Jerk Them Knees

So, in evidence that trading Ben Bishop was a bad idea, I offer you this single data point:

• Ben Bishop debuts for Tampa with a shutout; and
• Robin Lehner coughs up two goals in twelve seconds enroute to a 4-2 loss.

Since this is the Internet, we can therefore extrapolate the rest of their careers from tonight and conclude that Bishop is the greatest goalie to ever play the game, and Lehner is a pinball machine.

I jest.

Sort of.

(Update: Here's an article which calmly compares the Bishop-Lehner situation to that of Chara and Redden.  I think he's on to something, and this deal will be talked about for the next couple years at least as both goalies move through the next phase of their careers.)

Shipping Bishop

And while we're on the topic of writing knee-jerk, poorly thought out headscratcher blog posts about deadline-day trades:

I'll call it right now: trading Ben Bishop is a mistake.  I know we can't keep three goalies on the team, and Anderson's return is supposedly imminent (and lets hope he's really healthy when he comes back, ankles in goalies can be tricky things) -- but I'm not sold on Lehner.  I don't think he's the man.  When he plays things are wild and exciting and he gets lit up like a pinball machine. He's one of those players who thinks his balls click together when he walks around*. I just don't have a good feeling for him.

Bishop I thought had much more upside potential.  He was more quiet, more professional, more just-get-the-job-done.  I don't think his potential will be realized terribly well in Tampa, where he'll suffer from the same problem that Ottawa goalies have had -- that being, playing behind a terrible team -- but of the two, I'd rather of kept him.

I don't even care about this rookie-of-the-year candidate we got back in exchange right now.

I will go on record as admitting that I wasn't a fan of the Runblad-for-Turris trade, and overall that worked out quite nicely.

---

*: and we've played that game before, a certain Mr. Ray Emery.

Now That's Crazy

You gotta wonder if someone in Boston has a head injury.  In a deadline-day deal, we have this story that Boston has traded... to acquire... Wade Redden. On purpose.

I... uh...

I really have nothing.

Siri Likes The Senators

Proof that Siri is an Ottawa Senators fan:

You've probably already seen this, but I think it is hilarious.

Blah Blah Blah Trade? Blah Blah Blah

So since Spezza's untimely injury, the Senator's offence has been noticeably less noticeable. Who knew that when Spezza had his surgery, the description of "season-ending would be just as appropriately applied to the entire team's prospects for the rest of the season?

This leads the echo chamber to start chattering about whether or not the Senators should trade in order to add more front-end talent. And while there are compelling reasons for short term gain, there are none for the long term set-back that the outgoing assets will cost.

The whole point of a rebuild is to rebuild. Not to sell off some prospects for a short term boost.

Frankly if this year the team misses the playoffs I am good with that. Last year was a bonus, and if we have to miss the big dance so that next year we are in a stronger position, so be it.

Redden 1K

Congratulations to Wade Redden on making his 1000 NHL game.  For all the stick that people gave Redden when he was at the end of his stay in Ottawa, he was a good player for a good part of that stay and he helped the team accomplish a lot.  Just because he can't play the way he used to is no reason to forget what he did for the team when he could.

Blah

Who would have thought that the worst part of post-lockout hockey would be the officiating?

Frankly between the circus-clown officiating and the lack of conditioning and polish of these teams, I find I'm just not that interested in hockey right now.

I mean, I went to the home opener, and what resulted from that? It was fun and all, but the most noteworthy reaction I had was the fact that I paid $5 for a fountain drink that was all carbonation. So I went and found a vendor selling pop by the bottle, and paid her $5 for a 600mL bottle of pop. So I ended up paying $10 for a bottle of pop.

Hockey? Yeah, there was some hockey. And the good guys won, which was good.

But overall I don't feel the need to vent about the officiating because frankly I'm just not watching. For some reason I just don't care.

...other than that, I got nothing.

(Update: This article talks about the new definition of interference, which explains some of the calls which would be ordinarily stupid.  Personally I look for normal service to resume well before the playoffs.)