The Savior of San Jose takes on the Sabres for the first time in a Blackhawks uniform tonight. If he's got any problems, the All-Star defenseman can always call (716) 839-3638.
I knew it as soon as he took a seat in the box. You could feel something was going to break, and in the fourth overtime a penalty is absolutely killer. When the official put his hand in the air a roar went up from the crowd so loud you would have thought it was a goal. And when Morrow finally tipped it past Nabokov, the axe came down and Dallas was moving on.
To do this game proper justice you have to give credit to the goaltenders. I'd hate to pick which one was better in a game that was held scoreless for so long, but Marty Turco was playing like his van would go up on auction if he lost. He made at least a half dozen saves that just made you shake your sleepy head, sometimes in quick secession.
However, this save by Nabokov is just disgusting. I actually had time to say "there it is!" thinking the winning goal was about to be put in. The crowd was flipping out. Some guy had his finger on the button to make with the confetti. Willa Ford started typing "OH EM GEE!!11 LOLZ" and was ready to post. But Evgeni said no.
Still, something had to give, and Brenden Morrow was everywhere. And now here we sit, with the question that has been on the mind of every Sabres fan since August now legitimate:
Who signs Brian Campbell?
Now if you've been with us all along you know that I have been pretty hard on Soup. I have to stress that it is nothing against him at all. The frustration many Sabres fans have had is with the UFA market and the way his agent, Larry Kelly, has handled negotiations with the team. I am in that category, thus the photoshops of Campbell as a deity.
That said, Brian is not coming back to the Sabres. I'll say this now, if Brian Campbell somehow signs with the Sabres on July 1st, 2008 we will turn this space into a blog about cats dressed up like Hitler. A kittie costume party for the fuhrer is on the horizon if Soup skates with the Slugs in October. As enticing as that all sounds, it's still not very likely.
Even with his playoff struggles, his contract figure is not likely to come down. The sentiment here in the Roost is that while Campbell did struggle mightily with the pressures of the trading deadline and the playoff spotlight, it didn't affect his value to any of the teams interested. Sure, San Jose may not push as hard to sign him because of his tendency to disappear for games at a time, but other teams won't have a problem breaking the bank.
That's the thing about Brian Campbell; while everything that has happened since the Winter Classic has proved he is mentally weak, once July comes all of those problems will go away. Soupy is the anti-contract year player, he plays much more comfortably when given a designated team and takes confidence from this security. Campbell had no problem living up to a $1.75 million contract when he was only worth Nathan Paetsch money, and he will have no problem performing under a $6 mil/per contract; it's just the getting there that almost killed him.
Yes, Campbell is going to make at least six million dollars next year. It's hard to imagine, and sometimes I wonder if he's the next Sheldon Souray, but that's not for me to decide. Take a look at the list of UFA Defenseman GMs will have to pick from. Who is the top prospect? If Wade Redden even gets his last contract matched Soupy could be looking at a $7 million+ contract, and all the hair curlers a ginger could ever need.
Again, all of this is nothing new, but it is worth pointing out. No matter what was going to happen this postseason the Sabres made the right move in shipping Soupy West. There was no way of competing in this summer's marketplace, and San Jose losing in the Conference Semis does nothing to affect this truth. Whether you think (as I do) that the Sabres should have done more in addition to that trade is another story, and one that will be beaten to death in its own time.
Now all that is left is the guessing game. San Jose will make a run. Ottawa needs someone to fill that gladiator costume. Half of the Rangers' D are scheduled to hit the open market, and I'm sure they can make cap room if they murder Jason Strudwick. Anything can happen, but nothing with us.
To some it may sound like an obscure form of torture the fine folks at Guantanamo Bay have to endure. For me, it is one of the most exciting days of the year. Starting at 7:00 pm tonight, the hockey world gets put on the edge of its collective seats.
In Washington the great comeback continues, with Alexander Ovechkin leading the way back into the Phone Booth.
The stick may be all white, but tonight will be all about the red.
At 10:00 pm it will be about the red as well, but mostly it will be about San Jose trying to hang on against the Flames.
I would have put a picture of Brian Campbell here, but it seems he hasn't shown up in this series.
Hopefully we will see something special out of one of these games. No matter what, it is an exciting day for fans no matter what allegiance. I've already had my say about Game Seven.
Let's hope the winners take it better then Montreal did last night. After all, it's just Round One.
Guy: Yeah, what a jerk. That's a completely unnecessary spin-o-rama by Campbell there. It was a lose-lose situation that only makes him look like a show off if it works, which it didn't. What a turn of events it would have been if that forechecker scored.
Still, it ended any chance of a late push up ice by the Sharks, as well as exposed Campbell's antics as a bit overrated to say the least. Instead of making the smart pass to one of five teammates he made a careless move just to hear an impressed cheer from the Calgary crowd. Not a good showing from Brian so far this postseason. Do you think it will hurt his signing bonus come July, Gary?
Bettman: Wha-What? I was just wondering if you saw that kid with the Aquaman t-shirt behind the penalty box.
Guy: Oh... yeah, I did. I wonder what his problem was?
That's just a rough sketch, I didn't have time to record it all. However, that was one smooth Popsicle stick when they got done.
For the record, this was Campbell's line: 27:07TOI, 1A, 2SOG. Solid.
I hope he makes $9 mill next year. That way he will be worth exactly half his contract.
It's funny, CBC was talking about how he was nervous tonight and that's what postseason hockey does to you. Did anyone north of the border catch his last few weeks in a Sabres uniform? Didn't look very different to me.
For anyone who was there, no matter what team you were cheering for, there is one undeniable fact.
The Winter Classic was awesome.
It was one of the most communal, emotional events I have ever experienced and probably will never experience again, at least not at that level. To put it simply, I agree with everything Ryan said Tuesday night. It was an afternoon no hockey fan will soon, if ever, forget.
Sure there were a few miscues here and there. It may have taken too long for the ice crews to fix the ice during delays, but at least they took the time to make sure it was right. What bugged me the most about the cleaning was that they didn't bring the Zambonis out for the shootout, which is actually normal NHL procedure. But if that is my biggest gripe (aside from switching ends in the five minute overtime being stupid), then there obviously wasn't much to complain about.
I just wish Brian Campbell would have been looking forward to the "f*cking stupid Ice Bowl" as much as the fans were (skip to about 35 seconds in). Eh, who knows? Maybe he really was. He does look a little tipsy while trying to sing the Hip.
For the most part, again echoing Ryan, what struck me the most was that the NHL didn't screw it up. For such a huge event, it was very-well organized, there was stuff to do outside of the usual tailgating and added to the festive atmosphere.
And did anyone else find it weird that it didn't snow a flake during intermissions, but then as soon as the players headed out of the tunnel, the flurries started to fall again?
The tailgating was fun in itself. Having the television crews for the NHL Network and RDS patrolling our area added to the excitement. Then again that's maybe just because Jon and I snuck into the Rick Jeanerette "Lalalafontaine" tribute, and just because RDS put me on camera for the Gilbert Perreault jersey I had on (if anyone can find that, if it even made the air, feel free to shoot us an e-mail. We all like to laugh at me).
Should the NHL pull off this event again? From a publicity and marketing standpoint, yes. But all of the factors need to be there to make it special and not just a rehashing of the last two outdoor games. The place needs to be right and, if the league wants America to start caring about hockey again (and if they want to increase revenues even more, including a big TV deal, I think they would), then the game would most likely have to be played stateside between two American teams.
For the best publicity and for the largest money-making machine, Rangers-Islanders at either Yankee Stadium or in the Meadowlands may be the best bet. Or wait until the new Gopher Stadium is built in Minnesota. Wild v. Dallas or Detroit would be amazing. The best idea I think I've read/heard so far is for Buffalo and Pittsburgh to host the event against each other every year. This way it stays exclusive and it's still an event, like Detroit and Dallas hosting Thanksgiving football games. On another thought, why not do the All-Star game outdoors?
I thought the pregame ceremonies for the Winter Classic were very well-done. Doug Allen is a Roost favorite and Ronan Tynan is a winner (I can't believe there are actually complaints that they sang "God Bless America" and not the national anthem. They have done this every time Tynan has sung for the Sabres. My best guess is that those complaining don't watch Sabres games so I'm not going to waste too much energy here). The fly-by by the Blackhawk helicopters was also stunning and chilling.
And the crowd?
You can't say enough about the job the fans did. You could cut the tension with a knife as the game went into the shootout. Everyone was tuned into the game the whole time. I was up on my feet with everyone else in the lower bowl from faceoff to Crosby's clincher. Buffalo looked great in the national limelight, and while I really really really really had a great time, I hope something like this doesn't come back to Buffalo, at least for a couple years. It was special and to overdo it would most definitely cheapen a unique but already kind-of-gimmicky event.
As the Sabres prep for Ottawa tomorrow night, there are certainly some questions and concerns that face this team. The offense isn't producing and fingers are already being pointed in Thomas Vanek's direction.
And rightfully so.
Vanek is a -3 with just one point, an assist, in his last five games. He had 84 points last year and finished with a league-leading +47. Now as a top line player, he's on pace for just 24 goals, 48 points and a +7 rating. Whether it's the money or just the pressure of being the go-to-guy, his head clearly isn't in the right place. And that bodes very badly for this hockey club down the stretch if he continues going in that direction.
Miller has been solid and seems to be getting better and he's bound to snap at some point about the shotty defense that's being played in front of him. I mean, could Campbell at least TOUCH Crosby on that first goal? The guy skated right at him and Campbell backed off like he was scared. Or maybe he was just cold.
The team isn't playing great, they are on a four game losing streak, despite getting two shootout points in those games, but with Ottawa coming to town, they need to step it up. With Ottawa struggling, including back-to-back barn burning losses to the Capitals and psycho goalie Ray Emery supposedly walking out on a practice this week, it's as good a time as any to beat up on the Sens.
And with 11 of the next 14 games on the road, this team better get out of the funk fast and play some quality hockey, otherwise the season will end on April 5 in Boston.
With the games ahead looking like they could be kind of bleak, it was great to be able to enjoy a day like January 1. Overall, New Year's Day was a fantastic day that really kicked off the second half of the season. With only basketball and hockey as the two professional leagues playing right now, this event was the perfect statement to tell America that hockey still matters in some parts of the world. Maybe this was the spark the NHL needs to leapfrog the NBA.
My only regret from Tuesday? That I (stupidly) taped the NBC broadcast over CBC. I've lived in Western New York all my life, you'd think I'd know better.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get my Perreault jersey cleaned. It smells like charcoal, wet snow, and Dr. Bob (long story). On second thought, maybe I'll hold on to it smelling like that for just a few more days. What a day.
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