Iron Crotch

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I think this is what the players heard from others in the front office. I assume they didn't deal directly with Patty much. But, that would support why he lasted only months in two different front office jobs.

Hmmm... Well, it's a 5 hour drive to Chicago!

Trotzy would replace his former long-time assistant, Peter Horachek. Supposedly the Caps have an interest in Trotz too.

3 game 7's tonight... Game on! To the above conversation, F the Bruins. I hope any team other than the Bruins wins the Cup. I hate the Patriots, the Red Sox, the Bruins, the Celtics... even the New England Revolution... oh, and the BC Eagles, hate them too. :angel:

Was talking to Goose this past weekend (ran into him at the dog park) and he told me that the players don't even know why Pat LaFontaine resigned. But, some rumors that he had a bit of a "Jeckyl and Hyde" personality. Supposedly you never quite knew what you were going to get from day to day...

Sterling is, of course, married. And, his wife is suing the girlfriend because Sterling has given her (the girlfriend) millions of dollars worth of lavish gifts. All the while the girlfriend who is Latina / African American was secretly taping Sterling's racist rants. This whole thing is a mess.

Weber's was for 14 years (signed at age 26) whereas Vanek's was only for 7 (signed at age 23). So Shea signing the offer sheet more-or-less meant knowing he would be staying with one team for the rest of his career. If he wanted out of Nashville he would have been a UFA the following off-season. He could have played out his final year then bolted. Signing the sheet put him in Nashville for the rest of his career (barring any trades down the road) - the Preds had always said they'd match any offer sheet. Vanek was able to sign the sheet, get paid, then bail out of Buffalo with 1/2 his career left. I see the two scenarios as quite different.

I'm not saying he is wrong and he has certainly earned the right to do what he wants as per the CBA. But, he was (presumably) offered max money at two different places and turned down both. And, I assume the Habs will offer him a monster contract and he'll turn that down. So adjectives like "loyal" and "team first" don't come to mind in describing Vanek. Probably most players are like Vanek, but not all... a guy like Shane Doan comes to mind. As an RFA, Shea wasn't going to get a big offer last year from conservative David Poille. His only way to get max money was the offer sheet. He knew there was a high probability it'd be matched and he'd be spending the rest of his career in Nashville. But, he was certainly ready to bolt too. I happen to know Weber wasn't a big fan of the recently fired Barry Trotz. Fair point.

That article has to do with his playing style and is irrelevant to Vanek not being happy in Buffalo or on the Island. He signed an offer sheet with Edmonton back in the day, which the Sabres matched forcing him to stay in Buffalo. But, he clearly would have bolted to Edmonton if given the chance. He made it clear that he wanted out of Buffalo earlier this season, so Darcy reluctantly traded him. Same scenario when the Isles offered him huge money to resign - he wanted out. And, it'll likely play out the same way in Montreal, which is a far better team than either of his first two stops. Vanek is a free agent in the truest sense.

Scouts know how good Matthews is. I think he'll be gone in the 1st round. I've seen him play in person on many occasions. There is a reason he is the all-time leading receiver in SEC history by a wide margin. http://rotoviz.com/i...mmon-opponents/ BTW - he is Jerry Rice's cousin. :P

Seems like Vanek is never happy with the situation. Not the most "team firm" guy it seems.

I think Vanek is a better fit with Montreal. I don't see the Wild as being a team that can challenge the "elite" teams out West with or without Vanek. As X likes to point out, the Wild are built from the outside in. Plus the Wild don't play the same physical style as many of the other Western conference teams they'll need to go through. That, and signing ex-Sabres doesn't seem like the best route to success. :D

No way in hell the SECs all-time leading receiver in yards and receptions (both by a wide margin) lasts until the 3rd. Jordan caught 112 passes as a senior with coverage rolled to his side of the field (other starting receiver Boyd was suspended for the year) and mediocre QB play. He is the first SEC receiver ever to catch 100+ balls in a season. If he is still there when the Bills pick in the 2nd they should take him. Kid has a knack for making big plays at key moments of the game... in that sense he is everything that Stevie Johnson is not! Note: Matthews was one of the 30 players invited to the draft by the NFL.

LT is a turnover machine and lacks the one thing that is most important for quarterbacks... accuracy. He has a tendency to throw high, at times really, really high. He also has no touch on shorter throws like screens and shallow crossing patters... everything is an uncatchable 100 MPH fastball. And, he stares down his primary receiver pretty much always. He should have been a college tight end and still could be a good pro tight end. Virginia Tech is my team. Trust me on this one.

"All about the St. Louis Blues" ;)

Well at least Columbus didn't go out with a whimper. ;)

http://youtu.be/dV6Tl6rxCHc

Holy ######. 3 goals in about 5 minutes for Columbus... now we have a game!

I heard the Blue Jackets were thinking of signing Maurice Clarett this summer.

Columbus going out with a whimper.

Scott Hartnell is sporting a Vanderbilt t-shirt. :thumbsup:

IMHO, all of these guys play 25+ minutes per night. So they'll get burned once in a while purely because they're always on the ice (i.e. more opportunity to get burned). That said, Suter could have definitely been in there and I also think Pietrangelo and Doughty are worthy of consideration. I'm biased toward Weber, but I think Duncan Keith might be the best all-around defenseman in the game as of right now. He was spectacular in the St. Louis series.

Many 1st round d-dmen turn into great players... but you can certainly find very good d-men later in the draft. Looking at this year's three Norris candidates: Zdeno Chara was a 3rd round pick, Duncan Keith was a 2nd round pick, and Shea Weber was a 2nd round pick. Conversely most of the top scorers were 1st round picks, although many were mid-to-late 1st rounders.

They finally got the Norris trophy candidates right this year... Keith, Chara, and Shea Weber.