The Official NHL Thread

[guwapo_rocker]

Hasek returns for third stint with Wings

Canadian Press

7/31/2006 1:00:08 PM

DETROIT (CP) - The Detroit Red Wings settled their goaltending situation by signing Dominik Hasek to a one-year contract Monday.

The 41-year-old Czech joins Chris Osgood between the pipes for the Red Wings, who parted company with Manny Legace earlier this summer. Legace was 37-8-3 last season with a 2.19 goals-against average but took some heat for his play in a first-round playoff loss to Edmonton.

Hasek was 28-10-4 for the Ottawa Senators last season and his GAA of 2.09 and .925 save percentage were both second in the NHL. The six-time Vezina Trophy winner has been looking for work since the Senators signed Martin Gerber on July 1.

This will be Hasek's third stint with the Red Wings, who first acquired him in a July 2001 trade with the Buffalo Sabres. He led the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup in 2002 before retiring later that summer.


After a year off, Hasek came out of retirement and rejoined the Wings in 2003-04 but played in just 14 games before a groin injury ended his season.

He joined the Senators once the lockout ended but suffered a leg injury at the 2006 Olympics and didn't recover in time for the playoffs.

The 14-year NHL veteran began his career with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1990-91 and spent two seasons there before getting dealt to the Sabres prior to the start of the 1992-93 season.

He developed into the NHL's top goaltender during his nine-year stay in Buffalo, where he won the his six Vezinas.

Hasek has a career record of 324-206-82 in 638 games. He ranks 18th all-time in wins and his 68 shutouts rank 12th all-time.





Link

[Romeo Delight]

Rumour (or rumor ):

Marcus Naslund for Philly's Simon Gagne.

Marcus and Forsberg are best of friends and childhood friends.

This could happen.

Gagne is up for a large raise.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Bravo to the NHL...

Fuck the Russians, they want to hold their players hostage, fine, the players will just legally put their 2 weeks notice in, negotiate with their NHL team, and they're gone....

Someone get that plane ready to fly Malkin to Pittsburgh !!!

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06215/710757-61.stm

Malkin likely to play here

Despite lack of NHL-Russia agreement, agent for Malkin expects him to play here this year
Thursday, August 03, 2006

By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Bad news for the Penguins coming out of Russia yesterday was overshadowed by Evgeni Malkin's agent saying last night that he expects the prospect to play in the NHL this coming season.
Don Meehan, who represents Malkin, said he is about to begin contract negotiations with the Penguins and expects the 20-year-old center to head to North America soon.

"Our intention will still be to have him come and play with the Penguins this season," Meehan said.

Malkin, the second overall pick in the 2004 NHL draft, spent last season in Russia. It looked as if he might have to stay there when the Russian Federation announced yesterday that it had reversed course and would not sign the European transfer agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Malkin is under contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Super League for two more years. Meehan said it is his understanding that Russian labor law allows employees to leave their employers with a certain type of notice. He expects several Russian players who have been drafted by NHL teams to use the same means to leave Russia.

Meehan said that Malkin, who has said he hoped and planned to play for the Penguins this season, is not with Metallurg in its training camp but is working out on his own.

The Penguins, who have been counting on Malkin to complement second-year center Sidney Crosby, could not confirm that Malkin is coming.

"We were hoping to have an agreement between the NHL and the Russian Federation, but seeing there is not going to be an agreement, we are going to talk to Evgeni's agents to see what our options are," Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan said.

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti broke the news that Vladislav Tretiak, head of the Russian Federation, reported his country won't sign the transfer agreement. About eight weeks ago, the Russian Federation agreed in principle to the transfer agreement, but it never formally signed the papers.

It's believed Super League owners were behind the reluctance to sign the agreement, under which NHL teams pay into a pool that provides a $200,000 fee for a player under contract to a European team whose country has signed the agreement.

Tretiak seemed to indicate as much.

"At the talks with the IIHF and the NHL ... we failed to take into full account the interests of Russian clubs, which have players that interest the NHL," Tretiak was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

"The RHF therefore decided it was impossible for Russia to join this transfer agreement."

Metallurg general director Gennady Velichkin even threatened to sue the Penguins to force them to buy Malkin's contract for millions of dollars.

The major rift, though, apparently is between Russia and the IIHF.

"We saw great interest on the part of the NHL to cooperate, and its interest in Russian players. The talks were constructive," Tretiak said in the news report.

Malkin, a physical player who got international experience the past eight months playing in the Olympics, the world junior championships and the world championships, had 21 goals, 26 assists in 46 games for Metallurg.

Contract negotiations with the Penguins are expected to be relatively smooth. Malkin most likely would get the maximum under the year-old collective bargaining agreement, a three-year entry-level deal with a $984,200 salary plus a signing bonus of up to 10 percent of his salary and some other bonuses, primarily based on performance.

[guwapo_rocker]

Sabres walk away from Dumont award

TSN.ca Staff

8/8/2006 2:49:53 PM

BUFFALO, N.Y. - The Buffalo Sabres have decided to exercise their walk-away option on the arbitration award to forward J.P. Dumont.

Effective immediately, Dumont becomes an unrestricted free agent able to sign with any NHL team.

Dumont had his case heard by an arbitrator on Monday, July 31, and was subsequently awarded a one-year, $2.9 million contract.

Dumont, 28, scored 40 points in 54 games for Buffalo last season. Since being acquired with Doug Gilmour in a trade from Chicago for Michal Grosek on March 10, 2000, Dumont scored 223 points in 362 games with the Sabres.

For his career, Dumont has 256 points in 434 games with Chicago and Buffalo.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=173646&hubname=

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Jack Johnson/Jordan Staal trade back on ???

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?blogger_id=1

Jack Johnson for Jordan Staal (e1)...Source,

Today @ 8:40 PM ET | Comments (16)

The climate is now right for what could go down as a trade that defines two franchises for the next ten years...Talking to sources tonight, the combination of the David Tanabe signing and Malkin's signing next week could put the wheels in motion that would moth two of the games top prospects to teams that have both needs and surplus. When the Pens drafted Staal, many wondered why the team that already had the best two young centers inthe NHL would want another center of Staal's talent.

While reporting from Carolina for XM and Hockeybuzz during the finals the buzz among the press was that Johnson wasn't long for the Canes and that the Canes desperately wanted to draft another Staal...Almost everyone considered this a strong possibility going into the draft, except for the question marks....Malkin, and would the Canes keep Wesley around and keep Ward.


I am not going to say that David Tanabe is the answer, but the Canes defense is now the deepest in the NHL when it comes to quality, NHL defensemen...

If this trade goes down it would truly benefit both teams for years to come.

In Carolina you would get another speedy talented Staal. And that is great marketing not to mention great on the ice. The Canes were very upset that Johnson didn't join the team for the cup run. As one source said to me in Carolina based on a conversation he had with Rutherford, "They can understand why he wouldn't play, but they are baffled that with school over he wouldn't want to at least hang around the team for this run."

In Pittsburgh, you would get your Coffey. The Pens have their Gretzky (crosby), their Messier (Malkin), and their Fuhr (Fleury)...give them Johnson (their Coffey) and can you say dynasty? A power play with Crosby, Malkin and Johnson would be just...well ridiculous.

Keep your eye on this and I will continue to dig...My first trusted source, who tipped me off that this has begun to stir, said, "I think there is zero reason that either team would not do this in a second right now. I heard it may just be a matter of waiting out the holiday....I wouldn't bet against it."

[Va Beach VH Fan]

What the fuck is Charles Wang smoking ??

15 fucking years ???

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=177223&hubname=nhl

DiPietro signs 15-year deal with Isles

TSN.ca Staff

9/12/2006 5:15:43 PM

The New York Islanders have signed goalie Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, $67.5 million contract. The deal will pay DiPietro $4.5 million annually.

''In all of our discussions with Rick, he made it clear that he wanted to be an Islander for the rest of his career,'' said Islanders general manager Garth Snow. ''But it was of equal importance to Rick that we work out a deal that would allow us to continue to build a Stanley Cup contender for years to come. This deal is great news for our franchise and our fans.''

''I'm extremely appreciative of the commitment (Islanders owner) Charles Wang and Garth have made to me,'' said DiPietro.

Islanders' owner Charles Wang, who was directly involved in the negotiations, had indicated that if DiPietro didn't sign by Friday, when the team opens training camp in Nova Scotia, that DiPietro would not play in the 2006-07 season.

DiPietro, who turns 25 next week, is a restricted free agent who could become unrestricted in two more seasons.

Last season, DiPietro went 30-24-5 with a 3.02 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

The deal is believed to be the second longest in NHL history, only topped by the 21-year deal Wayne Gretzky signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 1979. The longest deal in major North American pro sports is the $25-million, 25-year deal Magic Johnson signed with the NBA Lakers in 1981. The Islanders also signed Alexei Yashin to an $87.5 million, 10-year contract in 2001.

''Clubs are free to make their own decsions within the confines laid out in the collective bargaining agreement and other applicable league rules,'' NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Canadian Press. ''Some decisions turn out well, others not so well. Time will tell whether this will be a good decision or a bad one for the Islanders.''

DiPietro is scheduled to receive $4.5 million in each season of the contract. With the value of the deal spread over the length of the contract, DiPietro's salary would rank eighth among NHL goaltenders for the coming season.

Chicago's Nikolai Khabibulin is currently the league's highest-paid goaltender at $6.75 million a year.

New York Newsday reports DiPietro is guaranteed the full $67.5 million if he suffers a career-ending injury, but it's not yet clear what would happen if he were to retire before the deal expires. The Islanders only have insurance on the first six years of the deal. If DiPietro is healthy at the end of that six-year term, they can purchase another six years of insurance.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Yo Nick, did you guys invite the Queer Eyes guys design your new uniforms ??

[Nickdfresh]

Actually, they probably have better taste than that! I'm thinkin' Stevie Wonder designed the new Buffalo Sabres uniforms.

Holy fucking shit that's ugly!

They need to bring back the original blue and gold!

[Nickdfresh]

Their new logo looks like some cheesy rollar hockey or Arena football team emblem.

[POJO_Risin]

lmfao...those are pretty shitty....

[Nickdfresh]

Thy're out of their fucking minds!!

Reebok's uniform designs were three years in the making. Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn estimated the switch will cost about $200,000 in design fees, new equipment and arena redecorating.

The Sabres tried to incorporate their original emblem, but they couldn't make it work.

"It was easier to start from scratch," said Frank Cravotta, Sabres director of creative services. "When your old logo is such an icon, it's hard to redo it."

The Rest

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Three years to design THAT....

Wow...

I guess the black ones are TOO bad, but I can't get over the yellow buffalo....

[POJO_Risin]

When your logo is such an Icon....

then....

WHY WOULD YOU CHANGE IT!!!!!!

Jesus Christ...sometimes these people need some serious fucking help...

[POJO_Risin]

Black and Yellow to boot...

closet Steeler fans?

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Black and Yellow to boot...

closet Steeler fans?

LOL, a result of being a frustrated Bills fan, no doubt....