Wings Sign The Freight Train

The Detrroit Red Wings have signed former Red Wing Todd "Freight Train" Bertuzzi to a one year deal.

Details from the Wings...

DETROIT -- The Red Wings announced today that the club has signed free agent forward Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year contract. In accordance with team policy, additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.Bertuzzi, 34, was originally a first round draft pick (23rd overall) of the New York Islanders in 1993.The Sudbury, Ontario native spent last season with the Calgary Flames where he posted 44 points (15-29â€"44) in 66 games.Bertuzzi returns to Detroit for the second time in his career, having played in eight regular-season games (2-2â€"4) and 16 playoff games (3-4â€"7) for the Red Wings in 2006-07 after he was acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers.The 13-year NHL veteran has played in 859 career games, scoring 255 goals and adding 369 assists for 624 points. He has also collected 1,221 penalty minutes.

Photo by jack Rosenberg/In Play! Magazine

Sidebar: An interesting note to this photo. This was Steve Yzerman's old locker! First one nearest the Hall leading out to the Ice.

Todd Bertuzzi, Left Wing
Born Feb 2 1975 -- Sudbury, ONT
Height 6.03 -- Weight 235 -- Shoots L
Selected by New York Islanders round 1 #23 overall 1993 NHL Entry Draft

--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
-----------------------------------------------------------! -------- -------------------
1995-96 New York Islanders NHL 76 18 21 39 83 -- -- -- -- --
1996-97 Utah Grizzlies IHL 13 5 5 10 16 -- -- -- -- --
1996-97 New York Islanders NHL 64 10 13 23 68 -- -- -- -- --
1997-98 New York Islanders NHL 52 7 11 18 58 -- -- -- -- --
1997-98 Vancouver Canucks NHL 22 6 9 15 63 -- -- -- -- --
1998-99 Vancouver Canucks NHL 32 8 8 16 44 -- -- -- -- --
1999-00 Vancouver Canucks NHL 80 25 25 50 126 -- -- -- -- --
2000-01 Vancouver Canucks NHL 79 25 30 55 93 4 2 2 4 8
2001-02 Vancouver Canucks NHL 72 36 49 85 110 6 2 2 4 14
2002-03 Vancouver Canucks NHL 82 46 51 97 144 14 2 4 6 60
2003-04 Vancouver Canucks NHL 69 17 43 60 122 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Vancouver Canucks NHL 82 25 46 71 120 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 Florida Panthers NHL 7 1 6 7 13 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 Detroit Red Wings NHL 8 2 2 4 6 16 3 4 7 15
2007-08 Anaheim Ducks NHL 68 14 26 40 97 6 0 2 2 14
2008-09 Calgary Flames NHL 66 15 29 44 74 6 1 1 2 8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHL Totals 859 255 369 624 1221 52 10 15 25 119

WHATS YOUR TAKE?

NHL Wants A Lightning Owner To Buy Out The Other

((HT: St Pete Times/Cristodero))

The NHL apparently has decided the Lightning's ownership situation is unsustainable and set up a process in which squabbling co-owners Len Barrie ((pictured, thanks Bruce Bennett/Getty)) and Oren Koules can buy each other out.

Barrie has the first shot in an exclusive 60-day window that apparently runs out in mid to late September. If Barrie fails, Koules gets his chance.

Purchase price is not the only issue. The parties also must prove they can handle the substantial debt obligations to former owner Palace Sports & Entertainment.

If either Barrie or Koules meets those parameters during his exclusive window, the other must sell. In this way, the league hopes to bring stability to one of its most troubled franchises. How important is that? Let Phil Esposito tell you.

"Very, very, very," said the Lightning founder, who dealt with a Japanese group that forged an unsteady course in the franchise's earliest years.

"I can't emphasize enough how important it is. Then everything falls into place. Good management comes with that. Good players come with that."

What happens if both sides fail?

They might just have to live with each other; or the league might find a buyer; or perhaps Palace Sports will take back control. The former owner financed about $70 million of the $200 million purchase price and loaned OK Hockey another $30 million in operating capital.

No one is commenting; not the league, which declined several requests; not Palace Sports CEO ! Tom Wils on; not Koules, Barrie or anyone in their entourages, as per a gag order issued by commissioner Gary Bettman.

It is clear, though, the league is forcing a resolution.

The buyout windows are at least the third step in a plan laid out by Bettman at a June 23 meeting at the league's New York offices, where he demanded the owners work out their financial and philosophical differences about how to run the team.

Bettman made sure everyone knew his place. Koules is CEO and governor and, with general manager Brian Lawton, handles much of the day-to-day running of the organization. Lawton, as head of hockey operations, is the point man for all transactions (in other words, no meddling by the owners), and Barrie must be consulted on any transaction of more than $2 million.

The commissioner also established deadlines.

Barrie was ordered to produce a $10 million irrevocable letter of credit by July 17 to establish he could cover his portion of the team's projected losses next season and provide a bit of a cushion. The NHL never confirmed that happened, but deputy commissioner Bill Daly said at the time he was "satisfied where things stand."

Barrie also met an Aug. 1 deadline for repaying a $3 million personal loan from Koules, who covered a cash call last season that Barrie missed.

They were positive steps in creating the stability the owners say they want, and Lawton has had a superb summer as he significantly bolstered the team's blue line, cut payroll and is in the hunt for free agent wing Alex Tanguay.

Still, several aspects of the situation are unknown.

Why was Barrie given first crack at the buyout? How much will the buyouts cost? Will Koules' buyout window be of similar duration?

What is known is unless one or the other comes up with cash or a bank check (quite an assignment in this economy), any new investors will be subject to the league's due diligence and must be approved by 23 of the 30! members of the Board of Governors. The deal also must be approved by Palace Sports.

In other words, the process likely will not be quick.

"I know there's a passion with them," Esposito said of the co-owners.

The question is, does either have the money?

Could This Be Why The Bruins Don't Want Kessel?

Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe wrote a great article today breaking down Kessel's production for the Bruins. The way he did it was by looking up who Kessel scored his goals against, then broke down the percentage against "playoff teams". Here is how Kessel did...

1. Loui Eriksson, 63.9 percent
2. Dany Heatley, 61.5
3. Patrick Marleau, 55.3
4. Rick Nash, 55
5. Zach Parise, 51.1
6. Thomas Vanek, 50
7. Ilya Kovalchuk, 48.9
8. Mike Cammalleri, 48.7
9. Marian Hossa, 47.5
10. Alex Ovechkin, 42.9
11. Jeff Carter, 39.1
12. Eric Staal, 37.5
13. Kessel, 19.4

There is a huge drop off from 12 to 13. So when Kessel is asking for $5 million a year the Bruins can use this stat against him. This also could explain why the market for Kessel is so down. He is not a great two way player (meaning playing defense along with offense), and the Bruins just don't have a high feeling of value for Kessel.

Still, I want Kessel back, but I found this information very interesting and at least now I can understand Boston's thinking on the value of Kessel.

Frozen Fenway Fireworks in the Future

After three weeks of waiting out the inevitable, it was finally announced Wednesday afternoon, by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, that the 2010 Winter Classic would match the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers from historic Fenway Park in downtown Boston.

Speculation early last month indicated that the game potentially could have pitted the Bruins against Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, but NBC reportedly informed NHL officials that ratings would be higher if the Flyers were included in the game. Whether or not this is the reason the Flyers were chosen is up for argument, but the decision is final nonetheless.

The NHL kept the baseball park theme for the location, after witnessing the wonderful success of the 2009 game between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in the Windy City.

This game rekindles an old rivalry from the 1970s. The Bruins and Flyers had many great battles in that decade, including the memorable 1974 Stanley Cup Finals, where Flyers netminder Bernie Parent stole the show and helped the Flyers reach their goal of winning their first Stanley Cup.

Even in recent years, the Philly/New England rivalry has been furious on the ice. In 2007, an innocent looking hit by Randy Jones on Patrice Bergeron placed the Bruins forward on injured reserve for the remainder of that season, and his poor reaction to Jones' apologies only fueled the fire between the two clubs.

Talent wise, this game will feature many of the most underrated players in the game. The Flyers' young corps of Mike Richards, Jeff ! Carter, Claude Giroux and company, coupled with big bruising defenseman Chris Pronger, will go up against Boston and the likes of Marc Savard, David Krejci, Bergeron, and their own bruising d-man Zdeno Chara, the reigning Norris Trophy winner for best defenseman in the league.

The Bruins took home the NHL Eastern Conference's regular season title a year ago, and the Flyers are still left with a bitter taste in their mouth from their first round playoff defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

For two cities with such storied histories in all sports, a Winter Classic pitting the two against one another is bound to be a lifetime memory for all those associated with the clubs, from management and players, to just merely the 40,000 or so who will be on hand to see the game.

Ticket information will be announced in the weeks to come, but for Boston and Philadelphia, the countdown is already on to New Years, and an extra special celebration to ring in a new decade.

Much more on this as the date draws closer. This blogger will even have thoughts from Boston that memorable day.

Photo courtesy flyers.nhl.com

New Group Out There For Coyotes Sale

((HT: GlobeSports/Waldie))

A group of Canadians is working with a U.S. investment firm on a potential bid for the Phoenix Coyotes.

“We’re taking a look at it,” said Daryl Jones, a manager director at Research Edge LLC in New Haven, Conn. “We think potentially there’s an under-managed business and if our thesis is right maybe there’s an opportunity.”

Jones, who is Canadian, wouldn’t identify the other members of the group. But he said it does not include Toronto Argonaut co-owners Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon. The NHL has said the Argo owners were interested in buying the Coyotes, but they have not submitted a bid.

Jones said his group’s plan “at this point” is to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix and it recently began reviewing the club’s finances.

“We have a team of people that are looking at the numbers and evaluating the viability, trying to figure out if there is something to do here,” he said, adding that Research Edge is considering making an investment as well.

“We are in the process of filing a background check with the NHL. You can assume that we have talked to them on a very preliminary basis.”

Jones grew up in Bassano, Alta., about 140 kilometres east of Calgary. He played hockey at Yale University with another Canadian, Keith McCullough, who started Research Edge.

Jones spent four years working in New York for Onex Corp., a Toronto-based! private equity firm, and then joined Research Edge last September. Research Edge specializes in investment analysis and “generating and delivering actionable investment ideas.”

Jones said he has never invested in a sports team before. “I do know people that are investors in other hockey teams and have financed pro hockey teams. We’re pretty familiar with the business model and how things work,” he said.

“We’re coming at this from, well, No.1, we’re hockey fans and hockey people. But more from a business-investor-type perspective. Can we make this a viable business in Phoenix long term? We think we have some people involved who have some interesting ideas in that regard.”

When pressed for details about those people, Jones described them as “marketing and entertainment-type people.”

The group doesn’t have much time to put together a bid. The Coyotes filed for Chapter 11 protection on May 5 in Arizona and the bankruptcy court is holding an auction on Aug. 5 for bidders who will keep the club in Phoenix. If that auction doesn’t yield sufficient bids, the court will hold an auction Sept. 10 for bidders interested in moving the club. Research In Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie could participate in the September auction. His offer is $212.5-million (all currency U.S.).

So far the only bid for the Aug. 5 auction has come from Jerry Reinsdorf ((pictured, thanks GlobeSports file)), owner of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls. He is offering up to $148-million for the club, but his bid carries several conditions, including a new arena lease.

The NHL revealed in a court filing this week that another group was considering an offer. However, the league did not provide any details. Jones’s name surfaced in another court filing yesterday.

He said he has looked at the Reinsdorf offer but declined to commen! t on the details. He also declined to provide specifics about his proposal.

“It’s very preliminary at this stage and the timeline is very tight. We’re not yet convinced that it’s viable. We don’t know if we’ll get there, but we do think there’s some interesting attributes for the situation.”

Rangers Sign UFA RW Ales Kotalik

This move could really seal the deal for Nik Zherdev needing to buy himself a one-way ticket out of town. He certainly can play on any of the Rangers top three lines, but is likely to fill in on the second or third lines behind Gaborik.

According to Ranger Rants:

Chris Drury's former Buffalo Sabres teammate, right wing Ales Kotalik, agrees to a deal with the Rangers, details hopefully to come.

Kotalik, 30, ended last season with the Oilers and he combined for 20 goals and 23 assists between Edmonton and Buffalo, the fourth season he has reached 20 goals. At 6-1, 227 pounds, the Czech has a bit of size, too.

According to TSN it's a 3 year deal worth $3M per season. Sounds like a pretty good contract for a player that is capable of scoring 20-25 goals. [Career Stats]

He's much bigger than I realized. But, that doesn't mean much if you don't play big. I don't know much about Kotalik, but I believe from the few times the Rangers played the Sabres that he had a rocket of a shot and sometimes played the point on the Power Play. Anyone else have any thoughts on this signing?

Free 2 Week Trial!

Free 2 Week Trial!

Leaf coach eyes playoffs

Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson would love to see his team end a franchise-record playoff drought next spring, but not at the sacrifice of progress towards having a powerhouse team in the more distant future.

Wilson was in town to get a first look at the Leafs' top draft pick, Nazem Kadri, who signed a three-year entry level contract Monday, and a group of other young players at the team's summer prospect camp.

As he prepares for his second season behind the Leafs bench, Wilson likes the changes general manager Brian Burke has made since the July 1 beginning of NHL free agency, but won't lose sight of the big picture.

"We would still like to make the playoffs next year and we'll do our best to do that," Wilson said at Lakeshore Lions Arena following the second of two on-ice sessions for the prospects.

"But I think for the next couple of years we are going to be spending a lot of time developing players. If we can make the playoffs doing that, I think that's going to be great but primarily, if I'm going to have five, six rookies on the team again -- which is a real possibility -- I have to make sure they get better as hockey players."

That was Wilson's approach last season where rookies such as Luke Schenn and Mikhail Grabovski were given generous ice-time to help fast track their development. It wasn't always pretty, but the team is confident enough in its coaching staff that young players can improve significantly over a season where there isn't intense pressure to be one of the top teams in the league.

"A lot of teams where there is pressure on you to make the playof! fs, most coaches will throw a lot of the young guys under the bus. (When you do that) you tend to rely on veterans and I've got to guard myself against doing that."

Wilson and Burke wouldn't rule out Kadri making the team following training camp, though returning to his junior club in London is a distinct possibility.

"It's all up to Nazem," Burke said of the seventh overall pick who was wearing No. 19 for his first official session. "We're looking for him to force us into a decision."

As for another decision on his team, Burke was hoping to hear sometime in the next 24 hours where free-agent Swedish goaltender Jonas Gustavsson intends to play next season. The Monster has apparently narrowed his options down to four teams, including the Leafs.

Notes: The Leafs re-signed forwards Ben Ondrus and Ryan Hamilton to one-year contracts, and signed free agent forwards Jay Rosehill, Tim Brent and Richard Greenop.