I am just having the hardest time wrapping my head around some of the things happening in the NHL this season. I will skip immediately to the examples:

Ty Conklin: Stud. What? Why is Conklin now the best thing since swiss cheese was sliced? What is going on? We al remember this, which led to this, and this. He was the losingest goalie in outdoor games until the new year. Now, he’s the man, and nobody misses Marc-Andre Fleury. Makes no sense.

Chris Osgood is kicking ass: This is just a sentence that should be followed with histerical laughter. I can’t understand this one. And now he is going to be a Red Wing for three more years. Remember when nobody wanted him back in Detroit? Now they can’t live without him.

Joe Sakic missing games: This isn’t supposed to happen. I’m making this one go away in my mind.

Phoenix is winning: An infusion of goalie juice was all they needed. Still, it feels strange.

Jose Theodore is winning hockey games: Five starts in a row, culminating in a shutout against Tampa Bay Tuesday. What the heck is going on there?

Anyone else have some serious oddities from the season? Comments are open.

Technorati Tags: Hockey, NHL

Wow. It’s looking like The A Daily Show with Jon Stewart Indecision 2008 when it comes to Peter Forsberg right now. Everyone is on Forsberg watch, wondering where he will sign, if he will sign, or if he’s even worth it. The latest? Forsberg is planning to sign with a contender. From The Sporting News:

Forsberg told Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter he has been training off the ice for the past month and hopes to return to the NHL, but is unsure what team he would play for. The deadline to sign with a team is Feb. 26.

The most likely scenario would have him signing with the Philadelphia Flyers.

“I will definitely choose a team that is guaranteed to reach the playoffs, that has a chance to win the Stanley Cup,” Forsberg said.

Really? So Forsberg wants to be a Rent-A-Player for a Cup run? I always love when foreign news is quoted as gospel, not because it’s inaccurate, but because there is always something lost in translation.

But perhaps that is what Peter the Great wants, another shot at a Stanley Cup. But perhaps it isn’t. When you are one of the best players in the game, and you have been dedicating your life to the sport, what are your needs? What is it that drives you? I have my guesses, but I’m not sure they are correct. I would think that the proof that you are still at the top of your game is part of it. Maybe one more championship is motivation, or maybe it’s proving that you are worth taking a chance on. I really don’t know.

What I wonder is why a team would take that kind of chance on Peter Forsberg in the salary cap era. If you are a Cup contender, and you have only so much you are able – or willing – to spend on a Cup run, would you take a chance on Forsberg? Would you be ready to take the risk that the Peter Forsberg you hire to give your team that extra boost after February 26th is the same Peter Forsberg that won Stanley Cups before, that has the scoring touch, and who can make the players around him better, and not be the player that went to the Nashville Predators? Are you willing, or able for that matter, to take that chance?

What led me to all this? Adrian Dater, of course. I am not interested in becoming a hockey blog that follows the MSM into the fold, only commenting on what they have to say, adding my own thoughts, and moving on. I like to come up with an original idea or two on my own, and put it out there for the world to see. But for some reason, good or bad, Dater gets me going. And not a few days after his last Forsberg post, his new one mirrors my thoughts:

But is Forsberg worth all the trouble again? I ask this being in awe of him as a player just like anybody else. But is that a bygone era?

I can tell you what I think. And I already have.

But every time someone needs some scoring punch, which the Avs need badly these days – and that just feels so wrong to type – Peter Forsberg’s name gets dragged out like some frozen head, ready to be thawed out and put on a new body that isn’t so injury prone. Sure, it would be fun to see Forsberg in an Avs jersey again. And it would be great to get that old scoring touch back in the lineup, along with some of that old chemistry. But there is a reason they say you can never go home again.

Forsberg showed in Nashville that he isn’t the cure-all for a team. He is not able to carry a team on his back, nor was he ever. The Avalanche lost him during the 2001 playoffs and still won a Cup , and have had him out of the lineup for long stretches at other times, and still had success. That isn’t to take away from what a great player he was, and still may be. But it does say that there is some perspective lost when you have needs that aren’t being met, expectations that are put to high, and solutions that are one sided and lumped on one players shoulders.

And you know what? If Peter Forsberg does make a successful NHL comeback, and if he does or does not win a Stanley Cup, good for him. I wish the man all the success in the world, and for a person so dedicated to the sport that he loves to have success, that in itself is something we all wish for ourselves. He has worked hard in the past to rehab the injuries that have hampered him, and I am sure he is working hard to make his current situation appealing to NHL teams that may be interested in him.

But what happens next is going to be very interesting.

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Hockey, NHL, Forsberg

I’m still not on board with that one. Here’s why:

For those of you reading a feed who can’t see the pretty picture that makes this all make sense, go to the main blog. Enjoy!!

Technorati Tags: Hockey, NHL

Hey, are you missing that special jersey in your life? That one jersey that rounds out your collection, and will make all the cool kids jealous of you, and only you? Are you made out of money? How about getting a the Sidney Crosby Game Worn Winter Classic jersey?

What’s the bidding like, Bob?

That’s right, go here for the auction, if you have the stuff. It has real Crosby sweat.

Or if you are a little on the cheaper side, miserly as they say, you could go with the game winning puck.

A steal at half the price.

Saddest item up for bid? The Gary Roberts Game Issued Jersey. Not Game Worn, Game Issued.

And don’t forget, if you need to get close to that special player’s area, and you know what area I mean, they are auctioning off the pants shells for the players. Think about that. But not too long, and get a soundtrack when you do. Sleep well.

Technorati Tags: Hockey, Jerseys, NHL, Winter Classic

I was talking to a hockey fan last night at the bar, and the Ovechkin signing came up. He said he felt the Caps wouldn’t be able to sign him, because there just wasn’t enough of a draw in DC for hockey. He felt that the Capitals couldn’t market hockey, and wouldn’t be able to hang on to Alex.

Boy, was he wrong. 13 years at $124 Million.

13 at $124M

Really.

If there is someone who can grab headlines, it’s Ted Leonsis. The guy knows how to market, he knows how to make headlines, and I think he did just that today. Aside from being the longest, most expensive contract in NHL history, it proves that the Capitals are committed to winning and improving the team. To keep Alex O around for the long term, and do nothing with him, would be insane. While the contract will eat up a ton of cap space every year, the being able to plug in a variety of players around him will make the signing important. At the same time, it puts more focus on developing your farm system, and making sure you have inexpensive younger players ready to step up to the big leagues. And you can kiss and free agency splashes goodbye for a while.

But the question has to be asked, are the Caps able to look over their shoulders, and see the possibility of a Jagr type scenario? To say the Caps are still paying the price for that deal is more than precise. The Caps put the future of the team in the hands of Ovechkin today, and they are hopefully prepared for the possibilities. Mind you, the character of Alex Ovechkin has been nothing but stellar. The man has been great for the team, the league, and the sport, He does plenty of promotional work for the Capitals, building the sport in the DC area. So while I don’t see any problems to come, the question has to be asked.

It’s nice to see all the rumor mongers proven wrong. The Capitals talked the signing talk, and then they walked the walk. Hell, they sprinted for miles.

Here’s some video of the anouncement by Leonsis at the Capitals season ticket holder bash. Thanks to Japers’ Rink for putting it up first:

He’s a tricky one, that Ted. The Caps are probably selling a ton of season tickets right now.

What the bloggers are saying:
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Technorati Tags: Hockey, NHL, Ovechkin