EHM The Blue Line

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=187971&hubName=nhl

One-year deal, no word on the value as far as I've seen. Could be a good linemate for Havlat?

That's what they are hoping.

This is another "signal" signing by GM Puhlford that they've officially lost patience on their "rebuilding"/"youth movement" so the first step was to lose Yawney who wanted young guys to get time now the next step is to bring in past their prime veterans to clog the lineup so that your talented kids that are the future and only hope of the organization can't find any playing time.

GM Pully I'm sure advised his boy Billy that with this and the return of Havlat they could still maybe squeek out that 8th slot! Welcome back to 1995.

Can't.......stop.......laughing.


And neither can Bondra on the way to the bank. My god, maybe there is a reason that 29 other teams have showed no interest in this guy for the last year? NAH, he is the next one.

Now if he comes and helps the Hawks win I will deny saying this. Ever.

batdad wrote:My god, maybe there is a reason that 29 other teams have showed no interest in this guy for the last year?

Maybe it's the same reason 29 other teams wanted nothing to do with Yanic Perreault?

Speaking of no interest. How's it going with Brian Leetch? Is he a free agent avalible for anyone to sign or has he retired? If so, why don't someone sign him? Same goes with Chris Therien (Hatcher-light though).

Yeah, same reason as Perreault.
16 games does not make a player. What about the rest of his hapless career? has he ever helped a team become a winner? Nope.

Ask Kris Kontos, John Druce, Jim Carey or now Taylor Pyatt. Just cause you have a hot start to a season does not mean the weaknesses in your game will not start to show. For Perreault and Bondra, those would be everything on their own side of center ice. How many times have the top scorers in the NHL through November been guys you have never heard of, who are at best 3rd liners on a hot streak. Then all of a sudden at the middle of December the "real" players are at the top again, and the flash in a pan is nowhere to be seen. Hot starts mean nothing.

batdad wrote:Hot starts mean nothing.

Exactly, this is ye olde be very wary of small statistical samples. Also bring out your favorite cliche of the NHL season being very verrry long and other teams have a tendancy to make adjustments... it indeed is a marathon, not a sprint.

To get back on the specific topic though, this is a gargantuanly horrible singing that has the stench of "push for the Holy Grail of the 8th playoff spot" for the Wirtzford Dynasty alllllll over it They said they wanted more scoring, as if being succesful is that easy. Well success is relative for any Hawks team, relative to Wirtz' bottom line. So this deal doesn't in any way surprise me, because if you can get your head around their twisted logic it is actually expected.

batdad wrote:Yeah, same reason as Perreault.
16 games does not make a player. What about the rest of his hapless career? has he ever helped a team become a winner? Nope.

Ask Kris Kontos, John Druce, Jim Carey or now Taylor Pyatt. Just cause you have a hot start to a season does not mean the weaknesses in your game will not start to show. For Perreault and Bondra, those would be everything on their own side of center ice. How many times have the top scorers in the NHL through November been guys you have never heard of, who are at best 3rd liners on a hot streak. Then all of a sudden at the middle of December the "real" players are at the top again, and the flash in a pan is nowhere to be seen. Hot starts mean nothing.

You're right of course, but all my saying is let's give the devil his due. For $500K, if Bondra scores 15 - 20 goals and winds up with 35 - 40 points then it was a worth while signing. If he does nothing then it's still only a small loss. Given the state of the Blackhawks and all the injury problems they had early on, I don't see this signing as a big risk at all. There are a number of players past their prime that are still performing at a reasonable level in the NHL.

The problem here is what it signifies for the organization and what hsi being on the roster represents in as they call it the "opportunity cost". Yeah 500k is nbd for a guy who could give you 15-20 goals, doesn't make it a smart move or the move that should have been/would have been made by a team in the same postion not run by clueless ownership stuck in the sixties and to the almighty bottomline.

Instead of just admitting it's over and this year doesn't actually matter and bringing up Bolland for example and saying "well kid, it's all you... let's see what you can do we know our coach is great with young guys anyhow and next year maybe you can really step up as an actual NHLer" they fire Yawney promote and extend the contract of Savard and since they "need more offense" they sign Methusala.

So the opportunity cost is that this time is more valuable to give NHL experience to a highly skilled young player as opposed to clogging the depth chart for a guy that might help you win a handful more insignificant games this season. It also gives them yet another excuse to push Ruutu to the 2nd line just in case they haven't totally killed his will to live and/or potential yet.

Signing Bondra isn't stopping the Hawks from calling up Bolland, there are other guys they could waive/cut to make room if they want to bring him up.

Obviously Wirtz/Pulford don't much care for or even have a clue about what rebuilding and shaping for the future means. It's a shame what they're doing to that organization, and it's unfortunate that both of them will probably be around ruining things for a long time yet.

I'm almost afraid to think this, but I'm sure they'll find a way to ruin Toews or at least impair his career.

BruceM wrote:Signing Bondra isn't stopping the Hawks from calling up Bolland, there are other guys they could waive/cut to make room if they want to bring him up.

There you go thinking they'd do something sensible again

Oh and they have many a player to ruin before they get to Toews... He might even become the 'throw in' for a deal to rid themselves of a salary or something

told you Minty..Morrison is available here. And better yet, Marc Chouinard...hey he is a power play specialist. Would look great with Havlat and Bondra.

Hey Minty, isn't it time to make a petition claiming for the resignation of Wirtz as a chairman and a life banishment from hockey...

Just write it, and be sure i'll sign!

Can we make it retroactive to say 1969?

Minstrel wrote:Can we make it retroactive to say 1969?

No matter what happened Important things are now and in the future And with Wirtz at the head, the Hawks just have no future for some decades

Game 1 as a Hawk - 15 shifts, 11:54 ice time, 3 shots, 1 goal.

I'm sure Wirtzy and Pulford are patting themselves on the back this morning - ugh, makes me want to puke

BruceM wrote:Game 1 as a Hawk - 15 shifts, 11:54 ice time, 3 shots, 1 goal.

I'm sure Wirtzy and Pulford are patting themselves each other on the "back" this morning - ugh, makes me want to puke

Fixed it for you

Edit: That also made me think of the infamous Wirtz and Pully on the merry-go-round picture so I reworked it into a new av too. Here's the other one I'd used for a while and you saw my 'burning Hawk' earlier... all of them are like four years old now I notice from the file dates and not a darn thing has changed.

Of course something has changed Minty. Bobby and Billy are both older, wiser and fatter BFF's. Oh, and so are their players. YUK YUK YUK

VOTE FOR BONDRA!!!! NHL ALL STAR!!

Simply shocking I tell you - Leclair has been an FA for 2 whole days now and Pulford hasn't signed him yet. How does he expect to compete for a play-off spot without Leclair in his line-up?

They've already got the eight slot all wrapped up witht he inpirational new coach and the "veteran leadership" and "extra firepower" of Bondra. No need to bring in Leclair too, that's just wasting money and you won't see Dollar Bill doing that.