Season Starts Tomorrow-- Lockout, Schmlockout

Shirt via Pucking Hilarious

As you know, I love gimmicks. And I love NHL94. Therefore, why not have a gimmick that involves NHL94....again.

You're welcome.

Starting on Thursday and going until they figure out the damn lockout-- I'll be simulating all the games that have been cancelled on the NHL94 ROM emulator. That's right, we'll have a full 82 game season as it stands and figure out how the hell this will all pan out.

Now, of course-- there's issues. As of now, they don't have a NHL13 ROM update for the NHL94 platform, so I'm going to have to use the NHL12 rosters at the time being. Hopefully trying to get the playoff updated roster so I can get at least some accuracy.

Anyway-- starting tomorrow with four games on the docket, we'll have some faux NHL action.

NHL '94 Update

Great image from Dave's Geeky Ideas

With the announcement of Teemu Selanne saying he was coming back, it's time for me to update the list from before about who's still left from the fantastic NHL '94 franchise. That also ties into the NHL '12 release, which was just happenstance.

Now, with Mike Modano and Chris Simon still out there as free agents and Owen Nolan only with a try-out contract, we could be in our last throws of this whole gimmick. It's just a clean-up from the old list to make it easier to read.

Plus, I still say that I'll buy a jersey of the last player and the team they were on when they finally retire.

UPDATED: OCTOBER 4TH, 2016

BUFFALO: Dominik Hasek, KHL

DALLAS: Mike Modano, UFA; Mike Craig, Austria

DETROIT: Sergei Fedorov, KHL; Slava Kozlov, KHL; Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

HARTFORD: Mikael Nylander, SHL; Robert Petrovicky, Slovakia; Zarley Zalapski, Switzerland

NY RANGERS: Alexei Kovalev, Florida Panthers

PITTSBURGH: Jaromir Jagr, Florida Panthers; Martin Straka, Czech Republic

QUEBEC: Owen Nolan, Vancouver Canucks [try-out]; Martin Rucinsky, Czech Republic, Chris Simon, UFA

SAN JOSE: Sandis Ozolinsh, KHL

TAMPA BAY: Roman Hamrlik, New York Rangers

VANCOUVER: Petr Nedved, Czech Republic

WINNIPEG: Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks

Spakle and Fade

While the Everclear Draft Weekend doesn't start until Thursday for the FOHS fateful, that's what June 22, 2010 was for most people. Probably the most exciting non-game/event day in the recent memory of the NHL; thanks to all the news made. It had everything, but when it came to the main cog-- it fell a little short.

-First, it's started with the NHL schedule being released, the earliest in a while. While I personally didn't care, most NHL road-trippers did. I just wondered the start time of the Heritage Classic and to see if I can weasel my way into the event in some way, shape, or form. Other than that-- check out the Sensational Sean Leahy's write-up about anticipated games.

-Then, we had the trade that had the Boston Bruins picking up Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell from the Florida Panthers for Dennis Wideman, the 15th overall pick in the Draft, and a third-rounder in 2011. For the Bruins, the acquisition of Horton is an improvement, considering he has five straight seasons of 20 goals or more, something the Bruins have missed-- although the injuries issues is something that the Bruins could and should be concerned about. At least they also got the disciplinarians son in the deal as well. Wideman had a season to wipe-away, though he will be the cornerstone in the Panthers rebuilding defense. If he can improve his +/-, the Panthers may have something.

-At the same time, the Edmonton Oilers announced that Pat Quinn had stepped down as head coach and moved to Senior Adviser to the GM, making way for co-coach Tom Renney to take over. Renney was going to get this job eventually, but the fact the rebuild is in full swing, it's better they did this sooner than later. Renney's last job was with the New York Rangers and replaced Quinn once before in Vancouver. While his style isn't exciting, it's often successful for Renney. Whether it will work with the new look Oilers will remain to be seen.

-After that, the NHL said good-bye to Scott Niedermayer; as the defenseman called it a career after 18 years and leaves on 42 players left from NHL '94. Niedermayer won wherever he went and really shouldn't be waiting long after the waiting period to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. I mean, four Stanley Cups, two Olympic Gold, World Juniors Gold, Memorial Cup Champion, World Championship Gold, and he ate the bowl. Not much else you can say, because it says it all in his stats and what he did when he was there. Sadly, we'll miss one of the best playoff beards ever because of this retirement.

-Then the main event-- the Hockey Hall of Fame nominees. This year, it was an allotment for four players, two women's players, and some builders. There was a lot of ruckus around who was going in, who wasn't-- but it created for great off-season debate.....but seemed to be a huge letdown in the end.

Though it is fitting, the first year that the women are introduced, they will be the majority as Angela James-- the Gretzky of women's hockey to start off with; and Cammi Granato will be going to the Hall. James was an innovator in the women's game for Canada, where she was a big fish in a developing small pond and really gave something younger girls could aspire to in Canada. Same goes with Granato, who was basically the USA version of James, only on a smaller scale. Granato did a lot for the women's game in the US and really helped pass along the torch in these new times.

That being done, only ONE spot was filled in the male side, that being Dino Ciccarelli. For a long time, many have wondered when he would get his chance. 600+ goals, 1200 points on the nose; but for some reason-- mostly media unfriendly and a bad rap from the ice-- Dino was always overlooked and pretty much pushed aside. However, in a seemingly weak class; they couldn't avoid him or the outcry of some fans now. Even though he never won a Cup, he did well on so-so teams at the start of his career, but couldn't be a hanger-on in his later years. He did enough to be the Hall of Famer he is now.

It's sad that there's only one. The debate about Adam Oates, Joe Nieuwendyk, Pavel Bure, hell-- even Eric Lindros being on the dias this year, and nothing came of it. Is it something where it was a wide-open field and other votes canceled out others?? Was the hype about this year's class something that was overdone and they weren't the spectacular to begin with?? Maybe we'll find out soon, but it seems like that many could have been looking too deep into the whole thing and overestimated the voters of the Hockey Hall, per usual.

Another thing I'm ticked about is the exclusion of Pat Burns in the Builder's category. We all know that Burns is dealing with Cancer and it would have been the best time to put the great coach into the Hall, but the voters did not. Sure, we shouldn't dismiss the fact of Jim Devellano of the Red Wings and the late Daryl Seaman of the Flames should be there-- but you would have hoped that the voters in the Hall had some kind of heart to include Burns....but....here we are.

---------

That was the day it was. A lot of opening acts and a somewhat disappointing headlining gig. In the end, it'll only create for more of a debate in next year's Hall of Fame-- but that's what the off-season is for. We saw new beginnings, transitions, endings, and the map for next season. It was every possible emotion fans could have in one day and not have any games played. Hope fans savored it, because it could mean we're in for a long off-season if this is the most exciting day.

Then There Were 44; Goodbye To Another Jet

With Keith "Walt" Tkachuk retiring at the end of this season, the NHL '94 List is now down to 44 (with plenty unknown). Not only that, but Tkachuk leaving leaves only Shane Doan and Teemu Selanne left as an original Winnipeg Jets still playing in the NHL today. I don't know which is more significant in the whole ordeal.

As much as I could go on about why Keith Tkachuk is a memorable player, buddy and hockey blog czar Greg Wyshynski did all of that last night after the announcement was made.

But back to losing the Jets in their entirety, the odds of Teemu Selanne retiring are fairly high; but when Shane Doan finally decides to hang them up, does that mean the Jets are just a memory to the hockey puckheads who have actually seen them. Of course, you could also throw in Oleg Tverdovsky into this list, but he's over in Russia and already a distant memory to hockey fans across the NHL. Will anyone finally be able to let go of the Jets as they were when they left?? I'm all for teams being remembered as they once were, but to try and bring back that glory to with a relocation and bringing back the old name is something I'm not a huge fan of.

Okay, I can't say that as I'm a fan of the Ottawa Senators, but they were an expansion team who brought the team name back after almost 60 years being a dormant name.

In any case, I don't know where I'm getting at. I guess just trying to bring the Jets name back to the NHL wouldn't be the same if there are players still out there from the original team. While that may not be a problem with expansion or relocation, I'm very opposed to the Jets moniker coming back; especially with the records of the team being moved to the Phoenix Coyotes. If it was a situation like the NFL Cleveland Browns where the Jets record stayed in Winnipeg and not transfer to Phoenix, I'd be fine with the Jets name coming back. However, that's not the case and if Winnipeg got a team back; the smart thing to do is not go with the "Jets" name. Best to leave them in the past and remember the good days you had with them.

That includes the days of the last Jets' captain, Keith Tkachuk. He would be the transition part from Winnipeg to Phoenix, then passing it to Shane Doan who still carries the pride of that franchise to this day. I'm sure they'd like to be able to remember their Winnipeg days, but who knows their take on the return of another Winnipeg Jets incarnation. Only time will tell.

EDIT: Little did I remember Kris Draper and Nikolai Khabibulin. Thanks to TSN for reminding me.

Then There Were 45/The Hall of Fame Debate

With the official announcement made yesterday, Curtis Joseph has retired from the NHL, thus another NHL '94 alumnus bites the dust and leaves us with 45 players left from the game. Joseph leaves the game with the fourth most wins by any goalie at 454 in 19 seasons of work. Of course, he also collected 352 losses, which ties Gump Worsley with the most losses in the NHL career of a goalie, but that's neither here nor there.

Joseph had a great career with six teams, three of them being in Canada-- but his most memorable times were with Toronto and Edmonton, where he is/was hailed as a folk hero for his service. Toronto especially, where he was a finalist for the Vezina twice, the Lester B. Pearson award once, and won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for contributions in the community on and off the ice. His play was a big reason why the Leafs got to the Conference Finals in 1999 and 2002 and finished up his career there, even if it was a back-up to Vesa Toskala. Joseph is also the first goalie to win playoff games with five different teams (St. Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, and Calgary). With all of this, you have to wonder how he was ever undrafted to start off with. Joseph is a three-time all-star, a gold medal winner in 2002, and he probably ate the bowl, too.

Of course, now, the focus turns to the Hall of Fame, which makes you wonder why there's any kind of discussion with all of this?? His numbers and play alone should make him a Hall of Famer, even if it isn't first ballot. Sure, Joseph doesn't have a Stanley Cup ring to his name, but is that the end-all be-all for someone who is on the fringe?? Albeit, he's the only goalie in the top-10 in all-time wins to not win a Cup, but all the same; the numbers should be something that should supersede the lack of the Cup ring. Not only that, but the effect Joseph had on the places he played need to be placed into the balloting of Joseph. He made the people of Edmonton and Toronto come alive and have hope, especially in the playoffs where CuJo built his legendary status. Even while his last years, post-lockout, were very forgettable; that shouldn't take away from what he achieved beforehand.

However, the lack of Cup ring could keep him out. If that's the case, you have to wonder how Mats Sundin will get in. Of course, that brings up another question of who meant more to the Leafs organization during that time, Joseph or Sundin-- but that's another topic for another time. Back to the lack of ring, the thing with Joseph has that guys like, let's say Dino Ciccarelli, don't have is the off-ice work he has done, not only in the community with CuJo's Kids, but reaching out with Right to Play and heading over to do work in places like Rwanda.

Yet, with guys with rings like Doug Gilmour waiting on the outside of the Halls, odds are Joseph will be passed over for the time being. It doesn't seem to effect Joseph, because he seemed like a happy-go-lucky guy in his career, even if he did take out a ref during the 2000 Playoffs. He came up from being born of teenage parents, being adopted by a different family of a mixed-race family, then going undrafted and fighting his way to get to the point where he was. He didn't seem too sad to retire, but odds are he's going to get into the coaching game sooner rather than later. Plus, he leaves a mark on having some of the best masks out there.

Who's Left From NHL '94 Revisited

UPDATED MAY 26, 2011

When I was young, I often got my video games for Christmas. One of them being NHL '94. Luckily for me, I had a lot of time on my hands for this Christmas and decided to revisit my "Who's Left From NHL '94" post. Thanks to NHL94.com, I was able to get a hold of the manual, which had the roster sheets to it. I went down one-by-one and looked up every player on that list this time.

Some of the things I found out is that most of these guys' fame was thanks to this game. Many of the players on these rosters are in hockey management in some capacity, while a good amount of guys have gotten into the financial sector of the world. The rosters of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and Florida Panthers are included in other teams since the roster engine wasn't as advanced as today. Six players have unknown status, as they don't have a contract, but haven't officially retired as of yet. Philadelphia has the most players still left with four, while only four teams (Boston, Ottawa, Toronto, Washington) don't have any players left. Also, the Vancouver Canucks' line-up has two spelling errors as Garry Valk listed as Gary Valk and Sergio Momesso as Sergei Momesso.

On a sad note, five players have passed away from this game: Gaetan Duchesne, Steve Chiasson, Andrei Lomakin, Bryan Fogerty, and Peter Zezel.

So, without any further Apu, the list of who's left from NHL '94. Players with unknown statuses are going to be in parentheses.

UPDATED MAY 26, 2011

BUFFALO: Brad May, Detroit Red Wings [September '10]; Dominik Hasek, Czech Republic (Alexander Mogilny)

CALGARY: Robert Reichel, Czech Republic [August '10]

CHICAGO: Chris Chelios, AHL [August '10]

DALLAS: Mike Modano, Dallas Stars; Mike Craig, Austria (Richard Matvichuk)

DETROIT: Sergei Fedorov, KHL; Slava Kozlov, Atlanta Thrashers; Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

EDMONTON: Doug Weight, NY Islanders [May '11]; Todd Elik, Austria

HARTFORD: Mikael Nylander, AHL; Robert Petrovicky, KHL; Zarley Zalapski, Switzerland (Geoff Sanderson)

LOS ANGELES: Rob Blake, San Jose Sharks [June '10]; Alexei Zhitnik, KHL; Darryl Sydor, St. Louis Blues [July '10]

MONTREAL: Mike Keane, AHL [July '10]; Mathieu Schneider, Vancouver Canucks [September '10] (Sean Hill)

NEW JERSEY: Bill Guerin, Pittsburgh Penguins [December '10]; Janne Ojanen, Finland [April '10]; Scott Neidermayer, Anaheim Ducks [June '10]

NY ISLANDERS: Darius Kasparaitis, KHL [April '10]

NY RANGERS: Alexei Kovalev, Ottawa Senators; Sergei Zubov, KHL [April '11]

PHILADELPHIA: Mark Recchi, Boston Bruins [June '11]; Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes [June '10]; Josef Beranek, Czech Republic [August '10]; Dmitri Yushkevich, Finland

PITTSBURGH: Jaromir Jagr, KHL; Martin Straka, Czech Republic

QUEBEC: Owen Nolan, Minnesota Wild; Martin Rucinsky, Czech Republic; Adam Foote, Colorado Avalanche [April '11] (Chris Simon)

SAN JOSE: Ed Courtenay, England [April '10]; Sandis Ozolinsh, KHL

ST. LOUIS: Igor Korolev, KHL Curtis Joseph [January '10]

TAMPA BAY: Roman Hamrlik, Montreal Canadiens

VANCOUVER: Petr Nedved, Czech Republic; Jiri Slegr, Czech Republic [August '10]

WINNIPEG: Teemu Selanne, Anaheim Ducks; Keith Tkachuk, St. Louis Blues [April '10] (Igor Ulanov)

So that's that. I'll continue to update this as they drop one-by-one. We'll have to see which one of these 46 players is the last one standing for this, the first of the EA Sports/NHL series. I'm sure we're all on the edge of our seats for this one......or not.

Who's The Personality Now??

News broke today that Jeremy Roenick will be announcing his retirement on Thursday, ending a great career of over 500 goals and over 1,200 points. Not only that, he knocks another off the NHL '94 list (it's not so much me as it is Roenick, he's good), as well as leaves as the greatest personality the game has to offer. Always up for a quote, Roenick would never mince words and would often talk without his filter on....if a filter exists.

Roenick commanded respect from others and often was the guy to lighten the mood when needed and be clutch when he needed to be. He was a character guy and would battle to the hilt in any situation at all. He adjusted himself from a high-powered scorer to a grinder later in his career, a transition some players may not be too keen on doing and may not succeed when doing it.

He will no doubt get a TV gig somewhere because he knows how to handle himself on TV and won't have the awkward transition most ex-players have in terms of being comfortable on the set. I wouldn't be surprised to see JR's #27 raised to the rafters of United Center for his great Blackhawks' days and maybe his #97 in Phoenix or Hamilton or wherever the end up for his time in the Coyotes organization. He was a special player, a renaissance player, if you will. He could do his talking on and off the ice and made the game enjoyable to watch and follow. There was never a dull moment with him and will never be a dull moment on every broadcast he's on.

The question now is who will be the personality of the league right now that will be like JR's was.

At first, you have to look to Sean Avery as the guy who will be the personality. He goes on without a filter, he has a swagger like no other, and he's not a half-bad player. However, I don't know if he has the respect that JR had or if the NHL would even want to associate with Avery considering the things he has done. You have to say Avery does command the attention, not always in the good case though.

Then, you look to Alex Ovechkin. He has the flare, he has the excitement there to be the heir-apparent, but his English is what's holding him back to be the quote machine that JR has been. If Ovie can get some zingers in there or start to not be as reserved as he is in terms of saying what's going on in the league-- he could be the guy to slide right in there, but it's not to be.

Coming back in, Ray Emery is a guy who could be a personality within himself. In a town like Philly, a guy who has the swagger he does, draws huge attention to himself, plus isn't afraid to speak his mind; he could be the long shot candidate for this whole thing. Albeit, he's a loose cannon on and off the ice, but it's always seems like he's under the microscope regardless of where he is at.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see anyone sticking out nowadays in terms of straying from the company line of the league. Especially recently, it seems that the players coming in are cookie-cutter in terms of personality. There's no real brash personality coming into the league. They can play great, they do a lot of their talking on the ice; but it's nothing to exciting once you get them off the ice. They do the cliche bits, but no one is really standing out and maybe that's what's needed nowadays for hockey. Sure, Sean Avery is a great guy to be the next big personality, but so long as he keeps it within the boundries of good taste and waiting for the press to come to him and not the other way around.

While we wait and watch who's going to be the next JR, we will always remember him talking about Patrick Roy getting his jock out of the rafters of United Center (with old school ESPN hotness) and always remember the dancing, dancing, dancing.

We'll miss you, JR-- you were a class act.

Who's Left From NHL '94

(There's an update on December 29th, 2009-- FYI)

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

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

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

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

BOSTON: All Retired

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

CALGARY: Robert Reichel-- Good catch by a reader (Comment #14), as Reichel is still over in the Czech Republic. He was never a flashy guy, but a solid contributor and a leader on the ice as well. Going back home has given him a shot in the arm and some certainty when it comes his role in the line-up.

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

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

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

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

FLORIDA: All Retired

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

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

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

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

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

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

OTTAWA: All Retired

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

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

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

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

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

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

TORONTO: All Retired

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

WASHINGTON: All Retired

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

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

UPDATED ON DECEMBER 29TH 2009!!!