Archive for September 26th, 2009
Puck September: San Jose Sharks
This past summer has been all about the money. There was the unrestricted free agent *frenzy.* That was around the same time the Phoenix Coyotes financial problems came into the spotlight, when BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie threw his two cents into the fray and the league kept talking out of both sides of its mouth. You know, the place they seem reluctant to put their money in.
Screwed up contracts — both legitimate Chicago fuck-ups and the over-spending variety — became commonplace, and some players decided to gamble on the bigger payday in Russia. Terms like “escrow” and “cap numbers” came to be a part of the conversation, too. Then there was even more change — and even less sense — from Patrick Kane, who allegedly tag-teamed a Buffalo cab driver with his cousin over 20 cents.
It seems talk of climbing out of this recession has put money on the mind and our mind on the money, so in the spirit of cash, let’s take a look at all 21 teams 30 teams as training camps get set to fire up this month. Like most financial ventures, some teams will offer a greater return than others.
SAN JOSE SHARKS
Pacific Division
2008-09 record: 53-18-11, first in the division, first in the conference, first in the league
Cap space: $3.332 million
Tip sheet:
Doug Wilson should have made more moves this summer…Tim Hunter remains my favourite Shark player, ahead of Greg Norman…Patrick Marleau will never be as good as everyone wants him to be…At some point during the season, Dan Boyle will be introduced to Evgeni Nabokov…Pat Falloon may have been a fat balloon, but he could find the net…Someone named Rob Gaudreau scored the first hat-trick in franchise history…Who remembers the Cow Palace?
Fun fact:
Through a fan contest, the team was originally named the “Blades.”
You should really invest in this club because…
The Canadian content. Of the projected 12 forwards, nine are Canucks. Of the projected eight defencemen, seven are from Canada. What is wrong with this playoff picture?
The bottom will fall out with…
Five to seven playoff games.
Key acquisition:
Contract superstar Dany Heatley. A one-shot scorer, Heatley will get you 50 goals. He’ll also get you booed out of every Canadian rink.
Bottom line:
Grabbing Heatley to change your post season fortunes? Karma says good luck with that.
Man Sandwich
What do you get when you Google search ‘hot men?’
That’s right. Saturday special. All you can eat Man Sandwich.
