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This just in. I am chasing down far more about this rumour, but it sort of came out of nowhere from three, yes three sources within one hour of one another...I am told if it happens it will likely happen "very quickly." Off to chase this shocking rumour now, so if I get anything else, I will let you know...
How to read my rumours.....an important guide for the newbies
For the vet buzzards, this will all be old news, and you should stop reading this and spend time with you families or take a nap.
I apologize for the long post, but we have had an enormous amount of new people to the site since July 1, and with numbers up nearly 300% from the same days last year I figured it was worth catching the new folks up to speed. For those of you who are new to the site, every now and then I feel it is important to state a few simple truths about the way we report rumours around here, since it is very different from the norm.
Despite my horrific writing skills I did go to school for journalism, and I still have my AP blue book. Therefore I know that my methods are not up to the accepted journalistic standards from the days when we used micro-fiche and had to hope we could find an "actual" copy of a magazine or newspaper when doing research. I remember those days from my college years.
However, the internet has opened up a brave new world...As my bud Jon Stewart puts it in his book AMERICA: The internet is a dynamic new medium for news, the Internet, a magnificent new technology combining the credibility of anonymous hearsay with the excitement of typing.
What I do is report on rumblings. Is that right? You can decide that one.
I know it is different and new, and isn't for everyone. I am responsible with how I report on rumblings because I am completely held accountable by my sources (who trust me with the info) and all of you (who support the site with your loyalty).
Do I think it hurts anyone? No. I am very clear about what I do (when asked how many of my rumours actually pan out I shock people by saying 3-6%. That number was derived from a GM who told me once that "maybe 5% of what we discuss ever happens, but we need to keep talking to teams and looking for answers).
So, not every rumour happens of course. So even though we all know a small percent of what is discussed occurs, I still feel it is worth it to tell you. It is news. It is interesting to die-hard hockey fans...
By hearing this info, you can decide for yourself, "What would I do?" And you can also get a glimpse into a few clues that may give you an indication as to what your team is thinking. Your responses are often very insightful, and in fact in several occasions I have been given information by someone who reads your comments, and has called me back laughing and said, "I guess we shouldn't do that!" (OF COURSE I am not saying that the forums on here have changed the course of a signing or a trade, but I can tell you that they have helped some team PR departments prepare the "spin.")
I am very careful to not put out gossip. You will notice, I never report on possible firings, nor do I say that a player is being shopped. It is this method that has led to me breaking many more signings and rumours than most. I am not here to bury guys.
Believe you me, it would be "sexier" to go negative and report gossip. I have been given "amazing opportunities" to go to the Dark Side.. The fact that I don't report gossip I know has cost me probably a small fortune. I have been asked to go negative when it comes to rumours, and I won't do it. I respect these players and GMs too much, and frankly without them I am toast. And fortunately for me they have re-paid that respect with great inside info that they don't give to others who take cheap shots for ratings.
My business is all about trust: My sources trusting me enough to give me a valuable info, and you trusting me to make you a "fly on the wall" in the NHL.
Also it may help to understand, that much of what I write this time of year are "contingency plans." Not a whole lot of moves this early, right?
We have seen it happen before. Last year, for example, I wrote about Mike Comrie to the Sens VERY early in the season. When the Sens needed another center, they asked for Nedved to be placed on re-entry waivers, and he was snagged by Edmonton. Then the Sens pulled the trigger on the "contingency plan" that I wrote about months earlier.
Trust me when I tell you that there are people out there that don't think what I do is legit....(that was a joke, you don't need to trust me on that one...you all know it to be an e5 by now LOL!)
I had a very strong July 1 this year, when it came to breaking trades. Add Howard Berger breaking Ryan Smyth to the Avs and Andy Strickland breaking Kariya as well and it was a banner day)
However, no matter how hard I work, I can't expect to write every day and break trades or signings. I write every day and movement doesn't happen every day. But I can make you a "fly in the wall" every day. And that, I believe, is why this site has seen well over 2 million unique readers since 9-15-05. Because we are all armchair GMs and we all would love to give our two cents as to possible moves that are ACTUALLY being discussed.
The E-system was developed for this specific reason. As a way of allowing you to manage your expectations. An e1 isn't always more likely to occur than an e4. But an e4 is from multiple sources connected to the possible move. And even if it was both GMs of a possible trade and the players themselves, until the deal happens it isn't a done deal. Just ask Nashville.
Here is the e-system....
E1 - This is a rumor that comes from a single reliable source not in any way directly connected to the players or teams involved.
E2 - This rumor is simply more than one reliable source not in any way directly connected to the players or teams involved and not connected to each other. It does not have to equate to two E1’s. It could be several E1’s.
E3 - This rumor comes from a single source with ties somehow to the players or teams involved.
E4 - This rumor comes from more than one source with ties to the players or teams involved.
E5 - This rumor comes from sources telling Eklund the deal is 100% done and just has not been announced yet. I have reported many e5's long before anyone else. I have only missed twice on e5's. Two times too many for me, but I have re-visited both and unless I was psychic, there was little else I would be able to change. I was told by people who really should have known. Once the player signed elsewhere on his own despite his agent emailing a confirmation to the team that I reported him signing with. An email from an agent to a GM saying we accept merits an e5.
I would bet that most mainstream media only report mostly e4's and e5's....That is their standard for rumours. I don't see the point of that. A rumour is a rumour. As long as it comes from a trusted source, it is something to ponder. And the e-system gives you as much as I can give you without losing a trusted source.
Anyway, that is that. I appreciate the word of mouth you folks have shown by telling your friends about hockeybuzz...We have thousands of people come everyday that have never come before and a remarkable percentage of them become regulars. Much much higher than the internet standard.
back to the fun.....
How to read my rumours.....an important guide for the newbies
For the vet buzzards, this will all be old news, and you should stop reading this and spend time with you families or take a nap.
I apologize for the long post, but we have had an enormous amount of new people to the site since July 1, and with numbers up nearly 300% from the same days last year I figured it was worth catching the new folks up to speed. For those of you who are new to the site, every now and then I feel it is important to state a few simple truths about the way we report rumours around here, since it is very different from the norm.
Despite my horrific writing skills I did go to school for journalism, and I still have my AP blue book. Therefore I know that my methods are not up to the accepted journalistic standards from the days when we used micro-fiche and had to hope we could find an "actual" copy of a magazine or newspaper when doing research. I remember those days from my college years.
However, the internet has opened up a brave new world...As my bud Jon Stewart puts it in his book AMERICA: The internet is a dynamic new medium for news, the Internet, a magnificent new technology combining the credibility of anonymous hearsay with the excitement of typing.
What I do is report on rumblings. Is that right? You can decide that one.
I know it is different and new, and isn't for everyone. I am responsible with how I report on rumblings because I am completely held accountable by my sources (who trust me with the info) and all of you (who support the site with your loyalty).
Do I think it hurts anyone? No. I am very clear about what I do (when asked how many of my rumours actually pan out I shock people by saying 3-6%. That number was derived from a GM who told me once that "maybe 5% of what we discuss ever happens, but we need to keep talking to teams and looking for answers).
So, not every rumour happens of course. So even though we all know a small percent of what is discussed occurs, I still feel it is worth it to tell you. It is news. It is interesting to die-hard hockey fans...
By hearing this info, you can decide for yourself, "What would I do?" And you can also get a glimpse into a few clues that may give you an indication as to what your team is thinking. Your responses are often very insightful, and in fact in several occasions I have been given information by someone who reads your comments, and has called me back laughing and said, "I guess we shouldn't do that!" (OF COURSE I am not saying that the forums on here have changed the course of a signing or a trade, but I can tell you that they have helped some team PR departments prepare the "spin.")
I am very careful to not put out gossip. You will notice, I never report on possible firings, nor do I say that a player is being shopped. It is this method that has led to me breaking many more signings and rumours than most. I am not here to bury guys.
Believe you me, it would be "sexier" to go negative and report gossip. I have been given "amazing opportunities" to go to the Dark Side.. The fact that I don't report gossip I know has cost me probably a small fortune. I have been asked to go negative when it comes to rumours, and I won't do it. I respect these players and GMs too much, and frankly without them I am toast. And fortunately for me they have re-paid that respect with great inside info that they don't give to others who take cheap shots for ratings.
My business is all about trust: My sources trusting me enough to give me a valuable info, and you trusting me to make you a "fly on the wall" in the NHL.
Also it may help to understand, that much of what I write this time of year are "contingency plans." Not a whole lot of moves this early, right?
We have seen it happen before. Last year, for example, I wrote about Mike Comrie to the Sens VERY early in the season. When the Sens needed another center, they asked for Nedved to be placed on re-entry waivers, and he was snagged by Edmonton. Then the Sens pulled the trigger on the "contingency plan" that I wrote about months earlier.
Trust me when I tell you that there are people out there that don't think what I do is legit....(that was a joke, you don't need to trust me on that one...you all know it to be an e5 by now LOL!)
I had a very strong July 1 this year, when it came to breaking trades. Add Howard Berger breaking Ryan Smyth to the Avs and Andy Strickland breaking Kariya as well and it was a banner day)
However, no matter how hard I work, I can't expect to write every day and break trades or signings. I write every day and movement doesn't happen every day. But I can make you a "fly in the wall" every day. And that, I believe, is why this site has seen well over 2 million unique readers since 9-15-05. Because we are all armchair GMs and we all would love to give our two cents as to possible moves that are ACTUALLY being discussed.
The E-system was developed for this specific reason. As a way of allowing you to manage your expectations. An e1 isn't always more likely to occur than an e4. But an e4 is from multiple sources connected to the possible move. And even if it was both GMs of a possible trade and the players themselves, until the deal happens it isn't a done deal. Just ask Nashville.
Here is the e-system....
E1 - This is a rumor that comes from a single reliable source not in any way directly connected to the players or teams involved.
E2 - This rumor is simply more than one reliable source not in any way directly connected to the players or teams involved and not connected to each other. It does not have to equate to two E1’s. It could be several E1’s.
E3 - This rumor comes from a single source with ties somehow to the players or teams involved.
E4 - This rumor comes from more than one source with ties to the players or teams involved.
E5 - This rumor comes from sources telling Eklund the deal is 100% done and just has not been announced yet. I have reported many e5's long before anyone else. I have only missed twice on e5's. Two times too many for me, but I have re-visited both and unless I was psychic, there was little else I would be able to change. I was told by people who really should have known. Once the player signed elsewhere on his own despite his agent emailing a confirmation to the team that I reported him signing with. An email from an agent to a GM saying we accept merits an e5.
I would bet that most mainstream media only report mostly e4's and e5's....That is their standard for rumours. I don't see the point of that. A rumour is a rumour. As long as it comes from a trusted source, it is something to ponder. And the e-system gives you as much as I can give you without losing a trusted source.
Anyway, that is that. I appreciate the word of mouth you folks have shown by telling your friends about hockeybuzz...We have thousands of people come everyday that have never come before and a remarkable percentage of them become regulars. Much much higher than the internet standard.
back to the fun.....
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