A Game Diary To Remember, NJD vs. NYR 2/20/07
August 2, 2007 by Schnookie
We remember this one as the high-water mark of the Devils season. In fact, it stands out as the only game we think we remember with any kind of clarity. So let’s see, shall we Gentle Reader, whether the mists of time have muddled the truth and this game is, in fact, every bit as crappy as all the others FSN has given us this summer.
FIRST PERIOD
This one must be one of those streamlined Rangers games we love so well, or the producers must have cut out tons of play action, because we were given the intro discussing how the Rangers and Devils fared in their previous games. Turns out the Devils won their previous game on the Island 1-0; it was Marty’s 91st career shutout, and 89th against the Islanders.
19:34 Our very own itty-bitty prince Zach Parise and his fellow Poppers come out flying, and poor little Zach takes a shoulder in the jaw from Girardi for his crashing the net. Careful with that, Girardi! He’s allegedly the future of our franchise!
18:45 We have had our first Barry Tallackson sighting! He’s skating with Brylin and Gomez (um, why? We guess Gio and Patty are hurt, but Doc is keeping mum on the subject) and he’s wearing Clarkson’s numer. We feel like Barry’s been in the Devils minor-leagues for the last 15 years.
17:38 A Ranger darts down the ice on a frantic two-on-one (Marty makes a relatively easy save). Pookie, watching the Devils pointman staggering along slowly behind the play: “I can’t believe this was before the trade deadline.” Schnookie: “I can’t believe how bad David Hale was on that play.” Pookie: “I can’t believe someone took him off our hands.”
16:39 Chico is praising the Rangers’ depth and character, in particular the Cullen/Ortmeyer/some other random Ranger line. Good thing for them that Cullen and Ortmeyer are both gone now!
16:11 Hossa demonstrates one of the many ways a guy can be a detriment to his team by taking a magnificently lazy slashing penalty while on a passive forecheck against Rafalski.
15:40 We suddenly realize why Clarkson ended up as the guy we now associate with #27 instead of Tallackson — with hair like that he can’t ever expect to be a New Jersey Devil. A shot of him circling before a faceoff shows he has cascades of curls mulleting out the back of his helmet. Not cool.
13:28 Madden is wearing a large protective apparatus on his helmet thanks to the puck he took in the face in an earlier game against Tampa. Doc and Chico engage in a conversation wondering whether he’ll do the smart thing and start wearing a visor when he’s ready to take off the cage, but seriously, this is John Madden we’re talking about. Of course he doesn’t do the smart thing.
13:20 The Rassmussen line ends up on a slowly-developing 4-on-2, and as Doc shouts, “A four-on-two? Do you believe it?” we are inclined to say, “Well, it’s not like we’re expecting anything to come of it…” But Rasser surprises us with a quick, sneaky wrister that Lundqvist has to look very sharp on. Who knew?
12:50 Coming back from commercial we get to see a few highlights of Gomer darting through the neutral zone, gaining the blue line with speed, then having to dish off to any number of lousy-quality wingers (including Tallackson and Janssen). Heh. We are beginning to think that Lou was Gomer-killing this season. First he instructed Gio and Patty to ensure he’d have the worst contract year ever, then, when those guys were “injured”, he had Julien skate Gomer with fourth-liners. It was all a brilliant plot to make us happy to see Gomez leave the Devils.
11:44 The BTG (that’s “EGG” featuring Brylin and Tallackson) line is absolutely swirling around the zone and making the Rangers look like hapless buffoons; the entire play culminates in Gomer passing through Tallackson’s legs to Raffie, who snaps a quick shot to beat an oblivious Hank to take the 1-0 lead. Perhaps the niftiest thing about that set-up by Gomer is that he managed to garner an assist while making his own minor-league teammate look like an idiot by dishing the puck between his legs. (An overhead replay shows that Raffie didn’t get that shot in clean; it ricocheted off the post, off the back of Hank’s leg and in.)
10:12 Pookie: “Johnny Oduya took a penalty?? That I don’t remember.” It’s for tripping Nylander on a bit of good pressure by the Rangers.
9:10 Jagr fumbles a puck on the boards and Pando decides, “What the hell? Maybe I can break his shoulder too!” and barrels in for a typically gentle Pando bodycheck. The crowd goes wild. The ranks of PandoNation are swelling!
8:14 The ranks of PaulieMartinNation swell, too as Paulie hipcheck/trips Jagr at the blueline, forcing a turnover. Jagr is livid at the officials for not calling some kind of interference, but really his feelings are just hurt because the fans are laughing at him for falling over after being hit by Paul Martin, of all people.
6:33 Raffie cranks a shot from the right point and Pando marvelously tips it… into his own face.
6:10 The Madden line charges up the ice for the umpteenth time tonight; they normally don’t have this kind of jump, and it takes us a moment to realize the reason why: Rasser’s skating with them. This is our favorite iteration of the Madden line.
5:14 As the Rangers get some flow and pressure offensively, Marty tries to take a chunk out of a forward who skated a little too close to the blue paint on his way across the zone. Doc mentions off-handedly that it’s Avery Marty’s waving his stick at. Pookie: “Ah yes. This game.”
5:07 The offensive sequence ends with Marty freezing the puck on a routine save, and two Rangers, including Avery, collapsing down low. The defenders flock to the guys in front and a mild little hug-scrum ensues… until Avery decides he’s been embraced too hard and “falls over” on top of Marty. Even the first time we watched this we knew that wasn’t going to end well for Avery, who seemed at this moment not so much to get into Marty’s head as much as he was getting into his own head. How is that again that he doesn’t think he’s a detriment to his team? (Chico points out in replay that Paulie took a fist to the mush during the scrum and no penalties were called. Tivo allows us to judge that it was the correct call, because it was Gomez punching Paulie. Unless the officials wanted to call an “in anticipation of his slag-faced whorish move to the Rangers” penalty on Gomer for roughing up the One and Only Paulie Martin, of course. We wouldn’t complain about that kind of call.)
4:13 In a discussion of how delightfully feisty this game has been, Doc and Chico mention how Gomez discussed with them earlier in the day that he enjoys the rivalry with the Rangers. We guess he enjoys it so much he just wants to be able to look at that sweater in the mirror and hate it every single day because eight times a year just wasn’t enough.
3:46 Dupuis and Ortmeyer just barely miss the net on a zippy passing play, and Cullen and Ortmeyer both skate into Marty on the follow up. This “let’s jostle Marty at every opportunity” approach to trying to get Brodeur off his game never fails to crack us up, because Marty’s just not a guy who gets rattled. Hitting him only makes him angry.
0:59 Cullen does this crazy-assed spin-a-rama dipsy doodle dandy move around every Devil on the ice but ends up sliding the puck under Marty so it goes well wide of the net. Stan Fischler grits his teeth, because dipsy doodle dandying is Scott Gomez’s trademark.
0:00 At the buzzer Chico gets all excited because Jagr goes after Rasser. Chico starts to exult how Jagsie is finally playing with some fire (for the first time ever in a Rangers sweater, it seems), and as the camera cuts in tight, we get to see Pando say something to Jagr, and then the two of them crack up. Poor Chico. He wins some, he loses some. (We appreciate the Pando/Jagr laughter, though; it’s reminiscent of two archnemeses drinking toasts to one another on the eve of their duel to the death.)
SECOND PERIOD
19:29 On a faceoff after Marty makes a spunky half-butterfly save (that puts the “punky” in spunky) on Ortmeyer, Whitey holds Hossa and gets called for it. Fortunately, Hossa dives and gets called for that too.
[The clock has left us] Rachunek bobbles a bouncing puck at the point, and it trickles past him just as Brylin starts moving up to go after it. In a move we can only hope Rachunek has eradicated from his bag of tricks, he “whoops!” pokes just the blade of his stick into Brylin’s skates and trips him up before he can get into the clear, putting the Devils onto a 4-on-3 power play. Pookie: “See, that’s the difference between Brylin and Pando. Brylin actually draws a penalty on that play. Pando would just fall over.”
[Still no clock] With acres of ice out there, Langer and Raffie put on a clinic on how to hang onto the puck while making it kind of look like you’re hoping for a shot all the way until the man advantage expires.
15:25 Marty skates out to beat an attacking Ranger to a puck rolling into the corner, but the Ranger not only beats him to the puck, but takes his legs out from under him while doing it and then passes back to a wide-open Prucha. Ever so helpfully, Prucha decides to wait for Marty to get to his feet and settle back into position before shooting.
14:30 If anyone has wondered whether Gomez ever auditioned for the Rangers, look no further than this game. This period has featured wave after wave of great scoring chances started by Rangers turnovers high in the Devils zone that lead to wide-open, fly-up-the-ice rushes lead by Gomer. Sadly, Hank rises admirably (and handsomely) to the challenge.
12:45 Doc (and we can’t make this shit up): “Devils with fourteen draft choices in their lineup; Rangers built a little differently. They have four.” Um, yeah.
11:26 The Madden line gets a few moments of cycling pressure that Doc describes as, “A rare moment of Jagr shadowing Pandolfo”, and then the teams scramble down to the other end of the ice so Pando has to launch himself into Jagr as Jagsie digs the puck out of the corner. Man, even the Pando/Jagr dynamic is demonstrating end-to-end action in this game!
11:00 Nylander wrists a shot that Marty juggles a bit, and Prucha, barreling down the wing, plows straight into Marty. The first time we watched this game we were wondering at this point where the goaltender interference calls were, but in hindsight, we’re just chuckling, “Keep it coming, Rangers. You’ve totally got him on the run now. Heh heh.”
7:16 Both teams have kind of settled into the “lull” part of tonight’s entertainment. We’re seeing a lot more of the logo at center ice than we were earlier.
5:38 After a docile stretch of watching the Rangers mill about Marty’s zone, the Poppers finally pounce on a loose puck, Travis “Tintin” Zajac lobs it up ice to a streaking Zach, and Zach tries to pound a shot in on Hank. Pookie comments that the reason Lou is so enamored of Zach is probably because Zach has a personal, deep-seated hatred of both the Rangers and Islanders. Lou likes the guys who don’t require external motivation to play the division rivals.
4:33 Both teams have kind of settled into the “Devils turning the puck over softly at their own blue line” part of tonight’s entertainment. Every guy in red has now taken a turn trying to force an ill-advised pass from behind the goal line.
3:00 Gentle Reader, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t all have coronaries after this goal the first time it happened. Avery and Prucha get to park right at the top of the crease (nice defensive presence, there, Devils) and, as Marty tries to challenge the shot from the point, Avery backs straight into him. Marty never sees the puck blowing past him, and as the Rangers celebrate in front of him, he jauntily stands all contrapposto in the crease, stick held out at his side, radiating fury that the officials have let the Rangers have such free rein in his crease tonight, and even more annoyance that his teammates have done nothing in the last 10 minutes that even vaguely approximates the idea of defense.
1:19 Avery, so deeply into his own head and bloated with his sense of importance and dazzling ability to get Marty off his game, skates around Whitey, pushes a shot on net, then crashes directly into Marty and knocks off his helmet. They both get up, Avery smugly setting up as if nothing happened, and a maskless Marty — positively oozing well-earned arrogance — gives Avery a two-handed shove in the chest while shouting something monosyllabic. Avery responds by shoving Marty back and Marty goes down like he’s been sucker-punched in a glass jaw. Suddenly the red sweaters that have been so passive and/or absent from the front of Marty’s net flock to defend their goalie, less from some perceived attack by Avery (because seriously, dude, Marty could take him) and more in the hopes of defending Marty’s honor. All hell breaks loose around the goal, and Chico is beside himself with excitement: “I’ve never seen Marty Brodeur so irate!” Apparently “irate” with Marty looks an awful lot like a guy standing calmly just to the side of a goal-mouth pile-up, sneering down at the pissant wearing 16 for the Rangers, and then, as the melee breaks up, absolutely cracking up and joking with Nylander. Yeah, Avery — you really got to him. He’s positively Belfouring right now. (Okay, and here’s one of very few moments all season that we liked Cam Janssen — he and Lundqvist are shown having a long shouting match at one another across the rink. It’s nice to know that if this erupted into a full-on brawl, Cam would have called dibs on the pretty-boy goaltender.) The Devils end up with a power play, delightfully because Avery gets two for goalie interference and two for roughing, and Raffie gets two for roughing. Nothing for Marty. Because he’s just so rattled. Good game plan, Rangers.
0:00 As the Rangers skate off to the tunnel, Janssen lurches out off the bench to jaw at Hank. Hank does a pretty good job of ignoring him, but finally just can’t take the high road anymore and spins to toss a few words back Cam’s way. Doc and Chico find themselves wondering if this is the best-ever Devils-Rangers game, and while we wouldn’t go so far as to say that, we’ll certainly concede that it’s in the Top Five.
THIRD PERIOD
[FSN doesn't want us to know how much time is left] Rassmussen makes a case for himself not being shunted back to the fourth line when Gio and Patty come back and manages to impossibly keep himself onsides while forcing a bouncing puck through a Ranger at the offensive blue line. Then he wonders why he wants so badly to stay on a line with Pando and Madden, because there is nothing for him to do with the puck once he gets into the zone because those two guys so utterly lack offensive instinct.
[An indeterminate time later] Oduya fumbles a puck behind the net and turns it over to Hollweg. A nifty passing sequence follows that ends up with Hollweg with the puck at the side of the net and Marty totally sprawled out of position… and Hollweg shoots all the way over a prone Marty and completely across the crease. Oduya takes a moment to consider letting the puck ricochet off his chest and into the net, but the forces of good prevail and the game remains tied.
14:45 We find ourselves wondering where we got our current blind faith in Oduya, as he obliviouses his way around the offensive zone, somewhere between the concepts of effectively pinching or intelligently holding the point, and a two-on-one is sparked by the Rangers. (He does, though, catch up with the play.) Perhaps our faith in him stems from the fact that Raffie could do exactly the same thing (without the catching up to the play), but costs six times as much.
13:34 Raffie takes the most enraging delay-of-game penalty ever, or so it seems, since a Janssen-Orr fight breaks out as soon as he lofts the puck over the glass. Boomer: “Could they just take this fight down into the zamboni tunnel so we don’t have to watch it?” Coming back from commercial we are reminded of reason #4,629 why we don’t like Cam Janssen: gratuitous shirtlessness in the penalty box.
11:48 Rachunek falls over in his excitement as the puck squirts out to him at the wide-open point on the power play. Schnookie: “Gah! Why is it everything Rachunek does against the Devils sucks?” Pookie: “I think you need to lose that qualifier ‘against the Devils’.”
11:00 The Poppers fly up the ice with Zach carrying the puck on the wing; he makes a sharp, awesome pass to Tintin, who forces Hank to make a save that ends with that “Oh please don’t let that have trickled through me” goalie body language. Chico comments that Hank “felt the power of Zajac’s shot”. Didn’t we all, Chico?
During commercial we see a promo for a show on MSG that is apparently all about the true stories of the greats who have provided so many legendary moments at the World’s Most Fabulous Arena. Included in this commercial is a clip of Shanny discussing taking the Stanley Cup to his father’s grave. Not to belittle the emotional impact of a guy wishing he could have shared his moment of triumph with his father, but didn’t that happen when Shanny was a Red Wing?
Coming back from commercial we are treated to a highlight of Pando inadvertently flattening Roszival at center ice with a shoulder to the cheekbone. Pando doesn’t know his own strength! (If that had been Jagr his entire head would probably have fallen off.)
8:09 With the Rangers chipping all around Marty’s net, Zach flies down to the front of the net and just bowls Prucha to the ice…
…Lukowich gets a hold of the loose puck and starts skating it up the other way in the space Zach just cleared out…
…A wide-spread 3-on-2 develops as Gomez skates the puck up through the neutral zone…
…Zach puts on the closest thing he has to afterburners just as Gomer feeds him the puck…
…Zach finds himself blowing past his defender and skating in alone on Hank…
7:54 …Let’s let Doc take this one over, “Parise in! Nooooo! Rebound! SCORES!!!” (Zach missed on the first chance, skated across the crease, twisted himself into a crazy contortion that allowed him to get a piece of a crazily-bouncing puck, tipped it toward the net, and New Devil Rachunek was there to let it bank in off his stick.) The celebration looks like an overtime playoff goal.
7:17 A shot of Zach skating around during a stoppage looks like he’s trying desperately to play it cool. Pookie: “Yeah, but he’s really internally contemplating what the invitations to his apotheosis should look like.”
5:55 How ashamed should Hossa be that it takes him several long moments to get back to his feet after being smashed into the boards by Raffie? Boomer wonders if Hossa was the one who was also hit hard by Pando earlier, but Schnookie corrects her that that was Roszival. Pookie: “There are a lot of Rangers who won’t be able to look at themselves in the mirror tomorrow morning.”
2:28 Considering the recent history of douchebags wearing 16 for the Rangers, is it possible they’ll issue two more #16s to accommodate Drury and Gomer? This spurs a discussion of what might be the most annoying number Gomez could wear. Pookie suggests 20, and Schnookie’s heart vomits into its own mouth at the thought.
0:32 The Rangers get an extra attacker and a mad flurry predictably ensues. Marty manages a massive save through traffic, Langer gets a hold of the puck, then ices the puck in his attempt at the empty net. In the Devils organization that probably means he has to do 10,000 pushups and wax Lou’s car. (He also then stares at the linesman in stunned disbelief, then gives that furrowed-brow death glare of his to the red line, silently admonishing it to never, ever try to do that shit to him again.)
0:07 After the Rangers rip shots high over the net on a few glorious opportunities, Pando finds a rebound and shovels it down the ice… and in typical Pando fashion, the puck just dribbles to a stop outside the goal.
0:00 We weren’t wrong — this game was, bar none, the best of the season. Even having seen it before and knowing the final score, this one was tense from start to finish, with an almost ceaselessly high level of intensity and amazing flow. This, Gentle Reader, is what rivalry games should be all about.
In the postgame we get to celebrate anew the re-signing of our very own Zach Parise. He’s so spiky-haired and adorable, and when asked about the Avery-Brodeur tussle, he totally looks like he’s thinking, “What would a captain say about that?” Pookie suggests he really wants to whip out a plate of foecal oysters, which would prompt Lou to run in shouting, “No, not that captain! A captain!”
Steve then asks Zach if he takes special pride in beating the Rangers, explaining the question with what can only be called the Official Understatement Of The Night: “I think some guys in the room don’t mind them being in the playoffs. Others — and I think Marty Brodeur is one of them — are of the opinion, ‘Eh, let’s get rid of them.’” Ya think, Steve? (And if that’s how Marty felt before Gomer signed with them, how does he feel about them now?
At the buzzer Chico gets all excited because Jagr goes after Rasser. Chico starts to exult how Jagsie is finally playing with some fire…
Oh, good Lord that was one of my least favorite storylines of the playoffs. A decade after his career began, Jagr is playing with some fire and passion! Good job, Jags, that definitely deserves our admiration.
One of the things that does bother me about our defense is how slow they are to get the opposition the hell out of Crunchy’s crease.
Yeah, it really seems we’re well past the point in Jagr’s career where we should be celebrating that he showed up to play.
but seriously, this is John Madden we’re talking about. Of course he doesn’t do the smart thing.
PHILISTINES!!!
It was all a brilliant plot to make us happy to see Gomez leave the Devils.
*spit take*
but seriously, this is John Madden we’re talking about. Of course he doesn’t do the smart thing.
PHILISTINES!
We kid because we love!
but seriously, this is John Madden we’re talking about. Of course he doesn’t do the smart thing.
PHILISTINES!!!
Aw, come on! Has there ever been a better poster boy for the “I’m too stubborn and desperate to prove my machismo to put on a visor, despite the fact that I’ve had multiple near-misses with pucks and sticks to my eyes” school of thought than John Madden? He has many admirable traits as a player, but possessing a rational mentality about eye safety really isn’t one of them.
My memory might be failing me, but didn’t John’s wife make him wear a visor for the rest of the year?
We kid because we love!
And so do I. You girls are hilarious.
Has there ever been a better poster boy for the “I’m too stubborn and desperate to prove my machismo to put on a visor, despite the fact that I’ve had multiple near-misses with pucks and sticks to my eyes” school of thought than John Madden?
Sadly, there are dozens of fully qualified candidates. It’s maddening (even if there wasn’t a pun there, I was going to say that)!
I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that the Sabres were the most visor-ed team in the league last year. I can only think of four guys off-hand who don’t wear visors (Mair, Gaustad, Peters, Numminen).
Jay McKee’s wife encouraged him to start wearing a visor a couple of years ago after he took a puck off his face, pretty damn close to his eye. He had raccoon eyes for a big chunk the season and missed a few games because his eyes were swollen shut. I kind of think I saw him without one again in St. Louis this year though.
I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that the Sabres were the most visor-ed team in the league last year. I can only think of four guys off-hand who don’t wear visors (Mair, Gaustad, Peters, Numminen).
Also Paetsch. Who I think said that his mother is not too happy about that. And I was totally amused to hear Gaustad do an interview where he said that his grandfather is an optometrist. I bet his grandfather hates that he goes visor-less. Oh, and Connolly doesn’t wear a visor, although he barely counts as having played for the Sabres last year. Of that lot, I think Connolly makes the least sense. I mean, Numminen is old and the rest fight from time to time. But Connolly?
Shame that McKee finally wised up enough to put a visor on only to take it off again.
Woohoo! Sherry gave a radio shoutout to Earl Sleek, and only sounded very embarrassed to do it. Good work, Sherry!
I was totally amused to hear Gaustad do an interview where he said that his grandfather is an optometrist. I bet his grandfather hates that he goes visor-less
I remember hearing that interview too. I think he said something about how he took a puck/stick to the face and his grandfather called to yell at him.
A decade after his career began, Jagr is playing with some fire and passion! Good job, Jags, that definitely deserves our admiration.
Something tells me Jagr’s going to be out of the running for the position of Drury’s BFF on the Rangers. Mr. its-practice-but-must-play-like-its-Game 7-of-the-SCF isn’t going to get along well with someone who only shows up to play when he darn well feels like it.
Sadly, there are dozens of fully qualified candidates.
Including our beloved Mikey C, who apparently got a 0 on the “common sense” part of the SAT. This is really the thing that drives me most crazy in all of hockey, which is saying a lot, considering this is a sport that got rid of ties in favor of shootouts. And while I can kind of, maybe, just a little bit see how guys who’ve never nearly lost an eye would operate under the “it can’t happen to me” mentality, guys like Madden, who’ve come thisclose more than once, just make me want to bang my head against a brick wall. (And MrFrisby, I know he wore the visor longer than I expected him to, but it seemed there was constant noise coming from him that he was going to stop wearing it; I feel like he did take it off, but I may very well be wrong [I know -- shocking!]. If the season opens with him be-visored, I’ll issue him a public apology, which I’m sure will mean a lot to him.)
Sherry gave a radio shoutout to Earl Sleek, and only sounded very embarrassed to do it.
Only “very embarrassed”, eh? We need to work on your nom de blog (or would it just be a nom de shoutout in this case?) Earl. Take it from me — there’s nothing quite like being able to hear her squirming when she’s trying to stumble over your name.
(Oh, and Sherry, you’re off the hook today. No need to say “Schnookie McCrotch” on air because I’m not going to be able to listen this afternoon, and I wouldn’t want to waste the big “Schnookie McCrotch” moment while I’m out running errands. So you can just save that up for next week… :P)
At the buzzer Chico gets all excited because Jagr goes after Rasser. Chico starts to exult how Jagsie is finally playing with some fire…
Oh, good Lord that was one of my least favorite storylines of the playoffs. A decade after his career began, Jagr is playing with some fire and passion! Good job, Jags, that definitely deserves our admiration.
This was also the storyline of the ‘05-’06 season…endlessly going on about how Jagr was newly hardworking and motivated now that he was with the Rangers. It’s like the never ending, never true tale that they tell.
It’s only a partial success, though. Yeah, I got a Cake song and a shoutout, but what happened to my request to spend the rest of the first half-hour talking about Dustin Penner the Oiler?
but what happened to my request to spend the rest of the first half-hour talking about Dustin Penner the Oiler?
I’m sure she really wanted to, but I think there are regulations about how long you can talk on non-sports radio in Canada about how badly you want Kevin Lowe’s RFA signing attempts to fail.
Did Madden miss the final game against the Sens? I was just checking out the game action galleries and didn’t see him at all, not even in the handshake line. However, I did find him in the second to last game and he is indeed still wearing the visor.
That’s strange because I would have put money on Madden removing the visor before the end of the season. I remember thinking that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t giving a fair shake — and then the next game he took it off. I guess my memory is pretty shoddy. Particularly since I seemed to have blocked Game 5 against Ottawa out. I have no recollection if Madden was playing or not. I can’t imagine he wasn’t since it was such big news how badly he and Pando were doing.
Woohoo! Sherry gave a radio shoutout to Earl Sleek, and only sounded very embarrassed to do it. Good work, Sherry!
I still did it didn’t I? I wasn’t even sure if you were listening, it would have been a waste of a shoutout!
what happened to my request to spend the rest of the first half-hour talking about Dustin Penner the Oiler?
I kid you not, I literally completely forgot. I blame the liquor.
I’m sure she really wanted to, but I think there are regulations about how long you can talk on non-sports radio in Canada about how badly you want Kevin Lowe’s RFA signing attempts to fail.
It’s true, I’m worried K.Lowe is listening and me blasting him and his craziness would literally push him over the edge. I don’t want that on my conscience.
I’m pretty sure Madden played G5 against Ottawa. Of course, I was also pretty sure he didn’t wear a visor, so that shows how reliable I am!
Wade Redden didn’t wear a visor for a good chunk of his time in Ottawa and for some reason this year he started wearing one again. I think that was when he started to suck. I appreciate him wanting to be more safe, but I still blame the visor! Yes, that’s it.
OK, I looked it up, and not only did Mad Dog play in game five, he played over 19 minutes.
What terrible fans we are that we can’t even remember something as simple as that. Or maybe that’s just how terrible he was. :P
What terrible fans we are that we can’t even remember something as simple as that. Or maybe that’s just how terrible he was. :P
I like to think it was the later! In all seriousness, we all knew the Devs were losing that game well before it started, so why should any of us have paid any attention? :)
That’s strange because I would have put money on Madden removing the visor before the end of the season.
I wish I would have known that ahead of time. I could have been all ,”Madden did not remove his visor! You wanna bet? TELL ME WHEN!!!”
I wish I would have known that ahead of time. I could have been all ,”Madden did not remove his visor! You wanna bet? TELL ME WHEN!!!”
:^:::::::::::::
And, just like in all the bets I made with X, I would have lost. What never made sense was how she won all of them. Including that Elias wouldn’t hold-out in his contract negotiations (before he became a free-agent). That was a sure bet!
Well, since X apparently knew so much about the Devils, maybe she had some incriminating pictures. Somebody who wears shiny shirts like that can’t possibly be up to any good.
Incriminating pictures of Patrik Elias eating foecal oysters!
Pff, who doesn’t have pictures of that?
How about pictures of Patty Elias eating foecal oysters that are all wearing tiny shiny oyster shirts?
Tiny Shiny Oyster Shirts is, of course, the name Crunchy performs under when he plays his electric oboe at folk musical festivals.
How about pictures of Patty Elias eating foecal oysters that are all wearing tiny shiny oyster shirts?
How did you know what’s on my desktop, Schnookie?!
Actually, that would be adorable! In an extremely creepy way.
I wish I would have known that ahead of time. I could have been all ,”Madden did not remove his visor! You wanna bet? TELL ME WHEN!!!”
By the way, MrFrisby, you’re terrifying good at doing a very real X impersonation. Are you sure you’ve never met her? (Oh, and :^::::::::::::::::::::::::)
Actually, that would be adorable! In an extremely creepy way.
The really creepy part is how Patty talks to each and every foecal oyster while dressing it up in sufficiently Eurotrashy clothes (”You look so hot in that shiny shirt! All the lady oysters are going to be flocking to you…”). I mean, why get so friendly with them when you’re just planning to eat them? (And yes, Patty insists that all his food look as Eurotrashy as he does.)
(And yes, Patty insists that all his food look as Eurotrashy as he does.)
Well, of course. Nothing but the finest in Euro-trash comes near those lips [insert dirty joke here]
Requests for this afternoon [Schnookie, I might just say 'Schnookie McCrotch' this afternoon. I guess you'll never know now!]
Since I won’t be listening, you’ll need to play something melancholy to match the mood in my absence. How about “Carry Me Ohio”?
Nothing but the finest in Euro-trash comes near those lips [insert dirty joke here]
Heh. Patty’s like, “There’s nothing ‘fine’ about it!”
Requests, eh? Well, I can’t listen to the show today, but can I request “Indian Summer” by Luna? I used to listen to it all the time in the summertime, and I was devasted to discover that it’s no longer on my iPod, and it’s not in my library. I’ve already had to purchase it a bunch of times because I keep forgetting to burn it and my computers have a distressing proclivity towards crashing so I feel like I really shouldn’t buy it again.
I love that song Pookie, I will definitely play it! Yours too Schnookie, for some reason a lot of the songs I picked today were also sort of mellow too.
Good morning IPB!
I remember that game so well. Man, Avery, bastard. Marty, you punky genius.
Sherry, how long do I have to decide on a song? Oh wth if I can’t think up something before I’ll just call you.
Sherry’s taking requests! Woo Hoo! Sherry, how about some U2?
I was thinking further about reasons the Rangers are going to tank this year. You guys all remember how Jagr’s supposed comeback was partially inspired by the Rags’ management surrounding him with Czechs, so that he would be happy or whatever. Aren’t most of those players gone now? I know Prucha (mini Jagr) is still there. But how many others are there? Not many, I think. Just too many non-Czech $7m+ players.
I think it’s that mellow kind of day now, where we realize it’s effin’ August. I honestly think that, with the exception of people who have August birthdays, this month is just the pits. But it’s also too hot to fight it, so I just try to mellow my way through… (Keeping me afloat? The knowledge that the next page I flip on my calendar will mean FOOTBALL. Which will then mean HOCKEY.)
Just too many non-Czech $7m+ players.
What they’re going to end up doing is forcing Drury to wear shiny shirts. He’ll be that much more miserable, of course… This is going to be the best study in chemistry gone horribly awry since the Forsberg experiment in Philly!
Aww, Schnookie, I really like August! It’s Holland’s only true summer month. And one of the few months where I don’t have to bust my ass for ANYTHING. August is for relaxing.
Sherry, how long do I have to decide on a song? Oh wth if I can’t think up something before I’ll just call you.
You can definitely do that if you don’t mind the long distance charges! 905-528-9888
Sherry, how about some U2?
Would you believe me if I said I don’t think we have any U2? :P
I think it’s that mellow kind of day now, where we realize it’s effin’ August. I honestly think that, with the exception of people who have August birthdays, this month is just the pits.
I think you’re right, the weather has not only been horrendeously hot but it’s sort of the month where you suddenly realize lazy summer days are almost over.
On the other hand, I’m going to another wedding this weekend so I better find my cheeriness somehow, heh. I think it’s also a mellow day for me because my housemate and I spent last night drinking and we’re all still recovering.
You can definitely do that if you don’t mind the long distance charges!
Given the amount of money I spend text messaging Jordi I hardly think a call to Canada is going to make much of a difference :P
“Would you believe me if I said I don’t think we have any U2? :P”
Of course I would! (i was just kidding!) You should check out http://www.kdvs.org it’s the station I worked at for a long time. It’s very, very similar to you guys.
“This is going to be the best study in chemistry gone horribly awry…”
That’s what the Rangers do best!!
I think it’s also a mellow day for me because my housemate and I spent last night drinking and we’re all still recovering.
Sherry’s becoming an IPBer! Train hard for the ‘08 draft, Sherry! It now turns out that Burke does have a first-round pick (though he’s already insinuated that he’s trying to trade it–gotta love that guy’s attitude on draft picks).
it’s sort of the month where you suddenly realize lazy summer days are almost over.
I’ll give you that I enjoy the lazy summer days. But what really gets me about August is that there aren’t any holidays. It’s just 31 days with nothing going on. There isn’t even any sports news — the only sport going on here is baseball, and they’re in their dog days, since the damn stretch run doesn’t start until September.
I think my biggest problem is that I adore autumn. Like, so much so that I actively yearn for it all through the rest of the year. So by the time August rolls around, I’m just chomping at the bit. I’ll try to keep my whining here to a minimum.
I’ll give you that I enjoy the lazy summer days. But what really gets me about August is that there aren’t any holidays. It’s just 31 days with nothing going on. There isn’t even any sports news — the only sport going on here is baseball, and they’re in their dog days, since the damn stretch run doesn’t start until September.
Haha, in Canada we have a Civic Holiday the first week of August so that’s sort of…a holiday of sorts? I will say that the only reason I do get into baseball is because there’s no hockey and it actually does fill some sort of void. The Jays never make the playoffs anyway so I can promptly drop them come September/October.
I think my biggest problem is that I adore autumn.
Me too! I love when the leaves change colours and start to fall off the trees, it’s very idyllic. I also think my favourite weather is jacket weather.
I also think my favourite weather is jacket weather.
I couldn’t agree more! I love being able to wear sweaters and jackets… I’d go on at greater length here, but eventually I’m going to just break down and make this a Reason We Love Hockey, so I’ll spare you all having to hear it twice.
I love when the leaves change colours and start to fall off the trees, it’s very idyllic.
And then it rains and they clog up all the drains.
I also think my favourite weather is jacket weather.
I agree on this one. I love breaking out the winter clothes, mostly because I really really like cold weather :)
Sherry, “Last Request” by Paolo Nutini for Oil and “Sexy” by the Black Eyed Peas for me, if you have them please. Thanks ever so much!
It now turns out that Burke does have a first-round pick (though he’s already insinuated that he’s trying to trade it–gotta love that guy’s attitude on draft picks).
Burke’s right — draft picks are for pussies! Classless pussies! :P
And then it rains and they clog up all the drains.
I actually don’t think I’ve ever had that problem.
I agree on this one. I love breaking out the winter clothes, mostly because I really really like cold weather :)
I am absolutely a winter-gal myself too. I couldn’t live without snow! It’s just not Christmas without it. It’s a bit of a pain having to shovel the walkway and te fact that for some reason all drivers seem to forget how to drive with any indication of snow but it really is awesome. The days where it actually is snowing are the best because the temperature really isn’t that cold and it’s gorgeous outside.
Sherry, “Last Request” by Paolo Nutini for Oil and “Sexy” by the Black Eyed Peas for me, if you have them please. Thanks ever so much!
Done and done! I’ll check to see if we have them :D
I actually don’t think I’ve ever had that problem.
For serious? Always happens here. My mom always unclogs all the ones she walks by when she walks the dog in the am so the street doesn’t get flooded. Luckily I live at the top of a hill, so even if the street flooded I’d be pretty safe.
I couldn’t live without snow!
Me neither. Hardly ever snows here though which is a huge bummer (back to Canada!)
Hmm, this “snow” thing sounds intriguing. Please send me some so I can properly evaluate its merits.
“Hmm, this “snow” thing sounds intriguing.”
haha, seriously. I wish it snowed here. I have to drive two hours if I wanna experience it.
Sleek and Andrew, I’ll get you guys a snowglobe when I’m in Cali over Christmas break. It’s an artist’s rendition but it’s the closest I can get without being arrested at the airport :P That being said, I’ll probably be going crazy over the lack of snow there.
“I’ll probably be going crazy over the lack of snow there.”
What part of CA you gonna be in, Sherry?
Nothing’s really confirmed yet because the only way I’ll be able to afford it is if I go with my parents, haha. We’ll most likely be in SoCal close to L.A. since we have family friends there and maybe go to Vegas for a day.
California killed the thread!
Just in time for me to go on-air too. See you guys later :) Don’t be afraid to call me if you want to hear something…if you’re listening.
Woo-hoo! It’s time to go home! I’m off to meet Pookie for lunch, run a few errands, and get my catsitting instructions for this weekend. See you all later!
[Mags I think I can only play the first minute of 'Sexy' cause there's swearing in the middle and too 'racy' for the middle of the afternoon, heh. Hope that's okay?]
Sherry, no problem. Thought it might be a bit too much but I figured wth :P
I honestly think that, with the exception of people who have August birthdays, this month is just the pits.
Many of us with August birthdays also think it’s the pits. Especially those of us in Texas.
And to think, the ookies dared to declare March as the worst month of the year. August is waaaaay worse!
I dunno–I like August. Maybe it’s because I was raised in a schooling environment that didn’t like to teach classes in August. Sure, I don’t get any benefit from that now, but my choir is off completely in August, so there’s still some sense of relief.
For me, I guess it all comes down to how hot is. August is 95-100+ degrees almost everyday here, so is July. Brutal!
Heh, Andrew. All we got so far is 75 - 85 ish with some good ol’ L.A. haze (you can call it smog, but we’re optimists). But yeah, I hate superhot weather, so that would definitely be a drag.
I like August, if only because its the calm before the storm at work. My client’s budgets for next year start hitting at that time, so 4th quarter gets a little nuts.
And August has beautiful weather, plus the Erie County Fair, which is a pretty good time.
You guys are making me jealous!
It’s all good, becuase with 3 major rivers coming through town and the delta only about 40 min. away, we get a pretty good breeze at night, cools down really nicely.
I guess I shouldn’t complain, because fall, spring, and winter are beautiful around here. It’s just that jun-sep hot season that ruins it!
All we got so far is 75 - 85 ish with some good ol’ L.A. haze
Dude, in August, I’d take a 1920’s coal-plant haze over the heat we usually get.
Fun weather fact: July was the first July in 15 years where we didn’t have any 100 degree days.
And since it rained yesterday, it’s probably the first August in 15 years that got rain.
Since this thread has lost some momentum, maybe you guys can help me think through a question I’m supposed to answer as part of a blogger-opinion initiative:
“I’d like to get your opinion on who is the worst free agent signing of this off-season.”
I really haven’t thought through this very much (despite it sitting in my inbox all week), but I think for me, it should mean that the player or salary is not a good fit for the new team. I’m kind of tempted to just say “Bertuzzi” because I know he’s Anaheim’s worst signing salary-wise, but is there someone worse?
Or maybe it’s Vancouver signing Aaron Miller? Just my other thought–a team that’s already been feeling the salary cap crunch decides to drop a million-and-a-half on the one position that really needed no help? I mean, who saw Vancouver last year and thought, “Boy, that team could really use another defensive defenseman!”?
Still, suggestions welcome.
Fun weather fact: July was the first July in 15 years where we didn’t have any 100 degree days.
I think this is the first week all summer we’ve gotten weather anywhere near the hundreds and I’m dying.
And Sherry if you happen to see this after your show, you’re playing one of my favorite Black Heart Procession songs - and here I was sad I wasn’t around to request anything pre-show today!
It’s a good question Earl. I don’t really know who the “worst” signing, factually speaking, would be. But my gut reaction would be a two-way tie between Briere and Gomez.
Both players have had point-per-game production only one season each throughout their careers. (I’m not counting Briere’s injury shortened 05-06 season, 48 games). Not that points are the only thing that matter, but neither brings a ton of intangibles to the table either.
The length and $$$ amount of each contract was assinine. Both players went to teams who we’re notorious for pre-lockout spending sprees. Basically the way I see it, not only did these players get waaaay overpaid, but because of their signings (and Drury’s and Smyth’s) the NHL appears to be treading back into dangerous CBA waters. This precedent that these GMS have set forth is the equivalent of the NHL taking 2 steps forward and 4 steps back.
But then again, what the hell do I know.
“Two-way tie” is kinda redundant isn’t it? heh.
Yeah Andrew, plus that matches well with my theory of “whoever signs a UFA on July 1st loses–they’ve overspent and overcommitted”. Uh, except Schneidermayer, though :)
Schneidermayer
Feuding!
“Schneidermayer”
“Feuding!”
Steph! You’re killing me! too funny.
“Feuding!”
Mags, can I have some of your popcorn? :P
I gotta admit I was a little taken aback when I read that Nonis signed Aaron Miller and another defenseman for us. But what I like is what I read on his NHL stats. He’s very skilled at clearing the crease and if Luongo gets run less this year I’m all for it. But yeah maybe a little over a million was a little too much.
I gotta agree with Andrew. Although (Katebits, look away!) I’d add Drury to the mix, as well. Schnookie and I were discussing just the other day how he manages to be a player that would have been priceless to Buffalo, but isn’t worth even near the amount NY is paying him. Particularly on a team that tends to squander good leadership.
Feuding!
Aw, Steph. I don’t know about Burke, but I’ve got a scheme in my head that says as soon as Scott doesn’t retire, we’re moving Schneider out ASAP. There’s no way to support 3 defensemen making north of $5.5 million, and the other two aren’t going anywhere.
In my mind’s eye, Schneider goes to Nashville (as they’ve just discovered they have money to spend), but I’m sure if Detroit bids enough, they can put themselves in the running.
(Of course, Scott will just retire and kick my plan in the nuts, but as I said, I’m optimistic for now.)
*drops in*
Sure Patty. *hands over some popcorn*
I’m kind of tempted to just say “Bertuzzi” because I know he’s Anaheim’s worst signing salary-wise, but is there someone worse?
I think it’s hard to say before the season starts. Bertuzzi might stay healthy and contribute and earn his money. I agree with Andrew that Gomez and Briere could be good answers. They’re making a lot of money, they’ll be fairly old by the time their contracts are up, and they don’t contribute much defensively. Drury is also being paid far too much for someone who has never scored more than 69 points and is good defensively but certainly not elite. I think the more reasonable length of his contract and the fact that he brings more to the table than offense prevent him from being as bad as Gomez and Briere though.
Then again, if the cap keeps going up at this rate, those teams have such deep pockets that it doesn’t really matter. Still, I’m inclined to think that big free agent signings tend not to pay off, so the bigger the worse it is.
I agree about the first day of Free Agency. If we’re just talking about bad signings without trying to argue that they could turn out well if something unforeseen happens in the future, I might vote for Gomez, too. He and Drury and Briere could be 1a-c, but I’d pick Gomez as 1a.
Wait, hold the phone, Steph just reminded me of Rafalski! That was a bad signing too. I suppose it’s not Worst. Signing. Ever. material, but, man oh man, is he ever not worth that money.
They’re making a lot of money, they’ll be fairly old by the time their contracts are up, and they don’t contribute much defensively.
“Much”? “Much”? I cannot wait until Rangers fans find out how little Scott Gomez picked up in his 7 years of being a Devil.
You guys all remember how Jagr’s supposed comeback was partially inspired by the Rags’ management surrounding him with Czechs, so that he would be happy or whatever. Aren’t most of those players gone now? I know Prucha (mini Jagr) is still there. But how many others are there?
From forever ago, but I just want to say that the last I knew (which was when Buffalo sports radio did a parody song called “Renney and the Czechs,” yeah I’m one of those people whose sole news source is the Daily Show) there were seven Czechs on the team. So those original guys might not be around, but the Rangers seem to like to keep a good number of Jagr’s countrymen on hand. You know, in case he needs a shiny-shirt-wearing buddy (or six) to hit the Eurobeat clubs with.
I dunno, I’m inclined to go with Gomer, but I don’t want to do him the honour of winning something. So I’m going to say Drury. He’s overpaid and the Rangers are clearly not his sort of team.
Playing catch up even though I’m sure no one cares about any of these topics anymore:
Oh, and Connolly doesn’t wear a visor, although he barely counts as having played for the Sabres last year.
He wore one during the season he had the concussion after he took a puck to the face during pregame warm-ups one night. I hadn’t realized he’d gone back to not wearing it. Yeah, I’d agree it doesn’t make much sense for him as a player. Let’s face it, he should be wearing a football helmet at this point just to be on the safe side.
Sherry’s taking requests! Woo Hoo! Sherry, how about some U2?
andrew, you’re making fun of me, aren’t you? :P
Earl, I’d go with Briere as the worst free agent signing as well. Ridiculous amount of money for his career production, extremely long term for a 30 year old, and a player that doesn’t really fit into Philly’s current style of play. Maybe they’ll adjust around him but they don’t really strike me as very run and gun.
Earl, are you also asked who you think the best free-agent signing is?
Steph! You’re killing me!
Crap, I didn’t intend for the feud to claim the lives of innocent bystanders!
I’m not usually a fan of hating things, but if the Rangers end up sucking as much as I hope they do, and if it’s because of the effed-up chemistry especially, I am going to watch every game with glee!
“I gotta agree with Andrew. Although (Katebits, look away!) I’d add Drury to the mix, as well.”
I thought about it, but I just couldn’t. This may be my man-crush speaking here but Drury’s contract, while also assinine, isn’t quite as bad as Gomez or Briere. You are right about his leadership skills being squandered in NY, but Meg was also right when she said “I think the more reasonable length of his contract and the fact that he brings more to the table than offense prevent him from being as bad as Gomez and Briere though.”
Schnookie and I were discussing just the other day how he manages to be a player that would have been priceless to Buffalo, but isn’t worth even near the amount NY is paying him.
So true. He might be Dead. To. Me.
“andrew, you’re making fun of me, aren’t you? :P”
Heather! Why, of course not!! But I was hoping you were around when I requested it….I think Sherry thought I was serious.
In my mind’s eye, Schneider goes to Nashville (as they’ve just discovered they have money to spend), but I’m sure if Detroit bids enough, they can put themselves in the running.
You know what, I think Nashville would be worse than Anaheim. The thought of seeing Schneider, who is already admittedly funny looking, in those uniforms, even if they can’t use the puke yellow anymore…yeah, ew. Though hey, at least we wouldn’t be feuding anymore?
As for Rafalski I think when Schneider left we went “ah crap, well, we have the money, let’s overspend to make sure this gets fixed.” So while it isn’t a particularly good signing, I don’t think it’s one that’d detrimental to the Wings like some of the other poorer ones have been - although I’m basing this solely on the tiny tiny bit I know about him from hanging out around here, so :P
Earl, are you also asked who you think the best free-agent signing is?
Not yet. It’s a one-question quiz, but I think there might be more of these in the future. But hell, if you want to discuss this here too, I’ll just remember the right answer until I’m asked.
He wore one during the season he had the concussion after he took a puck to the face during pregame warm-ups one night. I hadn’t realized he’d gone back to not wearing it. Yeah, I’d agree it doesn’t make much sense for him as a player. Let’s face it, he should be wearing a football helmet at this point just to be on the safe side.
Oh yes, I remember that now. But no, he’s not wearing it…which I only know because I remember thinking that if anyone should be wearing a visor and using a mouthguard it’s Connolly.
you’re playing one of my favorite Black Heart Procession songs - and here I was sad I wasn’t around to request anything pre-show today!
I’m so glad you liked it! I love that song!
I think Sherry thought I was serious
I didn’t. I tend to do the thing where I believe people aren’t being sarcastic or are serious just to piss the heck out of them. Fun times!
I actually think the Ryan Smyth signing was one of the worst, perhaps not THE worst, but it’s certainly up there. At least with the other players you know they’re actually quite skilled but Smyth’s reputation comes with the famed intangibles that may or may not have only been there based on the specific team. [I.E., Oilers]
Meg, the mouthguard! Argh, that totally drives me crazy! Why isn’t a guy with such a terrible concussion history wearing a mouthguard? And tighten that damn chinstrap up! I have regular fits about this in regards to Timmy.
“Why isn’t a guy with such a terrible concussion history wearing a mouthguard?”
“And tighten that damn chinstrap up!”
Mama Connolly?
I love that song!
Me too! It’s a toss up between that one and Amore del Tropico, I think (which actually was almost what I requested when I called you). Next time!
“I tend to do the thing where I believe people aren’t being sarcastic or are serious just to piss the heck out of them. ”
What do I look like? Earl?
Sherry, it takes a whoooole lot to get me riled up. I have a hard time mustering up the energy to get angry.
What do I look like? Earl?
Oh fuck you’re asking for it Andrew!
Anyways, I submitted my answer, thanks for the help. My submission: Briere, with an honorable mention to A. Miller. I still couldn’t get over them addressing a glaring scoring deficiency by getting another defensive d-man.
So while it isn’t a particularly good signing, I don’t think it’s one that’d detrimental to the Wings like some of the other poorer ones have been
No, you’re right Steph, it isn’t a bad signing in that Raffie can bring something to the team. He’s just not going to bring $6 million worth of anything. (He did sign for 6, right? I’m not making that up am I?)\
Why isn’t a guy with such a terrible concussion history wearing a mouthguard?
Wait a minute, Tim Connolly doesn’t wear a mouthguard? At what point does Buffalo management decide they need to protect their investment and demand he wear concussion-preventing equipment?!
“Oh fuck you’re asking for it Andrew!”
Earl! Don’t be so angry!!
What do I look like? Earl?
It’s true, he does seem perpetually pissed off at me :P
Sherry, it takes a whoooole lot to get me riled up. I have a hard time mustering up the energy to get angry.
Haha, good for you :P I don’t mean to piss off people, it’s just funny to see them so frustrated with me.
I just finally got around to finding out what my voicemail password is and I have over 50 new messages. At least 90% of them are just hang ups. Why would you wait for the voicemail message to kick in if you’re just going to hang up? Yeesh.
Why isn’t a guy with such a terrible concussion history wearing a mouthguard?
Maybe all those concussions have made him stupid.
“It’s true, he does seem perpetually pissed off at me :P”
I don’t mean to give you shit Earl. It’s just that you’re probably the most passionate in your arguments amongst the Irregulars. Well, you might be tied with the ookies.
Three-way tie! I used it correctly that time!
All righty, quitting time for me. Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend…or a long weekend if you’re in Canada [whoo Civic holiday! Don't ask me what it's about, I have no clue]
No, you’re right Steph, it isn’t a bad signing in that Raffie can bring something to the team. He’s just not going to bring $6 million worth of anything.
I don’t think Raffie’s a bad signing for Detroit, but there’s also an understanding there that spending $6M for the Red Wings isn’t the same as spending $6M for other teams. They had some serious blueline minutes to fill, and paid the price to win a guy who could fill them capably enough.
Besides, Detroit has TONS of room for error here, it really isn’t critical that Raffie bring $6 million worth of anything (and frankly, there’s such salary discrepancy all over the league I’m not sure how to think about what $6M is supposed to bring). If they are 75% the team they were last year, they’ll probably still win the Central by a mile.
I guess the point being–I think the team that gets the player matters just as much as the player himself. And I think Detroit and Rafalski fit well enough.
Maybe all those concussions have made him stupid.
Or he started out that way. I don’t know…I know surprisingly little about Connolly besides the fact that he’s fun to watch on the ice and tends to come off as kind of douchey.
Oh, and there was an article about him this year that said he got so bored while concussed that he even took up reading. Oh the desperation. :|