Off Season Hockey is The Worst Hockey

A few weeks ago, ok a month ago, the fine folks at Raw Charge asked me a question.  Well not just me, but Lightning bloggers, and since I was briefly a Lightning blogger on a semi-prominent website, Raw Charge still invites me to partake in their Questions of the Week. I guess it’s kind of like sportswriters who wrote about baseball 20 years ago still get to vote for the Hall of Fame even though they haven’t covered the game in a decade.

The questions was: “So looking at what the Lightning have done {in the off-season}, now we ask: Are We Better Yet?”

My response was basically, sure why not? Valtteri Filppula was an ok signing (once the length of the contract was removed as a factor) and number one pick Jonathan Drouin has an excellent chance of making the team and providing some excitement.

Since this is my spot in the mad chaos that is the internet I figured I’d finally get around to expounding on my thoughts. Originally I was going to post it the same week the question went up, but as you might know by now, I’m quite the lazy blogger.  As the season draws ever nearer I figure it’s not a bad time to take a look at the off-season roster makeover and see where they stand, at least on paper.

The Big Loss

This is Photshopped, right? Please say yes.

We barely knew you Benoit Poulet.  I’m kidding, of course. No discussion of off-season moves can begin or end without mention of the compliance buyout of Vincent Lecavalier. The all-time leader in games played, goals scored, shots taken, money donated to local hospitals and Stanley Cup Finals fights with other superstars was given his walking papers  (and $32 million) just before Free Agent Frenzy began in July.

I’m not sure I’ve totally processed it yet.  Until he actually takes the ice in those ugly orange and white sweaters that Philadelphia wears I refuse to believe it actually happened.  He’s totally coming back, you guys.  It’s just a well-worked swerve job by the Lightning.  October 10th, the lights are going to go dark in the Ice Palace, “Thunderstruck” will start playing, Dave Mishkin will scream out, “Dear God! That’s Vinny’s Music!” in his best JR voice and Lecavalier will step on the ice.  IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!

But, for the sake of this column let’s say Lecavalier is really with Philadelphia and the Lightning have to replace his production. Over the last two season’s Lecavalier provided .79 points per game - that’s not chicken scratch. It was productive enough that other team’s had to worry about the second line, occasionally freeing up young Steven Stamkos to do what he does - score goals.

Quite frankly, there is no one on the roster set to provide that kind production or second line protection. I’m pretty sure we’re seeing the pinnacle of Teddy Purchell’s scoring ability (which isn’t bad) and Nate Thompson isn’t going to blossom into a 25 goal scorer overnight. Thus General Manager Steve Yzerman waded into the Free Agency Frenzy looking for a second line center and signed….

The Big Pickup

Valterri does "smoldering" well.

…Valterri Filppula* to a five-year $25 million contract, instantly burning up some of that precious cap space Lecavalier’s buyout had provided.  I have nothing against Filppula, and I apologize for spending the last seven years thinking his name was “Valarie Fippula”, but like or not, no matter how to the contrary coaches and players say it, he’s going to have to fill Lecavalier’s shoes.

Will he be able to do it?  Maybe-ish.  Health will be a big factor.  If 2011-12 was the last season he played fully healthy then things are looking rosy.  His .81 points per game are right in line with what Vincent was providing and by all reports, Filppula might be a bit more responsible defensively. I love Vinny as much as a guy can love a total stranger who he has only seen on TV, but asking Lecavalier to play defense is like asking Secretariat to pull a carriage of tourists down Michigan Avenue.

According to the Finnish forward a knee injury didn’t let him prepare in the off-season as well he would have liked before the lockout shortened 2012-13 season and led to his drop off in production.  He feels that he should be in better shape this season despite the ankle injury he suffered in game 7 of the Western Conference finals.  In other words, nothing to see here folks.  Keep whistling past the graveyard.

Some folks out in Lightning-land are wondering why the former Detroit was signed in the first place. After all, the Harvard Man, Alex Killorn looked pretty solid in his debut season posting 19 points in 38 games for the Lightning.  Why not give him or Tyler Johnson the reigns and let them run with it? Well, because it’s kind of a big role on the team and Mr. Yzerman might not be willing to bet the season (and his job) on a player that was cramming for finals less than two years ago.  If the Lightning go into the season with Killorn as their number two center and he fails Alexander Daigle-style (aka spectacularly) then it is harder to find a replacement. With Filppula penciled in as the starter and Killorn waiting in the wings (probably quite literally) Mr. Yzerman has given himself an out. Should his free agent fail, then Killorn can step right in.

Mr .Yzerman wasn’t done there, he also signed ummm…..Geoff Walker.  Hmm…I guess he was done.  Which, I actually took as a good sign.  Or at least a sign that the organization’s depth has improved over the last three years because he did re-sign most of their restricted free agents and J.T. Brown, Mark Barberio, and Keith Aulie will probably all see significant time with club this season (Godspeed Evan Oberg, we’ll always have this to remember you by).

The General Manager’s lack of attention towards the defense has me a little nervous, since the returning group didn’t exactly light the world on fire last season.  However, with such a young core, they can only get better with experience, right?

Sitting with the third pick in the draft Mr. Yzerman did have an excellent shot at picking up another exciting young defenseman in Seth Jones after Colorado and Florida passed on the highly rated blue liner. However, he dashed aside visions of a Victor Hedman/ Seth Jones pairing terrorizing opponents for the opportunity to have goaltenders shake in fear at the sight of Steven Stamkos locked and loaded waiting for the puck from….

The Big Draft

Love that he's wearing a shirt and tie under the sweater, but has his gloves on. He's ready to play, or go to a job interview.

…Jonathan Drouin.  Mr. Yzerman might just be thinking, “if you can’t stop ‘em, outscore ‘em”. What is scary is that Drouin might actually make Stamkos better.  Noted hockey expert Bob McKenzie has compared him to Patrick Kane and states that the newest Bolt “can process the game faster than anybody else {in the draft}.“ It’s that extra “hockey sense” to see plays develop before they actually happen and put the puck where it needs to be to confound the other team.

Go to you tube and search Jonathan Drouin and you will be happy if you’re a Lightning fan.  Not to put too much pressure on him, but he could really be the best pure playmaker the Lightning have ever had in their history.  Their draft history/prospect history has tended to focus on big scoring forwards whose talents lie in putting the puck in the net, not setting up their teammates.

Of course, if you’ve been privileged to follow my live tweets during a game (@TorchRamrod) you know that one of things that drive me batty is the forward’s desire to score pretty goals instead of just putting the puck at the net (aka The One More Pass Syndrome). The biggest victims of this disease were Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis. I’m all for being a giver on the ice, but sometimes you want someone that is a bit more selfish. Gimmie the GOALS!

There is a danger that Drouin, as an electric playmaker, might fall into that habit especially if he defers to his elders on the ice.  It’s hard to project how effective he’ll be this season, especially with the Lightning’s history of not rushing their prospects.  He will have to earn his spot on the roster, but if he does he will replace some of the offense lost with Lecavalier.

Somewhat lost in the hype of the Drouin pick is that the Lightning picked up a pretty good prospect with their second round choice of Adam Erne. Where Drouin gets the “electric,” “flashy,” “sizzling” superlatives, Erne is described as “gutty,” “hardworking” and “big-bodied”.  He is more in the line of the big power forward mold prospect (think Brett Connolly). I would think he spends next season back in juniors, but after that he should provide some size to the young crop of talent that makes up the Lightning prospects.

So where does that leave the 2013-14 Tampa Bay Lightning?  In the end I still think they’re a better team. Simply because they were a better team then they preformed last season AND the additions they made make them even better.   Losing Lecavalier hurts, it really, really hurts. But it’s not a back breaking loss.  Let’s face it, injuries are starting to catch up to him and counting on him for a full season is no longer a given. The financial flexibility helps this season and will really help next season when the cap should go up.

While the Lightning might be better on the ice, planning your next summer vacation based on them making the playoffs might be a bit premature. The main problem is the fact that their competition ratcheted up several notches due to realignment. Contending with Boston, Montreal and even Toronto is going to be a lot harder than contending with Carolina and Winnipeg.

In the end, any talk of success echoes the discussions of the previous two seasons. Those discussions revolved around goaltending.  If Ben Bishop and Anders Lindback can’t keep the puck out of the net, it doesn’t matter what Filppula or Drouin do on the ice. That’s why the lack of improving the defense, other than a full season of Radko Gudas, has Lightning fans a little skittish about improvement.

With about two months to go before the actual drop of a meaningful puck, there is a chance that Mr. Yzerman makes a few last minute moves (cough, cough blueline depth), but I think the feeling on Channelside drive is that this is the team they are going to live and die with.

* Yes I want to make Filppula’s nickname “The Big Pickup”. It won’t happen, but that doesn't mean  I can’t dream.

Hockey Cards - A Quick Upper Deck Trilogy Break

I don’t make it a habit to purchase “high end” product.  Not because I’m an anti-elitest, but because I’m poor. Well, not poor poor, but not exactly rolling in the dough.  So I stick to base sets, with the occasional dalliance into mid-tier products like Heritage.  However, today I decided to turn some of my hard-earned overtime into new cardboard.  So I wandered down to my LCS and picked up a mini box of 2013-14 Upper Deck Trilogy (or Trilo3y as Upper Deck has it branded) from John.

For those not in the know, a mini-box contains 3 packs of 5 cards each and is priced right around the same amount that a box of Series I is going to go for.  So 15 cards for the price of about 200.  So yeah, not exactly in my collecting wheelhouse. But I was jonesing for some new hockey cards and this was the first release of the year. 

I’m not sure what other folks look for when they buy higher-end product, but I was hoping either for a card that I can make some of money back or a super cool card of a player or team I collect.  The ultimate would be to get one of each, of course.  I will say one of those three outcomes happen.  But first, what about the cards?

Base:

If this was 1982 I would scratch out "Bruins" and write "Stars"

Clean cut, white backgrounds that Upper Deck normally uses for SP Authentic make for a nice looking card. Two diagonal lines do a nice job of framing the player on the card.  Now, I’m not sure why the designers needed to add concentric circles behind the player, unless it’s some sort of Illumanti thing (alert Jay Z).

Cooper appreciates the product placement.

The checklist mixes in current players with retired stars from the past. It doesn’t appear that they’re airbrushing free agents or traded players onto their new teams (Tyler Seguin is still a Bruin),but that could also be a result of the release date being so close to free agent frenzy.

Inserts:

Each mini box averages 1 signed rookie card. My three packs produced two autographs and a triple-player patch.  So it’s nice that you get something for your money.  Maybe not enough to flip for a profit, but anyone busting this product will add some nice cards to their trade bait.

First up:

Base autograph of Islanders rookie Thomas Hickey. The former Kings draft pick was signed off of waivers by the Islanders in January of 2013 and scored one goal in the shortened season. Technically, based on the numbering scheme these rookie cards are part of the base set. I'm not a huge fan of sets that do this.  I'm sure most set collectors agree.

This particular card was numbered to 699 and is considered a Level 1 card.  Each rookie also has a Level 2 (numbered to 399) and Level 3 (numbered to 49).

For Lightning fans, there is only rookie in the set and he’s not with the team any longer – Cory Conacher. I would have gone with Alex Killorn, but once again they didn’t ask my opinion.

Second Hit:

Jersey Swatches from a rookie photo shoot. At least UD is honest!

Three Star Spotlight National Trios – Swedish Rookies Viktor Fasth, Jonas Brodin and Rickard Rackell. Who are three people who have never been in my kitchen? Not the greatest card for me, but it’s actually a cool card with a little color to it.  There is another version, Three Star Spotlight Past, Present and Future which highlights one organization instead of one country.

The Big Hit:

Congratulations Ben Bishop on becoming the number one goalie in Tampa.

Anders Lindback Signature Pucks.  While me picking up a Lightning card might not bode well for Lindback’s future with the club it was nice to pull a player of my favorite team.  When I had seen other previews of the set, the Signature Pucks was one of the inserts I was really interested in.  The autograph is on a piece of rubber shaped as a miniature puck with the team logo on it.  The gold pen used helps make the signature (or scribble in Lindback’s case) shows up nicely.

There are two other variations of Signature Pucks (both selling well on eBay). Retro logos are numbered to 13 and NHL Shield versions are numbered to just 3 each. The cards are pretty thick and have a nice heft to it.  The pack I pulled this from did have one less card in it.

In closing, I won’t be buying another mini box of this product (but if you want to buy me a birthday present, feel free).  I will be tracking down the Lightning cards in the set (pretty sure it’s Vinny, Marty and Stammer along with Conacher) through trades or eBay.  It’s just not in price range, I’ll be saving my pennies for UD series I (now with more rookies!)

Folks looking for big hits are probably going to enjoy this set a little more than set builders or team builders as there is a slew of other inserts involving autographs and relics.

**Update** While the Conacher Signature Puck features him in his Lightning uniform, the "base" rookie auto cards have him sporting the Ottawa sweater.

When Good Promotions Get Awkward - Updated 7/15/13

Now that the excitement of free agent frenzy is over, hockey fans are settling in for a few months of slow activity.  Even the most dedicated professional hockey reporters retire to their cabins to relax. So it's understanding that certain hockey-related destinations might need to run promotions in order to draw in fans who might be distracted by fireworks, hot dogs and trips to the beach.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is one of those destinations.  So the ad wizards partnered up with our friends at Upper Deck to offer a pretty cool promotion.  On 30 select days throughout July and August each NHL team will have their own selected day. If you are a fan of a particular team and show up at the Hall of Fame wearing a jersey, hat or other article of clothing for that team you get in for half price.  What a deal!

There is a second part of the promotion.  The first 1,000 paying entrants will receive an Upper Deck card featuring a relic card of a player from the team being celebrated that day. Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews are all listed.  Pretty sweet, huh?  A free jersey card just for showing up.

The Lightning have their own day.  Fans mark your calender for August 19th, 2013.  Enjoy a nice weekend in Toronto and then roll into the Hall of Fame in your favorite Enrico Ciccone jersey to get your half price ticket and your card of........

Oh wow....that's a little....umm....awkward. 

See they're celebrating the captains of the NHL teams and I'm sure when this ran through marketing the thought was, "No WAY they buy out that contract.  We're good to go with the Lightning."

I'm not upset, it's totally understandable.  These things take time to plan out and execute.  As a matter of fact I think it's kind of funny, one of those "of course it happened to the Lightning" kind of things that we haven't seen for a few years.  Think of smudged faxes, trying to trade draft picks the team didn't have and players' cars getting repossessed during games.

As of right now the Hall of Fame hasn't responded to a question I asked about if there is going to be an alternative card handed out on that day.  Granted I just sent it about 3 minutes ago, but hey we're in an instant information age!  I'll update this post if they respond.


***UPDATE***

No response from the Hall of Fame, but Upper Deck Hockey did reply to a tweet I sent them today.

@torchramrod They have already been produced so it will be Lecavalier: https://t.co/7CC6D5MMXI
— Upper Deck Hockey (@UpperDeckHockey) July 15, 2013

The One.....Where I talk about boxing again.

A few weeks ago I managed to get out of work at a decent time so I decided to stand in line behind some Mexicans.  What can I say, I like waiting in line. It’s definitely one trait that the Duchess and I don’t share.  If she was with me, there is no way she would have waited in line for 30 minutes, Mexicans or no Mexicans.  But I wasn’t there because I’m a big fan of waiting or because I’m a really big fan of pissing off office workers at rush hour (we were kind of blocking the sidewalk and they were forced to walk on the street).  I was there because the biggest show in boxing was in Chicago.

In order to promote their upcoming pay-per-view Floyd Mayweather and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez embarked on a cross-country promotional tour stopping in 11 cities to get boxing fans excited about the biggest fight of the year.  Since it was free it was right in my financial wheelhouse.  However, since it was free it was in a LOT of people’s wheelhouse.  When I arrived, about 45 minutes before the festivities were scheduled to kick off, the line went out the front door of the Chicago Theatre down State Street and wrapped around Lake street.

I would provide pictures, however my phone picked a horrible time to run out of juice.  Which also meant I had no way to entertain myself while I was waiting, possibly in vain, to get in.  Lucky for me, boxing fans are chatty and seem to have endless things to talk about.  Right behind me two ladies were debating the merits of Mayweather, mostly if his out-of-ring antics detracted from his in-ring performance.  They were also planning their trip to Vegas in September for the fight,

“I might not get to the fight, ‘cause I ain’t got $1500, but I’m definitely going to be on the strip for the fight. Vegas is great when Floyd is fighting” one of the ladies opined.  I too don’t have $1500 to blow on a ticket, but I would disagree with her about Vegas being great when Floyd is fighting.  Vegas is great when there is ANY big boxing contest in town.  It’s also the best time to play “Hooker, Not Hooker”.

As the 6:00pm start time neared people started to get antsy about getting in, especially since the line had barely moved.  Eventually we did start shuffling to the entrance only to encounter another obstacle - you needed a ticket to get in.  And the lady that was nearest to us had no more tickets.  She nonchalantly pointed to another worker who “might have some left” which set off a mini-stampede.  I would like to thank my youth basketball coach and my predilection for cheeseburgers for helping me box out two young kids as they tried to get past me to get a ticket.

With ticket in hand I entered the historic theatre (really, take the tour if you’re in town) where I saw A Christmas Story: The Musical (one of the best Christmas presents of all-time) and was promptly faced with another obstacle.  Seriously, Link had less challenges rescuing Princess Zelda then I had getting into this dog-and-pony show.  This time I had to choose between waiting in another line to check my umbrella or abandon it because it wasn’t allowed in the seating area.  I guess they were afraid I might use it as a weapon should a melee break out during the event.  Sorry Hambone, but your Avocent umbrella was left to its own defenses as I hot-footed it up to the balcony level.

In the end I didn’t need to be so hasty.  As I settled into my seat the show was still in its preview stage.  A couple of large monitors were looping a 5-6 minute video of show promotion all built around the theme of the contest “The One”. Mayweather was “The One” while Alvarez was “The Next One”, which during the first showing of the video I thought they said “The Mexican One,” which I thought was a pretty risqué way to advertise a fight.  Hey, I’m old and the ears don’t work so well.

The video asked various fans who was going to win the fight and why.  They went through pretty much all of the demographics and even had the couple who disagreed (something along the lines of  “if Alvarez wins we’re not getting married, ha ha ha ha”).  In the footage the opinion was pretty much split down the middle with the analysis along the basic premise - Mayweather is smarter and faster while Canelo is younger and stronger.

Now, there was no such disparity in the Chicago crowd, which was overwhelmingly pro-Canelo. There were a few folks from “The Money Team” in the crowd acting pretty much as douche-tastic as you can imagine.  While in line a couple of 20-something year-olds called their friend at the head of the line to get tickets.  Once they got them, they screamed, “That’s how The Money Team rolls, bitches!”  Yes, you got free tickets before the rest of us.  You’re a success in life, son.

Finally, the show was ready to start and the promoter introduced Alvarez first. The “Mexican James Dean” wearing jeans and a tight fitting blue polo shirt came to the stage to cascading applause and CA-NEL-OO chants from his admirers.  He was prompt, respectful and reserved.

Then it was Mayweather’s turn.  In true heel fashion he took his time, made the crowd wait, wait, and then wait some more.  When he finally graced us with his presence he was decked out in a grey sweater, flat-brim “TMT” hat, sunglasses and obnoxiously large gold chain.  He stood and smirked at the boos, because, well, he’s the best in boxing at what he does - make his detractors go ape-shit crazy. People don’t dislike Mayweather, like they might dislike a fighter like Fernando Vargas.  You won’t hear them say, “Eh, yeah Mayweather, I just don’t care for him.” They despise him, they don’t want him to lose, they want to see him hurt.  They want him lying on the canvas in pain like Danny LaRusso after his leg was swept.

After a quick stare down (where there wasn’t as big of a height/size difference as I thought there would be) he finally took his seat, his daughter on one side and his hype man Lenard Ellerbe on the other. Mayweather then proceeded to spend the rest of the show drawing something on a piece of paper.  It was awesome.  While De La Hoya, Alvarez, and the promoter all hyped the fight Mayweather sat there like a 7thgrader in algebra doodling away.

Little things like that are why I can appreciate the dedication he puts into being the “bad” guy.  It’s easy to get worked up about him betting hundreds of thousands of dollars on basketball games or lightning money on fire, but to go to the detail of acting like this promotional tour was nothing but a two-week after school detention is pure villainous genius.

Meanwhile, Alvarez sat there like the humble, leading man, vanquisher of evil that he’s being set up as.  He spoke briefly in Spanish (which I really have to learn at some point) about how he is ready to win for the people ending with the bold declaration, “I am your rooster!”  Ummm. Good for you?

De La Hoya had a few words for the crowd as well.  Thanking the crowd for coming out, announcing that boxing is alive and well, “especially in Chicago” and then dropping a little tease about some plans Golden Boy has for boxing in Chicago.  Hmmm…perhaps a big fight down the road, a pay-per-view in our fair city?  That would be awesome.  Not only for me, but also for some of the local fighters.  Getting on the under card could provide the next step for Mike Jimenez, Andrzej Fonfara or even Dimar Ortuz.

After Golden Boy was done, it was time for Mayweather to give his oral presentation.  He sidled up to the podium and stared out at the crowd and proceeded to shout out, “HARD WORK!” His Money Team was delighted to scream back “DEDICATION!” That went on for about 20 seconds before the sing-songy “CA-NEL-OO!” chants drowned them out. Mayweather stood there and smirked while the boos and derision rained down upon him (another classic heel move, he learned well during his brief dalliance with the WWE).

After some more toying with the crowd he got down to basics and thanked the sponsors (as if he gives a shit about O’Reilly Auto Parts). He pointed out that he’s been in the situation before and that while his opponent might be relying on youth, he had experience on his side. Then the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world closed with, “Chicago is a great city, Mexico is a great country, but September 14th is all about the red, white and blue!”.

They closed with another stare down for the cameras and then the crowd was dismissed while the print and video media was invited to the stage for interviews.  I was a little disappointed as I had hoped that we would be treated to that portion of the spectacle as well. I guess I should have inquired about a press pass after all.

In the end, I learned a few things:

Chicago is pro-Canelo
Mayweather plays the villain better than anyone in sports
Corona makes 10-foot tall light up display bottles.
Something is in the works for boxing in Chicago

So The Lightning Had an Interesting Week

Lets all reflect on the biggest takeaway from the Lightning’s 2013 draft - Steve Yzerman did not draft a Russian.  He did take a Latvian, Kristers Gudlevskis, who plays in the Russian junior league so he came close. However, for the first time since 2010 the Bolts organization did not dip into the wealth of talent available from the Mother Land (and you know he was eying Valeri Nichushkin).

He also didn’t draft a defenseman even though Seth Jones was still sitting there when Mr. Yzerman went to the podium to announce the selection. Visions of Victor Hedman and Seth Jones terrorizing teams for the next 8 seasons had to be pretty tempting. That being said, Steven Stamkos taking one-timers from Jonathan Drouin isn’t something goalies are going to want to see anytime soon.

Perhaps this is an indication of a shift in organizational philosophy. Former Orioles GM Andy McPhail had a “grow the arms, buy the bats” philosophy to building a team. Perhaps Mr. Yzerman is instituting a “grow the goal scorers and buy the blueline” method.


(umm...yeah those three minutes made me feel A LOT better about this kid)


Of course, for the Lightning no matter who they drafted they would be overshadowed by the really, really big news - the severing of ties with captain Vincent Lecavalier.  On Thursday, owner Jeff Vinik bit the bullet and cut a large check to tell the all-time Lightning goal leader that his services were no longer welcome. According to ESPN, Lecavalier receives an $8 million payout in full and then two-thirds of his remaining contract ($24.67 million) spread out over 14 years. No matter what he does the Lightning will cut him a check for $1.76 million every year.  Not a bad deal.

So long shirtless Lecavalier.  May you bring page hits to bloggers for your new team

The good news for the Lightning is that they now have an extra $7 million and change of cap room to play with and they save about $50 million over the life of the contract. For the long term health of the franchise, that savings is nothing to sneeze at. Mr. Yzerman now has a little more flexibility to fill the holes in the roster that were evident even when Lecavalier was still lacing up the skates with Tampa Bay.

In all likelihood the bulk of any investment is going to go towards the defense.  Currently the team has 6 healthy defenders inked to contracts (Matt Carle, Hedman, Eric Brewer, Sami Salo, Radko Gudas and Keith Aulie).  It’s a solid if unremarkable group of blue liners that the fans would definitely like to see upgraded.  While the free agent market isn’t exactly overflowing with talent (Ryan Whitney, Toni Lydman, Brett Clark?) the Lightning do have depth to trade from.

The organization has already dipped into that well once using Cory Conacher as bait to bring in Ben Bishop to hopefully solve their goaltending woes.  With Jonathan Drouin and Adam Erne soon to be added to the fold that well is even deeper.  Brett Connolly seems to be the leading candidate to be moved as his size and tenacity are big draws for other teams (and because why not trade the last remaining player in my personal collection).

Next season is going to be a big one for Mr. Yzerman.  The team’s recent inability to win consistently has already cost Coach Boucher his job and if they struggle again it’s most likely the general manager’s head on the chopping block.  There is way too much talent on the roster for this team to be drafting in the top 10 every year.    He needs to find a way to get the team out of the funk they’ve been in the last two years and have them compete with Boston, Toronto, Montreal and the rest of their new division.

Another benefit from kicking Lecavalier to the curb is that Mr. Yzerman frees up money to retain his younger players in the future.  While the cap is undoubtedly going to rise after this year, he has a host of young talent that he needs to lock up long term. Players like Connolly, Alex Killorn, Richard Panik (not winning man of the year in Grand Rapids anytime soon), and Tyler Johnson are considered the next wave of impact players and none of them are signed past next season. While the Lightning retain control of the contracts and therefore negotiating power, it would be nice to lock them up for a few years down the road.

Lets not forget the Rocket Richard-sized elephant hiding in the corner.  Steven Stamkos is going to need a new contract after 2015-16.  While it’s a little early to start the Stammergeddon 2 Goal Scoring Boggaloo Watch it is something to consider. When it is time to re-sign him the Lightning will be looking at trying to retain one of the most prolific, post-lockout scorers in his athletic prime.  Good luck on getting a hometown discount!

The other side of the Lecavalier coin is where does he end up and how much do I care.  I’ve made no secret of the fact that he is my favorite player on the team and that my entire Lightning history is pretty much centered around his career. For those who are new to these parts, I started going to games the year before he was drafted.  So next season is going to be the first season I’ve watched the Lightning without Wizard for Ile Bizard on the roster (and yes I’m upset that that nickname never caught on). It’s going to be weird.

Even when he was hurt the last few seasons there was always the anticipation of his return and the impact that would have on the team. Now….nothing. No more dispute of whose line should St. Louis be on. No more quest to find the perfect winger for Lecavalier (Simon Gagne, Jussi Jokinen, Matthew Barnaby among a cast of thousands). No more complaining about his $10 million contract and 60 point production.  God, what are fans going to bitch about next season.  The goaltending? Oh ok, cool.  As long as they have something.

So back to his eventual destination.  It’s more that there are teams I DON’T want to see him on.  Namely, Boston, Toronto or Philadelphia.  Of course, all three teams have expressed interest (along with every other team in the league).  But it would seem so weird, almost dirty to see him in a Philly uniform.  Not quite as unholy as Jagr in Flyers’ orange, but still so, so weird. I hold out the hope that he signs a one-year deal and then ends up back in Tampa at a reduced rate.  Hey….a boy can dream, right?

It is funny to see all the love he’s getting now after years of being branded as overpaid and underachieving. Fans of other teams who have laughed at his contract (looking at you Toronto) are now talking themselves into signing him to a three or four year deal.

He should have no problem finding a place in the league.  He can still put up 20 goals and 50-60 points for a team when healthy.  Could Edmonton use him?  Most definitely, he’d be a great influence on a young team. As long as he stays away from Montreal he also has the advantage of lower expectations.  Wherever he goes no one is going to brand him the Michael Jordan of hockey before he has a chance to take the ice for them.

Will I keep collecting his cards - probably.  Unlike Crawford, Tokarski and soon to be Connolly, I have quite a bit invested in my Lecavalier collection.  Why stop now?  Besides it’s going to be so awesomely awkward to get that first card of him in a Blackhawk uniform.

The free agent frenzy begins in a few days and while it’s not likely that the Lightning will be big players, they have put themselves in position to find at least one impact player before training camps open in the fall.  Cutting Lecavalier was tough for management and tough for the fans, but in the end it makes the team better. As much as we love the names on the back of the uniforms, it’s the crest on the front that we really cheer for.

Cross One Off The Ol' Card Bucket List

One of the perks of working in the hospitality business is that I get to wear a nametag at work.  On that piece of plastic, right beneath my full name is something that I’m “connected to”.  In my case, it’s “Baltimore Baseball”.  The goal is to generate a discussion with the guest while we’re checking them in. And it works, although I spend most of the time explaining that I don’t actually know anyone in the organization, I’m just a fan. 

As a fan who collects and blogs about cards you would think that it’s a no-brainer that I had one of the most iconic cards in Orioles history in my collection:

"Bob Bonner. Beloit. Accounts. Can I get you some coffee?"

Yet, until about a week ago I never owned the Topps Ripken rookie.  I’m not really sure why not. Sure, when I was younger and he was still playing it was a little out of my price range.  Then again, any card that was more than $5.00 was pretty much out of my price range.  However, you would think, now that I’m a grown-ass man with a real job I could plunk down the equivalent of two tickets to the movies to own THE CARD. Heck I’ve spent more at Starbucks then what I paid for the card.

I just never quite got around to it for some reason.  OK, so maybe it was because I’m easily distracted by other things.  Collecting a copy of every Floyd Rayford card isn’t something that happens overnight, you know.  Then (suddenly!) I found myself perusing eBay the other night with some money in my PayPal account.  I was actually looking for something totally unrelated to cards, probably a new lens for my camera that I can’t afford, but when on eBay it’s never too long before I start searching for cards.

A search for Lecavalier cards turned into a search for Murray cards which turned into a search for Machado rookie cards which then ultimately left me clicking on the “Buy it Now” button for the card you see above. 

Did I pay too much for it?  Maybe (but I got free shipping!) Yet, the price I paid was still way less then what it went for back in the late 80s and early 90s. That made me a little sad.  So I was happy/sad (hapsad?).  

Happy that I filled in a missing hole in my collection, but sad that the rookie card of a hall of fame shortstop could be had for less than half of what kids today pay for some player that hasn’t done half of what Ripken did in his career.

I was also feeling a bit nostalgic (as I tend to do after a couple of PBRs) about collecting. The 1982 set represents to me a different era of collecting. There really was no such thing as an “insert”. The only special cards were the all star cards or “In Action” cards.  Yet both of those were part of the base set.  There were really only a couple of ways to collect back then.  Either you were trying to build the set or you were trying to stockpile as many cards of your favorite player or team as possible. 

Not to get all old fogey on you, but it was definitely a simpler time for collecting.  There were three brands (Topps, Donruss and Fleer), and each basically had a base set and maybe an update or traded series.  The packs were considerably cheaper and seemingly more readily available for purchase. There were no endless parallels, meaningless 1-of-1s or overpriced, short printed gimmicks.  Rookie cards were easy to figure out. If it was the first time the manufacturer made that players card, chances are it was a rookie card.

Perhaps the simplicity was part of the reason there were more casual collectors back then. It was an easy hobby to figure out. You plunked down your twenty-five cents and opened the pack. No redemptions or figuring the difference between SP, SPx or SP Authentic required.

While collecting was simpler it was also much more limited.  If you were a player collector you had, at most, six or seven cards of your guy that you could find for the entire year.  Heck there are some sets these days that have different cards of the same player in just one set! There were no hand-signed cards or memorabilia cars.  While there might be a bit of overkill in those areas these days, it’s still pretty cool to own a piece of the action.

Back in the old days trading was done face to face.  You actually had to have friends or know people that collected cards.  Then you had to hope they had different interests than you did.  Trust me, in the mid-80s there weren’t many kids in Baltimore that were collecting Red Sox cards.  So we all tended to overvalue our 

Lenn Sakata or Joe Nolan cards while not giving a damn about Dave Winfield or Robin Yount.

Now, with the internet, there are seemingly endless trading partners.  Most of whom have a different focus than I do.  Although, when I think about it, there seems to be an inordinate amount of Orioles collectors in our blogospehere.  Even still I have no problem unloading my Red Sox or Braves cards now.

So much like the facts of life, you had the good and you had the bad.  It’s nice to remember those times, but I think I’m happier being a collector these days.  I’m also happier because I crossed another card off of my personal top 10. 

The Ghost and Mr. Mayweather

The first weekend in May is not a bad time to be a sports fan.  Baseball is in full swing, hockey and basketball have their playoffs underway and Louisville plays host to a little horse race called the Kentucky Derby. Over the past few years it’s also become the weekend Floyd Mayweather, Jr. brings his flash and bombast to Las Vegas.  In 2007 he beat Oscar De La Hoya, in 2009 it was a washed up Shane Mosley and last year it was Miguel Cotto’s turn to play the antagonist.  This year Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero is the lucky challenger for Floyd’s “May Day” party.

I don't think Guerrero is stong enough to beat Floyd this way.

Guerrero brings a good enough story to the ring. Like Mayweather he keeps the sport inside of the family.  In Guerrero’s case it’s his father Ruben serves as his trainer in the ring and as his hype machine outside of it.  There is also Guerrero’s wife Casey, whose battle with leukemia garners almost as much press as his in the ring accomplishments.

While storylines are nice (and it didn’t take Showtime long to cast Guerrero as the hard-working, school-visiting family man and Mayweather as the money-flashing, theater-renting-out superstar in their “All Access” promotional show) what happens in the ring is really what matters.  Not surprisingly, the devout Guerrero has already cast himself as David to Mayweather’s Goliath. Does the southpaw, who is relatively unknown outside of the boxing world, have what it takes to become the first man to beat Mayweather in the ring?

It would be nice to say yes, but in all likelihood Guerrero will end up as notch number 44 on Mayweather’s march to immortality.  That isn’t to say that there aren’t things to like about the southpaw’s ability as a boxer.  He works well off of his jab, uses both hands and does an excellent job of making contact with his punches.  Watching him throw endless jabs-straight lefts- right hooks against Vincente Escobedo in 2010 was a joy to watch.  As was his early round pummeling of Andre Berto in 2012 (the victory that let him even be in the conversation to be Mayweather’s opponent) showed that he has the power to knock anybody down.

Still….he seems to be a good fighter, heck a really good fighter, but not a great fighter.  And even as Mayweather enters the twilight of his career, it will take a great fighter to beat him.  Guerrero strings his punches together well, but his handspeed isn’t great.  He may have earned the moniker “Ghost” for being elusive in the ring, but that didn’t stop a nearly blind Berto from strafing him with big shots at the end of their fight. 

Yup, that's a damn near blind fighter drilling The Ghost in the face.

Mayweather feasts on his opponents’ weaknesses and Guerrero’s tendency to drop his left hand when he jabs is going to be an opening that the current pound-for-pound best fighter in the world is going to exploit at every opportunity. So the same goes for Guerrero’s habit of backing up stiff-legged from pressure. 

This fight, however, isn’t about how good Guerrero can box. The contest on Saturday is going to be between Mayweather and the effects of time.  He is 36-years-old now. His last fight, a year ago against Miguel Cotto, left him marked up in a way he had never been before. It seems he is resigned to the fact that the six-fight deal he signed with Showtime will mark the end of his boxing career.  Figuring he fights twice a year (once in May and once in November) he will be out of the boxing game by the time he turns 40. Which isn’t a bad thing for a fighter who relies primarily on speed and elusiveness to win fights.

A result of Floyd slowing down or having Bieber in his corner? Discuss.

This is also his first fight after spending a little over two months in jail for a misdemeanor domestic battery charge.  Will the time spent in jail, away from his family, away from his daily routine and the fame he craves have a negative effect on him? Probably not as much as it would other fighters.  The year off between fights isn’t even the longest sabbatical for him. His first “retirement” in 2008 caused a layoff of 20 months which didn’t prevent him from dominating Juan Manuel Marquez upon his return.

The footage on “All Access” seems to support his claims that he is in better shape now than he was for last year’s Cotto fight. There is scene of Mayweather heading to the gym at 1am for his third workout of the day (followed by a Taco Bell run). He also talks about “overtraining” for the Cotto fight and being more “rested” for this fight. Only in boxing would three intense workout sessions be considered a more relaxing way to approach a big moment.

The long held wisdom for beating Mayweather has been to crowd him, bully him and turn it into a street fight.  As Floyd is keen to point out 43 people have tried that already and 43 have failed.  For Guerrero to win this fight he has to be willing to be patient and make Mayweather attack him.  While it won’t make for dynamic television and will elicit more than a few boos from the crowd it’s the smartest way to attack Mayweather.  If Guerrero insists on moving straight in and bombarding him with punches he will end up on the canvas.  He should work his jab, score point and get Mayweather out of his rhythm. It’s no secret that Mayweather is content to win a fight on points – his critics call it running while his supporters claim elusiveness.  Whatever it is, it has been effective for more than two decades for the multiple-belt winning champion.

Can his 36-year-old legs keep up over 12 rounds or will the Ghost be able to track him down?  Can Guerrero resist the urge to mix it up with someone who is faster and better and boxing then he is? Well, that’s why people pay to see the fight even when the favorite is 7-1 in Vegas.