watch the local boy colin fraser not even get picked up

What are you talking about?

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283730


The captaincy should go Sakic --> Neidermayer --> Iginla --> Doan

Crosby is perfect to captain Team Canada.

He represents the new era. He is obviously the best Canadian player these past few years. This kid while young can obviously take on pressure since he's had the pressure of everyone since he was drafted. Even if he wasn't captain, wheres all the media attention going to be? On Crosby. He knows how to do interviews and he's perfect to represent Canada as team captain.

I'm sure a lot of people will say the downside is that he is young and the older players aren't going to follow his lead. But this kid while incredibly skilled puts out 110% every shift and I'm sure when those veterans see that I'm sure it will motivate their asses.

For captain Id personally pick the following

1. Sakic
2. Iggy/Nied

Sorry that's it, if I had to pick a 4th option then Crosby but that's just me.

Iggy and then Sakic.

Captain of a team is not always the "best" player of the team, its the guy with the most experience and highest level of leadership, guys like Sakic or Iginla have proven themselves to be leaders, Crosby on the other hand, is still a few years away from being a true leader.

This is what I would pick as well.. Crosby can be captain but I personally think he is TOO young to captain the team in World competition. As someone said, it's not all about the skills but experience as well.. Crosby will get his chance to captain a team in the near future but for right now, he should do the right thing and have them give it to Sakic/Nieds.

Crosby still has lots of time before he captains the Olympic team Canada. He still needs to learn the real leadership role from guys like Iginla and Sakic. Crosby will have his chance when he is in his prime.

It's also someone who has the respect of the other players. I don't know if that would be Crosby - true or not, he has a rep as a bit of a whiner, and while there are probably few players who don't admire his skill, I suspect there are several who don't hold a lot of respect for him. That's not someone you want as your team captain.

I think Iginla garnered himself a LOT of respect with the other players with that Linden thing... Linden was well-respected around the league, and Iggy showing him props like that must have made a good impression - he SHOWED the respect that it takes to EARN respect.

I don't believe any of the numbers you see listed in the media are post-tax.

As for Iginla I'm sure he's gained respect from many of the other players prior to Linden's final game. Team Canada should just make Luongo the captain, oh wait...

Being a captain doesn't mean you're the best player but the one that commands the most respect from all your peers. Guys like Sakic, Neidermayer + Iginla have that about them. It also works like a seniority thing as well.

I'd be absolutely shocked if Team Canada gives it to Crosby over players such as those 3.

Why is there so much Shane Doan hate?

That guy is a complete player + leader

Lightning deal conspicuously fast

Ohlund contract curious, to say the very least

By Tony Gallagher, The Province
July 5, 2009 10:01 AM

You don't have to look far to find head-shaking material following the July 1 free agent folly fest but the best of all might have happened 15 minutes after the opening bell.

We speak here of the curious contract signed by Mattias Ohlund, one of the classiest Canucks of all time both as a player and a person. Wishing him well in Tampa is a given, and if teams wish to throw large amounts of money around, they may as well throw it in his direction because he's been underpaid for much of his career.

Canuck management felt Ohlund's skills were slipping ever so slightly, even if he disagrees, telling the Tampa Tribune on the day of his signing that he feels at age 32 his best hockey is still ahead of him. Given all he's done for this franchise, without the cap system, they would have overpaid him on a three-year deal just to make sure he finished his career as a Canuck.

He'll be 33 by the time training camp finishes this fall and when his agent began with an opening salvo of $5 million per for five years, Vancouver quickly determined he was too rich for their blood. It wasn't fair to everyone else on his own team to pay that much.

But not Tampa. Not a team that sells $10 tickets and each year begs for NHL revenue sharing so that Vancouver fans, who so generously contribute to the fund, can shell out for such a team to take their better players. And take them at numbers which are so staggering, you're left wondering about this league and the fairness of the collective bargaining agreement.

Ohlund's deal begins with him making $4 million in the first two years, which is great, perhaps just about bang on where he should be, although the $2 million paid in signing bonus seems a bit over the top.

But then it turns into a pyramid, and Matty is mighty grateful to the Egyptians for conceiving of such a structure. At age 35, he'll begin the third year at a cool $5.5 million and follow that up at 36 with another $5 million. In fact, unless he's using a walker by then, there is every possibility Ohlund will play six of the seven seasons in the contract, the sixth paying him $2 million, something he'll not be able to replace going back to Sweden. Despite the extravagance, however, the cap number is just $3.75 million with the one or two walk-away years.

If you don't think the NHL is going to slam this loophole shut when next the CBA is opened, you probably think Bill Daly is Santa Claus.

But here's the kicker. How the hell do you agree to a contract structured so bizarrely 15 minutes into free agency without any tampering going on? How does that work?

Who proposed this deal? Did Ohlund's agent J.P. Barry have this all conceived going in and say to the first team that called: 'This is the asking price,' at which point Tampa simply said 'sold' without the slightest haggling?

Did Tampa get enough time between the hassles in their own ownership to formulate this generous payout and then present it to Barry, who was so bowled over he took it immediately?

Either scenario is about as likely as Darcy Hordichuk winning the Art Ross trophy next year, and Barry was not returning my calls to explain how this sudden meeting of the minds on such a complicated, unusual deal came to pass in nanoseconds.

To top it off, Ohlund responded with: "I was ecstatic when they first called," as if there was time for a telephone call to him. Hell, the ink was dry before you could dial enough numbers to make a call from Europe to North America or vice versa. And then the topper: "It felt from the beginning that this is the place I wanted to be."

How long had Ohlund been thinking about it? Who thinks of Tampa as the place you want to be unless you're planning on a working retirement or you're going spend a lot of time on the beach? They have good young players, but they won't be ready to win it all until Ohlund is done.

Everyone knows this type of behaviour goes on, but most agents and teams at least have the courtesy to cover their tracks a little better than this. After all, why the rush to announce it?
© Copyright (c) The Province

He wants to play with Hedman!

gooooooooooodbye ohlund

Lol, more like he wants to sit on the beach in the middle of summer.

damn. Wellwood elected to take the Canucks to salary arbitration. Looks like he wants more money.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283832

He deserves more imo.

I don't know man. He is so inconsistent.

Issues with the blackhawks offer sheets might be dead unless the NHLPA files for grievance.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283794

This is fucking bullshit. If the team was Canadian, bettman would be all over this shit.

bettman is a fuckin clown

How much did he get last year? Something near entry-level right? I think he deserves something like 1M+ if he can keep consistent.

FUCK NO WELLWOOD IS MY FAVOURITE PLAYER!!!

So what happens if the team doesn't give Wellwood a raise? Does he become a UFA?

Eklund is a tool
but i like this...

Schenider for Kaberle and a 2nd rounder