8/21/2007

Any greatness left?


With almost two months passed since the UFA circus began, there are still a few high profile names out there. A healing Peter Forsberg has sparked an interest from several teams, including Vancouver, Detroit and Ottawa. In addition to that his previous teams Colorado, Philadelphia and Nashville are also in the hunt for his signature. The injury prone forward is a gamle and every one knows it. He could end up playing 30-40 games scoring around as many points. However, he could just as well be the one to tip the scale, pushing that team all the way to the cup.

Eric Lindros seems to be heading for retirement as a player. I think his main motivation and future is with the NHLPA, which he is putting a lot of work into. Healthy or not, these days he is only average as a player, a shadow of the guy who once led the Legion of Doom.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have shown an interest in Michael Peca, and that seems like a good fit to me. They have an up and coming team with lots of young players. A great defensive-minded veteran like Peca is just what they need. Granted he's not the player he was ten years ago (who is?), I still think he has a couple of miles left.

Last but not least, Ed Belfour has been rumored to be heading to Sweden to play for Leksand Stars in the second division (not the Elite League as stated by TSN.ca). I seriously doubt the truthness to this claim, and I also hope for it to be untrue. I can se it now.. Belfour is paid way to much (as a crowd pleaser) and ends up playing a handful of games before breaking the contract and flying back to Canada after some drunken brawl with some locals somewhere in Sweden. As a supporter of Leksand I am hoping the Eagle will see that it is time to finally draw the curtain on a fantastic carreer.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good article!

As for Peter Forsberg I'm only gonna say the following. Great player. Great career. Great Swede. Great guy period. But PUH-LEASE for the love of...whatever...stick a fork in him, he's done. Don't wanna hear about another organ transplant or his global skate shop tour. Nuff said.

This deviates a bit from topic but the coolest goal I ever saw #21 score was actually not in the NHL but at the 1996 World Cup in Stockholm versus the Finns. Bleepin awesome!!

Not sure if I want a paragraph on Eric Lindros to outlast the Forsberg piece so I'll (try) to make it short and sweet. It really is nothing but poetic justice this former Hart Trophy winner never captured the Cup. Thanks to Mommy and Daddy, the Big E simply grew up too late. When he finally matured, he was a damage good but that's what happens when you start your career in belief that you're made out of rubber.

As far Michael Peca, I gotta say I love the guy. One of my all-time favorite skaters hands down. But I must say that in anno 2007 he's riding on fumes. Not sure if he's got much left in the tank. He's actually never hit the 30-goal plateau in his career. What was his regular season goal total with the Oilers two years ago? Six or something? (Not counting last year's stint with the Leafs as he was basically sidelined the whole time)

Peca's heydays were in the late nineties in Buffalo and some will say his reputation secured him a roster spot on Canada's gold-medal 2002 Olympic team. Nonetheless, it'd be fun seeing him in Ohio with the Jackets. Especially after Rick Nash gave him a doze of his own medicine with a thunderous open-ice hit two years ago.

If he does sign with Columbus, a pattern clearly appears as it seems like Peca, in this stage of his career, is looking to join forces with "old foes" each season. Last year with Colin Tucker and this fall with Nash. Food for thought.

I'm only gonna waste one word on Ed Belfour: PUNK.

Niklas Olsson said...

Thanks!

In hindsight I regret spending such a large portion of the article on Belfour, but hey, that might be the very last I will ever write about the guy (Man, I just wasted another paragraph on him!)

Of course I remember the goal you mentioned and it was so sweet. Sundin also had a great goal in that awesome game. My all time favorite effort from Forsberg is Game 2 of the 96 final series against Florida, when he scored three goals within 10 minutes in the first period.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, you don't have to comment but I just wanted to tell you I love this - "Belfour is paid way to much (as a crowd pleaser) and ends up playing a handful of games before breaking the contract and flying back to Canada after some drunken brawl with some locals somewhere in Sweden." There is so much truth to that statement! He really needs to hang 'em up!

I agree with the 1st comment - Lindros whole career suffered due to his lack of maturity. I was reading about him on another site and the writer listed the players Philadelphia traded away for him. All I can say is holy sh!t! I forgot the price tag for him. Yet, we all know who really won in that deal. Poor Eric, if only he would have been a man and accepted Quebec, who knows how his situation may be now.

Great work kid, keep it up!

Anonymous said...

Nik, I was just wondering what you thought about the new NHL jerseys. Wouldn't mind reading your opinion on the new jersey designs. The one's you like, the one's that are just awful.

Niklas Olsson said...

So I give you my opinion..