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Sadly, Joe Sakic has retired. Sakic is an ambassador of the sport, a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame, and belongs in a class with legends like Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Mario Lemieux, and Wayne Gretzky. He remained a member of the same franchise for his entire career, starting as a rookie with the Quebec Nordiques and moving with them to Colorado [...]
In his 20 seasons, Sakic reached some incredible milestones. He has scored more than 500 goals (625), more than 1000 points (1641), and managed more points than games (1641 points in 1378 games). Sakic was only the eleventh player ever to reach 1500 points. He has helped Canada to a World Junior Gold medal in 1988, a World Championship Gold medal in 1994, an Olympic Gold medal in 2002, a World Cup Gold medal in 2004, and has two Stanley Cup rings.
It’s always tough to watch a player of Sakic’s calibre take his leave. It can be a painful reminder of our sport changing as it ages, and indeed a reflection upon one’s own change throughout the years of watching a player compete. But for every star who finally hangs up his skates, new legends are born – and it’s players like Joe Sakic who become idols of the future generation. Here’s to hoping Sakic stays involved with the game and remains a familiar face for years to come!
The Chicago Blackhawks looked to be in trouble when the qualifying offers they tendered to their restricted free agents were deemed invalid. It was thought that the Hawks would lose one or both of youngsters Cam Barker and Kris Versteeg. General Manager Dale Tallon managed to get them all signed without much of an issue, but for a tidy sum. Barker and Versteeg each got three-year deals locked in at $3 million per season. This makes the Hawks’ salary cap situation even more desperate. Currently, the Blackhawks sit $4.5 million over the cap. They have what looks like a Stanley Cup roster, with a bit of a question mark in goal. Cristobal Huet has never won a Stanley Cup, and has but 16 playoff appearances – 10 of which were losses. Huet’s cap hit is $5.6 million. Moving him would free up the space they need, but leave them with no replacement. Defenseman Brian Campbell has a cap hit of $7.1 million, but this makes him a very tough contract to move. Expect the Hawks to make a few moves. If they can get under the cap without sacrificing too much of the roster, and if an upgrade to Huet can somehow be had in the process, the Chicago Blackhawks will be among the best teams in the Western Conference.
The NHL makes a special announcement Wednesday, July 15 at Fenway Park. Not a very well kept secret, the announcement is expected to be the 2010 Winter Classic, between the Boston Bruins and either the Philadelphia Flyers or the Washington Capitals.
While the popular sentiment for some time has been that the Detroit Red Wings have no problem getting players to sign with them – in fact that star players would take discounts to play for them – the case of Jiri Hudler begs to differ. Hudler filed for salary arbitration about a week ago, a process that ensures his contracting rights remains property of the Detroit Red Wings…in the NHL. Reports surfaced last week of Hudler signing a contract with Dynamo Moscow of the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League). One side of the argument is that when an NHL player files for salary arbitration, he is agreeing de facto to the terms of the contract that will be awarded following the arbitration process. But since Hudler has not actually signed a new contract, and since he isn’t signing with another team in the NHL, some argue that it renders the arbitration clause a non-issue. It will be interesting to see how this one pans out.
There have been more free agent signings, some of them quite significant. I will be reviewing all of the signings a bit before the beginning of the season, when I release my Eastern and Western Conference projections. For now, here’s a summary of the most notable signings since my previous post: Saku Koivu left Montreal for Anaheim, Kurtis Foster (Minnesota) signed with Tampa Bay, Ales Kotalik, who played in Buffalo and Edmonton last season signed a deal with the New York Rangers, and center Brendan Morrison, who also played with two teams last season – Anaheim and Dallas – signed a deal with Washington. Ryan Callahan also agreed to terms with his previous club, the New York Rangers.
And in other news, the New Jersey Devils organization recently re-hired a previous coach, Jacques Lemaire. Lemaire helped New Jersey win the Stanley Cup in 1995, can he do it again?
Check back soon for an article about who’s left in the free agent market!
- Josh Lind
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