Wow, it seems that the stupid just keeps on coming.

First off, the Islanders. While the firing of Neil Smith may have been something that was necessary, who can tell. It seems that the feeling is mutual at this point. Does that mean he’s coming back to OLN? I’m not sure if I like him on air, no matter how long he’s been around.

But Garth Snow? Who thinks this is a good idea? Not even an Assistant first, just jumping straight in. Is this what the fans have to look forward to? Is this a SciFi Channel original movie? The GM from the Deep? I guess Rick DiPietro has a friend in high places.

Lesson one: Make nice with the backup goalie. Always.

Second, we should look at Jeremy Roenick. Do you remember when he said that he was having a bad season because his skates weren’t being sharpened the right way. Now, the sad thing is, he keeps saying it.

I suck at skating. I grew up on pavement, not ice. I’ve had my skates sharpened badly. Not just poorly, they were awful. I live in Colorado, so that’s what you get. I say that because I have taken them to plenty of places, and nobody has gotten them right (not even a strange curve). But I knew what the problem was, right away.

For an NHL equipment manager, this shouldn’t be that hard. This is what you do. You sharpen skates, lay out jerseys, and take care of the gear. A guy like Jeremy Roenick is unable to tell someone that his skates are not the way he likes? That sounds like a load. And it should. Because if “an athlete” of that caliber, and that is your excuse… It’s stupid.

Lesson two: If you have to make something up, don’t make it be stupid. If the truth is stupid, make up something less stupid.

Couldn’t sleep last night. Really. Just started to doze off around 5:40 am, and said, no, can’t be having that. So I made the coffee, woke up the laptop, and what did I have?

Stories. About 87 year old players, goalies with throats cut, where the cup went. And that’s fine. But I won’t link to the stories. Because you can have them.

No stories this morning.

I like a good story, but right now, I want something a little more substantial. A little signing here, a trade there. Maybe a nice little rant about what Sean Avery is doing on the TSN arbitration list. Or if Lindros is worth his salt anymore. Or why the Sabres are possibly changing logos.

But not the stories. Please.

Is it not fair that I have to go to work tomorrow? And before you answer that, is it?

Is it fair that I don’t give you the reason the goalie situation is going to hell? Is it fair that 7:00 is in the morning? Is it fair that I, your faithful monkey O’ hockey, not be able to stand at the guard, against all that is dumb and stupid and poor for the cap?

No. It is not. But I shall go none the less, and the contracts will or will not be signed without me.

Weep, if you must.

that is all…

My morning ritual right now seems to be getting out of bed, pouring my coffee (just a little cream, please), waking up the computer to it’s groggy master, and seeing what the horrible hockey world has to say. Staring the screen down gets the eyes open, often with a laugh or two involved.

Abel To Yzerman had this dig about the talks not going on with Svatos:

Too bad the HDID have
no idea who Svatos is or how valuable he could be. It’s just not as much fun
reveling in Denver’s pain if their “fans” don’t understand what’s going
on.

HDID stands for “Hockey Dumb in Denver”, aka the fans. Truth is, we do understand how valuable he could be. And it is could, because he’s had two seasons shortened by shoulder injuries. Missing 78 games in the 03-04 season with a shoulder injury? Then missing the last 21 and post season in 05-06 with a shoulder injury? So the question is one of durability. Can he hack a whole season? I wouldn’t be surprised if the Avs are trying to get a little more of a deal because of this, pointing at his shoulder, and seeing a ten percent off sticker from Foley’s there.

And frankly, if it’s a matter of money, then there should have been no free agency signings this year. Yep, you can read that again. I’ll wait. No free agency signings. All we did was sign Tyler Arnason, and while he may have come at a low price, he commands a low price. All I hear about him is how unmotivated he is. The Avs season starts off with a “we’re here to win the Cup, nothing less” pep talk. Do they think Arnason is going to respond? At least he only signed a one year deal, which is a good thing, because he will not be here after that. But take the $950,000 he’s making, and throw it at Svatos for a two year deal. Remember, Svatos could have opted for arbitration, but didn’t. So they should be negotiating in good faith. Maybe he has the same agent as Belfour. Can’t sign if you don’t pick up the phone.

I guess you have to get what laughs you can when you are in the wings situation. Fan favorites dropping like flies, the goalie situation turning into a circus, the fact you live in Detroit. Osgood as a starter? Looking more and more like a reality every day. They love him in Detroit, as they ignore his time in St. Louis. It’s like Columbus’ love of Ron Tugnutt. Unfathomable.

A2Y is a wings blog, which should get some noses scrunched up a bit. But not as much as before, which is too bad. From the great rivalry there was, we are left with the slow drawl of “wings suck” from beneath our cowboy hats. I swear, there was a time when it was unsafe to wear a Red Wings hat in town. For a league that wants to rivalries, you have to wonder why they want to ignore the ones born of real hate and blood. Now that Bertuzzi’s gone, will the Canucks still be as hated? Or are we supposed to dislike the Oilers this year. Don’t let go of that hate, hockey fans. It’s just too fun not to.

Then again, A2Y found the Best Headline Ever. So, a little slack for a wings fan today. Yes, they have no goalie today.

Finally, TSN reports that Phoenix signed goaltender Philippe Sauve, for a one year $550,000 deal. So, for all my Budaj complaints, I guess we got quite a deal. Wonder where Sauve will go next. I can’t wait for Sauve and Pretty Boy Jose to go toe to toe, neither one taking of their masks, so as not to harm their good looks.

“Ilya…..Ilya….”

Have you read this? Ilya Bryzgalov, who has too many Y’s, decides to take a piece aou of JS Giguere, saying he his no longer the number 1 goalie, and that nobody wants JSG. But he doesn’t want to say anything about him.

Umm… You just did.

apparently, Ilyyyyyya thought nobody reads Russian newspapers. It’s like Manny Fernandez talking shit about Dwayne Roloson. The best thing would be for Ilyyyyyyyyya to get the bench, Gigge takes the number 1, and fans ask Ilyyyyyyyya to sign copies of the newspaper.

And don’t forget to go watch Knob Hockey. Ilyyyyyya makes the appearance, but Conklin is the most quotable.

“Ilya….Ilya….”

Just heard on XM Radio (with snippy commentary)

Peter Budaj and Jose Hilton are one of the best goaltending tandems in the League (When? nuff said…)

Svatos talks are not going well. (if Svat-dude signs elsewhere, he will be booed here like there is no tomorrow. Good luck, dude.)

I just got a callback on my call to XM. (Boomer, my name is James. Rimmer knew that, but probably had it on his screen)

Lindros is flying around, shopping his wares. (Eric, please do not step foot in Denver. We have guards looking for you at the airport, and are ready to drop a Fred Flintstone bowling ball on your nugget. Just don’t do it.)

How is it that Pat Quinn is getting less attention than Manny Legacy? (hmmm…)

Is XM ignoring the Western Conf? (Not when I call)

There. Now go get me some cap space…

From the Rocky Mountain News:

The Avalanche also hired ex-NHL goalie Jeff Hackett as goaltending coach
and Terry Martin as a pro scout. Hackett, 38, posted a 166-244-56 record with a
2.90 goals-against average and .902 saves percentage in 15 NHL seasons and was a
teammate of Avalanche goalie Jose Theodore in Montreal.

???????????????

I can hear you now. “What’s the big deal?” “What’s the problem?”

Remember how Couldn’t Hackett retired? Remember why? Vertigo. Not the Hitchcock movie, which is ironic that his last coach was Hitchcock, but the aliment. He couldn’t be in a game without being dizzy. Add to that some discouraging numbers, and what are we trying to gain from this? 2.90 isn’t bad, but that was the “old” NHL, not the “new.” But really, who cares that he had only 3 winning seasons out of 15.

What worries me is that last line. Is this a Jose request? Are they great buds? Is this beneficial to Jose, or even Budaj? Or is this the goalie equivalent to the Big Dig? Loose bolts? Contracts for friends? Just saying…

As a P.S.: Budaj signed a three year contract with the Avs. For the Avs to do anything else would have been to admit to doubt. Will it last? Or will Mr. Can’t Hackett be able to do something with the rebound control issue? Stay tuned, true believers…

Liles resigned for 2 years, to which I’ve heard the term “Locked Up” bandied around. Kind of sad when you think about it, that 2 years consists of locking someone up. What that says to be is how hard it’s going to be to hold on to your talent. We knew this was going to happen, but was it so obvious before now? Last season, the older players moved quite a bit, but now the younger ones are coming around. So you develop a guy, build him up, and then lose him for a few hundred thou than you could play. Hmmm…

Listening to XM Radio, I heard the guy who always sounds drunk that there is a blueprint for the Avs, and they are sticking with it. What blueprint? Lose the big guns, resign Sauer (why? WHY?), keep Brisebois and Turgeon around. This is a blueprint? I’m glad for the resigning Liles. He had Blake-like numbers last season (of course, that would be playing on the same line as Blake). And keeping young D-men around is great. But not being able to spend up to the cap on current talent over the year (ie: the bonuses paid to Blake and Sakic), how are they going to implement a “blueprint?” When your top 3 players (Sakic, Hilton, Hejduk) are set to get $15.05, and the next in line is Brisebois, there isn’t much of a blueprint.

NHLPA.com has Budaj listed as signed for $600,000. A good price, but he has his problems. How much are they going to work on this? Who honest can they be about him? They had to bring back Budaj, and I have a rant about that.

But not now. Now, I will bury my head in the sand. Ostrich out.

The Canadians resigned David Aebischer to a one year deal today, and I say, good for them. Seriously. A one year is perfect for Aebie, because he can prove himself in Montreal, and the Habs can figure out how useful he is for the club. Maybe a late season trade, maybe he picks up Huet if he falls, but this looks like a win-win.

The Schedule is out today, and there are some key dates for the Avs, but I am doing a few things today, so I’ll post later about it.

Did you know:

• There have been three different players named Cloutier playing for Quebec/Colorado, and none of them were named Dan?
• Ron Tugnutt used to play for the Nordiques? Even though he never had a winning season, he was a starter. I almost feel bad for yelling, “Bring me the head of Ron Tugnutt” during the Avs/Stars 2004 playoff series. Almost.
• Tommy Salo had a save % of 1.000 for the 2004 Playoffs? Of course, he only played 27 minutes.
• Ron Tugnutt received six write-in votes around Columbus, OH for President of the United States in the 2000 election.?

Now that’s why I love hockey outside of the games. The fun never stops.