Theoren Fleury: Hall-worthy?

1084 games, 455 goals, 633 assists, 1088 career points.Friends, Flames' fans, countrymen, lend me your eyes!I come to praise Fleury, not to bury himThe good that hockey players do lives after themThe bad is oft interred in enemies' memories, pffftSo let it be with Fleury.With apologies to Shakespeare and Mark Antony (no, not Mr JLo), I think the case can be made that Theo has to be seriously considered for the Hockey Hall of Fame. I watched with some interest as our brothers in Hockeydom, Oilerfanz (spits) lobbied for Glenn Anderson and rejoiced upon his successful entry into Hockey's shrine. I think Theo's case is similar and I think the case is considerably stronger than, "If Clark Gillies is in, they should let everyone in". A simplistic argument that, even I, may have made and yet may make in the future, but lets at least have a look at the tale of the tape.Anderson was 55th all time in career points scored; Fleury is 56th.Theoren averaged 1.004 pts/game good for 47th all time.51 goals, 104pts, +48 (1st in league in +/-) in 90/91.8 30 goal seasons, and had 29 in 47 games in '94 (strike year).Played in 7 All Star games.11 pts in 22 playoff gms in 89 playoffs for Stanley Cup Champs as a rookie.79 career playoff pts in 77 career playoff gms.67 game winning goals, 37th all time.35 career Short Handed Goals; 9th all time.And like Anderson there are some off ice stuff thats going to hurt his chances. Items on the other side of the ledger, like Theo's suspension, the problems with booze that haunted the late stages of his career, his refusal or inability to get or accept help for his addiction. But hockey-wise, I think he put together a very impressive body of work. Ultimately his HHOF fate may not be decided by his accomplishments or even his off-ice skeletons but rather by who his competition will be for the coveted 4 spots per year. Players not in the Hall right now but who'll be considered in the next few years include; Adam Oates, Doug Gilmour, Luc Robataille, Brett Hull, Dave Andreychuk, Brian Leetch and Phil Housley. His best chance is probably the next 3 or 4 classes before players like Sundin, Modano, Shanahan, Selane, Roenick, Fedorov, Chelios and Forsberg retire and become eligible. Do I think Theo will make it in? I think it'll be VERY close if he does, and I'd probably estimate his chances at no more than 2 in 5. I hope he's not destined to become the best player NOT in the Hall.UPDATESome comments from awildermode spurred me to include the following into the post here, to be more of a complete record of Theo's career.Represented his country in international competition 8 times:Twice in the World Junior tournament, winning a gold medalTwice at the World Championships, winning a silver medal1991 Canada Cup, member of championship team1996 World Cup of Hockey, member of 2nd place teamTwice at the Olympic Games, winning a Gold Medal.Well done, sir.Upperdate:I know, I know, I'm flogging this one a little hard, but I collected the following data and I'll just include it here in this post so all the Fleury stuff will be in one place:Another way to compare Anderson and Fleury is to look at them in their respective primes. The prime years of their careers; the ages of 21-29 ( I chose these years as 'prime' because 21 was the age each player first played a complete season in the and 29 was the last full year for Fleury in Calgary) occured roughly 9 years apart. Anderson's wholly within the high flying eighties and Fleury's overlapping into the dead puck zone.Anderson's prime: 81/82-89/90 359 goals 429 assists 788 pointsFleury's prime: 89/90-97/98 320 goals 407 assists 727 pointsLooked at this way, it appears the players are close but with Anderson getting the edge. But if you look back at their respective eras:Edmonton Oilers total goals for: 81/82-89/90 3489 goalsCalgary Flames total goals for: 89/90-97/98 2447 goalsSo in context, Fleury was gathering his points on a team that was scoring only about 70% of the total goal opportunities that Anderson was a part of. Now, is it Anderson's fault that the Flames didn't score as much as the Oilers? No, but I think any fair observer has to take some of the overall surrounding context into account if and when you compare them. I think if Theoren hadn't lost half of '94/95 season (he was on 100 pt pace) and of course made more of his late career opportunities and had gotten to 500 goals, he'd have eventually gotten into the HHOF, it might have taken a while, but I think (I'm planning a future post about it) the 500 goal threshold is going to get bigger and bigger going forward.Source

SENS HOME OPENER VS. CHAMPS

The released its schedule today, and although we knew this yesterday, the Ottawa Senators will play their home opener on October 11th versus the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Should make for an exciting night.

The Senators start off in Stockholm, Sweden with two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins before playing their home opener. A slew of home games marks the start of the Sens season, as they start with a five game homestand. They will not play their first real road game until October 25th, when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Sydney Crosby will make his only visit to Scotiabank Place on December 6, a game which should be broadcasted on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Alexander Ovechkin will be in town on November 4 and again on January 20 as the Washington Capitals visit the Senators on those dates. This of course assumes Crosby and Ovechkin are both in the lineup on those nights. Those looking to catch their first glimpse at Steven Stamkos will get a chance to do so for the first time on December 13, and again on March 11.

The has wised up and has ensured that all Western Canadian teams will make a visit to Eastern Conference Canadian teams and vice-versa. The Vancouver Canucks will visit first, on February 19, followed by back-to-back visits by the Alberta clubs. The Calgary Flames will visit on March 3, the Edmonton Oilers on March 5. The Senators will take a road trip to the Canadian west while the World Juniors are in action at SBP starting with a game in Calgary on December 27. The will then play in Vancouver the following night (December 28), and then off to Edmonton two nights later, on December 30. The Senators will then open the 2009 portion of their season with a date in Toronto to face the Leafs, rounding out four straight games versus Canadian clubs.

This season marks the first time since the lockout that the Senators will play each team in the league at least once.

The Sens will play an eight game homestand between February 24 - March 11, and in fact, will play 12 of 15 games at home between February 19 and March 21, after which they will play 8 of their final 11 regular season games on the road.

Unfortunately for you kids out there, the Senators play just one home matinee game - November 22 versus the New York Rangers (3pm start).

Hockey Day in Canada will feature Ottawa versus the Montreal Canadiens at 3pm from the Bell Centre. Ottawa will close out their season in Toronto on April 11. Maybe sit Daniel Alfredsson that night!

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NHL free agent signings for July 7, 2008

The Toronto Maple Leafs have re-signed Matt Stajan to a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension.

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed restricted free agent forward R.J. Umberger to a four-year, $15 million contract.

The BJ's have also agreed to terms with centre Michael Peca.

The Calgary Flames have signed forward Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year, $1.95 million contract. Brochu's take: Keenan strikes again. Time to bring Brian Noonan to Cowtown.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Mark Recchi to a one-year, $1.25 million contract. Brochu's take: The Lightning continue to try to sign every single free agent forward on the market. Do they know that they have to play with six or seven defenseman on an team?

The Anaheim Ducks have signed Brendan Morrison to a one or two year deal.

The Ducks also signed goalie David LeNeveu to a one-year contract.

The Philadelphia Flyers signed GM Paul Holmgren to a three-year contract extension and signed right Arron Asham to a multi-year contract.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Ben Lovejoy to a contract. Brochu's take: I'm sure his nickname will be "Reverend".

The Ottawa Senators have signed left wing Ryan Flinn to a two-year contract.
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A Quick FA Analysis (Part 2)

Central Division:

Blackhawks: Despite being guilty of being guilty of drastically overpaying players during this summer's frenzy, the Hawks have made enough of a push to their roster to finally get them over the playoff birth hump. And while that may sound rather enticing to their fans, keep in mind just how much Huet's and Campbell's contracts impede on future raises to this team's youngsters down the road. I personally felt that this team was ready to make a playoff appearance, regardless.

Blue Jackets: Although Umberger had a fine playoff, he is hardly a guy I would want to bank on as a #1 centreman. But with that said, the improvements made to their defensive game happens to be right up head coach Hitchcock's alley. The real question that remains, is if newcomer Kristian Huselius will buy in to the system, or not. Look for a team that is much harder to play against, giving them a real chance to burst their non-playoff bubble.

Red Wings: Barring injury, the Red Wings give us real reason to believe in a team's chances at winning back to back cups, than the Ducks, Hurricanes or Lightning did before them. Even in a worst case scenario where Hossa plays extra soft to ensure he does not end up hurt in a one year contract term, or if Conklin returns to the days of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit simply did not give up anything of note from last season's champion team. Look for records to be broken this season.

Predators: Due to the recent developments regarding Alexander Radulov, the Predator's chances are completely up in the air. And while there is still a possibility in getting this youngster back in the ranks for one more season, if his heart isn't in Nashville, what would be the point? And when you compound that with Sullivan's health issues and ownership legality troubles, this might be too much for one of the League's best managing teams to be able to overcome.

Blues: Beyond playing tug o' war with the Vancouver Canucks, the Blues didn't do a whole lot this summer other than trade for Chris Mason formerly of the Nashville Predators. And while the future looks brighter each and every passing day, the present does not. Don't be afraid to book a vacation this coming spring if you are a fan of the Blues. You won't be missing out on anything.

Projected Standings:

Wings: 118 pts
Blackhawks: 95 pts
Blue Jackets: 92 pts
Predators: 81 pts
Blues: 77 pts

Northwest Division:

Flames: I was quite impressed with the offseason maneuvering of the Calgary Flames this summer. And I could see a line up that consists of Cammaleri, Burtuzzi, Glenncross, and Bourque, etc. giving them close to 10 more points on the season and possibly upward to 30 more goals for. I think many will be pleasantly surprised by a team that appeared to go under the radar these past few months.

Avalanche: All signs point toward a disaster year. Even if Joe Sakic decides to come back to the team. And whoever decided on Budaj and Raycroft as a tandem, will surely not have a job this time next year. But as a whole, this team gave up on too much talent and replaced it with too many question marks. And that goes right up to the head coaching position.

Oilers: Kevin Lowe went a second straight summer looking to use other methods to retool his team, other than relying on the frenzy. And twice now he has accomplished that feat, this time through trades. While moves to bring in Cole, Visnovsky and Strudwick have raised some eyebrows out there, I have my doubts.

Wild: Though the Wild may have said goodbye to both Demitra and Rolston, they did manage to pick up a bunch of serviceable, if not household names in Miettinen, Brunette, Nolan, Locke, Zidlicky, Bergeron, etc. And despite the fact that there isn't much reason to believe in an improvement in the standings this season, I believe they have accomplished enough to keep on par with seasons past.

Canucks: The Canucks desperately needed to make a splash this summer in order to justify the replacement of Nonis with Gillis. And although they did attempt to leapfrog over rival teams by offering Mats Sundin a handsome amount of money, realistically all they have to show for this offseason is Demitra and Wellwood. Both of which are not nearly enough to expect a much improved offensive side of their game. Really, Sundin would be a nice piece to their puzzle, but Gillis should have taken a more practical approach in augmenting the changing of the guard with names such as Naslund, Morrison and Linden on their list of departed. And unfortunately diving into the game of offersheets with a measly offer to Backes isn't going to win Gillis any friends should he look towards a trade to salvage this offseason.

Projected Standings:

Flames: 104 pts
Wild: 95 pts
Oilers: 90 pts
Avalanche: 87 pts
Canucks: 80 pts

Pacific Division:

Ducks: The success of the Ducks offseason hasn't been completely written just of yet. Really it will all hinge on what they can muster up as a return for vet D-man Schneider. However it is doubtful that they will receive enough back considering that they are still somewhat tied to their cap. As of now, the defense looks solid, but having lost out on Penner, McDonald, Selanne and Bertuzzi since they last won a cup, Brendan Morrison simply isn't going to be enough up front. Look for a team with little offensive depth this upcoming year. Sound familiar, Canuck fans?

Stars: Having added the anti-christ in Sean avery, the youtube wonder in Fabian Brunnstrom and a full season of Brad Richards up front, the Stars appear to be the wild card in the West. Coming off an impressive playoff, it is not yet in stone if this team can build on the season before. But at this point in time, there is plenty of reason to remain optimistic.

Kings: The's decision to keep junior phenom out of this year's draft, may prove to be an exercise in futility. For there was little doubt that he would have gone 2nd overall to the Kings, where he will no doubt be going to anyway, as far as this offseason seems to be shaping up. Having given up on Cammaleri, Visnovsky, Nagy and Blake, only to have Stoll to show for it, there really is only one thing left to say. I hope he can coach in between taking face-offs.

Coyotes: Perhaps it was decided that the goaltending of Bryzgalov opened up an opportunity to relieve the team of some of it's defense to acquire a guy like Jokinen to the team. But in my opinion, the acquisition of Jokinen was no more sensible than the plans of the Tampa Bay Lightning to focus strictly on offense when they were ready to improve in that area from within already. Don't expect any more Gretzky for Jack Adams rumors this year.

Sharks: I've heard a lot of critics make some noise about what the Sharks gave up to acquire Boyle and Lukowich out of Tampa. But if Boyle can play a healthy season, I suspect that he will prove to be far better than any of the defenders that were plucked out of free agency this summer. And when you add to that the acquisition of Rob Blake, the defense looks all that much better without taking a chunk out of the offense, like teams such as the Panthers and Jackets have. Put all of that together with a new coaching philosophy and the Sharks may just live up to expectation this season.

Projected Standings:

Sharks: 112 pts
Stars: 101 pts
Ducks: 93 pts
Coyotes: 88 pts
Kings: 70 pts

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overall Standings:

East:

Canadiens: 108 pts
Flyers: 99 pts
Capitals: 97 pts
Bruins: 97 pts
Devils: 96 pts
Senators: 95 pts
Rangers: 94 pts
Panthers: 93 pts (more wins)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leafs: 93 pts
Penguins: 92 pts
Lightning: 91 pts
Hurricanes: 88 pts
Islanders 82 pts
Sabres 75 pts
Thrashers: 73 pts

West:

Wings 118 pts
Sharks: 112 pts
Flames: 104 pts
Stars: 101 pts
Wild: 95 pts
Blackhawks 95 pts
Ducks: 93 pts
Blue Jackets: 92 pts
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oilers: 90 pts
Coyotes: 88 pts
Avalanche: 87 pts
Predators: 81 pts
Canucks: 80 pts
Blues: 77 pts
Kings: 70 pts
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Update Attempt #969,364,690

But seriously...CUT IT OUT LJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Brian Rafalski lives next door to my aunt and uncle!!!!!!!!!!!! *flails...dies*

Why I am JUST NOW finding out about this remains a mystery. Of course, this is the same aunt (my dad's sister) who, probably to this very day, cannot remember what college I went to. Mind you, I'm the oldest grandchild (on that side) by about 5 years! It's not like a freakin' gaggle of us went to college at the same time or anything! Just me!!! My grandparents (her parents) had these Adrian College sweaters that they wore ALL THE DAMN TIME!!!!

Jesus woman...buy a clue!

Remember that meme answer I gave about holding a grudge? Yeah.
I am NOT being a Drama!Queen! STFU!!!!!

Oh, another thing...they fucking got to see the Cup!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They're not even hockey fans, fer crissakes! Bastids! *GRRRRs at the injustice of it all*
*plots to live in my aunt's backyard, with or with her knowledge and/or consent*

My Uncle Mike said that Brian is really just a nice, cool, low-key, humble guy. That always makes me happy to hear.

2. The Lawnmower Man (aka the Beer!Fairy) visited yesterday! No beer this time, but he did cut my grass, fertilize, and sprayed all my flowers! Some damn bugs have decided that I'm running an all-you-can-eat salad bar over here.
*squishes evol!bugs**

3. Steve's coming to Michigan in May 2009!!!!! *flails* ames1010 has all the deets on her LJ. It's for a great cause, plus...STEEEEEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. I ordered new checks and a new checkbook cover in April. The cover FINALLY arrived. *shit-eating grin*

5. I've jumped on the Veronica Mars bandwagon. I've watched the first 12 episodes and I'm LOVING it!

Only, dope that I am, when I re-arranged my Netflix queue (to put JDM's cute little ass at #1), I forgot to move up the rest of the VM S1 discs. Now I'm anxiously awaiting the rest to arrive. Got another one today!!!! I'm all aboard the LoVe train, especially after seeing Jason Dohring in Moonlight.

6. Over the weekend, I watched the 3 Netflix movies I had sitting here: JDM's Hott!Ass! err, P. S. I love You, 30 Days of Night, and 28 Weeks Later.

A. P. S. I love You was pretty good. Not too sad, with plenty of Pretties! Gerard Butler, the above-mentioned JDM (and his lovely tush), James Marsters, Harry Connick Jr., and Dean Winters. Bonus points for Gina Gershon, Kathy Bates, and Lisa Kudrow. However, Hilary Swank really bugged me. I don't know if it's because I'm not a big HS fan or because the character was such a cranky bee-yotch to sweet and gorgeous Gerry. Yes, I am shallow. At least I'm in good company! *wink*

B. 30 Days of Night: a pretty okay vampire yarn. Lots of blood and gore (which always makes me happy), but the vampires were rather...ahem...toothless for my taste. There really wasn't much plot and the lead fang really annoyed me. The other fangs all looked kind of inbred (which, duh, I guess they kinda ARE) and made this really creepy, inhaling-screamy noise. However, on the plus side, there was Josh Hartnett. Now, Josh doesn't strike me as Oscar material (at least not in movies like this and Halloween: H2O), but he's pretty easy on the eyes here and in the limited extras, he comes across as a really nice guy.

That being said, as big a vampire freak as I am, 30DoN is NOT a dvd I will purchase. Has anyone read the comics it's based on? If so, are they any good? I see them at my comics store all the time, but haven't really looked at them.

Side note: the wife of one of my comics guys is a HUGE Supernatural fan!

C. 28 Weeks Later. I absolutely ADORE 28 Days Later (yes, adore!), so I was excited to see this sequel. It's actually pretty damn good! Buckets of blood! Angst! Cute Hero!!!! Not as great at 28DL, but it comes close. My only problem is that there were some characters I got attached to that didn't make it at the end and it bummed me out. *shrugs* Gotta expect it in a movie like this, I guess.

Also, Robert Carlyle is one of the leads. I really like this actor, but he creeped me right the HELL out in Ravenous (another flick I highly recommend), so it's hard for me to watch him in 28WL. Here, he manages to make me hate him in about the first 5 minutes and then, later, scares the beejeesus out of me.

7. The second Winter Classic is going to be played between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings!! W00T!! The WC is played outside...how cool is that?!?! *pun not intended* The 2009 WC will be played on New Year's Day at Wrigley Stadium. This Wings fan will definitely be checking into tickets.
GO WINGS!

8. Bozo the Clown died! Somewhere, Sam Winchester is celebrating.

9. HOCKEY! HOCKEY! HOCKEY!

A. Detroit Red Wings: We signed Stuart to a 4-year deal, Lilja to 2 years, picked up the Pens' backup netminder (Conklin), AND got Marian Hossa for a year.
Stuart = GLEE!
Lilja = I love him, but would not have been that upset had he been moved...at least, not upset like I was over losing Legace, Williams, and Lang. Lilja needs to improve on some things. However, I still think he's a hottie, so Shallow!Raputa is happy that he's staying in Hockeytown for 2 more years.
Conklin = Yay! Although I don't know what this means for Howard (who still needs to be signed). Guess it'll be a Battle for the Pipes come training camp.
Hossa = This one I really don't know what to think. A lot of Pens' fans are uber pissed about it though. Plus, $7.45 million is a lot of damn cabbage!
Filppula went to salary arbitration yesterday. The Wings and his agent are negotiating. The plus is that other teams can't send him an offer sheet while he's under arbitration. My money's on Fils coming back. He's a great, young player and is well-loved here.

We still need to sign Ericsson, Quincey, Chelios, Downey, McCarty, Howard, and Hartigan. Drake's a Free Agent, but I have a feeling he'll retire now that he's got his name on the Cup. Cheli will take less money to keep playing and will probably play fewer minutes. I think they should sign him because he's still got skillz and he's got a great presence in the locker room. He's a good mentor for the younger guys coming up.

DMac and Downey are 2 dudes we definitely need to sign! Hartigan, Ericsson, and Quincey are some talented young legs that we should keep a hold of.

B. Dallas Stars: They picked up Sean Avery for 4 years! Now, I liked Avery when he was a Wing, but that boy never shuts his freakin' yap! That's why he is one of the premier agitators in the league. Plus, for all the bitching everybody does about him, dude's got skillz. psychoactivtoad, dollars to donuts I'll be pitching a fit about him when we play the Stars this season.

He and Stars' co-GM Brett Hull played together for the Wings, so Hully knows what Sean can do.

The Stars also picked up Garrett Stafford from the Grand Rapids Griffins. I'm really only mentioning this 'cuz Stafford's kinda cute and he played 2 games for the Wings.

C. Minnesota Wild: The Wild picked up Zidlicky from the Predators and signed Owen Nolan (formerly of the Flames) to a multi-year contract. They let go of Rolston (to the Lightning) for a conditional pick in the 2009 or 2010 entry draft. Sorry whimsywinx and oceantriana, thems the only names I really recognize!

D. San Jose Sharks: tariel22's Sharkie-poos scooped up Todd McClellan for their Head Coach position like the day after the Wings won the Cup! He'll bring some good leadership to the Sharkie-poos' bench. Good Luck, Todd! We'll miss you!

The S-Ps also re-signed goalie Brian Boucher, Jody Shelley, Joe Pavelski, Jeremy Roenick, and picked up Rob Blake from the Kings.

E. Nashville Predators: The best thing the Preds did was to re-sign goalie Dan Ellis (but they dumped Chris Mason on the Blues). Although, if I find out that Dan was the douche bag who was whining about octopi-goo during the Playoffs, my affection for him will wither and die.

They also locked in Shea Weber and Ryan Suter for a few more years.

I INTERRUPT THIS BLOG TO LAUGH MY ASS OFF: the Calgary Flames just signed that Uber!Asshole! Turd Buttuzzi! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *cough*

F. Buffalo Sabres: They signed Lalime to another 2 years, but that's pretty much ALL they did! Well, they got a couple of draft picks from Vancouver for 2009 and 2010, and re-signed Goustad (excuse you!). They also picked up Rivet (ummm...who?) from the Sharkie-poos. Sorry, sarie_wanderer, I really know nothing about the Sabres roster, except I know who Lalime is. *grin*

G. Phoenix Coyotes: The 'Yotes picked up Sauer and Federuk, and re-signed Matt Jones. More dudes I never heard of, panns.

H. Pittsburgh Penguins: HOLY CRAP! The Pens have signed SATAN to play for them!!!

Err...ummm...yeah. Ooopsies! By SATAN, I mean Miroslav Satan (SHAH-than or shuh-TAN), not Lucifer, m'kay?! *snicker*

The Pens also re-signed Fluery (good move), Orpik, Malkin, and DuPuis.

Remember kids...training camp starts in September!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Flisters;
If I missed your hometown team
and you would like me to keep
you updated, please let me know!
I'm happy to do so, even during the
season. My allegiance may be to
the Mighty Red Wings, but I truly
love the sport of hockey.
Checkingly Yours,
Raputa

Be sure to check out Stanley's Summer Vacation! That blog gets updated on Tuesdays and Fridays.

10. Burn Notice on Thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh Michael! How I've missed you!

11. Gabe Tigerman and Samantha Smith (Mary Winchester) have been added to the Chicago Con guest list!!!! I hope they get Alona again, she was great.

12. Works sucks, as per usual. I have to go in early all this week because the Boss & SIL are gone. Boss's daughter got married (in freakin' ITALY!). *shrugs* Whatevs. I'll sleep when I'm dead.

13. Has anybody read Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros books (Brothers! W00T!)? They look interesting and I added them to my Amazon wishlist, along with the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer that I've seen people talking about.

Alrighty then. I must eat something and drag my carcass off too bed. Toodles!


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Roberts signs

The Lightning signed left wing Gary Roberts to a one-year contract that will pay $1.2-million in base salary and pay him $10,000 for every game he plays, which could bring his compensation up to $2-million.

Here is the team's announcement:

The Lightning has signed left wing Gary Roberts to a one-year contract, owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie announced. Roberts was acquired along with Ryan Malone from Pittsburgh Saturday in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009.

“When meeting the media and our fans last week in Tampa we talked about not leaving Steven Stamkos alone,” owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie said. “We talked about being aggressive at the start of the free agency signing period. We think Gary’s signing today represents a great first step for us. He brings the Lightning leadership, tenacity, grit and experience and he will be great for our young players, especially Steven. He will be tremendous for the locker room and his ability to play different roles at the forward position will be beneficial to the team next season.”

A 20-year veteran and former Stanley Cup Champion, Roberts played in 38 games with Pittsburgh last season. The three-time All-Star recorded three goals and 15 points with 40 penalty minutes, and also played in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games recording two goals and four points.

A 6-foot-2, 215-pound native of North York, Ontario, Roberts is a veteran of 1,194 career games with Calgary, Carolina, Toronto, Florida and Pittsburgh. He has amassed 434 career goals, 903 points, 107 power play goals and 51 game-winning goals. He has broken the 20-goal barrier in 16 of his 20 seasons, including two 30-goal seasons, two 40-goal seasons and a 50-goal season. Roberts, 42, has played in 130 career playoff games, recording 32 goals and 93 points. He recorded 12 points in 22 playoff games as he helped the Calgary Flames capture the 1989 Stanley Cup title.

[Getty Images]

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