What about the national anthem before signing off?!?!?!?! Then what we see for 5 months here in the U.P.........SNOW!
- HenryHockey

Dude, I got that from WKBD (Ch 50....) via antenna! AND got the CBC growing up. Hockey Night in Canada, Don Cherry, a fire, popcorn, and Tropical Punch Kool-Aid. STILL do that now.....feel like Flounder...."This is gonna be greeeaaat!"

Dude, I got that from WKBD (Ch 50....) via antenna! AND got the CBC growing up. Hockey Night in Canada, Don Cherry, a fire, popcorn, and Tropical Punch Kool-Aid. STILL do that now.....feel like Flounder...."This is gonna be greeeaaat!"
- mcmastermike1968

One of my good friends as a kid would have “Hockey Night” video taped when the games were late. His mom would tell him “It’s in the VCR for when you get home”. They even had a “Hockey Night” board game that came with a VHS tape. Crazy time!

Just go to Islip you have gardening to do.
- Benny Blanco

Uhh...Beavis???

One of my good friends as a kid would have “Hockey Night” video taped when the games were late. His mom would tell him “It’s in the VCR for when you get home”. They even had a “Hockey Night” board game that came with a VHS tape. Crazy time!
- Jeremy Laura

That must've been nice...we didn't have $1bn to buy one :-D. Mom & Dad had date-night on Sat night, so it was just me...seemed I always fell asleep before the game was over!!
Hearing some teams are talking to "Play-In" teams for their 1st?!?!? I stink at poker, but would almost package a couple of 2d/3rd round picks + Svech....& maybe Smith for a shot, just to kick the tyres. Hearing anything from The Captain/rumour mill?

That must've been nice...we didn't have $1bn to buy one :-D. Mom & Dad had date-night on Sat night, so it was just me...seemed I always fell asleep before the game was over!!
Hearing some teams are talking to "Play-In" teams for their 1st?!?!? I stink at poker, but would almost package a couple of 2d/3rd round picks + Svech....& maybe Smith for a shot, just to kick the tyres. Hearing anything from The Captain/rumour mill?
- mcmastermike1968

That would be some kind of scratch and win approach to a trade! I’ve not heard anything significant. An additional first is always a win, even if it comes late. It’s going to be a bit “stop and go” with movement. After the first round is over we’ll see a few things, then with each additional round. The flat salary cap is waiting at the end of the tunnel and will claim some interesting transactions

That must've been nice...we didn't have $1bn to buy one :-D. Mom & Dad had date-night on Sat night, so it was just me...seemed I always fell asleep before the game was over!!
Hearing some teams are talking to "Play-In" teams for their 1st?!?!? I stink at poker, but would almost package a couple of 2d/3rd round picks + Svech....& maybe Smith for a shot, just to kick the tyres. Hearing anything from The Captain/rumour mill?
- mcmastermike1968

Abdelkader for a bucket of chicken.

Abdelkader for a bucket of chicken.


- gergeswillems

I don’t know, that looks like really good chicken...

Abdelkader for a bucket of chicken.


- gergeswillems

You got fleeced! I would have traded Abdelkader for a hard roll with ketchup inside!

You got fleeced! I would have traded Abdelkader for a hard roll with ketchup inside!


- Sven22

This totally backfired. Now I feel like eating KFC. Knowing full well that I'll regret it later. Hey that's how Ken Holland must've felt a year after he gave Abdelkader a 7 year contract extension!

This totally backfired. Now I feel like eating KFC. Knowing full well that I'll regret it later. Hey that's how Ken Holland must've felt a year after he gave Abdelkader a 7 year contract extension!


- gergeswillems

The fan / media justifications for that deal at the time were astounding to me. "Yeah sure the contract is probably too long, but the Red Wings don't have any other big, physical wingers who can hit, go to the tough areas, and play the front of the net!"

Like, okay, first, wrong about the assessment of his talent. He was never all that good to begin with, although at the time his extension was signed in he was at least competent at professional hockey. Third line material.

But even if you agreed with the argument that Abdelkader played an extremely important role with the Red Wings in 2015 due to the fact that the team didn't have a lot of physical forwards (again, in 2015), how is that a justification for locking him up for almost eight years? (7-year extension was signed in early November the year before it kicked in.)

The rationale seems to have been "Well our team has a lot of perimeter shooters and playmakers right now and there's absolutely no way we'll be able to draft, sign, or trade for any wingers who play a physical game between now and 2023. Hopefully Abby is still good at 36!"

I mean, even if you thought Abdelkader was a good player the deal was still senseless. And of course he wasn't actually even good, which he continues to prove year after year after year after year.

This totally backfired. Now I feel like eating KFC. Knowing full well that I'll regret it later. Hey that's how Ken Holland must've felt a year after he gave Abdelkader a 7 year contract extension!


- gergeswillems

My dad used to say, “Ponderosa always sounds like a good idea, until you get there”. KFC is similar. If you’re down this way, there’s a place in Ypsilanti called Haabs that makes the best fried chicken I’ve ever eaten. Served with shoestring fries and a biscuit. Never any regrets!

The fan / media justifications for that deal at the time were astounding to me. "Yeah sure the contract is probably too long, but the Red Wings don't have any other big, physical wingers who can hit, go to the tough areas, and play the front of the net!"

Like, okay, first, wrong about the assessment of his talent. He was never all that good to begin with, although at the time his extension was signed in he was at least competent at professional hockey. Third line material.

But even if you agreed with the argument that Abdelkader played an extremely important role with the Red Wings in 2015 due to the fact that the team didn't have a lot of physical forwards (again, in 2015), how is that a justification for locking him up for almost eight years? (7-year extension was signed in early November the year before it kicked in.)

The rationale seems to have been "Well our team has a lot of perimeter shooters and playmakers right now and there's absolutely no way we'll be able to draft, sign, or trade for any wingers who play a physical game between now and 2023. Hopefully Abby is still good at 36!"

I mean, even if you thought Abdelkader was a good player the deal was still senseless. And of course he wasn't actually even good, which he continues to prove year after year after year after year.
- Sven22

I liked TSNs take at the time. “If you’re going to do that term, don’t do those dollars. If you’re going to do those dollars, don’t do that term!”

The fan / media justifications for that deal at the time were astounding to me. "Yeah sure the contract is probably too long, but the Red Wings don't have any other big, physical wingers who can hit, go to the tough areas, and play the front of the net!"

Like, okay, first, wrong about the assessment of his talent. He was never all that good to begin with, although at the time his extension was signed in he was at least competent at professional hockey. Third line material.

But even if you agreed with the argument that Abdelkader played an extremely important role with the Red Wings in 2015 due to the fact that the team didn't have a lot of physical forwards (again, in 2015), how is that a justification for locking him up for almost eight years? (7-year extension was signed in early November the year before it kicked in.)

The rationale seems to have been "Well our team has a lot of perimeter shooters and playmakers right now and there's absolutely no way we'll be able to draft, sign, or trade for any wingers who play a physical game between now and 2023. Hopefully Abby is still good at 36!"

I mean, even if you thought Abdelkader was a good player the deal was still senseless. And of course he wasn't actually even good, which he continues to prove year after year after year after year.
- Sven22

"Power forwards are rare in this league and when you have one you need to lock him up." That's what I remember Holland saying after he signed Abdelkader. I didn't realize he was Cam Neely.

Yet he couldn't re-sign Marian Hossa in 2009. "I have to earmark $3 million for Jiri Hudler." No you don't. You get Hossa signed and then lose Samuelsson, Hudler and Kopecky to get under the Cap. Because you can't replace a Hossa. But you can replace a Hudler, Samuelsson and Kopecky.

Then Hudler goes to Russia anyway and Holland replaces Hossa with Jason "I stink" Williams. Hilarious. Hossa took less money to sign with Detroit in 2008. He was willing to take even LESS in 2009. But greedy Holland offered him an insulting lowball deal. I'll never forgive Holland for that.

I liked TSNs take at the time. “If you’re going to do that term, don’t do those dollars. If you’re going to do those dollars, don’t do that term!”
- Jeremy Laura

I think that's mostly right, although I think my version would be something like:

"If you're going to do those dollars, don't do that term. If you're going to do that term, just go ahead and see yourself out because 7-year deals to 29-year-old players who aren't perennial all-stars are stupid pretty much regardless of the price."

"Power forwards are rare in this league and when you have one you need to lock him up." That's what I remember Holland saying after he signed Abdelkader. I didn't realize he was Cam Neely.

Yet he couldn't re-sign Marian Hossa in 2009. "I have to earmark $3 million for Jiri Hudler." No you don't. You get Hossa signed and then lose Samuelsson, Hudler and Kopecky to get under the Cap. Because you can't replace a Hossa. But you can replace a Hudler, Samuelsson and Kopecky.

Then Hudler goes to Russia anyway and Holland replaces Hossa with Jason "I stink" Williams. Hilarious. Hossa took less money to sign with Detroit in 2008. He was even willing to take even LESS in 2009. But greedy Holland offered him an insulting lowball deal. I'll never forgive Holland for that.
- gergeswillems

Hossa is a once in a lifetime player. It’s hard to properly categorize that guy. Power forward, but so much skill. Sneaky speed, IQ off the charts. Jason Williams, fun to watch on the shootout, but past that....

I hated seeing Hossa go. Was glad for him to lift the cup, but man what a talent

Just for fun I checked the comments on Ek’s blog about the Abdelkader signing, all the way back in November 2015. Here’s what I wrote, punctuated some observations with the benefit of hindsight. Again, this was written on the same day Abby signed his extension:

Effing terrible. Just atrocious.

He'll be 29 when the extension kicks in. Six and a half out of seven years in his 30s.

For a player who has only once scored more than 10 goals, and who needed to play 18 minutes per night on the top line and shoot nearly 15% (career average: 8.6%) just to hit 23.

Abdelkader is very likely as good as he's ever going to get, right now, and that's good for about 15-20 goals a year, maybe. He's also not likely to age well.

"As good as he's ever going to get": check. In his best season since the extension kicked in, Abdealkder had 13 goals and 35 points. I think it's, uh, more than a little unlikely he'll find a way to improve on that.

"He's also not likely to age well": check. Abdelkader has scored 2 goals in his last 104 NHL games, and he still has three years left on his deal.

Don't get me wrong, I like Abdelkader. He's a useful NHL player. He's a versatile middle-six guy who can hack it with skill guys for short periods.

Even this was probably too optimistic a read at the time, although I think 2015 Abby was an okay third liner.

But 7 years? That's awful, awful, awful. And in that time the Wings are going to need to pony up for big-boy contracts for the likes of Nyquist (after the bridge deal), Tatar, Pulkkinen, Larkin, and more.

Man I miss Tatar and Nyquist. I get why both were traded, but also -- if Holland hadn't stuffed the roster with overpaid garbage vets, are they still here and the Wings still competitive?

I mean Larkin, Mantha, Bertuzzi, Nyquist, Tatar were all already in the system when Abby signed his extension. We probably still draft Hronek in 2016 as well, since 2015-16 was the last year of Abdelkader's previous contract anyway and Phoenix probably still trades us that pick (although I know this trade is still triggering for you, gerges ...)

Maybe we don't get Mo Seider (although he might have still been available since he was a bit of a reach) and probably don't get Zadina due to the team being better and not drafting as high. But who knows who we might have drafted instead? (Maybe someone actually good in 2017, if we fell back enough spots for some other idiot GM to take Rasmussen off the table.) Or who we might have added via trade or free agency if we actually had (A) a good team and (B) cap flexibility, instead of neither of those things?

I did whiff on Pulkkinen though. Nobody's perfect.

Again, I don't hate Abby. But I fully expect that he's going to be a $4.25 million fourth liner for 3-4 years of this deal. That, or he ends up costing us one or more younger, better players because the cap numbers can't work.

Or how about both, actually?

I hate Holland.

100% vindicated.

Anyway I post this all not to prove that I'm some kind of hockey prophet or anything, but to show how incredibly obvious the outcome was, even at the time.

Like, I'm just a dummy on the Internet. But I could see it clear as day. Why couldn't Holland?

Just for fun I checked the comments on Ek’s blog ?
- Sven22

Dang, Sven, THAT'S some digging. VERY impressed...and astoundingly prophetic. Well done, good sir.
So, I'm about to pound the final nail in my coffin (but have never been the party-line kinda guy, guess that's why I didn't get past Major in the Army-- but I did do 15yrs enlisted...but I digress!!): I think Mr I had a role to play in some of the bad deals, and it cost us. Committment to a player is admirable, but it must be realized that the business of winning supercedes all other allegiances. I loved Mr. I, but too many allegiances spread over 2 MAJOR sports franchises spells doom. Again, Mr. I was incredible, but....

That would be some kind of scratch and win approach to a trade! I’ve not heard anything significant. An additional first is always a win, even if it comes late. It’s going to be a bit “stop and go” with movement. After the first round is over we’ll see a few things, then with each additional round. The flat salary cap is waiting at the end of the tunnel and will claim some interesting transactions
- Jeremy Laura

Flat-Cap will definitely spread the wealth, and the Kraken may well reap the rewards of it. I can see a fairly robust pool of expansion-eligible players from which to choose. Maybe Gallant behind the bench as well. Guy's a master.
Anyway, package Svech & Ras...good players, young talent, very raw & appealing, but need a fresh start, and snag a mid-round 1st....
Getting anxious, drove 14hrs from SC to MI yesterday to visit family in Grand Haven, crossed into MI and dialed up WJR radio!!! Miss the games more than I realized!!!

Hossa is a once in a lifetime player. It’s hard to properly categorize that guy. Power forward, but so much skill. Sneaky speed, IQ off the charts. Jason Williams, fun to watch on the shootout, but past that....

I hated seeing Hossa go. Was glad for him to lift the cup, but man what a talent
- Jeremy Laura

Very Talented....
I loved that he lost 2 years in a row after skipping out on the Pens. Would've been even better if he didnt win one in Chicago either.
It was sad to see his career end the way it did though