Official NHL 2005-2006 Season Thread

[Malcolm]

Montreal Signed goaltender Cristobal Huet to a two-year contract.

[redarmy76]

I'm also a leafs fan, but I still think there is a small place for Domi under the right circumstances.  A fourth liner only, one who can just lift the spirits up with his 7-8 minutes a game.  He still is an exceptional skater for someone who used to live by the fist.   

It would have to be for the right money though.

[Malcolm]

Phoenix Acquired defenseman Nick Boynton and a fourth round draft choice in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft from the Boston Bruins in exchange for defenseman Paul Mara and a third round draft choice in either the 2007 or 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The Ottawa Senators declined to make a contract qualifying offer to Tyler Arnason before the Monday deadline, making the veteran centre an unrestricted free agent July 1.

Goaltender Martin Biron received the Buffalo Sabres one-year qualifying offer and expects to sign it but only in hopes the team grants his wish to be traded.

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon announced Monday that the club has bought out the contracts of forwards Matthew Barnaby and Curtis Brown.

[Backslash]

Montreal Signed goaltender Cristobal Huet to a two-year contract.

And that made me happy.  It's for $5.75 million.  Certainly we're not gonna make the Theodore mistake again.

[Mal Brossard]

Great.  B's send P.J. Stock to the cleaners.  Then Doug Doull.  Then Colton Orr.  Then Joe Thornton.  Now it's Nick Boynton.

Every shred of toughness is gone from this team.

Additionally, for better or for worse, head coach Mike Sullivan was fired.  I'm fully expecting to hear the B's have replaced him with Oopsi Poopanen, Boris Scrotumsky, or some other unproven guy who knows nothing about coaching in the NHL.

Travis Green has now become the Bruins roughest and toughest player.  Eddie Shore is spinning in his grave.

[Neemo]

i heard either Pat Quinn or Dave Lewis is gonna get the B's coaching job

Bruins are definately doing a major house cleaning...they're gonna suck for a few years now, they shoulda never traded thorton

[Mal Brossard]

Dave Lewis.  Great.  Replace one puppet with another.  How is it that every time I get serious about following a team, they go down the crapper?  I became a Browns fan as soon as I could understand football in 1990 when they went 3-13.  I started following baseball closely in 1991-- the Indians were 57-105.  I got back into hockey in 1997 as a Penguins fan, and look at them the last 3-4 years.  I became a Bruins fan when I moved to Boston in 2002-- I have no further comments on them.

Good lord.  They could have gotten Pat Quinn, Dave King, Andy Murray, Ed Olczyk, Marc Crawford, Barry Melrose, or Claude Julien.  Instead, they pick the biggest puppet they can find who has been afraid of his own fucking shadow ever since he retired and was an assistant under Pickle-Puss in Detroit.

What a fucking it is joke that the league's hands are tied in relation to the state of the Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks franchises. It's embarrassing that two of the Original 6 are in the state they are in, simply because ownership has no pride and are so cheap that they have destroyed two once proud organizations. The fans of these organizations caught on long ago that these owners have pushed them aside to save a few bucks and it shows in the attendance. How many coaches and general managers have gone through these two teams with their hands tied on financial issues? Ridiculous signings such as Martin Lapointe, or Nikolai Khabibulin to outrageous contracts shows mismanagement and no direction these teams are going.

As long as Jeremy Jacobs along with Bill Wirtz  own these teams, I see little hope for future players, general managers, coaches and fans. The game may have gone to shit, but there are still a few Bruins and Hawks fans who will not live long enough to see those teams win a Stanley Cup.

[Malcolm]

Toronto Signed defenceman Bryan McCabe to a five-year contract.

[Neemo]

Dave Lewis.? Great.? Replace one puppet with another.

Well sorry Duff...looks like it's gonna happen

I'm glad he's outta detroit though...he's supposed to be a pushover coach...a players coach...what Boston needs IMO is a swift kick in the ass...but I could be wrong, we'll see how it pans out

[Mal Brossard]

He's a coach that will do anything he's told by management-- a total puppet.  He was one for Ken Holland Mike Ilitch, and Scotty Bo-woman in Detroit, he'll be one for Jeremy Jacobs, Hairy/Harry Sinden, and Peter Chiarelli in Boston.

The guy used to be a good, tough, gritty player in his days with the Islanders.  Now he and the teams he's coached are all afraid of their own shadow.  And being afraid of your shadow does nothing for you come playoff time, or in the regular season, for that matter.

I'm now waiting for Phil Kessel to be traded away for a couple boxes of pucks, 5 sticks, and Bobby Orr's left kneecap.

[Malcolm]

Goaltender Roberto Luongo finally has the long-term deal he's always wanted, signing a four-year, $27 million US contract with the Vancouver Canucks. According to CKNW Radio in Vancouver, the new contract will pay Luongo $6 million US in the first year, $6.5 million US in the second year, $7 million US in the third year, and $7.5 million US in the final year. The deal also contains a no-trade clause for the final three years.

Gary Roberts could be back with the Toronto Maple Leafs after one season in Florida.

Panthers general manager Mike Keenan tells the Palm Beach Post that the veteran left winger has asked to be traded this off-season so he can be closer to his teenage daughter.

"We put it on hold while working through last week," said Keenan. "But I'm planning to address it in the very near future."

Keenan says he brought up the request with Maple Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr., but talks have not gone beyond the preliminary stages. He added that it likely wouldn't take much to re-acquire the 40 year old, likely a draft pick or minor-league player which would not impact heavily on the team's salary cap.

Roberts signed a two year, $4.5-million deal last August with the Panthers. However, he only appeared in 58 games after groin problems and a sprained knee kept him out of the lineup. He finished with 14 goals and 26 assists.

 

Roberts spent four seasons with the Maple Leafs from 2000-2004, scoring 83 goals and 74 assists.

[Neemo]

wow...$7 mill for Luongo....*cough cough* RIPOFF *cough cough*

and fuckoff with Roberts back in toronto...they gotta get rid of the old guys not bring them back...

What about Roenick...swears he'll be on a Canadain team for next year....he'll be injury buddies with lindros in the ACC players box, I can smell it now

[Malcolm]

The Ottawa Senators have locked up one of their elite blueliners, as sources tell TSN the team has signed defenceman Wade Redden to a two-year contract. Speculation is that the deal is worth $13 million. The team is expected to make a formal announcement over the next 24 hours. Redden, 29, was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Dallas Stars placed forward Bill Guerin on 24-hour waivers Thursday, setting up a buyout of his contract for Friday. Guerin was to make $6.7 million US next season.

[Mal Brossard]

The news for my two favorite teams gets worse-- FSN Pittsburgh fires Penguins play-by-play announcer Mike Lange after 30 years with the team.

I don't get it-- the guy is probably the most recognizable voice among hockey announcers and has been there with the team forever, and yet, he's the guy to get fired.  What, is FSN Pitt suffering from bad ratings for Penguins games?  Hey dipshits, look at your on-ice product and then see why ratings are down.

Lange is best known for his colorful expressions during Penguins games that are picked up by sports news and highlight shows across the continent, which include:

- "I'll be cow-kicked!"
- "Oh no, Eddie Spaghetti!"
- "Heeeeeeeeeeeee shoots and scores!"
- "Scratch my back with a hacksaw!"
- "Well shave my face with a rusty razor!"
- "Great balls of fire!"
- "He was hit so hard his kids will be born dizzy"
- "He left the defensemen on the parkway going to the airport!"
- "You would have to be here to believe it!"
- "Look out Loretta!"
- "Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!"
- "He doesn't know whether to cry or wind his watch"
- "Michael, Michael, Motorcycle"
- "Get in the fast lane Grandma, the bingo game's ready to roll!"
- "She wants to sell my monkey!"
- "Call Arnold Slick from Turtle Creek!"
- "He beat him like a rented mule!"
- "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building!"
- "Book 'em Dano!"
- "He Picked His Pocket Like He was Walking down 5th Avenue"
- "Smilin' like a butcher's dog"
- "He takes the heat out of a hot kitchen"
- "How much fried chicken can you eat?"
- "Oh slap me silly Sidney!"
- "Get that dog off my lawn!"
- "And the kitchen is closed!"
- "He smoked him like a bad cigar!"

News story is here...

Mike Lange loses job as Penguins TV announcer
By MICHAEL COWDEN, Associated Press Writer, The Associated Press06/29/2006

Mike Lange, the colorful Pittsburgh Penguins play-by-play announcer known for his creative goal calls and whimsical catch phrases, was ousted from the team's TV crew on Thursday and asked to take a lesser role on radio.



FSN Pittsburgh, the sports channel that owns the Penguins' television rights and controls the hiring of the TV announcers, plans to replace Lange with radio play-by-play man Paul Steigerwald.


For years, the two announced games as partners _ Lange on play-by-play and Steigerwald as the analyst _ as their broadcasts were simulcast on radio and TV.


Penguins president Ken Sawyer offered Lange the radio job upon hearing that Lange's TV contract had not been renewed, team spokesman Tom McMillan said. Lange told Sawyer he needed time to consider the offer, McMillan said.


Lange, who worked with the Penguins for three decades, has long been considered Pittsburgh's most popular play-by-play announcer since Pirates announcer Bob Prince, who was fired in 1975 following 30 seasons.


In 2001, the Hockey Hall of Fame Lange honored Lange with the Foster Hewitt Award for outstanding work as an NHL broadcaster.


Lange was known for idiosyncratic calls such as "smiling like a butcher's dog" and "Michael, Michael motorcycle!" Other memorable Lange-isms included "Scratch my back with a hacksaw!" and "Look out Loretta!"


Many of his Mario Lemieux goal-scoring calls have been replayed countless times on various TV and radio outlets.


Steigerwald, who worked with Lange for 27 years, confirmed he will replace his mentor and longtime friend.


"I know this is a very difficult time for him and his fans," Steigerwald said. "The opportunity came up and I figured it was in my best interest to take advantage of it."


Lange was hired by the Penguins for the 1974-75 season, left for one season and had been with them since returning in 1976-77. A native of Sacramento, Calif., he began his professional play-by-play career with the Phoenix Roadrunners of the old Western Hockey League. He also called games for the San Diego Gulls in the same league before landing the Penguins job.


Lange also spent several seasons in the 1980s as an announcer for the Pittsburgh Pirates' cable TV affiliate.


A message left for Lange was not immediately returned.


Penguins TV analyst Bob Errey and radio analyst Phil Bourque, both former Penguins players, are not expected to be affected by the changes.

[Malcolm]

Ottawa Signed defenseman Wade Redden to a two-year contract.

The Detroit Red Wings have taken Nicklas Lidstrom off the free agent market, signing him to a two-year contract. The deal will pay him $7.6 million in each season.

The Ottawa Senators may have locked up defenceman Wade Redden, but his teammate Zdeno Chara could be on his way out of the nation's capital. Chara's agent Matt Keator has rejected the Senators' last contract offer and says he and his client will try the market as an unrestricted free agent on Saturday.

The Boston Bruins bought out veteran forwards Shawn McEachern and Travis Green on Friday. Each player had one year remaining on his contract and will receive 75 per cent of what he was to make. Both are also free to test the free agent market starting Saturday.

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Friday that the club has bought out the contract of forward Tie Domi and have elected not to exercise the option year on the contract of goaltender Ed Belfour."We want to thank Tie for his many years of service to the organization," said Ferguson. "He became a fan favourite for a reason and we wish him well in the years ahead." "Eddie added a lot to the Toronto Maple Leafs and we appreciate all that he did for us," added Ferguson. "At this stage we are taking a different direction, and we feel privileged to have had one of the game's great goalies play for the Maple Leafs."

Sources have told TSN that the Tampa Bay Lightning have acquired Marc Denis from the Columbus Blue Jackets for forward Fredrik Modin and Finnish netminder Fredrik Norrena

[Neemo]

nice to see the leafs get rid of some oldtimers...i heard on TV that pronger might be moving to TO...Chara UFA is interesting

and I;m glad that Guerin was bought out...13 goals for 6.7 mill....nice

[Mal Brossard]

Ahhhh yes, Chris Pronger...

Anyone hear about the reason he wants to be traded?  If not, I'll post it.

Let's just say Jose Theodore isn't the only one sleeping around with pseudo-celebs.

[Malcolm]

The Vancouver Canucks re-signed forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin to new three-year contracts on Friday worth $3.575 million US a season.

It looks like Fernando Pisani won't be testing the free agent market. The Edmonton native has signed a four-year contract with the Oilers, according to sources.  The deal is believed to be worth a total of $8 million.

[Neemo]

The Vancouver Canucks re-signed forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin to new three-year contracts on Friday worth $3.575 million US a season.

It looks like Fernando Pisani won't be testing the free agent market. The Edmonton native has signed a four-year contract with the Oilers, according to sources.? The deal is believed to be worth a total of $8 million.

as if he'd go or the team would let him...home town boy that can score = Marketing Goldmine

[Malcolm]

Sources tell TSN that Jamie Langenbrunner has re-signed with the New Jersey Devils.

The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed defenceman Francis Bouillon to a three-year contract, worth $1.875-million per season.

The Nashville Predators have re-signed goaltender Chris Mason to a two-year deal worth a total of $2.5 million.

Sources tell TSN that the Edmonton Oilers have re-signed free agent goaltender Dwayne Roloson to a three-year contract worth $11-million.

Ed Jovanaski signed a 5 year deal with the Coyotes worth $32.5

Zedeno Charas days with Ottawa Senators are over, as the giant defenceman signed a five-year deal with the Boston Bruins worth $7.5 million US a season.


Sources have told TSN that the Toronto Maple Leafs have signed defenceman Pavel Kubina to a four-year, $20 million contract. Details to follow...

Centre Marc Savard has a new home for the 2006-07 season, signing a five-year $20 million contract with the Boston Bruins.