Puck Podcast – December 26, 2009

On this week's show we tell you about another record for a future Hall of Fame goalie, we'll talk about a coach's rant turning a team around and hockey player popping the question to a celebrity. We'll also have an interview with Steve Ott of the Dallas Stars, answer your e-mails and a whole lot more.

MP3 File

About Doug Stolhand 27106 Articles
Doug Stolhand is one of the co-founders and co-hosts of the Puck Podcast and has been a member of the NHL media since the show's inception in 2006.

8 Comments

  1. Just wanted to comment on a non-hockey item from this week’s show regarding Joe’s e-mail on his “Short Bus” rec-league hockey team. I’m fine with that, but his joke about the hot water heater was lifted directly off a 1975 George Carlin album from a routine called “Wurds”. Just thought Mr. Carlin should get his props for saying it nearly 35 years ago. Nice try Joe. 🙂

    Loved the fact that you guys talked about my NY Rangers on the last 2 shows – hopefully they’ve started to turn things around since Torts’ tirade. There’s been a lot of head coaches who have come and gone through the Rangers organization over the years, and Torts is definitely one of my favorites so far. He’s the kind of coach a market like New York needs – lots of personality.

    Regarding Doug’s comment on whatever happened to Wade Redden’s hockey skills since he came to New York – there are some players who just cannot play in New York, I don’t know what it is, but you could fill up the seats of Madison Square Garden with all the underachieving busts we’ve seen over the past few decades. Some guys can’t play in the big markets.

    Also love the fact that you both come right out and say you were too fast to judgement regarding Gaborik coming to the Rangers. There’s a guy who CAN play in the limelight. Now if the rest of the team could only get going….. Anyway, thanks for another great podcast!

  2. Thanks to Doug I am no longer drinking coffee 🙂

    Just wanted to say I hope you both had a GREAT Christmas and have a fantastic New Year! Thanks for providing us with fantastic hockey coverage and your will to analyze things like true hockey fans rather than know-it-all commentators (Darren Pang, Keith Jones, etc.). Keep them coming!

  3. Great show as always, but I think I gotta say that going back and going forward, you are automatically forgiven if you don’t get an interview just because you got the biggest goon in Hockey on your show. How’d that happen. It was a great interview too, and it sounds like Ott really is personable and interesting to talk to. Still don’t like the way he plays the game, but like Avery, it just wouldn’t be the NHL if Ott wasn’t in the league.

  4. “…I don’t know what it is, but you could fill up the seats of Madison Square Garden with all the underachieving busts we’ve seen over the past few decades…”

    Last few decades?? Try the last few years!!

    Redden, Drury, Gomez, Zherdev though he sucked elsewhere, too), NASLUND!

    Although, it should be said, some of these players put up the EXACT same types of numbers that they did in previous seasons with other teams, but they were EXPECTED to do more.

    Look at Drury. He has only broken 60 four times in 11 seasons; scoring in the mid-50s four times as well and three seasons below 50. But he has a $7 million cap hit! He is making more than half of what Ovechkin makes and less than $2 million less than Crosby, Malkin, Getzlaf… That is not the salary of a third line energy center.

    Gomez tied his second highest point total in his first season in NY, but fell off in his second. 70 points is nice, but he was signed for $7.3 million a year! Again, the EXPECTATION was that he should be a superstar, but he is playing EXACTLY to the form he has exhibited for season after season.

    Nasland and Zherdev were just bad, bad decisions. I know Zherdev was actually pretty good, as he put up his second highest total of his career, but, again, the expectations were so high.

    The perception is that these players are UNDER achieving, but they really are not. They are consistent for thier career stats, but their salaries are not reflecting that…

  5. You’ll have to direct your queries towards Glen “Moneybags” Sather – and all those players you mentioned WERE underachievers – like I said, some guys lay an egg once they get in a big market – you can call it Bobby Carpenter syndrome. ha ha

  6. Kris – Great point on the expectations for the players you mentioned. Thanks to the GM’s who want to “go for it” (or delay getting fired) every team in the league suffers as a result. What can one do though, except deride these same GM’s for potentially poisoning the well.

  7. Just want to thank you guys for your great work. Living so far away from the hockey world your podcasts allow me to keep track of what has happened each week. I hope you and all the puckpodcast listeneners have a great new year!
    Best wishes.

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