HAVE NO FEAR - MELROSE IS HERE!

Please forgive me if I'm not getting that same warm and fuzzy feeling about this decision by the Tampa brass that some people are. If you are lucky enough to be too young to remember Barry's playing days, this move may have you saying "Wicked cool man, the Bolts just got that ESPN guy with the mullet to coach!" If you are like me and sat through many a game where Barry pretended to play defense, "wicked cool" most likely isn't your choice of words to express your opinion of the move. Unfortunately I just happened to have lived in L.A. when he was coaching the Kings, so I've had more than my fair share of Melrose exposure. I do wish the Bolts all the luck in the world going forward if this is what they think will work for them. At least the star players will be pampered, after all that's what makes a great hockey team right? Pampered superstars and a coach who loves the attention of the media should at least make for some "wicked cool" billboards. Whatever sells tickets, I guess. Go Bolts! Melrose Rocks!

DRAFT AFTERMATH

Well this was supposed to be a wacky post handing out grades for the Draft, but after some thought about the experience that was the 2008 Entry Draft I was left with a feeling that it just wasn’t that eventful to warrant such a post. Not quite a yawn-fest mind you, but a bit on the lackluster side. Instead of an off the wall post I’ll give you my take on some key moves/picks that took place.

When the hell did the Coyotes learn how to draft? There are just some things in life that you can count on –

1. The sun rising

2. A rainstorm just after you washed the car

3. That annoying guy at work that thinks he’s your pal will try to make small talk with you on subjects he knows absolutely nothing about

4. The Yotes will draft the worst possible players available in any given draft

Well we can now scratch #4 off the list because the Coyotes have drafted well in consecutive drafts and this one has got to be their best ever. They used their 1st round picks wisely by adding a future scorer in Boedker and a possible menace on ice in Tikhonov (if he plays with the same emotion he displayed for Russia in the World Juniors). Going with some big boys with the next 3 picks in Staal, Stone and Brodeur shows a commitment to getting tougher to play against in the near future. They were able to shed deadweight and cap chokers in Boynton and Ballard while acquiring a gem in Jokinen to give them (as well as Jokinen) a serious chance at the playoffs next season. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the question. When did the Coyotes learn how to draft? When they added Greg Malone to their scouting staff.

Another team that must be grinning from ear to ear is the Blue Jackets. They landed Umberger (played college hockey for Ohio State), selected what may be the most dynamic player in the draft in Filatov and loaded up with big defensemen with big potential in the future. The Jackets are hoping that this Russian turns out to be more like Ovechkin than Zherdev. No, the Jackets didn’t exactly hit it out of the park on draft day, but GM Scott Howson must be pleased with how well they did with the picks they had.

The Bruins rolled the dice with their selections, banking more on character type players than actual skill level. They went center happy hoping that one or two will pan out (centers taken in past rounds have been less than stellar). Only time will tell if the gamble will pay off. Perhaps the biggest gamble was trading up to pick Arniel. He must have interviewed well and there must be more to the story with this guy or at least another side to the story. That’s not to take away from another gamble they took with their first pick in Joe Colborne. With a ton of high ranking talent left on the board with the 16th overall pick the B’s raised a few eyebrows when they selected Colborne. Mostly due to the fact that he played in the AJHL against what most see as inferior competition. However, the Bruins see more in this guy and most likely hope that his time at the University of Denver will go a long way for his development at a higher level. Now if the hush-hush news about Wheeler comes to bear fruit and they are able to land Hossa, the gambles on draft day won’t look as bad if they don’t pan out.

The Lightning may have gotten the best overall player in the draft in Stamkos, but did little after that to address their need to add depth to their future backend. We all knew that they would get the leftovers when it came to defensemen and goaltenders, but instead of taking the best available with the 62nd overall pick the Bolts (in all of their infinite wisdom) traded down to take another forward with the 117th pick. They finally took a goaltender with the 122nd pick and chose Tokarski who ranked 9th in North American goaltenders. They didn’t pick a defensemen until the 6th round where they took two. So much for playing it smart and shoring up the weak areas in your system. They did however get the green light from the new ownership to be aggressive in the free agent market this year. The only trouble with that is they also set a cap limit of $44 million, when they already have $35 million committed to payroll next season. I’m sorry, Bolts fans, but $9 million isn’t enough to be aggressive and fill the holes on that roster.

PRE-DRAFT RAMBLINGS

The 2008 Entry Draft is fast approaching and everyone already knows that the Bolts plan on taking Steven Stamkos with their #1 pick. Stamkos (a 6’-3” 185 lbs. center out of Scarborough, ON.) isn’t something you pass up on even if he won’t necessarily address your needs. Some think that with this draft being heavy with defensemen and goalies that the Bolts in particular should start building up their back end, but keep in mind that in this draft they can accomplish that in later rounds. That is why they jumped right away and announced their intention on picking Stamkos. There will be no surprises on who goes 1st overall on Friday.

This year on draft day I think I will be most interested in what trades go down more so than who picks who. I just have this feeling that there will be a plethora of movement amongst teams trying to shed payroll and gather more picks for either this draft or ones in the near future. This will most likely be a last ditch effort for teams to trade away players before buying them out or losing them to free agency come July 1st. Hey sometimes a future draft pick and a bag of pucks is better than taking a cap hit on a buyout or getting nothing in return. Ahh yes, I can see it now, sort of like a clearance sale or better yet like a concession vendor; “Emery…Emery here…get ‘yer ice cold Emery here…” or “Only one Murray left…last chance for a Murray here…buy one Murray and get a Fernandez free…and by free I mean we’ll be free of him…get ‘yer Murray here…”

I think we will see a lot of defensemen taken in the first couple of rounds this year, as they seem to dominate the landscape. There will be a fair share of goaltenders taken as well and the Bolts will get their chance at a number of them and d-men to boot. By taking Stamkos with their first pick they will get the leftovers when it comes to the back end but in this draft the leftovers will be solid as well. In Stamkos they will however get the future replacement for Vinnie, this time I am hoping they will seriously consider how much they should pay a young super-talent.

Settle in on Friday and watch your teams select the future and attempt to move payroll and enjoy it hockey fans, it will be the last bit of excitement until July 1st. I will hand out my report card on how everyone did after the draft ends, most likely in a wacky format so until then keep your head up and enjoy!

THANK YOU

Now that the season has ended things here at Around The Rink will start to slow down to its off-season pace of around once a week. At this time I want to shout out a big Thank You to Miser for his great work and contributions to this site this year and look forward to working with him next season. I also want to thank everyone who checked out our blog over the past year and especially those who kept coming back. You are the reason we do this on top of our normal everyday life schedules, without you we are just talking hockey to ourselves. I do encourage everyone to respond to what they read by adding comments to the posts (not enough of you do this, you know who you are) we would love to hear what you have to say and carry on discussions about the topics. So don’t be shy (Lord knows I’m not) and let us know what you think about the game we all love.

This past season we had over 3800 new and unique visitors from 13 different countries stop by Around The Rink to expose themselves to the madness. Over 1200 of which came back for more, time and time again, adding to our growing number of regular visitors to the site. Thanks to that we have a steady growth rate and look forward to increasing that rate next year. With that in mind, Around The Rink will undergo a face-lift this summer in an attempt to make the site more visually pleasing to our readers as well as easier to manage.

Even though the season has come and gone, don’t forget to stop by Around The Rink from time to time over the summer, as the posts tend to get a little wilder, funnier and even more experimental. I’m sure to have a few things to say about the Draft, Free Agency, Offer Sheets, Salary Cap and the like. Things may be getting slower, but the madness here at Around The Rink never stops. Thank you all for making Around The Rink a part of your day, as you all make our day every day. Enjoy your summer one and all!

FINAL THOUGHTS

Now that the season has ended, I wanted to take a moment to put down some final thoughts. I must warn you though, the coffee is strong this morning and I’m awake way too early so things may get a bit wacky. Buckle up Spanky it could be a bumpy ride.

A tip of the hat to Dallas Drake and Gary Roberts – thanks for the memories boys you have exemplified what it means to be a heart and soul kind of player – no regrets you have been champions your whole careers.

I hope Sean Avery takes the off-season to work on how to just play the game and put all of his bullshit antics on the shelf once and for all.

Hey Alex – are you still seeing that play in your nightmares? Maybe next time you’ll shoot the damn puck!

I don’t want to hear any more about how Euro’s are soft. Got it? Okay, let’s move on.

I don’t want to hear any more questions of Sidney Crosby’s heart and leadership skills – I think he proved enough this year to put an end to the speculation he can’t handle the load, he was truly special this post-season.

Why would Marion Hossa want to go anywhere else? Sometimes it’s not all about the money. Besides, Mario has a ton of it.

I hope the brothers Staal can keep from making the news with any drunken escapades this off-season.

I’ve never watched Tiger Woods do his thing and now I’m damn sure I never will – and watching that gay-assed Gillette commercial featuring the three gayest guys in all of sports doesn’t count – unless that’s his thing in which case I’ve seen it and I must say I’m not impressed. I hope Tiger Woods will remember – hockey fans don’t need him around anyhow.

If the new ownership of the Lightning actually thinks Barry Melrose is the answer – I will have to question every other move they make. I fear for you Bolts fans.

The only thing Malkin needs to work on this summer is his stamina. I hated watching him run out of gas right when he was needed most.

Someone please give Chris Osgood a bit of credit for stepping up when Hasek fell flat – he’s a hard working goalie who never seems to get any credit for being a number one net-minder. I think a couple of Cups speaks volumes.

Okay Bruins – you have a tough little team going – now will you please get a goal scorer to play alongside Savard. Murray just can’t bring it anymore and P.J. can’t hit the net.

GREGSKY'S FINALS WRAP UP

Well, what started out looking like a dud actually had some pop to it. Granted it didn’t fully live up to the hype, but you have to admit that it came close. At the very least it was one of the more entertaining series in recent history thanks in large part to the triple overtime Game 5. The result was what I expected to see and only now I am able to feel good about picking the Wings to win. I have to admit that I was hoping the Pens would push it to seven just for dramatic effect if not to extend the season just one more game. I hate it when the season ends because I instantly start thinking about next season and now I have to wait. I hate waiting. One thing I do like is that I was able to reach my goal this year of toping my picks record from the previous year. Going 11 – 4 had to have kicked the every living shit out of that stupid freakin’ monkey, which puts a “Grinch-like” smile across my face. I hate that stupid freakin’ monkey.

Anyway, enough about that, what I want to talk about is what I consider to be the defining moment in the series. You remember, when Henrik Zetterberg was able to get a last second stick check on a wide-open Crosby at the goalmouth. If Crosby would have scored there it could have put this series on its ear. And that my friends, is why Zetterberg without a doubt deserved to win the Conn Smythe. It’s funny sometimes how this game boils down to simple plays, but that is the very reason why we teach our kids to focus on making the smart and simple plays because it may just turn out to be the difference between winning and losing. I know, in this age of “tree-hugging” we try to teach our kids that winning isn’t everything, and it’s true winning isn’t everything, but every kid will tell you that losing sucks. When it comes to winning the Stanley Cup all of that “tree-hugging” crap goes out the window. It’s all about winning and doing everything it takes to earn the right to call yourself a champion. It is the hardest trophy to win in all of sports because you have to earn it. The Cup doesn’t care if you are hurt and playing through injuries. It doesn’t care if you are a superstar or a 4th liner. The Cup will turn a deaf ear to your complaints of being tired and bruised. No, the Stanley Cup only recognizes those of strong will and determination. Those who have the heart to go the distance are the only ones who can raise the Cup over their heads and let out a primal scream. Those few are the only ones who get their names etched on this glorious trophy. This year that right belongs to the Red Wings.

Just to show you that I’m not totally against the “tree-hugger” mentality, I will give props to the Penguins for a hard fought battle. They fought hard, even when getting severely out played, and showed the never give up attitude right to the bitter end. Pens fans shouldn’t feel bad for their team in any way, shape or form; this is just the beginning for this club. Even the great Oilers of the 80’s had to lose their first chance at the Cup. This year was nothing more than a stepping-stone and a learning process that will guide them to the Promised Land in the near future.