February 25, 2007: Traded to Atlanta by St. Louis for Glen Metropolit, Atlanta’s 1st (later traded to Calgary – Calgary selected Mikael Backlund) and 3rd (Brett Sonne) round choices in 2007 Entry Draft, and Atlanta’s 1st (later traded back to Atlanta – Atlanta selected Zach Bogosian) and 2nd (Philip McRae) round choices in 2008 Entry Draft, February 25, 2007.

June 26, 2007: Traded to St. Louis by Atlanta with future considerations for Atlanta’s 1st round choice (previously acquired, Atlanta selected Zach Bogosian) in 2008 Entry Draft, June 26, 2007.

On June 26 of the same year, St. Louis reacquired Tkachuk along with a conditional 4th round draft pick for a conditional first round pick in 2008. If Tkachuk had resigned with the Thrashers, the Blues would have Atlanta’s 1st round pick in 2008. Since the Blues acquired exclusive negotiating rights with Tkachuk and resigned him to a two-year deal, Atlanta will now receive a conditional 4th round pick in 2008.^[7]

• 500 career goals — April 6, 2008, against the Columbus Blue Jackets
• 1000 career points — November 30, 2008, against the Atlanta Thrashers

LLL

“Mike Penny, with John Ferguson right there, said, `There’s no f–king way we’re f–king signing a guy and having him play in f–king Sweden. What the f–k is this bullshit?’” says Button. “I’m sitting there thinking, `Okay. Don’t listen to me. That’s okay. But you hired this guy, Thommie Bergman, and this is his job, to find talent in Europe, and this is how he gets treated?’ But that’s exactly what was said.”

Mike Penny, 58, was named the director of player personnel of the Maple Leafs on July 31, 2000. In the summer of 2002 he added the assistant general manager portfolio to his duties. In his role, Penny is consulted on all team personnel decisions and manages the areas of amateur and pro scouting and administrative duties assigned by the general manager. In addition, he is the general manager of the Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, and is directly responsible for all player personnel assignments with the team’s minor league affiliates.

Prior to joining the Maple Leafs, Penny spent the previous 20 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. During Penny’s tenure in Vancouver he held several positions such as assistant general manager, director of player development and scouting, and chief scout. Most recently he was in the role of vice-president, amateur scouting. He was named to that position in August of 1988.

Before joining the Canucks, Penny was the general manager of the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League from 1975-1980. The Montreal native was also an amateur scout with the New York Rangers from 1969-1975.

Luongo has an out after 5 years, the Canucks can also trade him after 7 years

203 regular season, 22 post-season

kirk mclean – 10 seasons, brodeur 7

Barrasso played in ten

Part of my research into Pittsburgh’s playoff history left me staggered. I was reviewing how long some players had played during the post-season for the Penguins and was surprised to see the two goalies have played well over 50% of Pittsburgh’s playoff games. They are of course Tom Barasso – 101 games in 10 post-seasons, and Marc-Andre Fleury, who has played 45 games as of today.

After these two, the numbers fall off to: Ken Wregget who played in 26 and Johan Hedberg who played in 18 one playoff series.

Pittsburgh had played in 24 post-seasons – of a potential 41 times:  1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982…1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999…2000, 2001…2007, 2008, and 2009. Fleury, on the other hand had come to the Pens the 2003-04 season and didn’t make it into the post-season until three years later.

And after Barasso had left – and before Fleury had arrived, Ron Tugnutt had played in the 2000 post-season and Johan Hedberg in the 2001 playoffs (Ken Wregget had primarily served as Barrasso’s backup.).

And before that, it was kind of a goalie per year who backstopped the Penns.

courtesy of nhl.com

This lack of continuity seemed strange to me, until I compared the Penguins goalies to those of the Canucks.

Kirk McLean was Vancouver’s backstop from the 1989 until the 1996 playoffs (The ‘nucks didn’t reach the post-season in 1990.).  And, he played in 7 post-seasons before being traded to Carolina.

Vancouver played in 21 post-seasons – of a potential 36: 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996…2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, and 2009.

After Kirk McLean, there are three goalies who played in 20 or more playoff games: Richard Brodeur, Dan Cloutier, and Roberto Luongo.

So, Pittsburgh had one main goalie – in their history – with another one who has played in three post-seasons and has a great career ahead of him. They totaled 14 of their 24 post-seasons.

Vancouver, on the other hand, had one main goalie – who paid in 6 of Vancouver’s 21 seasons – and three other goalies who played in 10 post-series.

Scouting Report

Write this down: Cory Schneider will be a first-round draft pick at the 2004 NHL Entry Draft in Raleigh,

NC. Although Central Scouting had the New England prep standoutlisted seventh among North American netminders in their final rankings released last month, there is no shortage of NHL teams and other scouts who are extremely high on the Marblehead, Massachusetts native. There were questions about the level of competition Schneider faced in prep hockey over the past two seasons. But the big butterfly goalie more than answered those questions with his international play for the US Under-18 team in Slovakia last summer and in Belarus at the spring World Championships, as well as carrying his Phillips-Andover Academy team on his back all year at home.

lll

33 goalies from 1970 until 2008.

Canucks have drafted primarily from Canadian Major Junior and U.S. College hockey.

Drafted only one European player who was playing in Europe. Lukas Mensator was observed at the Under 18 World Championships during the 2001-02 season, when he won the best goaltender award.

Dieter played 20 games plus for Tampa Bay and Minnesota. Rob McVicar played one game. D’Alessio one for Hartford.

Best player that they ever drafted was Glen Hanlon. Other goalies during those days played some hockey. Limited ones available easily scouted. 1987 started drafting American college.

Cory Schneider only first round.

jjjjj

by Ron Spence

Many of the NHL’s best goalies are from Europe.

When I was a kid all of the goalies were from Canada – as were the forwards and defenseman.

But, things change.

The first European who really impressed me was Vladimir Tretiak. He never played in the NHL, but kicked butt whenever he would play.

The next Euro to impress me was Pelle Lindberg, who came over from Sweden and was the All-Rookie goalie in xx and won the Vezina Trophy in xx.

I really heard of Dominik Hasek the xx season, but more so of Arturs Irbe who played well against the Canucks. Hasek would win the Vezina that season and Irbe would help to defeat the Detroit Red Wings in the playoffs.

Then there were a number of Euros like Tommy Salo and Roman Turek, Tommy Soderstrom, etc. who were good but not great.

1994 and 1995 were the banner years.

NOW THEY ARE STARS.

Some writers have credited Dominik Hasek with the sudden interest in Euro goalies.

My research contradicts this. The wave started before Hasek became famous.

The season before Hasek won the Vezina, seven Euro goalies were drafted.

Why? Hasek had been selected to the NHL All-rookie team, but had a mediocre season – his first with Buffalo – with a 11-10 record and a 3.15 goals against average.

By this time there were 26 NHL teams – with the addition of the Ducks and Panthers that season. So, there was demand for good goalies.

Secondly, the previous season had been the highest-scoring regular campaign in NHL history – a total of 7,311 goals were scored.

Twenty of the twenty-four teams scored three goals or more per game and there were only 63 shutouts all season.

Thirdly, the North American supply was skimpy. Drafted in the first four rounds of the 1993 draft were Jocelyn Thibault, Kevin Weekes, Tyler Moss, Scott Langkow, Patrick Charbonneau, Joel Gagnon, Chad Lang, and Dieter Kochan.

The seven Europeans – see chart – were drafted in the higher rounds.

Why hadn’t this happened before?

It’s been claimed that there was a bias.

“One problem was the way Cherry was always talking [negatively] about Astrom,” says Nashville Predators goaltending coach Mitch Korn. “That probably initially set Europeans back….”

RECOGNIZED THEY WERE GOOD. WON TOURNAMENTS. BUT AT A DIFFERENT GAME. BIGGER ICE SURFACE. DIFFERENT STYLE OF PLAY – WAITING FOR THE PASS – DEEP IN THE NET. THUS DIDN’T CHALLENGE AS MUCH.

ALSO, LINDBERG HAD BEEN GOOD.

“Canadians and Americans didn’t like the way we played goal—so deep, always down on our knees,” Khabibulin says. “They didn’t really trust us, not only Russians but all Europeans. Goaltending was like a holy job. Only Canadians should play in net, no aliens.”

STYLE OF PLAY DIFFERENT -

“Toskala emerged as the No. 1 goalie in Kentucky…The Sharks are convinced the 23-year-old Finn can compete at a high level and, like Kiprusoff, he continues to adjust to the smaller North American ice surface where shots come from all angles.” (Ross McKeon, The Hockey News Future Watch 2001)

“…Kiprusoff is improving year in and year out. Played a mixed style between stand-up and butterfly early in his career but now plays more stand-up. He’s a very smart goalie and seems to do his homework on opposing players. Seems to know where they are shooting. Not overly aggressive but gets the job done.” (The Sports Forecaster 1999-2000, p. 216)

Kiprusoff sees the puck extremely well. However, he must work on adjusting his angles and reading the play….” (The Sports Forecaster 2001-02, p. 219)

“He plays a very aggressive style of goaltending. He loves to challenge the shooters and for that reason covers his angles well. He’s very quick and has great reaction. The only flaw in his game is consistency. Has the ability to make the show-stopping save as well as to let in weak goals from time to time.” (The Sports Forecaster 1999-2000, p. 216) NABAKOV.

NORTH AMERICAN PRIDE. TRAFFIC OUT FRONT. CAN’T TAKE THE PHYSICAL.

Sather called “the arrogance of the NHL.”

WASN’T APPLES TO APPLES-ALSO THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT

GOOD SWEDES ONE YEAR – PHILLY TAKES 2 INCLUDING PELL

Thomas Jonsson, Mats Naslund, Philly took Thomas Eriksson

WAS THE BEST – NO INCREASE IN DRAFTS

PREJUDICE-STYLE OF PLAY OR ARROGANCE? BOTH. DEFENSIVE ABOUT THE GAME. NOT TOUGH. IT’S OUR GAME.

ALSO NOT SCOUTING EASTERN EUROPE

EUROS HAD TROUBLE ADJUSTING

SCOUTING REPORTS

ARTUS ON JOE SAKIC

CHICAGO HAD DRAFTED HASEK AND A RUSSIAN GOALIE OVER TWO SEASONS PLUS EUROS

Chicago 1983 took Jari Torkki from Finland in 1984 Joakim Persson from Sweden

1984 took Timo Lehkonen from Finland

Tom Erikkson from Sweden????

HASEK DIDNT COME  FOR YEARS

playing for the Czechoslovakian National team, Hašek entered the NHL draft and was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1983.

BEHIND BALFOR

TRADED TO BUFFALO – WITH FUHR.

2ND YEAR PLAYED WELL AND WON VEZINA BUT INCREASED DRAFTS THE PREVIOUS JUNE

BAD SELECTION OF N.A. GOALIES

THEN SAN JOSE GOT ON THE BANDWAGON

San Jose Head Scout Tim Burke saw Nabokov on an advertisement during his trip to Russia while Burke went to scout another player.

GOOD GOALIE COACH-DIDN’T SEEM TO DRAFT EUROS

Strelow became the NHL’s first full-time goaltending coach when the Washington Capitals hired him for the job in 1983, following his years at the University of Minnesota and various Minnesota high schools. After seven successful seasons with Washington, Strelow spent three years with the New Jersey Devils, working closely with a young Martin Brodeur. Warren Strelow.

ttp://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/06/24/SPGERJJKLF1.DTL

AFTER HASEK WINS FIRST ROUND PICK

COME OVER AS YOUNG GOALIES NOW-NO ADJUSTING-DIFFERENT GAME

PHILLY HAS KEPT DRAFTING SWEDES

Coyotes director of hockey information Igor Kuperman, who covered the Soviet Union for the European arm of the NHL’s central scouting bureau in the late ’80s and early ’90s, says he was instructed to not waste time on goalies.

Once they reached the NHL, Eurogoalies were particularly obtuse, waiting and waiting for the extra pass they were used to seeing at home instead of moving to the top of the crease to blot the shooter’s openings. Baffled by the angles and blinded by the unaccustomed congestion in front of the net, many Eurogoalies looked … out of place…Older Eurogoalies had to relearn their position. Sure, goaltending is goaltending and math is math, but it was like trying to pick up the metric system at age 45.”

Hockey Digest ,  March, 2001 by Karl Samuelson

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2833465

This has been documented, but another factor was that the cold war was only just winding down. So the NHL was only drafting the occasional Finn or Swede.

1989 – first election in Russia

1989 Berlin Wall came down.

Chicago was dabeling in Europe. In 1983 they took Finland’s Jari Torkki and in 1984 Sweden’s Joakim Persson.

And in 1984 the Blackhawks took two goalies: Hasek and Finland’s Timo Lehkonen. They also took Tom Eriksson from Sweden.

Montreal also took Tretiak.

In spite of aggressive discussions with Soviet authorities, Canadiens’ general manager Serge Savard was unable to secure Tretiak’s release for Montreal

Some months earlier, Wayne Gretzky, who had visited Tretiak inMoscow in the summer of ‘82, had told me that Tretiak’s desire was to play in the 1984 Olympics and, afterward, to get permission from the Soviet government to play in the National Hockey League. Tretiak had asked Gretzky if he, Tretiak, might make as much money as Denis Potvin, the New York Islanders‘ All-Star defenseman whose annual salary is approximately $350,000 Gretzky said he thought so

New Years Eve 1982

“I would Ute that because the Canadiens are very much like my team,” Tretiak said on New Years Eve, 1982, “the Army Club, in being many times champions. Also, it would be nice to play before such a great crowd.”

Yuri Andropov still  General Secretary of the CPSU

civilian jet liner, Korean Air Flight KAL-007, that had strayed over the Soviet Union on 1 September 1983.

I HAVE PREPARED A LIST OF EURO GOALIES DRAFTED FROM XX TO XX – AND SHOWN AWARDS AND WHEN FORWARDS DRAFTED

By 1997 junior teams picking up Europeans

]]> http://crashingthegoalie.com/2010/12/30/euro-goalies-the-myth/feed/ 0 http://crashingthegoalie.com/2010/12/30/nucks-goalie-drafts/ http://crashingthegoalie.com/2010/12/30/nucks-goalie-drafts/#comments Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:30:29 +0000 Ron Spence http://crashingthegoalie.com/?p=5245 by Ron Spence

The Vancouver Canucks selected 36 goalies in the 38 NHL drafts from 1970 until 2008.

Two have had decent careers – Glen Hanlon and Murray Bannerman.

Four were good backups – Troy Gamble, Mike Fountain, Wendell Young and Frank Caprice.

And of course there’s Cory Schneider, who with the proper grooming, should be a top NHL goalie.

Of the 36 selections, 18 came from the Western Hockey League – in its various incarnations – and the B.C. Junior Hockey League.

Seven came from the Ontario Hockey League and the OPJHL.

Only three came from that goalie breeding ground – the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

And six were selected from various American Colleges.

Vancouver only drafted in the first round once – Cory Schneider – and  in the second round twice – Mike Fountain and Troy Gamble – in 38 years.

They drafted 5 third round picks.

Bud Poile drafted Ed Dyck and acquired Charlie Hodge, Dunc Wilson, and George Gardiner in the professional entry draft. Dyck would play 49 games for the ‘nucks over 3 seasons and Dave McClelland two games for Vancouver during the 1972-73 season. Meanwhile they purchased Bruce Bullock for cash and he played 14 games for the Canucks that season.

Hal Laycoe was named GM and acquired Gary Smith from Chicago in 1973. Vancouver had to give up their first ever first round pick – Dale Talon – to get Smith.

Phil Maloney wasn’t into drafting goalies and traded Vancouver’s 1st round pick in 1976 for Curt Ridley.

Jake Milford – known for his youth development – became GM and selected Glen Hanlon and Murray Bannerman, and later Frank Caprice and Wendell Young.

The Hockey News considered Glen Hanson the WCHL’s top goaltending prospect in the 1977 draft and Murray Bannerman the 3rd best prospect. Yet, the Boston Bruins used their pick – number 34 – to pick Dave Parro of Saskatoon who was ranked the 2nd best goalie in the WCHL. The Canucks traded Bannerman on May 27th, 1978 to Chicago for Pit Martin.

Wendell Young was rated by The Hockey News as the No. 2 OMJHL goaltending prospect for the 1981 NHL draft. Grant Fuhr was selected in the first round, some nobodies in the 2nd, and Mike Vernon in the 3rd round. Young was selected in the middle of a cluster of goalies who would have successful NHL careers:

Vancouver would trade Hanlon, and were content to acquire free agents like Gary Bromley, or trade for Richard Brodeur, Kevin Weekes, Kirk McLean, etc.

Jack Gordon would draft Troy Gamble in the 2nd round and Pat Quinn would select Mike Fountain, but basicly Vancouver traded for goalies.

The sad part – for the franchise – was that neither Pat Quinn nor Brian Burke looked to Europe for goalies.

Quinn drafted a Russian – Sergei Tkachenko – in the 11th round in 1993, but he was playing in the American League already.

The one time that the Canucks actually drafted a European goalie playing in Europe was in 2002 when Brian Burke selected Czech Lukas Mensator.

It wasn’t as though the Canucks had been scouting in Europe, however. Mensador was an all-star at numerous tournaments in Europe.

Because Burke’s scouts weren’t thorough, they didn’t realize that he  was too small:

“Because of his undersized stature,” wrote Hockey’s Future, “Mensator is not able to cover the net like the larger goaltenders are able to. Along with most European goaltenders, Mensator struggles with handling the puck, a skill that may not be as important if the rules are changed in the NHL. His positioning in the net and his ability to control rebounds need to be improved if Mensator is to make it to the NHL.”

That being said, however, he is playing very well – in Europe – according to International Hockey.net.

Dave Nonis signed free agent Johan Hedberg in 2004 and traded for a European – Mika Noronen – in 2006, but he had been playing in Buffalo.

NONIS CREDIT

ii

On Wednesday, Ray Shero, the general manager for the Pittsburgh Penguins, seemed to stop short of calling for an O.H.L.-style rule change. “I don’t think we’re looking for a big rule change, but maybe we can tweak something,” he said.

Chris Neil nailed Downie, a Tampa Bay Lightning winger, with 6:04 left in the third period of a 3-1 pre-season win last night in front of a packed house at the Brandt Centre.

Neil was given a charging minor and game misconduct for his hit along the boards in the dying minutes.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2009/09/21/11048141-sun.html?cid=rsssportsslam!%20hockey

“I didn’t get him as good as I would like to have,” said Neil. “He drops his gloves with me and then he says, ‘Oh, I’m not fighting.’ He tried to flip me. I got him with some good ones. I wish I got him with some better ones.

“I’m not concerned at all (about supplementary discipline). I  finished my check. It might have been a little late. It was a clean hit. It’s one of those things. He was just lucky he was able to get me down before I got going.”

Asked if he thought he would hear from the league, Senators coach Cory Clouston said: “I don’t think

It took a while, but the Ottawa Senators may have gotten a half-pound of flesh for Steve Downie’s cheap hit on Dean McAmmond when he was a Flyer two years ago. Chris Neil got Downie, now playing in Tampa, during an exhibition game this week.

“I didn’t get him as good as I would like to have,” Neil said. “He drops his gloves with me and then he says, ‘Oh, I’m not fighting.’ He tried to flip me. I got him with some good ones. I wish I got him with some better ones. I’m not concerned at all [about supplementary discipline]. I finished my check. It might have been a little late. It was a clean hit. It’s one of those things. He was just lucky he was able to get me down before I got goin

It also alleges that Crawford took his instructions from Burke, “his tough-talking boss who also advocates in favour of violence in hockey.”

BURKE SENT MESSAGE-OVER SUMMER

GEE. TORONTO TWICE AS MANY FIGHTS IN PRE-SEASON

STEVE MOORE

BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR BURKE

SAME IN ANAHEIM-BIZ AS USUAL

LIKE BRIAN BURKE

DON’T LIKE STEVE MOORE-FAMILY SUING BURT

BUT BURKE OVER THE EDGE SENDING INVITES TO STEVE MOORE

NEW MEANING TO ADDING INSULT TO INJURY

COULD BE SEEN AS A WAY OF LOOKING AT HIS MEDICAL HISTORY

“(Stone) plays with a little crust and we’ve got five or six guys who have no crust,” said Quinn. “That’s an area of their game they have to get better at. We’re looking for that balance. We’re not going to be 14 creampuffs because we won’t be able to win anything. We have to have some bite in our game someplace and he’s one of the guys who’s brought that.”

Enough of it to displace a veteran or two?

“Those are not going to be easy decisions for our management to make,” said Quinn.

jblair@globeandmail.com

Most people see thugs, or weighty stuff like regression to the meaner. But when Brian Burke looks at a roster of Colton Orrs and Garnet Exelbys, he sees dominoes falling as well as opposing forwards and defencemen.

He sees his skill players having more room to be themselves and being fresher later in games, which might pay off in the faceoff circle or the corners. He sees second-year defenceman Luke Schenn fighting his own battles and not “three, four or five battles.”

The way he was last year?

“The way he was last year,” Burke said.

“Look,” the Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager said, “the point of the exercise isn’t to have the roughest team.

It’s to have enough toughness that your skill players are in a fear-free environment.

“A guy like Schenn? This will keep him on the ice more. A guy like [centre Mikhail] Grabovski? I think he’s already getting more room than he had last year,” he said.

“See, the first way it manifests itself is you don’t get hit as much. The second way is there’s not a scrum after every whistle like last year, with guys pushing and shoving our guys. And then the third way it manifests itself is, hopefully, you’re taking away time and space from the other team’s skill guys with your beef. It’s dominoes.”

Call it a “fear-free environment.” Or call it a “roughhouse” environment, as Maple Leafs head coach Ron Wilson did after one preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Whatever, a bigger, tougher Toronto lineup means that some of the NHL team’s more skilled players – both holdovers and newcomers – are going to have to get comfortable dealing with retaliation that comes from being the bully’s best friend. Walking home alone and all that stuff.

“I still think we’re adjusting to it,” Wilson said. “I mean, you still have to know how you handle yourself. It can’t always be up to the other guy.”

Schenn smiled when he was asked how he liked having others ride shotgun for him for a change.

“I won’t change how I play, but it’s nice to be more team-tough,” he said. “I guess that’s how I’d put it.”

Burke says the new robust nature of his team “hadn’t translated to as much offence as I would have liked.” The addition of Phil Kessel (36 goals in 2008-09 for the Boston Bruins) will help, but Burke made it clear he expects more from his other forwards now that they’re in a “fear-free environment.”

If nothing else, it’s a matter of acclimating to a new reality. Grabovski arrived in camp packing, by his own estimation, 10 pounds of extra muscle. He laughed when he was asked if he was buying in to the program a little too much.

The added muscle is to help him in the faceoff circle, where he says he plans to be more often late in games.

“The way the game is played now, and the way our team is, should help me,” Grabovski said. “[Wilson] has already told me that he wants me to concentrate on using my skills, on working hard and playing hard but making use of what I do best. My speed.”

So bring on the 2009-10 regular season.

The Maple Leafs have the GM and the pocketbook to start throwing their weight around like baseball’s New York Yankees – at least as much as they can in a salary-cap league. They’ll do so on the ice, too, and now we’ll get to see how lengthy are the coattails of guys like Orr, Mike Komisarek and Exelby.

As a player who essentially won a job – at least to start – out of the hurly-burly of training camp and nine exhibition games in two weeks, you can make the case few mastered the art of functioning in the Leafs’ new roughhouse environment as well as Viktor Stalberg.

“I’ve not seen a lot of fighting before, so it’s something I’m not used to,” said the rookie winger, a product of the Swedish junior league and University of Vermont. “I know I’m not going to be a guy who throws down the gloves the first time out. But I have decent size [6 foot 3, 210 pounds]. I can finish my fore-check. I can slow them down. I can do that to help out.

“The fighting … every time I see one … yeah, it gets me jacked up,” he said. “It gets me going. Those guys we have … that’s what they do. They get us going.”

Time to see how far it takes them. The guess here is that, initially at least, the skeptics will carry the day.

Bettman was asked about the persisting rumors that OK Hockey is in serious financial trouble to the point where former owner Bill Davidson and Palace Sports would be forced to resume control of the franchise.

“There is nothing to address there,’’ Bettman said. “I don’t understand why people say that. It’s no secret that they did some of the financing of the deal, which happens to be a good thing because it means the franchise is in solid financial condition. That’s why I don’t think people should be focused or worried about it.’’

Essentially, Bettman said the key is for everyone involved to remain patient and allow owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie to implement whatever plan they have in mind.

“You have very committed owners there,’’ Bettman said. “They are passionate about the club and they want to make sure that this team is performing on and off the ice as well as possible. But as with new owners in any sport, there is always a learning curve and when you make a lot of changes sometimes people tend to make judgment before you get to see the full effects.’’

Despite all the rumors, despite a recent restructured financing deal with Palace Sports and even on the heels of charging building employees for parking starting on March 1, Bettman said there are no warning signs of shaky financial ground.

“Teams all go through up and down phases,’’ the commissioner said. “You make it sound like the team is in some kind of trouble when it’s not.’’

2. START WITH ONE TEAM

3. TAMPA BAY ECONOMY – WRITER CAN’T TRAVEL

Floridians are quickly losing confidence in the hope that the economy will turn around, according to a new University of Florida poll.

February’s consumer confidence index fell three points to 63, just four points above the all-time low of 59.

4. BASEBALL

5. BOLTS TICKETS

Almost 1,300 upper-level seats have been reclassified to be included in the $239 season-ticket package that averages out to $5.69, plus tax, per game. Nearly 20 percent of the arena’s seats will feature that $239 designation and half-season packages in the same area will cost $149.

“With one of the biggest arenas in the NHL, a difficult economic timefacing our fans and team performance not where we hoped it would be, we know the right thing to do is to decrease prices in many of the areas,” Lightning co-owner and governor Oren Koules said in a statement. “We continue to be very bullish about our future, excited for the organization and for our fans as we move forward.”

“We don’t have that flexibility anymore,” Sternberg said. “And at some point, you put yourself back to the wall. And I think that’s where we are right now. And we, quite frankly, can’t really afford what we have on the field this year. But we were at least able to spend the money on a lot of value, we think. … I think we have a real opportunity to win. And it doesn’t leave us any flexibility, but you come around to June or July, and the answer might be a little different.”

6. POOR PRODUCT TO TICKET SALES TO TV REVENUE

A good start would have brought in the fans and the cash would have flowed. Well, they’ve gotten the excitement, but not the kind they wanted, and attendance is down more than 2,000 a game compared with last season

The dominoes are teetering. TV ratings have dropped 21%, the most of any NHL club this season. The owners are on their third coach and also fired Jay Feaster, a qualified general manager.

And despite giving away an average of 2,500 tickets, Tampa Bay’s announced average attendance of 16,231 is 2,461 fewer than last season.

7. OVERPAID

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/31/nhl08_Tampa-Bay-Lightning_319451.html

8. RESTRUCTURING

The belief is there’s a $10- million US payment due to Palace Sports and Entertainment in January as part of the sale. The Bolts owners could either negotiate an extension on the payment or former owner Bill Davidson could take the team back, which means Jay Feaster would be back as GM. The talk is the Bolts might trim some of their payroll soon.

Sirius/XM’s “Hockey Night In Canada” host Elliotte Friedman reported on December 9th that things are so bad in Tampa that new owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie might not be able to make their next payment to former owner William Davidson, due just after the new year. If those reports are true, then that may result in the team’s ownership possibly being reverted back to Davidson

Oren Koules and Len Barrie still owe Bill Davidson $180 million for the Lightning and after the crash, the franchise probably isn’t worth the mortgage. Even stable owners are worth less money and teams are worth less money.

9. BAD COMBINATIONS

The economy contracted by a stunning 6.2 percent in the final three months of 2008, its worst showing in a quarter-century.WASH POST

10. BAD SHAPE – PAY CHEQUES

I have it on good authority that the Lightning had to cut live checks for the second payroll in a row.  When payroll is normally done via direct deposit.  The live checks were not to be given out til 1:00pm Friday of the last payroll day.  Also, why is it that a good portion of the front office staff wants to leave???  Only reason that they cannot is the economy and they need the jobs.

By Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Saturday, February 21, 2009

11. BASEBALL SELLS OFF ASSETS

12. BASEBALL ADMITTING THERE IS A PROBLEM

A: Unfortunately, we had a real taste of the bad economic environment last year. I think specifically the Tampa Bay region was ahead of the curve on this one. There’s times you want to be ahead of the curve and times you don’t. So I think we felt a bit of the brunt of it last year. In addition to that, last year we spent the bulk of the season with $4-plus [per gallon] gasoline. Our average fan traveled 28 miles or so, and that adds up to a lot of money if you’re making one of those 20-, 30-, 40- or more-mile trips to the stadium, and what we found last year in our questioning was it was a significant factor. So, yes, the economy, nationally, has gone south quite a bit more since then. The region itself has gone south as well, but not as dramatic, comparatively. I think we know what it is to operate in that environment, and given that, I think we’ve kept and made things very affordable. We’ve still got free parking for four people or more. Our competition is for other entertainment dollars. As we’ve looked back and I’ve looked back, even in the worst of times in the ’30s, movies did fairly well, and it’s really about the entertainment dollar and value. I think we provide a lot of that, and it gives people the opportunity even with just a few trips to the ballpark to follow us 250 days a year. But it clearly is something that is very much on my mind and very much on the mind of people in the organization who should be fixed on it. And I’ve gone a long way to make certain that the people in the organization who should not be fixed on it are not fixed on it, but are really concerned about providing the best experience and are able to do that without it hanging over their heads.

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/the-morning-skate-will-the-lightning-trade-vincent-lecavalier/

BETMAN BULLSHIT

Even so, commissioner Gary Bettmanshrugged off the seeming indicators of difficult financial times.

“You make it sound as if the club is in some sort of trouble. It’s not,” Bettman said Friday. “(Owner Oren Koules) is completely confident, and I have no reason to give you any sense that would undermine the confidence that he’s conveying to you.”

The bottom-line source of Bettman’s confidence, though, seems to be the financing deal with ex-owner Bill Davidson’s Palace Sports & Entertainment.

“It’s no secret that they did some financing on the deal, which is a good thing,” Bettman said. “It means the franchise is in solid financial condition.”

Is ownership?

Koules recently told ESPN.com: “Are we making money? No. But are we bleeding like most people think we are? Of course not.”

“Listen, you have very committed owners there,” said Bettman, who described the refinancing meeting he attended as positive. “They are passionate about the club, and they want to make sure this team is performing on and off the ice as well as possible.

“But with new owners, in any sport, there’s always a learning curve, and when you make a lot of changes, people sometimes tend to make judgments before you see the full effects. … I’m not talking just about Tampa. I’m talking about any club. Sometimes you make decisions that don’t work out as you had hoped. You adjust. You make good decisions and do other things.”

DAVID STERN

“New sales are also being hit,” he said.

“We don’t know the final tally yet because … our teams are up in game sales, individual tickets, and then we have to see what we do in group sales,” Stern said. “So, we are working harder and expending more energy. We think we’ll be up in revenue. But I just can’t say for sure whether we’ll be up or down in attendance because it’s just so touch-and-go because sports tickets are very much disposable income.”

“I used to think that we were pretty recession-proof, and now I’m not so sure,” Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig tells Fortune. “This is the most significant downturn I’ve seen in my 40 years in baseball.”

General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) – once baseball’s biggest corporate sponsor – has canceled its sponsorship deal with the team. And even before superstar third baseman Alex Rodriguez was caught up in a steroid scandal, the Yanks were having trouble selling premium seats in their new stadium – so much so that they hired a Manhattan realty firm to market unsold club seats and luxury boxes.

The Pittsburgh Pirates, another team that recently lost GM as a sponsor, have resorted to selling some season tickets at a 25% discount to 2008 prices. In Arizona the Diamondbacks’ season ticket renewal rate has fallen to 83% – still respectable, but down from 94% heading into the 2008 season. Hall says he knows of other MLB teams – though he won’t name them – with renewal rates as low as 60%. And as bad as 2009 looks, Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf thinks 2010 could be worse if corporations keep cutting back. “Virtually every team is losing sponsors,” Reinsdorf says.

Another day, another twist in the Vincent Lecavalier saga.

The Tampa Bay Lightning confirmed Thursday they had indeed paid the star center a $500,000 bonus that was due to him by Jan. 15. A report in French newspaper La Presse in Montreal on Wednesday had suggested the payment was in jeopardy.

Lecavalier

“Yes, Vinny was paid his bonus today on schedule, just as all our other players were paid according to their contracts and the provisions of the CBA,” Lightning GM Brian Lawton said in a statement to ESPN.com provided by the team.

It was the latest in a series of reports that called into question the financial stability of the Lightning. The team’s fiscal picture actually took a turn for the better last week in New York after a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, where its loan with Palace Sports and Entertainment, the main lenders in the sale of the team to Len Barrie and Oren Koules, was restructured.

The NHL club has repeatedly tried to tell media outlets during the last week that its finances are fine.

“It’s time to stop this foolishness, the team is on solid financial ground and it will continue to operate that way,” Lawton said. “Nobody needs to worry about whether our players are going to be paid or not. It’s foolish and it’s irresponsible to report anything different.”

The Lecavalier trade rumors began in earnest in the past week, in large part because of the rumors surrounding the team’s financial picture. Lecavalier’s $85 million, 11-year contract extension kicks in next season.

Will the team be forced to move Lecavalier for financial reasons alone?

“I think that’s a fair comment for people to say, but it’s not true,” Lawton told reporters in Tampa on Thursday. “We signed [Lecavalier] with the intent of keeping him here. We’d like to see the economy pick up. We’d like to see our team do better. As far as where we are today, we signed him with the intent to keep him here.”

Lawton has repeatedly stated this week that the team was not shopping Lecavalier, although multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.com that teams have indeed called about him, including theMontreal Canadiens.

For now everything is in a holding pattern. Lecavalier’s no-trade clause doesn’t come into effect until July 1, although Lawton has promised the Lecavalier camp, including Lecavalier’s agent, Kent Hughes, that if a trade offer should ever merit serious consideration, the team would first discuss it with the player.

“Obviously with Vinny Lecavalier’s situation, there has been a lot of speculation floating around — completely unfounded, I might add, just for the record,” Lawton told reporters. “Vinny Lecavalier is not being shopped by the Tampa Bay Lightning. It would be erroneous of me to say that people haven’t called me on Vinny Lecavalier because they certainly have, and that has started literally from the day that I took this position. Why would something like that happen? Because he’s a great player.”

Pierre LeBrun covers the NHL for ESPN.com.

owner Len Barrie flatly denies that speculation.

“We paid $110 million (in cash) . . . we put into this deal,” Barrie said Friday in Vancouver. “That’s the highest in the history of the NHL. I think we’ve made every payday – every bonus. We actually paid the bonuses early. It’s kind of entertaining to listen to all of the speculation. …

“I don’t see anything going on (trade-wise) – not one piece that we have in place that we want to move. Will we do some small things? Yeah.”

The native of Creston, B.C. enjoyed four excellent years with the University of North Dakota between 1979 and 1983. Following his freshman year, he was chosen 92nd overall by the Hartford Whalers in the NHL Entry Draft. In 1982 he helped the Fighting Sioux win the NCAA championship and was selected to the tournament all-star team.

Jensen spent his first pro season with the IHL’s Fort Wayne Komets in 1983-84 and led the league with a 2.92 goals against average and four shutouts. At the end of the season he was voted to the league’s first all-star team, was presented the James Norris Memorial Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the league, received the Garry F. Longman Memorial Award as the top rookie in the “I”, and was the winner of the James Gatschene Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

Jensen played one game for the Flyers in 1984-85 but was sent to Hershey of the AHL to share the goaltending responsibilities with Mike Bloski. Following the tragic death of Pelle Lindbergh, Jensen was pressed into service after Bob Froese pulled a groin in practice. On November 14, 1985, Jensen faced the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers in a game that featured a lengthy pre-game ceremony in Lindbergh’s honour. In 29 appearances Jensen posted a 15-9-1 record and two shutouts and became a sentimental fan favourite at the Spectrum.

Prior to the trading deadline in 1986, the Flyers acquired veteran Chico Resch and shipped Jensen to the minors. The young netminder showed his mettle by helping the Hershey Bears reach the Calder Cup finals. Following that NHL season, he and Froese shared the William M. Jennings trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the league. Jensen spent the rest of his career in the minors after Ron Hextall burst on to the NHL scene in 1986-87.

After signing Heatley to a six-year, $45-million contract extension in October 2007, and shelling out more than $14 million to him in the last 12 months — including a $4-million bonus on July 1 — Melnyk found it disrespectful.

“I spoke directly across the table, with (Heatley) and his agents,” said Melnyk. “When you make that type of commitment to a player where you front-end load a contract, you expect, just as a human being, when you shake somebody’s hand — never mind a 130-page contract — that they will be reciprocal to it.

“That’s my biggest disappointment: these people, I mean just as human beings, (shouldn’t) do that to anyone.

“Yes, it has left a sour taste, but you’ve got to forget about that. You turn around, you learn from it and you’ll never do it again. I guarantee you, anybody else out there should be aware this can happen to (them) if the other side is not genuine.”

Melnyk believes Heatley’s actions set a bad precedent for all sports.

“That whole situation sent shivers not only through every GM and owner in the hockey world, but in sports in general,” said Melnyk. “This is the worst thing that could happen to a team that wants to progress. He hurt himself. He hurt all his teammates. He hurt the organization.

“I don’t necessarily put the blame on him directly, but I think it’s the people around him that leaked it out. That’s a disaster. It’s unconscionable what happened. You have to hand it to Bryan. Working with handcuffs, he was able to pull off a good deal. We made the best out of what was a bad situation. I’m glad it’s done, over with and out the door. Wish (him) luck. If there’s anything good that came out of this, it’s toughened up our team. We have more of a ‘we’ll show you’ attitude and I think they’ll come together as a real team now and show their stuff.”

Melnyk gave his blessing when Murray told him he was stepping up efforts to move the disgruntled Heatley on the first day of training camp.

“I’m not there, but even if I was there, Bryan, the coach and the players have to live and breathe this every day,” said Melnyk. “What we don’t need is a distraction of any sort and I don’t care how good you are. I don’t care if you’re a 50-goal scorer. If you’ve got that kind of person in the dressing room, those 50 goals will be meaningless if it’s going to affect all the players. Now, it’s a nice, clean start.”

The phone call floored Don Waddell and sent him into seclusion for a couple of days.

Sitting in his office on Aug. 9th, Waddell was surprised to learn winger Dany Heatley didn’t want to return to the Thrashers and instead of trying to talk him out of it, the Atlanta GM decided to go away for a couple of days.

“I wasn’t sure what to think when I got the call from Dany that he wanted to be traded. I decided to just go away for a couple of days because if I was going to make this move it wasn’t going to be just any kind of trade,” said Waddell.

“I wanted to look at all 30 teams and make sure that we pinpointed the ones that we wanted to deal with. We talked seriously to a couple of teams, but when I saw we had the chance to get a guy like Marian Hossa, I felt the Senators were the best fit. If we were going to give up a goal scorer, I thought it was important that we get a goal scorer in return and I’m pleased that’s what we were able to get in this deal.”

Calgary-based agent J.P. Barry, the co-managing director of IMG Hockey, who was hired to work with Heatley and agent Stacey McAlpine two weeks ago, said asking for the deal was not an easy decision.

“I only got involved a couple of weeks ago, but in speaking with the family and with Dany, we all felt this was the right move for him,” said Barry. “Dany felt that this was in his best interests and when Stacey and I looked at the teams that we thought were a good fit, the Senators were at the top of our list.”

Waddell said making the trade was tough.

“I spoke with Dany Heatley four times and I even had our ownership speak with him because I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a problem that Dany Heatley had with Don Waddell,” said Waddell.

“I just think there were too many reminders (of the car accident here) and I believe that was the main reason behind this. We have the No. 37 of Dan Snyder in the building and Dany just felt it was best for his career if he went somewhere else. That wasn’t easy because he has been one of the cornerstones of our franchise, but I understand that he needs a fresh start.”

xxxxx

Graham Snyder lost his son when Atlanta Thrashers star Dany Heatley crashed a convertible while speeding on a winding road. The father asked an Atlanta judge yesterday not to compound that loss by putting Heatley in jail.

The judge honored the request, sentencing Heatley to three years’ probation after he pleaded guilty to charges in the death of teammate Dan Snyder.

“Forgiveness in our hearts has helped us move on,” Graham Snyder said. “We forgive because Dany has shown remorse to our family.”

Judge Rowland Barnesacknowledged the father’s support for Heatley, though he noted, “I don’t know that I could do this if I were you.”

Heatley also was ordered to give 150 public speeches about the dangers of speeding. In exchange for his plea, the only felony charge — first-degree vehicular homicide — was dropped along with a charge of reckless driving.

“The mistake I made that night was speeding,” Heatley said at his sentencing. “This mistake will stay with me the rest of my life.”

Heatley pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane and speeding for the Sept. 29, 2003, crash in Atlanta.

The MVP of the 2003 NHL All-Star Game, Heatley was driving his Ferrari on a curved road in a residential area when it ran into a brick pillar and iron fence. Authorities said Heatley had consumed some alcohol but was not intoxicated. Snyder, a passenger, died after several days in a coma. He was 25

As 2005–06 was the first year that the NHL implemented the shootout, Heatley and Alfredsson became the first players to score in an NHL shootout, scoring against Leafs goalie Ed Belfour.^[7]

Although Rose has not been known for alcohol abuse, on June 27, 2006, he was arrested in Stockholm, Sweden, after an early morning altercation in his hotel lobby with hotel security. Rose is alleged to have bitten a security guard’s leg and shattered an antique lobby mirror while in a drunken rage. Rose later commented in a press release: “We had a great gig in Stockholm and I am not going to let this incident spoil that. My assistant Beta and I were talking in the lobby of the hotel when security started to give us a hard time. My only concern was to make sure she was okay”. After spending the next several hours in a Stockholm drunk tank, Rose plead guilty to all charges and paid roughly $6,000 in fines and was released. The Summer European tour continued as scheduled.[42]

Throughout Guns N’ Roses’ career, Rose has been notorious for personally addressing disruptive fans and giving instructions to security guards from the stage, at times stopping concerts to deal with issues in the crowd. In his 1992 Rolling Stone interview Rose explained, “Most performers would go to a security person in their organization, and it would just be done very quietly. I’ll confront the person, stop the song: “Guess what: You wasted your money, you get to leave.”[2] He has also been noted for his late appearances at concerts, sometimes taking the stage hours after the opening acts.[2][46][47]

In many instances, Rose’s actions have seemed to be based in concern for the safety of the band and audience members. At the 1988 Monsters of Rock concert at Castle Donington, England during which two fans were crushed, Rose stopped the show several times when asked by security, as the audience rushed the stage. The fans had begun edging forward when the band appeared onstage. The final report into the Donington tragedy noted that Rose had immediately cooperated with venue security when advised of the dangerous crowd conditions, and had attempted to calm the crowd.[48] In a more recent incident, during a concert in 2006 in Birmingham, Rose stopped the show and had a security guard ejected for assaulting a fan in the audience.[49]

In July 1991, during the early stages of the 28-month-long Use Your Illusion Tour, Rose jumped off stage during a concert in St. Louis to take a video camera away from a fan. The concert was aborted as Rose threw his microphone down and walked off stage saying “Thanks to the lame-ass security, I’m going home!” The other band members followed and the house lights came on, sparking an intense riot that caused significant damage to both the newly-constructed arena and Guns N’ Roses’ equipment and instruments. [50] Rose was blamed for the melee, and was charged with four counts of misdemeanor assault and one charge of property damage, for which he was arrested in 1992.[51] The case eventually went to trial in late 1992, and resulted in a conviction, two years’ probation and a US $50,000 fine for Rose.[40]

Another riot occurred on August 8, 1992 at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, during Guns N’ Roses’ summer concert co-headlining tour with Metallica. During the performance, Metallica’s set was cut short when the band’s lead singer, James Hetfield, was burned in a pyrotechnics accident. Guns N’ Roses was unable to take the stage early to make up for Metallica’s abbreviated performance, as Rose was once again late arriving at the venue. Further compounding the situation, Rose walked off stage and left the stadium after playing nine songs (only about 50 minutes), claiming he had problems with his voice. Before “Double Talkin’ Jive”, Rose said this will be “our last show for a long time”, and at the end of “Civil War”, their last song, Rose said “Thank you, your money will be refunded” and walked offstage. A riot ensued, which spilled out into the streets. Authorities were barely able to bring the chaos under control.[21]

Problems have also occurred at several of Guns N’ Roses’s more recent concert events. On June 11, 2006, Guns N’ Roses headlined the Download Festival in Donington Park, England. Within the first half hour of the show; Rose had become annoyed with the quality of the sound and had also lost his footing, nearly causing him to fall due to the “slippery stage”. After briefly leaving and returning the set mid song, throwing the microphone on the floor and exiting the stage citing technical difficulties while leaving Bumblefoot to play an instrumental of the song “Don’t Cry”, he returned on stage with tennis shoes on (he was previously wearing boots), announced that he had some old friends to bring out, and was joined by Izzy Stradlin to play “Used to Love Her”. Stradlin left and returned on stage multiple times, for “Patience”, and the final number “Paradise City”. During the night, Rose was also joined by Sebastian Bach and together they sang “My Michelle”.[52]

On July 19, 2006, at a show in Newcastle, England, Rose walked off-stage during the performance of “Nightrain” after what was alleged to be a £1 coin was thrown on to the stage directly at him. Rose addressed the crowd off-stage and informed them that any person caught throwing objects at him or any other members of the band must be ejected from the auditorium. The band returned to the stage to finish the song after which Rose declared “The show is over”, the band departed and the house lights were resumed. They did not play the usual “Paradise City” encore.[53]