Jerseys and Hockey Love

I just saw these in the window of the Nationwide Arena team store. I just wanted to share.

Technorati Tags: columbus

The Colorado Avalanche have just announced that Joe Sakic is returning for his 20th season. From the Colorado Avalanche:

“I am happy to announce the signing of Joe Sakic to a one-year contract,” said Avalanche Executive Vice President and General Manager Francois Giguere. “Our entire organization is very excited to have Joe back for another season. As the only captain of the Avalanche, his record of achievement speaks for itself. Having him return is great for our franchise and community, but also for the game of hockey.”

“Ultimately it came down to the fact that I still enjoy playing and competing,” said Sakic. “I’m comfortable with my conditioning and my overall health. I’m ready for the start of camp and am looking forward to the upcoming season.”

I haven’t heard a dollar figure, but I’m sure it is up there. Not that I mind, of course. Super Joe can have all the money left in the cap space, and it still would seem like a bargain.

I guess this is why Joe said he would be answering any questions the media have for him at his press conference before his charity golf tournament.

The Avs are back baby, yeah.

Update: Dater says $6 million. Good enough for me. That leaves $4.6 million of cap space, according to nhlnumbers.com, who are still keeping it real.

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Sakic

Yes, I am moving away from the “famous” Treo, and am dealing with the iPhone. Not all is flawless, so I have to give this thing a tear. Sorry to annoy you.

To make up for it, I give you a picture I love. Enjoy.

Guess Where I Am, originally uploaded by Tapeleg.

A quick vacation, then back on Tuesday. Perhaps something interesting will have happened.

I don’t have anything to say about hockey right now, because I am packing for Florida.

All I want to say is that I think my new blogging endeavor should be live blogging the new Comedy Central show “The Gong Show.”

And I’m not kidding.

What is it about the Western Conference that Todd Bertuzzi can’t seem to escape? I’m starting to wonder if he is addicted to playing the Avalanche. The signing of Todd the Terrible by the Flames just shows how tied to the Avs he really is. Sure, it takes two to salsa, but Todd had to say yes.
From two years at $8 million to one year at $1.95 million, this is the fall of a former NHL star (in the making). I won’t be shedding any tears for the guy. He is making a lot of money for a guybwhp dodged a jail sentence thanks to a hockey friendly court system.
Welcome back to the Northwest, Todd. Nobody except Iginla wan’ts you, anyways.

Skating in Washington, originally uploaded by Tapeleg.

The ice is alive and well in our nation’s capital.

It’s always amuses me that Canada Day and Free Agency Day occur simultaneously. While it may make sense to some, Canada being a hockey mad country, I think the pain associated with losing a player in the free agent market would make many Canadians wish the two were separated (Ryan Smyth anyone?). Also, with phones that have data plans, I hope those of you keeping a constant vigil keep your eyes on the road, and don’t ignore the kids too much.

Twelve noon, every July 1st since starting this blog, a little buzzer goes off in my head. I get excited, and watch the screen. At 12:02 PM, I start pacing, and about a minute later, I start to realize that this is going to be a long day. A feeding frenzy doesn’t look like a frenzy until it’s well under way.

Last year, I had to get on a plane, and found out when I landed that Ryan Smyth had signed a five year deal with the Avalanche. As exciting as it was to get one of the big four free agents, I am yet to be seriously impressed with his output (55 game, 37 points, yee-haa).

The year before, I was salivating over my keyboard, and all I got for it was Tyler Arnason, and watching Rob Blake go to the Kings, and Dan Hinote go to the Blues. Disappointed? Sure. Could I see the writing on the wall, that the Avs would miss the playoffs? No.

This year, the Avs need goaltending help. The market is thin, and while conventional wisdom says that Jose Theodore is the best one out there, which should tell you about the market. The Avs still have Tyler Weiman in the system, but he needs a little more time down there before being a solid choice for the big club. Aside from that, what does the team need?

Defense? Sure, you can never have too much, but with Liles locked up, and Adam Foote signed, show me the holes?

Forwards? A few wouldn’t hurt, but until the decision of Joe Sakic is made (and for all we know, the decision will be made to be a free agent), there aren’t going to be any big splashes.

Check back later for updates.

1:39 PM EST: Andrew Brunette is back with the Minnesota Wild. Three disappointing things here. 1) He is no longer an Av. 2) He is back with the Wild. 3) TSN’s free agent tracker is so lame, this news hasn’t popped up yet. My reputable sources right now are Alanah at Kukla’s Korner and James Mirtle. Bloggers win again.

2:51 PM EST: I thought this was old news, but I guess not. From the Colorado Avalanche:

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that it has signed forward Per Ledin to a one-year contract.

Ledin, 29, spent this past season with HV 71 Jonkoping of the Swedish Elite League, where he tallied 33 points (16g/17a) and 137 penalty minutes in 52 games. The left winger finished third on the team in penalty minutes, fifth in goals and sixth in points. He also appeared in all 17 playoff games for Jonkoping, which captured the league title.

Um… OK. I have no idea what to make of this. Are the Avs still looking to make up fro the sins of Hlinka?

BIG UPDATE: 3:00 PM EST: Things are starting to pick up, with some Avalanche related signings. Jose Theodore is going to be with the Capitals for the next two years, and Kurt Sauer got signed by the Phoenix Coyotes for four years, continuing a tradition of Avalanche defensemen going directly to the ‘Yotes.

The Theodore signing is big for the Capitals, and could tip the team in either direction, depending on which Theo shoes up that night. I haven’t seen a dollar figure yet, but I can’t wait to see how it lines up with his previous contract. I’m guessing that a one year deal was all the Avs wanted to offer, and Theo was looking for two. But that’s only a guess. Now, if the Avs signed Huet….

3:12 PM EST: This was one deal I thought may happen, and puts the fear back in my heart. Andrew Raycroft signed a one year deal with the Avalanche. Seriously. One bad goalie for another? Peter Budaj had better be ready, or this could be a wild ride. This had better be a two way deal, meaning they can send him down to the minors if need be.

3:22 PM EST: The day is getting worse and worse. From Jori at Colorado Avalanche Prospects:

According to NHL.com, it is now confirmed that Mitch Love, Dan DaSilva and Tyler Weiman were not extended qualifying offers. All three are unrestricted free agents as of 10:00 AM MST today.

I like Mitch Love, and I think the world of Tyler Weiman. This sucks. Nuff said.

3:26 PM EST: It seems like as soon as I update, something else happens. Jeff Finger was just signed as a free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs, for 4 years at 3.5 million a season. There was no way the Avs were going to sign him for that long, with the signings of Liles and Foote. I think the Leafs are overpaying for someone who isn’t as proven as other defensemen out there, but good for Finger. The debate will last around four years as to who the Avs should have signed, Liles or Finger, but I feel the right choice was made. Leafs fans, pray he doesn’t drop his stick.

3:32 PM EST: I’m reading that the Theodore deal was for 2 years at $4.5 million a year. And with that, you can forget about feeling bad about Jose moving on. Overpaid? Sure, but he’s able to play a market where goalies are a little harder to come by, and number one goalies are in short supply. I don’t feel much of a loss here, other than a few blogging stories about how bad he’s playing. I’m sure Raycroft will more than make up for things.

4:19 PM EST: I go to the grocery store, and the Avs sign Darcy Tucker. The Avs got him for 2 years at $4.5 million total. I guess this isn’t a bad deal, but we’ll wait and see.

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Free Agency, NHL

And why is he speaking in the third person.

Because Jose Theodore is out the door.

From the Denver Post (which is not the AP, so I can quote the story):

Talks between the Avalanche and Jose Theodore have broken down, and it now appears the veteran goalie will test the NHL open market beginning Tuesday.

Good. Don’t let the door hit you.

Oh, is that mean? Is that harsh? Whatever. He can keep on walking.

I’m embroiled in work this week, so my “analysis” (ie: reasons I ain’t crying) will have to wait until the weekend. But for now, I can not wait to write “Theodore has his usual meltdown,” and he isn’t in an Avalanche uniform.

Mind you, it isn’t July 1st yet, so he could still be signed. Oh, now I am sad.

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Goalie, Theodore

It’s time for the NHL Draft, and I am woefully unprepared. Luckily, since the Avs traded away their first round pick - if they even had one (I told you I was unprepared) - there is little I have to know today.

For anything I really need to know about the Avalanche and their draft, I can turn to the excellent blog Colorado Avalanche Prospects. Jori keeps us updated on all the action around the leagues pertaining to players in the Avs system. I don’t know how many other teams have a blog like this, but it’s unique as far as I have seen. If you are interested in Avalanche prospects, go check it out.

Last year, I was able to attend the draft, so I had all my reading material ready. This year, I busted ass on the drive from Tampa to Washington DC, just to get here in time. Aside from XM Radio, I have very little idea of what to expect, other than the obvious conclusion that Samkos is going to be selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Either that, or they wasted a lot of money in web development.

As a side note, and to stoke my own vanity, today is also the second anniversary of Jerseys and Hockey Love. Two years in blogging years feels like about 14 in real life (any real connection between blog years and dog years is strictly coincidental), and if I were to have an honest assessment of this past year of blogging, it would be a little disappointing on my end. I feel like I had things I wanted to say, but felt I shouldn’t, and that, as necessary as it was at the time, took too much time off from writing. if I had kept the pace, I feel like JAHL would be a little better place, and the quality of writing would have been better. I also miss some of the humor that I used to bring to the blog, that has fallen by the wayside (aka, I used to be funnier).

For what it’s worth, I plan to do more. By more, I mean that I have a new (hockey related) project in the making, and it’s going to need some help. I should be ready to announce what I plan on doing in about a month (hey, that’s better than Battlestar Galactia).

I do want to thank the people who read this blog, and especially the people who comment. I started Jerseys and Hockey Love to talk about hockey, and even though a blog is more of a one way conversation, it’s the commenters that make it fun. If you haven’t commented here before, take the ten seconds to say hi, and make sure to comment on other blogs. It makes the bloggers feel like they are fighting the good fight.

Technorati Tags: Avalanche, Blogging, Draft