HOCKEY - Come Crash the Boards

[gdog]

Yea like he doesn't know the rules, its a shame to see people with talent get hurt for no reason. Mickey Remand from the announcers at Diderot has been hollering about it for years, no place for it. I don't mind seeing a good fight, but both of the players there agree to go.

[RDG013]

Well that is BS if true! Just heard on radio that Torres technically will be treated as a first time offender since he has not had any fines or suspensions in the past 18 months? That is just plain wrong with his history! The rule is in place for players that play properly for 18 months, not those that have been out with injuries for that length of time!

[RDG013]

By the way, there is a new sitcom in IFC called Benders about friends playing amateur hockey. Not sure if it is any good yet, as I am DVR'ing episode 1 tonight.

[RDG013]

Well, I for one like to have some of the old goons on the ice, but only to protect your stars from cheap hits. Players like Torres are not goons, they are cheap shot artists that look to hurt anyone and everyone they can. He should not be allowed in the league!

[gdog]

Its sad to me that they even allow players like that on the ice, It doesn't take talent to hit someone.

[RDG013]

Why is Torres not already banned for life from The NHL? Biggest cheap shot artist of modern times!

Jakob Silfverberg left Saturday night’s game after taking a blow to the head.
The game is not being televised. According to writers in Anaheim, the Sharks’ Raffi Torres nailed him with a shoulder/elbow to the head that also caused him to receive a match penalty and likely a long look from the NHL department of player safety. The 24-year-old Silfverberg had 13 goals and 39 points last season.
Source: Ducks on Twitter
Oct 3 - 11:03 PM

[gdog]

Why? he's still takes all the cheap shots he can, I would bet there's tons that give to charities . Nice of him yes, but i won't think anything other than someone cleaning his clock for him on the ice.. all mho.

[RDG013]

Really touching that he is actually giving away all that money to the Children's hospital. Definitely will have me looking at him differently.

[Buckey]

I have been a life long hater of the habs. I like PK and this is awesome

[RDG013]

On another note, local Chicago Media is up in arms that Kane may be allowed to attend camp? They have him tried convicted and executed, while two months after the allegation, there are still no charges? When did sportswriters become such pompous assholes?

[RDG013]

WOW! I know we all love to hate PK, but talk about a kind and generous soul off the ice? Just a tremendous selfless act by him!

P.K. Subban makes massive donation to Montreal Children's Hospital

http://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2015-09-16/pk-subban-donation-montreal-childrens-hospita-canadiens-habs-nhl

[RDG013]

So, it was a shakedown after all? Sure appears that way! One thing I have been saying since the news came out was given the tales of Kane's drunken escapades ever since he came on board with The Hawks, NOT ONCE has there ever been even the slightest hint/rumor of him being a sexual predator or showing any signs of possibly being one! Yes, many rude and arrogant drunken rampages, but never about being a predator!

As a side note, I am so over the idiot sportswriters hear in Chicago! They are going on a rampage wanting Kane jettisoned out of town no matter how this turns out due to his continued drinking? He is A HOCKEY PLAYER! Get over it! He is not paid to be a model citizen, he is paid to play hockey! As long as he is not breaking laws, let him be!

[basserdan]

Patrick Kane grand jury investigation postponed

By Sun-Times Staff
09/08/2015, 12:49pm


It's still not clear if Patrick Kane will report to Blackhawks training camp in South Bend next Friday. (AP Photo)

A grand jury investigation into the allegations made against Blackhawks star Patrick Kane has been abruptly postponed, a source told the Sun-Times, confirming a report in the Buffalo News. The Buffalo News report suggested that a settlement could be in the works between the attorneys for Kane and the alleged victim, but the Sun-Times’ source could not confirm that.

Kane has been at the center of an ongoing investigation by Hamburg, N.Y., police and the Erie County district attorney in Western New York for more than a month. The 26-year-old has not been charged with a crime, but the Buffalo News had reported that subpoenas had been issued and that witnesses would be meeting with the grand jury starting Tuesday. The grand jury would then decide whether there was enough evidence to charge Kane.

The development comes just 10 days before the Hawks open training camp at Notre Dame next Friday. The Hawks haven’t said whether or not Kane will be there for the first day of camp. In fact, the Hawks have said very little on the subject of Kane, other than a perfunctory statement that they were “gathering information” on Aug. 6. Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith were making the rounds at the NHL’s media tour Tuesday in Toronto, but a Hawks spokesman said the team would not be making any more players available for comment before camp opens.

ESPN.com reported that Keith declined to comment about Kane.

“I’m not going to get into anything about Kane,” Keith told ESPN.com. “But every summer is different, every offseason is different. We won the Stanley Cup last year. We’re the defending Cup champs, so we’re going to do everything we can to defend that. We’re excited to get the season going and try to defend it.”

http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/942560/patrick-kane-grand-jury-investigation-postponed

[RDG013]

What is up with Patrick Kane? While he is known for his drunken behavior, never even been a hint of sexual misconduct? Media going crazy over this right now, but think we need to wait and see exactly what shakes out. Hoping it is not true!

[RDG013]

Well, my head is spinning from all the trades so far. Not 100% sure what to think about my Hawks going into next season, but I do believe Bowman has done a decent job getting some talent back. Of course it will take some time for the players to learn Q's system, as well as the tendencies of their line mates.

Early season is going to be ugly! There are already fools going crazy talking about this being the end for The Hawks, Bowman has no clue what he is doing..... Thing is, like I said, early season is going to be an adjustment period, so those voices going to get one heck of a lot louder. Personally I believe Stan has brought the talent needed to contend again next year, but won't know until we really get into the season. Far different than 2010 where he did not bring back the same type of NHL ready talent and was more geared towards prospects.

Should be interesting.

[basserdan]

The Blackhawks 2015 Stanley Cup 'flipbook'...

[basserdan]

Connor McDavid Destroys Oilers Prospect Camp

by Bill Schoeninger
July 7, 2015

http://thehockeywriters.com/connor-mcdavid-destroys-oilers-prospect-camp/

[RDG013]

Well, unless Bowman was playing another game of chicken, he was on NHL Live this afternoon and said he is working on an extension for Seabrook. Word here in Chicago is that he would sign for around his current $5.8M and maybe even a little less to finish off his career here. Also said he is looking for a way to keep Johnny O this year, but no way is that possible without Sharp and Bick going imho.

[RDG013]

LOL! I know the feeling! Can't tell you how many times I wished we had John Scott back to just play against Annaheim or LA!

[SoxFan]

Hopefully they just play him in the Montreal games to beat the crap out of Subban just for kicks.

[RDG013]

Do not know too much about him, so hard to tell. In today's NHL, teams do not have room for pure enforcers. Big guys with skills and speed are at a premium, but looking at his stats, not sure the skills and speed are there? Car Bomb Carcillo used to have everything, but knee injuries have sapped some of his speed and his history as hurt him now too, as he can get called for a penalty just skating within a couple of feet of someone!

Still, with all the picks The Bruins have acquired, they can afford a flier using a 3rd rounder.

[SoxFan]

This drove me crazy giving a third rounder for an enforcer:

Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, June 29, that the Bruins have acquired forward Zac Rinaldo from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for the Bruins natural third round draft pick in 2017.

Rinaldo skated in 58 games with the Flyers during the 2014-15 campaign, registering one goal and five assists for six points. Rinaldo led the team in penalty minutes with 102.

In total, the 25-year-old has skated in 223 games at the NHL level - all with Philadelphia - notching eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points with 572 penalty minutes. The forward has led the Flyers in penalty minutes the last four seasons. Rinaldo has also skated in 14 NHL postseason games with Philadelphia, racking up 64 penalty minutes.

[RDG013]

It looked like the trade to FL really woke him up last year. Not sure why it took that long to do so. Also may have been a bit of a victim of being a young player playing for Coach Q. They have very short leashes, so sometimes press too much. Either way, the move to FL really seemed to bring out the talent that was always expected. He should be ready to play for Claude now that he has his skates under him.

[SoxFan]

playing for Claude he better get back. We got rid of Kessel and Seguin because of that as well as drinking for Seguin.

[RDG013]

He is a good young player. Liked him with The Hawks, but was a little lazy on back end. Looked like he picked that up a little this year. Big kid that will hit and mix it up along the boards, has a decent shot and will go to the net. Not quite as talented as his younger brother, but a nice piece for your puzzle next year.

[SoxFan]

I hate no-move clauses and I think they overpaid. He has had 1 descent season but then he is entering his prime. Hey he's a 2nd or 3rd liner at least and not a 4th liner.

[RDG013]

Looking more and more like Bruins are setting themselves up pretty well for the upcoming year and the future.

Florida traded RFA forward Jimmy Hayes to Boston for forward Reilly Smith and Marc Savard's contract.
Still just 25-years-old, Hayes had a career season for Florida by scoring 19 goals and 35 points over 72 games. However he's coming off a one-year contract worth just $925K, so he may not break the bank to re-sign. The deal also sent about $7.4M in cap space southward.
Related: Reilly Smith, Marc Savard
Source: Pierre LeBrun on Twitter
Jul 1 - 6:53 PM

[RDG013]

Well, maybe your Bruins are still keeping an eye towards this year? Did a nice job in replacing Lucic in lineup and have players and picks to show for it! With this signing, I now doubt they will be trading Chara.

Matt Beleskey has signed with the Boston Bruins for five-years worth $19M.
That's an $3.8M AAV, and Beleskey also has a No-Move Clause. The 27-year-old winger had a career-year for Anaheim, scoring 22 goals and 32 points and producing a 15.2 shooting percentage.
Source: Darren Dreger on Twitter
Jul 1 - 6:36 PM

[RDG013]

Kessel to Penguins? So goes most rumored landing spot for Sharp. Kessel with Sid should be fun to watch.

[RDG013]

Tampa Bay may be ok this year, but next year is going to be a really tough one! Stamkos has to be paid and they are nearing the Cap.

[RDG013]

LOL! Brandon Saad said today he was surprised The Blackhawks traded him? He was demanding the same money Kane and Toews made with their second contracts? While he is a very good player, he is not Kane or Toews!

On a side note, Bowman extended Anisimov for five years at $4.55M/Year with this year still being a $3,3M Cap Hit. So, we now have a true #2 Center for the next six years and one that is big and tough enough to handle the big boys The Western Conference foes throw at them!

If Dano takes the next step this year, this trade will end up going down as a stroke of genius by Bowman. That being said, I still think Paliotta is going to turn into a very good blue liner, so we did give up more than Saad to complete this trade.

[RDG013]

Looks like your Bruins want Bickell?

The Boston Bruins "are interested" in Chicago Blackhawks' forward Bryan Bickell, according to a source.
Bickell has two seasons left on his contract which carries a $4M cap hit, and $9M in combined salary. The Bruins meanwhile have about $5.9M in cap space and may require the Blackhawks to "retain some salary." Chicago only has about $1.4M left under the ceiling, and may not be so inclined to deal the bruising forward unless Boston sweetens the pot.
Related: Bruins
Source: Chris Kuc on Twitter
Jun 30 - 9:00 PM

[RDG013]

So you wonder why The Kings fell apart this year? Have players popping Oxy, Molly and borrowing from Probert's old cocaine stash???

According to a report by TMZ, Mike Richards was found with the prescription drug oxycodone by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the US-Canadian border.
Thus could be the "material breach" LA Kings GM Dean Lombardi referenced when the story originally broke. Neither the police, the Kings, nor the Players Association have commented further but it appears that this tail may be about to get messy. Richards, mind you, has not yet been charged with a crime.
Source: TMZ
Jun 30 - 8:52 PM

[RDG013]

Well, while Bowman had a hard time taking credit for the 1st Cup, as most of that team had been put together by Dale Tallon, 2013 and 2015 are his! Yes, Hossa, Toews, Kane, Sharp...were there before him, but he put together most of the rest of the team and reshaped the roster to fit with the stars!

That being said, Bowman was there from the early 2000's and spent the previous two years before 2009 as special assistant to GM. Not to mention, having him as part of The Hawks helped bring Poppa Bowman over to help oversee the complete overhaul of the front office and scouting department!

While Tampa had a nice year this year, Stevie does not have a Cup as GM yet and there are no guarantees he ever will!

[SoxFan]

Of course those three cups are so yesterday. I do agree that the Tampa GM has done a great job but what have they won recently?

[RDG013]

Exactly! Also had one person just call saying that they could have had Yzerman rather than Bowman and Steve has done such a great job turning Tampa into perennial contenders? I am seriously going to have to turn the radio off soon!

[SoxFan]

I love it when they try to make trades by giving up nothing and getting a superstar in return.

[RDG013]

I am telling you, some of these band wagon fans can really drive you crazy! Boggles the mind what they come up with? That being said, I am sure you have some of those kooks in Boston too!

[SoxFan]

I think you should also trade Toews for some future picks.

[RDG013]

OK, now my head hurts. I guess this is what happens when bandwagon hockey fans/Real Cubs Fans decide to put in their two cents about hockey? Have people calling into sports shows saying they should have traded Kane instead and kept Saad? The HORROR, The HORROR!!!!

[RDG013]

Actually, calming down now. This Dano kid could turn into a stud in his own right and word is, Bowman is already talking long term extension with Anisimov. In Anisimov, he finally has his true #2 Big Center and with a reasonable extension, we have him for years.

Make no mistake, Johnny O is most likely gone, but I do not believe Seabrook will be. Still think Sharp is gone, as the money that would be spent on Anisimov should they extend him will probably be in the $4M range which is a little less than we were prepared to spend on Saad.

As a side note, looks like Hawks were offering around $4.5M-$5M to Saad and his agent was insisting on $6.5M with an offer sheet ready to go tomorrow? Thought Saad said he was prepared to give Chicgao a home town discount to stay and win more Cups?

Anyway, now that I have settled down, it is starting to look like Bowman may have made a nice move, as we have plenty of talent coming up on the wings and now he has a big center that can go up against anyone LA, St. Louis, or Annaheim throws that them!

Sad part is, it will be hard to wear my Saad Jersey for quite some time!

[SoxFan]

Well I see more unhappiness in your future. Seabrook and Oduya might go as Oduya would like 4 million+ per year.

[RDG013]

Well, I am in shock and borderline depressed right now! I have no clue what Bowman was thinking? Got what appears to be very little back and also gave away a good young D man in Paliotta?

Brandon Saad has been traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Columbus also received Michael Paliotta and Alex Broadhurst from Chicago, while the Blackhawks acquired Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp, Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano and fourth-round pick in 2016. Changes were expected to come for the Blackhawks due to the cap and Saad, who is set to be a restricted free agent, becomes a causality as a result.
Source: Bob McKenzie on Twitter
Jun 30 - 5:25 PM

[RDG013]

Sharp still would be one of the top five-six forwards on the FA market, so once FA gets into full swing, I am sure a team will be willing to take the entire hit. Of course, they may lessen what we get back on the back end, but with their current situation, they are better getting less back and dropping the entire cap hit.

As for Lucic and Boston having to keep some of the salary, that is what I would have expected if Bowman made a trade on draft night to get a 1st rounder and full value. Since he did not, he should be able to drop the entire salary.

[SoxFan]

Sharp is 33 and not as valuable as Seabrook. The Hawks have only 14 guys signed and 7.4 million in cap space. They have to let some go and no one will want to make their lives easier. We had to eat 2.5 million of Lucic's salary. Hossa is to old so Seabrook is the one.

[RDG013]

Great moves by your GM! In the process, probably also pissed off LA GM by trading Jones to San Jose, possibly their most hated rival!

Starting to get a little heartburn from my Hawks. eerily silent on the Saad front! Local Comcast Sportsnet people were saying Hawks had only offered 2 years at $2.8M and he wants multiple years at just above $4M? Personally, I think if they could get him for four years at $16.5M, that would be a bargain and if he hits the RFA market, I would bet someone offers $5.5M-$6M/year. Sportsnet is only place I am seeing that, so still with a grain of salt. They have not been the most reliable of sources for rumors. Same people keeps insisting The Hawks would have to eat half of Sharp's salary to trade him?

[SoxFan]

SO we now have gotten two first rounders for Lucic which I think is pretty fantastic for a guy we were probably not going to and a prospect.

[RDG013]

LOL! Pretty sure The Kings are not too happy about this trade. No way they saw it coming when they traded Jones to Boston last week!

Martin Jones has been traded to the San Jose Sharks for a 2016 first-round draft pick and unsigned prospect Sean Kuraly.
Jones has a 16-11-2 record with a .923 save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average in 34 games with the Los Angeles Kings over the past two seasons. He was just acquired by the Bruins in the Milan Lucic deal, but now his fantasy stock has improved considerably as he has a good chance of being the starting goalie for the Sharks.
Source: Pierre LeBrun on Twitter
Jun 30 - 1:04 PM

[RDG013]

Shoot Sox, did you put out the calls to Chicago as promised? Listening to some of the local sports people today, they are all worked up now? Just because Sharp and Bick were not traded on draft day, now all of the sudden they are worried that no one will take either player and Seabrook will have to go?

For goodness sakes, someone with the cap space will take Sharp when it comes down to it, just a matter of what they are willing to give back. Before Saturday, I really thought Crow may be a possibility to go as well, but with the trade of Raanta, not sure they can do that now?

Anyway, thought it must have been you that got these poor guys all worked up today!

I guess as a side note, Seabrook is an UFA after 2016, but he is already getting $5.5M and would expect him to not be looking to break the bank to keep The boys together next year.

[RDG013]

Good for The Bruins! Looks like Dougie could care less about a Cup and was all about The $$$$$$$ for himself? 21-22 demanding over $7M/season? This contract is his bridge and what The Bruins offered was extremely fair for that bridge contract. Most likely will be right about where Brandon Saad lands with his contract(fingers crossed Bowman gets that one done!).

Either Dougie did not like playing in Boston and was making things difficult for them, or he really does not care about winning a Cup?

Restricted free-agent Dougie Hamilton reportedly turned down a six-year, $33 million deal from the Boston Bruins.
Hamilton's camp reportedly asked the Bruins to increase their offer by $2 million more per season. Since Boston was tight against the cap, they opted to deal Hamilton to the Calgary Flames instead.
Source: Sportsnet.ca
Jun 28 - 12:57 PM