Absurd Goalie Monday: Jamie McLennan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Absurd Goalie Monday: Hardy Astrom

While you have heard a lot of about how much Don Cherry loathed this guy, this week's AGM always got the short end of the stick when it came to his playing days. While he started and then ended in Sweden, many will remember him just for that bile that his former coach spewed about him. This is the profile of Hardy Astrom.

(Note: There's no record for the European times, which will show as we go along.)

Relatively unknown due to playing in Sweden, Astrom first got work with Skelleftea AIK of the Swedish Elite League, playing in 101 games in three seasons from the 1974-75 season until the 1976-77 season. Astrom also was able to get time on the Swedish National Team for the 1976 Canada Cup, where he would play in four games and finish up with a 1-2-1 record. Though, Astrom really got noticed during the 1977 World Championships, where while he went only 1-2-0 in four games, the New York Rangers seemed to take a shine to his resiliency.

In the summer of 1977, Rangers GM John Ferguson signed Astrom to a deal with the Rangers. However, the 1977-78 season saw Astrom only play four games for the Rangers (2-2-0), putting him in the AHL with the New Haven Nighthawks for 27 games with a 17-5-3 record to show for it. Astrom also played four games in the World Championships for Sweden.

Yet, Astrom didn't like the treatment he got from the Rangers, especially when he came over with the idea of playing full-time in the NHL; so he went back to Skelleftea AIK for the 1978-79 season, where he would play in 26 games over there for the season.

Astrom was eventually traded by the Rangers to the lowly Colorado Rockies in July 1979 for Bill Lochead. The 1979-80 season was not a kind one for Astrom, as he would have a dismal 9-27-6 record in 49 games; which would see coach Don Cherry verbal abuse Astrom, especially when it came to a drill where Cherry would dump the puck in on net from center ice....and the puck went into the net. However, the 1980-81 season saw Cherry gone in Colorado, but Astrom staying; but he would go 6-15-6 in 30 games. Astrom would be demoted to the Central League's Fort Worth Texans for seven games, with a 1-5-1 record at the end of the year. In the 1981-82 season, Astrom played with the Central League's Oklahoma City Stars for 35 games with a 12-18-1 record, which would be the last time Astrom played in North America.

With the 1982-83 season, Astrom went back to Sweden, but this time with MoDo Ornskoldsvik, though he wouldn't play that season. However, Astrom played in 36 games with MoDo in the 1983-84 season, finishing with a 2.16 GAA to show. Astrom would move along to Sodertalje SK for the 1984-85 season, playing in 27 games with three shutouts to his name; then going 5-3 in eight playoff games, helping Sodertalje win the Swedish Elite League playoff title. The 1985-86 season had Astrom play in 28 games, then going 4-3 in seven playoff games. After that season, he would hang up the pads.

The man who was dubbed the "Swedish Sieve" seemed like he came onto the scene with high hopes, but after some possible mismanagement and then some struggles with getting great footing in North America, though it did help him out when he went back to Sweden. Even so, you wonder how much he could have shined if he wasn't mismanaged OR if he had patience to stay in the minors to develop to the North American game more.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Glen Hanlon

While we get closer to the NHL Playoffs, we also get closer to the start of the IIHF World Championships. This year, it'll be held in Slovakia and this week's AGM will be in behind the bench for the home squad and has plenty of international experience. That said, he did have a lot of experience in his NHL career, as well, though not as accomplished as he wanted or as many others thought he would be. This week, the profile of Glen Hanlon.

Hanlon started out his trek in the 1973-74 season with the Brandon Travellers of the MJHL Junior "A" league, playing in 20 games that season and three games in the 1974-75 season, before he was called up to the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings, where he would play in 43 games with a record of 15-20-6 in his first year in Major Junior. In the 1975-76 season, Hanlon hit a good stride with the Wheat Kings, playing in 64 games with a 31-25-4 record. That post season, the Wheaties were out of the Playoffs in five games, but Hanlon got the call for the Memorial Cup, being loaned out to the New Westminster Bruins; going 2-1 in four games, as the Bruins would lose in the final game. Hanlon would return to Brandon for the 1976-77 season, where he would have a breakout year with a record of 49-7-7, helping the Wheat Kings to the best record in the league. However, they would lose out to the Bruins in the Finals in five games. Hanlon, however, was named to the First Team All-Star squad for a second-straight year, as well as getting the Goaltender of the Year honors from the league.

Hanlon was a hot prospect and quite sought after, as the NHL's Vancouver Canucks and WHA's Houston Aeros drafted Hanlon in the third round. However, Hanlon went the NHL route, choosing the Canucks and going to their farm team in the Central League with the Tulsa Oilers for the 1977-78 season. With Tulsa, Hanlon played in 53 games with a 25-23-3 record, which was enough for him to get First Team All-Star honors and the Ken McKenzie Trophy for Rookie of the Year. Hanlon would get a call to the Canucks, playing in four games, with a 1-2-1 record.

Hanlon was posed to make a solid Calder Trophy run for the 1978-79 season with the Canucks, but he would go down to a knee injury, limiting him to 31 games with a 12-13-5 record. Back healthy for the 1979-80 season, Hanlon got the starting gig in Vancouver by playing in 57 games and having a 17-29-10 record to show for it. The Canucks would have a logjam in net for the 1980-81 season with Hanlon losing his job to Gary Bromley and newly acquired Richard Brodeur; relegating Hanlon to 17 games with the Canucks with a 5-8-0 record before being sent to the CHL's Dallas Black Hawks; where he would play four games with a 3-1-0 record. Hanlon would be back up with Vancouver in the 1981-82 season, playing in 28 games with a 8-14-5 record before being deemed expendable.

Hanlon was traded from Vancouver to the St. Louis Blues for Rick Heinz, Tony Currie, Jim Nill, and a pick. Hanlon would only appear in two games at the end of the season for the Blues, going 0-1-0, then going 0-2 in three playoff games for the Blues. Hanlon would return to St. Louis for the 1982-83 season, but only for 14 games (3-8-1) before he was on the move again.

Hanlon, along with Vaclav Nedomansky, would be dealt to the New York Rangers for Andre Dore. Hanlon would get 21 games in at the end of the '82-'83 season, ending up with a 9-10-1 record, then losing his only playoff games he appeared in. Hanlon was able to get the starting gig in New York for the 1983-84 season, putting together a solid season with a 28-14-4 record in 50 games, but would only go 2-3 in five playoff games. Hanlon would see his games decrease in the 1984-85, seeing 44 games and having a subpar 14-20-7; then going 0-3 in three playoff games. The 1985-86 season would be an interesting one for Hanlon, as he would play 23 games with the Rangers (5-12-1), but would also make stops in the AHL with the Adirondack Red Wings for 10 games (5-4-1) and five games with the New Haven Nighthawks (3-2-0).

During the summer of 1986, Hanlon and two draft picks were traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Kelly Kisio, Lane Lambert, Jim Leavins, and a pick. Hanlon would split time in the 1986-87 season with former AGM Greg Stefan; playing 36 games with a 11-16-5 record, but got into eight playoff games with a solid 5-2 record. The playoff performance allowed Hanlon more time in the cage for the 1987-88 season, compiling a 22-17-5 record in 47 games-- also leading the league in shutouts with four, but would have a 4-3 playoff record in eight games. The struggles for Hanlon would find him in the 1988-89 season, where he would only play 37 games with a 13-14-8 record, then going 0-1 in two playoff spots. Hanlon would be the main goalie for the Wings in the 1989-90, getting 45 games in, but a 15-18-5 record to show for it. Another logjam for Hanlon would see him play only 19 games (4-6-3) with the Wings, as another AGM, Tim Cheveldae would step up for Detroit. Hanlon would be sent to the IHL's San Diego Gulls, playing 11 games with a 6-4-0 record before calling it a career.

Post playing career, Hanlon went right to coaching-- starting as the goalie coach for the Canucks from 1992 until 1999. Hanlon would then move behind the bench as the coach of the AHL's Portland Pirates from 1999 until 2002, when he got the call to the be the bench boss of the Washington Capitals. Hanlon would last until Thanksgiving of 2007 before he was let go. After that, he moved onto become the head coach of the Belarussian National Team full-time, as he was there for them in the World Championships in 2006 and 2007 before going full-time. Last season, Hanlon coached between Jokerit Helsinki in Finland and Dynamo Minsk in the KHL before signing on with the Slovakians last May to be their National team coach.

While he had a killer instinct and often let his emotions get the best of him, that didn't keep people from having high expectations. Many believe Hanlon would could have been the best goalie in the NHL one day, but it didn't seem to materialize for him. Another tale of a goalie who had the tools to get it done himself, but one happenstance or another held him back from reaching full potential.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Jarmo Myllys

While the goaltenders of Finland nowadays were very sought after, back in the late-80s/early-90s-- that wasn't the case. Many of them had a rough transition period and could never get settled in, which is the case for this week's AGM. While he was part of the possible first Finnish tandem, it never really came together. This week, we profile the career of Jarmo Myllys.

Before we go forward, a note-- thanks to the apparent lack of record-keeping or technology in European hockey; the stats of Myllys when playing overseas are a bit sketch and therefore unavailable for most seasons.

When he first came into the scene in 1982-83, Myllys played for the Finnish Second-League team SaPKo Savonlinna, where he played for 13 games. That said, he didn't get more noticed than during the European Junior Championships, where he played four games with a 2.70 GAA. Due to his performance, Myllys was named Best Goaltender and to the All-Star team. For the 1983-84 season, Myllys went up to the premier league in Finland, SM-liiga, playing for Ilves Tampere, but only getting in nine appearances with a 3.00 GAA. Myllys would get back into the swing of things in the World Juniors of 1984, going 3-1-0 in four games for Finland, helping them to a Silver Medal. Myllys would play nine more games for Ilves Tampere, with a 2.55 GAA; but going only 1-0-0 in one appearance in the WJC.

For the 1985-86 season, Myllys played 16 games for Ilves Tampere; while in the 1986-87, Myllys would move over to Lukko Rauma, appearing in 43 games with a 16-20-7 record. Myllys also played in the World Hockey Championships, going 4-3-1 in eight games. That helped him get drafted in the 9th Round by the Minnesota North Stars. It was a banner year for Myllys in the 1987-88 season, where he would play in the Canada Cup for one game, then back to the Lukko Rauma for 43 games, which included five shutouts and a 3.13 GAA. Yet, his biggest accomplishment of the season was during the Olympics, where he would go 4-1-1 in six games, leading Finland to a Silver Medal. Myllys would end the year with Finnish Player of the Year honors and named to the Finnish First Team All-Stars.

Myllys made the leap to North America for the 1988-89 season, starting off with the North Stars. However, with three losses in his first three appearances, Myllys was sent to the IHL's Kalamazoo Wings, playing in 28 games with a 13-8-4 record. Myllys would finish that season with a 1-4-0 record with the North Stars. The 1989-90 season would be a breakout in the IHL for Myllys, as he would go 31-9-3 in 49 appearances, which got him named to the IHL's Second Team All-Star roster. Myllys would also play in four games for the North Stars, but would go 0-3-0. Myllys started the 1990-91 season with the North Stars for three games on their French Tour, then for two games in the regular season. However, going 0-2-0, Myllys was sent back to Kalamazoo; where he would excel again compiling a 24-13-1 record in 38 games; then going 6-4 in the playoffs. It was another year for Second Team All-Star honors for Myllys.

However, during the Expansion/Dispersal Draft of 1991, Myllys was claimed be the expansion San Jose Sharks. Myllys would have an up and down year, going 3-18-1 in 27 games for the Sharks, but going 5-0-0 with the Kansas City Blades of the IHL.

Myllys was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the summer of 1992, but decided to return to Finland for the 1992-93 season, with KooKoo Kouvola of the Finnish Second League-- going 27-13-5 in 45 games. Myllys would return to Lukko Rauma for the 1993-94 season, where he would go 26-16-4 in his 46 games of work, as well as returning to the Olympics in 1994, going 5-0-0 with two shutouts and a 0.60 GAA; helping the Finns to a Bronze Medal. Myllys would also play in the World Championships, playing in seven games helping the Finns to a Silver Medal.

From the 1994-95 season until the 2000-01 season, Myllys would play 284 games with Lulea HF; compiling 31 shutouts and ending with a 2.59 GAA in those games. However, like I mentioned at the start-- no records from those years sadly.

However, the international play helped Myllys' career for records, as he would represent Finland plenty. It started with the 1995 World Championships, as Myllys went 5-1-1 in seven games, leading the Finns to their first ever Gold Medal in the event. Myllys took home the Best Goaltender honors in the tournament, as well. However, in the 1996 World Championships-- Myllys went 0-2-2 in four games, as the Finns would bow out in the Quarterfinals. Myllys went to the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, but would go 1-1-0 in two games, as Finland was knocked out in the Quarters again. The 1997 World Championships had Myllys get some swagger back, going 4-2-0 in six games with a 1.67 GAA, but they did not past the Quarters again. The 1998 Olympics wouldn't give Myllys the super skills he had in Olympics past, as he would go 1-3-0 in four games, but would be rostered on the Bronze Medal team. Myllys played two games in the 1998 World Championships with a 1-1-0 record and would add another Silver Medal to his showroom. It wouldn't be until the 2001 World Championship that Myllys would be back with Finland, but he would only be a spare and not play in any games for the Finns, as they would take home Silver.

Myllys return to the SM-liiga for the 2001-02 season with Blues Espoo, playing in 46 games with a 19-19-7 record, then 0-3 in the playoffs. Back with Espoo in the 2002-03 season, Myllys would only see 19 games of action with an 8-5-5 record, then 3-4 for seven games in the playoffs. The 2003-04 season saw Myllys return to SaiPa Lappeenranta, playing in 34 games with a 9-15-7 record, as well as seeing seven games of action with HV 71 Jonkoping of the Swedish Elite League. Myllys would go back to Finland with SaiPa Lappeenranta for the 2004-05 season, where he would put together a 10-25-10 second in 45 games. After that, he would hang up the pads in his playing career.

Myllys would stay with SaiPa Lappeenranta as the goalie coach, which is where he's at today.

While he could never get adapted to the North American game despite trying as much as he could-- the success he had for his country is something that many of the European players hold in higher regard, even to this day. With a Gold and a couple of Silvers and Bronzes with Suomi; Myllys can hang his hat on bringing pride to his country on the highest of stages.

Friday Five: Trade Bait and Release

After another crazed week that was in hockey-- we move forward with another edition of the F5 and try to wonder about what you're secretly thinking.....or not thinking and will be thinking because it was brought up here.....or not at all.

1. With all the trades that are going down now-- what's going to be left for the Deadline??

It'll be slim and none. Yet, I can understand people freaking out by the domino effect. You never want a team to get the jump on you because they will leave you in the dust. Granted, the fact is that some teams are really getting the better of some deals-- but that's the nature of the business and you may have to give up way to much to ship off something you don't want anymore. People will get hosed and people will get deals-- though if most of them are UFAs at the end of it and don't resign with the team they're traded to-- no harm, no foul.

2. If you're a fledgling team and have a no-trade or no-movement clause-- would you waive it to go somewhere that you have a chance or do you stick around and hope for the best??

You have to wonder the situation the player is in. If they are older, odds are they would move it to trying and get that last grasp at the Cup ring; but if they're a younger guy or in their "prime" as a player-- they'll probably be more hard-pressed to move it because of the fact they do want to win the Cup, but they don't want to move from this place they're establishing themselves and are comfortable in. I guess it's depended upon the pressure the management puts on the player and tries to convince that they'd be welcome back in the off-season or something. It's a hard-sell and usually creates rift between fans and the player because of it.

3. Is there a chance of any shockers happening this coming Monday, or will it just be the role guys like has been discussed in the past??

There could be something like a Bryan McCabe or Michael Ryder to get dealt-- but at the same time, I don't think the big money names like Brad Richards or J-S Giguere traded. There's going to be the role players that'll be moved, but we won't have much (if any) blockbusters for the Monday and if it happens early enough in the day-- you could see a ripple effect, but it's highly doubtful. There's a lot of close races in each conference, so I don't think many teams will want to give up their role guys for a marquee name just to match another team-- because it'll ruin chemistry.

4. The Devils and Maple Leafs are streaking and streaking hard. In the end-- will they have a shot??

I think the Devils have a shot, but I don't know how much longer it'll be able to last. As much as they are on this massive high-- there has to be a down-turn, as even the most hardened of Devils' fan will be one to reel people back into the myth of going from laughingstock to dark horse contender. The Leafs are the same way-- however, there's been many years that the Leafs have given hope late in the season just to have it dashed. James Reimer is going through the "Unknown Goalie Syndrome" where players don't know how to beat him-- which gives the team and fans a false sense of greatness. It could keep going, but I don't think I would put money down on it.

5. The IIHF have shelved the idea of relaunching their Champions League. How good of an idea is this to begin with??

I love the idea of a Champions' League in hockey or some kind of super league. It's also something that could be used to take on one of the NHL teams that come over to play for their first two games and compete for the Victoria Cup. At the same time, I can understand why they wouldn't be able to agree to some kind of an agreement, as it's hard to deal with a championship race in one league and have to play in another league and risk potential injury and ruin a run in the league that's most important. It's a great idea in theory.....but we all know-- in theory; Communism works.

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That's the week-- you want something for me to talk about-- Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com is the place to be, folks. Tell me of a topic you want to be covered or whatever and I'll do what I can to be as wrong as possible.

On the Topic of the Spengler Cup

Lost in all the holiday hockey tournaments and return of the NHL into the holiday season is the Spengler Cup. The Spengler Cup has been held since 1923 in Davos, Switzerland (though not held a couple times due to WWII) and is one of the bigger stand-alone tournaments amongst European club teams. This year, the club teams are the host HC Davos and fellow Swiss team Genève-Servette, KHL teams SKA St. Petersburg and Spartak Moscow; Czech team HC Sparta Praha, and an entry from Hockey Canada.

While the others are club teams, the Hockey Canada contingent is a conglomerated team from players who are mostly based out of the Swiss Elite League, with the exception this year of Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, who is playing in the AHL. While you have some teammates, the fact that this team didn't have much practice and still steamrolled a team like Spartak Moscow 6-1 in their first game shows how good the coaching staff of Mark Messier and Doug Shedden has adjusted these players to playing under one system. Granted, Spartak played their third game in five days and on the tail-end of the back-to-back games in their loss; but still.

The contingent of these players, like I said, are from the Swiss league, but there's plenty of former NHL and AHL talent on that team. Names you thought were long forgotten like Glen Metropolit, Mark Bell, Duvie Westcott, Brett McLean, Serge Aubin, Brenden Bell, Martin Kariya, Curtis Brown, and Tyler Moss-- all rostered on this team. Like I said, Deslauriers is the starter on this team and has played on the Oklahoma City Oil Barons most of the season. And while these guys won't be the most revered when it comes to being part of a Team Canada; it seems the coaching staff has done a great job to get the best Canadians on a roster to play in this game and while they probably could have asked for the release of some other minor league players-- the genius of getting guys from the Swiss league is fantastic. They didn't have to get guys adjusted to the ice size, didn't have to get them adjusted to the elevation (5,118 ft. above sea level; highest city in Europe), and won't have to get them adjusted to the ruckus crowd for when they take on the home squad and other local teams.

The tournament is something that does get lost in the crowd for most hockey fans, especially since there's not many mainstream teams and no US teams there. There's some Canadian fans who care about this tournament because there's a Canadian team there-- but it gets lost in the hype of the World Juniors and the holiday breaks that happen. When the Canadian team wins, they get some accolades, but it's not big-- even though it's the oldest invitational tournament there is in the land. Yet, does it have to be a big deal overseas so long as the players know what they did and what they've achieved?? Probably not, but it'd be nice to see these guys getting some recognition on a bigger scale than a small 30-second highlight pack of the final game. Luckily, TSN was able to pick up the tournament and will hype it-- even if it's relegated to TSN2 for some games in lieu of World Junior games.

This kind of tournament makes me wonder if there could or should be a Canadian National Touring team like they had when the Olympics were amateur competition, since players could play in any pro league to keep their amateur status and be able to play in the Olympics. While that idea probably wouldn't happen-- it could be interesting to see a team made up of Canadians just touring the globe to play random exhibitions against club teams and then going into tournaments like the Spengler Cup and show off their talents. Not likely to happen in this day-in-age, but still an interesting option for guys who may not be as psyched to go play overseas if they can't find anything in North America.

The Spengler Cup is something that should get more coverage, but it won't in the US because of a lack of invited team and it'll get dulled in Canada because of the World Juniors. It doesn't make it any less of the feat to win it, but there should be a little more attention given to it because it is a great event that's played in an amazing looking arena, to boot. Best of luck to those playing in it because it is exciting hockey to watch.

Hockey Songs Extrava-Danza

There has been some kind of influx in the past few weeks of specialty music items in terms of goal songs or event music, which I have recently come to my attention. The first is the Washington Capitals goal song and the IIHF having a song for the World Championships in Germany this year.

First, the Caps goal song, which local DC area artist Sandbox Kings won during a contest in conjunction with DC101 and Elliot in the Morning show. Now, the Caps have had plenty of post-goal songs after the legendary siren; like Blur's "Song 2" and of course, Gary Glitter's "Rock N' Roll Part 2." Yet, while those are very close to sports in every facet; this new "Rock the Red" goes in an odder direction. The song, which you can find on the band's MySpace doesn't seem to fit that same mold as the previous two. In fact, I would go to say that it would be better placed for a video montage before the Caps hit the ice for each period, but not after a goal. The reviews, at least those close group of people I know, have been bad. They did not seem to like it for a goal song and while I'm not in the area, rumors say they aren't even using it anymore-- again, no clue if that's true or not. It's a shame, because I'm sure these guys wanted it to be a staple. That's business, I suppose.

Secondly, the IIHF commissioning a song for the World Championships in Germany. The song is called "Stuck on Replay" by the band Scooter. The IIHF's presser said that they have 25 million recordings solds, 23 top-ten hits, and over 80 gold and platinum records across the world-- yet, this is the first time I've heard of them. The video is littered with compliated clips from past World Championships, but the song is the techno/sing-along genre we almost expect when it comes to the German musical scene. While the verse does bring a little more up-tempo feel to it, the chorus slows way down and allows for the fans to join in....which I'm sure will go over as good as the Hockey Canada/Pepsi cheer from this year's World Juniors.

The most iconic of made up songs could be a very unofficial song in Calgary as the Flames made their amazing playoff run in 2004. It was made by local Top-40 station Vibe 98.5 called "In Da Dome" and it does a decent amount of parody and....ridiculousness. The production is definitely amazing and it's as good as it can be for a song about a hockey team can be. It got a lot of airplay in Calgary and soon went around the world. They did their job with it, so it had to be deemed a success.

There hasn't been many hockey song in the mainstream. You have the obvious "Fifty Mission Cap" by The Tragically Hip about Bill Barilko's disappearance and all of that. Then you have the dedicated hockey band The Zambonis, which such underground hits like "Bob Marley and the Hartford Whalers." Other than that, I can't think of many hockey related song, outside of a small mention of them. I just wish there was more of a market for it....especially in Canada, you'd think there'd be more.

So, what say you-- does your team have a specialty song for themselves or is there some kind of unofficial song out there about the team, a parody of a pop-song, if you will?? Put it in the comments, then.

Also, check out Hockey Music for some of the most used/overused songs.

"Better Off Eliminated" or "How Front-Runners Got Served"

Three of the four teams who were in the medal rounds in 2006 have been eliminated. One through an upset, one through clash of the titans (which was one-sided at best), and one through losing a tough game against the last of the four teams in the medal round of 2006. While there are plenty a questions a bound about the games themselves, you have to figure out if this is good for their club teams heading into the playoff stretch.

RUSSIA: The Russians had their asses thoroughly handed to them by the Canadians, which showed that there is no "D" in Russia. While they had offense for days, the Russians couldn't get it going against a tight checking Canadian squad and couldn't stop the speed and grind of the team. Yet, with half the team being NHLers, and commonly the best players on their team, the clubs must be happy. The Capitals especially, who hope that the failure of the Olympic will fuel and anger the like of Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin, which will make them even more dangerous. Granted, it could make them fall into a deeper funk, but for Caps fans-- let's hope not. Oddly enough, Ilya Kovalchuk was pretty much silent and invisible for the tournament, which can't be very promising for the Devils and their fateful. However, Evgeni Malkin was the leading scorer for the Russians, which will give the Penguins a nice boost after his struggles during the season. Another question will be how the the onslaught of goals will effect Evgeni Nabokov. With the Sharks in control of the Western Conference, you have to wonder if his psyche of not coming through in the clutch will continue when the playoffs come around again.

SWEDEN: With the Swedes only giving up two goals in the the three preliminary game, the shock of Slovakia putting up four goals and then beating the last Gold Medal winners was even more of a shock. Though, it does validate the thought of the people who thought the Swedes wouldn't be much in these Olympics. Henrik Lundqvist looked very good for the Swedes in his two games prior, but somehow the Slovaks were able to get to him, especially in the second period of their game. With Lundqvist's struggles-- this could only break more Rangers fans hearts down the stretch. Two bright sides would be the emergence of youngsters Nicklas Backstrom and Loui Eriksson, who would be the guys who carry the flag of the Swedes in the future. Backstrom is already a star with the Caps, while Eriksson's performance continues the breakout role he has been having in Dallas, which should give some kind of relief to the Stars, who haven't had much to write home about this year. It's also the changing of the guard, as this is likely the last time we'll be seeing the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Daniel Alfredsson, and Peter Forsberg representing the Tre Kronor.

CZECH REPUBLIC: I thought that the Czech could be a squad to look forward too, which was partial true. Yet, at the same time-- they couldn't beat the higher tier teams like the Russians or Finns in these games. While their troubles could be tracked back to the fact that Marek Zidlicky was their leading scorer, the fact they had the fire power of Jaromir Jagr, Martin Havlat, and Patrik Elias; they could have done a lot more scoring than they actually did. Tomas Vokoun could only do so much for that team to keep them in it, he never got too much support when he needed it. Vokoun faced more shots than all the goalies except three: Edgars Masalskis (LAT), Jonas Hiller (SUI), and Pal Grotnes (NOR). Vokoun's GAA was only 1.78 in his five games, which probably boosted his trade value in the NHL once he gets back. Maybe he shouldn't unpack, actually. Yet, you have to wonder what could have been if guys like Roman Hamrlik, Vinny Prospal, Michael Frolik, and Jakub Voracek would have been on the roster, as super agent Allan Walsh pointed out on his Twitter.

But, with all being said and done-- we're not down to four. While these three teams could be considered disappointing-- especially since Sweden and Russia are the big name teams-- there's still four good teams out there, which should create for some buzz; especially if the USA and Canada play each other again. Of course, it may be for a Gold Medal or Bronze, who's to say. Just have to wait until Friday, I suppose.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Andrei Trefilov

Like many other guys, this week's AGM had shown flashes of greatness in terms of what he had done in the minors and with European based teams, but when push came to shove, he couldn't get the job done when it counted most in the NHL due to lack of consistency or losing out on a logjam in net. Yet, somehow; onces you get them out of the spotlight, they shine the best. Plus, this goalie has what could be a record for miles covered over a season. This week, we profile Andrei Trefilov.

Trefilov started out in 1985-86 with the Olimpiya Kirovo-Chepetsk club of the Russian third league and spent three seasons with them. While it seems Trefilov didn't play in the 1988-89 season, he did return for the 1989-90 season, first with Dizelist Penza before being moved to Dynamo Moscow 2, both in the Russian third league. Trefilov continued to play for Dynamo 2 in the 1990-91 season before being moved up to the top-tier club of Dynamo Moscow in the Super League. Trefilov would go on to play in the Super Series with Dynamo Moscow, where Dynamo went across the NHL to play NHL teams. Trefilov went 2-1-2 in his five games. He would also play with the Soviet Union for the WEC (World and European Championship), going 5-1-2 in his eight games.

The exposure from the Super Series caught the eye of many teams, but the Calgary Flames took a risk by picking Trefilov in the 12th round, 261st overall in the 1991 Entry Draft. Unfortunately for the Flames, Trefilov was in the midst of a two-year deal with Dynamo, so he couldn't come over yet. It was a trying year in 1991-92, not only for hockey, but the world. It was when the Soviet states fell and a rebuilding was in order. Trefilov started out with the Dynamo 2 squad for a few games, but was then moved up to the top division Dynamo, where he recorded five shutouts in 28 games played and had a 1.58 GAA for the year. That same year, Trefilov was selected to play for the Unified Team in the Olympics, where he played four games behind former AGM Mikhail Shtalenkov and was able to garner a Gold Medal for himself.

After that season, Trefilov moved to North America, since his contract with Dynamo was up. Trefilov would spend most of the 1992-93 season with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles of the IHL, playing 44 games and going 23-17-3. Trefilov played on game with the Flames, a 5-5 tie against the Canucks in November, while also backstopping Russia to another World Championship title in the spring. For the 1993-94 season, Trefilov would split time in Calgary and Saint John of the AHL. For the 11 games he played in Calgary-- his record didn't reflect his play. He had two shutouts and a 2.50 GAA, but a record of 3-4-2 for his season. It was a .500 year in Saint John, going 10-10-7 in his 28 games. Even with the shortened-season in 1994-95, Trefilov didn't get much time in either the NHL or AHL. He played six games in Calgary, going 0-3-0; while in Saint John he posted a 1-5-1 record in seven games on the farm.

Due to a logjam in net, Trefilov was allowed to walk by the Flames and he subsequently signed with the Buffalo Sabres in the summer of 1995. Trefilov started off with Buffalo and went 3-4-0 in his nine games, but injured a ligament in his knee which caused him to miss 23 games. When he came back, he got five games of rehab in Rochester of the AHL going 4-1-0 in the process. When he got back to Buffalo, Trefilov would go 5-4-1 in his remaining 13 games of the season, including being the start for the last game in Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium. The 1996-97 season was difficult for Trefilov, but started out well playing in the World Cup and going 2-1-0 in four games. However, his year in Buffalo was short-lived, as it ended after three games (0-2-0) when he had to have arthroscopic surgery on his knee in December. He was able to come back for five minutes during the 1997 playoffs to replace Steve Shields.

It was a bizarre 1997-98 season, with Trefilov being pushed out of Buffalo and relegated to Rochester, where he played three games going 1-0-1. Trefilov was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations. Trefilov started with the Indianapolis Ice of the IHL, going 0-1-0 in his one game before being moved up to Chicago. In six games with Chicago, Trefilov went 1-4-0.

The 1998-99 season was quite the trip for Trefilov. He would start out with Indianapolis and would go 9-6-2 in 18 games, while playing one game in Chicago, which was a loss. Trefilov would then get traded back to Calgary Flames in December of 1998 for a seventh round pick, playing in four games and going 0-3-0 in those games. Then, the Flames let him go and Trefilov would go over to play for Ak Bars Kazan in Russia. He played for Ak Bars Kazan 2 team in the Russian fourth league for two games before playing for the top club for three games. After those five games, Trefilov would return to North America to play for the Detroit Vipers of the IHL. He would play 27 games with the Vipers and go 17-8-2. Trefilov would play in 10 games in the playoffs going 6-4. Trefilov would make the IHL Second-Team All-Star roster and would share the James Norris Memorial Trophy for fewest goals against with Kevin Weekes.

The 1999-2000 season was a little more stable for Trefilov, who spent the entire year with the Chicago Wolves of the IHL. Trefilov would see 37 regular season games going 21-9-3 with three shutouts. In the playoffs, Trefilov came alive, going 7-1 in his nine games, receiving Bud Poile Trophy for Playoff MVP, as he helped the Wolves to their first and only Turner Cup championship in the IHL. In 2000-01, Trefilov would go over to Germany to play for the DEG Metro Stars for six seasons, playing in 233 games for them and recording a 2.37 GAA in those seasons with 21 shutouts during that time.

The whereabouts of Trefilov nowadays are unknown, but his history is very odd. While he seemed to adjust to the North American game, as shown by his minor league stats-- but while he was in the NHL, he could never get the job done. He got pushed out of places, but also had injuries to hinder him as well. In any case, his international and minor league success shows he did have sparks of glory and was good enough to get the job done-- just not when it counted on the big stage.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Tommy Soderstrom

I've mulled this one over for a while, but thanks to Marc "with a 'C'" getting his new dome between the pipes, I decided to to ahead with it. There's a lot of quirks with this goalie, from his giant Great Gazoo Jofa helmet, all the way to his backside up against the middle bar when play was in the other end, then to no tape on the blade of his stick-- the goalie will be remembered for a while; even if his NHL career lasted five seasons. He overcame longshot to make a name for himself, as well as staying alive after a condition that could have ended his career before it started. This week's AGM: Tommy Soderstrom.

Soderstrom's career didn't get off the the greatest of starts. Playing in Sweden, Soderstrom was able to catch on with the Djurgardens IF Stockholm squad. Yet, even though he was the property of the team, Soderstrom was relegated to playing a small role on the junior squad of the team. He wouldn't see much time while playing in the Swedish junior leagues, and even though he was able to get part of the Sweden's silver medal in the 1989 World Juniors, he was becoming frustrated with hockey in general. However, during the 1989-90 season, Soderstrom got a mini-call-up by the Sweden's second league team, IK Viking Hagfors and went 3-0-0, only giving up three goals in those games-- including one shutout.

It was good enough for Soderstrom to get work in the Swedish Elite League with Djurgardens in the 1990-91 season. In the 39 games for Djurgardens, Soderstrom went 22-12-6 with three shutouts and was able to get Rookie of the Year honors from the Swedish league. Also, Djurgardens, on the back of Soderstrom, were able to capture another Swedish league title. The next season, another 39 games for Soderstrom, this time going 15-8-11 with four shutouts. Also in those two seasons, Soderstrom played for Sweden in the World Championships, winning Gold Medals in both of 1991 and 1992; winning the top goaltender award in 1992.

With all the buzz around Soderstrom, he got plenty of attention when it came to the NHL. Luckily for the Philadelphia Flyers, they had his rights after they drafted him in the 11th round of the 1990 Entry Draft. The Flyers then decided to bring him over in order to fill the void left by Ron Hextall. Soderstrom started off in the AHL onces coming to North America to play with the Hershey Bears. Soderstrom has a solid display in his seven games in Hershey, going 4-1-0; which was enough to warrant a call-up. Thankfully, the competition of Dominic Roussel and Stephane Beauregard for the 1992-93 season wasn't much match for Soderstrom who took over the starting role immediately. In the 44 games that year, Soderstrom went 20-17-6, which wasn't too bad for his first year in a new country.

Yet, it could have all came to a quick end. Soderstrom had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which is a blockage of electrical pulses to the heart. With the pace of a game in the NHL, Soderstrom was in and out of the hospital to deal with procedures when it came to WPW. He had to undergo surgeries in the tail end of the 1992-93 season and to start of the 1993-94 season to fix his issues. It didn't put him at a long-term injury and brings up thoughts of a current day Swedish goalie, Jonas Gustavsson, when these things come about. With WPW having a very quick sudden-death rate, Soderstrom is a lucky one in all of this.

However, with the 1993-94 season, it could have been the harshness of the surgeries or beginners luck; but Soderstrom started to play very weak. Playing with the Flyers, Soderstrom didn't fair well enough in his 34 games going 6-18-4 during that time, and then with time in the AHL with Hershey, going 3-4-1 in his nine games down there. With the inconsistency all around, Soderstrom wasn't as sought after as before, thus made expendable.

Before the 1994 lockout, the Flyers traded Soderstrom to the New York Islanders for Ron Hextall and a sixth-round pick in the 1995 Draft. After the lockout, Soderstrom started on a bad Islanders team and went through the motions with the team in his 26 games he played, splitting with Jamie McLennan going 8-12-3 with a solid .902 save percentage and respectable 3.11 GAA. In the 1995-96 season, the logjam on the Long Island started, as well as the fisherman era jerseys. Soderstrom was the starter, but would see young goalies like McLennan, Tommy Salo, and another AGMer Eric Fichaud getting chances to filling for Soderstrom's spot. Soderstrom still got 51 games in, but went an abysmal 11-22-6 with a 3.87 GAA and .878 save percentage. Yet, with the influx of the young goalies, Soderstrom was relegated to the minors for the 1996-97 season with the Utah Grizzlies of the IHL. Soderstrom only played 26 games behind Mark McArthur in Utah and went 12-11-0, which got him a brief call up to Rochester Americans of the AHL for two games, going 2-0-0. Soderstrom got one non-decision game in with the Islanders in October playing 10 seconds, but that was it for the NHL career.

After then, Soderstrom would return to Sweden to play with Djurgardens again starting in 1997-98, with a great return. That season, Soderstrom had the best GAA in the Swedish Elite League (2.24), had the best save percentage (.916), was the league MVP, and got Djurgardens to the finals, but lost. The 1998-99 season wasn't so kind, with his GAA still being decent at 2.75, his save percentage was down to .897. Soderstrom saw a limited role in 1999-2000 as a back-up, to Mikael Tellqvist, but was able to leave on top with Djurgardens winning another Swedish Elite League title. After that, Soderstrom would retire.

Through it all, he was able to make a big buzz for himself and then overcame many healthy issues to get to the peak of the hockey mountain. While it was short-lived, Soderstrom's look will be very memorable for many. He made his name in Sweden and seemed to have kept his great play there, as well. At least he never forgot his roots when he retired and helped his team to another championship into retirement.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Trevor Kidd

Since it's the time of year for the World Junior Championships, I should probably key in on someone who has been there before and won two championships with his country-- one as a back-up and one as a starter. And while his international success was not to bad, his subpar play when he was in the professional ranks is what people will remember him most for. At least he has some of the most rememberable pad sets of all time. Look kids, it's Trevor Kidd.

Thanks to his play with the Eastman Selects in Manitoba Midgets, Kidd was able to catch on solidly with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. Kidd was able to get some decent time as a back-up with the Wheaties, behind Kelly Hitchins, seeing 31 games. Kidd had an 11-13-1 record, which wasn't good enough to help the Wheat Kings into the playoffs. The 1989-90 season would see Kidd go right into the starter's role; getting 61 games and going 24-32-2. While he was able to get the Del Wilson Trophy for top goaltender in the WHL, he still couldn't help the Wheat Kings into the playoffs. Personal success came when Kidd was named to the World Junior team, but played back-up to Stephane Fiset, but got a gold medal out of it. His impressive season did get him plenty of buzz amongst scouts; which made Kidd the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 1990 Draft, as selected by the Calgary Flames. Kidd went ahead of Martin Brodeur (20th overall), which is a decision the Flames probably hate in hindsight. The move wouldn't have been if the Flames didn't trade with the Devils. That's right the Flames and Devils swapped first and second round picks the day of the Draft because the Flames wanted Kidd and knew the Devils would have pick him up ahead of them. The rest, they say, is history.

The 1990-91 season would finally give Kidd the success he had worked hard to get. While he started out in Brandon with a 10-19-1 record for the beginning of the season, Kidd was shipped out to the Spokane Chiefs, who would eventually be the WHL Champions and the representative of the WHL for the Memorial Cup. Kidd would take over the starting gig from Scott Bailey and went 8-3-0 in his 14 regular season games, with an astonishing 14-1 record in the playoffs. Kidd also won all three games in the Memorial Cup to close out a fantastic season for himself. That season included another trip to the World Juniors, where he started six of the seven games, capturing a second gold medal for himself.

The 1991-92 season had Kidd going here, there, and everywhere in between, with the Flames loaning out Kidd to the Canadian National Team. You see, back in the day of no NHLers in the Olympics, teams would loan out their prospects or lower-tier players to play for the National team, who would play in exhibitions throughout the world to get ready for the Olympic competitions. Kidd got a good amount of net time with the National team, playing 28 games and going a solid 18-4-4 in this tenure. Kidd would also be loaned out this third straight World Juniors team, but due to the turnaround of talent, the Canadians would finish sixth in that tournament. Kidd would only see one game in the Olympic Games in Albertville, France; which was a 10-0 destruction of Norway, but it was enough to get him a silver medal for his troubles.

The 1991-92 season also saw Kidd get his first taste of NHL action, playing in two games late in 1992, going 1-1-0 with a 4.00 GAA in his two games. The 1992-93 season had Kidd back in the learning process, playing with the Flames' IHL affiliate Salt Lake Golden Eagles for the season. Kidd fared okay in his first 30 games of professional action going 10-16-1 before falling to a leg injury in February which ended his season. To start the 1993-94 season, Kidd was up with the big club in Calgary, backing up Mike Vernon and held his own in his 31 appearances, putting up a 13-7-6 record and a 3.16 GAA. When Vernon departed after the season, it was Kidd's ship to steer, as he led the league with 43 starts in the lockout-shortened season of 1994-95 and put up an impressive 22-14-6 record with a 2.61 GAA and finished 7th in the Vezina Trophy balloting for the year. The playoff success wasn't too kind, however, as the Flames went out in the first round to the upstart San Jose Sharks in seven games. The 1995-96 season had Kidd sharing duties with Rick Tabaracci, but Kidd got a majority of the games. Yet, at the same time, he was the one with the worse record at 15-21-8 and a 2.75 GAA for the year, but only saw two games of playoff time, with the Flames bowing out in four games to Chicago. Kidd would regain his starter's role, this time over Tabaracci (who was dealt to Tampa early in the season) and Dwayne Roloson. Kidd's early season success to get Tabaracci moved wouldn't hold on as Kidd finished the year 21-23-6 with a decent 2.84 GAA and .900 save percentage.

A lot would change before the 1997-98 season, as Kidd and Gary Roberts were dealt from the Flames to the newly moved Carolina Hurricanes for Andrew Cassels and prospect Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Kidd would take the starter's role in a platoon of goalies, which included Sean Burke, Kirk McLean, Mike Fountain, and former AGM inductee, Pat Jablonski. Kidd played in 44 games, mostly due to missing seven games to a groin injury and seven games to a broken finger. Kidd went 21-21-3 with a great 2.17 GAA and .922 save percentage. The 1998-99 season wouldn't be so kind to Kidd. The Hurricanes had picked up Arturs Irbe from the Vancouver Canucks in the off-season, which gave him the starting role and didn't allow Kidd the time to get into the net as much. Kidd only got 25 games in the season, going 7-10-6, but still had a good GAA (2.86) and save percentage (.905). It was not enough, though.

Kidd was left unprotected for the Expansion Draft, for which he got picked up by the Atlanta Thrashers. However, his stay was non-existent as the Florida Panthers trade for Kidd in exchange for Gord Murphy, Daniel Tjarnqvist, Herbert Vasiljevs, and a sixth-round pick. Kidd made his presence felt in Florida quickly, going 14-4-2 in his first 21 games of the 1999-2000 season, but due to a freak accident in the Panthers' skills competition, Kidd was sidelined with a dislocated shoulder. He lost his only game in the AHL with the Louisville Panthers and then lost his next seven games back in Florida, putting him at 14-11-2 for the season, but better numbers with a 2.63 GAA and .915 save percentage. It was something Kidd could never recover from, especially after the Panthers picked up Roberto Luongo from the Islanders. The 2000-01 season saw Kidd and Luongo do battle for time, but Kidd's 10-23-6 record and dismal 3.31 GAA and .893 save percentage gave the nod to Luongo for the 2001-02 season. It was worse news that season as Kidd went 4-16-5 with a 3.21 GAA and .895 save percentage. With Luongo being the franchise of the Panthers, Kidd wasn't re-signed.

In August of 2002, Kidd would catch on as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ed Belfour was the work-horse on that team, which didn't allow Kidd to play much, which showed by his 19 games in the 2002-03 season. Even in those games, Kidd was suspect, going 6-10-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .896 save percentage. Kidd would see less time in the 2003-04 season, playing only 15 games, but with a better record of 6-5-2, but worse GAA at 3.36 and .876 save percentage, which would end up seeing Kidd lose his back-up role to Mikael Tellqvist. Kidd played one game in St. John's in the AHL, winning it and only allowing one goal.

Kidd would go back internationally, but not of his own doing. After waiting out as much as he could, Kidd went over to Europe in January of 2005 playing for HC Orebro 90 of the Swedish Third Division. Kidd played eight games with two shutouts and a 2.37 GAA. In May of 2005, Kidd signed with the Hannover Scorpions of the German Elite League, playing 45 games for them and going out with a 2.75 GAA and .907 save percentage, but no record is given, nor have I found them.

Though Kidd hasn't announced his official retirement, he hasn't been on a team since the end of the 2005-06 season with Hannover. Kidd has moved on, it seems, as he now owns the Mountain Bean Coffee Company, which has three locations throughout Canada.

Kidd never had it real easy in his career, but was able to perform very well under less than desirable circumstances. He had Junior success, International success, and minimum NHL success, but he did what he could with what was handed to him. He wasn't always on the best teams, but he always gave his teams the chances to win and chances to succeed. He just never seemed to get the help he needed.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Mikhail Shtalenkov

In honor of the Russian team being one of the biggest countries to announce their Olympic rosters, we'll profile a former member of the gold medal roster for the Unified Team in 1992 (six of the 15 former Soviet countries) and silver medal in 1998 in Nagano. While he held his own internationally, he could never crack stardom in net coming to North America. We give you this week's AGM, Mikhail Shtalenkov.

Shtalenkov started off his career in 1986-87 with Dynamo Moscow over in the Soviet Union, playing the first six seasons with the powerhouse of Russian hockey. Shtalenkov was splitting time with Vladimir Myshkin until the 1988-89 season when Myshkin got more time due to his excelling play, while in the 1989-90 season, Shtalenkov was behind Myshkin and Andrei Karpin. However, but the 1990-91 season, Myshkin had departed and Shtalenkov had regain the trust of the Dynamo team, surpassing Karpin and getting starting gigs. Yet, things came to a change both for Shatalenkov's career, and the landscape of Russian life.

By 1991, the Soviet Union started to crumble and before the end of the year, would be disestablished. Shtalenkov would be getting plenty of time with Dynamo and getting enough exposure to actually get the call for the Unified Team for the 1992 Olympics, getting all of the starts for the team. The team itself consisted of members of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Armenia for the team, but most of them still played within the Russian hockey realm. During the qualifying round, the Unified team only lost to Czechoslovakia, but it would be their only defeat in the tournament. During the medal rounds, the Unified Team knocked off the Finns, the US, and then Canada team on way to the Gold Medal. Shtalenkov only allowed 12 goals in his eight games played and got plenty of exposure by the NHL scouts.

The Olympics were a springboard for Shtalenkov, who went from Dynamo to the Milwaukee Admirals of the IHL for the 1992-93 season. Shtalenkov continued his stellar play, posting a remarkable rookie year and a 26-14-5 record, garnering the Garry F. Longman Trophy for the IHL's Rookie of the Year. With Shtalenkov's stock on the rise, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim decided to draft the now 28-year-old Shtalenkov in the fifth round of the 1993 Entry Draft.

Despite a few call-ups, Shtalenkov spent most of the 1993-94 season with the San Diego Gulls of the IHL, playing in 28 games and posting up a 15-11-2 record. For his 10 games with the Ducks, he had 3-4-1 record with a decent 2.65 GAA in those games. The 1994-95 season was shortened, but Shtalenkov was up for the entire season, putting up a 4-7-1 record in 18 appearances. Success continued to allude Shtalenkov with Anaheim, as he would continue his struggles in the 1995-96 season, despite getting more time in net, he would only put up a 7-16-3 record, though his 3.12 GAA wasn't the best, but could have been worse. Shtalenkov would see less games for the next season, but a respectable record of 7-8-1 and a 2.89 GAA and .904 save percentage. Shtalenkov would get some playoff time in the 1997 playoffs, losing three of the four games he was in, twice replacing Guy Hebert; getting the last two starts of the series. Thanks to his performance in the playoffs, Shtalenkov would get split time with Hebert, seeing 40 games for the season and going 13-18-5 for the 1997-98 season. One of those wins was the first regular season game outside of North America as the Ducks beat the Canucks 3-2 in Toyko. He would also get a call from the Russian Olympic team, this time getting a Silver Medal after going 4-1-0 in his five games played.

During the off-season of the 1998, Shtalenkov was left unprotected in the Expansion Draft and was selected by the Nashville Predators. However, he would never play a game in Nashville, as Shtalenkov and Jim Dowd was traded to Edmonton for Eric Fichaud, Greg de Vries and Drake Berehowsky.

Shtalenkov would get a good amount of time with Bob Essensa in Edmonton, splitting time. In the 34 games with Edmonton, Shtalenkov would go 12-17-3; but he would get dealt to Phoenix at the trade deadline for a Draft Pick. In only four games, Shtalenkov would go 1-2-1 and with both teams, Shtalenkov would have 2.62 GAA. Shtalenkov would get more time in the 1999-2000 season, with Nikolai Khabibulin holding out for Phoenix. Shtalenkov made the most of his starting time going 7-6-2, though four of his losses came in his last four games with Phoenix.

I say last four games because with Trevor Kidd going down to injury, the Coyotes dealt Shtalenkov and a draft pick to the Florida Panthers for Sean Burke and a draft pick. Shtalenkov's tenure in Florida would only last the rest of the season, as he played 15 games for the Panthers, as they traded for Mike Vernon. Shtalenkov would go 8-4-2 in his 15 games with a fantastic 2.31 GAA and .908 save percentage. It couldn't get him a job for the 2000-01 season, so Shtalenkov would go back to Russia and play with his former club, Dynamo Moscow. Shtalenkov played two seasons with Dynamo, 25 games in the 2000-01 season with a 1.95 GAA and 28 games in 2001-02 with a 2.02 GAA. Shtalenkov would retire after the 2001-02 season.

While his international play and Russian league play was fantastic-- it never translated to success in the NHL. Whether it was due to lack of good talent surrounding him or just not being able to pick up the North American game, Shtalenkov did what he could. At least he has the medals from the Olympics to talk for him should anyone question his prowess in net.

Looking at the Olympic Threads

Thanks to the talented Sean Leahy via the IIHF website, the Olympic jerseys were unveiled to the masses. While there was big to-do about the Canadian jerseys, since countries were able to put their Hockey Federations logo as the crest; not much else was brought to the table in terms of what these countries are going to wear. Since I like jerseys and aesthetics of things-- here's my take. You can follow along with the link above, which will pop into a new window.

BELARUS: They keep the same scheme per usual, which is a good way to use the green and red combination without making one color look completely out of place....right Minnesota Wild?? Can't go wrong with the country crest.

CANADA: Probably the biggest topic over the summer, the Canadians got with the traditonal maple leaf with a Native design within the leaf, to tie in the appeal to Vancouver. The jersey remains the same as the past few World Championships, however.

CHINA: First off, I didn't know they even qualified for the Games, but they keep your basic red and yellow design the country uses with a simplistic wordmark on the front. You don't see much of the red/yellow scheme and I believe it looks damn sharp.

CZECH REPUBLIC: You don't get much of a change, but for some reason the bicep stripe irks me. It almost looks like a football kind of gimmick and they look like Ole Miss.

FINLAND: While the white jersey seems a little off with the streaks from the shoulder to the elbow, the big deal with the red crest on it. The crest in the past has been blue, but they went a little radical in terms of changing up the color as a whole. It's pretty out of place, when all is said and done.

GERMANY: The coolest part of the jersey is the sublaminated eagles on the sleeves below the forearm. The Germans designs are always awesome for the color scheme and the crest of the eagle. Could be the best of the bunch.

LATVIA: The template approach is alive with these maroon wonders, but at the same time-- they keep a nice look to them. The crest is saying solid and should be a solid look for them out on the rink.

NORWAY: The biggest tragedy could be the Norwegians, who had a simple, but classy design and have been resigned to the diagonal wordmark. It's too much of a plain design, even with the call-back to their heritage jerseys.

RUSSIA: The craziness of the blue on the white jerseys are odd to me. Especially considering they have used plenty of red in the past with their jerseys-- it seems a touch out of place. However, it works with their flag having the blue in it and creates a bit of uniqueness to it.

SLOVAKIA: They Slovaks keep the same scheme they always have. Not much of a change at all, in all honesty.

SWEDEN: They keep the triple crowns and really didn't change much. Have to love the simplicity working in this essense.

SWITZERLAND: This is where simplicity goes wrong in all of this. A small cross on the top left corner where the captain's letters should go, then move the captain's letters going next to the next. Probably the worst jersey out there, especially when they had a simple wordmark from past Olympics.

USA: The US jersey harks back to the 1980s jerseys, plus they get back to the 1960 team with the only third jersey out there. It works in the sense that they could pull off simplicity, like Sweden, and make it work out well.

While it's easy to take shots at the Nike Swift design and the templated gimmick, it's a given. Ready the past post about all of that and you'll be saved. There's what you have to look forward to when the skates hit the GM Place ice in February.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Jason Muzzatti

This week's inductee could have played with the most teams and log the most frequent flier miles out of the rest of the AGMs. However, he made big headlines during the 2006 Olympic Games with his heart and soul play for his adopted home country. This week, we look at Jason Muzzatti.

Though he got limited time with the St. Michael's Buzzards in Toronto through his midget (6-3-0) and Junior A (10-5-2) career, Muzzatti's play was something that got noticed by the Michigan State University team. For his troubles, Muzzatti got thrown into the fray of the Spartans net as a starter in his freshman year. While going 19-9-3 in his first year, Muzzatti was just getting started, as shown by his CCHA second-team selection. That summer, Muzzatti's potential was seen by the Calgary Flames who picked him in the first round in the 1988 Draft. Not to show it was a fluke, in his sophomore year in 1988-89, Muzzatti went 32-9-1 with a 3.03 GAA, which was his best record in his four years. Yet, even with the record, the most accolades were achieved in his third year at MSU, where he went 24-6-3 and was named to the first-team CCHA All-Star team and NCAA West Second-Team All-American for the year. However, his senior year was struggle for Muzzatti, as he went 8-10-2 and split his time with Mike Gilmore.

After his last year, Muzzatti had nowhere to go but the pros, where Muzzatti went to the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, the Flames IHL affiliate. He held his own as a first-year pro, playing in 52 games and going 24-22-5 for the season with a 3.30 GAA. In the 1992-93 season, it was a split between three teams for Muzzatti as he played in the IHL between Salt Lake (5-6-1) and the Indianapolis Ice (5-6-1), as well as playing for the Canadian National Team for 13 games (6-9-0).

For the 1993-94 season, the Flames moved their affiliate to the AHL and to Saint John, New Brunswick. Muzzatti got accustomed to the move, as he spent most of his time there, going 26-21-3 in his 52 games. Also that season, Muzzatti made his NHL debut, which was a horrific 8-4 loss against the Los Angeles Kings. It was back to Saint John for the 1994-95 season, but he was put to a lesser role with a young Dwayne Roloson being the Flames top prospect netminders now. Muzzatti only got 31 games in with a dismal 10-14-4 record for the year. Muzzatti did get 10 minutes back into the NHL, but it was to replace Trevor Kidd in a game.

While the Flames wanted to keep Muzzatti, the Hartford Whalers pluck him off of waivers before the start of the season. Muzzatti was sent down to the Springfield Falcons of the AHL to start the season, and he played strong going 4-0-1 in his five games there. That was good enough to get the call-up to back-up Sean Burke. Muzzatti got 22 games in for the season, but went a disappointing 4-8-3 even with a 2.90 GAA and .911 save percentage. It was good enough to keep him up the entire 1996-97 campaign, again backing up Burke, but getting 31 games in. Yet, even with more of a chance, Muzzatti disappointed with a 9-13-5 record and a 3.43 GAA and .888 save percentage.

Interesting note of his tenure in Hartford-- on two game in his two year there, Muzzatti racked up 12 PIMs even though he did not play a minute. One game in March of 1996, Muzzatti got 12 PIMs from the bench, while in April of 1997, Muzzatti played one second and was able to rack up 12 PIMs as well. Quite a feisty player, eh??

In the summer of 1997, the Whalers moved to Carolina to become the Hurricanes. Before Muzzati had the chance to don the Hurricanes colors, he was traded to the New York Rangers for a fourth-round pick. Muzzatti started out with the Rangers, but went 0-3-2 in his games, which sent him back to Hartford, but this time playing for the WolfPack of the AHL. He calmed down a lot in Hartford, posting an 11-5-1 record. However, Muzzatti was on the move again as he was traded to San Jose at the deadline. It moved Muzzatti to Kentucky with the Thoroughblades of the AHL for seven games, going 2-3-2 in those games. Muzzatti was also recalled by the Sharks and played a few minutes as Mike Vernon attended to family matters.

Muzzatti couldn't get a contract in the NHL for the 1998-99 season, which sent him over to Europe to play for Eisbaren Berlin; but that only last for four games. Muzzatti had to have heart surgery, which limited his playing time for obvious reasons. Once healthy, Muzzatti put up a 3.00 GAA, but no record seems to be around to web. In the 1999-2000 season, Muzzatti went up to Finland to play with Tappara Tampere and did well in his 41 games going 26-9-5 with a 2.28 GAA in that season. Once again, it was back to Germany for Muzzatti in the 2000-01 season for the Ausburg Panthers. Muzzatti played 43 games with a 3.59 GAA, but once again-- no record provided.

Yet, the most contribution Muzzatti had to the game was going back to the "Motherland" of Italy to play hockey there. It started in the 2001-02 season, playing for HC Milano to start off with. Muzzatti played for Milano until the end of the 2003-04 season. For the 2004-05 season and 2005-06 season, Muzzatti played with HC Bolzano Foxes. During that time, Muzzatti got his duel citizenship status, which allowed him to play for Italy in International competitions, like in the World Championships, where Muzzatti helped Italy get into Division 1 after the 2005 tournament.

The greatest moment of Muzzatti though may have come when he played for Italy in the 2006 Olympics in Torino, Italy. It was a big moment for the country in ice hockey, but more for Muzzatti who's first game was against his other country-- Canada. While the Italians were the vast underdog, they tried to give hope, even have a tie of 1-1 for a short time. Muzzatti made 43 saves in the 7-2 lost and garnered a lot of attention from the game. The restof the tournament was a bit of a wash with Italy getting skunked 6-0 to Finland (Muzzatti did not play), tying Germany 3-3 (31 saves), losing 4-1 to Czech Republic (18 saves in relief), and tying 3-3 to Switzerland (22 saves). However, the ties to the borderline teams of Germany and Switzerland caught the attention of most thinking that Italian hockey wasn't anything to worry about.

After the 2005-06 season was complete, Muzzatti got lured back to North America by the UHL's Flint Generals. Muzzatti split time with Bryan Worosz, with Muzzatti getting one more game and going 18-15-6 for the season, which would end up being his last pro season playing. After that season, took a few years away from hockey before the Generals called Muzzatti to make him an assistant coach in the 2008-09 season in the newly formed IHL and eventually named him Head Coach for the 2009-10 season.

While he didn't pan out like the Flames had wanted to, Muzzatti made his mark in other ways through the pipe of international hockey. He made headline in a somewhat meaningless game, but made headway for one country to be a viable option for consideration in the hockey realm. Now, he's taking what he learned to the other young kids out there as a coach.

Kiprusoff Hard On Starter's Role For Finland

Does it make sense for Miikka Kiprusoff to go out on the record to say he won't participate in the Olympics if he's not the starter?? Considering the fact the Games are in Vancouver, it's not like he's lose much energy being a back-up on the bench, but does it make sense at all for him to do this??

If you remember correctly, Kipper wasn't on the Finnish roster for the Torino Games due to a hip injury; it was Niklas Backstrom, Antero Niittymaki, and long forgotten Fredrik Norrena. The leverage isn't really there for Kipper to go boldly go out and make this big claim that he's not interested if he's not the #1, especially when they were able to get a silver medal without him on the roster or even a second thought about it. There is no fear for the Finns with this threat of Kipper trying to rest up.

Beyond Kipper, Backstrom is there, along with Niittymaki again. Also, you have Nashville's Pekka Rinne and Chicago's Antii Niemi, as well as Boston's Tuukka Rask in the wings. Finland seems to the big factory for goalie's nowadays and to be honest-- what if Kipper doesn't show up; there's plenty of guys out there to fill his role and should be fantastic enough to make people forget Kipper is actually Finnish.

Plus, if you're the Flames fans or staff-- you'd want Kipper to skip the Olympics because since he's a workhorse for the team and will be getting a lot of action down the home-stretch, so the more rest the better. Especially if the Flames can't/don't want to get an experienced back-up, Kipper will be under pressure to carry the workload for the expectations the Flames have for this season.

Yet, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News made the best point saying that no player is above the team and the fact that Kipper is trying to dictate things to the Finnish Hockey Federation is a bad route to go for international play. Not just the Olympics, but maybe the World Championships and beyond. Maybe it's not Kipper trying to dictate at all, but him not wanting to play for his country because he's actually worn out. This could be a reverse-psychology move that could very well work out for him.

Point is, even if Kipper doesn't show up for the Finns in the Olympics-- it could be a win-win for all. The Finns win with or without Kipper because they have plenty of goalies to go around for their team. Plus, Kipper wins either way because he'd be starting for his country in the Olympics or resting for a run at the Stanley Cup. In the end, this could very well be a none-story; yet here we are talking about this slower news day.

The Gimmicks of Hockey Canada

Whether it be the fanciness of green jerseys or having PepsiCo create a contest to select a new team cheer, it's becoming interesting to see what Hockey Canada will do next in terms of gimmicks. While it's great for fan interaction (at least for the cheer), it seems a little bit much for a hockey federation to go all out like this.

The green jersey is what's getting the most buzz, as Hockey Canada is doing because green is the big color in Saskatchewan. Plus, it gives a nice Christmas-y feel to the whole thing, as the tourney is held during that time of the year. However, at the same time-- for an iconic hockey nation like Canada, why would you want to localize the national team like this?? They didn't do this for Vancouver or Ottawa when they hosted the WJC and they probably won't do it for Calgary/Edmonton in 2012, so why is Saskatchewan different for these games?? Sure, it's a two-off jersey (once in pre-tournament, once in the tournament), but still-- it's not something they have done prior, so I don't get why this instance is different than others. Yet, I wouldn't be surprised to see sales for this one go off the charts.

As far as the Team Canada/PepsiCo cheer contest....oof. Now, the premise for this is because of other countries having chantable names and then doing research about how fans interaction affect players and games (don't know how scientific that is), adding in the the brand exposure they'll get-- Pepsi was all over it. The let fans create their cheers, record and upload them, which then got moved to judges who picked the top-3 (which is attached on the link at the top), then moved to the fans to vote on which is the best. While the idea is solid, the fact this will actually catch on, I don't know. To orchestrate this in a big scale is a task which may or may not work. How would other voters feel if their cheer got scorned, will this create a civil war in the stands of dueling cheers?? No, probably not-- but think of the possibility of it happening-- creates for outstanding fodder.

In any case, the fact Hockey Canada is going to this make me love capitalism. They know they could make money hand over fist as it is, but they still are thinking of way to make some more. And the thing is that it'll work everytime regardless of the gimmick they pick. The Hockey Canada brand is something people love to buy and you slap a logo onto something, odds are it'll be a success. They know this and they almost abuse it to an extent, but what can you say-- you'd probably do the same thing if you had the chance as well.

EIHL Experimenting Overseas

While the title could lead you to the thought of backpacking and getting into crazy troubles much like "Euro Trip", but sadly it's not about that. This is about the new gimmick that those in the Elite Ice Hockey League (aka the British League) tried out this past weekend in Sheffield, England. It's the 20/20 Hockeyfest. Thanks to FOHS fan Anthony for bringing this to our attention.

Basically, the gimmick to the 20/20 Hockeyfest is that all eight teams in the British Elite League would play in a mini-tournament in the same day. But here's the hook-- it would be four-on-four with 20 minute halves, with each half being running time. In the format, the games took no longer than an hour and happened hourly. It went from eight teams to four, then finally the last two participants playing for the title. Huzzah.

Now, it seems like a decent idea, but the execution could have been done a little better. The idea itself seems like a decent idea for hockey fans to get a full day of hockey into their schedule. Yet, it almost seems like a very beer league move for them to do. If you're trying to get a little creditability to the the league, pulling a stunt like that isn't going to win you over any friends. Of course, this whole thing leads to open ice and moves the game along, but it doesn't seem fitting for a professional league.

As our boy Walker pointed out on the FOHS message boards, it almost seems like a pick-up game at the local rink, but with refs and the score being kept during this. As a one-off or pre-season tournament thing, it's fine-- sure, but I don't think it's something that'll be something to hang your hat on, nor do I see any leagues in North America do it.....well, maybe the SPHL. However, the fact of the matter is that this was done as the season was going on and it seems a little out of place of this to happen as the season is going on. It's just another risk for player injury, which could cost a team a win or two due to it.

I'm all for gimmicks and it's something that would be great for the pre-season, but while the season goes on, the focus should be on the season and the heat coming off of that. This whole gimmick being done as the season is going on, I frown upon that happening. With the pre-season, it'll create the rivalry and intensity heading into the season. Plus, it'll put a foreshadowing of the season to come. Maybe it's just me, but I think it's a good way to get the season going and bring more people into the whole ordeal.

For what it's worth, though, it did generate some sort of interest, as I'm here talking about. Like I said, the idea is decent enough if you're going to do this for the pre-season. Yet, if you're doing this as the season starts, it just seems worthless and a little risky for the players participating into it. Plus, it is amongst one place and only satisfies one audience for that day, as opposed to all over the United Kingdom, like the league it. Though, you could move it along like the Winter Classic or All-Star Game to create diversity and to create a bigger buzz in the hockey community over there. I mean, let's be honest-- this buzz could be as big as the Tony Hand chase for 4,000th points or Theo Fleury's escapades in Belfast, so it's something for a nation that is trying to make hockey work.

And if you were wondering, the hometown Sheffield Steelers beat the Coventry Blaze 3-2 in the final game, sending the home crowd back to their homes happy, I'm sure.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Jimmy Waite

This installment of the AGMs could be the first goalie we've seen that could be a first-round bust in the realm. That's because it's another case of an all-star in junior hockey not being able to pan-out, even though he was able to be good enough to push Dominik Hasek out of a job in Chicago; which can be the silver-lining and the name of his autobiography. However, Jimmy Waite made a decent back-up and decent goaltender in Europe when he went over there.

Waite's major junior career started off with a bang with Chicoutimi Sagueneens, going 23-17-3 and gaining a spot on the Canadian World Junior's team the year the Piestany brawl broke out and got Canada disqualified from the tournament. Post-season, Waite won the Raymond Lagace Award for defensive rookie of the year in the QMJHL, which upped his draft status. It upped it enough to get him picked 8th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks, over the likes of Joe Sakic, John LeClair, and Theo Fleury. Waite was going to be the man who took over for Darren Pang and Bob Mason after another year in juniors. However, it was going to get a lot more jumbled.

Back in junior for the 1987-88 season, Waite had a overall slip-up going 17-16-1 in 36 games, but was able to ganner a gold medal in the World Junior Championship in Moscow over the Soviet Union, plus winning the top goalie of the tournament after all was said and done. Though his season was a little sloppy, everything was looking like Waite was ready to take over the reigns in the Blackhawks organization.

That got off to a rocky start in his rookie year, as Waite got lit up, going 0-7-1 in 11 games and then broke his collarbone in December, which put him out for the rest of the season. It was a craptastic year for the Blackhawks goalie-by-committee they had going with Waite, Pang, Alain Chevrier, and another rookie by the name of Ed Belfour. Waite got back into the swing of things with the IHL Saginaw Hawks when he was recovered, going 3-1-1 and priming himself for a solid year in the next season.

The next season, 1989-90, saw Jimmy Waite get the starting role.....but in the IHL with the Indianapolis Ice, with Chevrier, Jacques Cloutier, and Greg Millen taking the role in Chicago, while Ed Belfour was playing with the Canadian National Team for the year; coming back for the playoffs. Waite went 34-14-4 with a 2.53 GAA for the impressive season, but in his limited time with the Hawks (four games), he went 2-0. In 1990-91, Waite was still in Indianapolis (26-18-4, mind you) while Belfour had his break-out season for the Hawks, leaving the former first round pick fighting to stay in the system. It was a clog in the pipes with Belfour, Millen, Waite, Dominik Hasek, and Cloutier in the system with something to give.

While Waite was able to get past the clog in order to get to the '91-'92 season, it was still unknown how well he's be able to play and if he'd stay up in the organization. The season started off well enough with Waite getting a good amount of starts, going 3-1-1 in his first five, but the wheels fell off as Waite went 1-6-3 the rest of the way and was sent down by January of 1992. In the minors, Waite bounced between Indianapolis and Hershey Bears of the AHL. Waite didn't fair much better going 4-7-1 in Indianapolis, but did better in Hershey with a 6-4-1 record there. Luckily for Waite, after the smoke cleared in the 1992 Cup Run for the Hawks, Waite was left with Belfour as the only two goalies in Chicago. It would be Waite's last horrah in Chicago, as he faltered again going 6-7-1 during his 20 game stint, but it wouldn't be enough for the Hawks to keep him, as they traded Waite to the Sharks in the summer of '93.

It was quite the unimpressive stint along the Bay Area for Waite, as he only played 15 games behind Arturs Irbe going an unspectacular 3-7-1 during that time. The next season was, of course, the lockout for half the season and as things got rolling again, the Sharks traded Waite back to the Windy City for a conditional pick. Waite went onto play with the Indianapolis for four games, then appeared twice for the Hawks; but the Hawks picked up Jeff Hackett, which put Waite as the odd-man out. In '95-'96, Waite was back in Indianapolis posting a 28-18-6 for the season and spending only 31 minutes in net for the Hawks that season. Same went for the next season, with Waite spending the weight in Indianapolis (22-15-4), but played two games with the big club going 0-1-1.

During the waiver draft, the Phoenix Coytoes were the ones who picked up Waite in order to help out Nikolai Khabibulin out for the year. In 17 games that season, Waite carried his slack with a 5-6-1 record in the 1997-98 season. The '98-'99 season has Waite getting some starts here and there, but a bruised thumb and hand during the season pushed him to the minors with the Utah Grizzlies of the IHL and Springfield Falcons of the AHL, along with Phoenix. Waite went 6-5-4 in Phoenix, 3-4-1 in Springfield, and 6-3-2 in Utah.

The summer of '99 saw Waite get picked up by the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent, but Waite didn't see any more time in the NHL. Waite was placed in St. John's in the AHL and didn't impress much, putting up a 20-37-4 record in the 1999-2000 season and a 12-25-4 record in the 2000-01 season. With waining interest and waining stats, it would be the last time that Waite would play regularly in North America.

After that season, Waite signed on in Germany spending his first two years with the Essen Mosquitos and Iserholn Roosters, but has spend the last six seasons with the Ingolstadt ERC Panthers of the German Elite League. Waite has flourished in Germany with three straight awards for most outstanding goalkeeper from 2004 to 2006. However, Waite is still looking for a team, as he is now a free agent after a couple of subpar seasons record wise.

It was a lot of trials and tribulation for Waite, but he found his sweet spot playing in the minor and Europe, which can be the silver lining after not doing too well in the NHL where he was being built up to be the next big thing for the club. Granted, he wasn't the first player to be touted as that and won't be the last. Even though he's 40, here's hoping he'll be able to catch on with another club, as he seems to be able to play at a solid rate at his age.