He FINALLY Signed

Brad Richardson signed a two-year deal today and it's about time. With Stoll signed a few days earlier, that's pretty much everyone right? I can't think of anyone else that's not signed.

It's still a little soon to see where Brad Richardson fits in this season. He's small but fast and he has a good shot. He could line up with Frolov or he could take a spot on a stopper line with Handzus. He's only 23 so I imagine he'll be given every opportunity to succeed, although he will probably spend more than a few days in the press box this season. The battle between Richardson, Ted Purcell and Matt Ellis should most interesting battle of training camp.

(Nobody minds if I just use the "Brad Richards" tag for this one, right? It's not like there's going to be a great demand for Brad Richardson in the near future.)

Sharks vs Dallas Stars Game 5 photos

More notes and photos from the Sharks 3-2 OT win in game 5 will be up here soon. Now accepting nicknames for Joe Pavelski.

A few Game 2 observations

• Game 2 was a more watchable game, even if sloppiness provided the entertainment.

The Milan Michalek goal was a defensive breakdown followed by an overly aggressive move by Marty Turco, although you cannot expect (only hope) that your goalie can make a miraculous save in that kind of situation. That wasn't the case here, as Michalek seems to be a bigger threat in this series (obviously).

The Sharks were guilty of just as many, if not more, bad mistakes.

Mike Ribeiro scored a goal off of Evgeni Nabokov's skate, a play that made me say "San Jose better start treating him like he's Joe Thornton and completely smother him." Ribeiro had a lot of danger on his stick in this game.

• The Brad Richards goal, not to mention being involved in all 4 of the Stars third period goals, shows that his quality playoff skills translate to the Western Conference. He was an absolute difference maker.

• Brian Campbell is looking better than he did in the first round, but I cannot help but mutter "is someone really going to spend $6 million per year on this guy?" when I watch him play. This is the same thing people will be wondering when they watch Dan hockey-playing-not-film-directing Boyle. Seriously, quality offensive defensemen are almost as overpaid as NFL 1st round draft picks these days.

• I try not to bitch too much about officiating because it's always such a no-win situation, but the back-to-back Modano and Ehrhoff penalties were among the worst I've seen in a while. It's hard to call games fairly, but those calls altered the landscape of that game - and late penalties have been playing God with quite a few close, late games lately. What can be done to find a happy compromise?
  

• The one positive that came from the bad penalties was the Zubov to Modano goal, which was both beautiful and nostalgia inducing. Not bad.

• This series is flat out weird. Are the Sharks the most mind boggling team in the NHL this year or is it just me?

• OhmyGod, I forgot the Sharks employ Brian "don't call me Bobby" Boucher! I miss his brickwall helmet. Can you believe this guy owns the all-time NHL shutout streak????

• Going 2-0 on the road twice in a row in the playoffs is quite the accomplishment and you've got to think that some demons are being exorcised. If nothing else, the win allowed Razor Reaugh to say the Stars were "swimming around in their birthday suits" at the Shark tank. You gotta love Razor.

• Game 3 should be a heart attack of a game. It's going to take some testes for the Sharks to come back. So, what do you think Nabby? More of the same or Boyz 2 Men?
  

The Stars and Round Two: Reunited and it feels so good

• On the same day that Danica Patrick got the victory monkey off her hot little back, the Stars made it to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2003.

In that time, Chris Pronger came and went from the Edmonton Oilers. The NHL instituted a salary cap and left ESPN because of a horrific lockout. The Stanley Cup champions now include a team from Florida, California and frickin' North Carolina. Also, Britney Spears went absolutely, 100% batshit crazy. My oh my how times have changed…

• Stu Barnes happened to score his 10th playoff GWG. Now, I’m not going to say that makes him better than Joe Thornton.

But hot damn if #14 isn’t the closest thing the Stars have to Chris Drury.

• The Stars managed to do this without Sergei Zubov. This is something that they’re going to have to get used to, especially if Zubov ages worse than Elizabeth Taylor (by the way, I heard a rumor that he smokes about a pack of cigarettes during each intermission. If this is true, prepare to award Zubov 1,000 cool points).

• The Stars absolutely earned this series win, Marty Turco might just be regaining his University of Michigan-era crunch time swagger and Brad Richards justified his existence. You cannot ask for much more than that.

• Rudy Kelly wonders why the Stars are so successful and there are many reasons why. But if pressed for one thing that stands out about the Stars it’s that they have a collective competence that few teams can match. There aren’t many players who make me cringe when they have the puck. On the other end, the gap between Selanne's line and the Ducks' second best option is Zdeno Chara big.

Naturally, certain players excel at different things, but there really aren’t many “take away from the table” type guys on the Stars. Stu Barnes and Steve Ott are checking forwards who are beginning to demand some serious D attention; Brad Richards, Mike Modano and Mike Ribeiro provide the Stars with crucial creativity; Mattias Norstrom, Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas sneak up on you with their unexpectedly impressive D skills.

And then opposing teams have to deal with the ball breaking effectiveness of Marty Turco’s puck handling skills.

Perhaps the BoC needs a “get to know the Stars” special. Because these guys are good.

• I think I've stumbled on a solid nickname for Brad Richards: the $5 shake. As you may remember from "Pulp Fiction," Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) orders the questionably priced shake and John Travolta is understandably skeptical. Although no shake could be worth $5, Travolta ultimately admitted that it was a "damn good shake." But not worth $5.

Richards clearly is the $5 shake. I think my work here is done...

Rut Roh...

Well, so much for the Ducks running scared...

Game 5 was one of the best games I've seen in the '08 playoffs. One of those games that makes you mindlessly mutter the words "I love hockey." And I'm fairly certain it wasn't just because I watched it in the sparkling glory that is HD.

(HD and hockey go together like peanut butter and chocolate; Spezza and Heatley; even Bushwhacker Luke and Bushwhacker Butch)

I'm a little concerned, however, that I might have jinxed the Stars. Or is it that Sleek reverse-jinxed the Ducks? I'm on the fence on that one.

Either way, it's going to be a tense game or two for the Stars. Even though the Ducks won and were the superior team at home, the Stars haven't looked out of place very often in this series. Still, it's worrisome for the Stars that the big bad '07 vintage Ducks* seemed to make a frightening return.

This is that tough-as-nails W4 that keeps eluding this franchise. Game 6 (and 7 if necessary) is why the Stars mortgaged a good part of their near future for Brad Richards. The Stars want it more than the Ducks. Now they just have to take it.

*Todd Bertuzzi still sucks though. Even his teammates are getting tired of his un-shooting. He needs to attend a Passaholics Anonymous Meeting with Ales Hemsky and Alex Tanguay.

Not too Brad!

Feel free to take a second to wince at that headline.

....

OK, so Brad Richards got off to a pretty good start. And by pretty good I mean being the first Dallas Star to record 5 assists in a single game, which happens to be his career best for helpers. Yeah, not too shabby.

Sure, it was against Patrick La-lame, but still. Check out some of the ESPN highlights and a half second of Dallas Ice Girl (not cocaine) hotness.

Since I work an absurd 1-10 pm shift on Thursdays, I missed the game but I know from the highlights that the Stars decided to line up Richards with Antii Miettinen and Niklas Hagman, who had his first career hat trick in this game.

If they keep this line together, what kind of awful pun based nickname should they have? Perhaps the Rich Hags line (or if you feel the need to include every player's name I guess they could be the Antii Rich Hags??) or the BAN line? Meh. There's time for that. I guess the first name initials gimmick would be better if we switched Hagman with Modano (cue that annoying Emeril BAM).

Richards added that he "felt like a little kid again"

The sound you just heard was the muffled groan of the 5 remaining Tampa Bay Lightning fans.

Trade Deadline Not-so-Live Blog

8:00AM: Driving to work and thinking to myself "I wonder if there are any trades yet." No use listening to sports talk cause they never talk about hockey.

8:30AM: Receive my first text message as I am powering up my computer. "We got Campbell, no word on what we gave up." Good news, I just hope we didn't trade Carle or Marleau.

8:35AM: Go to TSN's Trade Center coverage Live Streaming. They are talking about the Campbell trade. Still sweating out what we had to give up.

8:37AM: Bernier and a #1 pick. I must be dreaming, Doug Wilson I love you!!!!!

8:39AM: Start sending texts and IM's to everyone I know. Boy, I am not gonna get any work done today.

8:55AM: Keith Jones is talking about how the Sharks overpaid and Bernier is going to be a stud and is great in the corners. Um, has Keith Jones been watching the same player I have?

9:10AM: Brad Richards is on the move. "Don't be Dallas Please!!"

9:11AM: Dammit!!!

10:01AM: It is reported that Foote and the Blue Jackets have broken off talks. He is only willing to be traded to the Av's. What is with everyone wanting to go back to the Av's? Is Patrick Roy and Ray Bourque coming back also?

10:35AM: Receive another text message. Oh Oh did we make another trade? "Yao out for season stress fracture" At least that is good news for the Warriors.

10:51AM: The TSN guys are interviewing Campbell. Wow, he sounds like someone in his family just died. Does he realize that San Jose is like 70 degrees warmer this time of year?

11:10AM: I have been at work almost 3 hours and have not completed much. We need a depth forward with some grit. Let's get Martin Lapointe.

11:11AM: Lapointe goes to OTT for a draft pick.

11:30AM: Where did all the trades go? Nothing has happened for awhile. This sure is boring listening to TSN dissect the Huet trade.

11:50AM: 10 mins left till the deadline and Hossa is not traded yet.

11:59AM: It sucks having a noon meeting. Better take my phone with me in case there are any last minute trades.

11:59:30 AM: Hossa to the Pens? Holy Cow!

12:23PM: ANA gets Marc-Andre Bergeron. How many Dmen do the Ducks need? Damn I hate Brian Burke for being so smart.

Still cannot believe we got Campbell without giving up Carle or Marleau. After seeing what Hossa went for, we got a steal. Go Doug Wilson!

I'd like to trade Blogger's Autosave feature for a 4th round draft pick

So...I had this verbose trade deadline post that I erased on accident. It is now gone forever. I am going to have to drink the anger away. Anyway...

• Overall, the Brad Richards trade is fantastic for the Stars. The West is wide open now that the Red Wings are hurting and Richards might immediately become their best forward. He'll have to move mountains to prove he's worth $7.8 million, but I don't think anyone really is expecting that from him.

Losing Mike Smith helps Tampa Bay more than it hurts Dallas. It's probably going to be a poor man's version of the Iginla for Joey N. trade.

Smith has a bright future in this league, although I'm not certain about his ceiling on a bad defensive team like the Lightning. Then again, look what a puck moving goalie did for a woeful defense in Pittsburgh.

• Speaking of Pittsburgh, they received Mary Ann Hossa in possibly the biggest trade deadline move. At first, as a Pens devotee, I was very sad to lose the mysterious promise of Angelo Esposito and the wooden comic delivery of Colby Armstrong. But that won't be too hard to deal with once I'm using a first line of Hossa-Crosby-Roberts in NHL '08. Yeah, I'm that easy.

EDIT: I think one possibility people might be overlooking is that this deal could be a good one if they even signed Hossa to a short term contract. Honestly, him signing a one-year big salary contract could actually be feasible (since Malkin won't be on the market for another year). It'll be an interesting story to follow for sure.

• The Sharks made a nice move by getting Brian Campbell without moving Matt Carle or Patrick Marleau. One criticism of the trade was that Campbell may not remain in the Sharks' tacky uniforms beyond this year, but I would argue that might not be that bad of a thing. I just don't think that Campbell will live up to the bloated contract he's about to receive. I have a "Brad Richards albatross contract" feeling for whomever overpays Campbell. He's good, don't get me wrong. But a $6 million defenseman has to be special.

Campbell's really only special to pun headline writers who are clamoring to use the headline "Campbell's Soup-er!" after he scores a playoff GWG.

• The Habs are probably the biggest losers of the deadline, as they were the logical destination for Marian Hossa and foolishly moved Cristobal Huet for a meager second round pick.

• They traded Huet to one of the winners of this deadline in Washington. Now Caps fans can be spared the undoubtedly painful sight of witnessing Godzilla die via heat rays from Father Time.

• Sergei Fedorov can mentor up and coming Russian star Alex O on such issues as...uh...banging hot Russian blondes, I guess.

• The Kings and Leafs should have asked John Davidson for some smart firesale advice. They both blew it.

• The sleeper steal of the draft might have been the Hurricanes snatching oft-injured center Tuomo Ruutu. Then again he probably will be injured next week.

EDIT 2: One trade that went way below the radar involved former NCAA standout goalie Al Montoya being shipped to Phoenix in a random grab bag. Montoya and Bryzgalov? I like what the Coyotes are doing this year.

Note: perhaps Blogger has feelings, because this re-write featured numerous Autosave failures.