As I sit here in the early morning hours of Ottawa , the gentle golden glow of the neon "Mr Lube" sign outside my window casting just enough light on my keyboard, I thought it was time to reflect on a few things prior to heading to the morning skates...
HOCKEYBUZZ RADIO WITH ANDY STRICKLAND #4
The latest Hockeybuzz radio is up with guests Brett Hull and Pierre Lebrun. Another amazing job by Andy...see the podcast section below shortly after noon to listen.
I LIKE MY WINGS HOT
First off, that hit on Holmstrom last night was atrocious and the NHL needs to step up and do something. A double blow from behind
to the head of a player that truly is a spark plug is just uncalled for...I am meeting with a woman on Friday about concussions and trying to put out my plea for the NHL to attend the conference the NFL is putting together on this subject.
The Red Wings are a truly great team. Despite facing injuries, the fatigue of 26,000 miles of travel, and a team that outshot them badly at home, they simply go into Anaheim and crush the Ducks in every way. They defy the logic that we usually depend on so strongly.
If you are a Ducks fan, take solace however. You have experienced guys who know how to come back in a series....And you have Scott Niedermeyer, the best player of his generation NOT to win the league MVP.
Ouch, I stubbed my Toews!
For those of you unaware, Jonathan Toews name is pronounced "Taves," not Toes...I continue to hear that a deal has indeed already been struck with Toews and the Hawks, and in today's story with the Daily Herald, Tim Sassone writes,
The Jonathan Toews era is about to begin for the Blackhawks. Not since Jeremy Roenick decided college wasn't for him after attending a few classes in 1988 has the arrival of a Hawks rookie been so anticipated. Hawks general manager Dale Tallon says he is close to signing the 19-year-old Toews, the third player taken in the 2006 draft. How close? It could happen in the next couple weeks. Toews apparently has decided to leave the University of North Dakota and accept what could be millions from the Hawks, who desperately need him to be Roenick-like in ability and fan appeal. If Toews was undecided over going pro, his head-turning effort in the recent World Championships as the only non-NHL player on Canada let him know he was ready for the big time.
"Why Two Weeks Eklund?" you may ask. I am told it is all about marketing and timing...but it is in fact done.
GOMEZ A SEN, SMYTH A FLAME?
Following up on a tip last night, I found out that Gomez is extremely interested in coming to Ottawa. "I would say that the Sens current play may be getting them more than a Cup," a source said, "Scotty Gomez is watching this closely and may very well decide to come to Ottawa. He really was taken by the fan support he saw last series."
There could be another factor as well..reports are that Ryan Smyth turned down an enormous offer from Wang and is leaning heavily towards signing with ...gulp....Calgary. I am making adjustments to the rumour chart this morning....decreasing Gomez to Calgary and increasing Ryan Smyth to Calgary....A source said, "The Flames are absolutely the favorite in the Ryan Smyth race. It is in their court I am told. Ryan will take a little less money to be where he really wants to be, and right now the two teams that I am hearing are Calgary and Toronto."
HOCKEYBUZZARDS IN OTTAWA UNITE!
Tonight our Ottawa Sens bloggers, Kevin Lee and Katie Villeneuve, will be hanging around the giant inflatable slide from around 6pm on, during the pre-game party to meet and greet our Ottawa readers... You will know them by the fact that they are two extremely attractive people, AND that they will be wearing Hockeybuzz hats..In fact, the first person who comes up to Katie and tells her the secret code word, "LEAFS SUCK." will get a hat.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Go to the
THE RUMOR CHART for real-time updates. Now with
UFA's, RFA's and Trade Rumors,
THE RUMOR CHART has over
270 players that are updated the second new rumors hit. Your support of Hockeybuzz.com is HUGELY appreciated and helps keep this site alive, so Thank You.
Join the Discussion:
»