Derek21

http://tsn.ca/news_story.asp?ID=10505&hubName=main Allison out for the year? tsn.ca Staff 10/30/2002 (tsn.ca) - While Jason Allison may be lost to the Los Angeles Kings for the season, it's not likely that Atlanta defenceman Andy Sutton will be suspended by the league. The NHL hockey operations department has not yet said anything definitively, but sources have told TSN that it's looking as though the league sees Sutton's hit the same as the on-ice game officials saw it. That is, an attempt by Sutton to shoulder check Allison with incidental knee-to-knee contact. Now, there's no disputing that the knee-to-knee contact may have caused significant damage -- if, as suspected, Allison's anterior cruciate ligament is torn he's finished for the season -- but it would appear the league sees it as more incidental than intentional. Related Info Kings win game, lose Allison The Los Angeles Daily News is reporting centre Jason Allison will miss the rest of the year after suffering severe ligament damage to his right knee in last night's tilt with the Atlanta Thrashers. The Kings will only say Allison suffered a sprained knee after a knee-on-knee collision with Andy Sutton. Allison left the arena on crutches with his right leg immobilized in a large blue brace. While the full extent of the injury will not be known until he undergoes an MRI exam this morning in Los Angeles, doctors believe he tore both the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the anterior collateral ligament (ACL). "He definitely has a torn MCL, and there is concern that he has a torn ACL," said Thrashers physician Scott Gillogly, who examined Allison in the Kings' trainers room. "Obviously, the ACL is more serious, but the MCL he tore was a big one, not a two-week injury, more like a month. And if the ACL is torn, you're looking at four to six months." Asked whether that meant Allison could be lost for the season, Gillogly said: "Six months. You do the math." Allison has not missed a game since being acquired from the Boston Bruins last season. "It's serious," Murray said after the game. "It's very serious." While none of the Kings players accused Sutton of attempting to injure Allison, Ian Laperriere fought Sutton shortly after the incident. Said Sutton: "I am sorry that Jason Allison was injured, but that is part of the game and I am a little more concerned right now about the loss." The Kings are already without regulars Aaron Miller and Zigmund Palffy.

DP, I agree with you on the line change stuff. Other elite teams seem to do this. Trotts has been doing this a little bit also. Not sure if it will have the kind of success Colorado had. Welcome back.

GR, did it ever occur to you that the Lightning actually might be good? They just could be.

What's the point of these negative threads? And for the last freaking time, "Weekes is not a backup!!!!!" I'm sick of hearing that it's all luck with him. Why don't you take a look at how he's faring this season. It's similar to Morozov. He used to only light up Brodeur. Now, he scores against other times. Some players take longer to develop/mature. Well, I guess I won't be heard. It's a broken record over and over again.

The correct number for MSG is 18,200. They did not sellout for the Coyotes game. Back to the original topic. Obviously, the announced attendance is not too good but it's down in a lot of other places. Also, what was the point of this thread ?

Sarge and The SBT on why Vancouver doesn't miss Booyah: The Pens traded Markus Naslund for the Legend Of Alek Stojanov. How I recall this trade is very easy. The Pens were in town to play the Rangers one Sunday night. It was an ESPN National Hockey Night game in which our new players (McSorley, Kurri and Churla) were in either their first or second game in Neil Smith's worst ever deal (one in which I have heard Mark Messier forced). The score was so embarrassing at the Garden that Stojanov scored one of his 2 career goals that night. I think it was something like 8 or 9-2. Anyway, that deal wasn't one of Craig Patrick's better ones. The other player that makes Vancouver fans forget Bure is another great one: One day, Islanders g.m. "Mad Mike" Milbury decided to finally give up on Todd Bertuzzi. Not only did he part with him but decided to deal then Isles' Captain Bryan McCabe for all of about 4 months to Vancouver as well. This has to go down as one of the worst deals ever made. Milbury dealt Bertuzzi and McCabe (which became The Sedin Twins when McCabe was packaged to Chicago for two #1's) for Trevor Linden. Somehow, Mad Mike also included a 3rd round pick (Jarkko Ruutu) in the deal as well to sweeten it for a player past his prime. Amazing. So, these two deals opened the door for Vancouver to deal Bure for a much needed #1 defenseman to build around. You know him as Jovocop. *Sigh*

I agree with RD. It's silly to be thinking of any possible deals when your team is off to such a good start. Do people really think Newy's line will be cold forever?

I've always wanted to send Kovalev a hockey card for him to sign. I have almost 100. I was thinking of writing him a letter about how big a fan I am of his and maybe sending two cards. One for him and one to be signed. I also can write in Russian. On igraet xokey ochenb horosho!!!!!

Tucker's a winner. He might be a thug on ice but his style is similar to that of Claude. Go ahead and look at the numbers he puts up.

Devils731, you mean like the good 'ole days of D.J. Dozier, Ryan Thompson, Julio Machado and Julio Valera . On the Yankee front, there was Sam Militello, Wade Taylor and Scott Kamieniecki. Ruben Rivera was "The Next Mantle" as said in the Daily News.

From Newsday comes the truth about the boneheaded ownership that ruined two teams. http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/n...all%2Dheadlines Smith, Checketts Rip Dolan, Cablevision's Approach By Steve Zipay STAFF WRITER October 29, 2002 Since 1997, when Cablevision acquired full control of Madison Square Garden and its teams, the Rangers haven't made the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Knicks also missed the playoffs last spring, and their 2002-03 prospects are bleak. Most of the finger-pointing directed toward Cablevision has come from fans, the media and, privately, from some former executives. Now former Rangers general manager Neil Smith is taking public shots at Cablevision and, in particular, the hands-on strategy of chief executive James Dolan. "Clearly, since Cablevision took over, the teams have been mismanaged," Smith, who was fired in 2000, said in an article in the latest edition of Sports Business Journal. "[Dolan] claims publicly he's not involved, but he's very, very, very, very, very involved. He's more involved than any of the previous owners I had, and that goes back a long time." Although the Rangers, on Smith's watch, won the Stanley Cup in 1994, they struggled in ensuing seasons. Smith said he wasn't allowed to rebuild with younger players and that Dolan ordered him to spend millions to create a contender. "It's my -- money," Dolan would say, according to Smith. He said Dolan told him to trade for Calgary winger Theo Fleury and added that Dolan flew into a rage when Calgary traded Fleury to Colorado late in the 1998-99 season. Smith said Dolan sent him and then-Garden president Dave Checketts on Cablevision's corporate jet that summer to meet Fleury, a free agent, and sign him. "I had to come back with him no matter what ... If I came back without him, I was out," Smith told the Journal. The Rangers signed Fleury to a three-year, $21-million contract, but he scored only 69 goals for them in three seasons, the second of which was marred by substance-abuse problems. "The Cablevision philosophy is like saying, 'I want my company to be the best in the world, so if everybody has one CEO, I'll have 10,'" Smith said. "Imagine 10 CEOs together. We'll be great! But it doesn't work that way in the board room and it doesn't work that way in the locker room." In the article, Checketts, who worked for Cablevision and ITT from 1994 until he also was fired in 2000, said, "My very strong feeling is that big companies should not own teams. It's a very different business than they're used to, and there's no way they can appreciate the culture and chemistry that has to be part of a team to succeed." Smith, who began his Rangers career in 1989, when Paramount owned the teams, disagreed. "I won a Stanley Cup in a corporate culture, with three or four first-place finishes," he said, "and [the Knicks were] one good John Starks game away from winning an NBA title, so I can't be that down on corporations in general."

Madd, it's never too early in a season to be concerned about a goalie. Just look at the situation in Montreal with Theodore. They have played about the same amount of games and already Hackett's getting his 2nd straight start tonight against Anaheim. He might have taken Jose's job. If that can happen to the Vezina/Hart winner, it can happen to Ahonen. And you have to face the facts. Ari's numbers are very shaky so far compared to Clemm's. Blackburn is on a different team. And yes, I am concerned about him.

It is a little odd for one to have two teams and root for them equally. I just wonder if KD is as harsh on the Kings when he posts on this LA board as he is with the Devils. I also think if the Kings played in the East, they would be the favorites to come out of the conference. That team is just awesome. They are a pain in the ass to play against and the only reason they didn't do significant damage the past two playoffs was because of Colorado. That team could very well emerge this season and be in the WCF. It wouldn't surprise me.

Devils731, I was one of the believers in those two jokers. I used to tout them all the time. Then there was Christian Dube.

I disagree Madd Dog. Tucker doesn't take that many penalties and he puts up solid points. He's a good player and probably the best out of the players mentioned. Tucker is today's Claude Lemieux.

Nice article by my mentor! It was excellent and made all the points that needed to be made. Danton can be an asset to the Devils if he follows the rules. If not, then he'll be sent to Siberia.

Puck, the same can be said of the Rats this year. They were so awful last season that they decided to open the wallets and sign veterans to play on the top line. Guys like Darby and Giroux are pacing the team in goals/points. It's no different from the other teams. Every minor league team has vets. The Pack keep Ken Gernander as their Captain every year. Might be just for leadership purposes. The best prospect on them is Garth Murray. He has six points in his first three pro games.

Agreed on Ahonen. He's the one that's highly touted for you guys. On Blackie, I thought he did well in his rookie year. Most of the great saves were on athleticism alone. Blackie seemed much better in the preseason. Just seemed more compact and not wild in his actions. I think his 2 week layoff from injury might have affected him in his first two starts this year. I wouldn't count him out as far as staying with them this year. But he needs a solid outing next time out which should come in one of these next three games. If he continues to struggle, then they might send him to Hartford. But I don't think either Pack goalie is anything special right now.