In this episode we recap the first round of the NHL draft with sound and analysis of each pick with our draft expert Mike Murangi. We also talk with Devils beat writer Rich Chere about who might be the next head coach in New Jersey and what free agents they could be pursuing. We also discuss what could be the greatest Hall of Fame class ever, Brent Sutter being hired in Calgary, a huge trade between the Flyers and Ducks and a whole lot more.
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Obviously one would be unreasonable to except draftees to say anything too intellectual after the rush of being drafted. That said, listening to the clips has made me wonder. Are there any NHL players that are particularly well-spoken or that harbor intellectual or even just nerdy interests?
As the person that compiled the sound bites I knew the players didn’t say much. Still, I thought it would be a nice touch to hear at least something from all the first round picks. To be fair we are talking about mostly 18 year olds. I also have to say most of the questions asked were just the same old “How does it feel to be drafted?” or “What do you bring to (insert team here)”
Seems like a lot of the draftees went to the same talking point class. How may said “this is a great organization” ??? At least the Coyotes pick did say this (did he?)….
I always wanted to play in Arizona, wait are we moving to Hamilton, no, wait are we moving to Seattle, no.. ok so yes I can’t wait to play in Arizona… Do they have ice there?
I would love to hear just one draft pick show some personality, some arrogance and some attitude.
James Duthie: “So, 18th Overall Pick, how does it feel to be the newest member of Team X?”
18th Overall Pick: “It feels great to be on Team X but I have to get something off my chest. I sat up there and watched some of the guys that got picked before me and I couldn’t believe it. I’ve played against those guys and I’m better than all of them. Seventeen teams just made a huge mistake and I’m going to dedicate the next 20 years of my life to making them pay for it.”
How kick ass would that be? The rest of the league may hate him after that but his team and their fans would love it! I know I would. He would also immediately become memorable and when he broke into the league a lot of fans would say, “that’s that jackass that talked trash when he got drafted. I hope we knock his teeth in.” That’s a lot better reaction than “Who the hell is that guy wearing number 75?”
Oh, and not all 30 teams are “great organizations”. There’s are some crappy organizations in the NHL right now and we all know which ones they are. Getting drafted is undoubtedly awesome, but getting drafted by the Red Wings has to be better than being drafted by the Coyotes.
Regarding Chris Pronger, I hate that he will play in the Atlantic. Certainly, it’s bad news for three top-five scorers who play in the Atlantic (Malkin, Crosby, and Parise). Thirty-five years is not that old for a high-caliber defenseman like Pronger – his play hasn’t tailed off deeply, though a few defenders have surpassed him. A long-term deal is risky, but at least 5 million for a year or two is sensible. It’s not like Rob Blake’s return to the Kings – Blake was already declining; Pronger is still a rock on the blueline.
Alas, as has long been the case with the Flyers, their goaltending still seems shaky (Emery and maybe Esche) for a Cup run. They have some youngsters coming up, but fewer picks may hurt. Kudos to the Ducks though: I’ve been impressed with Bob Murray’s work since succeeding Brian Burke.
Logan: sadly, I consider Sean Avery generally articulate, without the qualifier “for an NHL player.” All jokes aside, Vogue is not a bad extracurricular. More importantly (as a vehement non-fan), he made watchable a Jimmy Fallon interview – good enough for me.
As much as I hate pronger, I am glad to see him heading out of the West. But yikes – the Ducks are still gonna be big trouble.
Thanks for a great show guys – you made the draft digestible for a more casual fan who could not sit through 5 minutes of that draft show… I hope I can remember some of these guys when they finally hit the league. (Won’t have that problem with Tavares, that’s for sure).
Regarding your discussion on using video games as a gateway into the sport, this is something that happened to me. My brother was a big Kings fan and I just could not get into it as I didn’t really understand what was going on and he didn’t have the patience to be a teacher. Add in the fact that we didn’t have cable and I saw maybe one game every three months on KCAL 9, there wasn’t a lot of teaching material around. Enter the classic 8-Bit Nintendo Sports Blockbuster BLADES OF STEEL! I finally got to feel what the game was (somewhat) like. I understood offsides. When a player would hit someone, my brother had a chance to explain what boarding and slashing and roughing was. I learned about the power play and the penalty kill. It was an awesome introduction to the game. It even led to my first favorite team, as I lost every game I played against my brother until I played as Montreal. Of course there was no licensing of team’s logos, players or uniforms back then, but it caused me to pay more attention when the Kings played the Habs in the final and I became a Patrick Roy fan. I am now a gigantic hockey fanatic and I can point to the roots of my fanaticism in a video game.
My video game cover athlete research:
http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/30/217033.page#2111437
Wow – Chicago signed Hossa to a 12-year deal. And they got Kopecky, too, for 2 years.
Team USA announced its players going to the camp for the 2010 games in Vancouver. One of the 3 goaltenders is Jon Quick of my beloved LA Kings.
I know that there are other players that are on the list for the games so they can do the drug tests.
I love Jon Quick but I want to throw out a name that I feel would be a much better 3rd stringer for the US in Vancouver.
How bout Chicago born Craig Anderson
what do you guys think
Draft Mike
Diamond Bar Calif
Ummm, Chicago knows there is a salary CAP, right?
Or are they just hoping the league implodes when the CBA expires and we go through a work stoppage again? And this time they’ll rip up all the contracts?
I don’t think there IS a third string goalie on Olympic rosters, is there? I think Quickie was just invited to see what he could bring to the table… And probably help out in scrimmages or something.
All teams carry 3 goaltenders at the games
I’m so exicited that another Texas Player got drafted. Back in 2007, we had Austin Smith to the Stars whose been doing well since getting drafted. As for Chris Brown who was selected by the Phoenix Coyotes was drafted in the 2nd round and is supposed to be even better then Smith.
Thanks for a great episode. It’s great that you guys keep going all season and now is really prime time for NHL talk. The podcast is the perfect one stop shop for hockey news.
One draft pick that I think continued to show his personlity/arrogance was Kyle Palmieri that was first and foremost glad to be drafted by the Ducks so he could check out the California girls. Palmieri is of course the same player that was kicked off the US team in a U18 tournament in Nykoping, Sweden after he (and others) brought up girls to the hotel room.
Interesting also that Draft Mike goes out on a limb on which picks are NHL ready for upcoming season. The conventional picks would be, like Pierre and Bob on TSN was saying, Tavares and Hedman. Pääjärvi-Svensson is under contract with Timrå for next season and said he intended to play there, unless of course the Oilers come up with convincing reasons for breaking the contract. And Cowan which just comes off reconstructive right knee surgery.
The U.S. Olympic Hockey team has new blood now and they did better in the 2009 World championships. I feel they will win a medal. As for the Flyers, Pronger is going to go after the top guys in the division(Ovechkin, Crosby, Malkin) and i think Sean Avery should watch his back and his mouth when playing the Flyers because Pronger or Carcillo wont take it. He wont also get away what he did to Brodeur or Varlamov with Emery
Avery played against Pronged when they were both in SoCal and I don’t remember any dust ups. But Avery wasn’t as balls out crazy back then, so we shall see. I do think the Flyers will be tougher, but it’s gonna be tough to get those scorers out there while they’re on the PK. And that goaltending is atrocious. It might be a long winter in Philly.
Staffan
It’s Just my thoughts. You never know with 18 year old kids. Just Cowan plays a safe game and is a perfect fit for that. He is ahead in rehab and will be ready for camp. Remember how you healed when you were 18?
Eddie
Did Dean Lombardi and the Kings take yesterday off? Did they call some player and say “oh by the way we have a team here in LA. The weather rocks the beaches are great and the girls are well hot”
One impact player and the Kings are in the playoffs next year
Apparently the Kings were given permission to talk to Hossa. But Dino is not gonna sign anyone to a decade long deal. Staying the course rather than shackeling the team to a bad deal seemed to be the way to go. Gaborik is gonna be crap, so I can’t see them paying more than $2-3 mil for. Hope the Rangers’ insurance is payed up! It also seems hard for free agents to be lured out west, especially to SoCal, without overpaying.
Although I hate ’em, the Tomax and Xamot signing was the best “deal,” with realistic years and money compared to their production. That’s as close to a “sweetheart” deal as possible for Van. I think the Roloson deal isn’t bad; he’s gonna see alot of playing time! And, though, I don’t think he’ll play out the contract, the Oilers getting Khabby is smart.
The “WHAAA?” deals? Hossa better bring a Cup to Chi Town now, and do it WITHOUT the goalie that got them to the Con finals, because as soon as he causes Kane, Toews or Sharpe to leave, he’s gonna be reviled in that town. Of course it’s not his fault that the GM is an idiot! Gaborik is gonna be a bust. That’s A LOT of cash for someone who has taken three years to play a full season’s worth of games. Erik Cole’s money was outta control, too.
The maybe pile; the Cammalleri deal. $6 mil seems to be the minimum for a top three forward now, but is that what the Habs are getting?
I’m fairly certain that Dean Lombardi remarked about “not being surprised if there’s no major splash on July 1.”
Adding a veteran (like a Justin Williams move) would have helped, but standing pat now may prove smart should the cap [potentially] drop next year. I thought the Kings were landing Havlat, ostensibly to aid the young core like he did for the Blackhawks.
Unfortunately, Bob Gainey (surprised) and Glen Sather (customary) decided that tossing money equals building a team. Sather again wins the big signing sweepstakes. Alas, he has done so the past several summers and without meaningful success. As for Gainey, a TSN objective was to get “big, skilled forwards” – he acquires three smallish forwards. Good talent, but not gamebreakers.
Tallon’s 2008 signings fall into the same precarious territory; however, the Blackhawks are definitely a contender – though I would hate to see them lose Toews, Kane, Keith, and Seabrook because of the Campbell and Huet contracts.
Cammalleri-Gomez-Gionta, the midget line? Interesting to see what Jacques Martin does with the Habs.
Cammy-Gomez has potential: both are players who require appropriate complements. Gomer has not set up a true, shoot-first sniper since 2001 with Alex Mogilny (he scored 43 goals that year). I recall Cammy’s goal-scoring declining after the Flames acquired Olli Jokinen, who shoots more than he passes.
Success hinges on Gomez: he quickly rushes the puck up ice, but doesn’t always make the best decisions after gaining the offensive zone. Inexplicable turnovers were common his last season with the Rangers. Gomer also has a penchant for laziness — he can squander his top-line playmaking talent and produce like a second-line center.
First disappointed the way my question was answered – Just because this exodus was “personal” – the coaching carousel in NJ is unreal. Its a testament to Lou that they continue to have such a winning record, and playoff streak since 97. But then Lou lays an egg in the first two days of Free agency, its not over yet.
As for the Habs – why would the want to take Gomez and his salary – that is crazy, what did Sather say to get the Canadians to take that deal. But for one thing Montreal did shake up that entire lineup.
The islanders in the last 10 days have picked up 4 goalies. I was going to ask if they wanted to sign my 7 year old daughter as insurance once they all get hurt.
The penguins loosing 2 key defensemen is going to be interesting, as they now have some holes to fill.
The one thing is for sure Eddie/Doug are right – this is the most exciting time for news.. Can’t wait for this weeks show –