[tth_fan]

What Mark Recchi's Christmas card to Sidney Crosby will read next year:

Dear Sid,
Thanks for extending my career,
Mark

[ryan93]

What the hell is wrong with Brad Boyes this year! I thought i was getting a steal in my hockey pool when i took Boyes in the 9th round. He was coming off a great first full season, and i thought me might approach the point-per-game mark this year. He had just an average start, but now he's struggling to the point where he's been dropped to the 4th line and apparently is available. He hasn't had a point in all of January!!

Those back-to-back picks of Nikolai Zherdev & Brad Boyes are killing me!

[tigerthelion]

So Conroy loves Calgary, AS LONG AS HE IS PAID WELL. He loves money, then Calgary is a distant second. I'm not criticizing Conroy at all for taking the money to sign with LA. I'd probably do the same thing. What I don't fall for is his talk of truly never wanting to leave Calgary. IF he loved Calgary as much as he lets on, he would have stayed with them and played for 1.5 million a year. I'm sure the Flames would gladly have offered him that amount.

[cferneyh]

So Conroy loves Calgary, AS LONG AS HE IS PAID WELL. He loves money, then Calgary is a distant second. I'm not criticizing Conroy at all for taking the money to sign with LA. I'd probably do the same thing. What I don't fall for is his talk of truly never wanting to leave Calgary. IF he loved Calgary as much as he lets on, he would have stayed with them and played for 1.5 million a year. I'm sure the Flames would gladly have offered him that amount.

They didn't offer him a contract. Nothing. Zero. So, if his choice is to play in LA for $2.4 million (or whatever it was) or play in Calgary for free, well, it makes his decision quite simple, regardless of how much he loves the city.

[tigerthelion]

So Conroy loves Calgary, AS LONG AS HE IS PAID WELL. He loves money, then Calgary is a distant second. I'm not criticizing Conroy at all for taking the money to sign with LA. I'd probably do the same thing. What I don't fall for is his talk of truly never wanting to leave Calgary. IF he loved Calgary as much as he lets on, he would have stayed with them and played for 1.5 million a year. I'm sure the Flames would gladly have offered him that amount.

They didn't offer him a contract. Nothing. Zero. So, if his choice is to play in LA for $2.4 million (or whatever it was) or play in Calgary for free, well, it makes his decision quite simple, regardless of how much he loves the city.

If Conroy wanted to stay that badly, you darn well know he could have got his agent to talk with Sutter and try to work out a deal.

Anyway, the whole world of professional sports is a big joke anyway. I was just reading an article about Todd Helton and it mentioned how the agents and player's association were angry at him when he signed his extension with Colorado because they thought he was underselling himself. Only in pro sports can a guy make 15 mill/year (or whatever) and be attacked for not being MORE GREEDY! If I was Helton, I'd tell the other agents and players to go fuck themselves and if they want to make more money, they should stop relying on the market as it is and go create demand for their services on their own. Go make their own market. Everyone has an obligation to look after himself and that's what Helton did. He wanted to stay in Colorado so he took a bit less money. All the other whining bitch players and agents should go fuck themselves.

[cferneyh]

So Conroy loves Calgary, AS LONG AS HE IS PAID WELL. He loves money, then Calgary is a distant second. I'm not criticizing Conroy at all for taking the money to sign with LA. I'd probably do the same thing. What I don't fall for is his talk of truly never wanting to leave Calgary. IF he loved Calgary as much as he lets on, he would have stayed with them and played for 1.5 million a year. I'm sure the Flames would gladly have offered him that amount.

They didn't offer him a contract. Nothing. Zero. So, if his choice is to play in LA for $2.4 million (or whatever it was) or play in Calgary for free, well, it makes his decision quite simple, regardless of how much he loves the city.

If Conroy wanted to stay that badly, you darn well know he could have got his agent to talk with Sutter and try to work out a deal.

And why the hell would you try to work out a deal with a coach and GM who - at that time - didn't want you? Do you keep trying to get back with ex-girlfriends who have told you to take a hike?

It was well documented out here that Conroy and Sutter didn't always see eye-to-eye. It's no coincidence that Conroy's return came when Sutter was no longer coaching.

[tigerthelion]

So Conroy loves Calgary, AS LONG AS HE IS PAID WELL. He loves money, then Calgary is a distant second. I'm not criticizing Conroy at all for taking the money to sign with LA. I'd probably do the same thing. What I don't fall for is his talk of truly never wanting to leave Calgary. IF he loved Calgary as much as he lets on, he would have stayed with them and played for 1.5 million a year. I'm sure the Flames would gladly have offered him that amount.

They didn't offer him a contract. Nothing. Zero. So, if his choice is to play in LA for $2.4 million (or whatever it was) or play in Calgary for free, well, it makes his decision quite simple, regardless of how much he loves the city.

If Conroy wanted to stay that badly, you darn well know he could have got his agent to talk with Sutter and try to work out a deal.

And why the hell would you try to work out a deal with a coach and GM who - at that time - didn't want you? Do you keep trying to get back with ex-girlfriends who have told you to take a hike?

It was well documented out here that Conroy and Sutter didn't always see eye-to-eye. It's no coincidence that Conroy's return came when Sutter was no longer coaching.

He has no problem playing for that SAME GM right now, does he?

It's professional sports. It's not a world for hurt feelings. Conroy is a big boy and if he took it personally, then he needs to grow up.

BTW, how could he have loved Calgary so much if he hated the coach?

[cferneyh]

So Conroy loves Calgary, AS LONG AS HE IS PAID WELL. He loves money, then Calgary is a distant second. I'm not criticizing Conroy at all for taking the money to sign with LA. I'd probably do the same thing. What I don't fall for is his talk of truly never wanting to leave Calgary. IF he loved Calgary as much as he lets on, he would have stayed with them and played for 1.5 million a year. I'm sure the Flames would gladly have offered him that amount.

They didn't offer him a contract. Nothing. Zero. So, if his choice is to play in LA for $2.4 million (or whatever it was) or play in Calgary for free, well, it makes his decision quite simple, regardless of how much he loves the city.

If Conroy wanted to stay that badly, you darn well know he could have got his agent to talk with Sutter and try to work out a deal.

And why the hell would you try to work out a deal with a coach and GM who - at that time - didn't want you? Do you keep trying to get back with ex-girlfriends who have told you to take a hike?

It was well documented out here that Conroy and Sutter didn't always see eye-to-eye. It's no coincidence that Conroy's return came when Sutter was no longer coaching.

He has no problem playing for that SAME GM right now, does he?

It's professional sports. It's not a world for hurt feelings. Conroy is a big boy and if he took it personally, then he needs to grow up.

BTW, how could he have loved Calgary so much if he hated the coach?

Sigh.

You play for the coach, not the GM. The GM isn't running practice. The GM isn't in charge of your icetime. He's not on the front line like the coach is. Besides, it's not like Conroy made the trade. Sutter made the trade. So clearly it's Sutter who has changed his opinion.

So, if I'm to understand your logic correctly, despite not being offered a contract, Conroy should have forced his agent to get a deal done with a GM/coach who didn't want him, rather than go somewhere where he was wanted. Failing to do that means that he didn't really like Calgary. Uh, OK. That makes a lot of sense to me.

As for liking the city despite who he played for, do you like everyone you work with? Have you liked all of your bosses? Has not liking a boss made you dislike and entire city?

[tigerthelion]

So Conroy loves Calgary, AS LONG AS HE IS PAID WELL. He loves money, then Calgary is a distant second. I'm not criticizing Conroy at all for taking the money to sign with LA. I'd probably do the same thing. What I don't fall for is his talk of truly never wanting to leave Calgary. IF he loved Calgary as much as he lets on, he would have stayed with them and played for 1.5 million a year. I'm sure the Flames would gladly have offered him that amount.

They didn't offer him a contract. Nothing. Zero. So, if his choice is to play in LA for $2.4 million (or whatever it was) or play in Calgary for free, well, it makes his decision quite simple, regardless of how much he loves the city.

If Conroy wanted to stay that badly, you darn well know he could have got his agent to talk with Sutter and try to work out a deal.

And why the hell would you try to work out a deal with a coach and GM who - at that time - didn't want you? Do you keep trying to get back with ex-girlfriends who have told you to take a hike?

It was well documented out here that Conroy and Sutter didn't always see eye-to-eye. It's no coincidence that Conroy's return came when Sutter was no longer coaching.

He has no problem playing for that SAME GM right now, does he?

It's professional sports. It's not a world for hurt feelings. Conroy is a big boy and if he took it personally, then he needs to grow up.

BTW, how could he have loved Calgary so much if he hated the coach?

Sigh.

You play for the coach, not the GM. The GM isn't running practice. The GM isn't in charge of your icetime. He's not on the front line like the coach is. Besides, it's not like Conroy made the trade. Sutter made the trade. So clearly it's Sutter who has changed his opinion.

So, if I'm to understand your logic correctly, despite not being offered a contract, Conroy should have forced his agent to get a deal done with a GM/coach who didn't want him, rather than go somewhere where he was wanted. Failing to do that means that he didn't really like Calgary. Uh, OK. That makes a lot of sense to me.

As for liking the city despite who he played for, do you like everyone you work with? Have you liked all of your bosses? Has not liking a boss made you dislike and entire city?

If Conroy truly NEVER WANTED TO LEAVE Calgary, then YES, he should have done everything in his power to STAY with the team. If he gets traded back to LA, I'm sure he'll say that he loved his first stint in LA and he loves to be back.

I think the main difference between me and most sports fans (and maybe the reason I'm more cynical than the average fan) is that I don't have any respect for professional athletes. What they say is meaningless to me. The charities that their publicists make sure to get printed in the paper are not significant to me. They're like politicians. Their words are completely meaningless to me. Actions speak to me. It's the job of the NHL and it's commentators, writers, etc. to promote players. It's Jim Hughson's job, instead of just calling the action on the ice, to mention out of the blue that so and so visited the local hospital during the day and took time out his day to "give back" to the community. I see people volunteering here on PEI in local hospitals all the time. I think they deserve a little more credit fir giving their time, especially with them working several jobs to pay the bills and not having too much extra time.

Do you think Conroy disliked LA? He probably enjoyed LA as much as Calgary as far as the cities go. He's happy to be on a team that is actually decent now more than anything. He already got his guaranteed money no matter where he plays now so he might as well play on a winner. If the Kings were first in the Western Conference and the Flames were 5 games under .500, I doubt if you'd hear how happy Conroy is to be back in Calgary. I was under the impression that his comment was about the TEAM. I wasn't aware that his comment was about the nightlife of Calgary or whatever else happens in the city.

Just for the record, I can certainly respect the opinion of yourself and direwolf74 on this one. I just happen to disagree.

[cferneyh]

I have no idea if Conroy liked LA or not. You'd have to ask him. With respect to his liking the city, I'm not sure what "nightlife" has to do with it. Given that the guy is from upstate NY (i.e. hockey mad country) and given that he played university hockey at Clarkson (i.e. hockey mad school), I imagine much of his enjoyment with the city has to do with the fact that hockey is the #1 game in town, rather than #30.

Tiger, all of your comments have to do with what you assume about Conroy, which is hugely tainted by your self-admitted lack of respect for professional athletes. You're obviously not going to accept any other possible scenario simply because you are painting Conroy with the same brush that you paint all pro athletes with. That's fine....but you can't dismiss direwolf's opinion simply because you don't like pro athletes. I mean at least he's talked to Conroy a few times.

If you think Conroy is full of it, that's fine. But I find your viewpoint that Conroy should have forced himself into any deal to stay in Calgary and play for a coach who had problems with him to be completely laughable. Like I said before, if a girl dumped you on your ass and told you to take a hike, would you beg her to take you back and say you'd change whatever it was that bothered her (even if you didn't think it was a problem), or would you move on?

I've moved to different cities a few times for work, and it didn't make me like the city I left any more or less. I don't see why it is in your books that just because you happen to leave a city where you made a living, somehow implies that you dislike that city and you'd never, ever want to go back.

Anyway, I gotta say I've spent entirely too much time discussing Craig Conroy's character and motivations this evening.

[tigerthelion]

I have no idea if Conroy liked LA or not. You'd have to ask him. With respect to his liking the city, I'm not sure what "nightlife" has to do with it. Given that the guy is from upstate NY (i.e. hockey mad country) and given that he played university hockey at Clarkson (i.e. hockey mad school), I imagine much of his enjoyment with the city has to do with the fact that hockey is the #1 game in town, rather than #30.

Tiger, all of your comments have to do with what you assume about Conroy, which is hugely tainted by your self-admitted lack of respect for professional athletes. You're obviously not going to accept any other possible scenario simply because you are painting Conroy with the same brush that you paint all pro athletes with. That's fine....but you can't dismiss direwolf's opinion simply because you don't like pro athletes. I mean at least he's talked to Conroy a few times.

If you think Conroy is full of it, that's fine. But I find your viewpoint that Conroy should have forced himself into any deal to stay in Calgary and play for a coach who had problems with him to be completely laughable. Like I said before, if a girl dumped you on your ass and told you to take a hike, would you beg her to take you back and say you'd change whatever it was that bothered her (even if you didn't think it was a problem), or would you move on?

I've moved to different cities a few times for work, and it didn't make me like the city I left any more or less. I don't see why it is in your books that just because you happen to leave a city where you made a living, somehow implies that you dislike that city and you'd never, ever want to go back.

Anyway, I gotta say I've spent entirely too much time discussing Craig Conroy's character and motivations this evening.

You make a lot of valid points.

Enough about Conroy's character. :thumb:

[grimes]

The Gary Bettman era enters its 15th year tomorrow, with no end in sight. Yikes.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=dw-bettman012907&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=d ... &type=lgns</a><!-- m -->

"This is Bettman's NHL. Fourteen years, four bankruptcies, three franchise moves, two lockouts, one lost season and no effective leadership."

[farmerdan]

ok I know there's a couple of Rangers fans on here, I got a question for you...

Does Jagr ever show emotion? I only got to catch the last period of tonights game, but looking at him got me thinking, does he actually care? He looks the same no matter what is going on. One (close) offside in particular in the last 5 minutes or so, he didn't really seem to care about the call. Whereas 95% of the players in the NHL would have at least said SOMETHING to the linesman. It's a one goal game, late in the third, but it really just looked like it was just another day at work. Another game, another paycheck...any thoughts??

[cferneyh]

The Gary Bettman era enters its 15th year tomorrow, with no end in sight. Yikes.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=dw-bettman012907&prov=yhoo&type=lgns">http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=d ... &type=lgns</a><!-- m -->

"This is Bettman's NHL. Fourteen years, four bankruptcies, three franchise moves, two lockouts, one lost season and no effective leadership."

That article is so bad, it's comical. According to Dan Wetzel - whoever that is - hockey fans are apparently stupid and fat:

...and more difficult to follow for the non-obsessive fan.

...fans who are carrying even a few extra pounds report that they look ridiculous in the new form fitting jerseys...

As for the schedule, he's got this gem:

Bettman claimed it would spawn "new" rivalries. Of course, old rivalries such as Detroit-Toronto – two hockey-mad towns separated by a single highway that actually has an exit for Wayne Gretzky Blvd. – no longer play a home-and-home series each season. It's like killing Red Sox-Yankees so Blue Jays-Diamondbacks might catch on.

Huh? The Leafs/Wings are like the Yankees/Red Sox? Uh, no - that would be the Leafs/Habs.

And here's another gem:

The elimination of the red line and the crackdown on obstruction are positives. Some will argue that shootouts to decide regular-season games and the severe curbing of fighting are positives, but that's a matter of personal preference.

While some hail the salary cap that allows across-the-board competitiveness, I think it suppresses the kind of elite play that makes the game great. Hockey is the ultimate team pursuit – the need for timing and teamwork is paramount. The individual star is utterly worthless without strong teammates.

So, if I've got his rational correctly, the rule changes that have been widely acknowledged to improve the flow and speed of the game are simply a matter of personal preference, but the salary cap is suppressing elite play? Huh? Because watching the Devils trap their way to three Cups was exciting? This season's Sabres, Ducks, and Sharks aren't elite teams nor exciting? And if the individual star is "utterly worthless", then why does he bitch later about some markets not getting to see Ovechkin? What other Crapital qualifies as a "strong teammate"?

And the loyal Penguin fan base? HUH?!? That team was on the collapse of bankruptcy pre-Lemieux, and again pre-Crosby. The only thing Penguin fans are loyal to is superstars. Otherwise, it's barely a hockey market.

Attacking Bettman is easy. Doing so rationally appears to be hard - at least for Dan Wetzel. Yeah, bring back the corrupt Zeigler era!

Here are a few facts that Wetzel seems to be forgetting or simply not mentioning in his comically one-sided article:

- last season the NHL set ALL TIME attendance records.
- NHL franchises have never been more valuable
- Canadian franchises have never been stronger

And that's what Bettman's job is. Why is this so hard to grasp?

Better yet Wetzel, what are your genius ideas (going forward, since it's mighty easy to bitch in retrospect) that will make the NHL a mainstream sport in the US? All of this attacking Bettman, yet I didn't read one thing about what the NHL should do. Glass houses, buddy.

[grimes]

cferneyh you're not actually defending Gary Bettman are you? hock:

According to Dan Wetzel - whoever that is

According to Yahoo, "Dan Wetzel is an award-winning sportswriter, author and screenwriter. He has covered all levels of basketball as well as college football, the NFL, MLB and NHL." If it's on the Internet it must be true, so that settles that. And sure, you can take the easy way out and highlight the flaws in the article, but it also had gems like this:

(David) Stern sensed the potential trouble in 1993 while the NHL was in search of a new commissioner. So he looked around his own office for someone so incompetent that if they got the job, the NHL would be marginalized by their mismanagement and never again be a threat to the NBA.

Naturally, Stern recommended one of his assistants, Gary Bettman, for the job.

:lol: