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by Daniel Sallows… Since I’m a Calgary Flames fan, and I can’t stand the “Bobsy twins” or the ignorant Vancouver Canucks fans that live in beautiful British Columbia, I have hated the Vancouver organization for quite a few years, but then something miraculous happened…along came Kyle “lunchbox” Wellwood.
After being released on waivers by the club, Wellwood was back with the team vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets, posting a goal and an assist in a 4-2 loss. On Saturday, he picked up a goal in a 6-4 romp over the Edmonton Oilers, and for anyone who watched the game they would have seen that he was one of the best players on the ice, setting up his linemates numerous times (including three perfect setups for Mattias Ohlund in a row on the power play).
While on waivers, Wellwood didn’t skate or do much of anything.
The result?
How about those three points in his last two games, including two goals, giving him a point-per-game average for the season.
Wellwood said “he felt great” after the time off.
So why mess with a good thing? Maybe the Canucks should let him take the morning skates off to sleep in and grab an Egg McMuffin or two?
Wellwood brings a spark of hope to any beer-league hockey player that sits on his couch Saturday night, swigging back a brew and eating a bag of potato chips.
He is quickly becoming the new face of the Canucks for the everyday average Joe, which may just be a good thing.
Sure, the team hasn’t seen the likes of this since Vladimir Krutov came over from Russia and discovered the cheeseburger, but there is just something about Wellwood that makes you like the guy.
No one can question his ability; he see’s the ice incredibly well, he makes things happen…he is the Star Jones of hockey.
Yes, I will still be hoping for the Canucks to have a bad season, but I will also be cheering for Wellwood to lead the league in scoring, and, hey, for someone who despises the Canucks as much as I do, it’s a start!
Daniel Sallows… The new NHL season is well under way, and that means teams that are cold are itching to pull the trigger on a trade to improve their teams.
Here are just a few rumours from the past week that may be making headlines in the weeks to come…
Leafs to Deal Jason Blake
It looks as though the drama between Leafs forward Jason Blake and coach Ron Wilson is going to come to an end as Toronto GM Cliff Fletcher has been shopping the pint size speedster.
The possible destinations?
The Washington Capitals, St.Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks have all said to be interested as long as Toronto swallows a chunk of the wingers remaining salary. Their has also been talks of defensive let down Mike Van Ryan being shipped alongside Blake, the emergence of Luke Schenn as a top 3 guy on the blueline has made Van Ryan expendable as well.
Canucks Gunning For Gabby
It is no secret that Canucks GM Mike Gillis isn’t convinced that the Sedin twins are the centerpiece he needs for a top line, and with their contracts up at the end of the season don’t be surprised if the twins get sent packing to the Wild for Pavel Bure clone Marian Gaborik-who is also up for free agency at seasons end.
The trade makes sense on numerous levels.
For the Wild they get a two for the price of one deal, and may be able to sign the twins each for the ball park price of $5 million per, while Gaborik is asking for $8-$10 which the Canucks could easily afford. Gaborik would bring Vancouver fans to the edge of their seats when healthy, something they haven’t had since the golden days of the for-mentioned Pavel Bure.
Lemieux to Suit Up For the Penguins
No not Mario, but rumour has it Claude Lemiuex has been involved in talks that would see the NHL veteran coming to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
At age 43, Lemiuex is apparently in great shape and flying at practise with the Arizona Sundogs.
The hope is that Lemiuex can fill the void left by Gary Roberts after he signed with Tampa Bay in the off season. With a team that saw 9 players flee after a trip to the finals last season it may not be such a bad risk, and if he can be half the player the last Lemiuex to suit up for the Penguins was, well they might just get a bargain.
Senators Seek Tender
The Ottawa Senators have changed their tune after going 1-4 on their 5 game home stand.
Just last week the Sens brass said they were not interested in Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, now the team has contacted the hawks to see what it would take to make a trade happen…what a difference a week makes.
You can’t blame the Sens, who look like they are a one line team with no goaltender once again this year, and do not look like a playoff caliber team by any means.
The problem though is that Khabibulin may have just won his spot back on the roster, after he could have been had on waivers just three weeks ago.
Hey Calgary is Kipper available?
by Daniel Sallows… For those of you who watched the Rangers battle the Leafs to a scoreless tie the other night, there may have been a few surprises.
One, that the Leafs held on and gained a point against a fast-skating, very creative blueshirts squad that looks poised to win the league this year.
Two, that 18-year-old rookie defenceman Luke Schenn played over 25 minutes, which seems to be the norm early into his first NHL season.
Schenn played against the top line, killed an onslaught of penalties in the second period, and looked as though he had ice in his veins, as he was full of composure.
At 6′2″ and 216 pounds, Schenn is a “man-child,” and if he isn’t running down opponents, he is blocking shots, dropping the gloves, and sticking up for his teammates, and even scoring shootout-winning goals.
What should blow our minds even more is that the Leafs got this kid with the fifth pick overall, when he should have been at least top three.
To dominate the league at 18 as a defenceman is unheard of; even Flames prodigy Dion Phaneuf couldn’t match his defensive ability.
At the very least, the Leafs have themselves a clone of Scott Stevens, and which NHL team wouldn’t have wanted him patrolling their blue line back in the day?
It’s a shame that the Calder will probably go to the highest-scoring rookie once again this season, but if four games in is the telltale to how this season should play out, then Schenn should be at least given a nod.
by Daniel Sallows… We all witnessed the future of hockey last season in Chicago, with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
The year before, it was Evgeni Malkin who made a splash on the NHL scene. The year before him, it was the Crosby and Ovechkin show.
This season, there is a new kid on the block, and he is gonna create more cases of whiplash than Pam Anderson at a bikini contest.
Need a hint?
He wears number 91—and no, it ain’t Steven Stamkos.
It’s the Phoenix Coyotes’ third-overall pick from the 2007 NHL Entry Draft—Kyle Turris.
The kid has game, folks. And if the first two games of the 2008-09 regular season are any indication, he may just challenge for top rookie honours this year.
Phoenix is off to a good start, and Turris has chipped in for one goal and two assists thus far.
Turris is what the Desert Dogs need to turn their struggling franchise around, and he will do it under the radar—unlike the for-mentioned Stamkos.
He is no stranger to putting up points. After all, he did score 66 goals and 55 assists in just 53 games in his final year of juniors. So his three points in the first two games this season shouldn’t come as a surprise.
What may be a surprise is that the young phenom didn’t crack the squad last year—but he did win yet another World Junior Gold with Canada, and matured as a hockey player with the Wisconsin Badgers (though he put up marginal numbers, by his standards).
With the “Great One” Wayne Gretzky taking him under his wing, Turris may just have one up on the other rookies this season—and then some.
In any case, the fans in Phoenix have a reason to be optimistic for the first time since this team came from Winnipeg. And with teams like Colorado, Calgary, and Anaheim sputtering out of the gate, a playoff birth isn’t out of the question.
This team’s fortunes are finally turning around, and it starts with Kyle Turris.
by Daniel Sallows… From what we have seen from the Toronto Maple Leafs this preseason, one has to wonder just what the plan may be.
The Leafs haven’t looked great, but at 2-3-1 with three of those losses coming by just one goal, they haven’t looked all that bad either.
It doesn’t do this team any good to finish ninth or tenth best in the Eastern Conference, especially if they are in the admitted re-building process.
Which makes me wonder—why keep players such as Kaberle, Kubina, Blake, and Toskala around to give the Leafs a fighting chance?
It is no secret Toronto wanted John Tavares to play for the Marlies last season, and it was thought that they were gonna make a run for the highly-touted junior star this season.
Even with Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman being the odds-on favorite to go number one, if the Leafs end up with the pick Tavares will be their guy.
That is, if the Leafs end up with the pick.
If the Toronto brass is truly committed to rebuilding the Leafs via the draft, it is going to take more than just one top-five pick, and a couple in the top-two positions would be ideal.
Human eraser Luke Schenn has looked more than capable of playing in the league this year, and Justin Pogge has looked just as good—despite Ron Wilson’s critisism of an overtime goal let in against Buffalo’s Ales Kotalik.
So the goaltending and defensive building blocks have been set. Now they just need the blue-chip superstar forward—which is something that John Tavares will have no problem bringing.
That is, if the Buds can lose and finish dead last—which is something we should all be cheering for this season.
by Daniel Sallows…
There are New York fans who worry about the Rangers without Sean Avery. In that same vein, there are Dallas fans who worry about the Stars with Sean Avery.
So who should be worrying? Maybe Sean Avery himself.
There is a lot of weight riding on No. 16 to become a hockey player who can help the Dallas Stars get to the Stanley Cup Finals, something they nearly did last season. $4 million in weigh, to be precise.
Now, considering Avery told Rangers management last season he didn’t even like sports, and Brett Hull was quoted on “Off the Record” that he didn’t think Sean’s antics against Martin Brodeur in last seasons playoffs were appropriate, I for one don’t think he is worth $4 million a season.
What Sean Avery brings to the game of hockey is shock value, similar to Lindsay Lohan dating a girl—it’s entertaining, but we all know it ain’t gonna last.
That being said, I will miss No. 16 wearing the blue shirt. He brought an intangible that the Rangers may lack this season, but it is nothing Colton Orr can’t do for one-fourth of the price if he starts yapping to players about their wives and dating hookers.
There is no doubt that when Sean Avery is doing his thing he can be very effective, but that is few and far between in an entire season.
The press and Rangers fans may have just blown his image up just a little too much. Truth told, Avery is not the second coming of Steve Yzerman—he’s more like a less-competitive version of Darcy Tucker. Is that worth $4 million?
by Daniel Sallows…
As a Calgary Flames fan, I have had to endure numerous seasons of missing the playoffs, followed by a winning goal that never was (in Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003-04), to mediocre play in the regular season leading up to a first-round exit.
This season, however, there is optimism the team has not had since that fabulous run of 2004. Yes, it is still exhibition—and I know I shouldn’t jump the gun, because even the no-name Canucks hold a 3-0 preseason record.
That being said it is hard not to get just a little excited after watching this new Flames team pick apart the Florida Panthers 8-2 on Friday night, all the while without their captain Jarome Iginla in the lineup.
If Todd Bertuzzi and Mike Cammalleri stay on either side of speedster Matthew Lombardi, than the Flames may just have a genuine second-line threat—which is something the team has lacked in numerous years. If Friday night’s game is any indication, Keenan would be smart to keep that line intact.
That would leave Iginla and Daymond Langkow to play with either Rene Bourque, Curtis Glencross, or David Moss, whom all scored in the whitewash of the Panthers as well.
I didn’t agree with Sutter trading Tanguay for basically peanuts, but the moves he made this summer was nothing short of brilliant.
If anything, this year’s installment of the Calgary Flames is deeper than any they have iced in the last 13 years.
With eight more-than-capable defencemen in Adrian Aucoin, Anders Eriksson, Mark Giordano, Dion Phaneuf, Robin Regehr, Cory Sarich, James Vandermeer, and Rhett Warrener, this team is not done making trades to improve just yet.
If Mikka Kiprusoff can rebound from a mediocre year, the defense-rich Flames play to their capabilities, and the roster stays healthy, there is no reason why this season’s installment will not make a run in the playoffs.
We may just hear Johnny Cash “Ring of Fire” blaring come June, and Jarome Iginla hoisting the Stanley Cup he has longed for—and deserves.
by Daniel Sallows…
So how big a thrill was it to run into Jaromir Jagr at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas a few weeks back? Pretty darn interesting considering he was one of my favorites growing up playing the game, and because I had ripped on him in numerous articles …sorry Jagr, my bad!
I sat down beside him and his brother at one of the tables, he was more impressive in stature than I thought and smelled like how I would think Pierce Brosnan would smell. I placed my bet and asked if Jaromir would mind taking a photograph with me.
His brother quickly said no and that Jagr probably wouldn’t want to be photographed in the casino, so after losing $500 I was on my way, and figured maybe I was right about this guy after all.
About a half an hour later as I was circling the casino looking for women, like a coyote searching for a marmot, I was approached by Jagr. “So you want a picture?” he said in his broken Czech English. I was floored as I said yes and shook his hand. His hands were massive as well-no wonder he had such a good wrist shot.
His brother quickly snapped a couple shots and I began to tell him how I had been a big fan, and wore number 68 in my last year of midget hockey and had a bad mullet like he once did.
I had a quick conversation with him and asked if he was done with the NHL.
His mood got serious and he said that he was hoping to return one day and win one more Stanley Cup. His heart had been in New York and he hoped to get his confidence back in the Russian Super League and hopefully come back to New York.
It’s clear that it is not about the money anymore, but it is personal with big number 68. He wants to prove to the fans, his critics, and most of all himself that he is still the best in the world and can lead a team to hockey’s biggest prize.
After my quick meeting with him, well I kind of hope he can too.
by Daniel Sallows…
Oh what a wonderful world in which we live.
Where actors, rock stars and athletes are put on pedestal’s regardless of there reckless nature, and teachers and doctors are took for-granted.
Want proof?
Look no further than the Montreal Canadiens retiring Patrick Roy’s number 33.
Yes St. Patrick did it all in his tremendous hockey career winning four Stanley Cups, three Conn Smythe Trophy’s, three Vezina Trophy’s and most recently coaching the Quebec Remparts to a Memorial Cup in 2006.
But for all of his accolades there is a dark cloud that hangs over Patrick Roy proving the saint is more like a demon.
Why even Canadiens fans themselves saw an unraveled Roy lose his temper in 1995 following a 9-1 shellacking to the Detroit Red Wings in which Patrick had words with coach Mario Tremblay.
The result.
It ended Roy’s career with the Canadiens.
But it didn’t stop there, as another incident in Denver reared it’s ugly head. This time the police were called to stop a domestic dispute between Roy and his now ex-wife Michele Piuze.
At the 2006 Memorial Cup Roy criticized Moncton Wildcats goaltender Josh Tordjman, a young goalie who had looked up to Patrick Roy growing up, saying he was playing “over his head.” Monctons coach at the time Ted Nolan called Roy “tasteless and classless” after the comments.
In January 2007 Saguenay Police investigated an incident involving Roy and co-owner of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, Pierre Cardinal, after there were reports that Patrick had thrown punches at him.
In March of 2008 the incident involving his son Jonathan Roy attacking an opposing goaltender resulted in a 5 game suspension for the elder Roy’s involvment.
So when number 33 is hauled to the rafters fans will remember the Stanley Cups, and all those wins and shut-outs, but for me I’m enjoying the rap sheet that Patrick Roy is working on just as much.
Why?
Well his career is over, but as for his antics…I’m thinking he has a few more to come.
by Daniel Sallows… Just because you may be an undrafted player coming out of the junior ranks or college hockey doesn’t necessarily mean you may not get a shot in the NHL.
Here is a list of ten players that made the most of their opportunities and then some; the top ten undrafted players all time.
10. Martin St. Louis
St.Louis most likely will move up on this list once its all said and done, and why not, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s answer to “Mighty Mouse” has been nothing short of brilliant. The three time Hobey Baker Award finalist for college player of the year was signed as a free agent by the Calgary Flames in 1998, but was released after just 69 games and picked up by the Lightning. Since then he has helped them win a Stanley Cup and scored 485 points in 539 games for Tampa. Nice move Craig Button!
9. Tim Kerr
Signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Flyers, Kerr possessed unprecedented skill for his 6′3″ 225 lb stature. If not for 5 shoulder operations, and a career plagued with bad luck he would have been one of the all time greats. In the four seasons Kerr played over 70 games he scored 54, 54, 58 and 58 goals, and had 48 in a 69 game campaign as well. In fact in his 655 games played Tim Kerr finished with 674 points. No wonder Bryan Trottier said the only way to stop him was to put chains around his arms and legs.
8. Borje Salming
A pioneer of European’s in the NHL, Salming was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1973. In 17 years in the NHL Salming had 787 points and was considered one of the best defencemen of his era. Ask fellow Swede’s Niklas Lidstrom and Mats Sundin who they looked up to as a kid and the name Borje Salming will be mentioned without a doubt.
7. Steve Thomas
After scoring 51 goals and 54 assists in 70 games in 1983-84 with his junior club the Toronto Marlboros, the Maple Leafs signed Steve “Stumpy” Thomas to a contract. Though he put up decent numbers in just over two seasons with the Leafs he was soon dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks where he became a bona-fied NHLer. In 1235 games played Thomas scored 421 goals and added 512 assists, good for 933 points. Not too shabby Stumpy.
6. Ed Belfour
After playing Tier Two hockey as an overage 21 year old, Belfour accepted a scholarship to the University of North Dakota in 1986-87. After going 29-4-0 in 34 games the Chicago Blackhawks quickly signed the undrafted goalie, and boy did it pay off in 1990-91 when the “Eagle” went 43-19-7 with a 2.47 goals against average in 74 games. Belfour is 484-320-125 lifetime, with a 2.49 goals against average and 76 shut-outs.
look for part 2 soon…
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