Veilleux re-signs
Posted on July 19th, 2008 – 6:22 PMBy Michael Russo
The Wild has avoided a Monday arbitration hearing by re-signing left wing Stephane Veilleux to a one-year, $737,500 contract, plus a $125,000 signing bonus. This is roughly what Veilleux would have received from an arbitrator.
Veilleux can become an unrestricted free agent next summer if not re-signed by the Wild prior to July 1.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard is the only restricted free agent left.
My best guess is this is exactly what will happen with Bouchard — the two sides won’t be able to work out a long-term deal, so they’ll sign him to a one-year deal rather than waste time and go to arbitration. That’s usually what happens.
231 Responses to "Veilleux re-signs"
All is well at the kj household. The tornado was about around a mile or so east of us.
I am just off of cty rd 11 and hwy 10 in Becker Township.
Iceman…my father-in-law had MS for 25 years and just passed away 3 weeks ago. He always had a great outlook and attitude too. A very nasty disease.
Oh yeah…glad to have you back SRV!
Hmm, well, that’s good news. SRV is buying dinner tonight.
According to an article in the Canadian Press the IIHF has suspended the contracts of 6 players, including one of Tomas Mojzis.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=243800&lid=sublink03&lpos=headlines_main
Looks like we could easily be seeing the last of these two this year.
Losing Veilleux for nothing next year isn’t a big deal but losing PMB is.
The Wild are in a precarious position right now. Signed long term or yet unsigned (i.e. still a RFA) Bouchard could be packaged to another team for an impact player ala the failed Jokinen bid. Unfortunately, his trade value will take a serious dive the second he’s locked into a 1 year deal that could make him an UFA in 2009.
At that point DR is almost stuck keeping him for the entire year and probably losing him for nothing July 1 OR making his job very difficult if he dumps him. If he dumped him it would be tough to acquire immediate help in return (i.e. most likely get future players as Butch will be seen as a rental to other teams) which means an already weak offensive team will suffer and may not be able to make the playoffs (this of course assumes the team is still in the hunt at the deadline) or he’ll have to make an additional deal for players that could contribute immediately.
862,500 is a good number for stevie ray. i hope we can get him to sign for about that number later in the year for a multi year deal. if he still wants more though, we have plenty of help waiting in the wings for their shot.
Good to have SRV back. Now get a long term deal done for Butch PLEASE Dr!
This makes the Bandgeek happy. One less of my favorite players leaving. Now if we can just work things out with PMB….
ATX, blizzard has to be hiring if they want to get diablo III out by end of next year.
Seeing you are a geek, and i use that term with the utmost respect. if your not on DICE.COM. get out there. at least that was the place to look for gigs if you were a techie 3 years ago.
Unfortunately, his trade value will take a serious dive the second he’s locked into a 1 year deal that could make him an UFA in 2009.
Not so sure this is true. Unless you knew you could sign him long term, why would you trade for him now? No different with a one year deal, IMHO.
Congrats to Steph. Sadly I see him leaving for bigger bucks ala free agency next year but he’s not as hard to replace as a top 6 forward.
I have a feeling no matter what Bouchard signs he will be dealt sooner rather then later. He just doesn’t seem to be a piece to our puzzle. (JMO)
Now DR has to sign PMB and then back up the Brinks truck to Gabby’s house for a 6 - 8 year deal and I will be able to sleep at night!
Green*…I think what Josh was trying to say is IF PMB signs a 1 year deal, he is not nearly as valuable in a trade as he would be if signed to a multi-year contract.
At least that’s the way I was reading it.
KJ, yes it is a nasty disease. And, I am glad to hear you escaped the storm.
And, happy SRV has come to terms.
The process of signing players must be about the most thankless job a GM can have. Nobody really wins, the players are probably never completely fulfilled and the team is looking how to save bucks to pay the next contract and improve.
I wish he went to another team-he sucks-loses every fight and cant hit the net to save his life. Call it the Skoula syndrome.
I’m fine with this. Didn’t overspend and SRV will be motivated this season. Win-win for the Wild.
If you’d sign a 1-year deal anyway, why wouldn’t DR still low-ball PMB now since the alternative is a 1-year deal anyway? I understand you don’t want to drag each other through the mud in an arb hearing, but I would still send him an offer closer to what you’ve already offered and make HIM decide if he wants to get trashed before the arbitrator.
Good call on the Blizzard thing there G*. I will definitely give their website a look over and see if there is anything available.
Re: SRV…I’m not so sure about the ‘award vs. offer’ routine. I think SRV might have received a bit more from the arbitration, but it really isn’t worth the hassle. I really didn’t think he wanted to go into that hearing and be told, ‘you suck, we’ve proven by trying to waive you that you suck, we’ve offered what we think is fair, why are you putting us thru this,’ etc., etc.
If PMB is not signed multi-year prior to the start of training camp, he will be almost useless as trade bait for the Wild, regardless of what position the team is in the standings. PMB’s trade value lies in signing him multi-year and THEN trying to trade him for (possibly) something you really need (e.g., Skoula’s replacement, a real NHL center, etc.) when another team gets REALLY desperate (maybe a certain Florida team who signed a former Wild player as coach)…
PMB’s trade value lies in signing him multi-year and THEN trying to trade him
i can agree with this but, as someone here pointed out, why would PMB box himself in by signing a multi-year deal and risk getting moved to some undesirable place. why would he not take a one year offer and then sign for big $$$$$ next UFA season. the only risk is injury and he is too soft to get hurt.
It looks like BioWare is hiring… so that is a good start.
I am getting really anxious with the PMB situation… I am really hoping we get a suprise announcement of him signing a multi-year deal. But I won’t hold my breath for that one…
tim silvia is the most overrated MMA fighter in the world.
Good to hear about SRV. We’ll see what happens next year with him.
I’ve read this blog enough, and I can’t remember a time when Russo has been wrong thus, I’ll begin the process of letting go of hope for long-term PMB deal, and begin building a shrine for brent burns.
[…] the Norfolk Admirals.Northwest Division-The Wild re-signed restricted forward Stephane Veilleaux to a one-year deal worth $737, 500.Pacific Division-According to his official Web site former Penguins forward Eric Boguniecki signed […]
Quite a large signing bonus but w/e, like the guy
CT: I actually thought it was a small signing bonus. IIRC, Ryan Jones, while in a different situation, had a $300K signing bonus.
The good thing is he gets to keep all of it: salary + bonus
ATW-chin up. you’re skilled, you will land on ur feet… Congrats to Steph on the new deal! …Looks like that went as expected…. Any Blackberry users? Looking to upgrade. Pros? Cons? vs. iPhone?
Did anyone else see this?
The Panthers, 25th in attendance in the NHL, are charging a $25 surcharge to games against “premium” opponents.
Sunshine:
I’ll be honest, not really sure what signing bonus is considered ‘alot’. I just assumed 50k was standard.
Good morning to you all!
According to swedish newspapers, Mats Sundin has accepted a 2 year deal from Vancouver. His agent turned down an offer from the Russian leauge and says that Vancouver is “extremely hot.
Have you heard about it over there?
Or not:
Representative denies report that Sundin signs with Canucks
Holy Crap! Gorg is on TV pimping for Canterbury Park. Apparently they’re racing camels and ostriches today. I guess everyone needs a summer job. Scary.
The Swede, what do they mean by Vancouver being “extremely hot”? They look pretty weak IMO.
Sorry! I´ll explain.
Vancouver are extremely hot on Sundin and they have raised their first offer.
But nothing seems to be settled right now. To be continued…
Ah I see. Thanks Swede.
Why’back up the Brink’s truck’ for Gaborik…he hits 40 goals once in his career and you go nuts?
It will be interesting to see how he does this season, and if that ‘C’ on his sweater gets a bit heavy.
I just hope that the team does not také on the personality of Owen Nolen.
Has there been any comments from JL on anything that has transpired since the end of the season?
Watching from TX
If the C gets too heavy, Koivu can carry it.
Having Gaborik carry the mail on the “Hossa-deal” set the upper limit for his deal. 8.5 million per season mitigated by term and trade clauses. Probably a 4-6 yr deal, giving him one more contract before he gets impacted by 35. DR’s distaste for no-trade was waived for Backs and is a good non-rev value that will be used with Gabby. I think deal gets done…new owner insures it.
Holy Crap! Gorg is on TV pimping for Canterbury Park
gorg is at canterbury every day. does the horse intros in the paddock area and might be the track handicapper. I don’t know if his picks are any good but he knows his horse stuff.
and it is extreme race day at canterbury. i went last year and if you like to play the ponies, it isn’t a day to go to the track. there isn’t a normal race on the card. there will be a 100m dash, 2 mile race. 4 horses on turf with 4 on dirt at same time. for certain no reason to buy a DRF.
you can’t bet on the camel or ostrich race either. last year one cat got thrown from the camel and i couldn’t believe he got up.
Ahhhh… nothing like grooming your dog and watching really old hockey on the NHL Network. My dogs are very angry with me and the Mr, how dare we give them baths. The smaller one is now hiding under the bed upstairs. The other is watching hockey with us and is actually letting the Mr brush him. I think this game is from before I was born. I’ve only seen 3 players with helmets on.
GREAR DEAL for SRV who will get $10,267 a game if all are played this season or if matches his totals last year:
$78,409 per goal
$123,214 per assist
$47,916 per point
$14,139 per penalty minute
Plus he doesn’t have to pay an agent.
Green*: You didn’t know that Gorg did the Canterbury stuff? He’s been doing that for a number of years now, even before he was part-time at MSC (now FSN North).
KiPA: The Wild are putting a ‘premium’ on certain games this coming season, also. This link right here will lead you to what games are what price (this will open up in a PDF format):
http://wild.nhl.com/ext/_GroupSeatingGEN.pdf
Further to KiPA: Most of the locals don’t really care who the Panthers are playing (I can personally attest to that) so the crowds (what there are of them) are basically driven by the opponents. The five Panthers’ home games you are speaking of with the $25/seat surcharge are the one game vs. Detroit (best travelling fans, by sheer numbers, of any U.S.-based NHL team) and the other four games are around the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years’ holidays.
Does anyone know if the Wild will continue to play in the red/green jerseys or will they go back to the all green costume? I love the all green so that´s what I hope for.
Green*: You didn’t know that Gorg did the Canterbury stuff?
I knew that, bandgeek didn’t.
why would the islanders be a premium game? what significance is dec 19th?
dallas in november is but dallas in april is not
anaheim in january is but anaheim in feb is not
Green*: I think WRT is right in that some of the premium games happen to be around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The Wild really aren’t really in the spirit of giving or giving thanks either, are they?
Green*: I think WRT is right in that some of the premium games happen to be around Thanksgiving and Christmas.
there is a game vs carolina on dec 23rd that isn’t premium.
the 1st anaheim game is on jan 17th, no holiday near there.
the NYE game vs san jose isn’t premium.
not that i care since my tickets aren’t effected.
Ever hear of WEEKEND vs. Weekday games, Green*? Teams that draw well (Montreal, Toronto, Detroit) will draw the surcharge, as will games on specific dates which are important (Colorado on St. Patty’s day, for instance). Why the Carolina game didn’t draw it (could it just be that they didn’t make the playoffs last year?) and that it is a Tuesday mean something? Yeah, I think so.
The game I am surprised at is the New Years’ Eve game vs. San Jose. Thought they’d slap it on there.
Maybe I shouldn’t give them any ideas!
FWIW: My tickets aren’t affected, either.
Ever hear of WEEKEND vs. Weekday games, Green*?
no need to call me idiot, WRT
WRT: I knew some of which games they called “premium” but it seems to me the way to get people to games is NOT to charge MORE. They said season tickets aren’t affected, just single games.
Minny can get away with it because, if their surcharge also don’t affect season tickets, then because they already have a nearly full season ticket base and you people know what icing is. Florida though doesn’t know the difference between a blue line and a clothes line (shamelessly ripping off Al Michaels).
Green*…why so defensive?
What’s idiotic is that the Wild seem to think they need to generate more revenue.
If anyone doesn’t think Veilleux isn’t trade bait they are nuts. His contract doesn’t make him any more safe, in fact it makes him even more in jeopardy for movement because someone else knows what they’re getting and he’s UFA next year. He’s this year’s Pascal Dupuis, Adam Hall, Richard Park, Darby Hendrickson, or take your pick. Wild will dump him this year.
good point, Claire.
That’s unfortunately exactly why PMB won’t sign….because he doesn’t trust us not to trade him to a place like the Panthers.
This could be a wrong assessment but the Sabres are the farm team of good players and the Wild is the farm team for pkers and third/fourth liners.
PMB might not want to sign a long-term deal but he will likely sign a one-year deal where if he traded to the Panthers, he knows he will be UFA come July 1st.
And PMB shouldn’t trust us. I’m inclined to think that part of the stall in negotiations has as much to do with our not giving him a no trade clause as it is abuot the money. But, then again, I’m incredibly biased.
It’s gotten to the point where I’m just not keen to read what Russo has to say. I love his blogs and this “community” and the fact that everyone here cares about hockey (unlike almost anyone who lives in TX). It’s just that I don’t want to read that DR has traded PMB for a 3rd line center. Which is all he will get for him. Because we all know DR.
Man am I a pesimist tonight.
KJ, Are you ready for this weekend?
What color is your Cougar?
When was the last time the Wild actually re-signed a UFA by the way??
why so defensive
because i was working on a sunday.
and i was trying to make sense of the premium games and couldn’t connect the logic. at which point i was asked if i knew the difference between a WEEKEND and a weeknight game.
I wasn’t trying to infer anything about anyone, Green*…just that weekend games mean another chance for the Wild to push people towards lesser opponents playing at midweek. Especially groups.
KiPA: I cannot see why they are doing this. They will receive another truckload of cash next season after the Club & Suite season ticket holders’ contracts expire (three-year contracts, signed during the lockout/strike season of 2004-05) at the end of this upcoming season.
As I said, maybe it’s just a way to shamelessly drive ticket sales towards midweek games against lesser opponents. Who knows?
ATX: I’m sure PMB has no trust in the Wild to do the right thing. Look what they’ve done to Rolston, SRV, Demitra, and any other forward who wants a respectable raise to sign long-term. We’ll have to see what transpires in the next week.
I can understand your pessimism.
The Wild had three-year contracts for season tickets?
In Florida’s case, I think that if they’re gearing their ticket sales towards the opponent with these premiums to drive up attendance, then the owners should offer the team up for relocation or contraction.
Is the premium pricing a league-wide thing or only some teams are doing it?
Are the Pens doing the same thing?
Only two teams I know of are doing it, the ones mentioned already, but I haven’t looked at others. I only found out Florida is from reading a Pittsburgh blog that mentioned it. Haven’t heard that the Pens are, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t/won’t.
ATX: In my opinion you have the right to be pessimistic right now.
Kevin: Florida never needed to exist (sorry Russo). I know of a few places that would be perfect for them to move to, doesn’t the Hamilton Panthers have a nice ring? Or maybe a return of the Winnipeg Jetz (this would also give a close rival which is always good for the game).
More than two teams are doing it, several teams have been doing it for several years in many leagues. Just another way to increase revenues from the lemmings. Its the only way for the salaries to keep going up. League isn’t increasing revenues any other way except raising ticket prices.
KiPA…as one of the ‘benefits’ of the lockout, those expensive seats at the X were given the opportunity to sign on for 3 years - without a price increase.
Obviously, they didn’t offer that to us schmucks in nosebleed city.
Green*…you shouldn’t be working on a Sunday. Unless you’re consulting… 
Jeffs468…the Cougar is still not working. I have Tuesday and Wednesday to get it finished. It’s Saxony (yellow) with a black vinyl top.
How much does the rise in fuel cost affect (or is it effect) the NHL and the teams? Everyone know’s it’s expensive to drive places, and it’s definitely expensive to fly. Could this be an explanation for the teams creating premium pricing where the market bears it?
I could be way off base. But if it’s more expensive to drive to work, it’s definitely more expensive to fly a jet to Vancouver.
All those posts that come from me this evening were actually the wife. She forgot to change the name when she posted. G’night!
Claire:
Last year, Backstrom.
AustinTXwildfan says:
July 20th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
I don’t believe so. If DR was going to trade PMB for a 3rd liner, it would have been done by now.
But this is me being me, always optimistic until something bad ACTUALLY happens. Better to hope for the best than assume the worst
ATX (or the wife):
Jet fuel prices will kill Western Conference teams this season. The cost of aviation fuel has gone up more than the cost of regular gasoline. The current cost of jet fuel can be upwards of $7/gallon, so with the cost starting out at that price, it would really behoove the NHL to take a LOOK at next year’s schedule with regards to simple travel logistics. There are ways to economize, save teams money and still handle the problems of 30 teams flying across the continent.
KiPA: At least 4 teams (Buffalo, Edmonton, Florida and now, the Wild) sell single game tickets on some sort of ‘Premium’ or ’surcharge’ system. The three teams which draw the surcharge most are Montreal, Toronto and Detroit, the three teams which generally ‘travel well’ (i.e., have the most fans follow them on the road) since there is a high amount of interest whenever those teams play away from home.
The Swede, we might be the only ones but I also like the Wild green sweaters.
Good attitude Circular Theory. I agree that it serves us poorly to assume the worst just because the worst does occur at times.
I believe the Isles do the premium thing as well.
NiNY: I think they (Islanders) do also, but only for the Rangers, Devils and Flyers, the three teams closest to them by distance. (Of course, that’s a potential 9 premium games, since those 4 teams and the Pens are all in the same division.)
I also think Ottawa does for Toronto and Montreal games, but ONLY those games on weekends (Friday & Saturday nights).
Iceman…I am on record as opposing the IRR jersey and wanting them to return to the greens. Also, the NHL should go back to home whites.
Just one fan’s .02…
kj, I’d guess the switch to dark home sweaters was to facilitate sales of said sweaters. Afterall, the fans are probably more likely to buy the sweater they see the players wearing (in person) - the home sweater.
I’d not be suprised to see the league switch back to once again facilitate sales of the current road sweater when it becomes the home sweater. They’ll probably switch them every few years.
Actually Goody, I heard it was the other way around. I had heard that the more colorful jersey’s sold better so the gradual change happened to reflect those sales. I could be off however so either scenario works.
Circular: I think it’s almost a foregone conclusion that PMB is going to be dealt. With all the 1-yr stuff he has had to deal with in terms of contract; not being able to come to terms (to this point) on a multi-yr deal, regardless of which side is not budging; the fact that his name covered the trade dealine like mold on a shower curtain should indicate the Wild is more than willing to part with him; the fact that he will be able to CHOOSE which team he plays for next summer, which should be yet another carrot for him not to be eager to sign long term with the Wild. Just hope that if/when Dougie Ballgame has to ship him, he doesn’t settle for a 4th round pick and 37-yr-old center.
DeepBreath, though PMB’s situation is that ultimately he might need to be dealt, the way it was reported was his name was the last offered and it was for OJ, not just anyone.
So, maybe it is not fair to say the Wild is “more than willing to part with him”.
- Since the Wild surcharges are for group tickets only, I would guess there is some other sort of demand factor in play. However, if you wanted to buy 20 Wild tickets but not in a suite, how would that work out anyway?
- Monday optimism: Although it would seem like the Wild held the line on SRV because he was asking for Mikko money, my hope is that the Wild didn’t want to go too far with him because they plan to add PMB to their long term cap situation. After another year of UFA craziness, I just don’t know how DR lets PMB’s point production go to UFA despite his limitations in other aspects of the game.
IIR > Green > White
Agreed ATX, but I’d be willing to go Green with the round IRR logo and maybe add a little red to the sleeves.
though PMB’s situation is that ultimately he might need to be dealt, the way it was reported was his name was the last offered and it was for OJ, not just anyone.
So, maybe it is not fair to say the Wild is “more than willing to part with him”.
That’s a very good point, Iceman. OJ is a first line player who would have filled a significant need for the team’s lineup, and at a reasonable salary as well. Doesn’t mean he is as good as gone.
However, given where we are at right now, it doesn’t seem likely he is going to be here for the long-term. I have a feeling the Wild is going to be a seller this season anyway.
One positive point in Bouchard potentially receiving a one-year deal, is it opens up salary for the pending UFA bid.
Of course, I would have preferred to give the money to Butch the following season as opposed to Moldy Olden Nolan and And-T’s Mietttttttinen (over $5 mil in 09/10).
Since the Wild surcharges are for group tickets only, I would guess there is some other sort of demand factor in play. However, if you wanted to buy 20 Wild tickets but not in a suite, how would that work out anyway?
Ticket brokers?
I just don’t know how DR lets PMB’s point production go to UFA despite his limitations in other aspects of the game.
He probablywon’t have any money left after paying for lesser quality players…
One positive point in Bouchard potentially receiving a one-year deal, is it opens up salary for the pending UFA bid.
Good point.
If you think DR should have been more active in FA this summer, and hope he is next summer, then you don’t really want him to pony up long-term for players he’s clearly not sold on anyway.
PMB: $16-$18 million for 4 years should be fine. For this year, it still leaves DR about $2 million in cap space.
However, it does limit us in next year’s FA class unless we do some salary dumping.
However, it does limit us in next year’s FA class unless we do some salary dumping.
Actually, come to think of it - we should be fine for next year’s UFA class since Gabby will be gone. :-O
that might be what it takes to sign him long term but that’s a lot of coin for him IMO.
Forget about the NTC, PMB knows by now that the Wild doesn’t believe in them (Backs only got a limited one and that was due to the Manny situation I would guess) and so if he’s really asking for one then it’s to be a stick in the mud and force DR’s hand in moving him, IMO.
ottawa definately upcharged the toronto games.
if you don’t have a high pct of seats sold to STH, then having pricing based on the opponent makes good business sense. there is going to be more demand for tickets vs quality opponents than teams from florida so they should be sold at a higher price.
i’d say there was enough demand to probably double the price of a ticket in any building that STK travelled to.
in a perfect world, prices would float for tickets like seats on a airplane or hotel rooms in vegas. i suppose that is what happens in the secondary market.
Green*: You are correct. The aftermarket for tickets works like seats on an airplane or train. High demand, high price. Low demand, lower price.
Columbus is selling the second Wild game as premium, but the only reason for that is it’s Fan Appreciation night that final game…
Aftermarket effects of STK: Four seats for last season’s STK visit to the ‘X’ in the row in front of me went for $650/each on StubHub…
NiNY: PMB only wishes he had enough clout to demand a NTC in his deal.
FWIW: Why haven’t we seen the Wild pre-season schedule yet?
Aftermarket effects of STK: Four seats for last season’s STK visit to the ‘X’ in the row in front of me went for $650/each on StubHub…
have to think (though maybe this is naive) that this will come down now that he’ll be in the building once every other year instead of once every six years (or whatever it is/was).
Morning all, had a hell of a weekend.
Wed - work, then fly out to Minny on Frontier - nice airline. Get in at 11pm and get quickly reintroduced to this thing called humidity. Do NOT miss it at all.
Thurs - go to a buddy’s softball game and then proceed to start the summer mini-tour at Old Chicago….get a phone call from said friend after pounding down a few, and head to TDK movie. Pass out in theater after about 10 min.
Fri - head to Hockey Giant for grand re-opening sale and grab a pair of Mission’s top of the line glove in a smaller size and tighter fitting. (Hopefully this equates to no more skin ripped of the back of my right thumb.) Proceed to cousin’s wedding in North St. Paul and then attend reception in Woodbury. Get drunk.
Sat. - Wake up next to gorgeous woman at 7am. Pack, head to MSP International. Grab Caribou and go to find a Cinnabon. Find out that Cinnabon closed 2 years ago and was replaced by Starbucks…F Starbucks. Get back to DEN, head home, relax for a few hours then drive to Dicks Sporting Goods Park for the Mile High Music Festival. Brave the 100 degree heat and catch Jason Mraz, Citizen Cope, O.A.R., and Tom Petty. Legs want to kill me after standing for all of O.A.R.’s set and the 1 1/2 hours in between OAR and Tom to get a good spot 10 people back. Head back to Boulder, hit up a friend’s going away party and get more drunk, pass out at 4am.
Sun - come to, shower, and head out to Day 2 of 100 degree heat and music. See Tea Leaf Green, Flogging Molly, Flobots, John Mayer, and yes, Dave Matthews. First time seeing him and it was AMAZING. Met a cool couple who are going to teach me to rock climb. Get out of the parking lot and home in bed around 2am.
Mon - Dead tired at work, but completely worth it!
Proceed to cousin’s wedding in North St. Paul and then attend reception in Woodbury. Get drunk.
Sat. - Wake up next to gorgeous woman at 7am.
I feel like you left something out after “Get drunk” and before “Wake up”.
Why haven’t we seen the Wild pre-season schedule yet?
because hopefully they aren’t having one and we will get a few games refunded.
I feel like you left something out after “Get drunk” and before “Wake up”.
oui
unless that gorgeous woman was a photo of rosie in her assless chaps…
Proceed to cousin’s wedding in North St. Paul
Lemmi… I grew up in NSP - I wonder if I’d know the folks that got married….?
I feel like you left something out after “Get drunk” and before “Wake up”.
This is a known side effect of drunkenness.
G* and HD: A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, not that I am one…
JL - they’re originally from Oakdale, my cousin went to Tartan.
Word. Never mind then. I didn’t mess with those jokedale folks… especially the titans.
I feel like you left something out after “Get drunk” and before “Wake up”.
if he’s like some guys I know, that would depend on how drunk he got.
pretty sick weekend, lemmi.
You kids with those fully functioning livers just kill me.
not that I am one…
so, then tell…
so, then tell…
I think what he is implying, Nick, is that he doesn’t HAVE anything to tell. 
“so what happen? your balls drop off?”
NiNY: You kids with those fully functioning livers just kill me.
-Love it. If I’m still on my 1st liver by 25, I’ll be pretty happy with where I’m at in life.
As for this girl, I’ll say two things: Who-Who Dilly and No-No Place.
We need some hockey action around here before this site further degenerates.
By the bye, has anyone here tried the beer “La Fin Du Monde?” Pricey, but tasty.
It’s like being a fly on the wall in a locker room in here sometimes. I love it.
Wallshot, Mmmmm, unibroue. I like their Maudite myself.
I don’t think I’ve had that one. Is that one 9% alcohol as well?
An awfully nice added bonus to a great tasting beer.
Wallshot - I have not tried that beer but I am going to try using “by the bye.” I’m not sure what it means but that won’t stop me.
Yeah, according to their website it’s 8%.
http://www.unibroue.com for those who are curious.
Getting thirsty now…
Last week was SRV watch. This week is PMB watch. August will be all Gaborik until players start trickling in, then it will still be all Gaborik.
Aaron, it’s just an idiom similar to “by the way.” Maybe it’s more common among Brits though.
I’d recommend trying the beer as long as you’re trying new things though.
Love it. If I’m still on my 1st liver by 25, I’ll be pretty happy with where I’m at in life.
well, you may be too young to remember this, but there was a time when the fad among the battery-making people (Duracell, etc) was to put this little sensor on the battery where you pinched the thing at bond ends and the sensor would “read” the battery and give you some kind of an idea of how much juice there was left in the battery.
But here’s the deal, even if the thing told you there was only “low” life left in the battery, you still plugged them back into your Walkman and went about your business.
Maybe you put it in the back of your mind that you needed to ride your bike past Tom Thumb or SuperAmerica in the near future to get some new batteries, but it didn’t stop you from listening to your cassette tape (they really existed, you can look it up) of “Appetite for Destruction” again.
My point, to make a long analogy short, is this: smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
oops…”bond” should be “both”…lol I guess I’ve got work on the brain today!
That was an awfully long trip to nowhere, Nick. 
As a 2nd grader, I got “Appetite for Destruction” on tape for Christmas. If my mom only knew how f’ed up that album was. Not that I understood most of it myself at the time.
smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
smoke batteries? Geez Nick,, that can’t be good for your body, especially your liver.
Geez Nick,, that can’t be good for your body, especially your liver.
I never claimed to be the paragon of good health.
ok, back to hockey for a moment. I see the Flames signed Andre Roy to replace Godard.
Touche.
Bandgeek: read Lemmiwinks … that is the seemy stuff novels are made of.
Personally, I am quite fond of my liver, and have decided not to subject it to undue abuse it. Then, I can keep it functioning reasonably well for the duration, as best I can.
I remember those batteries NiNY and have wondered what happened to them. I also have a copy of Appetite for Destruction that I taped from my brothers cassette of it. Now if you go to 8 tracks, those are past mine time.
Now if you go to 8 tracks, those are past mine time.
Yeah, usually there are more tracks on an album than that. :-O
should have been before my time. I am in the big hair and neon era of the 80’s my teen years were in the 90’s.
When I was a young-un, I borrowed and taped some Kiss albums onto 8-track. That’s piracy, you know!
But alas, the 8-track was not around very long beyond that (though I think the stereo my parents had for a loooooooong time still had the player built in). I loved how when you bought a pre-recorded 8-track it would fade in and out as it was changing track if that happened in the middle of a song. Now, that was genius.
I just remember 8-tracks being easily eaten by the 8-track player. Not sure if that was just us or a common phenomenon. I was still pretty young when cassette tapes ran them out of town. Amazing that even CDs seem a little bit antiquated to me now. I wouldn’t even think of buying music that wasn’t on iTunes, apart from the occasional Tragically Hip CD picked up at Half Price Books.
If Gene Simmons reads this blog, he’s probably already hired somebody to hunt me down.
When I was young, we had a an old 8-track player, an Intellivision(TM) and an early IBM PC sans hard drive.
Apparrently my mother’s basement was where old technology went to die.
Tragically Hip? Playing goalie? You are such a wannabe Canadian, ms. c! 
How’s she bootin’ her?
Apparrently my mother’s basement was where old technology went to die.
Any good mother should have a technology museum in her basement.
When I was young, we had a an old 8-track player, an Intellivision(TM) and an early IBM PC sans hard drive.
When I was young, we had a an old 8-track player, an Atari 2600 and an Atari 1200XL PC and we thought we were cutting edge….
When I was young. There was nothing. Then we got Pong.
Was that before or after fire, Michael?
lol it wasn’t that much before the first Atari!
Yeah, toivo, that’s not the half of it. I have quite the Canadian resume for a native Texan thanks to DH’s interest in the CFL. I love it up there. But Alberta is like Canadian Texas, so it’s not much of a stretch. Cattle and oil and really nice people, but also hockey and 4 seasons and mountains nearby. Beauty.
ms.conduct, you forgot the “eh” after beauty. If you really want to be Canadian your sentance should have ended with the “Beauty Eh” and maybe you should have thrown a “hoser” or two in there somewhere.
MS Conduct, 8 track players eating tapes was standard equipment. Probably that was how they made their money selling tapes.
But, I still have some 8 track tapes I would like converted to modern format. Among others, some really nice Nancy Wilson that so far as I know are not rerecorded.
I have a preference for Alberta over Texas Ms C. It is a beautiful province, has lots of resources.
Yeah, but there was no question about the beauty. No confirmation/agreement needed. Just beauty. It was a conscious decision to leave off the eh.
And believe me, I’m laying the hoser smack down hard at Aeros games. I figure it has extra impact in Texas, because they don’t think we know words like that. “Yer a HOSER, CHUCKO!!!!” Heh.
Youre right, Chucko IS a hoser, eh?
It is beautiful and if I weren’t a native Texan, I’d probably prefer it as well, but I love my state, warts and all. It’s kinda like my curly hair. Once I quit fighting it, I learned to love it, and now I wouldn’t have it any other way. But if they ever kicked me out of Texas, Calgary would easily be my #2 place to live. I’d just have a box full of tex-mex cookbooks with me…
Yes, Toivo, Chucko is a spectacular whipping boy. I’m sure we’re stirring up some bad karma, we’re so mean to him, but come on. It’s Chucko. I’m sure the hockey gods understand what we have to do.
Ms.C: ever think of moving up to Calgary? After my trip last March, that town needs some good quality Tex-Mex…
Uh, I’m not offering to get into the restaurant business but man, are you right about that. We sometimes go to “tex-mex” places in places that shouldn’t attempt tex-mex just to see if maybe someone somewhere gets it right (they never have). One was in Edmonton. Woof. It was strange.
I am just stating the obvious here but the X, for the next 6 weeks, no longer belongs to the Minnesota Wild.
Can the guys still go and work out there with all the mess that is going on down there?
This isn’t hockey, but I thought it was an interesting story.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=alipour/080720
Would they really move out all their weight room equipment and stuff? Either way, I’m sure they’ve set up alternate accommodations for the boys if they are booted out, too.
I was giving the schedule a proper look and there is a five week stretch that is going to be brutal at the end of the season.
Starting with the last weekend in February the Wild play 14 of 17 games on the road. This includes five back to back road games. That vicious stretch ends with back to back road games at Edmonton and Calgary before finally returning home for a game with Vancouver and Calgary.
After those two home games there is just one week left. That week consists of four games (2 home 2 road) none of which are against the NW Division.
It will be a busy March for WRT.
I don’t think they will remove all the weight room stuff but with so much construction going on, it might be more difficult to get to the locker room.
Ugh. ESPYs - yuck. ESPN is to sports as MTV is to music. That is to say, utter ruin.
So there is a poll going on over on the Wild message boards about wether Risebrough should be fired or if we should keep playing his waiting game? Just thought I’d see what your thoughts are in Russoville.
IMO - I have to agree with the people that say wait and see what happens with Gaborik. If Gabby re-signs then I’d be willing to give Dougie just 1 more chance but if he’s forced to deal Gaborik I think we’ll be dropping like a rock in the standings. Not to come off like a chicken little but he is our only PROVEN goal scorer.
Lucky, I agreed with whoever said they’ll wait to judge him based on the results on the ice rather than hang him for speculation around what’s on paper. Maybe that’s a bit of a cop out, but I figure if CL himself isn’t asking my opinion, who gives a eff how much thought I put into it.
14 of 17 games on the road at the end of the season Aaron?
That is nearly 1/5th of the entire season!
Did the Canuck management make up the schedule for them?
That does not sound like a fair schedule to me unless every team has a brutal schedule like that.
Your answer is not a cop out Ms Conduct, yours is my opinion too.
No GM is ever free from criticism and a lot of criticism … but especially with nearly universal internet access to all their mistakes.
This is a hard year given the guys he tried to sign without success. But, I do not think our well is dry either.
Yes, Aaron in Houston, it indeed WILL be a very busy March for me and the Mrs. Our schedule (not finalized yet, kj) is very much backloaded — a lot like the Wild’s schedule. We will still do both (hopefully) of the Chicago games, and I might ’sortie’ a game or two depending on time off from work and available finances. But there’s still time yet.
Ms.C: Tex-Mex in Deadmonton? Thank goodness that restaurant wasn’t open last Easter Sunday when we were up there (we ate at Earl’s near Downtown)…I don’t know if I could’ve survived that.
Iceman: You realize the reason the Wild are out of the ‘X’ so much down the stretch are all the state HS tournaments, WCHA Final 5 and the NCAA Hockey that will be played there (maybe a regional?)
re: iffy Tex-Mex
My problem, having lived in Denver where there’s pretty good Tex-Mex, is that, not unlike Deep Breath and a picture of RIALC, I can’t pass it by without stopping.
I have been disappointed on numerous occasions.
It’s sort of like going to a Grateful Dead concert was, say, anytime after ‘89: you keep hoping for a moment of brilliance even though you’re pretty sure you’re going to be disappointed.
I’m all out of metaphors now.
Per TSN: Lupul signed $17 million-4 year deal ($4.25 million cap hit)
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=243748&lid=sublink05&lpos=headlines_nhl
Will this new contract be used as a standard for PMB’s contract negotiations? Lupul and PMB are the same age and were drafted the same year. Lupul is a scorer while PMB is a play-maker according to their stats.
No, WRT, I had not figured that out. It is still a brutal grueling schedule.
OT:
Any1 here good at making custom images?
The Wild probably will be allowed into the weight room, the locker room and the business offices until about 2 weeks before the RNC starts. I can’t see the secret service allowing anyone not vetted anywhere near the Xcel as it gets closer for security purposes and the Wild personal will still have to conduct the day to day business of running the franchise. Anyone who has had a remodeling project in their house knows how hard it is to get anything else accomplished during the uproar. The business side will probably relocate near training camp until they get the all clear sign after the RNC is over.
Good call sunshine…I’d say that is a solid suggestion…I think PMB should be in the range of what Lupol got.
tv said the lodge is open until maybe august 2nd. the skyway over kellog is closed as is the walkway along roy wilkins.
Would they really move out all their weight room equipment and stuff?
I remember the chiefs moving in all their weighlifting equipment and setting it up the field house at RF for camp. not unheard of.
Anyone know if preseason will be televised this year?
Aren’t the Wild’s business offices all located on Rice Park in the old Minnesota Club space?
The “X” is being gutted for the RNC. 3,000 seats are being removed; all of the suites are being renovated and nobody not associatied with the RNC will be allowed in the bulding when the month of August gets going. Even while the RNC is underway, you won’t be able to get within 4 blocks of the building. My job will require that I be in the JIC (joint information center) during the days of the convention and we were told that once we clear all of the background checks from the FBI, Secret Service, etc, we won’t be able to come and go when the convention starts. Each day, we must stay in the “safe perimeter” until we are ready to leave for the day. Nobody can go in and out and then back in again during the same day. You leave, you’re done for the day. No swapping of credentials either, not even for somebody else that works in the same area. We’re getting lazer-coded badges that are being encrypted with some kind of fingerprint analysis that we have to have visable at all times. These politicos take their security seriously. Dubya’s not even coming to the “X until it Wednesday night, the way it sounds. Let them have their fun and then we can get back to our business of preparing for Oct. 11, 7:30 pm.
Lucky says:
July 21st, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I don’t think so, not sure, but I remember listening to the games online
“I don’t think so, not sure, but I remember listening to the games online”
Yeah I listened on the radio last year. Not as exciting as watching it on tv. The lame ass Twins have coverage from FL and their pre-season shown on the air. What gives?
HD: yep, their offices are over there. However, the boys won’t be able to go to the X to work out. Its during this time that having a separate training facility seems like a great idea.
Though, I don’t think something like CBJs would work since its attached to the arena.
Huh. I just realized the Wild and Aeros have their first game the same night. Total immersion. I love it.
How’s the Aeros’ roster rounding out? I kind of hope they do sign Hodgman.
Good call sunshine…I’d say that is a solid suggestion…I think PMB should be in the range of what Lupol got.
Me three - in fact, this could help both sides reach a deal.
1) I’m sure they won’t be worrying about moving the weight room, etc. I’m sure there are other places they can go to work out. Remember, they are used to the X staff taking down boards, putting up a stage, etc for concerts and other events. I don’t see how work on the arena proper would affect them down in the bowels of the beast. Now, security, that may be another matter. Though, these guys do go through security at the airport how many times a year?
2) Anyone see the video of the poor fellow removing seats at the X? 3000 seats being removed. He was using a socket wrench! Somebody buy that man a cordless impact wrench! If that was my job, I’d be inclined to buy one myself and take it home when I was done.
Random comment…but did anyone notice the lack of acknowledgment or recognition of any hockey achievements or players on the ESPY’S????? weak
zig: that surprises you? I simply don’t understand why people keeping tuning into the Worldwide leader in jerking themselves off expecting hockey coverage.
It looks like I’ll need to have an umbrella for my walks from the River Centre parking ramp on rainy days. They’ve already started fencing up some levels of the parking ramp to reduce access. I’ll be working about as close to the perimeter as possible, but a bunch of us are going to need to figure out bus schedules and routes for that week, since we won’t be allowed to park at the ramp. Travelers has changed their workday schedule that week to 4 am - 1 pm. Crikey, that’s an early wake up!
I’m not suprised, I do enjoy some of the other sports coverage they provide…but when the only player they show is Nash for a second because of his sick dangle move…that’s a little ridiculous.
I have a feeling without Melrose on ESPN anymore, Bucci may have a challenge in front of him in maintaining any coverage at all
I think ESPN knows that they can get more hockey fans engaged by not showing any hockey than trying to foist hockey upon the football/baseball/basketball watching consumers whom they already count as fans. I mean, here we are talking about it right now…
We ARE a regional sport.
Except for previous mentions of STK.
He’s baaaaaaad.
He’s nationwide.
kj: I dig my new t-shirt. Thanks man.
I don’t know that they would have a whole lot to lose by bringing NHL2night back for 30 minutes a day. Not that ESPN cares, but it would help hockey become more popular throughout the nation.
Side note: It definitely is considered lucky that Detroilet picked Zett and Dats up late as hell in the the draft and they turned out to be great players right?? or was there more to it…(superior scouting, development, etc..)??
This is an ongoing argument with my roomate.
zig - the harder you work the luckier you get. I think the Red Wings put a lot of time scouting into Scandinavia, did their due diligence and got lucky at the same time.
so they were banking on the fact that nobody else knew about them??? to the extent that they put them off until 6th/7th rounds???
Anyone know when Butch’s arb hearing is scheduled to be held?
I thought it was supposed to be soon, Wall. Just a couple of days after SRV’s - Maybe Thursday? Should be hearing from the Don or #2 sometime soon eh?
Luck plays a part, but an organization who continually finds and develops players who are in the elite part of the league is not lucky anymore.
They may have some imagination to see something in a prospect that others miss, they apparently have the right combination of coaching to bring out the best talent in those individuals, and then they blend it into a team.
They also have the patience to stick by when things do not look good and everyone is clammoring for their heads.
My memory says that Detroit was sort of a perenial bottom feeder until Scotty Bowman joined the organization.
NiNY…glad you like it.
It’s about time I remembered to put it in the mail. I am sorry for being Trevor-like…
PMB’s arbitration hearing isn’t until Monday, the 28th per Russo.
Two out of the 15 have avoided arbitration hearings by agreeing to new contracts so far: SRV and Dennis Wideman (agreed to $15.75 million over 4 years)
Aeros roster is looking pretty good to me, Sunshine. Definitely improved over last season with a few goal scorers added (though there may be attitude issues with Locke and Kolanos, from what I’m hearing). I think we have about 4 spots left at the bottom for whatever extra guys make it out of training camp.
Butchy’s arbitration is the 28th, I believe.
ha ha, I failed too.
Speaking of our good buddy Trevor….no Boogie fight camp this summer?
doesn’t look like it, Lemmi. I’m waiting to hear that DB’s attending Bruno’s “hands” camp, though.
Sorry, there has been more than 2 players, who re-signed before their arbitration hearing. The bigger name RFAs are still out there: Fillipula, PMB, JB, and Vermette
Thanks, ms. conduct.
Lemmi, I had heard that Boogie wasn’t going to do one because he was told by the team Doc’s to rest and work out this summer, but nothing strenuous so that his back could heal some. That was just a rumor however, it could be something else entirely.
I’m all for that. It was Boogie who closed the deal for me as a Wild fan, and then he almost immediately went off and hurt his back. I’m owed some solid Boogie time this season.
when has anyone seen solid boogie time?
So I was up at the Duluth air show over the weekend, and I saw someone with a Boogaard fight club t-shirt, so Trevor sent out atleast 1 of them.
Maybe that WAS Trevor…
Touche Zig.
sound like CL has started on the rock-a-dile red already…
“When we won the Northwest Division championship last season in the division that I think is the toughest division, we ran into a great goaltender in the first round, and it did us in. We think our team is better this year than it was last year, and we think we’ll go farther than we did last year.”
sound like CL has started on the rock-a-dile red already
I wonder if DR also sold him a subscription to the print version of the Encyclopaedia Britannica
CL was actually thinking this when saying the above.
“When we won the Northwest Division championship last season in the division that I think is the toughest division, we had no heart by the first round, and it did us in. We think our team is more hungry this year than it was last year, and we think we’ll go farther than we did last year.”
did anyone notice the lack of acknowledgment or recognition of any hockey achievements or players on the ESPY’S?
Nope, didn’t notice.
BTW, I’ve posted some links before about Detroit’s European scout, Hakan Andersson. Google him, and you’ll get an idea of the answer you’re looking for.
My memory says that Detroit was sort of a perenial bottom feeder until Scotty Bowman joined the organization.
Not quite correct. They didn’t win a cup until he arrived, but their turnaround can probably be traced to drafting Yzerman in ‘83. They made the playoffs in 8 of the next 10 seasons before Bowman, including two trips to the conference finals in ‘87 and ‘88 (lost to Oilers both times).
I can’t lie I’m seriously jealous of what Detroit has built. They’ve got great owners, possibly the league’s best GM, a great coach, amazing scouts and an anual cup contending roster.
Uhhh… we have a good coach.
lucky: can’t disagree with anything you lauded about the Wings’ organEYEzation.
The bottom line is that players - good players - are willing to be paid less-than market rates to play there. is there any other pro franchise in the world that can say that?
One problem though: it’s still Detroit.
I mean, I love pizza, but I wouldn’t eat it off the floor of a public restroom.
If they can’t get people in the building (and corporate sponsorship starts to thin out) then they’ve got serious problems there. I don’t care how many Little Ceasar’s pizzas Mikey can sell.
For me, Detroilet’s success starts and ends with their scouting department. You don’t pull rabbitts the caliber of Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Holmstrom out of the proverbial hat without knowing what you’re doing. It’s absolutely sick that the Champs’ top line (mentioend above) were picked in rounds 6, 7 and 11 respectively. Stealing in the draft is not new to the Dead Wings, however, as Federov wasn’t taken until the 4th round and Konstantinov didn’t go until round f$%@ing 11. Best blueliner the team currently has, or the league has for that matter (Lidstrom) didn’t even go until round 3. Picking Stevie Y at #4 overall in 1984 was a bit of a no-brainer, even though our beloved N Stars said no thanks and took Lawton @ #1. The Red Wings are the Red Wings simply because they are light years ahead of most of the other teams in terms of scouting and getting business done on draft day.
But if detroit had known they were going to be that great of players, wouldn’t it have made sense to pick them earlier in the draft to ensure that they would get them, instead of hoping every other team would pass them up 6 or 7 times?
Maybe this was strategic, regarding a lower initial salary??
I doubt that it was stretic, but it proves, over and over again that their scouts have seen something in these players that every other NHL did not. You can get lucky with a “flyer” once and a while, but to pull the list of absolute superstars they have from the later rounds just shows their scouts are doing their homework. They saw something in those players when they saw them play in some obscure rink that most folks wouldn’t be able to find with a compass and lifetime access to Mapquest. I hate comapring the Wild to other franchises because I normally don’t care what the others are doing, but to put it in a little bit of perspective, the only 2 players the Wild has ever drafted past the 3rd round that have played significant minutes for the team are Sekeras and Boogie.
Captain’s log, 6-22-08. Midday. It’s been three day’s since we last heard from the Don. The crew is getting restless. They demand to know what’s going on. I don’t know what to tell them. I can only pray that an update comes soon and I can stop checking obsessivly. Hopefully soon we will know the outcome of the bouchard arbitration. If not, I may eat someone’s eyeballs. If it comes to this, the blood is on your hands Don.
nice, “stretic” = “strategic”
in addition to Deep’s points, I think it also shows the wisdom and savvy of their management staff over the years.
“Scout X is telling me this kid is special, but no one else has him on the radar until round 7. Do I blow an early pick on him or not?”
That’s where their organization really separates itself IMO. It’s not just that they have great pieces at key positions, it’s that they instill in all of them the need to work together for the greater good.
Butch’s deal pales in comparison to what is happening with Gabby. Hopefully the weeks-long silence on the Gabby situation means the sides are simply crossing the eyes and dotting the tease for the big announcement which will come on July 30. (one can hope, can’t one?)
Man, I’ll have what DB is having…
in 6 of the last 10 entry drafts, the Wings have NOT had a 1st round pick.
The average position of those 4 1st round picks was 26.25th.
Not only are they successful enough that they end up picking low, but they are good enough scouts/drafters to trade 1st round picks (to go get that key piece for a playoff run) without it hampering their long-term performance.
Forget the Wild, the RANGERS wish they were more like the Wings!
the years (over the previous 10 seasons) the Wings did not have a 1st round pick (indicating they moved their 1st in a trade) and where they finished that season.
1999 division title, lost 2nd round
2001 division title, lost 2nd round
2002 division title, WON CUP
2003 division title, lost 1st round
2004 division title, lost 2nd round
2006 division title, lost 1st round
The years (over the last 10 seasons) they KEPT their 1st round pick, and how their faired:
2000 division runner up, lost 2nd round
2005 LOCKOUT
2007 division title, lost 3rd round
2008 division title, WON CUP
I guess this tells you that trading your 1st round pick at the deadline really doesn’t guarantee you anything.
I guess I wouldn’t mind the Wild being willing to part with a 1st or 2nd round pick aside from the fact that they have shown almost no ability at all to find a decent player past the third round. The Wild needs to keep their early-round picks becuase, save Theilen, this team has been absolutely lights-out with their first round picks and they have been dead on with their first four second-round picks. After that, however, we could have another discussion.
good points. makes one wonder though how long they can maintain the success (luck) and/or continue to have the great core of solid players. I understand they’ve locked down Babcock for a while, but there has to be some point where they peak…maybe it’s this year with Hossa cloggin the detroilet bowl?
So, who did the Wings pick in the earlier rounds of those drafts where they found their late round gems?
Are they still with the Wings organization?
Why would they wait if they ‘knew’?
1) Pick guys higher that may pan out too.
2) Pick guys higher to trade away later “he was a high pick so he commands X”
3) Why would they waste a pick? I mean, if Zetterberg is predicted to go in round 8, why pick him in round 2? Wait until round 7 and use that round 2 pick for a round 2 projection.
Very good point zigtron.
NiNY, take the two Cups away from the Red Wings and what do they have left?
Four second round losses and two first round losses.
That some of those years they were a favorite is not particularly impressive.
By comparision, we are lamenting our situation too much.
Take away those two Cups. Nice call. Aside from that Mrs. Kennedy, how did you like the parade? I would literally kill 3 of my neighbors and their pets to watch the Wild skate with the Cup, let alone twice in 6 years.
Goody: I don’t think anybody is writing that the Dead Wings “knew” those players would be top-of-the-game, type players. But, their scouts saw something in those players that no other teams did. You can get lucky once, maybe with a Konstantinov. But, to pull Fedorov, Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Holmstrom all from the later rounds, and much-much later in some of the cases, just proves their scouts are actually watching a lot closer than almost all of the teams in the League.
I would literally kill 3 of my neighbors and their pets to watch the Wild skate with the Cup, let alone twice in 6 years.
man, I wish I were a real estate agent in Deep’s neighborhood!
I’m willing to say that the Wings were one of the favorites for the Cup in each of the last 10 seasons.
Is that not DR’s stated goal for the Wild? Annual, legitimate cup contention?
They won it twice.
If DR could deliver (or even set the foundation for the team to deliver) one Cup every 5 years I would be satisfied with that.
Maybe DB should move into the neighborhood where Datsyuk, Zetter, and Holmstrom live… And then move to Dallas where Turco, Morrow, and Avery live…
And THEN maybe we’ll have a shot.
Don’t you think the Don has better things to do, like figuring out the best ratio of Oxycodone, Starbucks and Beer than reading through some of the drivel here? If there was anything to report he’d report it I think.
The Lupul/PMB comparable is a good one, and I’m sure it will be used at an arbitration hearing though the Wild won’t be looking for that long term of a deal with him that’s for sure. Though if they could get him for that, judging by their inability to get anyone else of merit on the open market or draft anyone else, they should probably jump at it if they could get it.
The Wild haven’t made it through waivers in the fall without making a move the last several seasons so there is probably another one coming.
As for Boogie, the Fight Camp probably wasn’t recommended by the back docs, or the Wild PR folks for that matter.
The Wild haven’t made it through waivers in the fall without making a move the last several seasons so there is probably another one coming.
good point.
Out in the Wild, sometimes you have to scavenge for your food.
Trevor must have sent out at least 3 shirts because I got the 2 I ordered. Said the check that I sent wasn’t signed (it hasn’t cleared the bank yet) so I sent a money order. So he got paid and I got the shirts. Asked for the unsigned check to be returned but haven’t seen it. I think he got as irritated dealing with me as I did with him.
I would like some Gaby and PMB news as well.
Didn’t the Don have foot surgery recently? He may not be able to give us a report.
food
Since all hockey fans everywhere are hot and bored, and the talk turned a little bit to the Wings, here’s an article by Ken Holland on his philosophy that you might find interesting.
http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/07/just_in_time_for_free_agency_k.html
And regarding high or low round picks - Jim Nill (who handles the draft himself) once mentioned that if they had any idea that Datsyuk or Zetterberg would be that good, of course they wouldn’t have waited so long to take them. They figured they might be pretty good players, but how far they went would be largely up to them regarding how hard they decided to work and how much effort they wanted to put in to becoming hockey players. Work ethic and a desire to constantly improve are more important to the Detroit organization that a player’s nationality.
Their goal as an organization is to get one NHL player out of each draft year, preferably two if they are lucky, and which round they took the player is irrelevant. With the salary cap they feel it is very important to have a constant infusion of talent, because if you have a year or two that is completely lost you could be screwed because your organizational depth won’t provide the players you need to fill the gaps as players retire, leave as free agents, or are traded.
