Vermette re-signs with Ottawa

With only a few minutes left before the arbitration hearing, the Ottawa Senators reached an agreement with their sole-remaining RFA forward, Antoine Vermette.  The Ottawa Sun is claiming the deal to be worth around $5.5 million with the young centreman scheduled to make $2.5 this year and $3 million next season.

The many rumblings and rumours had Vermette scheduled to be awarded in excess of $3.5 million on a 1-year contract in arbitration.  Bryan Murray has been quoted as saying that he didn’t want to cripple his team in the long-term with another multi-year contract.  It was reported that Vermette was satisfied with money but not the length of the contract.  He was seeking something along the lines of his teamate’s Chris Kelly’s deal.

Another great deal for GM Murray.

RIP Tim “Buzz” Kilpatrick (1967-2008)

Just like most Ottawans, I was shocked at hearing that Buzz had passed away due to complications of a lung infection at 10:15AM on Friday morning.  Angry Al and Lee Versage did a tremendous job at saving the tributes and phone calls regarding Buzz to this morning’s Tribute to Buzz on TGOR.

I normally don’t get up at 6:15AM on a Monday but I owed to Buzz, who provided me with a ton of laughs over the past few years, to listen in.  I got a little misty eyed more than a few times this morning, especially when either Stu or Steve voice broke up while sharing a story or a memory about our friend, Buzz.  I was glad that I wasn’t driving to work when Steve emotionally read his blog entry before sadly proclaiming that TGOR as we all love is over.  (See Steve Warne’s fitting tribute here: http://tgornation.blogspot.com/2008/07/losing-our-friend.html)

Buzz obviously profoundly touched many people’s lives and his legacy in Ottawa’s Junior Hockey World will surely live on for a long time.  I know he’s in a better place now and resting comfortably.  RIP Buzz… we will remember your Blue Team homerism and subsequent bashing, your stories about Arm Candy Nation and of course, your infectious, hyena laugh.

Edit:

Since this post is generated a lot of traffic and my thoughts on the situation pale in comparaison to other’s, I’ve decided to post a few links to other sites so that visitors can trully appreciate the level of love, friendship and professional respect that Buzz has garnered over the years in Ottawa and other parts of Canada.

Steve Warne: http://tgornation.blogspot.com/2008/07/losing-our-friend.html
Kevin Lee: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=16361
Stuntman Stu (with video tribute): http://stuntmanstu.blogspot.com/2008/07/rip-buzz.html

Ray Emery on OTR

Apparently a single taping of Off the Record takes about 4 hours to produce.  Michael Landsberg, the show’s host, is apparently notorious for asking the same question with different words simply in order to get the answer that he wants to hear.

I’ve heard different things about Landsberg, but unlike Larry King, he asks all the questions that people really want to hear.  Here’s a sample of the questions that he had for Ray Emery:

“Do you have a drug problem?”
“Do you have a partying problem?”
“Are the Sens still a good team?”
“Is Alfredsson a good leader?”

Ray answered all those questions, although with a noticeable hesitation.  As I wrote in a previous entry, Ray’s agent JP Barry issued a statement along the lines of: “If teams knew what changes Ray has made since the end of last, they would probably be more inclined to give him another chance.”  When Landsberg asked Ray about those changes, not surprisingly, Emery declined to comment. He then went on to say that he’s a better family man and a better athlete because of those changes.

The one line that really irritates me in the interview is that Emery “is not losing sleep over [all the things that lead up to this point of his career]“.  If I was just handed over a cheque of almost $2.5 million dollars because I wasn’t able to live up to my employer’s standards, I’d be seriously performing a self-gut check to figure out what was wrong and I’m sure most of you would lose sleep over it too.

Some people say that money can’t buy happiness… apparently it may buy happiness in Russia.

So long Ray… don’t let the door hit you on the way out!

Here are the links to TSN.ca’s website for the full interview:

http://watch.tsn.ca/off-the-record/off-the-record—july-14-2008/#clip66512
http://watch.tsn.ca/off-the-record/off-the-record—july-14-2008/#clip66513
http://watch.tsn.ca/off-the-record/off-the-record—july-14-2008/#clip66514
http://watch.tsn.ca/off-the-record/off-the-record—july-14-2008/#clip66515

Au revoir Ray!

The Ottawa Sun is reporting that former Sens goaltender and constant pain in the butt, Ray Emery has signed a 1-year $2 million contract with a Russian Team of the Continental Hockey League.

The article also states that only 3 teams inquired about Ray’s services but decided to pass.  I assume that teams were trying to low-ball the troubled goalie or were offering a 2-way contract as a safety net.

The most interesting part of the article is a quote from Ray’s agent: “Unfortunately, it’s only been a short time since the buyout and there isn’t anybody willing to give (Emery) a second chance at this time.  I think if people knew the things that he’s done over the last little while to turn the corner, there might be more interest out there.”

Ray flat out told the reporters that he didn’t want to be the fall-guy for the Team’s demise last year.  This admission is a huge 180 from last season’s statement.  What exactly did Ray do?  Is Ray’s agent actually admitting that Ray had a problem last year?  What exactly was this problem?

Jason Smith signs with the Senators

For once the rumours held true… the Ottawa Senators have signed the hard-hitting, shot-blocking and endless character player, Jason Smith.

Some nay-sayers will point out that his ice-time was the lowest of the 6 Philly d-man during their playoff run last year but he did also play those 17 playoff games with 2 seperated shoulders.  He lead the team in blocked shots and hits for both the regular season and the playoffs. Smith has captained the Edmonton Oilers and more recently the Philadelphia Flyers.

Much like last year’s trades at the deadline, GM Murray has surrounded Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher and Chris Phillips with more leadership.  He was signed for $2.6 million per year for 2-years.

Hopefully Murray isn’t done yet, as we still need a 2nd line winger to play the opposite side of Nick Foligno, centered by Mike Fisher.

Good job GM Murray!