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[R_GILL]

You expect the Leafs to re-sign McCabe, sign Willie Mitchell, then trade Tellqvist and Antropov?

I don't even know how to reply to this. Can a non-Leaf fan reply to this? I feel like I'm trapped in the Da Vinci Code, but without the knowledge in historical background.

My justification is pretty simple, JFJ will either trade for Nabokov or Giguere or failing that will try to sign Legace or Gerber. Once that happens Tellqvist is basically expendible, we basically signed him as a if everything fails option, but I am pretty sure JFJ is willing to overpay for a #1 goalie as his job is on the line. Antropov who I actually like will be gone for whatever we can get or I guess we can let him walk and not tender him an offer. I don't really see any room for him in our lines as both Ponikarovsky and Kilger are re-signed. McCabe is basically signed, and than we need a #3 defenseman as we aren't just going to throw 4 rookies out there. I also forgot to mention but I figure we will sign some sort of winger, not anyone great but need someone to play with Steen and Stajan.

 

[bishoptl]

luongo is overrated anyway..

wah wah wah waaaaah :lol

 

[Cold-Steel]

Cloutier for strong offensive talent.

It will happen. Stay tuned everyone.

 

[bishoptl]

Just came back to the thread to laugh at dem some more. :lol

edit: Jaysus, I can see why Pronger wants out!

saddle up, boys

 

[BorkBork]

Just got home, holy shit at trade. I wouldn't have guessed both Crow and Bert would be gone after this season, and I liked Auld a lot in net, but it's mother****in' LUONGO!

 

[Stench]

I always thought that rumour about Chris Pronger's wife hating Edmonton was just bullshit.

Damn.

Good on ya Canucks, though... I wish we were picking up Roberto Luongo.

 

[bishoptl]

Maybe you can trade Pronger to Dallas for Marty Turco.

*snicker*

All kidding aside, if somebody has a transcript of that XM interview - I'd love to see it. I really want to know exactly what the issue is that has Pronger so eager to get out of Edmonton. Besides the obvious, of course.

 

[R_GILL]

Too bad Pronger wants out, still I can see Edmonton getting good value back for him if they can get a couple of teams bidding for his services. Look at what Florida got for a goaltender who may or may not sign with the team he just got traded to.

 

[Stench]

Maybe you can trade Pronger to Dallas for Marty Turco.

 

[Pochacco]

Don't have much time...

But WOW @ Canucks & WTF @ Pronger.

 

[Stench]

Yeah, this isn't related to anything of discussion, but tonight I saw Georges Laraque on my way home from work - he was literally two steps behind me on the escalator. There was a female boxing match that had just ended, so I guess he was going home.

I didn't say anything to him because he was talking on his phone, but just thought I'd throw that in.

 

[Fifty]

Wow....Shocking trade. It's great for the Canucks though, I'm happy to see them finally get a great goalie.

What's with both of the new Oilers trying to get out and using their family as an excuse? I saw an interview two days ago (roughly) with Peca, and he was very tentative about saying he'd stay an Oiler, noting that he wanted to do "what was best for his family" and now we've got Pronger rumored to be basically saying the same thing. Conclusion: The schools and nightlife in Edmonton are awful

 

[Socreges]

This is pretty damn exciting. I cant wait to see Luongo in a Canucks uni...

That said, Nonis had better ****ing sign him. 3 years, no less.

Its tough to give up Allan. He was solid. Im honestly glad now that Bertuzzi is gone, though. He was a cancer, if not in the locker room then in my mind. Ive grown to realize just how much attention he commands and how everything surrounding him reflects so poorly on the team. Fresh start - for him, for the Canucks.

Auld? Who cares? We've got Roberto.... probably

 

[ForzaItalia]

The Maple Leafs made a pitch for goaltender Roberto Luongo, but came up short.

While the Leafs were in the thick of the hunt for Luongo along with the Canucks, Flyers and Kings, Toronto didn't have what it took to make the deal.

It's hilarious how the Leafs are always making a "pitch" but never pull the trigger. Just another way to fool the overzealous Leafs Nation morons that they're always "trying" to get better as ticket prices soar...:lol

Meanwhile, it turns out that Roberta McCabe isn't the only woman who might be at the root of her husband's move out of town.

McCabe's wife is speculated to be a factor behind McCabe's reluctance to sign his five-year deal with the Leafs, while Pronger's reported desire to leave Edmonton centres around family issues, reportedly related to his wife, Lauren.

"(Pronger) hasn't asked me (to be traded), I'll just leave it at that," Oilers GM Kevin Lowe said.

But when asked whether the reports were erroneous, Lowe said, "I don't want to comment on that."

:lol

 

[Solo]

this has got to be the wost week as an oiler fan.. ever.

Losing Pronger > losing Gretz???

 

[soundwave05]

What the f-ck is it with hockey players being pussy whipped by their wives?

Grow some damn testicles and tell your wife to shut up and buy another pink Ferrari for her ass.

Flames fans, be happy that Iginla married an Alberta girl and not some damn B-actress wanting to go to Los Angeles, or a Sports Illustrated model with a stick up her ass, or some pompous American sweetheart that just can't make it out of St. Louis.

Be happy that Kipprusoff is either single or gay.

Seriously, I think I'm done with the NHL ... the NHL really is every bit of the joke of a league it gets painted as by the average American.

The player's think they're such hot shit, when no one gives two shits about them anywhere but Canada. You're not LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, or Tiger Woods ... be happy you're making the money you're making playing in a marginally popular sport and shut the f-ck up. The arrogance of the player's cost the league an entire season, and now I think the league is slowly headed back to the crap it was before.

 

[calder]

Funniest thing about the trade? Nonis having to continue the fiction that Cloutier is a "top 10 NHL goalie" with a straight face, which means he has to talk about Luongo like he's Patrick Roy + the ghost of Terry Sawchuk combined to make trading for a (real) #1 goalie not sound like the dumbest idea ever. Canucks have to deal him - and soon - and his value is mediocre at best. Can't wait to see how many 4th round picks they get for him, and I keep hearing the Leafs are interested. :lol Having to give up Auld (who might have been a great backup for Luongo) and being stuck with Cloutier must have hurt, how many times do you want to bet Nonis tried to dish Clutch instead only to be shot down by Keenan?

In sadder news, listening to commentary about Pronger's pretty decent salary situation makes me think the Oilers can actually get a good return on him. God knows Keenan is interested, but a half dozen teams would love Pronger and could easily fit his long term deal under the new cap.


EDIT: TSN and SNet are both reporting that the Pens are looking to trade their second overall pick, which makes a lot of sense now that the Blues are likely to pick Johnson first. The Pens can trade down a round and still pick up a quality top 4 dman to help them this year.

 

[soundwave05]

The NHL should really intervene and make Pronger's contract null and void and suspend him from play.

This is absolutely ridiculous and so blatantly unprofessional.

I'm tired of this. Ater 10+ years of the salary structure crap ... now this.

The NHL can take their crap and shove it. I have no respect for these players anymore ... far and away the most spoiled pro athletes out there.

Yes, the NFL has Terrell Owens, but the rest of the players play, and they play under a salary cap where they're ridiculously underpaid compared to the monsterous revune the NFL generates.

The NHL is a bush league ... a friggin' joke, that probably had Bettman wetting his pants when both Detroit and New York went out in the 1st round like chumps.

 

[calder]

Wow, overreact much?

Guys under contract have demanded trades or sat out demanding new contracts for decades, in all leagues in all sports. This is nothing even remotely new or even that unusual.

 

[sefskillz]

What the f-ck is it with hockey players being pussy whipped by their wives?

Grow some damn testicles and tell your wife to shut up and buy another pink Ferrari for her ass.

Flames fans, be happy that Iginla married an Alberta girl and not some damn B-actress wanting to go to Los Angeles, or a Sports Illustrated model with a stick up her ass, or some pompous American sweetheart that just can't make it out of St. Louis.

Be happy that Kipprusoff is either single or gay.

Seriously, I think I'm done with the NHL ... the NHL really is every bit of the joke of a league it gets painted as by the average American.

The player's think they're such hot shit, when no one gives two shits about them anywhere but Canada. You're not LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, or Tiger Woods ... be happy you're making the money you're making playing in a marginally popular sport and shut the f-ck up. The arrogance of the player's cost the league an entire season, and now I think the league is slowly headed back to the crap it was before.

This is absolute ignorance man. Cmon, they're not out there just for you. It's their JOB. If I got a job somewhere and my wife hated it, I would want out too. I don't want to work all day and come home to a pissed off wife, bitching about how she can't find any clothes above second hand good will quality. There's an importance to family and even if they're divorced in 5 years, you gotta respect that.

Oh, that and it makes a great excuse to get away from this:

Also, edmontonsun is reporting that Pronger's agent asked for a trade.

 

[soundwave05]

Wow, overreact much?

Guys under contract have demanded trades or sat out demanding new contracts for decades, in all leagues in all sports. This is nothing even remotely new or even that unusual.

It's not overreacting, not after the last 15 years compounded on top of this.

This league is poorly run.

NHL athletes are the worst ... because they bite the hand that feeds them.

No one gives a crap about them in California or where ever ... it's Canada that generates a huge portion of the NHL's revune, and yet we get treated second rate by the players even when the organization does nothing but be 100% classy, nothing but win, nothing but pay full $6+ million a year.

I'm sorry ... as a fan of the NHL, I have every right to complain. The players in the NHL should thank their lucky stars they get paid comparable amounts of money to their NBA counterparts and more than NFL players.

Yet here we are, not one year after the CBA, and player's are already getting back to acting like jackasses.

 

[calder]

Also, edmontonsun is reporting that Pronger's agent asked for a trade.

Yeah, I assumed that's what happened since Lowe said "he never said that to me!" when asked about Pronger demanding a trade. Clearly the sort of GM interview semantics you need to play to try to defuse the 'demand' part of it to hopefully keep the other teams offer's high. And stop the fans back home from immediately slitting their wrists or tossing bags of dogshit at your house in misdirected rage.

 

[sefskillz]

EDIT: TSN and SNet are both reporting that the Pens are looking to trade their second overall pick, which makes a lot of sense now that the Blues are likely to pick Johnson first. The Pens can trade down a round and still pick up a quality top 4 dman to help them this year.

Yea, there has been a ton of stuff going around on this. Carolina seems to have the most to offer, throwing out Jack Johnson, a young but pretty much proven blue liner. Nashville is offering up Shea Weber who isn't proven yet but has tremendous upside, and Ray Shero should know that well. I'm sure some other people are up there as well. I figured Nashville would try and take the pick (though I'd hate to lose Weber) and take a center or try to trade out of it for a center, but it hasn't happened yet.

 

[soundwave05]

And for the record, I honestly don't have a problem with an athlete wanting out of his contract if the team is not winning or the management is not making an effort to be a winner.

That's fine.

I'm even OK, if there's some kind of situation where the player is not being utilized properly because of coaching issues or something.

But this (like the Terrel Owens situation) is just too far. The city has done nothing but embrace this guy (I gauruntee Edmonton sold more Pronger jerseys in one year's time than St.Louis did in 4-5 years). The organization has done nothing but put together a team that went to the Cup final.

I feel terrible for Kevin Lowe ... this guy is a great GM, made some great moves, to have it KOed because of a wife.

And I've lived in Los Angeles for several years, along with Calgary and Edmonton. Calgary and Edmonton are NOT small cities. Both have a population (surrounding metro) of in excess of 1 million. There's plenty to do. And it's nice to have streets that are actually clean and be able to walk around without fear of being mugged at 3 in the morning.

The saddest thing is guys like Pronger and Peca get the "good ol' Canadian boys" hype ... we're told we should cheer for them because they're not European and be pround Canadians. Gimme a break. These guys don't care one bit. We should put Sidney Crosby on a throne because he's Kid Canada ... I'm so glad Ovechekin has taken his thunder and put his cocky ass down a rung or two. Luongo is going to keep the Canucks organziation with a gun to their head all year with his contract demands ... and all of these guys are Canadian, and none of them have any class whatsoever.

In Canada these guys are put on pedestals ... and for what? Jose Theodore is more interested in partying with Paris Hilton than doing anything on the ice. I think really the issue is that these guys grow up in Canada, use our hockey system to develop, and then when they get to the US ... suddenly, they get a taste of being a quasi-celebrity and think they're hot shit. But really in the US, hockey is a joke (sorry Jose, Paris will dump your ass in a week if she hasn't already, and then good luck explaining that to your fiance).

 

[Kabuki Waq]

wow Canucks are gonna be really good with an actual Goalie now. I dont know how they are gonna replace Bertuzzi now tho.

I have a feeling the Nucks are gonna Trade CLoutier to the leafs sort of a payback for the Potvin Trade

Im happy JFJr has not been able to sign Mcabe the ****er was going to be paid way too much money. This was not the way to rebuild.

 

[Wolf]

This trade has Vancouver as the winner. The actual trade itself is pretty fair, but when you look at what these players bring to their new teams, Vancouver wins hands down.

Florida is going to be a lesser club directly because Luongo is gone. He kept them in so many matches this past season, stole so many games for them. So they got Bertuzzi? So what. Just another talented team up front without a goalie. Tampa and Atlanta welcome Florida to the club.

Vancouver is now, plain and simple, dangerous. Even if they have an average season and ride into the playoffs the 7th or 8th team, with a goalie of that level between your pipes..your going to be dangerous.


Oh and by far the greatest news of the day :

I could see him trading possibly a 2nd round pick or something similar to that for Dan Cloutier

:lol

Please JFJ make this trade!

 

[soundwave05]

Vancouver's gonna be better. I think they're actually better than Calgary now. Good for them, I guess their fans deserve it after really never having a franchise goalie (how insane is that?).

As for the Pronger situation ... I have a feeling he's probably going to Tampa Bay for Lecav or Richards. Tampa's defense is horrid, so there's no point in spending like $20+ mill on three players when you have no defense to anchor them with.

 

[R_GILL]

Meh if Prongers wife really is unhappy in Edmonton than there is not much he can do, I am not going to call him pussy whipped or anything I am sure he would be happy to play there but its not like he will go out of his way to play there and make her unhappy. I wouldn't really care if it happened in Toronto for example if McCabes wife really is depressed and wants to be closer to her family in New York it really wouldn't bother me if he left.

 

[soundwave05]

Meh if Prongers wife really is unhappy in Edmonton than there is not much he can do, I am not going to call him pussy whipped or anything I am sure he would be happy to play there but its not like he will go out of his way to play there and make her unhappy. I wouldn't really care if it happened in Toronto for example if McCabes wife really is depressed and wants to be closer to her family in New York it really wouldn't bother me if he left.

Not even remotely the same situation though.

Lets say this summer, the Maple Leafs somehow signed Jarome Iginla (assuming he was a free agent) to a 5-year/$6 mill+ a year deal. He then leads the team to the Cup finals, and then 5 days afterwards, had his agent say he wants out of Toronto, and word gets out that it's because his wife doesn't like the city as much as Calgary.

Then it would be comparable.

Of course you don't care if McCabe leaves. The guy is not even remotely in Pronger's class.

 

[R_GILL]

Not even remotely the same situation though.

Lets say this summer, the Maple Leafs somehow signed Jarome Iginla (assuming he was a free agent) to a 5-year/$6 mill+ a year deal. He then leads the team to the Cup finals, and then 5 days afterwards, had his agent say he wants out of Toronto, and word gets out that it's because his wife doesn't like the city as much as Calgary.

Then it would be comparable.

Of course you don't care if McCabe leaves. The guy is not even remotely in Pronger's class.

I still wouldn't care, this is a job to them anyway and I wouldn't risk a marriage because of my job so I wouldn't expect them to do the same.

 

[fallout]

Er ... there seem to be a lot of assumptions being made concerning why Pronger wants to leave. Regardless, even if it is directly because of his wife saying: "Chris, we're moving", then fine. I don't like it, because we'd be losing an amazing player, but personal issues are personal issues. If this is all true, best of luck to him wherever he ends up.

 

[R_GILL]

Now if Pronger uses his No Trade Clause to choose where he wants to be traded to and limiting what you get back, then you have a legitimate reason to scorn the league and be pissed, but I don't think he would do that.

 

[soundwave05]

Er ... there seem to be a lot of assumptions being made concerning why Pronger wants to leave. Regardless, even if it is directly because of his wife saying: "Chris, we're moving", then fine. I don't like it, because we'd be losing an amazing player, but personal issues are personal issues. If this is all true, best of luck to him wherever he ends up.

Hopefully his wife doesn't FHUTA too hard either. Wouldn't want an injury from that.

My theory on this is many hockey players, especailly Canadian hockey players are pussywhipped, because they really don't go to high school/college.

They're in the junior hockey program with guys all the time playing hockey. Literally in Canada ... from age 14-19, that's your life. You don't even live at home, you bunk with your teammates, busing around the country. So they end up marrying the first hot girl they fall for and have little experience with women ... so the hockey wives run the show.

NFL or NBA wives can't pull that shit, because those guys rack up the women in high school and college and they know if they pushed their hubbies, they'd just use it as an excuse to go out and bang 100 different girls.

Unless you're talking about Doug Christie's wife.

 

[Solo]

Honestly, this is both the worst and most pointless rant ever.

 

[dem]

Hopefully his wife doesn't FHUTA too hard either. Wouldn't want an injury from that.

My theory on this is many hockey players, especailly Canadian hockey players are pussywhipped, because they really don't go to high school/college.

They're in the junior hockey program with guys all the time playing hockey. Literally in Canada ... from age 14-19, that's your life. You don't even live at home, you bunk with your teammates, busing around the country. So they end up marrying the first hot girl they fall for and have little experience with women ... so the hockey wives run the show.

NFL or NBA wives can't pull that shit, because those guys rack up the women in high school and college and they know if they pushed their hubbies, they'd just use it as an excuse to go out and bang 100 different girls.

Unless you're talking about Doug Christie's wife.

I dont know where you grew up... but junior players get just about every woman they want. Obscene amounts of ass. Puck bunnies galore. And if you need proof feel free to watch the draft today.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

frankly if you were filthy rich wouldnt you want to live in Florida?

especially if most of your wifes family is there too. This is important if you are on the road most of the time.

 

[soundwave05]

frankly if you were filthy rich wouldnt you want to live in Florida?

especially if most of your wifes family is there too. This is important if you are on the road most of the time.

True, but if I was a pro athlete .... I'd also want to be in a situation to win. As a pro athlete really you have what ... 5-6 years of prime years?

You can always live in Florida or where ever for as long as you want afterwards.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

True, but if I was a pro athlete .... I'd also want to be in a situation to win. As a pro athlete really you have what ... 5-6 years of prime years?

You can always live in Florida or where ever for as long as you want afterwards.

honestly Edmonton had a great run but do you think any analysts expect Edmonton to be in the final next year as well? In the NEW NHL it seems like any team can go far in the playoffs with a little bit of luck.

 

[bishoptl]

I dont know where you grew up... but junior players get just about every woman they want. Obscene amounts of ass.

Yeah soundwave, you're way off base with those remarks.

 

[dem]

Oh by the way
in case anyone was wondering

it hurts even more today

 

[soundwave05]

Yeah soundwave, you're way off base with those remarks.

Well I'm trying to come up with something, cause you don't hear about this shit with NBA players.

Pronger's wife. Peca's wife. McCabe's wife. Hell, lets face it, Gretzky was pussy whipped by Janet from the get go too.

NBA players will whine about money or not having a good enough team ... but their wife bitching and moaning? :lol :lol

And no, Doug Christie doesn't count.

 

[Kabuki Waq]

Well I'm trying to come up with something, cause you don't hear about this shit with NBA players.

wtf?

In the NBA you hear about players Mothers all the time. Vancouver would still have a team IMO if a certain player had not demanded a trade after being drafted.

 

[soundwave05]

wtf?

In the NBA you hear about players Mothers all the time. Vancouver would still have a team IMO if a certain player had not demanded a trade after being drafted.

But it's never because of the wifey wearing the pants in the family though.

The only guy who didn't want to play in Vancouver was Steve Francis ... who's a moron.

If it was LeBron not wanting to play in Cleveland because his wife didn't like the city ... the press would have a field day with it and he'd be laughed at up and down ESPN.

 

[bishoptl]

But it's never because of the wifey wearing the pants in the family though.

The only guy who didn't want to play in Vancouver was Steve Francis ... who's a moron.

If it was LeBron not wanting to play in Cleveland because his wife didn't like the city ... the press would have a field day with it and he'd be laughed at up and down ESPN.

The brothers don't put up with that shit from their spouses.

 

[fallout]

But it's never because of the wifey wearing the pants in the family though.

Geezus, I really hope you're not married. Again, you're assuming a lot about these personal issues.

 

[soundwave05]

The NHL has to draft some kind of protection for small market teams though in the future.

What's really to stop this from happening over and over again in Edmonton or really Calgary or even Vancouver for that matter?

Luongo's finace is apprently from the Florida area ... we'll see how she likes cloudy, damp Vancouver.

The only thing a lot of these players and their family/agents understand is the money. Once they have that contract, they know they can get away with just about anything.

The NFL also needs an overhaul so the Terrell Owens situation can't happen again.

I mean in any other industry this would be considered ridiculous. In Hollywood for instance Sharon Stone got sued for millions of dollars for dropping out of a movie because really at the last minute she decided "well ... I don't like this movie so much". Even movie stars can't pull this type of garbage, but it's tolerated for athletes ... which is part of the problem to begin with.

Michael Jordan (if ever there was an athlete deserving of a big salary) was criminally underpaid by the Chicago Bulls for years, but he signed the contract, and he honored it. He didn't try to weasel out of it or demand a trade.

 

[KilledByBill]

This Luongo trade looks like it'll finally settle a debate that's been raging in the NHL for years--"Does Luongo belong in the modern triumvirate of elite goalies along with Patrick Roy, Martin Brodeur, and Dominick Hasek?" No more arguments about stats vs. wins because even after the retooling Vancouver should be a competitive club.

As for the Pronger situation I can see why Oiler fans are so upset. Watching his cannon of a shot on the powerplay and his constant battling throughout the playoffs was like seeing Scott Stevens out there again! I'd love it if the Devils and Oilers could workout a fair value trade but Sweet Lou seems to have his work cut-out for him juggling the NJ roster so it'll probably have to wait for NHL2K7.

 

[calder]

Are you *still* babbling about this shit? Your rants are goofy at best and no one but you seems to give a shit, let it go already. Your bizarre generalizations and theories are just sounding dumber the more you explain them.

 

[soundwave05]

Are you *still* babbling about this shit? Your rants are goofy at best and no one but you seems to give a shit, let it go already. Your bizarre generalizations and theories are just sounding dumber the more you explain them.

It's just venting, but it is true.

You really feel this is fair?

All I ask as a fan that makes it possible for your paycheque to exist in the first place is if you sign a contract ... you honor it. But I guess that's crazy talk.

You're lucky in that you have a genuine class act in Iginla who would never pull something like this.

 

[R_GILL]

Jesus man give it a rest. And I doubt Micheal ****ing Jordan is hurting for money with all the endorsement contracts he signed in his career.

Anyway we should be talking about the draft. T - minus 4 hours and 19 minutes. Hopefully Little falls to the Leafs at 13 if not then its time to take another Swede in Berglund.