I'm Such A Puckhead
In as much as I love the hell out of the regular season and the playoffs, I almost get just as excited about all the goings on in the world of hockey when July 1st rolls around.
I always enjoy seeing what happens in free agency. There have been plenty of off-season moves so far this year. Some were a little surprising, others, not so much.
I could talk about things like Belfour going to Florida, Pronger to Anaheim, or Chara to Boston, but let's talk about our Washington Captials, shall we?
I dig that they got what seems to be a pretty decent defenseman in Brian Pothier. Signing him to a four year contract was also a smart move. As lousy as this team has been on the blueline the past couple of seasons, it's nice to see that they are making a decent effort to get a quality guy in that spot who won't be gone after one season.
I like that we've re-signed guys like Steve Eminger, Shaone Morrisonn, Brent Johnson, Brooks Laich and Brian Sutherby. I like that Ben Clymer was given a three year contract. I like that Rico Fata was re-signed because I think he's got good hustle. Let's see if he can play a decent full season this year. I don't really know that I like Matt Bradley being given a 2 year contract. He's got grit, but that's about it. Not a terribly impressive player. Oh well, they can't all be gold.
Also acquired as a free agent was Donald Brashear. I'm really on the fence about this move. He's hardly what I'd consider a quality guy to have on the wing. Let's face it, he's a goon, an enforcer. A little protection for Ovechkin? (hey, that almost rhymes!). I suppose, but AO really doesn't have much of a problem dealing with defensemen. He lays on just as many hits as he takes. Tough kid. But if we have a guy sitting on the bench that would dissuade opponents from taking a cheap shot at him because they know that Coach Hanlon will put Brash on the ice to handle business, that's cool.
Another decent move was re-aquiring Richard Zednik. I liked him a lot when he was in Washington before. He's got great speed and he's come a long way with his shooting and puck handling. I'm looking forward to seeing him in a Caps uniform again.
Of course the rumor mills are still buzzing like hell about the possibility of Peter Bondra returning to Washington. I, personally, wouldn't mind seeing Peter return, hit the 500 mark, and retire as a Capital. I'll admit he's not the player he once was, but he's still got some shit to bring to the ice. Not a first line winger anymore, but far from being a healthy scratch.
Oh, and before I forget. So long to Jeff Halpern. I hope you enjoy being a third or fourth line center in Dallas. And enjoy that $2 million a year contract. You probably won't see numbers like that again. Sorry folks, I know some people really liked him as a Cap, but I was never really impressed. And for God's sake, Jeff, you're from fucking Potomac, Maryland, you can lose that Canadian accent when you speak! The guy sounds like fucking Barry Melrose!
I'm excited about the way our team is starting to look. And you better believe I'll be at Verizon Center on opening night. I'm definitely making it out to more games this year. Work be damned! I've got hockey to watch!
I always enjoy seeing what happens in free agency. There have been plenty of off-season moves so far this year. Some were a little surprising, others, not so much.
I could talk about things like Belfour going to Florida, Pronger to Anaheim, or Chara to Boston, but let's talk about our Washington Captials, shall we?
I dig that they got what seems to be a pretty decent defenseman in Brian Pothier. Signing him to a four year contract was also a smart move. As lousy as this team has been on the blueline the past couple of seasons, it's nice to see that they are making a decent effort to get a quality guy in that spot who won't be gone after one season.
I like that we've re-signed guys like Steve Eminger, Shaone Morrisonn, Brent Johnson, Brooks Laich and Brian Sutherby. I like that Ben Clymer was given a three year contract. I like that Rico Fata was re-signed because I think he's got good hustle. Let's see if he can play a decent full season this year. I don't really know that I like Matt Bradley being given a 2 year contract. He's got grit, but that's about it. Not a terribly impressive player. Oh well, they can't all be gold.
Also acquired as a free agent was Donald Brashear. I'm really on the fence about this move. He's hardly what I'd consider a quality guy to have on the wing. Let's face it, he's a goon, an enforcer. A little protection for Ovechkin? (hey, that almost rhymes!). I suppose, but AO really doesn't have much of a problem dealing with defensemen. He lays on just as many hits as he takes. Tough kid. But if we have a guy sitting on the bench that would dissuade opponents from taking a cheap shot at him because they know that Coach Hanlon will put Brash on the ice to handle business, that's cool.
Another decent move was re-aquiring Richard Zednik. I liked him a lot when he was in Washington before. He's got great speed and he's come a long way with his shooting and puck handling. I'm looking forward to seeing him in a Caps uniform again.
Of course the rumor mills are still buzzing like hell about the possibility of Peter Bondra returning to Washington. I, personally, wouldn't mind seeing Peter return, hit the 500 mark, and retire as a Capital. I'll admit he's not the player he once was, but he's still got some shit to bring to the ice. Not a first line winger anymore, but far from being a healthy scratch.
Oh, and before I forget. So long to Jeff Halpern. I hope you enjoy being a third or fourth line center in Dallas. And enjoy that $2 million a year contract. You probably won't see numbers like that again. Sorry folks, I know some people really liked him as a Cap, but I was never really impressed. And for God's sake, Jeff, you're from fucking Potomac, Maryland, you can lose that Canadian accent when you speak! The guy sounds like fucking Barry Melrose!
I'm excited about the way our team is starting to look. And you better believe I'll be at Verizon Center on opening night. I'm definitely making it out to more games this year. Work be damned! I've got hockey to watch!
posted by P. at 9:52 PM
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