tom webster

Oh, Thank God, I thought those three years of Xanadu wiped out part of my memory

OK, I’m drawing a complete blank. Who is Hart? And yes, Ruff does not belong in that group.

10-15 at worst. He was Bob Gainey before Bob Gainey.

What about Dale Hawerchuk?

I’ve said this before, when it comes to KO, management realizes how delicate a situation it can be. He is revered in the locker room, maybe the only high level free agent that signed for market rate, and just a really good teammate. The fact that they found a role for him is huge. Buying him out, banishing him to the minors or sitting him in the press box would run counter to what they are trying to build within that room.

Rewatch the series against the Bruins his rookie year and tell me he didn’t do everything he could. I have nothing to back this up but I’m betting he would have been an “ analytics” superstar. You don’t score the goals he did without an inner strength and underlying toughness and you don’t record the points he did without huge possession numbers. By the way, he was a point per game player in playoffs until his two years in Dallas.

“Probably?” In top 50?

Turgeon played in more games with Buffalo then LaFontaine and averaged over a point per game and that includes his rookie year. He also didn’t have 89 on his wing. In his three full years in Buffalo he averaged 1.14 points per game, and in his prime years with the Islanders, he averaged 1.33 points per game. For my money, Rick Martin, Danny Game and Mike Ramsey were better Sabre’s. And I loved Patty.

Whenever I see LaFontaine automatically in the third slot, I wonder how far Turgeon can be. I also wonder how many people realize how good of a career he had.

I heard there are pictures of him sleeping in Sabre pajamas when he was ten.

Welcome back, Blue.

All I am hoping is Vaclav Prospal. He was the perfect example of a player that thrived when he played top six and was awful if not. OR He is a placeholder for a piece yet to be added. Would agree both seem unlikely at this time but I know they are still trying to make a deal or two.

I forwarded tickets, please confirm that you received them.

He has said some strange things last few years.

What we really need is for JBOT to start reminding us of a certain Bill Polian.

This might be my favorite post of all time.

I received tickets today so you should all have them by weekend. Watch for PM with a question in next day or two.

Mother’s Day 1998. Back then my tickets were in 226 and there were always players that weren’t playing and family members sitting a couple rows in front of us. She was there with his mother. Better memory was when Plante scored but that’s a story for a different day.

One of my favorite memories, he gets a playoff hat trick and I kiss his girlfriend/wife

One of those rare instances where we disagree.

Staal is not a bad example, and like you, I’m a little cloudy on the details, but they still made a choice. They decided, and I think rightfully so, that he wasn’t going to be a high end number 2. Its like when the Sabre’s walked away from J. P. Dumpster. DR will tell you that he had no choice, but he did. Unfortunately, he chose Ales Kotalik.

Fair point but I dismiss the notion that they took a downturn because of loss of “support” players. They made a colossal blunder with Seabrook, made a couple other dubious decisions and their stars slowly become less dominant. My point still is, I can’t think of one instance were a team truly wanted to keep an important player and was forced by the cap to give them up.

I always love when people bring up the Blackhawks. Three Cups. Ask their fans if it was worth it.

This is the same story that’s been going around since Andy Messersmith signed with the Atlanta Braves. Good teams keep their players, especially their difference maker.

I still expect Risto to be dealt to either Winnipeg or Florida. Paul Hamilton with astute observation. Group playing tomorrow is group Risto has been practicing with but he’s not going.