84 season was a well-traveled one for Veisor, starting in Hartford for only four games (1-3-0) before he was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets for Ed Staniowski. Veisor would first report to the AHL's Sherbrooke Jets, playing in five games with a 1-4-0 record before being called up to Winnipeg for eight games, posting a 4-1-2 record before he would hang up the pads.

As last check-in, Veisor was the rink manager at Avon Old Farms School, an all-boys prep school in Avon, Connecticut.

Being nicknamed "The Worm" because of his quickness and agility, Veisor never seemed to get his niche in the NHL right away. He was thrown into the minors and adjusted nicely to the style, but always was second-banana in the NHL couldn't break through. Even so, he was almost in on a history making situation for his heritage, if he could have only made it a year earlier.

The Summer of GMGM

Say what you will about the on-ice results, but the moves the Washington Capitals have made this off-season have been nothing short of spectacular. Most of that can be credited to the slyness of one General Manager George McPhee; or GMGM, as the kids call him.

First off, it started with the firing of Arturs Irbe and bringing back Dave Prior as the goaltending coach and Olaf Kolzig as the assistant goaltender coach, probably laying the ground work for Kolzig to take the reins later on down the line. That was also something that set-up Semyon Varlamov to get dealt, since he had fallen behind Michal Neuvirth and even Braden Holtby; but there was no deal for Varlamov in June.

Fast-forward to the Draft, where there wasn't anyone the Caps wanted, so GMGM made the move to give up their 26th pick in the first round to the Chicago Blackhawks for Troy Brouwer. That's a move that kind of solidified the end of Matt Bradley's tenure in DC, but Brouwer is a guy who has playoff experience at a young age, that it could help the team-- if they can get him signed.

Move a couple days ahead, and some people say this was a little bit of a slip-up, giving Brooks Laich a long-term deal for big dollars to keep the fan-favorite in Capitals red. In the end, with the cap going up and salaries probably doing the same-- it could end up being a steal when all is said and done. However, at the moment-- it doesn't play out to some fans liking.

Then July happened....and GMGM got cold-blooded.

It started off for GMGM by signing old Capital Jeff Halpern to a one year deal, bringing in some leadership that some thought was lacking in the dressing room. Then, he signed Joel Ward, a gritty forward, from Nashville for four-years, then got a veteran defenseman in Roman Hamrlik for two years, probably to help mold the younger defensemen on the squad.

But that was not the biggest move of July 1st for GMGM.

I don't know if it was knowing there was desperation or if it was his cutthroat ways-- but McPhee got rid of Varlamov and sent him to the Colorado Avalanche...for a 1st Round Pick in 2012 and 2nd Round Pick in either 2012 or 2013; the Caps choice. The 2012 Draft is supposed to be much, much, MUCH deeper than this year and with the Avalanche possibly being as bad as they were last year-- could be a HUGE pick-up for the Caps.

But wait-- there's more.

While many thought that GMGM could be mad to go with two rookies in the NHL.....July 2nd, McPhee addressed that-- by signing the highly touted free agent goaltender Tomas Vokoun to a one year deal....worth $1.5M dollar, which is a paycut of over $4M from last season. I don't know what voodoo McPhee did to make this deal happen; but he could have pulled off the biggest shock of the free agency period. Not only does Vokoun provide a veteran presence and can stop a lot of shots; but he'll be able to mentor his fellow Czech Republic native, Neuvirth-- which could prove very invaluable down the line.

However, with only $500k left of their cap, you can bet that McPhee will probably deal someone to free up some space and sign the likes of Brouwer and bring up some of the guys from Hershey to try their hand-- but at the same time; he's done a lot of amazing things in order to make his team better and get all the parts he thought was missing and got them ousted early for the past two playoffs.

The pressure is on the team and coaches now, though. GMGM has done his part and you really can't fault him too much for the results that happen on the ice. Yet, with the group he's compiled, it's almost to the point where not much could go wrong unless the chemistry just goes awry.

But, if he does get the brunt of any failure, he can definitely fall back on his new stand-up comedy career, as you see here; working out material during a press conference.

On the Topic Of Playoff Psychology

Is he in the game or the press box?? Will this guy start or will the back-up start?? The psychology of playoff hockey is alive and well, especially late into the series. Yet, at the same time-- does it ever work??

We've seen this kind of carousel before with the whole "upper/lower body injury" gimmick and it seems to have moved onward to trying to make a guessing game out of which goalie or player will start. While it make mess with the opposition, I don't know how well it works as we get into the elimination games.

There's plenty of times where the goalie switch and personnel switch happens in the first couple of games in order for motivate your own team and maybe give them some more jump to the team, as well as throwing a possible wrench in the opposition game plan. However, it seems a bit counterproductive for a team to still be playing this kind of game while the series drags on if it's not injury related. There comes a time where it's no longer a point to get a jump into a team, but starts to become a distraction and maybe shows the lack of confidence in the team, thus bringing the room down if players don't get motivated by it late into a series.

Not only that, but by the time the opposition has got a groove going, the odds are that you could throw any kind of gauntlet into their direction with roster changes and they would still be able to figure it out and overcome it; thus sending the team that made the change in for a loop and then second-guessing the decision making all around. The same thing to spark the team could also be the downfall of the team as well.

We'll see if these late-series gambles actually pay off, but even if it does-- wouldn't the cast of doubt start to linger on. Sure, it worked the first time and maybe a second time-- but if you go to the well too many times, it'll dry up and then you're stuck with nothing.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Steve Penney

In the playoff fantasticness, we get to someone who has a Cup ring to his name; but doesn't have his name on the Cup itself. The fact he was injured most of his career was the downfall which left his name off the Cup and left his career as a footnote in hockey history, when it could have been so much more. This week-- the profile of Steve Penney.

Penney's career started off unassuming enough, playing in 36 games with the Shawinigan Cataractes of the QMJHL in the 1978-79 season, then 31 in the 1979-80, where he would go 9-14-5, which wasn't the best-- but still got him drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 8th Round. Penney took that as motivation with Shawinigan in the 1980-81 season, going 30-25-4 in 62 games, then going 1-4 in five playoff games.

As Penney turned pro, he went to the IHL's Flint Generals, which he thought would be a short-term assignment. However, after spending the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons there and playing 36 and 48 games respectively; but he didn't seem to be going anywhere fast being tucked away in the minors like that.

Come the 1983-84 season, Penney took one more shot at moving up, but said he was going to be stuck in Flint again, he would quit hockey and go back to delivering beer in Saint Foy, Quebec. Luckily, Penney was mentored by Jacques Plante and was able to play good enough to be placed in the AHL with the Nova Scotia Voyageurs. With Nova Scotia, Penney played 27 games going 11-12-4, while getting a call-up to Montreal for four games, losing all four.

Yet, with Jacques Lemaire behind the Habs bench and hating the inconsistency from his current goaltending, Penney got some more chances. That shine in the 1984 Playoffs, where Penney got 15 games in, going 9-6 and cementing his role with the team. Penney would get the starter's role in 1984-85, playing in 54 games while sporting a 26-18-8 record, then going 6-6 in 12 playoff games. Penney got All-Rookie Team honors that year. The 1985-86 season started promising, but he would slip into the back-up role with the Habs as a young upstart named Patrick Roy came busting on the scene, as did a serious knee injury that limited Penney to 18 games (6-8-2). While the Habs won the Stanley Cup in 1986, Penney didn't have enough games in to get his name on the Cup, he did have an injury exemption-- but the Habs didn't use it. Penney got a Cup ring and had his picture in the team picture with the trophy-- but not engraved on the Cup. That said-- Penney was deemed expendable thanks to Roy's heroics and his own injury woes.

In August of 1986, Penney was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for Brian Hayward, another AGM. The 1986-87 season saw Penney get very limited time in Winnipeg, going 1-4-1 in seven games with the Jets, as other AGM inductees "Pokey and the Bandit" (Pokey Reddick and Daniel Berthiuame) were taking most of the time. Penney also spend '86-'87 with the Sherbrooke Canadiens for four games-- going 1-2-1. More of the same in the 1987-88 season, though Penney played most of his days with the Moncton Hawks, going 9-14-4 in 28 games, then going 2-4-1 in eight games as a call-up from Winnipeg. After that season, Penney hung up his pads and retired.

At last check-in, Penney was working as a sales representative for an eye-glass framing company.

While he rose to stardom and notoriety quickly, injuries and other goaltenders jumping onto the scene hurt Penney's chances as longevity. Many thought he was going to be the next Ken Dryden after his big playoff run; but if nothing else-- the injuries were the reason that Patrick Roy was able to launch into stardom and allowed him to get into games and hone his craft at a young age. I'm sure that Penney doesn't want to be remembered as the guy before Roy started....but it's better than nothing, I suppose.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Warren Skorodenski

This week, we'll take a look at a guy who was at the Heritage Classic, but not used. In fact, it seems that for most of his career, his mask would get the most attention in the career rather than what he did while he was playing. And while he had a few moments in the sun, his skull mask shall forever live on. This week, the profile of Warren Skorodenski.

Skorodenski started off playing in Midget AAA with the West Kildonan North Stars in Manitoba before moving to the Western Hockey League with the Calgary Wranglers. In his first season with the Wranglers in 1977-78, Skorodenski played the bulk of games, but only had a dismal 8-22-10 record out of his 52 appearances. Things got drastically better in the 1978-79 season, with Skorodenksi playing in 66 games compiling a 26-31-5 record, then going 7-8 in the playoffs; losing in the division finals. After that season, Skorodenski was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks, but remained in Calgary for the 1979-80 season, where he would put up his best numbers, going 39-23-2 in 66 games, but a 3-4 playoff mark would have him bow out in the first round.

The 1980-81 season would see Skorodenski take the pro route, playing with the Flint Generals of the IHL for 41 games (sadly, no record available), while getting two games up with the AHL's New Brunswick Hawks, going 0-1-0. Skorodenski would stay in New Brunswick for the 1981-82 season, seeing 28 games, finishing with a 16-8-4 record, while going 0-2 in the playoffs. Along with Dan Janeyck; they won the AHL's Hap Holmes Award for fewest goals against. He also got a call-up to the Blackhawks for one game, which was a loss. The 1982-83 season would see him split between the AHL's Springfield Indians for 13 games (3-6-0), as well as being sent down for the bulk of the season to the Central League's Birmingham South Stars, where he would go 11-11-1 in 25 games, while going 0-4 in five playoff appearances. The 1983-84 season was a dicey one, as Skorodenski started out with the Sherbrooke Jets for 19 games (5-10-2), but an incident on November 20th of 1983 would see Skorodenski get suspended by the AHL for 20 games, as he assaulted referee Dave Lynch. When he return, Skorodenski would play 14 games with the Indians, going 3-11-0, then 0-2 in two playoff appearances.

Skorodenski played hard enough in training camp to win a spot on the Blackhawks main roster for the 1984-85 season, backing up Murray Bannerman. Skorodenski would going 11-9-3 in 27 games, with a solid .903 save percentage; highest in the league. Skorodenski played one game with the Blackhawks in the 1985-86 season, a loss, but a logjam in net relegated him to the AHL with the Nova Scotia Oilers, playing 32 games and having a 11-14-2 record to show. The majority of the 1986-87 season had Skorodenski back in Nova Scotia, appearing in another 32 contest with a 10-15-0 record, while receiving a call-up from the Blackhawks for three games, going 1-0-1. Skorodenski also saw time in the IHL with the Saginaw Generals, going 4-1-0 in six games; but then going 3-2 in six playoff contests.

The Edmonton Oilers liked what they saw in Skorodenski when he was in their minor league system, that they signed him before the 1987-88 campaign. Granted, he spent the majority of the time with Nova Scotia, playing 46 games with 25-15-5 record; Edmonton called him up for three games-- but all came in relief and wouldn't allow him a record. Skorodenski had one more kick in the Oilers' organization in the 1988-89 season, but it would be with the Cape Breton Oilers of the AHL, where he would go 11-13-1 before leaving the team.

Skorodenski finished out the 1988-89 campaign with the Canadian National Team, seeing 22 games of action and finishing with a 8-9-1 record. Skorodenski would stay with the National Team for the 1989-90 season, going 18-17-0 in 41 appearances traveling around the globe. One last gasp in the 1990-91 season had Skorodenski play only two games-- both wins-- for the National Team before he would hang-up the pads for good.

Sadly, I was unable to catch up with Skorodenski at the alumni game to see what he is up to, as he seems to have fallen off the map in the hockey world. While he did have a sweet mask, he could have been a lot more. He had flashes of brilliance, but at the same time-- never seemed to get the attention he needed to work on those flashes.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Clint Malarchuk

While we've had a lot of comebacks, this one could be more of the interesting ones-- especially because it was only a week until he played again. Yet, while it was only seven days-- the severity of his comeback made people sit there in amazement after what he had gone through. It's one moment that he will be infamously known for and many will never forget. This is the profile of Clint Malarchuk.

Starting in Junior A with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders, Malarchuk went 23-9-1 in 33 games during the 1977-78 season, as the Traders would be the runner-up in the AJHL season. Overtaking the starting role in the 1978-79 season, Malarchuk would get 52 games in with a 36-15-1 record, helping the Traders actually win the Centennial Cup for the AJHL championship. That season also saw Malarchuk get his feet wet in the WHL, playing 2 games with a 1-0-1 record for the Portland Winterhawks. Malarchuk would stay in Portland for the 1979-80 season, splitting time with Darrell May-- getting in 37 games in with a 21-10-0 record. Malarchuk would split with May again for the 1980-81 season, playing in 38 games with a 28-8-0 record, then going 3-2 in the playoffs.

Malarchuk was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1981 Draft during the fourth round, and he would go to the Fredericton Express of the AHL for the 1981-82 season, gaining the starting role while playing in 51 games, though he sported a dismal 15-34-2 record; while he got a call-up to Quebec for two games, going 0-1-1 in those games. The 1982-83 season started the shuttle years for Malarchuk, as he would shift between Fredericton and Quebec. With Fredericton, he'd go 14-6-5 in 25 games, sharing the Hap Holmes Memorial Award for lowest goals-against with Brian Ford; while with Quebec, Malarchuk went 8-5-2 in 15 games. For the 1983-84 season, Malarchuk stayed up with the Nordiques for most of the season, playing in 23 games, going 10-9-2 overall-- then spent 11 games in Fredericton with a 5-5-1 tally. Due to a logjam in net, Malarchuk was relegated to only Fredericton in the 1984-85 season; going 26-25-4 for the season playing in 56 games, then going 2-4 in six playoff games.

There was a bit of a reprieve during the 1985-86 season, as Malarchuk would stay up with the Nordiques the entire season, while making a play for the starting gig. With a 26-12-4 record in 46 games, Malarchuk was priming himself for the long-haul. However, it came falling down, as he would go 18-26-9 in the 1986-87 season, which pretty much derailed his time in Quebec.

In June of 1987, Malarchuk and Dale Hunter were traded from Quebec to the Washington Capitals for Alan Haworth, Gaeten Duchense, and a first-round pick.....which turned out to be Joe Sakic. Malarchuk would get the starting gig in Washington, while he went 24-20-4 in 54 games, then going 0-2 in three playoff games. Yet-- thanks to the play of former AGM Pete Peeters, Malarchuk had to split time for the 1988-89 season and would go 16-18-7 in 42 games with the Caps before he was moving again.

At the trade deadline, Malarchuk, Grant Ledyard and a sixth-round pick was traded from Washington to the Buffalo Sabres for Calle Johansson and a second-round pick. Malarchuk played seven games to round out the year with a 3-1-1 record....but the year almost finished in tragedy.

Everyone knows the story, on March 22nd 1989-- the skate blade of St. Louis Blues forward Steve Tuttle hit Malarchuk's neck, severing the internal jugular vein. Malarchuk had blood gushing out of his neck and was very close to dying, and would have if he was at the other end of the ice. However, thanks to the quick thinking of then Buffalo trainer and former Army medic Jim Pizzutelli, Malarchuk was able to be saved. The doctors stitched up Malarchuk with over 300 stitches to close up the wound and didn't think he should play the rest of the season-- but he did. In later interviews, Malarchuk said that he left the ice as quick as possible so that his mother wouldn't see him die on the ice. It was bleak in his mind that he had the trainer call his mother and a Pastor was called in for him.

The 1989-90 season saw Malarchuk back in Buffalo to back-up another former AGM, Daren Puppa. Malarchuk would get in 29 games with a 14-11-2 record for the end of the season. Malarchuk would return for the 1990-91 season, but the record wouldn't be as forgiving-- finishing with a 12-14-10 record in 37 games. The 1991-92 season had Malarchuk behind the Puppa and another former AGM Tom Draper, as Malarchuk would 10-13-3 in 29 games and would spend two games with the AHL's Rochester Americans, going 2-0-0. Yet, the Sabres had too many goalies for the 1992-93 season and Malarchuk was loaned out to the IHL's San Diego Gulls and would play 27 games, in which he would regain his form with a 17-3-3 record, then going 6-4 in 10 playoff games, helping the Gulls get to the Turner Cup finals, despite losing. Malarchuk would share the James Norris Trophy for lowest goals-against with Rick Knickle.

That would mark the start of Malarchuk in the IHL, as he would stay in the league, but with the Las Vegas Thunder for the 1993-94 season. He would take the torch, playing in 55 games with a 34-10-7 record. Staying with Las Vegas in 1994-95 season, Malarchuk would see his time reduced, playing 38 games with a 15-13-3 record, as Malarchuk would retire after the season ended. However, it would be short-lived, as Malarchuk would come out of retirement to play four minutes in the 1995-96 season for the Thunder. Malarchuk would have a short retirement again, going 1-1-0 in three games for the 1996-97 season before he would be done for good.

After his playing career, Malarchuk would go into coaching-- first with the Las Vegas in the 1997-98 season, then moving to the Idaho Steelheads of the WCHL from 1998 until 2000. Malarchuk would get the call to the NHL to be a goaltending consultant to the Florida Panthers for the 2002-03 season, then getting on with the Columbus Blue Jackets from 2006 until 2010 before catching on with the Atlanta Thrashers this past summer.

Even after his throat incident, Malarchuk almost got into a fatal situation his farm in Nevada, as he had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his chin after setting his gun between his legs when waiting to hunt. Malarchuk and his wife deny it was a suicide attempt; but he was consuming alcohol, which didn't blend well with his medication for OCD-- a condition he developed after the throat injury.

It's been a topsy-turvy career and life for Malarchuk, but he has been able to overcome things that most people probably couldn't do after it happened. He beat the odds in hockey and cheated death twice-- plus found a career after the game and stayed in the game thanks to it. You can't keep a good man down, and Malarchuk seems to be living proof.

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.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Bob Froese

With the All-Star Weekend come and gone, we touch into the archives for probably one of the more unheralded winning goalies from the annual display of stars. That same year was his best year to date, but he was also considered disposal and led the way for the start of Ron Hextall's career. From being denied credit for a goal and being the first NHLer to sport a water bottle on the net; this guy had plenty of ups and down. This week, the career of Bob Froese.

Hailing from St. Catherines, Ontario, Froese started his road to the NHL in the OHA (modern day OHL), playing in 146 games between the St. Catherines Blackhawks, Oshawa Generals, and Niagara Falls Flyers from 1974 to 1978. Though he didn't sport the best stats, which included a 5.01 GAA, he was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the 10th round of the 1978 NHL Draft.

As you can tell, not many stats were recorded for Froese during his playing career before he went into the NHL, which showed during his tenure in the IHL starting in 1978-79 with the Saginaw Gears, where he would play 21 games with a 3.31 GAA, then he would be loaned out to the Milwaukee Admirals for 14 regular season games (5-5-1, 3.52 GAA), then seven playoff games. Froese would return to the Gears for the 1979-80 season, playing in 52 games with a 3.38 GAA, also getting a call to the AHL's Maine Mariners, losing the only appearance he had. Froese would play in 43 regular season games with Saginaw in 1980-81, sporting a 2.98 GAA. Froese would also go an amazing 12-1 in 13 playoff games in 1981, helping the Gears win the Turner Cup.

After that Championship performance, Froese signed with the Philadelphia Flyers and was moved up to the AHL with the Maine Mariners to take part of a trio of himself, Sam St. Laurent and Pelle Lindbergh. Froese would get 33 games with the 1981-82 Mariners, going 16-11-4 for the year. For the 1982-83 season, Froese played 33 games in Maine, going 18-11-3 before getting the call to move up to Philadelphia, where he would play 25 games and going 17-4-2 in his stead.

Froese was who the Flyers turned to in the 1983-84 season, where he would be the starter with Pelle Lindbergh as his back-up. With 48 games that season, Froese was able to put up a 28-13-7 record. However, the 1984-85 season saw Froese start off well, going 7-0-0 before he strained some ligaments in his knee, sidelining him for 18 games. He would make an appearance in the AHL as rehabilitation for four games (1-2-1), before being called back up to Philadelphia-- but by that time, Lindbergh surpassed Froese in play, relegating Froese to only 8 more games for the season, finishing 13-2-0 on the season.

The tandem of Froese and Lindbergh was something of solidarity rather than competition. Lindbergh suffered from dehydration, which caused him to bring a water bottle to the ice. Froese was credited for being the first NHLer to strap it to the top of the net with velcro during the playoffs, though Lindbergh was the first to many people to start the water bottle feat. Yet, from prior AGMs we know that Chris Terreri and Scott Gordon were the first to both have water bottles on the net.

In any case, the 1985-86 season was a heartfelt one for the Flyers. While Froese lost out on the top spot to Lindbergh. However, that changed when Lindbergh tragically died in a motor vehicle accident in November of 1985. It was Froese who had to fill the skates that Lindbergh had left, and he did the team proud, going 31-10-3 with a 2.55 GAA. He won William Jennings Trophy for least goals against with Darren Jensen, was the winning goalie in the 1986 All-Star Game, plus he was named to the NHL's Second Team All-Star after the season.

The 1986-87 season was an interesting turning point for Froese. He would start with the Flyers, but would only play three games (all wins), but would be pushed out by the emergence of Ron Hextall and signing of Glenn "Chico" Resch. Froese was expendable and shipped to the New York Rangers for Kjell Samuelsson and a second round pick. With the Rangers, Froese would play 28 games behind John Vanbiesbrouck, going 14-11-0; plus an invite to play for Canada in the Wold Championships, where we would go 1-3-1 in five games. Froese would once again be behind Vanbiesbrouck in New York for 1987-88, getting into 25 games, but with a disappointing 8-11-3 record; while in 1988-89, Froese's workload would increase to 30 games, but a 9-14-4 record would all he have to show for the increased games. Froese would only see 15 games in the 1989-90 season, as Mike Richter would come from the Rangers system to play amazingly and usurp the back-up position. After going 5-7-1, Froese hung up the pads.

Currently, Froese found God and is the head Pastor at the Faith Fellowship Church in Clarence, New York.

Froese did a great job while in his playing career, especially when trying to overcome a tragedy that shocked the entire team and city. With 128 NHL wins, an All-Star appearance and victory, his career isn't anything to be ashamed of. While he may have dipped out of the hockey spotlight, he continues to lead his life to a higher calling; which seems to suit him just fine.

On the Topic of Evgeni Nabokov

We've all had the weekend to reflect, we've all had the weekend to hear from those involved, and now it's time to get opinions. Not the knee-jerk ones like when it happened, but more thought out and logical ones. However, when I think about it all, I keep coming back to something the fantastic Ryan Classic said-- Nabokov and his agent misread the NHL market once again.

When Nabokov came back from Russia, he was on the clock to make a decision and to be honest, no many thought he would come off his stance like in the off-season, where he wanted somewhere between $5-6 million for his services. Yet, at $570K, who's NOT going to put a claim in, especially if you're near the bottom. There's a lot of people wondering why the New York Islanders put a claim in, knowing that he probably wouldn't report.

The answer to that is simple-- Garth Snow is in the business of making his team better if he believes Nabokov could do that. When they dealt Dwayne Roloson, you had to wonder if Rick DiPietro could carry the load. With trips to the IR, the answer is no. So, rather than wear out young guys like Nate Lawson and Kevin Poulin-- why not pick up Nabokov for the rest of the year in order to give the youngsters more seasoning and take some pressure off of DiPietro's fragile body. The whole start of this was that Nabokov wanted to go to a team where he would get a lot of playing time, before he said he wanted to be on a Cup contender. What better place to go than Long Island, show yourself off and then hope to get a contract with a better team in the next season??

The point of the waiver system is so that free agents can't come and go as they please. It's a fail-safe system to guys who decided at the start of the year they wanted to play overseas rather than take a menial job in the NHL or be sent to the AHL. The Blues can attest to the fact that the waivers is a crapshoot when it comes to guys (they lost Marek Svatos and Kyle Wellwood to the same thing), but in the end, it's a safe-haven so that no one can cry foul when someone who was overseas decided they can't cut it over there and want to come back to the NHL; everyone gets a crack and no one is slighted in this process.

With Nabokov, people are saying that as a player; he should be able to go where he wants-- even equating it to real-life scenarios. This isn't real life-- this is sports. Plus, it's not like he's doing something different, like being an usher for the Isles or playing centerfield for the Mets; he'll be a goalie, but in a different market.

Nabokov had the choice to pick who he wanted in July and when no one would give him the money he wanted, he went to Russia to a team who would give him the money. You cannot blame him for that, we all want to get paid. However, he wasn't up to snuff in the KHL, his family didn't like it there, and he asked for his release. Since he chose the KHL over the NHL, I believe-- as does the NHL with the waiver rules-- that he shouldn't be allowed to just go to whomever he wants. If he wanted to stay in the NHL, he should have lowered his price in July and we wouldn't be having this debate. Since he turned his back to the NHL, he needs to go through the process and be accessible to all the teams. Obviously, people will say that free agency is like this and to a point, they are correct. However, when it happens during the season, it's not free anymore

Kudos to Snow for wanting to actually improve his team and show that he wants to get his team better. Nabokov may have wanted to be on a Stanley Cup contender when he decided to come back, but if he was really serious about doing that-- he shouldn't have been so hard-line with his demands this summer, nor should he have been shocked when his price goes down drastically that the worst team wanted to have their mitts on you. Will Nabokov be looked down upon if he doesn't report?? Maybe, especially when the contract is up. The Islanders can't do any worse, let's be honest. Will Nabokov will be looked down upon if he DOES show up?? Time will tell.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Jean-Claude Bergeron

There are few times were one of the AGMs hits their stride after their junior career....but here we are. This week, the AGM in question really got noticed for his days in the minors while playing later in his career than his junior and early years in minor league hockey. This week, the career of Jean-Claude Bergeron.

Bergeron first came busting on the scene in the QMJHL with the Shawinigan Cataractes in the 1985-86 season as a back-up, going 13-16-1 in 33 games. The 1986-87 season saw Bergeron start off with Shawinigan for 11 games with a 5-4-1 record before he was dealt to the very defensively inept Verdun Jr. Canadiens, where he would take over the starting role. He would play 41 games with Verdun with an 11-28-1 record to end out the year. Back in Verdun for the 1987-88 season, where it wouldn't get much better with a 13-31-3 record in 49 games, giving up 265 goals behind that horrific defense. Yet, even with those numbers, the Montreal Canadiens would pick up Bergeron in the 5th round of the 1988 Draft. The worse of the Verdun years would be in the 1988-89 season, as Bergeron would play 44 games and record an abysmal 8-34-1 record.

There would be a reprive with Bergeron during that '88-'89 season, as he would move to the AHL's Sherbrooke Canadiens for five games and put up a 4-1-0 record. In his first pro season of 1989-90, Bergeron would see plenty of ice time; playing in 40 games while compiling a record of 21-8-7, while going 6-2 in nine playoff games. Bergeron would be named to the AHL's First All-Star Team and share the Hap Holmes Trophy with tandem partner Andre Racicot for least goals-against, in addition to his Baz Bastien Trophy win for Outstanding Goaltender of the year.

Bergeron would start out the 1990-91 season with the Montreal Canadiens on their French Tour, going 1-0-0 in two games, then would spend 18 games with Montreal, splitting between the beginning and ending of the season, going 7-6-2. During the middle of the year, he would head to Fredericton; the new home of the Habs AHL affiliate, playing 18 games with a 12-6-0 record, then going 5-5 in 10 playoff games. In 1991-92, Bergeron would start out with Fredericton and would play 18 games, but his 5-7-1 record would get him sent to the IHL's Peoria Rivermen, where he would play 27 games, finishing with a 14-9-3 record, while going 3-3 in six playoff games.

During the summer of 1992, Bergeron would be traded by Montreal to the expansion Tampa Bay Lightning for Frederic Chabot. That 1992-93 season would see play third string behind former AGMs Pat Jablonski and Wendell Young; but he would get 21 games in with a 8-10-1 record. With another goaltending acquisition, Bergeron would play most of the 1993-94 season with the IHL's Atlanta Knights, playing in 48 games with a stellar 27-11-3 record, then going 1-1 in two playoff games, as he would be a part of the Turner Cup champion team. Bergeron would share the James Norris Trophy with Mike Greenlay for fewest goals-against during the year. Bergeron would get three games of call-up in the '93-'94 season, going 1-1-1.

The 1994-95 season had Bergeron start off in Atlanta while the NHL lockout was going on, playing in six games with a 3-3-0 record. As the lockout ended, Bergeron was called-up to the Tampa Bay Lightning to get in 17 games of action during the shorten season with a 3-9-1 record. Bergeron would start off in Tampa in the 1995-96 season, but would only spend 12 games (2-6-2) before being sent down to Atlanta. With Atlanta, Bergeron would get in 25 games, but not fare as well as he did years prior, going 9-10-3.

Bergeron would sign with the Los Angeles Kings for the 1996-97, but would be sent to the IHL's Phoenix Roadrunners for the bulk of the season. With the Roadrunners, Bergeron would see 42 games in net, ending the year with an 11-19-2 record. Bergeron would see one game with the Kings, losing said game.

Bergeron would take a year off before resurfacing in the Quebec Semi-Pro League, playing for the Joliette Blizzard in the 1998-99 season, going 12-1-1 in 15 games, then going 9-2 in 11 playoff games, helping the Blizzard capture the QSPHL crown. Bergeron would return for 13 more games in the 1999-2000 season, going 8-5-0 before hanging up the pads for good.

Bergeron took his time and tenure in the NHL to the next level, becoming the Hockey Business Unit Director for Reebok Hockey; where he oversees the CCM line of goaltending equipment.

He has his championships and did have to deal with some not-so-great teams in front of him, but he seemed to keep coming back for more, regardless of the punishment he took. Even after taking a year off, he was able to come back and be successful, albeit in the semi-pro league. While he continues to deal with the pads....he's in a little bit safer confines and not facing as many shots as he did in his playing days.

Friday Five: Talking the Talk

As we move to a long weekend for those in the US, we get into this week's Friday Five where we'll look at players talking some smack to the TV networks covering them, we talk about some playoffs, and we head outside again.

1. Islanders Zenon Konopka told TSN's cameras the Isles aren't a doormat during the morning skate, then they had 6 goals put on them that night by Ottawa; including four-goals in seven minutes in the second. Whaaaa happen??

While Konopka does have a point that the Islanders really aren't as bad as their record details, I don't believe that they are past the doormat status just yet. They have a lot of great young talent, but still need a piece here or there to actually be consistently good and maybe actually surprise some people during the season. Yet, with a lack of solid goaltending and consistent offensive output; the Isles will still be looked down upon.

2. As we hit the half-way point, what teams could make a run at the playoffs and which teams could drop off??

In the Eastern Conference, I think that anywhere from 9th to 1st could shuffle until the end of the year, though beyond 10th will have a rough go about it. Out West, I'm not sure if the San Jose Sharks could come back, as they are 12th, but at the same time-- they could realize who they are and make a push for it. The same goes for the Los Angeles Kings, who are better than their record says. The West could be a better shootout coming down to the end, while the East will be three teams for the last two spots.

3. Rookies like James Reimer and Robin Lehner have started to be at the focal point getting some playing time and while they may be ready-- should teams worry about rushing such inexperienced players??

Especially with goalies, it's always rough to rush them to the NHL with little experience and then ride them for the long-term. In Reimer's case, especially, the media attention will only put more pressure on him the better that he does for the the Leafs. With Lehner, he's in a no-lose situation with how bad the Senators have been in net since their inception, so he could adapt with the team's struggles. The big thing is burnout with the young goalies and if they are overused, it could make it harder and harder for them to recover from their short-comings. However, if they get mentally tough-- they'll be able to bounce-back from the struggles.

4. This weekend is the fifth game for the nine outdoor games this season, as the Spokane Chiefs host the Kootenay Ice. Thoughts??

First, you should head over to T-Rawk and the Canadian vs. the Yanks blog for the preview and then review of the Rockstar Outdoor Classic. With this, we've hit the midway point of the outdoor games and it seems they've done a lot of great work in Spokane, but there are showers in the forecast. At the same time, it's a colder rain, which could be better than what happen in Pittsburgh with the warm weather and rain. Even with tickets available, it should be a great event.

5. With the horrific Guardian Project going on and being mocked harshly-- is there any mascot that could defeat these "guardians??"

Right off the bat, I know The Hurricane couldn't beat Stormy the Pig because....well, pigs aren't going to blow over that easily to wind. I also think that Blades and the unofficial Bruin could defeat The Bruin in a handicap match. That said, the only Guardian who could win right now is The Lightning destroying Thunderbug.

However, I can't wait until the North Star, the Nordique, the Whaler, the Scout, and the Rockie come back to take over the Guardians at the ultimate showdown at the ASG.

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That's another week done and if you have suggestions for topics or whatever-- Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com is where you can get a hold of me and suggest whatever. Enjoy your hockey weekend people.

Friday Five: New Year, New Problems

Hope all of you had the greatest New Year's ever and all those shenanigans. However, the Friday Five is the auld acquaintance that'll never leave. Or something....I've got nothing.

1. Martin Brodeur has been riding the pine in lieu of Johan Hedberg, and for good reasoning. Are we witness the burnout of Brodeur before our eyes??

It's quite the issue on whether this is just a bad year for Brodeur and the Devils or the ravages of age and overuse catching up to the modern-era's greatest goalie in wins. The Devils aren't doing much to help him out in front of him and it seems that the karma is getting back to the Devils quicker than expected, as all the bounces aren't going their way at all. That said, we are definitely seeing a changing of the guard with the Devils-- which probably won't include Hedberg, but the point is that the goaltending department will have a big shake-up in Jersey and this is the first process rearing its ugly head.

2. While the Islanders were doing well for a while there, their goaltending issues could be their downfall-- was it foolish to get rid of Dwayne Roloson this early??

The Isles are a streaky team this year and could end up with a close to .500 record if they can even out their hot and cold streaks. However, with their tandem of Nathan Lawson and Kevin Poulin until Rick DiPietro gets healthy again; this is not good news. The Isles could have jumped the gun for dumping Roloson, but what other option did they have?? They had to sell high and try to get what they could get-- which isn't much for a 41-year-old goalie. Garth Snow did what he was told, which could have compromised the hot streak they were having heading into their Western swing.

3. The Winter Classic was all the rage and covered a lot during the week. Final thoughts??

It was a classic battle and it was a great boost for the League. Even so, the question is where's the next one and with the weather as it was-- squashes any argument to not have it in one of the Sunbelt cities. Dan Craig is a magician and he can do what's needed in order to put a game in a market that needs a gimmick like this to draw attention to the team would could be struggling otherwise.

4. Back to Jersey, Jamie Langenbrunner has cleaned out his locker and waiting to see where his next destination is. How painful is it to be sitting around like that and how much of a shot to ego is it to just be waiting there for commands??

It's definitely a shot to the ego when you're the captain and they go to you first before anyone else to move. Yet, I would almost think it's a reprieve from purgatory and maybe a fresh start from the hell that is New Jersey. Yet, in this world of technology, it's got to sting to know that you're out because you're waiting for a trade rather than just a mysterious injury. That said, it's a great look into the process of how it happens and how long it takes to finalize a deal with all the clauses that have to be overcome in order to achieve a trade.

5. Brayden Schenn swept most of the awards at the WJC despite his teams' monumental collapse and playing on a separated shoulder. With him going back to junior, which way could his motivation go??

Schenn is going back to a dismal Brandon Wheat Kings team and Schenn could be a little put off from going to an extreme high like the Canadian juniors then back to a team that's last in their division. However, you have to figure that Schenn won't dog it, mostly due to wanting to make the LA Kings notice that he's ready for the next step. He didn't seem to lose a step when he went back to juniors and showed he has the ability to play big at the WJC. We'll see how well Schenn does when he gets back from injury-- but the Kings probably did the right thing sending him back, rather than having him rot in the press box.

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That's another week in the books and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did-- and I know you did. If you didn't, email me at Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com with some suggestions on what you want to see in the F5; topic wise or whatever.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Stephane Beauregard

Definitely, this week's AGM completely goes with the equation of the past AGMs where they are solid in their amateur career, but when they got to the show-- they wouldn't live up to the hype. However, this week's AGM has the distinction for being traded for Dominik Hasek, as well as being named for the janitor on the Muppet Show. This week, we look at the career of Stephane Beauregard.

Starting off in Midget AAA with the Richelieu Riverains for the 1985-86 season, Beauregard went 10-11-0 in 21 games, while going 3-2 in five playoffs games. The 1986-87 season saw him go into the QMJHL with the St-Jean Castors in a back-up role. He would go 6-7-0 in the season and would take over the starting role in the playoffs, but would only go 1-3 in his five appearances. The next season, Beauregard would be the starter and break out in a big way. For the 1987-88 season, Beauregard would go 38-20-3 for his 66 games, although he would only go 3-4 in seven playoff games. Despite an early exit, Beauregard would be on the QMJHL First All-Star Team, QMJHL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Canadian Major Junior Goaltender of the Year.

With the buzz around him, the Winnipeg Jets snagged Beauregard in the second round of the 1988 Draft; which allowed him to make the jump to the AHL with the Moncton Hawks in the 1988-89 season. Beauregard would start off with Moncton, playing in 15 games, going 4-8-2 before being sent down to the IHL's Fort Wayne Komets, where he would play another 16 games, going 9-5-0. He would play in the 1989 Playoffs, going 4-4 in nine games with the Komets. Beauregard would start the 1989-90 season back with Fort Wayne, playing in 33 games and going 20-8-3 before he would receive the call up to Winnipeg. With the Jets, he would get 19 games in behind another AGM, Bob Essensa, going 7-8-3 and would go 1-3 in the playoffs for the Jets. At the start of the 1990-91 season, Beauregard would be in Winnipeg behind Essensa-- but after 16 games and a 3-10-1 record, he would be sent down to Moncton for nine games (3-4-1), then ultimately heading back to Fort Wayne. In Fort Wayne, he would go 14-13-2 in 32 games and lead the Komets to the Turner Cup Finals with a 10-9 record, but would lose in the Finals to the Peoria Rivermen. With the 1991-92 season, Beauregard would deal with not only injuries, but the carousel of goalies of Essensa and another AGM, Rick Tabaracci. Even so, Beauregard got 26 games in with a 6-8-6 record for the year.

The summer of 1992 is one that had Beauregard go everywhere and nowhere. Beauregard was first traded from Winnipeg to Buffalo for Christian Ruuttu and future considerations in June. Then, from Buffalo, Beauregard was traded with Eric Daze to Chicago for Dominik Hasek on August 7th, then on the 10th; Beauregard was traded from Chicago BACK to Winnipeg for Christian Ruuttu....again. Finally, on the eve of the season, Beauregard was traded from Winnipeg to Philadelphia. Got that??

So, Beauregard was with the Flyers, playing behind two other AGMs-- Dominic Roussel and Tommy Soderstrom, but would be send down to Hershey mid-season to play with the AHL's Bears. In Philly, Beauregard would play 16 games, going 3-9-0, while the story in Hershey wasn't much better; as he would go 5-5-3 in 13 games there.

The summer of 1993 was a little more tame, as Beauregard was traded from Philadelphia back to Winnipeg for future consideration. However, he would only spend 13 games, mostly in a replacement role, in Winnipeg-- going 0-4-1. The bulk of the 1993-94 season had Beauregard in Moncton of the AHL, playing 37 games with an 18-11-6 record. Beauregard would help the Moncton Hawks get to the Calder Cup finals with a 12-9 record, but lost in the Finals to the Portland Pirates. Beauregard would play for the Springfield Indians for the 1994-95 season, playing 24 games with a 10-11-3 record in the season.

Starting in the 1995-96 season, Beauregard would play in the IHL, first with the San Francisco Spiders, playing 69 games for the team and going 36-24-8 on the year, allowing him to take home IHL First-Team Honors, as well as the IHL MVP award for the season. The Spiders disbanded after that season, which led Beauregard back to Quebec with the Rafales in the 1996-97 season. While in Quebec, Beauregard played 67 games with a 35-20-11 record. Beauregard sat out most of the 1997-98 season, but would pick up with the Chicago Wolves to fill in for yet another AGM, Wendell Young, and would play 18 games with a 10-6-0 record and then a 10-4 record in the playoffs, as the Wolves would win the Turner Cup championship.

Beauregard would set out for a European adventure in the 1998-99 season with Switzerland's HC Davos, where he would play 45 games in the regular season-- sadly there's no record online of it all. Beauregard would then move to Germany to play with Schwenninger Wild Wings, playing 58 games with four shutouts, before call it a career after the 1999-2000 season.

While he got lost in the shuffle during the NHL part of his career, he did seem to find a niche while playing in the IHL, where he had most of his success. But, like I said, he did follow the formula of past AGMs and did unintentionally cross paths with other AGMs in the process.

Friday Five: Injuries Akimbo

It's time for a Friday Five again....because, well, it's Friday. That's how gimmicks go. We're only a week old into the season and we have injuries out of the wazzoo. Shocking how quick it's all going this way so quickly. We'll looking into that and some more fun stuff.

1. If you're the Ottawa Senators, how much of a failure is the Pascal Leclaire experiment??

It's only a failure if you thought that Leclaire was going to be the game-changer the Sens hyped him up to be. He's a fragile guy and really hasn't done much to really warrant being a solid goalie, aside from one good season. Though one season is usually all it takes (right Jim Carey??), but for people to think he'd be a franchise goalie is insanity. The Houses of the Hockey have a great expose about Leclaire's injury history, so with that-- it's not a shock at all it's a failure. I mean, Damian Rhodes was the goalie of the future for this team at one time. That tells you all you need to know.

2. Last week was fighting, now it's concussions. The concussions are running rampant, is there anything to do to limit that??

Hockey helmet companies are doing all they can to limit the concussions, but it doesn't seem to actually be working just yet. With the game run on emotions and what-not, there's not much you can do to limit or deter players from playing the game they've always played. It's a shame, but the honest truth is that unless you take hitting out of the game, not will limit concussions. You look at the John Tavares hit and his was a whiplash occurrence, so it's not like it takes head-shot for these guys to go down; just happenstance.

3. Speaking of head injuries-- is it all that crazy of these Leafs fans to be crazed about their 3-0 start??

I'll be the first to say the Leafs (a team I loathe) have been off to a surprising start and could be a playoff team if they can keep this up. The problem is that it seems the Leafs are the most prepared team and with that advantage, should be having and enjoying the success they've gotten. However, they still have 79 games left to keep up this pace and whether or not they can sustain a healthy pace is yet to be seen. If other teams start to catch up and pass the Leafs-- then you'll see the true will of this team.

4. It seems that the Coyotes are thinking about finally ending this fiasco....again. Will it happen or won't it??

Depends on if you believe reports that Matthew Hulsizer is going to finally purchase the team. If you think he's legit, then it could be over soon. That's bad news for the "Bett and Bals" series. However, we've been through this dance before and nothing has come out of it. While there's been reports of a deal being in place, it's the same song and dance we've heard before. I won't believe the team being safe until they are sold, the papers are signed, the team starts selling 2011-12 season tickets and they drop the puck in October of 2011 at Jobing.com Arena-- then it's something that I could believe.

5. Speaking of teams in trouble, the Florida Panthers are having "retro" nights to celebrate 1996. How soon is too soon for retro nights?? (Bottom of this page on Icethetics)

The Panthers need to do something to get the butts in the seats and remembering the old 1996 Stanley Cup team is the one way to remember the glory the Panthers had. But, it's far too early for a retro night. If there's rules, you should have to be in existence for at least 25 years before you start going all retro on people. It's not like the Panthers have had too drastic of a change in the uniform, unless you count those hideous third jerseys that they have now. Yet-- it seems that if the Colorado Avalanche is going to celebrate their 1996 team-- why not the Panthers; why shouldn't they cash in??

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That's another week. If you didn't like this or have some suggestions for next week's F5; toss me an email at Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com to give your two-cents in there and maybe....just maybe...your question will show up here.

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.