Sakic Signs With Avalanche

Shane Giroux of the Colorado Avalanche Blog submits:

Holy out-of-the-blue, Batman! Joe Sakic has signed on with the Avalanche for one more year. Thanks to Sully for the tip in the comments of my previous Sakic post.

Honestly, I thought the press conference Sakic had scheduled for tomorrow would be uneventful. Maybe I was getting apathetic about the whole “Will he or won’t he?” angle. Or maybe I’m in that weird limbo phase of being disappointed about summer coming to a close but excited about hockey coming back causing my emotions to neutralize.

But it turns out I was dead wrong and couldn’t be happier. And with a price tag of $6M, I bet Francois Giguere is whistling zippety-do-da all day long today. I’ll take Sakic for $6M over Sundin for $10M any day of the week, twice on Friday and three times on Canada day.

At a cap hit hovering in the $50M area ($4,6M according to nhlnumbers.com, $50M according to nhlscap.com and $52M according to DD), the Avalanche have left themselves with plenty of wiggle room. Sources tell me Gomez is on the block but I hear he’s going to Phoenix straight up for Kurt Sauer.

And can you believe he signed with the Avalanche? Man, I know Vancouver was in the running until the very end and so were the Rangers but he pulled a 360 and went back to the Avs. Shocking.

I wonder where all the prognosticators will put the Avalanche in their pre-preseason rankings now.

…Actually, I don’t care.

TPS Response R10 Stick

By varying the flex throughout the shaft, the TPS Response R10 PTC (Power Transfer Channel) Hockey Stick is the most revolutionary composite stick ever released by the company.

The response R10 has been designed to offer a more complete loading phase and a balanced flex pattern that extends throughout the entire shaft.

This patented flex design has resulted in livelier shots and quicker reaction. The shaft also features a very long taper that provides a nice feel for the puck when coupled with extra-thin blade.

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• PTC Power Transfer Channel in blade hozel for a livelier blade & improved puck trajectory
• Redistributed perimeter material for livelier cross section & impact resistance
• Thin blade design for improved feel & trajectory on shots
• Ultra-lite dynamic weighting optimizes balance for lighter “In Motion” feel
• 100% Carbon construction
• Variable Flex shaft: 80/105/115 (top/mid/taper)
• 30 Day Manufacturer’s Warranty

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Sakic and Sundin Keep Hockey Fans Guessing

Kings Dought-full

The Los Angeles Kings have agreed to terms on three-year entry-level contract with defenceman Drew Doughty, the club’s first-round pick in the 2008 entry draft. Doughty, chosen second overall, was one of four 2008 draft-eligible players on Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the 2008 world junior championships.

Sakic Still Sitting On Fence

Colorado Avalanche star Joe Sakic told a Denver radio station on Monday that it has been difficult deciding whether to return for a 20th NHL season, and he will make up his mind soon.  Sakic is the most decorated player in franchise history having won two Stanley Cups, the 1996 Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff most valuable player. Not to mention the Hart Memorial Trophy as regular-season MVP, Lester B. Pearson Trophy as top player voted by his peers and the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship.

C’mon Joe, you’ve got one more left in you!

Teppo Keeps on Ticking

The Buffalo Sabres have re-signed Teppo Numminen after the defenceman missed all but one game last season following heart surgery.  The wily veteran will suit up for his 100th NHL season in 2008-2009.  Terms of the deal included a salary of $1.1 Million and the Sabres have agreed to have an oxygen mask available at all times on the players bench.

McCabe Shows Softer Side

Maple Leafs defenceman Bryan McCabe, who has a no-movement clause, has softened his stance on being traded, general manager Cliff Fletcher told the Toronto Star.

This is good news for the Leafs, but I am not sure who would want McCabe?  Honestly, he got burned more times on the Toronto blueline than Wade Belak.

Sundin Playing NHL Like a Fiddle

Mats Sundin may have been showing flashes of brilliance on the golf course in his native Sweden, but the veteran centre showed no signs of making a decision on his playing future in the National Hockey League.

We all know that Sundin is going to play the now famous “Selanne-Niedermeyer card” and use the first half of the season to rest his old bones while returning fresh and rejuvenated in the second half.  Stop all the drama and deal with it.

Biggest Trades in NHL History

With Wayne Gretzky’s trade from the dynastic Oilers to the Kings 20 years ago unassailably the most significant move in the NHL annals, Scott Burnside reveals the seven biggest swaps in history.

Other than this story, can you find the name of Louie DeBrusk anywhere else in the history of hockey media?

Toronto Tops Them All!

If you thought those trades were memorable…imagine what Leafs fans must feel like after this list of horrendous Leafs trades.  No wonder they continue to get worse and worse!

Edmonton Hiding Facts From Tax Payers?

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is accusing Edmonton city officials of hiding some important facts in its review of a $450 million NHL hockey arena proposed for the downtown.

The report apparently omitted the fact that most other arenas in Canada were built with 100% private funding. Edmonton is asking taxpayers to foot 70% of the funding bill for the proposed new facility.

Meanwhile, Daryl Katz, who just purchased the franchise, has agreed to cough up $100 Million toward a new arena.

Interestingly enough, a great thought was spoken in the comments of the original article:

The number of people that would directly enjoy the Oiler play is about 20,000 or 2% of the population. The balance that watch the Oilers on TV - they could care less if the game is an old building or a new building, downtown, uptown, in the burbs or wherever. Of those 20000 seats, 10,000+ are owned by corporate sponsors. Let them pay.

Fans Have Been Priced Out Of The Market!

I must agree that the average hockey fan can no longer afford to see a live hockey game, much less several games per year.

Seriously, how many individual hockey fans can afford season tickets along with the associated costs such as parking, refreshments, food, souvenirs etc.?

It’s a damn shame that purchase of season tickets has become more of a “chest-thumping” corporate perquisite than a way to develop a community of superfans.

The premiere seats at most arenas are now filled “suits” rambling on their iPhone and/or Blackberry making it painfully obvious that the only reason they are at the game is because the “company” is picking up the tab - too bad those tickets couldn’t go to someone who actually loves the game.

Crosby Not As Perfect As You Thought

Shane Giroux submits:

I’ve been shocked once already this offseason. Then shocked again after hearing about Forsberg skating in Sweden (because there was no “He’s injured!” followup story). I fully expect the trifecta of shockingness to come into play at some point, but today is not that day.

Sid The Kid Vs. Burnaby Joe

The National Post is running an article titled “Sidney Or Sakic: Who’s More Likeable?” and the results are as un-shocking as they get. Joe Sakic had a “Q score” of 26 while Sid the Kid fell behind with a 22. Poor Sid, for all the hype and marketing - and his 3 full seasons in the NHL -, is less likable than one of the quietest players to ever play the game. Who knew?

Honestly, I didn’t need a survey to tell me that people would think more highly of Joe Sakic than Sidney Crosby. Crosby came into the league as a whining 18-year old, was given an “A” in that same year, had the captaincy foisted upon him at the age of 20 - to which they called a press conference to announce -, and has been anointed as the next Great One since he was a young teenager. In other words, he’s been shoved in our faces. Contrast that with a man such as Joe Sakic, who has quietly gone about his business and proven himself a winner at every level and you might get an idea why Sakic is more likable.

Is There Such Thing As Over-Marketing?

Now, I have nothing against Crosby. The problem is that he was so darn good at a time when the league - and the Penguins - needed it. Coming out of the lockout, they needed a face to market the game on. They needed a savior. An icon. Ok, I don’t actually believe that but nonetheless, many people - including the NHL and most of the mainstream media - did and they began shoving him down our throats. And nobody likes anything being shoved down their throat.

For a quick refresher on how the media treats their golden boy, look no further than the end of the National Post article:
“Crosby’s numbers should jump once he gets his first ring.”

Sigh. There is no guarantee that Sidney Crosby will ever win the Stanley Cup. He’s not guaranteed to win another Art Ross. He may never again win the Lester B. Pearson. But the way people talk, it’s as if he’s entitled to everything just because his name is Sidney Crosby.

See, it’s not so much that people dislike Crosby. It’s that they dislike the hype that goes along with his name.