Friday Five: Returns and Reunions

It's been quite the week.....and yet another goalie fight, so it just shows that I'm an idiot and really don't know anything about hockey and how it works. Why are you even reading this?? Oh well, time for the F5 because it's Friday.

1. With the rabble-rousing of Carrie Underwood husband's being traded to her locale, how rough it is for the Ottawa Senators to get nothing in return??

If I'm playing on the Senators (and if things get bad, I actually may) I'd be a little disillusioned with the situation. Sure, you expect trades to happen and maybe some of the bigger named guys-- but getting an unknown in return is a bit disheartening. Fisher wasn't the flashiest guy, but got the job done and helped that team in any chance he could. With getting only picks back, coupled with an 11-game losing skid, as well as a regime that is almost guaranteed to be ousted at season's end (though it should be sooner), you almost have to think Eugune Melnyk is playing the role of Nero as his Rome burns (rack 'em).

That said, it seems par for the course for the Sens since they made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007 and nothing has seemed to get better or easier-- from goaltending, to coaching, to guys leaving-- it just snowballs into something worse; and you can't blame the fans for being rageful about the direction of this team.

2. With all these trades with some decent profile names, will this Trade Deadline Day be more about names moving or just upgrading role players on the roster??

This one could be all about upgrading the role players on the team. While there's decent UFAs for the summer, odds are you aren't willing to pay a lot to get them as a rental player. Basically teams are going to just tie up their loose ends when it comes to mucker and grinders, with maybe a decent size name going in the process. Yet-- I don't know if teams will wait for the 28th, as the gettings are good right now.

3. Ilya Kovalchuk is on a tear and the Devils continue their rise. Wishful thinking or was this a sign of waiting too long to replace John MacLean??

This was definitely something where they waited a bit too long to fire their coach, but they are showing they aren't the big bust many people thought they were. Kovalchuk, despite the minus-22, has been hot with five goals and five assists in the last eight games and showing he's worth his money. Even with Martin Brodeur dealing with injuries, the team has played well around Johan Hedberg recently, which is something they didn't do too much with MacLean behind the bench. While they're 13 points out of a playoff spot and have to keep an unimaginable pace to even keep up....some are keeping the faith.

4. Peter Forsberg returns tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets-- injury happens...??

I'd say before the month of February ends. While it's a solid story if he does come back and plays well enough to get a contract for next year-- but the reality of the situation is he'll play a couple minutes tonight and in a few more games before he realizes he can't keep up with the speed and then retires for good....until October when it all starts again.

5. Quebec city is getting a $400M arena built. How much will this be like the Kansas City/Sprint Center fiasco??

With no team in sight for expansion or relocation (so they say) it could be a big deal for building such an expensive arena and not have anyone to house the arena after it's built. While hockey is very prevalent in Canada and a junior team could probably house that arena-- it's not what they want. The Canadian Olympic Committee President and former Quebec Nordiques' president and club owner said the NHL will be back in three years. Wishful thinking, but you may need that kind of over-the-top positive attitude in order to make something like this succeed.

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That's another week and if you want to get in contact with an idea for a topic-- Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com is the place to send it over to. It'll be a riot if you see your topic here and you can tweet all your friends about it too....or not.

Tale of Two Comebacks

Monday was the biggest day for players coming back to the NHL. First, it was the announcement of Peter Forsberg trying to do it all again with the Colorado Avalanche in a Brett Favre kind of fashion. The second was Ray Emery coming back after signing with the Anaheim Ducks. Both stories have to do with guys coming back from career-threatening injuries, but why does Emery's signing make people feel better than the Forsberg one??

The obvious answer is that Forsberg has done this before and will probably do it again until someone tells him....enough. But it's a story where there's a guy who is a champion and still wants to get out there and prove that he's got something left. The winning spirit is something to be admired, but if he flops again (not like diving) will even the Avalanche give him a chance again?? It's a matter of time before the teams just forget about the past accomplishments and have to cut anchor and go away.

With Emery, though-- it's a story of an up-and-down guy. He came through the ranks of the Ottawa Senators organization, he led them to a Cup Final. Then, once he got the extension from the team-- things went south and the team bought him out. He went to Russia, played decent-- but got into a trouble off the ice, which soured him in Russia. He was able to get back with the Flyers before he went down to a serious injury-- threatening his career....only at age 28.

When I look at it, the fact remains that we always feel bad for guy's who have their career's cut short by injury and not care about guys who are older coming back, mostly because they have actually achieved all they wanted. Granted, Forsberg has been through this rodeo before and he's someone who people are tired of hearing about because the prolonged process he has put everyone through; but it shouldn't discount his plight. He's Cinderella, trying to find the boot that fits him so he can play again. And if he can become effective again, I think it's a good story in the end and makes his plight all the better, because he could actually do what he set out to.

With Emery, it's a good story for him coming back from a serious injury, but at the same time...I don't know if I'm completely sold on it just yet. He'll definitely help the depth of the Ducks, but is there going to be a time where he blows up and becomes more a distraction than what's needed?? The Ducks are bouncing back nicely from early season struggles and if he were to disrupt something there-- is it really that good a story?? Maybe this injury has opened his eyes on dealing with difficult professional situations, but if not-- it could be interesting to see how it is.

In any case, Emery starts on his road back with the Ducks AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, while Forsberg seems to be plying his time and will return straight to the Avs line-up, seeing as he has a no-trade and no-movement clause in the pro-rated deal. Will either of these stories have a happy ending or will the script stay the same?? If nothing else, it'll be a fun sub-plot to look at as the season winds down.