Stan Fischler
Bluelines: Hamrlik to strike down in Tampa?
Dec 10, 2003
 Mike Milbury can’t be more brutally frank when he talks about the possibility of Charles Wang firing him. This won’t happen, but Milbury will move at least one player – if not two – the moment a decent deal possibility surfaces. Michael Peca is the most likely candidate, although a buyer may not be so easily available.
Newsday’s Alan Hahn reports that the Lightning maintains interest in Roman Hamrlik. A package including Alexander Svitov and/or Fredrik Modin could be headed to Uniondale in return. Mark Parrish is also rumored to be sought by the Thrashers in exchange for Fratesik Kaberle.
Petr Nedved’s handsome mug made New York’s gossip pages along with that of Czech supermodel Veronica Varekova. The delightful duet will be married next July in Prague.
While the NHLPA continues doubting league claims that its losses run to $300 million, we’re told that it could be more and, what’s more, ownership can back up the claim – with nothing to hide!
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| Hamrlik has reportedly caught the attention of Tampa Bay and a deal could be in the works. (AP) |
Or, as one official is putting it at the Owners’ meeting today (Tuesday, Dec. 9) in Palm Beach, “There are too many empty seats in too many places!”
The NHLPA’s overly-hyped October offer didn’t even come close to addressing ownership’s needs, according to one management informant. But it did serve a good p.r. purpose for the Union.
Our condolences to old pal Mike Keenan on his mother’s passing.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: John Tortorella on Alexander Svitov:
“If you’re not going to bring some gawd-damn energy to the game, you can go rot in the minors ... And I’m tired of all the whining from the agents and players.”
Once a media darling, Mario Lemieux is starting to hear it from critics.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Bob Smizik bluntly says, “Lemieux has done nothing to distinguish himself as an owner. Level the playing field all you want, the Penguins can’t succeed with this kind of mismanagement.”
Even loyal and true friends of Bettman, Inc. are beefing about zebra-ineptitude.
One coach tells us, “It’s ridiculous when you have two referees and the one who calls the penalty is on the other side of the rink while the guy watching the play from five feet away doesn’t blow his whistle.”
Fact: The course of too many games is being altered by rank officiating.
Question of The Week: Do you believe Jaromir Jagr when he says he does not want to be traded from Washington?
Answer: Only if you believe the sun rises in the West.
Another telling comment out of the Governors’ meetings: “It’s tougher and tougher and tougher to rescue teams and find new owners."
Some NHL types thought the Mighty Ducks would have been sold by now to the Maloof Brothers – Gavin and Joe – but it hasn’t happened yet.
Claude Lemieux is not considering a comeback. Offseason groin surgery still hasn’t fully healed, leaving Mister Clutch retired in Phoenix. Lemieux regrets never having played a “good-bye” game.
“My biggest disappointment is that my kids never got to see my last NHL game,” says Claude.
If there’s hesitation about staging another outdoor NHL game, it’s because league moguls know it’ll be impossible to duplicate the pure, hockey-like ambience of Edmonton. Forget about Calgary. It’s unpredictable Chinook could kill the idea.
Isn’t it about time for Guy Lafleur to shut up and stop knocking The Game that made him a name? Answer: Oui!
Bad Boy Chris Nilan is looking to return to the NHL as an assistant coach. Lean and trim, Nilan was a surprise entrant in the Heritage Classic
How Come This Insight Didn’t Happen 30 Years Ago Dep’t.:
“Everyone is skating five players backwards now,” says g.m. Larry Pleau. “We are all doing it.”
When Brett Hull is asked who in hockey he’d love to drop the gloves against, the Golden Brett replies, “Mike Keenan!”
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| Lemieux wishes his children could have seen him play. (AP) |
Interesting isn’t it, that not a single Toronto columnist has called for Pat Quinn’s head this week as the T.O. writing jackals did so stupidly a month ago!
How dumb is Mike Comrie’s holdout? This dumb: With NHL rosters soon to be frozen for the Christmas break, Comrie could be frozen out until the New Year – at the earliest!
Mighty Ducks fans are angry at Paul Kariya for shelling out $3,000 for a dinner celebrating Colorado’s win over Anaheim. The irate Ducks rooters have launched a “Beat the Avalanche Fund.” Proceeds will be donated to the charity of the Anaheim player who scores the game-winner against the Avs. The website is www.allducks.com.
Asked to name the best player he’s faced, Sergei Zholtok replies: “Steve Yzerman … Also, Peter Forsberg.”
The Thrashers, Predators and Canucks are making the most of their payrolls. Each ranks higher in the standings than on the payroll chart. Atlanta ($27.7 million) is 27th while Nashville ($23.3 million) is 29th. Vancouver’s $41.9 million is merely middle of the pack. Kudos to Don Waddell, David Poile and Brian Burke.
Flu-schmoo, the reason that Patrick Lalime was scratched last week by the Senators was because John Muckler was not happy with his goaltending.
Speaking of which, are Jean-Sebastien Giguere’s problems because of big-money, big-headedness, or a guy named Martin Gerber?
The running verbal battle between Ken Hitchcock and Jeremy Roenick remains amusing as long as their Flyers are on top. JR’s latest verbal bash of Hitch is over braking up the Flyers’ top line. Hitchcock replaced Mark Recchi with Donald Brashear on the Roenick-Tony Amonte line.
“That's called being a control freak,” says Roenick.
Any slippage in the team’s performance could turn Jeremy’s jibes into a locker room problem.
Although Wang withdrew his bid to buy the NBA New Jersey Nets, the Islanders’ owner could very well renew his offer at a later date, according to a source close to CW. Wang still would very much like to have an NHL and NBA team in a new Nassau Coliseum. If he ever gets the Nets, the new building would happen a lot easier.
Remembering Herbie is a new book by Twin-Cities writer Ross Bernstein, who had been working with Herb Brooks on the coach’s autobiography at the time of his death.
Jonathan Girard, injured in a July auto crash, finally was released from the hospital. However, the Bruins defenseman will need more surgery for the four breaks in his pelvis.
This from Bob Dill, Jr., our man in St. Paul:
“Marion Gaborik and Pascal Dupuis are playing as if they are still holding out!”
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