Hall-of-Famer decries fighting

Link:

In an exclusive interview with TheHockeyNews.com, Hall-of-Fame defenceman Serge Savard reiterated a stance he's had since he was a young member of the Montreal Canadiens: fighting has no place in the game.

"It's 2007, and when I hear (NHL commissioner Gary) Bettman say fighting is part of the game, that's the way people were thinking 30 years ago," Savard said. "I like Bettman, but I'm disappointed to hear that. I didn't expect a comment like that after all those rule changes.

"(The league is) going backward. With the new rules, I really thought we were going forward."

[ . . . ]

Savard recognizes it is impossible to completely eliminate fighting from the sport. But he has never seen a legitimate role for players whose only skill is fighting.

"You can live with the spontaneous fight," he said. "That's something that can happen between brothers, two kids getting into a fight because of an argument. But you don't want the designated hitter. That's my view."

I couldn't agree more.

More on Simon

Here's the Inquirer's Tim Panaccio on Chris Simon's suspension:

When a player swings a stick like a bat at the throat of another player, he can break the opponent's neck, collapse his windpipe, fracture the cervical spine, and cause paralysis or death. What Chris Simon did to Ryan Hollweg was criminal, regardless of the fact that Hollweg is a punk. Simon should be suspended through the next half-season. The level of violence in the NHL has reached the point where radical change must be implemented. Such as: League general managers should adopt a rule whereby the offending player gets an automatic 25-game suspension. Furthermore, if the harmed player is injured and forced to miss games, the offending player should remain inactive until the other player recovers. Under this rule, Todd Bertuzzi would be out of hockey, just as Steve Moore is right now.

LeClair to retire as Flyer?

John LeClair, fifth all-time on the Flyers' goal list, may be retiring as a Philadelphia Flyer. The Courier-Post reported over the weekend that the team may sign LeClair to a tryout contract, have him play in the final few games of the season, and thus afford him the opportunity to retire with the team where he spent the 10 best years of his career.

Interestingly, the Courier also reports in the same article that newly acquired Scottie Upshall requested the number 10 upon his arrival and was denied. Could a number retirement ceremony be in the offing?

While I would have no problem with LeClair's jersey being retired, I think it's an outrage that former Flyer and current radio broadcaster Brian Propp has not had his jersey retired by the team.

(In the interest of full disclosure, Propp is my all-time favorite hockey player. I even have a Hartford Whalers jersey with his name and number on it.)

Propp is currently ranked second in goals (389), second in assists (480), and third in scoring (849) on the Flyers All-Time Lists, yet does not have his jersey retired. Even worse, he has to broadcast games while watching Darren Reid wear #26. For an organization that prides itself on its sense of family and togetherness, it's mind-boggling that Propp's number has not been retired.

Simon suspended 25 games

New York Islanders forward Chris Simon was suspended 25 games by the NHL for a vicious stick-swinging incident in a games against the New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Colin Campbell had this to say about the suspension:

"The National Hockey League will not accept the use of a stick in the manner and fashion in which Mr. Simon used his Thursday night," said Colin Campbell, NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations. "As a consequence of his actions, Mr. Simon has forfeited the privilege of playing in an NHL game again this season, regardless of how many games the Islanders ultimately play."

I'm okay with the length of the suspension, though I would have preferred a longer one given the nature of the incident and Simon's past (five suspensions in 14 years).

For more on the suspension:

• Simon releases statement about hit on Hollweg -- Associated Press


• NHL should be ashamed of Simon's short suspension -- Kara Yorio (SportingNews)


• NHL sends right message with tough penalty -- E.J. Hradek (ESPN The Magazine)


• Simon may end up paying a far heavier price -- Eric Duhatschek (The Globe and Mail)


• The NHL got it right this time, but its haphazard approach to justice must end -- Damien Cox (The Star)


• Stick game is one NHL should avoid -- Helene Elliott (L.A. Times)


• Simon said wrong thing but was forgiven -- Victor Chi(San Jose Mercury News)

Binghamton Senators vs. Philadelphia Phantoms

It was Career Night at the Spectrum, with the Phantoms holding a job fair prior to the game that featured many local teams and Comcast-Spectacor entities. The home team wound up winning 5-2, though my friend Vin and I left with about 10 minutes left in the third period and the Phantoms holding a 4-2 lead. (The Flyers were playing the Devils at the same time in the building next door and Vin and I figured it would be better to leave a little early and beat the traffic.)

Note: In the game summary, it lists the attendance as 4113. This is not even close. There were easily less than 1000 people in the stands. You could hear the players' skates cutting into the ice (one of my favorite sounds), the smack of the puck on a stick with a tape-to-tape pass, and the players' voices as they were shouting back and forth at each other. While crowds are cool, this was a great way to see a game.

Immaturity Alert: The highlight of the night, though, was not a goal, nor a fight. It was seeing this player in the lineup for the Senators. Come on, you know you laughed, too.

NHL in London

As mentioned previously, the NHL will open next season in London. That's London, England, not London, Ontario (sorry, Knights):

The National Hockey League announced today the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings will open the 2007-08 NHL regular season in London, England at Europe's most state-of-the art entertainment venue, the O2 Arena.

"Our commitment to grow the game globally has never been stronger," said NHL Deputy Commissioner, Bill Daly. "The NHL is extremely proud to be represented in London by two great hockey organizations in the Ducks and Kings as well as to be recording NHL history at such a fantastic facility in the 02."

Lowe, Smyth both in the wrong

Terry Frei, in a column at ESPN.com on the NHL trade deadline, hits the nail on the head in analyzing the Ryan Smyth deal:

Q: What stinks worse than unwashed laundry at the end of a road trip to Prince George, Kamloops, Chilliwack and Kelowna?

A: Ryan Smyth's trade to the Islanders, and not only because 102-year-old Lilian Hosking, whose answered birthday wish when she turned 101 was to run her hand through Smyth's mullet, gave it a thumbs-down to the Edmonton Journal.

There is no crying in hockey, whether it is from a 102-year-old woman or a 31-year-old winger. The Oilers at least, theoretically, still are within striking distance of a playoff spot, but this was a white flag. So, following Mark Messier's night, there's not much use showing up at Rexall Place.

Plus, the two sides -- the Oilers and Smyth, in the person of his agent, Don Meehan -- were very close financially, but couldn't close a multiyear deal. In this new era, with the cap limiting the maximum a player can earn to 20 percent of the available payroll and with absolute individual ruthlessness making it tougher to build a winning cast around the highest-paid players, it's ridiculous that a compromise couldn't be reached. And that's a pox on both houses. GM Kevin Lowe reacted petulantly by trading Smyth.

Furthermore, Smyth's love for Edmonton rings hollow if he couldn't step in and tell Meehan: "OK, you've done a good job getting these numbers on the table, but now let's get it done." The hometown discount, which already had been an issue in previous Smyth contracts, doesn't even have to be a financial concession, but an acknowledgment that satisfaction is priceless.

And if Smyth gets over his disappointment and re-signs with the Oilers this offseason, it will raise the question of whether this was preordained and all this drama was an act. More likely, it was a case of Lowe calling Smyth/Meehan's bluff and putting the onus on them in the offseason ("How bad do you want to come back?").

Deadline deals

44 players were traded in 25 deals on Tuesday before the NHL trading deadline. The Flyers acquitted themselves nicely, gaining several draft picks, young players, and a guy who should be able to step in to be the number one netminder that has been missing for years.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I really like the moves the GM Paul Holmgren made in the past few weeks. He's had some duds to be sure -- Mike York, anyone? -- but in dealing Peter Forsberg, Alexei Zhitnik, and Kyle Calder he shed a significant amount of payroll while at the same time getting younger and quicker, especially on the blueline.

Given these developments, it's not entirely unreasonable to make the argument that Holmgren should be retained as the team's general manager. The only drawback that I can see is that in dealing Zhitnik, Holmgren guaranteed that Derian Hatcher will remain with the team as the only veteran defenseman (not counting Joni Pitkanen, but really -- is anyone?). And, while the Daily News' Ed Moran would disagree with me, I still say the team needs to cut its losses in regards to Hatcher.

**See below for some extra deadline day commentary and analysis:

• TSN -- Jay Onrait's TradeCentre Blog


• ESPN -- 2007 NHL trade deadline: News and analysis


• ESPN -- Eight simple truths from NHL deadline day

Hearting Lauren Hart

ESPN's EJ Hradek files an article today on ten things he likes about hockey:

Forsberg has left Philadelphia, but (thankfully) Lauren Hart is still there. The Flyers' terrific anthem singer has a great voice. I've been fortunate enough to see her sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" several times during my various ventures to Philly. She's something special. She's someone the Flyers should never trade!

EJ, I couldn't agree more. And not just about her singing, either. I've seen her in person and she's just stunningly beautiful.

Classless

That's the cleanest word I can come up with right now for how I feel about the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo was well on it's way to victory last night against Philadelphia when I witnessed something that should have been contemptible at the least and downright inexcusable at the most.

With all of five seconds left in the third period and trailing 6-3, the Flyers were whistled for a penalty. The faceoff was in the Flyers' defensive zone, to the left of goalie Antero Niittymaki. Remember, Buffalo was winning 6-3 with five seconds left in the game. There was absolutely zero chance for the Flyers to win this game. All that was left was for the linesman to drop the puck and for the timekeeper to run off five seconds.

So, what does Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff do? He sends out his number one powerplay unit to take the draw -- with five seconds left!! The worst part is that the players actually went for it. Sabres center Daniel Briere, who, in the interest of full disclosure, is on my fantasy team, won the draw back to the point and the defenseman actually took a shot that was, thankfully, blocked.

What was the point to this? For the players, it's a chance to pad the stats. For Ruff, a chance to run up the score on a team that he's had a few run-ins with over the years. (One incident that comes to mind is when Ruff was pelted in the face with a beer after the Sabres eliminated the Flyers from the playoffs a few years back. Talk about wasting a beer.)

This whole incident displays to me the complete lack of respect and classlessness -- if that's even a word -- that the Sabres embody. Once upon a time I felt bad about the no-goal Stanley Cup loss they suffered. I could even get onboard with them in the whole small market, underdog thing they had going for awhile. Not anymore.

Combine the worst uniform/logo in all of hockey with the utter disrespect they show to their opponents and you come up with a team that deserves nothing but disdain from every self-respecting hockey fan.

POST-SCRIPT: You know what the worst part of this is? This incident didn't receive one mention in either Tim Panaccio's or Ed Moran's recount of the game. For all the talk lately of how the Flyers have started to stand up for one another, where was it last night at the end of the game? They just rolled over and took it from the Sabres. So long as that keeps happening, they have no chance of improving.

Something is better than nothing, but . . .

I thought I wouldn't get around to blogging about the deal, but wound up pulling my thoughts together pretty quickly. All in all, a shrug of the shoulders is about all I can manage in response to the deal.

On one hand, it would have been nice to have seen Forsberg stick around, since, with the right moves made in the offseason, the team -- contrary to popular opinion -- most likely won't be as bad next year as they are this year.

On the other hand, since he would not sign an extension I'm glad they got anything for him at all.

Now, that being said, I am a little bothered over what they did get.

Scottie Upshall is a high-energy, character-type guy who has yet to find his way in the NHL after putting up good numbers in junior and the AHL. This season, he has missed around three months with a groin injury. This is not a good sign for a player who is (a) only 23 years old and (b) relies on his skating ability for a good portion of his game. This has all the makings of a career-long, nagging injury.

Ryan Parent is allegedly the centerpiece of the deal, as he projects to be a top-flight, stay-at-home, shutdown defenseman. Another big character guy, Parent is already troubled with a bad back at the tender age of 19. Another situation that sounds like it will be a career-long injury.

Also included in the deal is a first-round pick -- which will likely be somewhere between 28th and 30th overall -- and a conditional third-round pick which will go to the Flyers if Forsberg re-signs with Nashville.

So, the sum total of the Forsberg trade will be two young players who have some upside but already have injury troubles and a first-round pick in a draft that most experts consider to be one of the weakest in years.

While it's better than nothing, it won't go down as the greatest deal in Flyers' history. Now, if only they could get rid of Hatcher . . .

LINK: More on Parent and Upshall.

Forsberg deal done?

610 WIP is reporting that Peter Forsberg was on the ice for the pre-game skate but has been pulled from the lineup and will be a healthy scratch.

UPDATE: Comcast Sportsnet is reporting that Flyers GM Paul Holmgren will hold a press conference during the second intermission. TSN is reporting that Forsberg has been traded to Nashville. Details to come.

UPDATE 2: Tim Panaccio is also reporting the trade now, which seems to be Forsberg to Nashville for forward Scott Upshall, prospect Ryan Parent, a first round pick and a third round pick.

The hardest working man in hockey

Well, maybe in hockey blogging. Eric McErlain, who runs Off Wing Opinion and Winging It along with co-hosting a weekly podcast on the Washington Capitals called Caps Corner, has yet another gig on these here internets:

Welcome to the NHL on NBC blog, a new feature that my friends at NBCSports.com have agreed to let me experiment with for the remainder of the season. Throughout the week, we'll be talking about the teams that will be featured on NBC's regional NHL coverage for that coming weekend. The goal is simple: To capture what hockey fans are talking about across the country and get them all talking to one another in the run-up to that weekend's big game. With that in mind, we'll be reviewing all the best blogs, podcasts, message boards and other online content and sharing it with you.

Flyers, Kapanen agree to extension

The Flyers announced yesterday that they signed forward Sami Kapanen to a two-year contract extension.

Yesterday, the Flyers announced that they have signed the 33-year-old Finn to a 2-year, $2.5 million contract extension through the 2008-09 season.

"We are excited about having Sami around for a few more years," [GM Paul] Holmgren said. "We feel that he brings a lot of qualities to our hockey team in terms of what he does both on and off the ice. He is a quality person and he's a good utility player who can play anywhere in our lineup."

Kapanen's contract is for $1.25 million per year. His current salary is $1.52 million.

I like this signing a lot. $1.25 million for a cap number is completely manageable and two years isn't that long to have to deal with. Kapanen can literally play anywhere on the ice, and has been used on every line this season by coach John Stevens. He can kill penalties and play on the power play. For once, this is something that I agree with Holmgren on.

NHL going overseas

ESPN.com is reporting that the NHL may open the 2007-08 season with a pair of games in Europe:

According to multiple sources, the Los Angeles Kings will open next season with a pair of games at The O2 in London. The O2 is a state-of-the-art arena scheduled to open with a series of Justin Timberlake concerts in early July. It is operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which also owns the Kings.

Bettman talks, Forsberg walks?

Sportsnet is reporting that commissioner Gary Bettman "[w]hen grilled on the unbalanced schedule and lack of geographic rivalries, Bettman candidly revealed the prospects of realignment are 'good.'"

TSN's Darren Dreger is reporting that Flyers GM Paul Holmgren has begun contacting teams he thinks Peter Forsberg might be interested in playing for if Forsberg decides he would like to move on. The catch?

However, an added twist is word that Forsberg has been asked to meet with Flyers chairman Ed Snider.

Penguins to go public?

Throwing another wrench into the works of the Penguins and their immediate future, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that a candidate for Pittsburgh controller thinks the city should have the right to purchase the team.

The public should have the right to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins, former Allegheny County Commissioner Mike Dawida argued yesterday, in a letter to the state's U.S. senators and three congressmen.

Mr. Dawida, a lawyer and candidate for Pittsburgh controller in the May 15 Democratic primary, said the public's investments in Mellon Arena give it legal standing to challenge any attempt by the team to move. Public officials or fans could go to federal court to seek the right to turn the team into a public asset.

This is certainly an interesting take on the situation, though it's easy to conclude that Mr. Dawida is merely trying to make waves for his political campaign.

Bettman here to stay

As reported last week by ESPN.com's Terry Blount, "people involved with the NHL" approached Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage "about joining the league and eventually replacing commissioner Gary Bettman . . . Bettman's contract expires after the 2007-08 season."

Canadian Press files an article today clearing up some misconceptions about Gary Bettman and his contract status.

"I've watched with fascination some of the newspaper reports having me going on sabbatical shortly," Bettman said prior to the Vancouver Canucks playing the Chicago Blackhawks. "That isn't the case, wasn't the case.

"I think people were somehow under the impression my contract had a year to run and got fixated on that. Those stories were, to say the least, inaccurate."

TSN's Bob McKenzie also checks in on the scrum and sets the facts straight on Bettman's contract status.

Bettman's contract does not expire at the end of next season. Or the one after that.

In fact, an NHL owner tells TSN that Bettman has another five full years left on his deal after this season.

The owners are apparently happy enough with his work that last fall they extended his deal to one year beyond the expiry of the current cba. that will take him through to the summer of 2012.

So it doesn't look as though Bettman will be leaving office any time soon.

This is essentially the same thing I said last week. Off Wing, meanwhile, posts about something buried deeper in the CP article -- a possible change in the points system for next season.

Operation Slap Shot: One year later

The Associated Press takes a look at the status of the gambling case against former NHLer Rick Tocchet. It was one year ago today that the charges against Tocchet, New Jersey State Trooper James Harney and a third man, James Ulmer, were announced. Harney and Ulmer have both plead guilty and are cooperating with authorities in the case against Tocchet.

And though it's been a year since he was arrested, charges have yet to be filed against Tocchet in the case.

"Waiting a year suggests the evidence may not be as strong as they'd like," said George C. Thomas, a professor at the Rutgers University School of Law in Newark.

But Mike Pinsky, a prominent New Jersey defense lawyer, said it's not unusual for the state attorney general's office to take more than a year to comb through evidence between filing charges and seeking an indictment.

"With wiretap cases, I don't consider a year a long time for a state grand jury," Pinsky said. "After year and a half or two years, I'd wonder what's going on."

Bettman's 14 years and counting

Yahoo's Dan Wetzel gets his dander up on the upcoming anniversary of Gary Bettman's installation as commissioner of the NHL.

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

This is one of the milder quotes from Wetzel, as he picks apart Bettman's NHL.

It's hard to disagree with his point on the whole, but some of the arguments Wetzel makes are just nonsense.

Teams play eight games per season against division foes, or 32 a year against just four teams.

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.

First, because they play in opposite conferences, Detroit and Toronto would play only two games against each other under the old, balanced schedule. The Red Sox and Yankees -- playing in the same division within MLB's unbalanced schedule -- face each other 19 times each season. Not quite the same, is it?

Second, the reason Detroit and Toronto had a rivalry is because they've been playing each other for almost 80 years. And while I agree that eight regular season games does not a rivalry make, I don't think this is a downfall on the NHL. Familiarity breeds contempt, after all.

Still, true rivalries are only born in one place -- the playoffs. If you meet the same team in the playoffs over and over again, a natural hatred ensues simply because the playoffs are it -- lose and you're done.

When the same team ends your season year after year, well, just ask Dallas and Edmonton what they think of each other. These two teams have absolutely nothing in common, except for the fact that they met in the playoffs every year from 1997 until 2001 and again in 2003 -- and there's certainly no love lost between them.

Love him or hate him, and there's probably many more of the latter, Bettman is here for a while. Fans either need to get on board with him or get out of the way.