12/22/24
July 25, 2005
Doug Maclean:: "It just seems to be an easy name to throw in that mix. It’s out of ignorance is what it is. It’s a lack of knowledge of what’s really going on in our market." So don't be talking contraction possibility and the BJs in the same breath. Great work dispelling commonly held misconceptions by Mirtle.
I pretty much equate the Blue Jackets with the early years of the (2nd) Ottawa Senators. Sure they are sucking wind at this point, but if the fans stay loyal, I think they've got a franchise that could turn out to be pretty damn good. Nash is the key: keep him around, give him some more good linemates, and things will start to take off. That said, if Atlanta keeps Ilya and Dany, they might be the scariest team this year...
posted by grum@work at 10:59 AM on July 25, 2005
Agreed. If Leclaire pans out in goal and they hang on to Nash, they have scads of cap room, and one of these years it'll all click and they're going to double their win total. The Sens are a good comparison that way; as long as they don't develop a next-door nemesis like Ottawa does (heh), they could do ome playoff damage in the next year or two.
posted by chicobangs at 11:39 AM on July 25, 2005
Yes, but who was saying this? No self-respecting hockey fan I know fails to see the potential in a market like Ohio. Why, it's somewhat cold there! Also helps highlight just what kind of a player Rick Nash is. I mean, that team is absolute garbage and you'd think opponents would have figured out how to stop their ONLY GUY. I mean, Nash was getting settup by Geoff Sanderson for the love of Pete. Kesla's not bad though.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:17 PM on July 25, 2005
Over the past ten months I've seen many weblings consider Columbus an expendable franchise. (You know who you are.) That is not to say the internet is entirely populated with self-respecting hockey fans. However Columbus was often jumbled in with....other teams that were and still considered the scar on the NHL that is over expansion. Personally, I'd like to see the NY tri-state area lose a team before Columbus lost theirs, because as it stands we (tri-staters) are spoiled brats (ahem...Devils Dynasty...ahem... Rangers in '94...ahem) when it comes to recent local post-season success. But that possibility is so far out of the question, some schlub like me is the only one who would raise it. Columbus will be fine. I was a bit worried for their future when the 'under contract' reports came out a few weeks ago, with their team stacked with overpaid nobody greats(Sanderson, Cassels, Richardson, Lachance). But they've got Vyborny, Suchy, Denis, Zherdev, Nash & Klesla as a pretty good solid young core of skill players. They've got some good young role players as well in Shelley & Malholtra. Throw in Marchant, and you could have a team real soon.
posted by garfield at 01:00 PM on July 25, 2005
Sanderson and Cassels want to play in Hartford again!
posted by YukonGold at 02:51 PM on July 25, 2005
Malhotra's in Columbus? When did that happen? I like that kid. And I know you di'int just call me self-respecting, foo!
posted by chicobangs at 03:25 PM on July 25, 2005
Mirtle trumpets himself as 'a grad of the Ryerson School of Journalism's graduate program' (a fine program as far as I am aware) gives us "...shouldn't be lumped in with the Floridas, Nashvilles, Carolinas, Anaheims and Atlantas..." and it is horrid cliches like that that may keep me from placing him up there with the Eric McErlains, Jes Golbezs, Tom Benjamins and even the Eklunds of the hockey blog world.
posted by gspm at 03:51 PM on July 25, 2005
and the fun begins... Detroit Red Wings - Place Derian Hatcher, Darren McCarty and Ray Whitney on waivers Montreal Canadiens - Decline team options on Patrice Brisebois
posted by garfield at 04:06 PM on July 25, 2005
Ottawa Senators - state that they won't be taking advantage of the discounted buyout period.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 04:12 PM on July 25, 2005
Fixed that awkward portion of the post... thanks for so kindly pointing it out. And, yes, Ryerson's the top j-school we've got up north. Not just any drub gets in (or out) of there.
posted by Mirtle at 05:49 PM on July 25, 2005
Well, except me.
posted by chicobangs at 05:58 PM on July 25, 2005
Mirtle, didn't mean to rankle, thought to make a comment on your post but thought that directly pointing it out would be pushy (who am I to tell anyone how to write) and decided to air my concern here where I have aired exactly the same concern a few times in the past. and for the stylistic purposes of being snarky and pointing it out to the audience here i mentioned some other hockey bloggers and FWIW I see nothing at your site that would really keep me from make your work as noteworthy as what I had alluded to. Man, if all the new members could be as nice and polite as you (considering I did take a dig at your style)...
posted by gspm at 08:40 PM on July 25, 2005
It's the nature of the medium that crappy writing gets posted... I've learned to not get too bent out of shape about it when that's pointed out. I often wonder if blogging can hurt a writer professionally — editors may read what's posted and be frightened off by all of the errors. I do, however, find it hard to believe Eklund meets the high standards of one who's such a stickler for grammar and style.
posted by Mirtle at 09:17 PM on July 25, 2005
Hmmm.. Mirtle write sport good. Me likeum site bang talk hockey.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 08:16 AM on July 26, 2005
I just want to say Aloha from Hawaii, and to say thank you for all the info on things happening in the hockey world, as you can figure we don't get much info about hockey out here. I'm a Pensacola IcePilot fan, a ECHL team in Pensacola, Fl. I was a off-ice official for 7 years there before moving to Hawaii. So keep the info coming and let's have a great season.
posted by wargator at 10:36 AM on July 26, 2005
Eklund certainly is down the pecking order for ranking hockey bloggers who have a good style. But, given the style of my comment... I was including hockey bloggers with name recognition and will readily concede any debate on the finer points of the accuracy of my assertion since I was positioning (not explicitly, mind) the comment as more artistic in form than an actual opinion. I know several grads from the Ryerson program so I have no doubt about the quality of the education they provide. I was just 'taking the piss' as they say. From the cheap seats. You've won me over as a fan though. Also, I don't know if I have ever seen "hockey" and "Hawaii" in the same sentence. Unless most of the rest of the sentence was "There ain't no".
posted by gspm at 11:19 AM on July 26, 2005
Strangely enough, gspm, I have at least two customers from Hawaii who purchase gameworn NHL and junior jerseys from me. One is a Tampa Bay fan and the other just likes anything used. I'm hoping to elevate my blog by using "Bettman sucks" in every post. Just kidding.
posted by wfrazerjr at 11:58 AM on July 26, 2005
Niedermayer is up for grabs. Can you imagine the 'Nucks with Nieder, Ohlund, Jovocop and Sopel?
posted by garfield at 12:28 PM on July 26, 2005
garf, the only thing I am imagining about that combination is how hard it will be for visiting broadcasters to pronounce and reporters to spell correctly. LOL! Bettman Sucks!
posted by billsaysthis at 04:20 PM on July 26, 2005
that he does.
posted by garfield at 05:02 PM on July 26, 2005
Transaction Log - First Entry - The Flyers say bye-bye to LeClair and AMonte