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Abel to Yzerman

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Touring the Sphere

by IwoCPO on 03/03/07 at 10:03 AM ET
Comments (3)

I think it sucks.  I think Edmonton trading Ryan (Jason, Smith, Smyth) sucks and sucks hard whether you’re an Oiler fan or not.  Not to belabor a point that’s already been made (because I NEVER belabor, right?), but how much should one fan base have to put up with?  How many Weights, Guerins, Josephs, Prongers and now Smyth (Smiths) do they have to lose?

I turn to BOA for their latest reaction and mystification at their own Deep Diggers.

But it gets even better. This line, THIS line, is the absolute best!

Given an unlimited budget, Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe would have the high-scoring fan favourite in their lineup.

You mean, like the unlimited budget that was around in the pre-lockout NHL? The pre-lockout NHL where you said, in this article NOT 200 WORDS EARLIER, that Oilers players were “dumped from inventory the moment they began to cost too much”? Oh, I get it. This week, because it suits the EIG, it’s the salary cap’s fault that Ryan Smyth couldn’t be kept. But three years ago, it was a lack of a salary cap that prevented the Oilers from keeping their top talent, guys like Doug Weight, Curtis Joseph and Bill Guerin. Right. Silly old me, thinking the Oilers couldn’t have it both ways. I forgot. It’s Edmonton, and its the Edmonton Journal. They can have it any way they want.

If this were happening to Denver, it would be hilarious.  But it’s not Denver. It’s a real hockey town with real hockey fans who don’t deserve the continual shaft they receive.

But they’re not the only disgruntled fans out there. Oh no.  Remember our old, once new, now past, maybe future rivals? The BJ’s? Yeah, well...they’re causing some discontent in Columbus.

CBJ...Aww F**k Off. So happy that I am not a season ticket holder anymore...dont know if I am could stand another empty prmoise from the management and ownership while Minnesota is a consistent threat to make the playoffs and the CBJ players are a consistent threat to have their handicaps squared away by June.

That’s our pal Herringbone at Death Cab For Woody.  Not happy. Not one bit.

Lots of chatter out of the land of bitterness and discontent (St. Louis).  They’ve dealt their franchise away, re-signed a sobbing playoff choker and gained six thousand draft picks.  But, as Mike Chen points out, it’s not just getting the picks, it’s doing something with them.

The Blues management must have been listening to Morrissey singing “I know it’s going to happen someday” these past few weeks because the groundwork is in place for some optimism. Since they only really gave up expendable assets, it’s pretty easy to say that, it’s easy to say that in a roundabout way, the St. Louis Blues were a winner at the trade deadline. Sure, they won’t win the Cup this season or next season or maybe even five years from now, but what they’ve done is stockpiled potential in the form of quality young talent and picks. Of course, Andy Murray, John Davidson, and Larry Pleau still have to develop and manage those assets properly, but it’s much better to start from a solid foundation instead of aimless floundering (like a certain Original Six team out of Boston).

About a week ago The Puck Stops Here began a campaign we should have started a while ago.  Lidstrom for Hart.  Not in those words, necessarily, but they make their point and you know I agree with it.

Nicklas Lidstrom of Detroit leads the NHL in +/- and all defencemen in points. He is the rock that keeps the Detroit defence strong (they have allowed less shots then anyone else). He has been clearly the best defenceman this season and is the one player who has the biggest impact on his team’s success. What more must he do to get the MVP consideration he deserves?

The problem is that he doesn’t have league leading offensive totals (he only leads every player in his position, while playing in the lower scoring west). Lidstrom is the best player in the NHL. He is its MVP and nobody seems to notice.

How could you argue with that?  How can anyone?  Detroit is 1 point behind Buffalo for the best record in the league. Lidstrom’s the best player on the league’s best (arguably) team.  If he were lost, hope would be too.  Definitely deserving. 

Enjoy your Saturday.

Filed in: Blogs I've Stolen From But Not Without Attribution | Abel to Yzerman | Permalink
 

Comments

There is more truth to that than would be apparent.  The Red Wings are no longer a team with HOF and all-star depth on 3 lines, when the loss of Lidstrom possibly could have been played around.  The Wings margin is thin, and is often produced by Lidstrom’s steady positional play every trip back up the ice to the Detroit zone. In addition to the numbers it’s the consistency every game (65 out of 65) night after night for 28 minutes. 

The dismal Ducks play when Pronger went out also shows his value to that team.

Posted by RWBill from jabbing a six inch sewing needle into my eye. on 03/03/07 at 12:16 PM ET

Hudler plays 14 minutes or more two games in a row.

IwoCPO posts FOUR times in TWO days.

Now that, my friends, is owning a joke.

Seriously though, if I were an Oil season ticket-holder I’d be forming La Resistance.  It’s an absolute travesty what they’re doing to fans up there. 

So, the team makes somewhere between 10 and 15 million (if not more) in last years’ run by getting every possible home start in the playoffs… and that’s free money because we know for darn sure the team isn’t going to spend over budget… and someone in that organization is actually going to have the balls to come out and say they could go from 5.3 or 5.4 to 5.5 on a guy over five years because they couldn’t afford it?

Wow.  Just… wow.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 03/03/07 at 12:34 PM ET

HockeyinHD, you’re a bastard. But my kind of bastard.

Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 03/03/07 at 01:16 PM ET

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