Why Shattenkirk Was the Best Name in the NHL Draft

This past weekend the NHL draft came and went. This was actually the first draft I can remember watching with any interest, simply because I knew about it ahead of time and NHL hockey has become an accepted obsession in my household these last two years (more on this at a later date). Anyway, I had a smidgen of knowledge about some of the highly touted picks, but my main reason for watching was to use my highly scientific methods to determine who has the best NAME for the NHL. That is, which players SOUND like NHL'ers to me? Why is this important? One of my social gaffs is to give NHL player names to hostesses at restaurants just to see how they attempt to pronounce and spell them. Sadly, Ponikarovsky is too easy to sound out phonetically. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the some of the draftees and names, all meant to be in good fun:

PATRICK KANE - Sounds like the alter ego for a superhero. Trust me, I've read a ton of comics and this name would fit perfectly for any cape or cowl created after say 1989. Subsequently, he'll need super-powers because the 'Hawks will likely be firmly on his shoulders in a couple of years.
JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK - I don't know why, but this kid's name makes me think of Dawson's Creek. That can't be good for hockey in general or the Flyers.
KYLE TURRIS - Strong name, but doesn't really jump out at ya. Kinda like the Coyotes. They SOUND like they would be a strong team, but ...For some reason I also say his name with a bad Scottish accent when I say it out loud. Good times.
THOMAS HICKEY - If this kid doesn't have bulletproof skin after having grown up with a name that is synonymous with teenagers making out in the back of cars, he has real issues. Then again, so do the Kings. This may be my favorite so far.
KARL ALZNER - Sounds like a cross between Pilsner beer and Alzheimer’s. I dub thee Karl "the forgetful Drunk" Alzner!! No that doesn't really work... Still, if forgetful drunks can be the mayor of DC, maybe this kid will turn out OK for the Caps.
JAKUB VORACEK - This kid should be a voracious checker. I mean, look at his name!!! Couldn't the BJ's demand their money back due to false advertising if he turns out to be soft?
ZACH HAMILL - The mysterious love child of Zak from "Saved by the Bell" and Dorothy Hamill. Or was it Mark Hamill from Star Wars? Wouldn't it be cool if he spoke in the Joker's voice and was a great gymnast? Then maybe Boston could get some of their fans back.
LARS ELLER - Wasn't this guy a James Bond villain once? Really? No? Coulda swore...
KEVIN SHATTENKIRK - Wow. Just wow. Tons of possibilities here. Like when he destroys some fool into the boards, you can say "He just Shattenkirk-ed that dude!" or if he dangles the puck and puts a ridiculous move on a goalie you can exclaim "He was Shattenkirk-ed out of his jock!"
ALEXEI CHEREPANOV - Share-a-pawn-off?? I don't know, that sounds questionable to me...
IAN COLE - His name sounds like a Blue to me for some reason. Strong, understated. Playing for the Golden Dome next season.
ANGELO ESPOSITO - One of the best names in the draft. Do his friends call him Angel? Like the vampire? He'd have to have some special abilities to be taken by the Pens, who have plenty of depth at center. I questioned this pick because I just don't see him on this team.
RILEY NASH - My son's name plus "Nash". I have a bias against the name Nash ever since that horrible show with Don Johnson and Cheech. Terrible TV. Mixed bag with this name though. Sounds hockey-ish though. Only the Oilers will know for sure.
JONATHON BLUM - If his hockey career doesn't take off, I could definitely see his name on the letterhead of an accounting firm somewhere. And God knows Nashville could use an accountant right now...
MIKAEL BACKLUND - I wish my first name was spelled like that. Noooooooooooooooo, my dad had to drop the 'a' from the traditional spelling of Michael, so I got to start every first day of school with "Michelle? Michelle?" Thanks, pops. Thanks for nothing.
NICHOLAS PETRECKI - I'm a fan of the name Nicholas, as it's my little brother's name. "Nick Petrecki" could play havoc with some hostesses. This name has potential.
JAMES O'BRIEN - He's going to be a Golden Gopher next year. Plus, this is like the 5th name that sounds like I would run into him at one of my wife's family reunions. I wasn't aware that there were this many strong hockey genes from Ireland and Scotland. No wonder Theo Fleury played over there!

And the winner? Gotta go with Shattenkirk. There's even a loose possibility that there will be William Shatner references in his future. That and he's an Avalanche prospect now, so I have to like him! Unfortunately, he's also an "offensive-minded" defenseman, which they seem to have a wealth of these days. I'm not the first to comment on this, nor will I likely be the last. Still, Shattenkirk isn't expected to fill a need next season for the Avs, but is more of a depth pick, in my opinion.

What’s all the fuss about?

Another draft has come and gone, and what would Montreal be without yet another hockey controversy to shake the very foundation of the city?

Yes, Bob Gainey and his band of hooligans did the unthinkable. They passed up on The Saviour himself, Angelo Esposito. I knew from the moment the #12 pick was announced that the usual media cowboys wouldn’t be happy with another American defenceman, and when Angelo finally did get snatched by the Penguins, well, I probably couldn’t have scripted it any better.

Needless to say, it will take a colossal failure to produce on Angelo’s part for the media in this city NOT to mention this year’s draft for years to come. That, or the Ryan McDonagh pick to work out extremely well (which, by the way, would not surprise me in the least, but more on that later).

Either way, don’t expect this to be forgotten anytime soon. Angelo is a talented player and will likely do very well in Pittsburgh with Crosby and Co. In fact, Pittsburgh is probably the best fit for a prospect like Angelo. I fully believe his weaknesses will be compensated for on a stacked team like the Penguins, and he will be a star (not exactly what you want to see when your team passes over him in the draft).

I also fully believe some of the media in Montreal were literally smacking their lips at the prospect of yet another local player flourishing somewhere else. Funny how certain media figures seem to actually prefer when The Habs screw up, but I can’t really blame them. That’s where they get their best material.

With all this drama in the city of Montreal, the real shame is that the two players chosen in the first round, as well as Montreal’s second round choice, actually seem like pretty good picks. I, for one, am delighted to see that defenceman Ryan McDonagh is now Habs property. I must admit, I thought he’d only be available had Gainey succeeded in moving up in the draft and am shocked that he was passed on by Los Angeles in lieu of Thomas Hickey.

McDonagh is the real deal; a puck-moving defenceman with size who can really skate. He’s also the second “Mr. Hockey” award-winner chosen in the first round by the Canadiens, a testament to the qualities they look for in a player. As I mentioned before, I love the McDonagh pick, and while he probably won’t make us forget about Angelo (and all the cups he’ll win with Crosby) right away, I’m convinced McDonagh will be a useful player for years to come and a fan favourite.

Speaking of useful players, how can anyone be unhappy with big Max Pacioretty at pick #22? I love this kid and am thrilled to see another power-forward join the ranks and don the Ste-Flanelle. He mixes size with smart hockey sense and good skating, and has been compared to players like Keith Tkachuk, Erik Cole and Ryan Smyth.

I’d also like to say a few words about P.K. Subban, Montreal’s second round (#43) pick, who’s amassed somewhat of a cult-like following. Never mind his offensive talents and supreme skating ability, you just gotta love this kid’s attitude. We always hear about the need to draft Quebecers because they love the team and would play better for their hometown, but this guy has every bit of passion and love for the sweater that they do. His smile is contagious and his confidence makes ME confident in his abilities. I’m looking forward to seeing him give interviews, he’s a real character.

So what IS all the fuss about? In this blogger’s eyes, it should be on the excellent draft Timmons and his crew put together. I remain optimistic that in the near future, everyone will agree.

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I’d also like to apologize for my hiatus these past months. I had some personal issues to deal with but will make more of an effort to contribute in the future and appease all the "Waff-aholics" out there. As always, hit me up at waffy_t@hotmail.com if you ever want to chew the fat about hockey, berate me incessantly about my articles, or write me death threats.

Redden for Cogliano in the works?

According to an online French website, hosting a live-draft blog, the Edmonton Oilers and Ottawa Senators finalized a deal about an hour ago that would send defenceman Wade Redden to Edmonton for top Canadian prospect that many of you of know very well thanks to international junior play, Andrew Cogliano and a roster player.

Fanatique.ca's live blog reports that the deal is in place as of 12:10 PM and that it should be announced very soon.

"(23h07) Après une première ronde sans échange majeur, les discussions sont plus qu'intenses entre les directeurs-généraux de la ligue. Wade Redden pourrait quitter Ottawa pour Edmonton en retour d'Andrew Cogliano et d'un joueur. "

I'm still wondering how credible this website is.

It seems like a valued site with lots of interesting information, but I wonder...

If this were true, then the Oilers would be paying a hefty price to acquire a seemingly overrated defenceman, who has lost nearly all of his offensive prowess he showed during the 2005-2006 campaign.
Last season, he was inconsistent and often injured, and managed to have his worst season since 2001-2002, when he scored only 34 points.

His +/- rating difference equalled his 2001-2002 points total, dropping a whopping 34 points (from +35 to +1) while his powerplay numbers suffered and fell 11 points from last season.

I guess Kevin Lowe really is desperate for a solid defenceman, even if it is Wade Redden, to offer up one of his brightest young lights.

The same site confirms speculation that the Sharks would acquire the rights to Chris Drury, re-sign him and trade Patrick Marleau to the Canadiens.

Anyone have any info to share, regarding the site's credibility?

Stay tuned folks...

GM's are busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy...

Yep, GM's are busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy at this time of year.

Not only do they have to work with their scouting department to pick a single player out of a thousand and pray to God he becomes a star and hope that they didn't just choose the next Patrick Stefan, but those moody guys in tight suits also have to deal with their players, trades and contracts.

Here's my shopping list of the trades and signings GM's have announced over the past 2 days, and they are in chronological order, with the most recent one being at the top of the list and in red.

SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd

Ryan Shannon moves from Anaheim to Vancouver.
Jason King moves from Vancouver to Anaheim.
Minor-league winger Jesse Schultz moves from Vancouver to Atlanta.
Minor-league defenceman Jimmy Sharrow moves from Atlanta to Vancouver.
Minor-league centre Stephen Dixon moves from Pittsburgh to Anaheim.
Minor-league centre Tim Brent moves from Anaheim to Pittsburgh.
Kent Huskins is staying in Anaheim for 2 more seasons ($1.25 million)
Sean O'Donnell is staying in Anaheim for 2 more seasons ($1.25 million)
Alyn McCauley is packing him bags and will move out of Los Angeles. (buy-out)
Chris Thorburn moves from Pittsburgh to Atlanta.
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FRIDAY, June 22nd
Tomas Vokoun moves from Nashville to Florida.
Dean McCammond is staying in Ottawa for a at least 3 more seasons (est. $1.5-$2.5 million)
Tyler Arnason is staying in Colorado for two more seasons (est. $1.5-$2 million)
Gary Roberts is staying in Pittsburgh for one more season ($2.5 million)
Mark Recchi is staying in Pittsburgh for one more season ($2 million)
Vesa Toskala moves from San Jose to Toronto.
Mark Bell moves from San Jose to Toronto.
Andrei Zyuzin moves from Calgary to Chicago.
Adrian Aucoin moves from Chicago to Calgary.

Check back throught the day, as the list will be updated.

--BBR

A flurry of deals...Vokoun, Toskala, Aucoin and Bell...

Just got home, and realized that some huge deals have been pulled off in the last few hours, especially in the goalie market.

For starters, the Nashville Predators traded goalie Tomas Vokoun to the Florida Panthers, about an hour and a half ago, in exchange for a first round pick and two second rounders.

Vokoun agreed to waive his no-trade clause to be dealt to the Panthers.

The Czech goaltender had a in-and-out 2005-2006 season.
He got injured for about 2 months early into the year but remained his usual solid self when he returned.
Chris Mason, however, proved to be too good to sit on the bench down the stretch and for the entire playoffs in GM David Poile's eyes.

As a result, Poile has chosen him as the team's number one goalie heading into next season.
Mason broke out of a backup role to post all-star like numbers.
I think a 2.38 GAA, 24 wins, a .925 save percentage and 5 shutouts in 40 games is pretty wicked.

Vokoun had a nearly identical season to Mason's, posting 27 wins, a .920 save percentage, a 2.40 GAA and 5 shutouts in 44 games.

But, in the end, Poile dealt Vokoun and showed the hockey world that money is still talking.

Vokoun will be paid an average of $5.5 million over the next 4 seasons, while the thrifty Mason will earn only $1.25 million over the 2 coming seasons, before being eligible to hit the open market at the end of 07/08.

That, faithful fanatics, explains the entire logic and reason behind this deal.

Vokoun is an established no. 1 goalie, something Florida hasn't had since Roberto Luongo, and certainly something they didn't get from the terrible Alex Auld and the party-wild Eddie Belfour last year.
Time will only tell how he adjusts to Eastern Conference teams and especially his new team, which is a huge downgrade from the dominating and powerful Predators he played for in the recent years.

It wasn't Manny Fernandez, or Tomas Vokoun but, hallelujah! The Toronto Maple Leafs have FINALLY gotten a respectable goalie.

And GM John Ferguson Jr. has just silenced his critics and some sour (aren't they all?) Leafs fans by getting top-notch 'tender Vesa Toskala from the cross-continent Sharks to go along with tough-hitting and scoring forward (see Blackhawks days) Mark Bell.

But it's worth mentioning Bell had a pathetic season on the scoresheet, scoring only 11 times and ending up in the coach's doghouse during the Sharks playoff run in favour of youngsters Ryane Clowe and Patrick Rissmiller.

I'm also feeling lazy today, and don't really want to write this up myself, but here are the complex details concerning the picks San Jose gets, courtesy of the Globe link above:

The deal, which includes forward Mark Bell going to Toronto, has cost the Leafs a conditional first-round selection, 2007 second-round choice and 2009 fourth-round picks. The Sharks can choose whether to take Toronto's first choice tonight (13th overall) or the 2008 first-round selection. If the Sharks choose the latter condition and the Leafs have a top-10 pick next June, the Sharks have to wait until 2009 for Toronto's first-rounder.

And where does this leave Andrew Raycroft, whom the Leafs gave top goalie prospect Tuukka Rask to the B's so he can go back to his Calder days, and be their solid number one goalie.
He did neither, and had a very streaky season in goal.

Toskala didn't quite repeat his terrific 2005-2006 year, he was good, but not better than the wall named Evgeni Nabokov, who re-claimed top-goalie status after losing it in the previous year.

Adrian Aucoin's miserable and injury-raddled days in Chicago are over.

TSN is reporting that the Flames will acquire the former star defenceman from Chicago, along with a seventh round choice for defenceman Andrei Zyuzin and prospect Steve Marr.
Zyuzin was a quite "gets the job done" type player for Calgary last year, and was well-liked by the media and fans.

Aucoin, on the other hand, was not.

Constantly booed, injury and lost on the ice, Aucoin's tenure in Chicago has stained his successful career, and has erased all memory of his glorious Islanders days as a top scoring point man.

His hefty salary of $4 million over the next couple years is also a major cap hit in Darryl Sutter's books, and the Flames clever GM must be praying this pans out for him.

Aucoin may be a replacement for impending UFA's Roman Hamrlik or Brad Stuart, one of which is expected to pack his bags and play elswhere next year with the most likely being Stuart.

And that's all for now!

If anything else happens, you'll hear from me later or if I'm still lazy, tomorrow.

--BBR

NHL Draft

Alright so I was talking to Drew at End of the Bench. He and Michael are planning a blogger get together at the Draft. For any information you need on the draft please go here. They are planning on having the get together on the afternoon of June 22 somewhere close by the arena. If you are interested in going please leave a comment on Michael's mega draft post. I will post more information up on here once it becomes available. I really hope to see you all there!! Also, if you need tickets, I do have extra so feel free to e-mail me

BethanyM85(at)gmail(dot)com

Stuff on the Draft

Here is the article that Dispatch put out on the Draft.

Lots of fans, festivities expected for big event
Tuesday, May 22, 2007 4:50 AM
By Aaron Portzline

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The Blue Jackets own the No. 7 pick in the NHL entry draft, but they're already on the clock.

It's exactly one month until the hockey world gathers in Columbus to welcome the next wave of talent into the NHL. The first round will be held at

7 p.m. June 22 in Nationwide Arena; rounds two through seven will begin at 10 a.m. the following day.

"We're almost ready for the party," said J.D. Kershaw, the Blue Jackets' director of fan development and the point man to the NHL since the draft was awarded to the Blue Jackets more than a year ago.

Here's what's known about "the party" at this point:

• The pop punk band Yellowcard will perform in the plaza in front of Nationwide Arena in the hours leading up to the first pick on Friday.

• It's going to be a big party on Friday. Kershaw isn't sure how big, but he's hoping it's "standing room-only" inside the arena, with a large contingent outside. The Blue Jackets had 12,000-plus requests for tickets through their Web site, and another roughly 11,500 were given to season-ticket holders. The biggest "south of the border" draft crowd in recent memory was 11,000 in Raleigh, N.C., in 2004.

• The plaza in front of Nationwide on Friday will be packed with food and beverage stands, interactive games, etc. Nationwide Boulevard between Front Street and Marconi Boulevard will be blocked to allow spill-over and easy foot traffic.

• The Blue Jackets have yet to decide whether they want to air live draft coverage by TSN or Versus on the huge TV screen that looms over the plaza. The dilemma: If people get too comfortable on the plaza and know they can watch the draft outside, why go inside? The Jackets want the building packed so it looks good on TV.

• Nationwide Arena will open at 4 p.m., with a Hall of Fame Trophy display -- including the Stanley Cup -- and a memorabilia exhibit on the concourse. Season ticket-holders can begin taking their seats at 5:30 p.m., and the general public can fill in around 6:15 p.m. The covered ice surface will be filled with the stage on one end, draft tables for all 30 clubs in the middle, and the media riser on the other end.

"Unless the fire marshal steps in, we won't turn anybody away, even if they don't have a ticket," NHL director of events and entertainment Bill Miller said. "The sense I'm getting is we'll continue the trend of doing well in newer markets, similar to Nashville (2003) and Raleigh, N.C. The key is getting those people who stuffed their tickets into a drawer to dig them out and come on down."

The Blue Jackets are resigned to the fact that the Saturday crowd will be smaller.

"Probably in the 4,000 to 5,000 range if we're lucky," Kershaw said. "Most of our budget is going into Friday."

But the Blue Jackets will have autograph sessions on Saturday morning -- both with draft picks and current Jackets players -- to entice fans.

"And we have two picks in the second round," Kershaw said. "If you're a Blue Jackets fan, that might be kind of interesting."

Link to the Article