The Latest NHL Buzz
A lot of buzz going around regarding Panthers GM Jacques Martin. Martin continues to take a hard stance in regards to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester who is this year’s Marian Hossa at the trade deadline. Teams want to see if Bouwmeester would be open to an extension prior to trading for him. Washington is a sleeper team in the Bouwmeester sweepstakes. They remain highly interested. Check out the Trade Deadline Chart for the rest of the suitors. Florida, Vancouver and Toronto are interested in Chris Pronger. The Panthers and Senators have had discussions about Filip Kuba, Chris Neil and Nathan Horton. Horton is another popular subject in Montreal. The Panthers are denying that he wants out. The Flyers obsession with Petr
NHL Mid Season Awards; Parise earns 1st half M.V.P
1st half M.V.P Forward Zach Parise (28 g – 27 a – 55pts, +20) Inside Analysis: Parise is the games most under-rated player and the leagues top bargain with a cap hit of only $3.1 million per season. With goaltender Martin Brodeur sidelined for up to 4 months, Parise has carried the Devils offensively and at the All-Star break the Devils are the Atlantic division leader with 61 points. With Brodeur due back in late February, the Devils go into the second half as arguably the most dangerous team in the Eastern Conference. Parise ranks 7th in the NHL in points and ranks third in goals. Runner up: Alexander Ovechkin (31g -28a -59pts) Vezina Trophy (Top Goaltender) Miikka Kiprusoff (28-12-3,
Crosby officially out for All-Star Game
Sidney Crosby has withdrawn from the 2009 NHL All-Star Game. Crosby has been hampered with a nagging injury to his left knee and has decided to rest his knee and will miss his second consecutive All-Star game. There has been a lot of pressure on Crosby to play in this years game after being the league’s top vote getter but Crosby is making the right decision by sitting out as the Penguins are in the midst of a playoff run. Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis will replace Crosby
No deal in place for Adam Hall
Reports out of Canada have indicated the Penguins could be close to acquiring Lightning forward Adam Hall but currently there is no deal in place according to sources. The Penguins have made an inquiry but the Lightning are asking for too high of a draft pick. Pittsburgh has also been pleased with the play of Dustin Jeffrey and Bill Thomas. Thomas played well during his three game stint with the Penguins and had two goals against Manchester last night. The organization is expected to give him another look as the Penguins fourth line checking center. Another thing to consider is Lightning GM Brian Lawton was Ryan Malone’s former agent. Malone and Hall became best friends in Pittsburgh and Hall signed
The Latest Pirates Buzz; Prospect Report; Pirates reach out to Jones?
Adam Laroche ($7.05 million per season) making more money than Xavier Nady ($6.65 million per season) in 09 won’t sit well with Pirates fans. The good news is the Pirates will not open contract talks with Laroche about an long-term extension this winter. Last off-season the Pirates entertained the idea. Baseball’s salary system is truly rigged when Zach Duke made $400,000 last season while going 5-14 with a 4.82 ERA and signs a one year deal worth $2.2 million, the following season. Nate McLouth has submitted $3.8 million which is a fair submission. The Pirates are offering $2.75 million. The Pirates are offering a player who hit 26 home runs and won a gold glove, only 555,000 more than the
Wednesday’s Super Bowl Notebook: Steelers became a close group in Tomlin’s 2nd season
Transition is not easy and that was clear when Mike Tomlin was named the Steelers new head coach in 2007. The Steelers got off to a 9-3 start in 07 but some of the team questioned Tomlin’s philosophy because of how attached a lot of the veteran players were to former head coach Bill Cowher. Established veterans like Alan Faneca and Hines Ward were pushing for Russ Grimm to become the Steelers head coach. In Tomin’s first season, he was very hard on his players. The team went through a tough camp and practices were much more intense than they were under Cowher. Mike Tomlin made it known that it was going to be his way and by the end of the 07 season, the
2009 NFL Mock Draft Version 2
Free Preview 1) DETROIT LIONS> MATTHEW STAFFORD, QB, GEORGIA- With Sam Bradford returning to Oklahoma for another season, Stafford holds on to the top selection. Sanchez has closed the gap between him and Stafford, but I still think that Stafford is the better selection. Stafford has a stronger arm and he has greatly improved his decision making this season. Sanchez is more of a project, he has significant injury issues, and he tends to make the stupid decisions that Stafford would make last year. 2) ST. LOUIS RAMS> ANDRE SMITH, OT, ALABAMA- I don’t see any reason to change this pick as a result of Smith’s issues at Alabama. They don’t seem like the kind of behavioral issues that would
Senior Bowl Draft Buzz: Steelers high on Unger, Canfield & Smith
NFL Draft Buzz A source tells Inside Pittsburgh Sports that Oregon’s center Max Unger, Cincinnati’s offensive guard Trevor Canfield and Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith have caught the eye of the Steelers scouting staff.
Wednesday’s Penguins Report
The Penguins head into the All-Star break looking for answers as they sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference Standings. Tuesday night the Penguins had the opportunity to go into the break winning four of five when they faced off against the Carolina Hurricanes but the Penguins were not able to take advantage of playing at home and the Hurricanes playing the night before. The Penguins jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period with Evgeni Malkin scoring his 19th goal of the season but the Penguins couldn’t solve Cam Ward after that. Ward made 32 saves and the Penguins were outshot 40-33 as they lost to the Hurricanes 2-1 Tuesday night at Mellon Arena. The Hurricanes
The Latest NHL Buzz
Reports indicate Henrik Zetterberg is close to signing a long-term deal with the Detroit Red Wings. The deal is believed to be $7 million per season over 10 years. The Wings will have their two super stars (Zetterberg/Datsyuk) signed for a cap hit of only $13.67 million per season if Zetterberg signs for $7 million per season. Compare that to Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby who combine for a cap hit of $17.4 million per season. Datsyuk and Zetterberg could easily command $8.5 million per season on the open market and that’s what I call a hometown discount. The Red Wings have had brief discussions with Ritch Winter the agent for Marian Hossa. Johan Franzen is expected to test free