SB Nation - Wade Brookbank

Fight Night? Pens announce lineup for tonight's game v. Toronto

Hooks Orpik — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:50:44 -0000

Kudos again to Seth for the lineup the Pens will use tonight in Toronto. Last night in Montreal we saw some examples of the Pens skill, with players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar in the lineup. Tonight we will see a decidely different Pittsburgh lineup.

Take the jump to see the lines or you might get beaten up...

FORWARDS

Matt Cooke-Jordan Staal-Tyler Kennedy
Chris Conner-Dustin Jeffrey-Ruslan Fedotenko
Nick Johnson-Mike Rupp-Konstantin Pushkarev/Ryan Bayda
Paul Bissonnette-Wyatt Smith-Wade Brookbank

It's no secret that since Brian Burke has taken over the Maple Leafs, they've become more "truculent", I believe is the prefered word. To counter that the Pens are dressing Mike Rupp, Paul "Biz Nasty" Bissonnette and Wade Brookbank, basically three enforcers. Add the abrasive Matt Cooke and players who can get feisty like Tyler Kennedy and Ryan Bayda and you can see where this is headed.

It's a good chance for guys like Chris Conner, Nick Johnson and Dustin Jeffrey, who have a reasonable chance to get some power-play time, which can be a rare thing in Pittsburgh when guys like Crosby and Malkin eat up almost the whole shift sometimes. The blessing for those individual players could be a curse for the team, the Pens don't have much in the way of offensive skill and firepower. But "ugly" goals go up on the scoreboard just the same as "pretty" ones.

DEFENSEMEN

Jay McKee-Alex Goligoski
Mark Eaton-Robert Bortuzzo
Ben Lovejoy-Nate Guenin

Jay McKee said he's always played the left side of the ice, so watch how Alex Goligoski handles playing the right portion of the ice. Could be a lot for a young player, but Goligoski has had a wonderful camp so far.

Robert Bortuzzo is another youngster that has impressed and he's been rewarded with the opportunity to play with an NHL caliber defense partner tonight. Given the lack of elite skill players, this could be a "crash the net" mentality game, so a big shot by Bortuzzo or Goligoski could be a big part of the Penguins offense tonight.

Finally on the 3rd pair it looks like Ben Lovejoy gets a chance for redemption from last night's tough outing. Nate Guenin will get in the action too and look to establish himself, but given the Pens went back to Lovejoy (who's been in the organization for a while), you'd have to think he's still a leading candidate for an NHL roster spot.

GOALTENDERS

Brent Johnson, John Curry

While I don't have official word of a starter, Curry played all 60 minutes last night and I see no reason to play him back-to-back nights. Brent Johnson, who gave up 3 goals on 7 shots in his first outing with the Pens, ought to get a chance to get back in the net and get some more playing time behind his new team.

Also, kind of cool the Penguins brought a Quebec flavored lineup (Caputi, Dupuis, Despres, Letang, Fleury, Crosby played in the Q etc) to Montreal last night and tonight they're letting a lot of their guys with Ontario ties get in a game against Toronto. Not a coincidence, to be sure, but something to keep it interesting and a nice treat for the players none the less. Little touches like that matter big time to the players, so I think the Pens organization was wise to set their rosters up the way they did.

We'll wait to see what roster Toronto comes with, but something tells me that tonight's game will have much more snarl (and a lot more penalties) than last night's relatively clean game against Montreal....Call it a hunch.

Penguins sign Wade Brookbank and Wyatt Smith

Hooks Orpik — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:46:56 -0000

From the official site:

The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forwards Wade Brookbank and Wyatt Smith to one-year contracts, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.

Brookbank, 31, registered one goal and 40 penalty minutes in 27 games with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008-09. The 6-4, 225-pound winger also spent part of the season with Norfolk of the AHL, recording one assist and 46 penalty minutes in 24 games.

Brookbank has appeared in 127 career NHL games over parts of four seasons with Nashville, Vancouver, Boston and Carolina. He was part of the Penguins organization in 2006-07, when he had one goal and 116 penalty minutes in 39 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL. He is a native of Lanigan, Saskatchewan.

Smith, 32, appeared in a combined 71 games with San Antonio and Norfolk of the AHL in 2008-09, tallying 19 goals and 47 points in addition to 71 penalty minutes.

The 5-11, 205-pound center has played parts of eight NHL seasons with Phoenix, Nashville, the New York Islanders, Minnesota and Colorado. Smith has recorded 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists) 65 penalty minutes in 211 career NHL games. He is a native of Thief River Falls, Minnesota.

This adds some depth and NHL experience for players that will likely start out the season in Wilkes-Barre. The Penguins have had to deal with the defections of players like Chris Minard and Jeff Taffe, so these signings likely go to replace that depth.

Pick The Rival: The Southeast Division

Yankee Canuck — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:18:43 -0000

Vinny? Pudge. Pudge? Vinny.

View full size photo »

Fellow SBN'er Five For Howling is busy trying to figure out who the rivals are for Phoenix in each NHL division. And it got me thinking that I have no clue not only who Phoenix's divisional rivals are, but Vancouver's either.

It's a safe bet we can all make a case for who gets the bullseye on the heart of a Northwest team, but other divisions? I'm not so sure. I hate the Rangers to the fiber of my being, but maybe one of you out there likes them (hang you head in shame peasant). Or maybe you're a closet Habs fan while others would willingly accept a jackhammer to the groin instead of pulling their sweater on. Les marteau-piqueurs à l'aine sont mauvais vous savez!

(I have no idea if that translated correctly)

So, with a tip of my helmet in FFH's direction, I present you guys and gals with the same option: Who is Vancouver's biggest divisional rival and why?

We'll kick it off with the Southeast. Follow along for a look at the contestants.

Atlanta Thrashers

Franchise Record: 9GP, 5W, 2L, 1T, 1OTL, 12pts

You read that correctly: 9 games played between the two, by far the least amount of games Vancouver has seen against any other franchise. I honestly can't remember too much of any game against Atlanta. Ever. Though I do recall this past season when the Canucks shit the bed against them, letting Joseph Crabb (what?) open the game with a shorthanded goal, Kovalchuk would pot one in the second and Eric Christensen scored the winner in the shootout. The Sedins provided all the offense in regulation while Demitra remained healthy enough to score in the shootout. Mats Sundin didn't make the road trip for this one. Ass.

And the longer Kovalchuk remains a potential UFA next summer, expect the CDC to go out of their minds with trade proposals to bring him West. In fact, a new drinking game: go google "Kovalchuk canucks trade" and take a shot for every "Sedins for Kovalchuk" rumor you see. We'll send you flowers as you recoop in the hospital. Lillies ok?

Fun fact: Not surprisingly, Vancouver's 30 goals against Atlanta in nine games, and 23 against in the same time frame, both rank dead last for GF/GA in Vancouver franchise history.

Carolina Hurricanes

Franchise Record: 62GP, 28W, 23L, 11T, 0OTL, 67pts

We stole their old Whaler colors on the new uni's, they stole Bret Hedican. Then again we stole Dave Babych before they absconded from Hartford. In turn they sent us Enrico Ciccone, Sean Burke and Geoff Sanderson for Kirk McLean and Martin Gelinas in 1998. We got their Andrew Cassels for a few years, they got our Matt Walker. Noted nothing players Darren Langden and Trevor Letowski both played for each squad. More recently (around the time Burke finished up his domestic disputing) the Hurricanes snatched up old Canuck enforcer Wade Brookbank (shown here telling Sundin he's an ass). So...yeah, a rich history indeed.

Fun fact: Remember when the Canucks were absolutely in the tank last January? Guess who pulled out a late shorty to right the ship and start the path towards the division title?

Florida Panthers

Franchise Record: 20GP, 9W, 4L, 6T, 1OTL, 25pts

When Pavel Bure had enough of Vancouver, Florida welcomed him and he reciprocated with two consecutive Rocket Richard Trophies but little long term success. Vancouver netted Ed Jovanovski, Dave Gagner, Mike Brown, Kevin Weekes, and Florida's first-rounder in 2000 (hello there Nathan Smith) and, as the Canucks were rebuilding, Gagner provided mild relief at center, Weekes eventually became Felix Potvin and Jovanovski played seven seasons for Vancouver, becoming at the time one of the premier offensive defensemen in the league. All in all the move, or subsequent moves based on the assets, helped the Canucks get back into the post season as well as win the Northwest titlea few seasons later. Gagner is still around as director of player development (and even Scott Mellanby is a special consultant to Mike Gillis).

In 2006 Todd Bertuzzi was moved to Florida with Alex Auld and Bryan Allen for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a sixth round pick. Bertuzzi would score just one goal (though in front of a nice Florida audience) and play seven games for Florida before being dealt to Detroit. Meanwhile, Luongo now holds the Vancouver franchise records for wins in a season (47), save percentage in a season (.921), saves in a single game (72), longest shutout streak (242:36), most shutouts in a season (9) and is tied with Kirk McLean for franchise shutouts (20). Just writing that feels cruel.

So maybe the better question is: does Florida hate Bure, Bertuzzi, Vancouver or Mike Keenan more?

Fun fact: This February Vancouver will play in Florida for the second time in Luongo's tenure as Canuck netminder (assuming he's still around by then of course). If you remember the last time, Vancouver not only lost but the Panthers gave away flat screens for every goal scored on Luongo. Said Puck Daddy at the time, "Incedently, Luongo lost the game, 4-3, giving Florida fans plenty of shiny new televisions to watch their DVD copies of "John Tucker Must Die" and have a good cry. Pussies."

Tampa Bay Lightning

Franchise Record: 21GP, 15W, 4L, 2T, 0OTL, 32pts

Prepare yourself for some media fluffiness when Vancouver visits Ohlund in his new Tampa digs in February. Ohlund and Krajicek are one of about 100 defenders that Tampa now has (and yet Vancouver still has holes on the blueline...sigh) but Matty should get plenty of face time up against the Sedins or the Kesler line. Oh to watch Burrows go after Ohlund now...

Vancouver holds a ridiculous .792 points percentage over Tampa in 21 total games, making the Lightning far and away the easiest team the Canucks have yanked two points away from in modern history. Last year SOB wanted to beat his former squad 10-0, but they could barely get by Kari Ramo with a 2-1 win. Maybe this year SOB tempers his pre-game comments accordingly. Besides, we shouldn't forget that Tampa's best moment was stopping Iginla from hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2003-04.

Fun fact: Luc Bourdon's last NHL goal came on January 31, 2008 against the Lightning in Tampa. He opened the scoring but Vancouver ultimately lost 4-3.

Washington Capitals

Franchise Record: 82GP, 34W, 37L, 9T, 2OTL, 79pts

It's often tough to look past Ovechkin when considering Washington, but up and down they have a solid roster (except in net) and I'm damned jealous of any team that can roll out Ovechkin along with Semin and Green. It helps explain last year's Vancouver/Washington game which was memorable because (a) Sergei Federov was playing defense for some reason, (b) it Wellwood's first game as a Canuck and (c) Vancouver had the least amount of shots by an opponent in Washington's history. A piss poor evening if ever there was one.

Also there was the Cooke for Pettinger deal that didn't end well. Pettinger played 20 games before being lost on waivers and is now with Ohlund in Tampa. The popular Cooke got to taste the playoffs that year with Washington and won a Cup this past season with Pittsburgh.

Fun fact: This REALLY stretches the definition of 'fun', but three seasons ago, guess who got his first goal on home ice against the Caps?

Poll

Who is Vancouver's biggest Southeast division rival?

Atlanta

6 votes

Carolina

20 votes

Florida

65 votes

Tampa

18 votes

Washington, D.C.

74 votes

183 votes | Poll has closed

2009 NHL Free Agency / Teams by Cap Space / Unsigned UFA's and RFA's

Robert L — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:19:41 -0000

This is a listing of NHL teams by order of remaining cap space as of July 4. The Islanders top the list with approximately $23M left to spend. The Sharks have just under $2M remaining. The list is helpful in determining which team are closest to filling out their 2009-10 lineup. As one can see, there is much work to be done at both ends of the spectrum. The numbers figures are based on totals given by NHL Numbers.com.

1 - New York Islanders: $23.265 (18)

UFA: Andy Hilbert C 28, Dean McAmmond C 36, Mike Sillinger C 38, Thomas Pock D 27, Yann Danis G 28, Joey MacDonald G 29.

RFA: Nate Thompson C 24, Jeremy Colliton C 24, Jamie Fraser D 23, Jack Hillen D 23.

2 - Phoenix Coyotes: $21.972 (18)

UFA: Brian McGrattan R 27, Dmitri Kalinin D 29, Ken Klee D 38.

RFA: Nigel Dawes L 24, Joakim Lindstrom C 25, Enver Lisin R 23, Scottie Upshall R 25, Daniel Winnik C 24, Keith Yandle D 22.

3 - Atlanta Thrashers: $19.599 (15)

RFA: Eric Perrin C 33.

UFA: Kari Lehtonen G 25, Colby Armstrong R 26, Jim Slater C 26, Boris Valabik D 23.

4 - Nashville Predators: $17.913 (16)

UFA: Radek Bonk C 33, Scott Nichol C 34, Greg de Vries D 36.

RFA: Ryan Jones R 25, Antti Pihlstrom L 24,.

5 - New York Rangers: $16.436 (13)

UFA: Blair Betts C 29, Mark Bell L 28, Patrick Rissmiller C 30, Paul Mara D 29, Derek Morris D 30.

RFA: Christopher Higgins R 26, Ryan Callahan R 24, Brandon Dubinsky C 23, Lauri Korpikoski L 22, Nikolai Zherdev L 24, Corey Potter D 25.

6 - Anaheim Ducks: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Rob Niedermayer F 34, Todd Marchant C 33, Francois Beauchemin D 29, Bret Hedican D 38.

RFA: James Wisniewski D 25.

7 - Tampa Bay Lightning: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Matt Pettinger L 28, Wade Brookbank L 31, Jason Ward R 30, Marek Malik D 34, Josef Melichar D 30, Cory Murphy D 31, Noah Welch D 26.

RFA: Martins Karsums R 23, Radek Smolenak L 22, Matt Lashoff D 22, Matt Smaby D 24, Mike Lundin D 24, Karri Ramo G 22, Mike McKenna G 26.

8 - Columbus Blue Jackets: $13.313 (20)

UFA: Chris Gratton C 33, Manny Malhotra C 29, Michael Peca C 35, Jason Williams C 28, Christian Backman D 29.

RFA: Jiri Novotny C 25, Marc Methot D 24, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen D 25.

9 - Dallas Stars: $13.193 (19)

UFA: Sergei Zubov D 38, Brendan Morrison C 33, Joel Lundqvist C 27, Mark Parrish R 32, Landon Wilson R 34, Tobias Stephan G 25, Darryl Sydor D 37.

RFA: Mark Fistric D 23.

10 - St. Louis Blues: $12.295 (22)

UFA: Trent Whitfield C 32, Dan Hinote R 32, Jay McKee D 31, Manny Legace G 36.

RFA: Brandon Crombeen R 23, Chris Porter C 25, Steve Regier L 24, Roman Polak D 23, Jeff Woywitka D 25, Marek Schwarz G 23.

11 - New Jersey Devils: $12.129

UFA: Brendan Shanahan L 40, Kevin Weekes G 34, Niclas Havelid D NJ.

RFA: Travis Zajac C 24.

12 - Toronto Maple Leafs: $12.022 (20)

UFA: Brad May L 37, Bates Battaglia L 33, Andre Deveaux C 25, Boyd Devereaux C 31, Jeff Hamilton C 31, Kris Newbury C 27, Ben Ondrus R 27, Jay Harrison D 26, Jamie Heward D 38, Martin Gerber G 34, Olaf Kolzig G 39, Curtis Joseph G 42.

RFA: Jeremy Williams R 25, Justin Pogge G 23, Jaime Sifers D 26, Ryan Hollweg C 26.

13 - Chicago Blackhawks: $11.797

UFA: Aaron Johnson D 26.

RFA: Cam Barker D 23, Troy Brouwer R 23, Ben Eager L 25, Colin Fraser C 24, Kris Versteeg R 23.

14 - Colorado Avalanche: $11.654 (15)

UFA: Joe Sakic F 39, Ben Guite R 30, Brian Willsie R 31, Andrew Raycroft G 29.

RFA: Kyle Cumiskey D 22, David Jones R 24, Cody McCormick C 26.

15 - Montreal Canadiens: $10.454 (16)

UFA: Alexei Kovalev F 36, Saku Koivu C 34, Alex Tanguay L 29, Robert Lang C 38, Mathieu Schneider D 40, Tom Kostopoulos R 30, Mathieu Dandenault D 33, Patrice Brisebois D 38, Francis Bouillon D 33, Marc Denis G 31.

RFA: Tomas Plekanec C 26, Matt D'Agostini R 22, Guillaume Latendresse R 22, Kyle Chipchura C 23, Gregory Stewart L 23.

16 - Los Angeles Kings: $10.285 (21)

UFA: Derek Armstrong F 36, Denis Gauthier D 32, Kyle Calder L 30.

RFA: Jack Johnson D 22, Teddy Purcell R 23.

17 - Washington Capitals: $9.720 (15)

UFA: Viktor Kozlov C 34, Alexandre Giroux C 28, Bryan Helmer D 26, Brent Johnson G 32.

RFA: Jeff Schultz D 23, Shaone Morrisonn D 26, Milan Jurcina D 26, Eric Fehr R 23, Boyd Gordon R 25.

18 - Buffalo Sabres: $8.976 (16)

UFA: Matt Ellis L 24, Dominic Moore C 28, Andrew Peters L 29, Teppo Numminen D 40, Maxim Afinogeno F 29,

RFA: Andrej Sekera D 23, Drew Stafford R 23, Clarke MacArthur L 24, Patrick Kaleta R 23.

19 - Florida Panthers: $8.405 (18)

UFA: Ville Peltonen L 36, Richard Zednik L 33, Jassen Cullimore D 36, Nick Boynton D 30.

RFA: Anthony Stewart C 24, Steve Eminger D 25, Tanner Glass L 25.

20 - Carolina Hurricanes: $8.083 (18)

UFA: Ryan Bayda L 28, Dennis Seidenberg D 27.

RFA: Tuomo Ruutu C 26, Anton Babchuk D 25.

21 - Vancouver Canucks: $7.282 (18)

UFA: Mats Sundin C 38, Jason Krog C 33, Rob Davison D 29, Ossi Vaananen D 28, Curtis Sanford G 29, Michel Ouellet R 27.

RFA: Shane O' Brien D 25. Kyle Wellwood C 26, Jannik Hansen R 23.

22 - Minnesota Wild: $6.296 (20)

UFA: Stephane Veilleux L 27, Krys Kolanos C 27, Marc-Andre Bergeron D 28, Kurtis Foster D 27, Martin Skoula D 29.

RFA: Dan Fritsche C 23, Benoit Pouliot L 22, Kyle Brodziak C 25, Josh Harding G 25.

23 - Edmonton Oilers: $6.404 (20)

UFA: Ales Kotalik R 30, Dany Sabourin G 28.

RFA: Liam Reddox L 23, Gilbert Brule C 22, Ryan Potulny C 24, Rob Schremp C 22, Denis Grebeshkov D 25, Ladislav Smid D 23.

24 - Detroit Red Wings: $5.554 (16)

UFA: Darren McCarty R 37, Aaron Downey R 34, Chris Chelios D 47.

RFA: Jiri Hudler C 25, Ville Leino L 25.

25 - Boston Bruins: $5.340 (18)

UFA: Stephane Yelle F 35, P.J. Axelsson L 34, Manny Fernandez G 34.

RFA: Phil Kessel F 21, Matt Hunwick D 24.

26 - Ottawa Senators: $4.649 (22)

UFA: Mike Comrie C 28.

RFA: Brendan Bell D 26, Brian Elliott G 24.

27 - Pittsburgh Penguins: $3.137 (19)

UFA: Mike Zigomanis C 28, James Connor L 26, Miroslav Satan L 34, Petr Sykora R 32, Janne Pesonen L 27, Philippe Boucher D 36.

RFA: Paul Bissonnette R 24, Tim Wallace R 24, Ben Lovejoy D 25, John Curry G 25.

28 - Calgary Flames: $3.053 (19)

UFA: Todd Bertuzzi R 34, Andre Roy R 34, Rhett Warrener D 33.

RFA: Dustin Boyd C 22.

29 - Philadelphia Flyers: $2.125 (20)

UFA: Josh Gratton L 26, Boyd Kane L 31, Andrew Alberts D 28, Lasse Kukkonen D 27, Martin Biron G 31, Antero Niittymaki G 29.

RFA: Jared Ross C 26, Danny Syvret D 24.

30 - San Jose Sharks: $1.774 (16)

UFA: Claude Lemieux R 43, Jeremy Roenick C 39, Tom Cavanagh R 27, Alexei Semenov D 28, Mike Grier R 34, Marcel Goc C 25, Tomas Plihal L 26, Lukas Kaspar L 23.

RFA: Torrey Mitchell C 24, Thomas Greiss G 23, Brad Staubitz R 24.

Under the Big Top - An OK Hockey / Lightning Time Line

Cassie McClellan — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:00:23 -0000

More photos » by Graham Hughes - AP

6 months ago: Tampa Bay Lightning owners Len Barrie, left, and Oren Koules, leave an NHL hockey board of governors meeting in Montreal, on Wednesday, June 24, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

Browse more photos »

jpfdeuce and I put our heads together and came up with an OK Hockey time line of travesty. Here are some of the highlights (or lowlights?) of Lightning hockey since they've taken control of the franchise. Buckle up, grab some tissue, and remember that your keyboad isn't waterproof - or ruggedized, for that matter. And please, don't shoot the messengers. We're just trying to make sense of this disaster same as you are.

Let's start at the very beginning, shall we?

August 7th, 2007. Absolute Hockey (Doug MacLean, Jeff Sherrin and producer Oren Koules) announce intentions to purchase the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey club from Palace Sports and Entertainment.
November 27th, 2007. Absolute Hockey's deal with Palace Sports falls through after not paying Palace Sports a 5 million dollar deposit. Oren Koules withholds money to cancel the deal. Partners Sherrin and MacLean sue.
December 2007. OK Hockey is formed, as is a second group seeking to purchase the Lightning (with former members of Absolute Hockey involved).
December 20, 2007. Settlement reached between OK Hockey and Doug MacLean/Jeff Sherrin. The deal reduces the suitors for the Lightning franchise to one - Koules lead OK Hockey group.
February 25, 2008. D Dan Boyle signs a 6-year, $40 million contract with a no-trade clause.
February 26, 2008. C Brad Richards and G Johan Holmqvist are traded to Dallas for C Jeff Halpern, LW Jussi Jokinen, G Mike Smith, and a 2008 4th round draft pick.
April 2008. The Tampa Bay Lightning ends the 2007-2008 season 30th overall in the NHL, with a record of 31-42-9.
June 3, 2008. Head coach John Tortorella is fired.
June 20, 2008. C Steven Stamkos is drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa.
June 24, 2008. Barry Melrose is hired as head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
June 25, 2008 Hired former-NHL-player-turned-agent Brian Lawton as the team's Vice President of Hockey Operations; also serving in the capacity as acting General Manager.

June 28, 2008. LW Ryan Malone signs a seven-year, $31.5 million contract. Team announces hiring of Malone's father, Greg, as head pro scout.

July 4, 2008. D Dan Boyle and D Brad Lukowich are traded to San Jose for D Matt Carle, D Ty Wishart, a 2009 1st round draft pick, and a 2010 4th round draft pick.

July 11, 2008. General Manager Jay Feaster quietly resigns.

July 13, 2008. C Vincent Lecavalier signs an 11-year, $85 million contract extension.

August 29, 2008. D Filip Kuba, Alexandre Picard, and a 2009 1st round draft pick are traded to Ottawa for D Andrej Meszaros.

September 16, 2008. Training camp opens in Tampa, Florida, with 26 forwards, 13 defensemen, and 4 goaltenders in attendance.

October 6, 2008. D Shane O'Brien and RW Michel Ouellet are traded to Vancouver for D Lukas Krajicek and RW Juraj Simek.

October 21, 2008. Elevated Brian Lawton to the position of Executive Vice President and General Manager.

October 21, 2008. LW Matt Pettinger was picked up off waivers from Vancouver. Pettinger was a minority owner in Bear Mountain resort owned by part-owner Len Barrie.

November 7, 2008. D Matt Carle and a 2009 3rd round draft pick are traded to Philadelphia for D Steve Eminger, RW Steve Downie, and a 2009 4th round draft pick.

November 13, 2008. D Janne Niskala is granted the request to be waived so he can play in Sweden.

November 15, 2008. Barry Melrose is fired 16 games into the season. Assistant coach Rick Tocchet is promoted to interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

December 8, 2008. RW Radim Vrbata is granted permission to leave the team so he can play in the Czech Republic.

December 19, 2009. LW Jussi Jokinen is placed on waivers and is not claimed nor sent to the minors.

January 14, 2009. While the team was in California, rumors are flying that there's a deal in the works between Tampa Bay and Montréal to trade Lecavalier. Lightning GM Brian Lawton flatly denies the rumors that he has been shopping Lecavalier.

February 4, 2009. LW Jussi Jokinen is placed on waivers for the second time, and is again not claimed nor sent to the minors.

February 7, 2009. LW Jussi Jokinen is traded to Carolina for D Wade Brookbank, D Josef Melichar, and a 2009 4th round draft pick.

February 18, 2009. Montréal Canadiens' GM Bob Gainey reveals that negotiations with Tampa Bay for a Lecavalier trade were, in fact, going on in January.

March 1, 2009. Team begins charging St. Pete Times Forum employees to park, affecting some 500-600 staff.

March 4, 2009. D Steve Eminger is traded to Florida for D Noah Welch and a 2009 3rd round draft pick.

March 12, 2009. Lightning marketing director Mark Gullett and six other staff are dismissed by OK Hockey.

March 22, 2009. News surfaces that Angelina Lawton, wife of GM Brian Lawton, has been hired as head of corporate communications. Koules insists that there was no special reason for hiring.

April 2008. The Tampa Bay Lightning ends the 2008-2009 season 29th overall in the NHL, with a record of 24-40-18.

April 13, 2009. Marks the beginning of several rounds of layoffs of team and arena employees at all levels of operation, including team mascot Thunderbug.

April 14, 2009. The Tampa Bay Lightning is awarded the second overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft in Montréal.

May 11, 2009. Rick Tocchet is officially made the new head coach and is signed to a new contract.

May 11, 2009. Team majority owner Oren Koules, at a public forum event, boasts that former GM Jay Feaster never had the nerve or made promises not to trade Vincent Lecavalier. Koules is quickly corrected by those in attendance that Feaster had made the claim several times during his tenure as GM.

June 23, 2009. Oren Koules and Len Barrie go into mediation to determine who has control of the team after months of speculation that the two are feuding. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman rules that Oren Koules stays in control of the franchise.

If we've missed anything significant, please feel free to leave it in the comments.

Canes Acquire Jussi Jokinen

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:34:55 -0000

The Carolina Hurricanes attempted to address one of their needs, scoring depth, when they traded with Tampa Bay for Jussi Jokinen today. The Canes gave up Wade Brookbank, Josef Melichar, and a fourth round draft pick for the Finnish forward.

Jokinen is expected to play tonight in Phoenix.

The Canes will take on a bit more salary with the deal as Brookbank and Melichar earned 1.475 million combined, while Jokinen has a salary of 1.875 million. Melichar was sent to Albany and Brookbank hadn't played in weeks, so the move does not adversely affect the current Hurricanes lineup.

At one time, Jokinen was known as being one of the top shootout performers in the league. He was originally drafted by Dallas, but was sent to Tampa Bay last year in the Brad Richards deal. He has scored 53 goals and has 161 points in 281 career NHL games.

Discounting the extra salary, the move is a good one for the Canes in that they gave up two players whom the organization had given up on. But it does leave the team without a bonafide "enforcer". Melichar and Brookbank will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the year while Jokinen is restricted. Jussi could have been picked up on the waiver wire a bit earlier, but this way the Canes dump two dead contracts of their own.

It's interesting that the team now has three players from Finland, Ruutu, Pitkanen, and now Jokinen.

Cracking down on staged fights

James Mirtle — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 04:11:02 -0000

"I'm not advocating elimination of their jobs, I'm talking about the question of safety. If those guys can hold a roster spot and skate on a fourth line and play and engage in fights which arise from the emotion of the game, great. But if they're only there for one purpose, then I think that's at least one issue our competition committee will take a hard look at."

— NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly

A hard look at eliminating their jobs?

This is a tough spot for Kelly to argue from, but you better believe there are established NHL stars who would like to see one-dimensional goons out of the game. What you won't hear, however, is them speak publically on the matter.

I wouldn't want Derek Boogaard to know my thoughts either.

The fact of the matter is that there are plenty of players "only there for one purpose." All you have to do is look at the league's leaders in penalty minutes per minute per game on the ice, a smörgåsbord of players that can't "skate on a fourth line and play."

RK	NAME	POS	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	ATOI
1	Riley Cote, PHI	LW	37	0	1	1	-5	114	4:03
2	Eric Godard, PIT	RW	46	1	1	2	-4	121	4:30
3	Andrew Peters, BUF	LW	26	0	1	1	-2	81	4:09
4	Cam Janssen, STL	RW	40	1	3	4	-5	97	5:29
5	Zack Stortini, EDM	RW	30	1	2	3	-5	116	6:38
6	David Koci, STL/TB	D	14	0	0	0	0	66	3:56
7	W. Brookbank, CAR	LW	27	1	0	1	0	40	2:29
8	Mike Brown, VAN	RW	20	0	1	1	-5	85	5:29
9	Arron Asham, PHI	RW	45	3	4	7	-1	127	8:21
10	Raitis Ivanans, LA	LW	48	2	0	2	-7	97	6:31
11	Eric Boulton, ATL	LW	48	2	7	9	2	111	7:29
12	Derek Boogaard, MIN	LW	39	0	3	3	4	71	4:51
13	Darcy Hordichuk, VAN	LW	47	4	1	5	4	85	5:50
14	Colton Orr, NYR	RW	52	1	3	4	-8	100	7:00
15	Jared Boll, CLS	RW	44	3	6	9	-5	118	8:42
16	Daniel Carcillo, PHO	LW	45	3	3	6	-11	153	11:37
17	Krys Barch, DAL	LW	49	3	5	8	0	84	6:32
18	George Parros, ANH	RW	47	4	5	9	9	79	6:17
19	Brandon Prust, CGY	RW	21	1	1	2	-4	75	5:58
20	Chris Neil, OTT	RW	42	2	4	6	-13	127	10:50
21	Ben Eager, CHI	LW	45	8	3	11	4	91	8:10
22	D. Brashear, WAS	LW	47	1	3	4	-3	96	8:37
23	Wade Belak, FLA/NSH	RW	40	0	1	1	1	59	5:19
24	Jody Shelley, SJ	LW	42	1	2	3	-3	63	5:55
25	Andre Deveaux, TOR	C	20	0	1	1	-2	75	7:07
26	Cody McLeod, COL	LW	51	11	4	15	4	110	10:33
27	Mike Rupp, NJ	LW	49	3	5	8	0	91	8:53
28	Derek Dorsett, CLS	RW	32	2	1	3	-4	89	8:43
29	Shawn Thornton, BOS	LW	51	5	4	9	1	98	9:47
30	Josh Gratton, PHI	LW	19	1	2	3	-2	57	6:14

With a few exceptions, there's really not a lot of value there, and that's one player per team.

Here's a rule that might work if the NHLPA is serious about pursuing this: Mandate that after five fighting majors, any player who has played less than 10 minutes a game gets a sizable suspension and his team is fined.

Goodbye Koci.

Tales of the Tape: Carolina 10-24, Eric Godard vs. Wade Brookbank

JDunman — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:00:07 -0000

What's that? Bissonnette's fight not enough for you? A little under the halfway point in the 2nd period, Eric Godard got into the fighting act against Wade Brookbank, but it didn't quite work out so well for him as it did for B-Net (nickname approved by Pensburgh's own Frank!).

Godard started off strong, but had a tough time getting his hand free to punch, and ended up missing quite a few blows. When Brookbank lost his balance it looked like Godard had the fight in hand, but Brookbank got back up and laid into his opponent with some vicious shots before Godard shifted for the takedown.

Though Godard did get the takedown, the flurry from Brookbank was too much for me to rule it as a draw. I would call this one a loss.

Poll

Who won the fight?

Eric Godard

3 votes

Wade Brookbank

16 votes

Draw

3 votes

22 votes | Poll has closed