Posted in Transactions June 30th, 2007
Tonight, reports are that the Bruins have pulled the trigger on a deal which they hope will solve their immediate goaltending questions by sending Petr Kalus and a future 4th round pick to Minnesota for Manny Fernandez. Confirmations are sketchy at this time (Fernandez said he wasn’t notified of any trade), but the Minnesota Star Tribune reports the trade will be announced Sunday.
If the deal goes through, this will be the 83rd goaltender currently in the Bruins organization.
Color me underwhelmed on this one. Do I like Fernandez? Sure. I think he’s a darn good goaltender. Is he an upgrade? Ehhhhhhh, if he is, he’s not a big one. His numbers are better than Tim Thomas, but he’s also played in a more defense-oriented system the last few years. Plus, he’s probably not a franchise option….he’s roughly the same age as Tim Thomas (32) and he’s had a knack for never really being able to outshine the other goaltender on his team…at least not enough to claim the fully claim the #1 job as his own. Last year it was a timeshare between him and Nicklas Backstrom and the years before that it was with Dwayne Roloson (correction: Fernandez had his season cut short due to injury last year and Backstrom shone in his absence). Plus, Kalus is a fairly big piece to give up.
However, this move may be somewhat beneficial to the Bruins. As much as Fernandez probably despises the scenario, a timeshare between Tim Thomas and Fernandez might help the team. If Fernandez doesn’t take over the #1 role, he can at least provide a solid backup to Thomas for this season until Rask or Toivonen are ready (hopefully ONE of them will be by next year). But, if that’s the way it pans out, does it justify moving Kalus for a #2 goalie?
Posted in Jeremy Jacobs June 29th, 2007
Today’s Buffalo Business First is reporting that Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs might have some interest in purchasing the Buffalo Bills, should the opportunity present itself. Jacobs is from the Buffalo area so it makes sense that he’d be interested in purchasing the local football team. However, the whole thing isn’t that easy.
NFL rules prohibit those who own a major sports franchise in an NFL city from buying a football team in another city. Thus, because the Boston region is already home to football’s New England Patriots, NFL rules don’t allow the Bills to be sold to Jacobs. And he isn’t selling the Bruins.
Not only that, but Jacobs was also just elected as the NHL’s Chairman of the Board, so he’s got quite a bit of stake in hockey. Also, the Wilson family has no intention of selling the Bills as long as Ralph is still alive (he’s a healthy 88).
So there really doesn’t seem to be much of a story here, aside from Jacobs saying he has an interest. But really, if we had enough money, wouldn’t most of us express an interest in buying a major sports franchise?
Posted in Jerseys June 28th, 2007
It’s good to see that the new Bruins uniforms also got a stamp of approval from Paul Lukas’ Uni Watch, the fashion police of professional sports.
BOSTON BRUINS
The Basics: Changing from this and this to this and this.
The Details: The B at the center of the team’s classic spoke/hub logo now has serifs, and the club’s 1920s logo is the basis of a new shoulder patch, which features the team name on the home jersey and the city name on the road jersey.
Uni Watch’s Take: Such a magnificent upgrade that the Uni Watch grounds crew had to spread a tarp across the Uni Watch offices because puddles of drool were beginning to form. The sleeve stripes, the hemline stripes, the lace-up collar, the two-tone shoulder yoke (which evokes the team’s classic era) — this is what a hockey uniform is supposed to look like, people. After all the hand-wringing over what Reebok’s new snug-fit template might do to the game, it turns out that you can barely even see the various stretch panels. A welcome burst of sanity in an increasingly nonsensical uniform world.
Official Uni Watch Grade: A
Amen, brother. Amen.
Posted in Transactions, Ex-Bruins June 25th, 2007
No surprise here. That was one of the reason the Bruins traded him away…they knew he and his California wife had no plans on sticking around and re-signing with a New England team. The funny part was when they traded him to Calgary instead. Although Calgary *IS* technically closer to California, it’s also considerably farther north of the border. Of course, he has family in Calgary, but still…the Flames couldn’t have expected him to stick around for long. Whatever. At least the Bruins got Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ference for him (and Wayne Primeau).
Posted in Draft June 23rd, 2007
With the #8 pick, the Bruins went the safe route and took Zach Hamill…the guy who wasn’t the biggest or most explosive person available, but someone (the pundits say) who could be a solid player for the Bruins down the road.
Hey, not that that’s a BAD thing…any time someone draws comparisons to Chris Drury they have to be pretty good…but I’m a little disappointed they didn’t take Alexei Cherepanov or even Angelo Esposito. I can see why they played their hand conservatively…especially given a weak draft topped off with some boom or bust prospects…but at the #8 spot, hindsight grants you a little more leeway. If the pick bombs, it’s not like you blew a top three pick and if the pick turns out to be a steal, you look like a genius in the end.
Besides, admit it, most of us secretly (or not so secretly) wanted to be able to root for an Esposito again.
