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

Long Line Change: Stammer, Coaches, and Retirements

There hasn't be a lot of news......or enough for me to do crazy posts on it and make a lot out of a little. So I've concocted this "Long Line Change" to maybe get the same information out in one fancy place......huzzah?? In any case.....

Steven Stamkos Re-Signs

It took what seemed forever, Steven Stamkos finally re-signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning to the tune of five-years and $37.5M ($7.5M cap hit). It was something that you knew was going to get done sooner or later and Steve Yzerman did it right; pacing things and letting it all play out how it needed to. It's a solid price for a kid who is already a star and should be solid for the Bolts in the long-run as well. Plus, the move leaves about $7M in buffer room for the Bolts against the salary cap.

That said, still no word on the other highly touted RFA, Drew Doughty of the LA Kings. Though you can bet that will be under the microscope moreso now with Stamoks signed.

The Devil You Now Know

In what could be considered a decent coaching swerve, the New Jersey Devils didn't go with Guy Carbonneau or Ken Hitchcock-- heck, even Michel Therrien wasn't good enough for them. No, Lou Lamoriello went with former Florida Panthers coach Peter DeBoer to be the new bench-boss in the Swamp. DeBoer didn't have much success while in Florida, but he also didn't have the guns to really make a huge splash. With the Devils, he'll have a solid line-up and should be able to show his meddle in the big leagues.

Retirement Always Means Hall of Fame Debates

Chris Osgood called it a career, finishing his career with 401 wins and three Stanley Cups. While he did have a solid career, are his numbers good enough to get him into the Hockey Hall of Fame?? Personally, on merit alone-- the Cups and wins gets him in; but not as a first-ballot guy. While he could slip in there on the first one, I still think there's a lot of guys who are more worthy than Osgood. He'll get in one day, but I don't think it'll be right off the hop.

Friday Five: Skating and Fighting are Two Things Goalies Do

It's been quite the odd week coming out of All-Star Weekend, which seemed to give a nice punch in the arms to the traditional ASG. Plus, we saw others going back onto the IR after another a poor decision-- which is something you could say throughout his career.

1. Rick DiPietro is back on the IR with facial fractures and knee swelling. How's that make everyone feel??

You have to feel bad for DiPietro, but when you see him make a poor decision like fighting with 17 second left in the game-- you kinda knew something like this would come from it. The knee swelling is nothing new, though and odds are he would probably be out a bit from that, but when he got lit up by Brent Johnson-- you knew it was just a matter of time before this news would come out. Worse off, Evgeni Nabokov still sits-- which maybe isn't a bad thing. As friend of FOHS, Anthony pointed out-- Nabby could ruin the Isles lottery chances if he played out of his mind and got the Isles on a little run-- which would make the Isles fans hate him more.

2. Which was more unlikely to see-- goalie race at the skills competition or the goalie fight??

Both are very rare and should be looked at in awe. However, it's more likely to get the goalie fight than to have a goalie race, that is only one race and happens once-a-year, if the Olympics to see. Even so, unless the games get out of hand-- we won't get a goalie fight in the NHL all that often, because we haven't seen one since 2007 in the regular season. Oddly enough, I liked both sides of things, but the race was more of a dance-off, where the fights are actually settling things once and for all. But the goalie race is all but a guarantee for ASG weekend now, but goalie fights are much more unlikely in the NHL.

3. After this All-Star Weekend, how much more of a change can we expect out of future events??

There will probably be some adjustments to some of the events during the Skills session, but in the end not much will be needed to be changed. The NHL did a lot of tinkering and it seemed to work on an idea that many hate because of the fact it's not real competition. When all is said and done-- the atmosphere was right, the festivities were great by all accounts, and things worked out well. To be honest, I believe you have to have the ASGs in places that are not hardcore hockey moments,

4. With the retirement of Craig Conroy, have we seen the last of the non-cliched players in the league??

I don't think we'll see one that was a good as Conroy. We have the Sean Avery and BizNasty types, but people hate him. It'll be a long time before we see a likable guy who doesn't throw out cliche lines again. With all the media training some people get in juniors and such-- a lot of guys lose their personality and only the muckers and grinders have personality-- but not many care for what they have to say because they're trying to put themselves over. Maybe PK Subban will carry the torch, but odds are he'll get roped in before he could actually make the dent Conroy did.

5. While the Bolts jerseys are getting pans and praised-- are there any jerseys that you hated or liked, then had a change of heart??

First and foremost, I hate the Caps new Edge jerseys when they first came out; as I mentioned when in Sombrero Guy's hotel room before we went to the Draft in Columbus. Yet, I love the Caps unis, especially the weagle patch. I think I finally came around to the Minnesota Wild's Christmas jerseys they use, as I did with the Atlanta Thrashers' baby-blue jerseys with the one-sleeve. At first I liked the Ducks' jerseys when they dropped the "mighty"-- but I turned on them when I thought there were really plain and then realized their alternates are what they should have done. Pretty sure that's all, but probably much more.

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And that's another week in the books. If you have questions or idea-- email me Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com and give me some ideas or whatever. If you don't-- same clap-trap you get every week.

Brodie's Number Plight

With the demotion of TJ Brodie from Calgary to Abbotsford, many Pittsburgh Penguins fans were rejoiced, as they saw Brodie wearing #66 as blasphemy. While it's no secret my dislike for some Penguins fans, this one is what really gets my goat. Sure, Mario Lemieux was a special player and really means something to the revitalization of the Penguins organization many times over. But Bob McKenzie put into words what many outside of the Lemieux fan club believe.

I don't get the fuss about TJ Brodie wearing No. 66. If players can wear 4 (Orr) or 9 (Howe, Richard, Hull), they can wear 66.

And he's right.

While many will say that Lemieux was second to Wayne Gretzky in iconic personalities of hockey in the modern era, but I believe that he was great for the Penguins; but the league wide-appeal wasn't there like it was for Gretzky. Gretzky brought hockey to the unrelated market of Los Angeles, thus expanding the game to what we see today.....while that's not a glowing endorsement, it exposed hockey to areas that no one had thought and created a buzz that the sport didn't have in the longest time.

And you know what-- Gretzky's number shouldn't have been widely retired, because it's a slippery slope. Then, when will people say that other numbers like #4, #9, or even #19 be retired. Hell, Ron Francis, Mark Messier, and Marcel Dionne have more points than Lemieux; so when should they retire their numbers?? It should be a case-by-case basis and by the teams they played on. They shouldn't put it in the league's hand to make these decisions because different numbers mean something to different people/teams.

I, for one, support Brodie wearing the #66, if for nothing else but to pester Penguins fans. Plus, why should he change it?? There has to be some reason why he picked the number and to be honest-- why are people trying to take this possible sentimental number off his back and give him a number that won't mean anything to him. Sure, it's a silly explanation-- but so is league-wide number retirement.

Taking the Jersey Off Someone's Back

Tim Sassone has a great take about the possibility of taking the #7 out of circulation for the Chicago Blackhawks in order to honor hometown boy, Chris Chelios. Of course, the points are there for Chelios to have such an honor happen, but I think the one thing that I wonder about is if it should happen while someone who is forging his own path, Brent Seabrook, is donning the number.

Of course, Chicago is the only place where Chelios wore #7 (even with the Wolves in the AHL) because he wore #24 in his other stops in the NHL trail. Considering how Chelios ended his tenure in Chicago, is it going to be a good thing for the Hawks to bury the hatchet and leave the old regime behind them by retiring Chelios' number?? That debate will probably rage on for a while until a decision is made one way or another and will probably continue to rage on after a decision is made.

It's one to have a player who is a rank-and-file type give up their number in order to honor one of the greats the team has produced, but it's not like Seabrook is a slouch and he has worn that number since his time in juniors with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. While I don't think that Seabrook would put up much of a fight, it makes you wonder if the kid wants to change up his identity like that or if he'd like to change his number in order to get out of the shadow of Chelios and give him a send off.

If my memory serves me correctly (Iron Chef tribute there), Ray Bourque changing from #7 to #77 so the Bruins could honor Phil Esposito is the last major issue when it came to jersey numbers of two stellar players having a number clash. I'm sure there's been a bit of an issue when it came to some players dealing with numbers possibly being retired-- like in Montreal and Toronto; but often the numbers that are going to be retired are, for the most part, unofficially taken out of circulation because of the assumption that the number will be hanging from the rafter sooner rather than later.

Personally, I don't like the idea of having a fairly established guy give up his number because the team finally decided to give the rightful due to an older player. You'd think that a team would know right away that they would retire a number of a player in their organization. Maybe not "Colorado Avalanche/Ray Bourque" quick, but you'd usually have an idea if you're going to honor a number. Plus, you look at a situation like Montreal, where they've had multiple players have the same number, turn out to be meaningful to the team history, and then retire the number with multiple players attached to it. Hell, the Blackhawks split the #3 with Keith Magnuson and Pierre Pilote. Even with the Maple Leafs, they honor numbers and give the correct due to the players who made an impact with their team; but don't take it out of circulation, which I think is ingenious.

While this era of the NHL will yield us plenty of retired numbers and debate about retired numbers, maybe the Maple Leafs idea is ahead of the curve and something that teams should definitely implement in their own schemes of jersey retirement. This way, you won't have a situation like there where two solid players, one retired and one current, have the same number and then you have to try and bribe the current wearer to give it up for someone who was on the outs with the organization at one point.

Last Teams to Retire One

Since it's the dog days of summer and the announcement of Rod Brind'Amour's number 17 being retired by the Carolina Hurricanes, it made me get into The Hockey News' "Greatest Jersey of All Time" issue and look at the teams who don't have any numbers retired. Since all the teams have been in the league for 10 seasons, it's about time to look at who could be hanging from the rafters of the eight teams who don't have numbers retired.

ANAHEIM DUCKS: While the obvious guys like Paul Kariya, Teemu Selanne, and J-S Giguere will be seeing their numbers hanging from the Honda Center when their careers are done; the candidate now will probably be Guy Hebert, who was the first "face" of the organization. He may not have had the best stats, he was the guy who backstopped those expansion years and held down the fort for the most part.

ATLANTA THRASHERS: The odd part about the Thrashers is that all the big names are nowhere close to retirement and kind of left on shaky terms (read: Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk), so it's hard to figure out who could be next. While Dan Snyder's number was not officially retired, just taken out of circulation; maybe Ray Ferraro could be considered since he was one of the first bigger name players to start off the Thrashers' appeal. If not, Slava Kozlov may not be too far off from retiring and could be the first to have his number officially put up there.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: There's no question that David Vyborny should be the first guy have his number retired. Vyborny was on the original Blue Jackets roster and stayed there until he was done his NHL career and went home to his homeland in the Czech Republic. As it is right now, he's at the top of the Blue Jackets' all-time points, albeit they've only been around for ten seasons....still. If there's one guy who deserves to be there, it's the OG of the Jackets.

FLORIDA PANTHERS: While you have plenty of guys viable, mostly from the 1995-96 team (Scott Mellanby, Brian Skrudland), but there was no one more of a face to that team than John Vanbiesbrouck. He was a big reason the Panthers got to where they did in their Cup run and really one of the first names that came out of the expansion team and made them successful from the start of their organization.

MINNESOTA WILD: While they did the hack retirement of the #1 for the fans, Wes Walz should be the first official and proper number retired. Like Vyborny, Walz was with the Wild from the start and he was someone who encompassed the team by playing hard-nosed and being the little guy who clawed to get where he needed to be. He was much beloved, as well-- which should help the process along.

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: When he retires, expect David Legwand to have his number retired, but beforehand, maybe look at Cliff Ronning for the first to go to the rafters or even the first captain Tom Fitzgerald. An dark horse could be Mike Dunham, but I don't think he left too much of a mark, but maybe more than Ronning and Fitzgerald.

SAN JOSE SHARKS: While Doug Wilson was the first captain, Arturs Irbe and Owen Nolan could be prime candidates as the first to be retired, Nolan having to wait until he's actually done with the game for it to happen. Maybe with Sandis Ozolinsh being an outside guy to steal the first Sharks being raised. You could make a point for Jeff Friesen for his time in the Shark Tank, but that would be a little odd considering what he did after he left the Sharks.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: The toss-up for the Bolts could be between Dave Andreychuk and Brian Bradley. Andreychuk was the guy who captained the Bolts to their only Cup championship to this point, but he wasn't the offensive force that Bradley was in his tenure with the Bolts. He turned it on when he got to Tampa and really showed what he had, albeit on a weak team. Even so, I think Bradley should get consideration first for overall achievements with the team.

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There could be a debate for the Ottawa Senators, who retired Frank Finnigan's #8 from the non-expansion days, but don't know how the people feel about that; so I didn't include them.

This is the time where you have to dig into the bag for things to ponder and during retirement season, it's a good choice to wonder about who could be the next going to the rafters. Especially when you have so many teams worrying about the "what have you done for me lately" ideal when it comes to retiring numbers rather than overall to the franchise.

When To Say When

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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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.

So Long Shanny

The big knock on Brendan Shanahan when he was drafted 13th overall in the OHL draft was that he couldn't skate. He silenced critics when playing with the London Knights with 154 points in 115 games in junior, enough to be drafted 2nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in 1987. And while his first year was a disappointment, the rest of his career was something legends were made of.

After 21 seasons, however, Shanahan put his family first and has decided to hang them up. The only player to score over 600 (656) goals and have over 2,000 (2,498) PIMs in their career, Shanahan could be one of the most underrated goal scorers out there. While he only had one season of over 100 points, he had 12 seasons of 30 + goals, two 50 goal seasons, but somehow always got overshadowed by other stars on the team or was on a team that never got much credit due to the market they were in. He played over 1,500 games for five NHL teams (New Jersey, St. Louis, Hartford, NY Rangers), as well as the first Canadian Olympic team to win a gold medal in over 50 years.

And while we can talk about the goals he scored, the intimidation he brought to his game, the three Stanley Cups he won; but I think the legacy he built for himself was being part of a lot of the changes to the game during the lockout that were implimented after the work-stoppage was over. The "Shanahan Summit," as it was deemed, took place in Decemeber of 2004 and was headed up by Shanny to think of ideas on how to make the game-play in the league better when it starts back up.

The Summit was unique as it gathered up people from all walks of the hockey life, with GMs, players, and some media types there in order to get a wide array of responses in order to figure out how the ideas would be received. It must have gotten some decent response, as many of those ideas were brought into the NHL. Rules like creating a Competition Committee, streamlining goalie equipment, the "Delay of Game" call for puck going over the boards, shootouts to break ties, more access to media rights holders, and reducing obstruction. While other rules like wider lines and no-touch icing weren't introduced, they were amongst topic. Of course, some of these rules aren't as well received as others, but they were put out there to the forefront and for the most part, they have worked well to make the game better since the work-stoppage.

Above all, his reason to retire makes him a class act. Shanny didn't want to uproot his family and when a team in the area (NY, NJ, Philadelphia) didn't want to sign him up, he decided that it was time to go. For a guy who was in a pretty stable area for most of his career, to put his family first when it was time to go. He had accomplished all he needed to. Three Cups, an Olympic Gold Medal, and ticket punched to the Hall of Fame in a couple of years' time. For Mr. Shanahan, his game, his personality, and his class will all be missed.

Clock Strikes Midnight for Theo....For Now

Even though he had a stellar pre-season in the games he played, as well as creating a huge buzz about what could happen with him, the Calgary Flames released the right winger from his tryout contract on Friday. You can only imagine that this only came to money and needs. Even though he could put up the spark in the pre-season, the Flames didn't think he could have done it in an 82-game span.

Fleury is going to wait until Monday to speak, saying he needs time to think about what's going to happen to him in his future. The big question will probably be if he's willing to go somewhere else other than Calgary to play in the NHL. You never know if Fleury only wanted to be with the Flames because of the familiarity he has with the city, fans, and franchise. Would he get the same reception in other cities and would be feel confident to succeed in another city.

It leads me to also wonder if other clubs, who have the cap space, would be willing to take a chance on Fleury. He still has a little bit of the wheels in his favor, as well as the hands to play in the NHL; but would he be considered an asset to the other 29 teams in the league?? You can bet there's some voids in secondary scoring on some clubs and they are salivating at the chance to get someone like Fleury, who could score and would be an affordable pick-up for them. Yet, what kind of onus would he be carrying with him, considering his past-- are other GMs convinced he's cleaned up his act once and for all.

We'll have to find out Monday if there's another chance for teams out there to get a chance at Fleury, but for now-- this Cinderella chapter has closed for Fleury. The buzz created for this little guy again was amazing and the city here in Calgary seemed to welcome him back. In the end, it turned into a numbers game, as it always does with try-out players. Here's to Fleury and what he's done so far, if this is indeed the last time we see him on the ice.

Thank You, Olie

I'd be a fool to not talk about the career of the great Olaf Kolzig, a man who was really the face of the Capitals for many years until passing the torch to Alexander Ovechkin, but I think I made my mark over a year and a couple months ago. Sure, it was a bit early, but he had a forgettable eight games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was traded in name only to Toronto and then it was over.

Plus, he could be in the best Caps commercial that we can find on the internet:



So, I leave you with something I wrote in May of 2008 about Olie the Goalie: An Ode to Olie the Goalie

Looking For a New Suitcase

With the retirement of Mike Sillinger, we are now on the look out for the newest player to receive the moniker of Suitcase. Of course, Sillinger played for 12 of the 30 NHL teams out there, as well as being traded nine times, holding the record with Brent Ashton. Now, the reasoning for Sillinger to be treaded was the fact that he was a great asset to the team, not only with leadership, but also for his role in the face-off cirlce and able to chip in a point or two here and there, which made him very desirable at the trade deadline.

Yet, with the departure of Sillinger, there's a void for the frequent flyer in the NHL roster list, via the trade list. You can pull the gimmick of who's been with the most teams, but in the age of free agency, it's a bit trite. In the salary cap age, to figure out who's been traded the most is a bit more interesting to look at. However, through the minimal research I've been doing (it's been documented before, I'm lazy), the fact of the matter is that there's not many big name guys or even role players with the street cred of Sillinger to really say that they are worthy of the suitcase moniker.

Just on a brief look at NHLers, Brandon Bochenski is leading the way, being traded four times throughout his short career (Ottawa to Chicago to Boston to Anaheim to Nashville), but you'd hardly call him someone who is very sought after or possess skills like that of Sillinger. Jim Vandermeer also has been traded four times (Philadelphia to Chicago to Philadelphia to Calgary to Phoenix), but in the same boat as Bochenski; not a Sillinger kind of player. The one guy who could come close to something of worth of a Sillinger could be Olli Jokinen, who also has the four-time ring (Los Angeles to Long Island to Florida to Phoenix to Calgary), which could be excelled to five depending on what Calgary does during the season and what they can do to try to get him re-signed to a new deal or trade him just to get something back.

The one name that pops up in the record amount of times is a man who is still playing, but not in the NHL right now: Anson Carter. Carter, who of course roomed with Jeremy Roenick, has been traded seven times (Colorado to Washington to Boston to Edmonton to New York Rangers to Washington to Los Angeles; then Columbus to Carolina) in his NHL career and has played on eight teams (Washington, Boston, Edmonton, Rangers, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Columbus, Carolina). Carter has the ability to be a decent role player, but as seen in Vancouver-- he can succeed in the right situation. We need a GM to get Carter out of Switzerland, where he plays for HC Lugano, and get him on their roster and trade him. Make the folklore continue on and make Carter the new "Suitcase."

However, the search continues. I don't know if we'll ever get the player the caliber of Mike Sillinger to receive the "Suitcase" moniker or deserve it, for that matter. Sillinger is a class guy and was always willing to do what was needed in order to succeed. If not for his injuries, who knows how many more teams he could have been with. Best of luck in Sillinger in his transition from playing to whatever else is out there. More than likely, he'll get offers to a coaching spot or a leadership role in some capacity.

EDIT: As brought up in the comments by "SL", Jon Sim name will have to be added to the list. Sim has played for eight teams (nine including the 20 minutes spent with Phoenix, never played a game with them though), but he's only been traded twice (Dallas to Nashville; Philadelphia to Florida). The other times, he was claimed on waivers by the teams during the middle of the season. Still an interesting stat for number of teams.

Something Left To Prove, Apparently

With the news coming out about Theoren Fleury attempting to comeback to the NHL, coupled with Claude Lemieux's indifferent attempt this past season to come back; it makes you wonder what kind of epidemic this will create for past players who still think they have something left in the tank. While Lemieux's return seemed to be completely random, Fleury wanted to come back after playing semi-pro and got a trainer to help him out with getting back into shape, apparently.

While Fleury still has some hurdles to get past in order to get reinstated from his indefinite suspension for substance abuse, but with his new lifestyle of sobriety, I don't think that should be too much of a total problem. If those issues are behind him, the question for Theo becomes can he do it?? The question that will be reoccuring is who's next??

While Theo could be able to get himself into shape, he could be the exception to the rule. The more common case is like that of Claude Lemieux, where the heart and will is there, but the body as a whole is going to be the real struggling point to keep up with the hustle and bustle of the NHL style of play. With these two making it well known they are coming back, will this be the start of something that will become ridiculous in the next few seasons??

Let's be honest, both Fleury and Lemieux had nothing more to prove. Both had solid playing careers, both had Stanley Cup rings to their names-- so what was the point?? Was it to show people that they could do it like a hockey version of Jack LaLanne?? It seems a bit questionable as to why they are doing it. Sure, the end of both Lemieux and Fleury's careers were unceremonious at best, but it happened. Could this be a case of unfinished business at hand that both of them had to overcome in order to have closure?? Could this be a cheap way for Fleury to plug his autobiography....probably not, but I'm going for every angle right now.

Just who will take a chance on Fleury, especially in a cap era?? While his salary demands may be a slight bit more than league minimum, is there a team confident enough to sign Fleury and hope for the best?? While it may be early in the season, the old antics of Fleury may linger in some people's heads. Plus, who is to say that his playing style will be the same it was, minus the rage. If he can fit the mold of some teams plans, then it could be something worth watching, but I'm not so sure that there are teams with the space and the game plan to fit in Fleury.

Yet with Fleury's intentions out there, we look to see who could be the next old-timer to come out of their retirement and try their hand at the NHL ranks again. It's doubtful that Joe Sakic, Teppo Numminen, or Jeremy Roenick will come back. Both went out on their own terms and both don't have much to prove, though Roenick may want that ring-- it's doubtful a contender will give him a shot. Could we see Eddie Belfour pull a swerve and use his new gig as a goaltending consultant to get back into the NHL, even as a back-up. Hell, rumors of Ken Klee's retirement could be premature....or he could retire, then unretire within the hour and be the latest comeback story, though without the pomp and circumstances.

We will definitely have to see if this is going to become a big trend in the next few years. For one, I hope it's not because it's a little sad to see a once great player ruining their legacy in order to milk a paycheck or two to end out their careers. It'll be one thing for them to actually get onto a roster, but it's another thing for them to actually succeed in doing so by contributing to the greater good and not looking like a buffon out on the ice.

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!!!

Enough Foppa, Enough

Note to Peter Forsberg-- no. Just stop it. It's not worth it, it's not practical, and in the end-- it'll probably do more bad than good.

In case you didn't hear-- Peter Forsberg is looking to make a return to the ice in the playoffs, preferably with the Colorado Avalanche. Of course, this is assuming the Avalanche make the playoffs and Forsberg's foot can actually hold up to any kind of skating ability whatsoever. Forsberg has been getting therapy for his foot with electrodes and wore them in his skates last season when he returned to the Avs. However, from that time, there have been more procedures to his right foot, which could cause some concern for his return.

Here's the thing though, and this is just me, but I think this could be an awful idea for all involved. First, for the Avs-- there's no need for a distraction when they are trying to scratch and claw to the playoffs as it is; no need to blow a roster spot when you need all the healthy bodies you need. For Forsberg, he's just tainting his legacy every attempt at a comeback he tries. You would think with the history and accolades he has achieved, he'd just call it a day and go enjoy his retirement in a front office position and not try to ruin his foot to the point where he'd have to need a walking aide in order to go on with his life.

Plus, with all the rumors of Forsberg coming back last year, we don't need to be inandated with all these reports, especially after the Summer/Autumn/Winter of Sundin we've had. Why are the Swedes always the ones with rumors surrounding them?? Whether it's Forsberg, Sundin, or Fabian Brunnstrom-- they always have heavy rumors around them. Craziness.

So, for the sanity of everyone in the hockey world; Peter, Foppa-- please, don't do the "will he/won't he" stuff with us. We were tired of it many times before and we're going to keep getting tired of it every time you try to come back. Just finally end it and go into the sunset with what's left of your memories and pride.

Lemieux To Return.....No, Not That One....

It seems that Cladue Lemieux's bid at an NHL return may come to fruition as he signed a try-out contract with the San Jose Sharks. That's right, much like Barry Melrose, Lemieux is trying to come back to a league, even though the game's speed and skill set may have passed him by a few years ago.

While the Sharks GM, Doug Wilson, is good friends with Lemieux, what's the point behind it?? Sure, Lemieux played with the Sharks' Asian satellite team, the China Sharks, collecting one assist in two games; but the last time Lemieux even played at a high level was in the '03-'04 season when he played in Switzerland for seven games. I can't see why Lemieux would be such an asset for the Sharks right now, especially considering that the Sharks are the best team in the league right now and really don't need any help from any outside force.

And while Lemieux could bring some veteran leadership and experience to the team-- the real question is will he be effective on the ice at all. He's trained with the Arizona Sundogs of Central League to get into shape again, but at 43 years of age-- how well will his conditioning be to finish out the last 50-60 games plus playoffs??

Lemieux really has nothing to prove. He's done it all and really doesn't need to show what he can and can't do on the ice. He has two Cup rings, a Conn Smythe trophy, and one of the most infamous checks in the game which sparked a great rivalry in the late 90s. Why, of all times, would Lemieux want to come back after playing his last NHL game some five years ago??

Best of luck to Lemieux in his comeback and here's hoping he can prove....whatever the hell he's trying to prove, really. I don't know if anything will come to it, but if Lemieux can play in a NHL game this season, it could be the most random (and maybe unnecessary) return the NHL has had.