Blackhawks’ Black Summer
Well…to say that the Chicago Blackhawks have had an interesting offseason would be quite the understatement. After a very impressive season and playoff run that took them to the Western Conference Finals, it seems that about anything odd, bizarre or negative that could happen to them…has.
They lost the team’s leading scorer and MVP Martin Havlat, who signed with Minnesota as a UFA.
They replaced his spot in the lineup by inking Marion Hossa to a 12-year, $62.8 million deal…who will now undergo surgery to repair a damaged shoulder and will likely miss 4 months of the season.
Oh, and that contract of Hossa’s?… well it is being investigated by the NHL to see if it’s running afoul of the team’s salary cap and/or violation the current collective bargaining agreement.
How very special.
And not to be forgotten is the fact that just a month ago, then Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon came under scrutiny when the NHLPA accused the team of not submitting qualifying offers to their restricted free agents before the deadline…including Kris Versteeg. Despite being able to re-sign the players before action could be taken…it lead to the demotion of Tallon to the position of Senior Advisor.
Scotty Bowman’s son Stan was then promoted to GM.
Then…just about the time Rick Dudley had to be thinking to himself, “Gee, looks like I got out of there just in time”…we learn of last weekend’s incident in Buffalo, NY involving their prize forward Patrick Kane, Kane’s cousin and a Taxi cab driver. The police report files states that the two beat the cab driver over a dispute involving 20 cents in change.
Yes, these are special times indeed for hockey fans of the windy city.
Now, it is yet to be seen just what…if anything…will come of these charges. However, the lawyer representing the cab driver…now identified as 62-year old Jan Radeki… has already moved to try and smooth things out.
“There was a dispute over the fee and it just kind of escalated from there,” Radeki’s attorney Andrew LoTempio told Chicago’s WGN radio on Monday. “It was not really a robbery. That is probably a large distortion of what happened…I think we should be able to work things out.
When asked if thought what took place between his client and the two Kanes was a felony, he responded, “Absolutely not”.
So maybe all this can be worked out between the two parties in kind of a “can’t we all just get along” sorta way.
Regardless, this is just another entry in a bizarre summer for a Blackhawks organization that had taken great strides over the course of the past couple of years to place themselves back into the upper tier of the NHL clubs. For them, even more than other teams, this summer can’t end soon enough and the season just can’t get here quick enough.
As for Kane himself…well…certainly he is young enough to be able to recover from a PR standpoint. Maybe not alllllll the way back, mind you…but most of the way at least. But this could cost him plenty in endorsements dollars I’m sure.
I’m also quite positive that Kane will feel the cold, brutal wrath of opposing team’s fans when the Hawks are on the road this year. There will no doubt be signs reading, “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime, or Two?”… “Please Don’t Beat Me With Your KANE”….or, “Citizen Arrest Kane”.
It’s to be expected I suppose.
And possibly when the Blackhawks are on a road trip, some club will make sure that game is advertised to be Cab Drivers Appreciation Night where all cabbies got discount tickets and the team skates out on the ice to the theme song to the TV sitcom “Taxi”.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, no…Chicago does not play in Philips this season.
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87 comments Add your comment
Toby
August 11th, 2009
2:32 pm
Traverse City’s line-ups and schedule are here
http://www.redwingscentral.com/camps/2009-10/rosters/atlanta.php
krebs
August 11th, 2009
2:32 pm
The dispute was over 15$?? How stupid could he be. But it does not sound like a big deal. I hope we have a good year this year. If not I fear Kovy could be gone. I have high hopes for the next several years. Reason- Dudley. He is known as a builder (Chicago).
GaVaHokie
August 11th, 2009
2:33 pm
Perhaps it’s been Grossman dishing out numbers and Waddell not coming back yet with anything… that would still be contract discussions, i suppose.
Perhaps Waddell is still getting a ballpark figure from management of what they’re willing to spend… that would be contract discussions as well.
I’m not surprised or disheartened that Kovy “hasn’t heard anything yet.”
GaVaHokie
August 11th, 2009
2:37 pm
Toby… good find, thanks!
That roster looks great! Here is the Dallas roster…
http://www.redwingscentral.com/camps/2009-10/rosters/dallas.php
Buzilla in CT
August 11th, 2009
2:58 pm
this is from Yahoo! sports regarding our Mr. Lets them in
“The Thrashers’ season never truly seems to begin until goalie Kari Lehtonen(notes) suffers an injury. In that case, it’s “Game On!” in Atlanta.
Not long after Lehtonen arrived at the team’s training facility in Duluth, Ga., the oft-injured Finn was headed out of the back door to deal with his latest medical issue. This time it was surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back. Lehtonen, who recently signed a one-year, $3-million qualifying offer to remain with the team, began to complain of back pain soon after he began working out with the club. If anything, that gives you a clear indication of just how little Lehtonen works out on his own during the off-season.
Thrashers general manager Don Waddell said the injury is related to Lehtonen’s back injury suffered during the first month of the 2008-09 season. The fact that it took until now for the 25-year-old Lehtonen to realize that he wasn’t fully healthy, is yet another black mark on his less-than-stellar NHL resume.
While Waddell termed the procedure “common” and said Lehtonen could be back on the ice by late August, back surgeries often affect different athletes in different ways. Recovery time is largely dependent upon how hard the patient wants to work during his rehabilitation period. And if there has been one consistent knock against Lehtonen throughout his young career, it’s his work ethic, or lack thereof. For a butterfly-style goalie like Lehtonen, who relies on his lower body strength to get up and down quickly, a nagging back condition could significantly impact his playing time.
If Lehtonen isn’t able to return to top form quickly, look for the Thrashers to give Ondrej Pavelec(notes) more playing time along with backup Johan Hedberg(notes). And with Lehtonen only on a one-year contract, Pavelec’s play could determine which one Waddell uses as trade bait during the season.”
Pam on Weck
August 11th, 2009
3:04 pm
From a certain point of view, Kovy really does the team and the fans a favor by waiting. He sends a message that we need to improve. It may not initially seem a positive thing for the ASG’s bottom line, but that’s short-term savings vs. long-term investment with potential dividends.
R. Stroz
August 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
On the Lehtonen front, Lehtonen is starting to make stendec look intelligent.
On the cabbie front, it looks like the character assassination of the cabbie has already begun. Just because the cabbie has screwed up, doesn’t give Kane and his cousin the right to knock him around for 20 cents.
polskidawg
August 11th, 2009
3:29 pm
Patrick “Walking” Kane
The Earl of Bud
August 11th, 2009
3:50 pm
“it looks like the character assassination of the cabbie has already begun. Just because the cabbie has screwed up, doesn’t give Kane and his cousin the right to knock him around for 20 cents.”
RS, while it doesn’t give them the right to do that, legally it makes it awful difficult to win a “he said, she said” argument that this may ultimately come down to if it goes to court. This cabbie has probably been advised of that and is probably why he is changing his tune now after being videotaped talking about his nose and glasses being broken. Remember, it’s not what you know, it’s what you can prove. With his credibility being what it is now he will have a hard time testifying.
The Earl of Bud
August 11th, 2009
4:11 pm
Jeremy Morin and my cousin Vinny Saponari both made the cut for the US jr team. They will play 4 games in the next 5 days against the Russian jr team.
rightshot
August 11th, 2009
4:54 pm
The Kane Mutiny
Red Light
August 11th, 2009
5:01 pm
Kanebalistic!
It’s a contract year. Players make gobs of money based upon how they performed in their contract year. Chad Larose made $875,000 last year, had a career year, and now earns $1.5 million this year and $1.9 next year. Kovy is likely to have 70 goals this year and then will command $9 to $10 million for the next six, seven, eight or 10 years. Now, this is a very similar situation to Hossa and Savard where the players hold all of the cards. The only way Kovy loses an edge in negotiations is to get injured early or have a really awful season, which ain’t happening.
Therein lies the problem. Did Rutherford imitate a sheep in the Staal negotiations? McPhee with Ovechkin? Martin did with JB in Florida, and Waddell has in several instances. If it quacks like a duck…
We’re due for more misery at the deadline unless for once, the Thrashers take a proactive rather than reactive stance.
R. Stroz
August 11th, 2009
5:21 pm
EOB – I understand your point on the actual evidence.
However, imagine the thoughts of a jury seated in a case of a wealthy 20 year old kid and his cousin against a 60 something year old man working late into the night to make ends meet. An altercation breaks out over 20 cents. Which party is going to get the natural sympathy of the jury?
If there are witnesses that can attest to the cabbie being accosted, Kane and his cousin are burnt toast. If the case boils down to a he said, she said case, Kane is better off put still looks like a spoiled brat punk.
I don’t imagine this is the way the cabbie wanted his 15 minutes of fame.
Anyway, if Kane has a brain, he cops a plea quickly, apologizes to the cabbie for being a cheap a$$, buys the cabbie off to avoid a civil suit, and makes a public apology for embarrassing his family, the team , the NHL, the Buffalo community, and causing undue stress for the cabbie.
If the cabbie has a heart attack, God forbid, within in the next weak or two, Kane will face a wrongful death civil lawsuit of epic proportion.
Just my 20 cents.
goose
August 11th, 2009
6:35 pm
“candy” Kane
Midfield
August 11th, 2009
8:13 pm
I don’t believe that Kane brothers were being cheap, it must have been an ego trip. Who knows what the cabbie was acting out like, so the dumb and dumber may have decided to make a point. It’s a shame – Kane may be the most talented US national playing hockey at present.
The Earl of Bud
August 11th, 2009
8:39 pm
RS, I understand what you are saying now but don’t worry, the Buffalo community is ready to tar & feather Kane by a margin of 80-20 I’d say from what I’ve heard and read. Keep in mind no one in a blue collar town likes a spoiled rich kid beating up on a hard working man. The payoff is definitely coming. There is more to this story though and what else has come out is that the cabbie has had problems with college students before and wouldn’t let the Kanes out of the car (he wouldn’t unlock the doors). Also, both Kanes are being represented by two different lawyers. I can be wrong, but I think between that and that all reports had it that it was the cousin that started the whole fiasco in the first place, that Patrick may be distancing himself and not be as guilty as the cousin. Who knows, this has to play out a lot more before we can make any real guesses. I just wish training camp would start so we can talk about some real hockey issues. Or that Kovalchuk would sign.
World Be Free
August 11th, 2009
9:29 pm
I haven’t chimed in too much on the Kane situation, simply because I spent some quality time in the area where the incident occurred. Trust me, a lot more goes on in that area that we will not report. I also think what occured is small potatoes compared to some of the incidents committed by other professional athletes.
The Kovy report-again, we are talking about the Russian media. Russian and Canadian media outlets have a lot more to gain with Kovy not signing then they do if he does resign. I feel that negotiations are ongoing, that both sides know what damage might occur to the club if negotiations move into the season.
Going to another team other than Atlanta-any team that shells out $10M for Kovy will not have enough left to win now. Veteran teams will not have the money, since they will the majority of their cap invested in current, veteran players. Only young teams will have the financial room to sign him. There’s too much pressure to win in Toronto and Montreal to set that much money aside for one player, even if you spend up to the cap.
Let’s speculate positively-negotiations with Kovy are ongoing and we will see an extension by the start of training camp. If we don’t, we’ll tackle the issue then.
World Be Free
August 11th, 2009
9:30 pm
Also-another day and no Manny.
The list of avaulable free agents is dwindling. I said it before, get Manny to sign or move on to Dom Moore.
Brendan
August 11th, 2009
10:04 pm
I guess Grier is off the market. Is Marcel Goc signed? Come one, Waddley, get it done.
Regarding “CabbieGate,” I’d like to thank R. Stroz for his comments. Specifically, his words to the effect that Kane and Cousin shouldn’t get a FREE PASS just because the Cab Driver has a tainted past. Stop. (Oh, c’mon now, you knew I was going there.) What if the Cabbie were a retired war veteran, decorated for valor in combat? Nowwww is it “okay” for Kane to ALLEGEDLY, SUPPOSEDLY say, “Do you know who I am?! Gimme my twenty cents!,” roughing the guy up? Which, again, may NOT have even happened. James Kane was in the cab, supposedly. Is James Kane a Vatican-certified Saint? Has anyone delved, National-Inquirer style, into HIS past?
Honestly, whether it was Pat or James, we’re talking about $0.20. Whose time, energy and effort are worth a fight … over twenty cents? Even if it was the PRINCIPLE of the thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if the offices of the Chicago Blackhawks are filled with Shake-n-Bake $0.20 coupons, addressed to Pat Kane. With a note scribbled on it, “If you can find a Publix, they’ll double it!”
And frankly, he deserves that. Pat Kane could have dropped a $50 on the cabbie, and told him to KEEP IT, if the guy didn’t have change. And yes, yes, yes. I know that Pat Kane is legally entitled to his change. But my Gawd, at 15-years old, broke as light bulb in an abandoned warehouse, I gave a cab driver a $20 for a for a $14.90 fare. At the time, I might have had $100 in my bank account. Pat Kane makes an issue out of twenty cents?
Wait. I feel a GEICO Commercial coming on!! Two dimes are talking to each other. One yells, “Psst! Hey Pat, c’mere.” “What’s up, talking dimes?,” says Kane. “Come meet our friends.” The dimes introduce Kane to a Quarter, a Kennedy Half-Dollar, and a Susan B. Anthony dollar. Kane says, “Hold the nickels, hold the pennies. All I want are tens and twenties.” Then the spare change point to the oversized novelty eyes, on top of a stack of bills.” Kane says, “Aren’t you ‘the money I could be saving with GEICO’?” The money nods and says, “We even insure cab drivers.” Kane rolls his eyes as the screen fades to black.
Smitty
August 11th, 2009
10:15 pm
Too bad former Buffalo mayor Jimmy Griffin wasn’t driving the cab. There never would have been a police report and the 2 Mr Kanes would still have ice packs attached to their jaws.
stendec
August 12th, 2009
12:07 am
Hi Rawhide my friend. Hope you and yours are well. Military man of ours came home for visit for a week. Went by way too fast. He has been bopping between California and Hawaiian Islands. He will deploy to God only knows where soon. Please pray for him. Per poll. I will not attend any Thrasher games this season. Organization lost any finances from this hockey fanatic with signing of Kari Letemin. Promise I made to myself. Will continue to follow losers, uh, team, on television. Fully expect to miss playoffs again. Sigh. Know drop of puck still in near future but just wanted to touch base. Best Bill. Peace.
You Suck?
August 12th, 2009
3:38 am
Do they do that stupid You Suck goalie chant in Chicago too?
scottbravesfan
August 12th, 2009
3:51 am
Way to support your team stendec, just like a good Atlanta fan.
World Be Free
August 12th, 2009
4:41 am
Good one Smitty! No, great one!!!! Hizzonner Mr. Griffin would have beat them both bloody!
Brendan-you are also correct-a smack in the heat is a smack in the head, doesn’t matter if the victum is a bum or not.
GaVaHokie
August 12th, 2009
8:09 am
Like Stroz said yesterday… it’s a good thing the cabbie didn’t have a gun on him.
Brendan
August 12th, 2009
8:26 am
Announcer’s voice: “One quick call to GEICO could save you up to 20-percent on your car insurance.”
R.Stroz Voice: “Hey Rawhide,isn’t 20% of $1.00 … uhh … twenty cents?”
Pat Kane: “Guys, could ya give it a rest.”
Announcer’s voice: “GEICO! So simple, even penny-pinching Pat Kane can do it!”
Pat Kane: “Geez, when’s my next shift start?”
Brendan
August 12th, 2009
8:46 am
No matter what anyone’s opinion of Stendec might be, he is following his right to abstain from what he thinks is a poorly-run franchise. Every consumer has this right. And truthfully, signs point more towards ineptness than competence through nine (9) completed seasons. Likewise, no matter how stupidly you might think the Thrashers franchise is run, they DO UNDERSTAND that wins put fannies in seats. And that THEY, ALONE, are responsible for the quality of the product on the ice. They SIGNED these players. They DRAFTED these players. In both instances, without anyone putting a GUN to their heads. So? So, “free will” decisions were rendered, and the accompanying responsibility for them, therein. Allriiighteee then.
Personally, I think things are getting BETTER. As they should, from lottery draft finishes (Bogosian, E. Kane,) and waiver wire acquisitions (Peverley, Mark Recchi previously), as a bottom-feeder type team. Don Waddell is doing his level-best. He’s hardly occupying “the most coveted GM seat in the NHL” these days. To his credit, he isn’t in depression therapy, four days a week. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.” (Copyright “Seinfeld,” NBC)
Brendan
August 12th, 2009
8:54 am
By the way, Stendec, it might interest you to know that Atlanta will no longer control Kari’s rights beyond June 30, 2010. Kari will be FREE to sign anywhere he jolly well wants, provided that the team he covets also desires to have him on its roster. In other words, the only way the Thrashers can re-sign Kari is if Kari WANTS to re-sign here ANNND that the Thrashers WANT HIM HERE. There very well could be a mutual parting of ways. If the Thrashers intended to go long with Kari, and that Kari wanted to make a longterm commitment to Atlanta, that contract probably would have materialized earlier this summer. Instead, a one-year deal was signed.
Who knows? Perhaps Kari will play the 2010-11 season in his native Finland. That’s certainly his right and decision to make.
Buzilla in CT
August 12th, 2009
9:09 am
Kane is Able
h
August 12th, 2009
9:36 am
Cap Geek and Hockey Buzz have Kari as an RFA again next year.
stendec
August 12th, 2009
9:44 am
Thanks scottbravesfan. May the bird of paradise fly up your nose. Peace.
Kari Lehtonen
August 12th, 2009
9:45 am
I thought hula-hooping with Hooters girls was good conditioning for my lower back.
GaVaHokie
August 12th, 2009
9:51 am
Cap Geek and Hockey Buzz have Kari as an RFA again next year.
So does NHLNUMBERS.com
Kari is still only 25 years old… I don’t think he’s eligible for UFA status until Summer 2011.
kracker
August 12th, 2009
9:59 am
Kandy Kane…wait, I think she does ummm…movies.
Dwayne
August 12th, 2009
11:32 am
I’d hate for the spirit clowns to miss out on Stendec’s money, lets trade Bogo, Kane, Pevs, White, Little, Koslav and Kari to the Devils for Broduer. I’d make a brilliant GM.
Biff
August 12th, 2009
12:29 pm
McFly, McFly…where is the ranallo10 warning you slackard?
Brendan
August 12th, 2009
11:31 pm
But won’t Kari have 5 full seasons by the end of 2010? (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010). I thought five years and 25 years old hit one of those “special rules” for UFA eligibility. I could be wrong. I hope I am.