http://www.thehockeynews....grown-over-the-years.html
- Tomahawk

20 years it's been around???

/I'm old

Geez... I hope Lasse Kukkonen's surname wasn't a Finnish literal derivative of Swedish slang
- bmeltzer

Perhaps the patriarch was known for his, you know...

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Bill-Meltzer/Meltzers-Musings-European-FAs-New-ECHL-Affiliate/45/60344
- bmeltzer

Should have been more specific. Any word on when he will decide by or any rumors if we are a in the hunt? I know you talked about him.

Well, I go back pretty far, so here goes:

Tomas Sandstrom
Man, did I hate this chickencrap piece of poop in the eighties. When Brown crosschecked him in the face, I asked for seconds!!

Dale Hunter
One of the nastiest, cheap shot/late hit artists of all time.

Claude Lemieux
The pregame B.S., the unwillingness to drop the gloves, the annoying smirk. The fact that this piece of garbage has multiple cup rings is proof that the hockey gods suck large donkey nads!

Scott Stevens
Old Mr. headshot, he would be suspended for life under today's rules.

Matthew Barnaby
That franking smirk. As a fan, you just wanted to jump the glass and beat the crap out of him, it would be worth the jail time!

Darius Kasparitis
Old Mr. knee shot. One of the dirtiest players to ever lace em up

Ulf Samuelsson
Another complete and total piece of crap and lover of the dirty hit

Sidney Crosby
The constant whining and diving is just pathetic

James Neal
The worst cheap shot artist currently playing, I hope he blows out a knee!

Matt Cooke
This utter piece of dog poop should have already been kicked out of the league!

Just missed the cut:
The Plager brothers
Terry O'Reilly
Randy Holt
John Wensinck
Esa Tikanen
- BiggE

Great list.

PS - F'n Tucker!

Should have been more specific. Any word on when he will decide by or any rumors if we are a in the hunt? I know you talked about him.
- J35Bacher

Yes, Flyers said to be among teams with an offer in for him.

Yes, Flyers said to be among teams with an offer in for him.
- bmeltzer

Hopefully, the fact the flyers have Voracek will help their chances, since they come from the same town and probably know each other (at least somewhat).

Well, I go back pretty far, so here goes:

Tomas Sandstrom
Man, did I hate this chickencrap piece of poop in the eighties. When Brown crosschecked him in the face, I asked for seconds!!

Dale Hunter
One of the nastiest, cheap shot/late hit artists of all time.

Claude Lemieux
The pregame B.S., the unwillingness to drop the gloves, the annoying smirk. The fact that this piece of garbage has multiple cup rings is proof that the hockey gods suck large donkey nads!

Scott Stevens
Old Mr. headshot, he would be suspended for life under today's rules.

Matthew Barnaby
That franking smirk. As a fan, you just wanted to jump the glass and beat the crap out of him, it would be worth the jail time!

Darius Kasparitis
Old Mr. knee shot. One of the dirtiest players to ever lace em up

Ulf Samuelsson
Another complete and total piece of crap and lover of the dirty hit

Sidney Crosby
The constant whining and diving is just pathetic

James Neal
The worst cheap shot artist currently playing, I hope he blows out a knee!

Matt Cooke
This utter piece of dog poop should have already been kicked out of the league!

Just missed the cut:
The Plager brothers
Terry O'Reilly
Randy Holt
John Wensinck
Esa Tikanen
- BiggE

I'd add Kasparitis to my list. But as for Crosby/Cooke/Neal, they're too new, and really, ion the grand scheme of things, I find them more annoying than hated. Except for Neal, but still, doesn't do it for me.

Yes, Flyers said to be among teams with an offer in for him.
- bmeltzer

Think the Flyers might be in on Bellemare, too?

Lemieux absolutely ranks on my top 10 list of all time hated players.

Yeah, I know, now I got to get the list out there


- BiggE

People wonder why I have a cat named Claude Lemieux. Because it is the perfect cat name. No other reason.

Think the Flyers might be in on Bellemare, too?
- Tomahawk

Hell they offered me a contract too!

I had to turn them down. I've decided to finish my schooling first.

Without going back and doing math, I think that prospect scouting has become a better (yet still inexact) science than it was in the past. Whether it's due to the internet, better use of statistics, more scouts in different locations, etc. there seem to be fewer (in general) busts. I don't think you'll ever see another Alexander Daigle or Patrcik Stefan unless there's a wide-open, weak draft.
- jmatchett383

When are you suggesting that changed. Because I know one total bust 12th pick overall between Carter and Richards by the Rangers in 2003.

Any Wayne Newton fans?

Honka Schoen.

julius honka is an unusual name, and certainly doesn't strike me as finnish. i wonder what the lineage is there.
- hammarby31

Honka is very rare in the U.S. but immigration records suggest Finnish (all but one of the Honka immigrants I could find came from Finland. One from Germany) Julius isn't very Finnish. Maybe mom is Lithuanian.

Great list.

PS - F'n Tucker!
- wolfhounds

How could I forget that little dbag! Man, I am getting old!

People wonder why I have a cat named Claude Lemieux. Because it is the perfect cat name. No other reason.
- bodiva88

The moment when you realize Chris Pronger would still be playing hockey.

When are you suggesting that changed. Because I know one total bust 12th pick overall between Carter and Richards by the Rangers in 2003.
- bodiva88

There's busts in every draft. I was referring to 1st overalls (i.e. Daigle and Stefan). Like I said, it's still an inexact science, but when it comes to the top players in the draft, I think there is much better prep work done by teams.

If you look at most of the recent drafts (let's say from 2005 on) and compare them to some of the mid-90's drafts, it seems like there's a lot less misses in the first round. I mean, really, look at the 1995 and 1996 NHL drafts. They're absolutely abysmal. Sure it has something to do with weak classes, but when you've got better players taken in the 2nd or 3rd round than the 1st round, it screams of not having enough information to fully evaluate.

K, I got a question regarding the draft. This might have been covered before, apologies if it has been.

Say a potential 1st over all pick looks at the draft order, looks at the team picking first and says to himself; "Screw that noise, I don't want to play there, I'd rather play for a team like the Flyers(or whatever)".

Is that player able to tell his agent to get an entry level deal with the team the player wants to play for?

There's busts in every draft. I was referring to 1st overalls (i.e. Daigle and Stefan). Like I said, it's still an inexact science, but when it comes to the top players in the draft, I think there is much better prep work done by teams.

If you look at most of the recent drafts (let's say from 2005 on) and compare them to some of the mid-90's drafts, it seems like there's a lot less misses in the first round. I mean, really, look at the 1995 and 1996 NHL drafts. They're absolutely abysmal. Sure it has something to do with weak classes, but when you've got better players taken in the 2nd or 3rd round than the 1st round, it screams of not having enough information to fully evaluate.
- jmatchett383

Think the stakes have gotten a lot higher since the salary-cap was put in place -- for both drafters and draftees.

K, I got a question regarding the draft. This might have been covered before, apologies if it has been.

Say a potential 1st over all pick looks at the draft order, looks at the team picking first and says to himself; "Screw that noise, I don't want to play there, I'd rather play for a team like the Flyers(or whatever)".

Is that player able to tell his agent to get an entry level deal with the team the player wants to play for?
- MunsterMike

No. See Lindros, Eric. After telling the Nordiques he wouldn't go there if drafted by them the Nords picked him anyway, he sat out, and his rights were traded by them (twice at the same time on the next draft day by the Keystone Kops that was the Nords). After arbitration he ended up with the Flyers.

K, I got a question regarding the draft. This might have been covered before, apologies if it has been.

Say a potential 1st over all pick looks at the draft order, looks at the team picking first and says to himself; "Screw that noise, I don't want to play there, I'd rather play for a team like the Flyers(or whatever)".

Is that player able to tell his agent to get an entry level deal with the team the player wants to play for?
- MunsterMike

This scenario and other reasons (one being money) is one reason why some agents would love to do away with player drafts in all sports.

Players would simply go to the highest bidder in a perfect agent world.

This scenario and other reasons (one being money) is one reason why some agents would love to do away with player drafts in all sports.

Players would simply go to the highest bidder in a perfect agent world.
- johndewar

Instead of a draft, they could hold a mass Beezid penny-auction with all 30-teams participating. Heck, they could do that for July 1 as well.

So 19 years ago a friend and I boarded a bus full of Devils fans who were taunting and throwing stuff at us. No arrests were made. I'm not so sure that can be said of the 4 idiots in a quarter ton pickup who decided to patrol the lot with their Devils signs and got pelted with more beer bottles than I've seen in my life.

So 19 years ago a friend and I boarded a bus full of Devils fans who were taunting and throwing stuff at us. No arrests were made. I'm not so sure that can be said of the 4 idiots in a quarter ton pickup who decided to patrol the lot with their Devils signs and got pelted with more beer bottles than I've seen in my life.
- mayorofangrytown

MayorOfFightClub?

I'm curious who has the greater value in your mind C-Nazim Kadri or C-Brayden Schenn?

AND

the same question for D-Luke Schenn and D-Dion Phaneuf. Remember Phaneuf has a 7 year, 7 million contract kicking in this year.