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I'm Back! Your Monday Rumour Update... |
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HELLO HOCKEY WORLD! Wow…I mean just wow.
We are taught that our appendix is a “useless organ” and that it “doesn’t really do anything.” We even say things that are useless to something useful are “just appendiges”…Well, let me be the first to say, the appendix may not “do anything that we need it to do” but it sure as hell does, “beat the living daylights out of of you if it wants to.”
For those of you who are interested in my last six days read on * after the Rumour Update… I really do want to extend a HUGE thanks to all at hockeybuzz who wrote in this box in my stead. GREAT STUFF. Thanks.
I admit that it took me parts of Saturday and all yesterday to get caught up with sources. Before that I was in no condition to do the calling around needed. Much is out there, so I will start with this summary of sorts and get more into it today as I continue to try to do as much as I can from the hospital. I am likely going home today or tomorrow. (please, oh please today!)
First on Gaborik…
I saw that Gainey has come out and said there has never been any interest from Montreal. Hmmm. This of course is VERY contradictory to strong sources of mine, but Bob Gainey is an honest fellow and I would never call him a liar.
However, language is a GMs best friend. If you tell me you are going to sell me your car for $10,000 and I think it is worth $5K, well then I have no interest in it. I would tell you, “hey your car is too prone to breaking down and I have better things I can buy with my $5K.” You know, stuff like that.
It is really that simple. The only difference here is that in Montreal the $5K has feelings and skates on a top line so Gainey is of course not going to mention the $10k or anything. Not now when everything is working just fine.
The Gaborik situation is a fascinating one. The teams that could use him don’t need him now and that includes his current team, The Minnesota Wild. There is a market for Gaborik out there. Even in the worst of cap times a market can be found. However, it isn’t the “right market” for the Wild and as long as the Wild are winning they can wait for other teams to start losing and that market to start “righting.”
On Jason Spezza…
Yes he is available. Has been for six months now. Ottawa and Spezza has become Oil and Water at this point. There are teams interested including Calgary, LA, and Chicago. Much more on this as the week progresses, but I expect that this will NOT be a long, drawn out rumour mill…
On Kaberle being moved from the Leafs…
Just say No. It will not happen. As of now, there is no way he is waiving. Things can change, but know this: As much as it took to get McCabe to accept a deal, it will take ten times that to get Kaberle to accept one. He wants to retire a Leaf plain and simple. He will either re-sign in Toronto or play in Sweden I am told, but he will not be a rental. Not in his blood at all.
On Kovalchuk…
This is going to be a fun one as we get into the winter and toward February…
Bruce Garrioche wrote yesterday that there is a lot of talk among NHL GMs that the the Thrashers may look to move Ilya at the deadline. He's right. It has been going on “off the record” for about a month. It will be interesting to see who steps up. At this point it would be easier pinning down the teams that won’t, but look to the NY Rangers, Calgary and Ottawa here as the pre-pre-early favorites…
*Now for those of you interested in my story...
These last six days have been a big, horrible blur to me. Just awful.
Removing the appendix is a “Routine Surgery” for the surgeons. I have never had an emergency surgery prior to this, and yes the surgery was all of 45 minutes long I am told. We are so lucky to have these kinds if surgeries available to us. I mean, born in another time, or even now in another part of the world the book would have been finished on me at 40.
What isn’t routine in any way is the recovery from “Routine Surgery.” It SUCKS! So many medications, a ton of pain, drains running from my stomach, unable to get comfort in any way for hours at a time! But alas, health is a bottom line business and you learn so much about yourself, your family, and your friends when faced with that bottom line.
I learned that despite still feeling not even 50% of normal I am SO BLESSED.
I have an amazing support group amount of “families.” That is what really pulled me through this.
I have my wife and kids of course. My wife is a beautiful angel, something I have always known, but she has been so amazing through this in taking care of me and the kids…When you love someone and marry the “love of your life” you are blown away by the concept they are willing to be with “just you” for the rest of their days, but you never know what that means until you see them holding your hand as your are wheeled into surgery on a stretcher. I would move mountains for that girl.
After that I have my family and her family who have been amazingly helpful and are always there for me in everything I do.
I have my family of friends who called and offered to come a do anything needed, and I am one blessed guy when it comes to friends.
And then I discovered something even bigger. My hockey family. Players, GMs, coaches, owners, scouts, Hockeybuzz staffers, fellow hockey writers, and all of YOU.
I can’t tell you how important your well wishes on this site, other hockey websites, twitter and facebook, etc were. It was amazing.
We all are taught to say, “Get well soon” as a common decency , societal norm. I have said it several times to several people and thought, “Like my well wishes mean anything.”
Let me tell you from the other side of it. THE SIMPLEST OF MESSAGES MEAN EVERYTHING. They were each a breath of air into my lungs.
So thank you and I feel more than ever a strong need to do a better job for all of you through this experience…
Again THANK YOU ALL!
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