Hockey resurrected!

[Vera]

Time to start a new season thread.

The Free Agent market starts and lots of news. I'll wait til the dust settle to sum up who's going where. The exciting news is that Crosby is gonna be a Penguin, I'm really please that Mario's team finally has something to cheer about, hopefully, littel Crosby will bring the fans back to Pittsburg to help the team getting thru their financial struggle.

As for my team, the biggest, most exciting news is that Nazzy is coming back. After fearing for his early retirement and returning to Sweden, there's other worrying speculation when he returned to Vancouver for negotiation last month that our ex-GM Brian Burke was trying to lure him to Anaheim to serve Burke's new team. Anyhow, the news of his resigning the Canucks is a big relief. Can't wait to see him in a month time.

Hopefully, you guys will come back to the Hockey forum to talk hockey when the post season begins.

[Lee]

It's nice to hear about hockey news again and caught many news while I was in Calgary.

Not many news from my home team Coyote other than signing goalie Brian Boucher and I really hope the team has a good year.

[Lee]

For Calgary, Iggy and Kiprusoff are still not yet put their names on any papers.

But the team is loaded with Sutters Of course, being the son of GM/head coach of the team has nothing to do with Brett Sutter being picked 179th overall, same as his old dad in 1978.

[Vera]

Sorry Lee, I put the Iggy news on the other thread before I thought of making a new thread. There's indeed some good news from Cowtown:

Flames captain Iginla signs long-term deal with Flames
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) -- Jarome Iginla is staying with the Calgary Flames.

The Calgary captain, who was a restricted free agent, agreed to a three-year, $21-million deal on Wednesday.

The $7 million per season puts Iginla fifth on the NHL's list of highest-paid players behind Jaromir Jagr, Keith Tkachuk, Nicklas Lidstrom and Alexei Yashin.

Iginla could've taken his qualifying offer of $5.32 million for this season and then become a free agent next summer, but he opted to sign a long-term deal.

``We made a choice,'' the 28-year-old right winger said. ``We want to be here in Calgary. We believe in what the team is doing. We've been so blessed to be part of this community and we want to win here.

``I truly believe a lot of players, when they're free agents, look at where they can have a legitimate chance to win. And right now I'm just so excited. I believe this is the place and I can't wait to get playing.''

Iginla earned $7.5 million during the 2003-04 when he led the Flames to the Stanley Cup finals.

``I think quite honestly we've signed the No. 1 free agent in the market. I don't think there's anybody else that compares,'' Flames coach and general manager Darryl Sutter said.

Calgary has been busy this week, signing Tony Amonte to a $3.7-million, two-year deal and Darren McCarty to a $1.6-million, two-year deal.

Sutter said signing Iginla had been key to convincing Amonte and McCarty to come to Calgary.

``The most often asked question I got was `Well, are you going to sign Iginla?''' Sutter said. ``I'll be perfectly honest, we wouldn't have been able to sign Tony Amonte or Darren McCarty without them knowing that Jarome was under contract. And we probably wouldn't have been able to sign them if they knew that Jarome was only here for one more year.''

The Flames offered Iginla a four-year deal but the sides settled on three.

``It feels like a pretty long time, a pretty good commitment,'' Iginla said. ``Over the course of my career, three is the longest I've done.

The next major move for the Flames is working out a deal with goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, who was instrumental in getting Calgary into the Stanley Cup final.

``We're continuing to talk and it's been very positive and productive,'' Sutter said. ``I don't see it as a real issue where it's a standoff or anything.''

[Vera]

Good luck to getting Kips signed. However, it will spell trouble to the Nucks. Why can't we have a decent Goalie also .

[Lee]

Thanks Vera! That's good news. But I am more worry about Miikka than Iggy. From the news in Calgary before I left, Iggy's name was not on Flames' free agent list so I knew he would probably stay with Flames.

I guess now Darryl Sutter can concentrate on signing Kiprusoff if he finds the money.

[TennisHack]

Nice to see you round the boards again, Vera!

PMac was on some stupid commentary show this week chatting about Crosby signing with the Penguins. Sounds like he's supposed to be the next Gretzy, that's a lot of pressure to put on the kid, no?

[Vera]

Hi Hackie, good to be back, ready for the hockey season.

Some big names got transacted these 2 days. The biggest of them all, arguably Peter Forsberg. Despite rumors saying that Peter and Nazzy wants to play in the same team (Like Paul and Teemu last year), no team can afford both of them, I guess. Hence Forsberg is now a Flyer. And Scott Niedermeyer, the hottest D-man free agent ended the signing derby and joined his bro in Anaheim. Good job Burke for landing his biggest deal for his new club.

Okay, not that I'm holding my breath or anything, but the past weeks, both Forsberg and Niedermeyer got mentioned as names on our negotiation list. Forsberg because he wants to play with Nazzy in the same team (and obviously, Nazzy will NEVER go to the Avs), and Scott wanted to play for a team close to home (and he's from Cranbrook BC). So naturally, eventhough our team has no money to support many big names, there's still a sense of optimism out there for maybe perhaps if possible that we may get a surprise signing from one of these superstar. But of course, turn out to be as expected, they went somewhere else. Oh well. If all those big stars want to play for their their hometown team, then we would have Sakic and Kariya on our roster, wouldn't that be wonderful.

Other big new signing or deal:
New Oilers (wow) Pronger, Peca great addition
Flames : Amonte, McCarty
Canucks: none so far
Avs: Turgeon, Brisebois
Bruins: Leetch
Panthers: the dynamic duo of Nieuwy and Roberts, Gelinas
Kings: JR, Demitra
Flyers: Hatcher

[Lee]

Oh, I don't know Panthers got Gelinas too. Why they have such love for ex-Flames?

And for Proger being an Oiler GRRRRRRR

[Lee]

Glad to know Nieuwy and Roberts are going to play another season and together. They are really good pals.

[Vera]

Well, this probably assures how big people think Sidney Crosby will become, he is in the Tonight show . I mean, we are talking about hockey, and since when does this sports shows up on the radar screen (besides that when Giggy and the Ducks showed up in the final), let alone and unknown future potential star (well, unknown in America anyway, but of course he's already a household name in Canada) got interviewed by Jay Leno.



Crosby appears on The Tonight Show
Canadian Press
8/4/2005 10:46:27 PM

LOS ANGELES (CP) - Sidney Crosby shot pucks at a clothes dryer, just like he did as a boy in Cole Harbour, N.S., during his U.S. network TV talk show debut.

The NHL's No. 1 draft pick was on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno for six minutes late in the hour-long recorded broadcast Thursday night.

Viewers missed the introduction of the 17-year-old hockey star at the beginning of his segment because commercials ran into the opening seconds of his time.

Leno began the interview by asking Crosby about his hockey background, prompting a photo being shown on camera of his mother's dryer dented and marked by the impact of pucks.

''After a while she didn't care,'' Crosby told Leno. ''But it took a bad beating.''

His mother finally got a new dryer last month, Crosby said. Leno couldn't resist teasing him about the purchase.

''Oh, Mom, I'm making millions now. I got you a new dryer,'' Leno said in mimicking Crosby.

Video of Crosby playing hockey as a boy was then shown, and Crosby mentioned that his father was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984. His dad never made it to the NHL.

''He was a goalie so I wanted to be a goalie growing up,'' said Crosby.

But his dad felt he'd have more fun skating as a forward and talked him out of being a goalie. It turned out to be a brilliant move.

Leno asked Crosby if, at his age, he could grow a playoff beard, and Crosby said he settled for a slight moustache.

Leno wanted to know who Crosby's boyhood hockey idols were, and Crosby replied that they were Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux - the Penguins owner and Crosby's future linemate in Pittsburgh. Crosby gushed about getting the chance to skate on the same ice as Gretzky when he was 14 in Los Angeles.

Crosby will make his first trip to Pittsburgh next week. When the NHL season begins, he expects to be living with Lemieux's family although those details have yet to be worked out. There are four children.

''I'm going to be doing some babysitting, I think, from what I hear,'' Crosby said.

Actor Rob Schneider, the previous guest who stayed on the set after his interview and during Crosby's time, interjected: ''What's his dryer like?''

A clip from a dated film promoting Pittsburgh, described in the clip as the Renaissance City of America, was shown.

Leno then congratulated the two-time Canadian major junior player of the year, and told him he just happened to have a clothes dryer backstage. It was wheeled out and the door opened so Crosby, using a hockey stick and pucks, could aim for the opening.

The first two shots struck the left side of the dryer. Then he missed left. The next two shots went in. A video replay of a puck going into the dryer preceded the commercial break that ended Crosby's segment.

Crosby looked relaxed and comfortable on the set. As often as has been said about him, he came across, in terms of poise and attitude, as older than his actually age. He turns 18 on Sunday.

If there were any jitters, he kept them well hid. He wore a shirt, open at the neck, and a dark suit. He showed all the makings of a great ambassador for the sport.

-----------------------------------
I wouldn't mind watching the interview, but of course I miss it.

[Vera]

More big names signed with new teams:

Kariya - Predators (nothing wrong with that, but it's very unexpected. Like Paul decided to settle with a maybe team. Guess he realised there's no sure thing after the disastrous year with Avs).

Jason Allison - Leafs (surprise , the Leafs signed a young guy, at least to their team standard, Allison is only 30, he's a baby Leaf)

Khabibulin - Black Hawks (can Lightnings still strike without the his brilliance?)

[Vera]

Hey Lee, guess which team your team opens the season with?

Coyotes Vs Canucks, Season opener at our Garage (GM place) Oct 5.

[Vera]

I must have been away for too long, doesn't seem to be able to find my way here to get to the page where I can change my profile. Does that option of changing my own profile still exist? Can anyone show me the way? Thx.

[Lee]

vera said:

I must have been away for too long, doesn't seem to be able to find my way here to get to the page where I can change my profile. Does that option of changing my own profile still exist? Can anyone show me the way? Thx.

At the top of the page, where you can find the time and date, the blue bar below it has the 'profile'. You click on it and can make whatever change you want.

[Lee]

Cujo is a Coyote

[Vera]

Sports Illustrated rates Flames No. 1, Canucks in sixth spot

The Canadian Press
Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Sports Illustrated says the Calgary Flames' march to the Stanley Cup final in 2003-04 was no fluke.

The U.S.-based weekly magazine has picked the Flames No. 1 in pre-season rankings in this week's edition, which goes on sale today.

SI hockey writer Michael Farber wrote that signing star right-winger Jarome Iginla to a long-term deal was the Flames' most important off-season move, and picking up his new linemates Daymond Langkow and Tony Amonte will also help.

Bringing in defenceman Roman Hamrlik to boost the power play was another astute move, according to SI.

"The question is how quickly our chemistry in the room comes together with the new guys," Iginla told SI. "[In 2003-04], we were the tightest group I ever played on. But the core of the team is back and we're even hungrier now."

Calgary, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Ottawa Senators were ranked as the top three clubs, with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who edged the Flames in seven games in the 2004 Cup final, rated fourth.

The Vancouver Canucks came in sixth and the Edmonton Oilers ninth, while the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs were ranked out of the playoffs, at 17th and 20th respectively.

The SI rankings call for some major shifts, with the formerly lowly Pittsburgh Penguins rated 13th now that No. 1 overall draft pick Sidney Crosby and a clutch of top free agents were added to Mario Lemieux's team. The New York Rangers are ranked last.

[Vera]

4 days to go.

[Lee]

Coyote stinks.

[Vera]

lee said:

Coyote stinks.

They'll come around.

[Lee]

Flames definitely forgets to bribe the guy doing the schedule. Open the season on the road for 4 games and in March, the crunching time, 7 road games in 11 days.

[Pamela Shriver]

Jagr is leading the Rangers to successful victories. I feel compelled to root for them now.

[Vera]

So Rangers finally use some common sense, get rid of those overpay underachieved big names and good thing will come.

Pens still hasn't win one yet. Sidney isn't the solution, they need some Ds. I feel bad for them, seems that they score a whole bunch every game and still came up short.

Nashville hasn't lose one yet. Woohoo. Way to go. I'm going to pick them as the cinderalla team this year. Those who said Kariya is damaged good should know better to just shut up by now.

I'm not liking the SO so much so far. It's good that it make the end so intense. But my team seem to suck at it so hasn't been fun.

[The Chloe]

tennishack said:

Nice to see you round the boards again, Vera!

PMac was on some stupid commentary show this week chatting about Crosby signing with the Penguins. Sounds like he's supposed to be the next Gretzy, that's a lot of pressure to put on the kid, no?

I didn't see this thread before! I LOVE CROSBY. *ahem* I mean, he's good and stuff and I root for his team. The Pens are blowing though. Badly.

Crosby wasn't only on the tonight show, btw, but he was also in October's Vanity Fair, on the cover of Reader's Digest, and will be featured in the upcoming GQ. They didn't do a good job with the photos though, so meh.

He was supposed to do David Letterman the week after Jay Leno, but the Penguins pulled him from it because they felt it was too much.

[The Chloe]

vera said:

So Rangers finally use some common sense, get rid of those overpay underachieved big names and good thing will come.

Pens still hasn't win one yet. Sidney isn't the solution, they need some Ds. I feel bad for them, seems that they score a whole bunch every game and still came up short.

Nashville hasn't lose one yet. Woohoo. Way to go. I'm going to pick them as the cinderalla team this year. Those who said Kariya is damaged good should know better to just shut up by now.

I'm not liking the SO so much so far. It's good that it make the end so intense. But my team seem to suck at it so hasn't been fun.

I like Kariya too

[The Chloe]

Lee, remember your comment on Sidney's height a while ago? As it turns out, he's actually only 5'10 :red:

[The Chloe]

Anyways, for anybody reading this that is thinking "for the love of God, who is Chloe going on about now", here you go: photobucket.com/albums/v669/becca_minger/Crosby/?sc=1&multi=10

Yeah, I'm totally icky, but I like his mouth and hair. So much so that I can overlook the squarish nose. He has nice abs too, but those photos are otherwise awful so I won't put them up. So shoot me for being a perv.

This thread can go back ot hockey now

How about those Leafs? ;D

[The Chloe]

andrew said:

Jagr is leading the Rangers to successful victories. I feel compelled to root for them now.

Jagr is amazing. Must he be a Ranger?

[Lee]

admin said:

Anyways, for anybody reading this that is thinking "for the love of God, who is Chloe going on about now", here you go: photobucket.com/albums/v669/becca_minger/Crosby/?sc=1&multi=10

Yeah, I'm totally icky, but I like his mouth and hair. So much so that I can overlook the squarish nose. He has nice abs too, but those photos are otherwise awful so I won't put them up. So shoot me for being a perv.

This thread can go back ot hockey now

How about those Leafs? ;D

only the 4th picture is at least decent in looks department, in my shallow opinion.

[Lee]

admin said:

Lee, remember your comment on Sidney's height a while ago? As it turns out, he's actually only 5'10

At least he's taller than Theo Fluery!!!!

btw, is he on his skates when taking the measurement? ;D