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Jersey Fouls Special: The Henrik and Daniel Sedin combo jerseyKris Draper, last of the â??Grind Lineâ??, retires after 20 NHL seasonsVideo: [New England]e|OOD wedding features Bruins-themed introductionsThe Brendan Shanahan/Scott Stevens switch, 20 years laterLooking ahead to 2011-12: Ranking the NHLâ??s top 25 centersPuck Headlines: Bettman gets a raise; Kris Draper retiring?Listen To Puck Daddy Radio for new Jets logos, Carter/Richards talkUnnamed Flyers blame â??Dry Islandâ??, partying for Carter/Richards dealsWhat We Learned: Yashinâ??s NHL return maybe the biggest joke everChronicles of Stanley: Sir Chara gets right-handed statue of himself
Jersey Fouls Special: The Henrik and Daniel Sedin combo jerseyKris Draper, last of the â??Grind Lineâ??, retires after 20 NHL seasonsVideo: [New England]e|OOD wedding features Bruins-themed introductionsThe Brendan Shanahan/Scott Stevens switch, 20 years laterLooking ahead to 2011-12: Ranking the NHLâ??s top 25 centersPuck Headlines: Bettman gets a raise; Kris Draper retiring?Listen To Puck Daddy Radio for new Jets logos, Carter/Richards talkUnnamed Flyers blame â??Dry Islandâ??, partying for Carter/Richards dealsWhat We Learned: Yashinâ??s NHL return maybe the biggest joke everChronicles of Stanley: Sir Chara gets right-handed statue of himself
Jersey Fouls is our ongoing exploration of the rules and etiquette for proper hockey jersey creation and exhibition. If you spot what you think may be a foul in your arena, email a photo to us atÂ puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com for inclusion in future installment.
The Sedin brothers Jersey Foul is one we've seen before, except it was part of a multi-colored Frankenjersey.
Reader Jay E. passes along this beauty that's currently up on the NHL Auction site via Frozen Pond signed by both Daniel and Henrik. It's immediately a foul not only because of the "SEDINS" name, but because no one told Alexander Edler (notes) that he lost his number. Though, the shoulder numbers are "22" and "33" on each arm.
We can understand the appeal of his jersey -- autographs aside -- because of the high cost of today's NHL jerseys. Showing your fandom for the Sedin brothers on one jersey kills two birds with one stone and saves you some cash.
So Canucks fans tell us: Would you make this purchase if you loved both Henrik and Daniel equally?
Another original Winnipeg Jet is leaving the NHL.
A week after Chris Osgood (notes) announced he was hanging up his skates for good, Kris Draper (notes) announced his retirement after a 20-year career; the final 17 as a member of the [Detroit]e|OOD Red Wings .
"There's sadness," said Draper at a press conference Tuesday morning. "This is all I know. I love this game. I love everything about it. I love the training. I love competing."
"I'm really going to miss being a hockey player. I going to miss throwing on 'Draper 33'. I love it."
Doug MacLean's track record as a general manager with Columbus has been picked apart, but when he was [Detroit]e|OOD 's assistant GM back in 1993, his acquisition of Draper from the Winnipeg Jets for $1 -- yes, a buck -- is one of, if not the, greatest bargain in the history of sports.
Draper said when he learned of the trade to [Detroit]e|OOD , he had his doubts about his future with the Red Wings. "If I couldn't make the Winnipeg Jets, how was I going to make the [Detroit]e|OOD Red Wings?"
But he told his trainers to do whatever they had to do to help get him a permanent ticket to the NHL.
"I didn't want to go away. I didn't want to leave this building. I didn't want to leave this organization."
A celebrated career in Hockeytown ends with four Stanley Cups, a 2004 Selke Trophy, a heckuva Day with the Cup story involving his daughter, and a place in one of the NHL's all-time top lines, the "Grind Line" with Kirk Maltby (notes) , Joe Kocur and later Darren McCarty (notes) .
Draper will also be linked to one of the most infamous brawls in NHL history after Claude Lemieux (notes) hit him into the boards face first during the 1996 Western Conference Final against the [Colorado]e|OOD Avalanche that sparked the League's most fiercest rivalry in the late-'90's.
When Maltby retired last year, GM Ken Holland summed up the "Grind Line" perfectly by saying,Â "If you're going to win come playoff time, you need skill, you need character, but you also need people who are willing to go to the trenches and do the dirty work."
And as George Malik of Kukla's Korner put it , Draper was the heartbeat of that famous line that helped the Red Wings to two Cups with the original trio and a third in 2002 after McCarty replaced Kocur:
The forming of a great hockey line relies on two things: chemistry between linemates and the belief from the coach that the trio will ultimately gel together and succeed.
"The one thing is Scotty Bowman trusted us," said Draper. "He trusted us in a lot of different situations. When you have the confidence of your coach to go out and play in these situations, you wanna go and you wanna do well; you wanna do it for your coach, you wanna do it for your linemates, you wanna do it for your teammates."
"I think that's why that line was so special."
Photo credit: Getty Images
It's been a month and 11 days since the [Boston]e|OOD Bruins won the Stanley Cup and their fans are still celebrating. And we get a sense that wedding season in [New England]e|OOD this summer is going to feature a lot of black and gold.
Last week, we saw the Cup -- OK, an inflatable Cup --Â passed around like it was in a post-Game 7 celebration to the tune of Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations" during a wedding reception.Â Today, we present Lauren and Wes' nuptials from over the weekend that featured wedding party introductions with a heavy Bruins influence:
Of course they came out to "Shipping Up to [Boston]e|OOD " by Dropkick Murphy's.
And where was Rene Rancourt to announce the bridal party introductions or sing the "The Star-Spangled Banner" or just throw out a couple of fist pumps?
Stick-tap NESN
(Ed. Note: On July 25, 1991, winger Brendan Shanahan signed a 4-year deal with the [St. Louis]e|OOD Blues as a restricted free agent, leaving the New Jersey Devils. This eventually led to the Devils being awarded defenseman Scott Stevens as compensation for losing Shanahan. The following is an excerpt from "Hell & Back: A People's History of the New Jersey Devils," which is a long-gestating book project of mine. Happy 20th anniversary, Shanahan signing.)
On Jan. 8, 1991, Brendan Shanahan's career nearly ended.
Shanahan was hit in the right side of his face by a Tommy Albelin shot that had been deflected by [St. Louis]e|OOD Blues defender Harold Snepsts. He hit the ice in the Meadowlands, before getting up and leaving the rink to get attention from trainers and physicians.
His eye had swollen shut, but long-term damage to his vision was ruled out upon further examination. Instead, the Devils winger had a broken jaw, displaced teeth and a cheekbone that had been pushed into his skull.
During his recovery, Shanahan cherished the concern Devils fans had shown for his well-being. And there was no doubt that, after four years with the franchise that had drafted him, Shanahan felt a certain loyalty to New Jersey, his teammates, and his fans.
So when the 22-year-old forward hit the open market as a Group I restricted free agent in Summer 1991, there was strong sentiment that Shanahan might remain with the Devils. GM Lou Lamoriello thought so, telling the Bergen Record that "Brendan will be a Devil" the following season.
"No. 1, he'd like to stay in New Jersey, I think. No. 2, we're going to make every effort to keep him," said Lamoriello. "The question is: What is the philosophy of some of the teams out there in reference to equalization, and what do they feel is the right thing to do for their team? I really don't know."
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(Rankings are based solely on players' projected performances in 2011-12. Please note that players are listed at their official position when the rankings were created.)
In keeping with tradition, there isn't a weak link among the league's top centers. It's a deep, talented bunch. You could persuasively argue the superstar credentials of Nos. 1 through 20, and you could also make a strong case for the inclusion of any of the five honorable mentions.
Sidney Crosby, despite missing the second half of last season due to concussion symptoms, deserves to skate into 2011-12 as the league's premier pivot. Long live The Kid, right? It would be a devastating blow to the [Pittsburgh]e|OOD Penguins and the entire NHL if Crosby continues to be plagued by health concerns, but the silver lining to that worst-case scenario is the fact the Pens boast two more marquee middlemen in Evgeni Malkin (No. 6) and Jordan Staal (No. 20). And there's a raft of other elite centers, from Pavel Datsyuk in [Detroit]e|OOD to Jonathan Toews in [Chicago]e|OOD to Henrik Sedin in Vancouver to … well, the list could go on and on. But we had to cut it at the top 25, plus five honorable mentions.
Honorable mentions: Paul Stastny, [Colorado]e|OOD Avalanche; David Krejci, [Boston]e|OOD Bruins; Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks; Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators; Stephen Weiss, Florida Panthers.
25. John Tavares, [New York]e|OOD Islanders: No man is an Island, but this young goal-scorer is as close as it gets.
24. Dave Bolland, [Chicago]e|OOD Blackhawks: Just ask the Sedin twins about the effectiveness of this two-way 'Hawk.
23. Tomas Plekanec, Montreal Canadiens: Known for his sweet playmaking and even sweeter turtleneck sweater.
22. Matt Duchene, [Colorado]e|OOD Avalanche: He might not be the next Joe Sakic, but close enough.
21. David Backes, [St. Louis]e|OOD Blues: Known for his devastating hits, the big Blue is coming off a career season (31 goals, plus-32 rating).
20. Jordan Staal, [Pittsburgh]e|OOD Penguins: A two-way force and he's only 22. He's really a No. 2 center, but on the Pens he's a checking demon who can score 25 goals.
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Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
â?¢ Russian Machine Never Breaks finds this photo of Alex Ovechkin during a Russian Premier League soccer match over the weekend. He was honored at halftime and presented with a cape and wool hat, not to be mistaken for Rick James' jheri curl. (Photo via FC Anzhi Makhachkala ) [ RMNB ]
â?¢ Commissioner Gary Bettman received a 4-percent raise during the 2010-11 NHL season. His compensation was $7.5 million including benefits last season. Bill Daly is No. 2 at just over $2 million and Colin Campbell is third coming in at $1.496 million last season. [ Sports Business Daily ]
â?¢ Good eye by George Malik catching a photo on the [Detroit]e|OOD Red Wings website with a caption stating Kris Draper will retire tomorrow. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos Tweeted out his congratulations. Now we wait on the Red Wings to confirm. [ The Malik Report ]
UPDATE : The Red Wings have officially announced a press conference tomorrow at 11 a.m. EST with Draper and GM Ken Holland. Goodbye Grind Line.
â?¢ True North Sports and Entertainment announced that they will be donating $1 million to military charities over the next 10 years after releasing their Royal Canadian Air Force-inspired logos on Friday. [ CBC ]
â?¢ A fake Winnipeg Jets jersey was circulating over the weekend and according to Jets PR, it's not even close, which is a good thing when you see the image. [ Winnipeg Free Press ]
â?¢ Travis on the notion that Jeff Carter/Mike Richards were booted out of Philly strictly because of the partying rumors. [ Broadstreet Hockey ]
â?¢ BD on next Monday's important county-wide vote on whether or not the [New York]e|OOD Islanders will get an updated arena. [ Hockey Independent ]
â?¢ Despite the high-profile acquisitions this off-season, Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson wasn't quite sitting on his hands before this summer. [ Jackets Cannon ]
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It's a Monday edition of Puck Daddy Radio -- which, as you know, is now weekly for the summer -- and we're chatting about the following and much more:
â?¢Â Special Guest Star: Dan Gross of the [Philadelphia]e|OOD Daily News to talk about his item today about Jeff Carter (notes) and Mike Richards (notes) .
â?¢ We give our thoughts on the the new logos of the Winnipeg Jets .
â?¢ What NHL captain shouldn't be a captain?
â?¢ Troy White and Pizzo host while Wysh is on vacation this week.
â?¢ We want your phone calls! 1-888-942-7326, from 1 p.m ET/10 a.m. PT to 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
â?¢Â Question of the day: If you won the Stanley Cup, what would be on your "to -do" list for your day with it?
Email your thoughts toÂ puckdaddyradio@thescore.com.
Puck Daddy Radio is every Monday in the summer from 1-2 p.m. ET/10-11 a.m. PT on The Score Radio Sirius Channel 158. Calls, tweets, special guests and a ton of hockey goodness every day.
The call in number is 1-888-942-7326 (1-888-9-HARDCORE). We'll also be reading emails toÂ puckdaddyradio@thescore.com and tweets that you send to @puckdaddyradio andÂ @robpizzo.
We're all about interaction here; call in, email, tweet ... we'll discuss whatever you'd like.
When the [Philadelphia]e|OOD Flyers decided to overhaul their roster by trading two of their young faces of the franchise in captain Mike Richards (notes) and Jeff Carter (notes) , red flags went up everywhere and it had nothing to do with anything on the ice.
Richards went to [Los Angeles]e|OOD and Carter to Columbus in exchange for promising young players Wayne Simmonds (notes) , Brayden Schenn (notes) and Jakub Voracek (notes) , as well as three draft picks.
It may not have been equal value for the pair, but GM Paul Holmgren did better than the initial optics made it seem. But despite the organization's insistance that the deals were hockey-related, the long-standing rumors about the party culture in the locker room, led by Carter and Richards, were being brought to the forefront as Reason No. 1 why they were no longer Flyers.
Dan Gross of the [Philadelphia]e|OOD Daily News got to the bottom of those rumors and was told by two unnamed Flyers that the partying lifestyle was the reason for the Carter and Richards deals.
The two players also revealed that head coach Peter Laviolette tried to control the situation in the room by getting his players to abstain from drinking for a month:
The Flyers organization will never admit if the hard-partying ways were the major factor in breaking up its youth core, but the rumors have persisted for a couple of seasons now and it was only a matter of time before the stuff hit the fan, giving Holmgren an excuse to shake things up not long after Carter and Richards signed lifetime deals.
Chris Pronger's (notes) presence in the locker room was also a factor in Richards being shipped to LA. Richards' relationship with the media was like oil and water , not something you want your 26-year old captain to project. Meanwhile, Pronger -- despite his own contentious dealings with the Philly media -- became the go-to guy in the room to talk to when times were tough, not Richards.
The Flyers traded for Pronger in 2009 because of the locker room issues caused by the younger players on the team like Carter and Richards and he'll likely become the team's new captain, signaling [Philadelphia]e|OOD heading in a much different direction leadership-wise going forward.
Stick-tap @DanLevyThinks
Photo credit: Getty Images
Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.
Remember when the Islanders bought out Alexei Yashin because he wasn't good enough to earn his contract any more (if indeed he ever was (and he wasn't)), and didn't really seem to care too much about things like playing hockey?
Of course you do. Everybody does.
Yashin signed that insane, insane, insane deal on draft day in 2001, and it has haunted the Islanders ever since. He got 10 years and $87.5 million.
People give the Islanders a lot of somewhat-justified-but-not-entirely-due grief about the Rick DiPietro contract, but the Yashin deal might be the worst in NHL history. If it's not, it's a close runner-up to that Bobby Holik contract. He played just five seasons for the team before being mercifully bought out. During that time, his highest goal total was 32 (in his first season on Long Island), and that was not coincidentally the only time he broke 70 points.
Because of that buyout, Yashin will be costing the Islanders a little more than $2.2 million against the cap for four more years.
None of this is new or surprising, of course. But that's what makes it so brain-meltingly insane to think that he might, for some horrible, awful reason, be back with an NHL team this year or indeed ever. Certainly, it should never ever ever be the Islanders.
But I guess I should amend my earlier statement that "everybody" remembers how bad the Yashin-and-the-Islanders situation went. What I should have said was, "Everybody who is not Charles Wang."
It came out on Friday that the Islanders have not only had contact with Yashin about a possible NHL return, but also actually offered him a contract. And I think the only logical reaction to this news is this:
"Are the Islanders actively trying to be the worst-run franchise in the league?"
( Coming Up: Jonas Enroth almost goes to the KHL; Kris Draper wants to comeback; Rocco Grimaldi's a swell guy; Josh Gorges re-signs with Habs; Preds marketing to Thrashers fans; Nik Zherdev's still available; Arron Asham is also a swell guy; A surprising Kevin Bieksa and Dustin Byfuglien stat; Jets fans love the new logos; Sir Chara; a highly unlikely Luke Schenn trade proposal.)
Read More »
The Chronicles of Stanley is an occasional series this summer that tracks the [Boston]e|OOD Bruins as they each get their special alone time with the Stanley Cup.
 Bruins captain Zdeno Chara (notes) had his turn with the Stanley Cup this weekend and he celebrated it in his hometown of Trencin, Slovakia. Parties were held, autographs were signed and photos were taken with Z and the Cup as it continued its European tour.
A parade was held in Trencin Square where according to NHL.com's Paul Vinciguerra , around 5,000 people were in attendance. Highlights included CharaÂ arm-wrestling a fan and taking hold of a drumset on stage channelling his inner Neal Peart.
Later, Big Z was presented with a statue of himself that will be auctioned off to benefit local children's hospitals. The only resemblance between the statue and Chara was the Bruins uniform painted on it, especially considering it was right-handed.
To top off his weekend with the Cup, like Marian Hossa (notes) and Tomas Kopecky (notes) were last summer , Chara was knighted in a ceremony, which probably featured him pulling Excalibur out of a giants stone. (MaybeÂ the boys at Days of Y'Orr were on to something .)
How soon until agents start putting in "knighted" bonus clauses into player contracts?
