Minnesota Sharks? San Jose Wild?

Since the offseason began, the San Jose Sharks seemed to have found a good trading partner with the Minnesota Wild.  First, it was Devin Setoguchi and Charlie Coyle for Brent Burns.  A week later, it was Dany Heatley for Martin Havlat.  And just in today, James Sheppard was sent to San Jose for a third round pick in 2013.

All of these dealings make me wonder two things: are these deals designed to help the Minnesota offense while dumping salary (i.e. Sheppard) and is San Jose truly better after making these deals?  The first part will definitely  depend on whether Heatley can find the net more than 26 times, his goal scoring totals from last year.  Sheppard was a former first round pick in 2006, yet, like every other first rounder since 2004, never lived up to expectations.  As for San Jose, Burns will provide offense from the blue line and in many respects, take some of the pressure off of Dan Boyle.  Havlat doesn't have the offensive ability that Heatley does on his best day, but he does provide some speed and San Jose is obviously looking for performance in the playoffs, something Heatley never did in his two seasons in San Jose.  Sheppard will likely be a third or fourth line player who could benefit from a fresh start.

King's Ransom

Today is August the 6th, and at this moment, the man you see is Drew Doughty, who is still unsigned.  No, it isn't because he isn't good, but rather because he is seeking the big bucks.  Because he is a restricted free agent, any team that wanted him would have had to sign him to an offer sheet, in which his current team, the Los Angeles Kings, would have the option to match.  However, no one has stepped to the plate and the Kings still haven't reached an agreement with him, thus why Doughty is still not signed anywhere.

What would an unsigned Doughty do for the Kings?  If he isn't signed by opening night, it would leave a significant hole on the blue line, one that would force Jack Johnson to be the guy.  Johnson is a pretty good defenseman, but he is no number one d-man.  Doughty's absence, would also temper expectations for a team that not only gets Anze Kopitar back from injury, but also welcomes Mike Richards to the fold.  All the firepower up front does a team no good if there isn't someone on the blue line to light the fuse, and that is exactly what Doughty does.  Despite a down year last year, he is still the top guy, and the Kings would be wise to find a way to get him signed soon.  Otherwise, it could be a long year.

An Open Letter to Seahawks Fans from "Al Davis"

I rarely ever talk about football because it's generally a four month coverage sport that already has many talking heads.  Obviously, that means I will leave it up to them to talk up the sport.  However, in light of recent developments involving the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, today is a little different.  In fact, I will turn this piece over to someone named "Al Davis."  Without further ado, here is "Al."

Dear Seattle Seahawks fans,


I know you're still pissed off that Matt Hasselbeck bolted your team and in his place is a medicore quarterback named Travaris Jackson, who mind you lost his starting job in Minnesota to an old man. I suppose you're wondering why I am writing to you if that development angers you.  As you may also know, your team has picked up three people who were once in my organization: Robert Gallery, Tom Cable, and Zach Miller.  First, I'd like to say that Gallery was someone who was woefully miscast as a tackle, but once he switched to guard, he became serviceable.  However, serviceable isn't good enough for me, as it doesn't jive with my motto "Commitment to Excellence."  Besides, he wanted out, so he's your problem now.  On to your offensive line coach Cable, who was my head coach last year.  All I have to say is hide your women and keep an eye on your assistant coaches.  And Miller, how the hell did he get away from us and sign on with your team?  If I ever find out who switched my medications, I will hunt you down!


In closing, I'd like to say enjoy missing the playoffs this coming season.  What's that?  You play in the NFC West?  Oh, crap!!!!!!


Not respectfully yours, 


Al Davis

Over the Hill? No, Haven't Even Reached the Top.

While trying to come up with something to talk about, being that it's August and hockey season isn't for another two months, it only seemed like a destiny to talk about the arbitration ruling for Shea Weber and the Nashville Predators.  However, I'm not interested in salary cap figures, or any money articles, as the Islanders' bid for a new arena has dominated headlines for the last four days (in fairness, it's been two articles, not four, but stay with me here).  Instead, the angel that is NHL.com has presented me with an interesting piece that doesn't involve money.

As you can tell, today's subject involves Gordie Howe.  More specifically, it involves Howe and everyone else who has reached significant milestones after the age of 35.  Before you say anything, it's nothing like baseball, where steroids helped to defy Father Time.  Here are some interesting notes from the NHL.com piece that is currently circulating:

• The number of players to have hit the 100 point mark after turning 35: four.  Gordie Howe did it in 1968-69 at the age of 41.  Ironically, for all of his career achievements, that season was the only time he scored 100 points in a season.  Johnny Bucyk did it in 1970-71 after just turning 35, Wayne Gretzky did it in 1995-96 at 35, and barely missed out in the following two seasons, and Joe Sakic did it in 2006-07 at 37.
• Bucyk is also the only person to have scored 50 goals in a season after turning 35, doing so in 1970-71.
• What about trophy winners?  Well, the Norris Trophy has been won by the 35 and over group six times, with Doug Harvey doing so in the 1960-61 and 1961-62 seasons at the age of 36 and 37, respectively.  More recently, Nicklas Lidstrom has won the Norris Trophies in 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2010-11 seasons.  If you're keeping score, that's 35, 36, 37, and 40 (!) years old when Lidstrom won the Norris Trophy.
• The Vezina Trophy?  Old guys have had a share of that, too.  Dominik Hasek won the Vezina in 2000-01 season at the age of 36, Martin Brodeur won it in 2007-08 at 35, and Tim Thomas did it this past season at the age of 36.  This is after 1981-82, as the Vezina was originally awarded to the goaltender(s) that allowed the fewest goals, which would also include Tony Esposito in 1979-80 at 36, Glenn Hall in 1968-69 at 37, and Gump Worsley in 1967-68 at 38.

Hockey is still a young man's game, but don't tell that to the older guys who can still go.  Teemu Selanne (40 years old) was the second leading point getter on the Ducks with 80, good enough for eighth overall in the league.  That's no small accomplishment, either, as the guy he trailed on his team: Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry.  And there was also a player who barely missed joining the 100 points after turning 35 club this year: Martin St. Louis, with 99 points at 36.

As you can see, talent can show up at any age, and whatever it may be in the form of, can also win championships.  Thomas at 36 was the most dominant goaltender last season, and Mark Recchi at 43 was the heart and soul of the Bruins team that won the Stanley Cup this past season.

The Ascent of US Hockey in the 1990's

Lost in all of the rumblings about the New York Islanders and their possible move out of Long Island (whenever that may be) was the fact that Monday was also a monumental day for US hockey.  Chris Chelios, Keith Tkachuk (who is pictured), Gary Suter, Ed Snider, and Mike "Doc" Emrick were all selected to the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.  All five selected have on some level, impacted the state of US hockey.  Chelios, for all of his outspoken comments against Gary Bettman, namely during the lockout of 1994, was a mainstay on the blue line for Montreal, Chicago, and Detroit for two and a half decades (let's pretend the Atlanta experiment never happened for argument's sake).  Tkachuk was the power forward that was heavily leaned upon by the Jets/Coyotes, Blues, and Thrashers.  Suter, like Chelios, was a blue line stalwart, playing for Calgary, Chicago, and San Jose.  All three made their marks in international play, as part of the 1996 World Cup championship team for the United States.

If there ever was to be an announcer that goes perfectly with the three players, it would be Emrick.  His distinct voice was evident on Devils' broadcasts, and is currently heard on the NBC and Versus broadcasts.  Snider and Philadelphia are synonymous with each other, so it should be no surprise that both gentlemen are inducted for their efforts to make hockey visible in this country.

Escape from Long Island

The man you see in the picture above is New York Islanders owner Charles Wang.  As you will have probably read by now (and if you haven't, you will after reading this piece), the voters of Nassau County rejected the $400 million plan to build a new arena for the Islanders in the same area that the current Nassau Coliseum resides.  Rejected by a 56 to 43 percent margin, the plan was also to have included a new ballpark for a minor league team.

*Soapbox Alert: If you don't want to read my rant on bringing a team to Kansas City (and trust me, I do this when there's potential talks of a team in financial turmoil), then stop here.

Now, I know there are people that are going to be screaming for the team to relocate, with Quebec City being a likely destination.  I don't like to deal with rumors, but a source familiar with the Kansas City coalition to bring hockey to the city, NHL 21, says the major hangup is finding an interested owner.  I know not anyone from Kansas City who actually reads this blog, but if you are, I absolutely think this would be a great time to get on the ball and encourage someone to try and buy the Islanders off of Wang and do what you can to relocate the team here to Kansas City.  After all, the Islanders' on ice product would be an easy sell, as you can center your marketing campaign around the likes of John Tavares, Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo, and Michael Grabner (And if any other city gets the Islanders, this goes for you, too.  This should be a slam dunk when it comes to marketing).  Those four can play on the top two lines on any team, given the right circumstances, and Tavares, at the very least, can be a true franchise player.  Off the ice, marketing the team is as simple as not doing what the ownership for the now deceased Atlanta Thrashers did, which is to say absolutely nothing.

Non Ho Sonno

It's no secret that many of the great movie directors have periods in which their greatness doesn't quite show.  In the case of Dario Argento, it began in the 1990's.  Truth be told, he hasn't made any really terrible movies per se, but none of the movies made since 1990 have had the impact that his earlier works have had.  Non Ho Sonno, or Sleepless, as translated from Italian, was his 2001 movie that brought elements from his early giallo works to the forefront...perhaps too much.

The basic story of the movie is that a retired insomniac police chief and a son of one of the victims is trying to solve a murder that is being centered around a nursery rhyme that was written by a kickable (little person, in case you didn't get the idea).  Obviously, this detective work puts the loved ones in danger, and the duo has to solve the murder before it's too late.  The movie stars Max Van Sydow as the insomniac cop, and he provides the balance in the movie.  Once he's offed because of a heart attack, the movie seems to drop precipitously.  It's difficult to sympathize with the protagonist (Giacomo), as he comes across as a guy that looks like he ate some meat gone bad.  It's also difficult to sympathize with the murder victims, since they're primarily there as fodder for the killer and nothing more.  The ending is a little too much like Deep Red, and the explanation does sound a little far-fetched.  Not a bad movie, but it should have been much more.