Though there has been some doubt in the newspapers recently, we now know that Brendan Shanahan will exercise his player option for next season. Shanahan, 36, will make $2.28 million, after an average 03-04 season by his standards (25 goals and 28 assists). It’s a bargain to have a top four scorer on the team at that price, although Wings fans often come down hard on Shanny for his streaky, on-off scoring. Myself included.
Shanahan had until 5 pm today to decide.
As published in the Detroit Free Press:
July 28, 2005
Don’t be sad it’s over — be happy it happened.
In the past few days, since the official word came of the buyout and as the status of my contract teetered, the reality that I’m not going to be a Red Wing anymore has set in, and I’ve taken some time to reflect.
I don’t know if it’s maturity (’cause if you know me, that’s never been an issue) or the painstaking reality of the past 12 months without hockey. Either way, I’m saddened to leave an organization in a place where I’ve grown up, raised a family, been part of a first-class and first-rate team, won three Stanley Cups and achieved great personal success.
But looking back, what I really feel is gratitude — thankful for the opportunity to realize a childhood dream to play for my childhood team. Grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Ilitch and their entire family for letting this boy become a man and always treating my family as one of their own. Grateful to the entire Red Wing organization from Ken Holland and his staff, to John Hahn and Anne Marie Krappmann in the PR department for their ever tireless effort. Grateful to Piet Van Zant and Paul Boyer for patching me up and getting me back out on the ice. Grateful for the support and memories from everyone at the Joe whom I will miss seeing daily, and thankful to the media for not only their endless support of myself but in the way they’ve always supported the McCarty Cancer Foundation and my band Grinder.
What will I miss most about playing hockey in Detroit? That’s simple. The fans. From the day-to-day coffee stop or gas station conversation to the people who say hello on the street or ask for an autograph at the checkout, there are no greater fans than those in Detroit.
These are the great things about my time as a Red Wing that I will always remember no matter where I go. Thank you to all of you. But please don’t shed a tear ’cause it’s over — crack a smile ’cause it happened, and no one can ever take that away. I’ll always be a Red Wing at heart, and Detroit will always be my home.
Much love to you all,
Darren McCarty, Red Wings No. 25
The Detroit News reports that Steve Yzerman has been offered a one year contract earlier today at lunch.
Steve Yzerman could officially be back with the Red Wings by Saturday. Yzerman, 40, was offered a one-year contract by the Red Wings Wednesday at a Toronto lunch with general manager Ken Holland and senior vice-president Jimmy Devellano. Financial terms of the offer were not disclosed. “We offered Steve a one-year contract and he said he’ll get back to us by the end of the week,” Holland said.The Wings are likely to make some sort of announcement at Saturday’s NHL entry draft in Ottawa. The Wings had hoped to have an answer from Yzerman before the unrestricted free-agent period begins Monday.
Holland believes Yzerman can be a significant addition to the Wings this season. “I want Steve to play this year,” Holland said. “With the new coaching staff, he can be a tremendous asset to the coaches with his leadership in the locker room. He has some great hockey left in him.”
In other news, Darren McCarty has made a five paragraph open letter to the fans.
Darren McCarty may no longer be a Red Wing, but in an open letter to Detroit fans, he says his heart will always be with the team, and Detroit will remain his home.“Please don’t shed a tear ’cause it’s over,” McCarty says in the five-paragraph open letter, obtained Wednesday by the Free Press. “Crack a smile ’cause it happened, and no one can ever take that away.”
The 33-year-old forward, who was on three Stanley Cup championship teams with the Wings, was placed on waivers Monday, and his contract was bought out by the team on Tuesday.
In the letter, signed with his name and the number he wore for the Wings, McCarty said “looking back, what I really feel is gratitude — thankful for the opportunity to realize a childhood dream to play for my childhood team.”
You can read the entire letter to fans tomorrow in the Detroit Free Press.
I’m not one much for rumors, but Kuklas Korner has heard from a source that Barry Smith will not remain as assistant coach for the Wings. It appears that Kocur will be offered some position within the organization, but no longer as assistant coach.
Al Montoya, the University of Michigan starting goaltender, has decided to skip his senior year and signed with the New York Rangers, who drafted him sixth overall in the 2004 NHL Draft. Michigan fans, including myself, are left stunned and wondering what will transpire without our best player. Senior Noah Ruden will likely be the new starting goaltender.
Rangers GM Glen Sather:
“Al is one of the top goaltending prospects in hockey and we are extremely pleased to have signed him. We feel this will be a big step for Al in advancing his development. He has been working extremely hard this summer and we are looking forward to seeing him on the ice at training camp in September.”
Michigan coach Red Berenson:
“It’s disappointing to lose a player who is going into his senior year. He had a lot of pressure from the New York Rangers organization to turn professional and he made the decision to do it. He had a good career at Michigan but I wish he would have stayed and enjoyed his senior year.”
I’m not going to even start listing off Montoya’s accomplishments. You can read them here. Montoya in his new sweater (draft day picture):
And while I’m already talking about the University of Michigan, on a much happier note, I’d like to congratulate the UM Solar Car Team, which took first place in the North American Solar Challenge this afternoon. The team made the 2,500 mile trip (Houston to Calgary) in a vehicle solely run by solar power. Being a team member, I spent a few late nights in the workspace building that car. Next stop Australia, for the World Solar Challenge in September.
The NHL has released regular season schedules for all 30 teams. The Wings’ schedule can be found here. The Wings open the season on Wednesday, October 5 against the St Louis Blues in Joe Louis Arena, 7:30 pm.
Notables
There are eight games after 10 pm (compared to seven during the 03-04 season). The Wings play Central Division “rivals” eight times each: meaning 32 games against the Blues, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, and Predators in total. A number of those games come in the home-away format.
As promised, all 30 teams are in action on opening night, October 5. Some notables that night include Canadiens/Bruins, Leafs/Senators, Oilers/Avs, Canucks/Coyotes, and Penguins/Devils.
New Years Eve game against the Blue Jackets (home).
Three straight games against the Blackhawks: October 27 (home), October 29 (away), November 1 (home).
The “Hockey Day In Canada” triple-header is on Saturday, January 7 : Ottawa/Montreal, Toronto/Edmonton, and Calgary/Vancouver.
The Wings play the Mighty Ducks on October 21 (home), November 25 (away), March 1 (away), and March 15 (home).
The Wings play the Avalanche on November 23 (home), January 21 (away), February 4 (away), and February 12 (home).
The Wings don’t play the Stars until December 27 (away).
The Wings against the Eastern Conference: Islanders December 4 (home), Devils December 6 (home), Capitals December 9 (away), Penguins December 12 (home), Thrashers December 13 (away), Panthers December 15 (away), and Lightning December 17 (away). That’s 7 straight games against the East. Then Hurricanes January 10 (away), Flyers January 12 (home), and Rangers January 14 (home) for 3 games in a row against the East.
There are five Saturday afternoon games and four Sunday afternoon games.
The break for the Olympics has the Wings playing February 12 against the Avs (home), then February 28 against the Sharks (away).
Sorry that I’ve been MIA over the past few days even with all of the hockey news circling around. I have a bad sinus infection and it hurts to move- bad headaches are the worst! But anyways, I want to quickly touch upon the Detroit Red Wings’ buyouts and Steve Yzerman.
McCarty, Hatcher, & Whitney placed on waivers
As you’ve heard by now, Darren McCarty, Derian Hatcher, and Ray Whitney have been put on waivers.
“For a whole lot of reasons we needed to buy those guys out,” Holland said. “First off, we were at $31 million with 12 players signed. We’re going to go to about $36 million or $38 million on our payroll and leave some flexibility there in case of injury. When you need to sign 10 more players and you have only $4 million, it doesn’t take a genius to say the math doesn’t add up.”But this wasn’t only a short-term fix. Holland has an eye to the future as well.
“Another factor is that all three of those players had deals that are longer than one year. And going into next summer, not knowing what the new cap number will be, unrestricted free agency will be 29 not 31, and for eight pro seasons not 10, so we needed to look ahead,” Holland said.
If they aren’t picked up within 24 hours, they will be bought out at up to 67% of their total contract. “They’ve been a big, big part of our franchise,” Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill said. “This is just a part of doing business right now with the new CBA.”
McCarty, a fan favorite, has played for Detroit for 11 seasons. He stood to earn $1.71 million if he hadn’t been put on waivers. I wasn’t surprised about these three being chosen, but it’s so weird to think that McCarty will be playing for another team next season. “It wasn’t a surprise,” McCarty said in an interview with WDFN-1130. “Everybody has to restructure.” If you haven’t already read it, you can view my Behind the Jersey column about McCarty, No. 25, here. I’ve always personally admired his hard work, gritty style, and his community service. “He’s a hardworking, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of guy,” Nill said. “He’s really what the city’s all about. He came every night to play hard.”
Two winters ago, I stood in line at Hockeytown Authentics for 3-4 hours in 25 degree weather to get an 8×10 photo of McCarty signed. The rules were: 1 item may be signed and no personalizations. The fee was at least one pair of mittens/hats/gloves for a local charity. I had recently finished reading his dad’s book (Craig McCarty) about his fight with cancer and his son’s hockey career. I had brought that book along with the photo. My brother brought a puck. When it was my turn in line, he signed the photo and the puck. He then noticed the book in my hand. He then asked for my name and wrote a quick message inside the cover:
Christy,
Enjoy the Book!
Darren McCarty 25
For someone who had already signed over 500 items, it was a very nice gesture for him to sign two of my items. And one of them was personalized. The book, Rinkside, remains one of my favorite of many Red Wings memorabilia decorating my room. I realized that McCarty hasn’t been the strength to the team that he used to, but it saddens me to see him leave. I saw a brief interview that he did with Channel 7 here in Detroit and you could trace absolutely no bitterness to the team or city. He plans to live here in the summers and his kids will continue to attend school here in Detroit. His daughter, Emerson, just finished her Kindergarten year at my high school. I wish Darren the best of luck and maybe for the 2006-2007 season we can negotiate some sort of deal to get him back here in Hockeytown.
Hatcher, also a Detroit native, may be returning back to Dallas. He would’ve cost the team $4.94 million this upcoming season and that’s including the 24% rollback. Unfortunately, we never really got to see what impact Hatcher could have in his hometown. After tearing his ACL in the third game, he came back as a different player. I’ve torn my ACL. I’ve had the surgery. And I’m waiting to have my ACL revised again. I can’t even imagine coming back from the surgery close to playoff time and people expecting you to perform at 100%. I was hoping we’d have the opportunity to see what he could really do when he had enough time to fully recover. I’m also disappointed to see him leave because I was so excited when I found out he was coming “home.”
Whitney, on the other hand, will not be missed as much. Like Brian pointed out, Whitney only finished the 2003-4 season with 14 goals and 29 assists.
As for Whitney, I could care less he’s gone. If you’re worried about losing his numbers (14 goals and 29 assists), remember that most of his points came off of second assists. Numbers like that are not impressive when you’re on the Wings – the best offensive team in the league with highly skilled linemates. I’m sure his bought out salary can be well spent on another forward out there…
Is Yzerman coming back?
As we all know, Steve Yzerman is either going to finish his career here in Detroit this next season or his last moment as a Red Wings player ended when the puck deflected into his eye. “I would like to end my career on a positive note,” Yzerman said, “but we’ll determine that soon.”
The Red Wings organization would obviously want to see Yzerman return for another year. “We want him back. He’s a tremendous leader, we still believe he’s got some real good hockey left in him. I think he should go out playing the game on the ice,” Holland said. He plans to meet with Yzerman soon to discuss his future. No contract offer has been created or presented yet. They just plan on talking. “I’m looking forward to sitting down and talking to Steve,” Holland said Tuesday from Detroit. “Beyond that, I have no idea if Steve wants to play or doesn’t want to play. I’ve made no contract offer to Steve. We just are planning to meet.”
Yzerman would’ve earned $4.5 million if the lockout hadn’t wiped out the 2004-2005 season. He will obviously need to sign for less if he is to remain on the team. What he’ll settle for is the big question. “It’s up to Stevie,” Ilitch said. “If he feels he wants to play another year, he’ll play another year. He’ll have to make that call, and I think it’s going to be shortly.” Yzerman won’t want to stay on the team for a farewell tour or as a pity case. He’ll want to make sure he can be of an asset to the team while being fairly compensated. “He can make us a better team. When you think of the Detroit Red Wings, you think of Steve Yzerman. I think he should go out playing the game on the ice,” Holland said.
In an interview on the WXYT 1270 radio program, “The Big Show,” Yzerman commented on the situation.
“If it makes sense to come back, I will, and if the right thing is to step aside, I will, and we’ll determine that in the next few weeks…It’s not really a tough decision. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this. I think it will be an easy decision…and I’ll make the right decision for the Detroit Red Wings.”
Another worry for Yzerman is his health. He commented that his knee would’ve had an easier time adjusting between a four to five month period, but “this will be 18 months,” he said, a reference to NHL regular-season games resuming this fall, “and that’s too much.” Ilitch also brought up Yzerman’s injuries.
“We all want to have him come back, but he’s 40 years old, and he’s had some serious injuries the last couple of years,” Ilitch said. “I don’t know what the extent of those injuries are today, if they’re lingering-type injuries, but he’s a very well-conditioned athlete, probably one of our best. You never worry about his shape.
On August 14, Yzerman plans to attend Team Canada’s training camp.
Yzerman has heard of only good things about new head coach, Mike Babcock, from his close friend, Steve Thomas (who played for Babcock in Anaheim). “I don’t believe he’s as defensive-minded as he is portrayed to be,” Yzerman said. “His teams are aggressive, play at high tempo. I think he’ll fit in well.” Yzerman also admitted to the Detroit Free Press that he immediately noticed that the new head coach is only two years older than himself. “It wouldn’t be awkward,” Yzerman said. “Maybe we can hang out together.”
…. The Wings announced their training camp schedule today. Camp will take place in Traverse City at the Centre ICE facility and will begin on September 6th with the rookie tournament. The main camp will begin on September 12th and will conclude on September 18th with the Red and White game at the State Fairgrounds.
Below is the schedule:
September 6 Rookie Tournament TBD
September 7 Rookie Tournament TBD
September 8 Rookie Tournament TBD
September 9 Rookie Tournament TBD
September 10 Rookie Tournament TBD
September 13 Main Camp TBD
September 14 Main Camp TBD
September 15 Main Camp TBD
September 16 Main Camp TBD
September 17 Main Camp TBD
September 18 Red vs. White Game (State Fairgrounds) @ 5:00 p.m.
I wish we could cover camp better but with each one of us attending college this year, we won’t be able to do much other than rely on the papers.
…. The Wings also announced their 9-game exhibition schedule for this season today. They will open the pre-season at home against the Tampa Bay Lightening on September 19th at 7:30 and will wrap it up on October 1st in Toronto at 7:00.
Below is the complete pre-season schedule:
September 19: Tampa Bay @ 7:30
September 21: Colorado @ 7:30
September 22: at Columbus @ 7:00
September 23: at Dallas @ 7:30
September 25: Dallas @ 5:00
September 27: at Colorado @ 7:00
September 28: Columbus @ 7:30
September 30: Toronto @ 7:30
October 1 at: Toronto @ 7:00
Not a bad set of games. It will be interesting to see how those teams look when the Wings face them, after this crazy shortened summer is over.
It’s also interesting that they’ll face the Leafs twice in the pre-season but not at all in the regular season. How ridiculous. I’m willing to give the division rivalries thing a chance but the NHL is incredibly stupid to ignore rivalries that already exist between teams such as the Wings and the Bruins, Habs and Leafs (the three Original Six teams we won’t see this year). Those games are always special to watch and the League should be capitalizing on them, not ignoring them. As someone with a deep appreciation for history, it sickens me to see the NHL toss it out the window so cavalierly.
UPDATE 7/26 7:34 pm (Brian)
Bad news in on Datsyuk. Datsyuk’s agent, Gary Greenstein, says that Pavel is entertaining a significant offer from Moscow Dynamo:
“My client is one of the best players in the NHL. He deserves a great deal. Both Pavel and I would like him to stay in Detroit and finish his career there. But it’s a business. Now Detroit has to make a move.”
Not exactly the most encouraging thing to hear. My guess is the Wings are offering Pavs something in the neighborhood of $1.5-2 million, and he’s asking $3 million or more. And if Bykov can net $1 million tax-free in Russia, it hurts to think what Pavel has been offered…