Life WIthout Car Bomb, Kruger

If he’s attached to Fluffy being our 7/8 D man, then fine. $2.25M for a 25 year old defenceman that can make our 3rd pairing skate more than 5-10 minutes a night is palatable. He’s only got one year left. It doesn’t hamstring us this year because the cap hits for us would only be what’s remaining. As for next year, they can keep Smid at the $2.25M and Hemsky walks.

Ales Hemsky sure would look good next to Kane and Toews or Sharp and Hossa.

But if you let Ryan walk, thereby opening a huge gaping hole in your top 6 (heck, your top 3 even), knowing that you’re not going to get equal value in return, I don’t know that it makes a big deal that you get a roster player for the immediate season at hand in return.

The Ducks probably can’t even accept anyone nearing Ryan’s level in return, because it’d blow their internal cap, and anyone they’d get at that level would make more money than Getzlaf and Perry, which hurts their negotiating position with anyone else.

Leddy, I could see him being interested in, but I think, if he lets Ryan go, prospects and pics are entirely what he realistically expects.

He isn’t going anywhere. We can dismiss that thought right away.

There’s no way I’d make that trade considering where we are right now, even though I think we need to address some things if we’re legitimately going to challenge for a conference title. Our three best prospects and a 1st rounder? That is one helluva lot for Bobby Ryan—a great player, no doubt, but my sense of things is that we can mend our holes with far less than Ryan, so I wouldn’t even consider the trade if it took that much.

Incidentally, I also don’t think anyone in the league would give up that much for him.

it will be square root of apple.

I sees!

Je suis surpris!

One of my all-time favorite Canadiens.

Just trying to find something on the rosters of Montreal, Buffalo, Carolina, Islanders, or Tampa that would fit both sides. Hadn’t realized that Price had exorcised the demons of being thought of as an ok goalie in the Forum/ Bell Centre.

One of the few good moves Gauthier has made. I was among the crowd that thought he was batshit crazy for sending Halak out, but he was bang on.

one only has to see the damage done to several of the great boxers of our times to understand it.. I personally nearly cried watching Ali lighting the lamp and was one of millions who sucked in our breath when it looked like he’d drop it.. but Hockey ain’t boxing.. in those “sports” brutal headshots and beatings are the norm.. Hockey is about skill, speed and skating.. with some hard hitting and violence thrown in.. these guys aren’t taught from day one about absorbing deliberate blows to the head as ‘Fighters’ are.. they’re taught how to play Hockey..

My SO’s basketball team does the same thing.

I’ve heard some discussions that the baseline should be more of a physical test than a mental aptitude test (or at least both run in tandem). The reasoning would be as follows:

- player takes head shot
- player goes to dark room for mental aptitude baseline test to assess immediate distress
- player is withheld from current game regardless of baseline aptitude results
- following day (or within 24 hour period) baseline physical test is run (this would be exertion type activity, VO2 max, repetitive box jumps etc.)
- if player shows any measurable decline in physical baseline they are shut down indefinitely (odds are that any PCS will render the athlete far below normal standards very quickly)
- depending on severity, subsequent mental aptitude baseline tests are run periodically until it’s determined that a player is “right” enough to retake physical baseline testing (while allowing for some degeneration of physical prowess due to a period of withdrawn physical activity).

I think it makes some sense and, obviously, the key in there is that the person is removed from the game with no chance of returning…

it was in an article I read about the NFL and CTE a few years ago and the player they talked to was a former NFLer. I don’t remember which player or article, though. So it does happen at the professional level in at least one sport.

I’m not sure what I think about this. It’s certainly possible for the Hawks to take this approach, though definitely not smart financially, as you say. I’m just hesitant to throw my weight behind the unnamed sources of Barry Rozner.

A very delicate one at that. Because one passes all the fine motor and memory tests does not mean they are symptom free and their brain has healed. Are the tests sufficient for analyzing the danger has passed? The test for determining if one has occurred seems on the whole to be fine, but coming back it is different. This needs to be approached with the same diligence as the initial diagnosis. Just out of the nature of the beast, I doubt it can ever be 100% correct, however to be able to at least say for the vast majority it is a go also along with integrity, responsibility ,intuition and common sense from the Physician, Player and Team with all three giving the green light that the problem has passed, I would feel fine about.

and that he could’ve gotten back out there even if it was with minor discomfort.

DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH FUCKING SPAM I’M GONNA GET NOW!!

Not long ago, they had hundreds (maybe thousands?) of nukes pointed right at us (and they probably still do). Now you guys want them to beat our friendly cousins to the north? Come on!

CANADA! CANADA!

the future looks more like soccer

sadface

nor do I see how Buff’s hit is any less dangerous to Pronger. The speed before the hit is the only difference.