OK, so, I have no idea on the accuracy of this, but I just got a Google Alert that Moose JUST signed a multi-year contract extension. You can read the "article" here. Can't find a single thing anywhere else on Google about it so either this random person knows something the rest of the world does not yet, or it's bullshit.
You know how I love me some Kari Lehtonen. But wait! This year there is not just one other goalie competing for his spot, not just two, but THREE! THREE GOALIES! Honestly I think there might even be four if we consider the baby goalie from last summer's draft. But we'll skip him for right now (no offence, baby goalie whose name I can't recall... Danique? I dunno. It's too early.)
Kari Lehtonen
A super-star of Patrick Roy magnitude when not injured or recovering from injury. Kari's not yet made his first camp appearance, but is expected today, as he's still recovering from his off-season laminotomy. I've been there, twice, and frankly I was pretty surprised that he thought he would be ready for camp. While he's likely recovered from the invasion of the procedure, there's a sizeable entry point in the skin that one can not risk opening. What's the number one thing one can do to open an incision like that? Play goal. OK and swing dancing, but I'm not really guessing that's a big hobby of Kari's. Golf also a little questionable, but I've never seen the kid on the links, although it IS great therapy for when your entire team pisses you off. I'm digressing, where was I? Oh yes! This has to be Kari's year. It has to be the year he throws down, ignores how his team plays in front of him (although really, Ex is gone, Kubina's here, Bogo's healthy, let's hope for the best shall we?), and just gets into his zone. A zone not unlike the one he was in once the Thrashers were mathematically eliminated last season. When was that anyway? January? I can't tell you how many games I have DVD'd labeled "THRASH BLOW, KARI SHINES!" It's time he stops depending on the team in front of him, and starts believing in himself, and frankly, says FUCK ALL HATERS! You can do it, Karppa. I believe in you.
Ondrej Pavelec
Not a franchise goalie, but a possible cornerstone to focus a rebuild around. Ondrej's probably pretty god damned pissed off right about now. He's proven he's an NHL calibre goalie, and yet, here he still is, the third in line of a team with four or five signed goalies. Which means time relegated to the bench, or a lot more time in Chicago. How many more Calders will he need to win to get his due shot in the Show? For his sake, I hope the team will cut him lose if he doesn't land one of the two coveted spots on the Thrashers. Hahaha, I said "coveted spots on the Thrashers." I crack me up!
Johan Hedburg
Had one fantastic year in the NHL, and is one of the best veterans in the game to learn from. If I were running this team, I would kindly suggest Johan hang 'em up, and let us hire him on as a goaltending coach, which if memory serves, the team still doesn't have. In my honest opinion, there is probably no better NHL goalie to learn from. One of the adages of hockey is that the best players are the worst coaches, and I'm not saying JoJo is a "worst player" but he is not in the upper stratosphere. Plus he has his own goalie school in Leksand. Plus he owns a team in Sweden. Plus he doesn't take anything personally and lets it all roll off his back. And PLUS, he was brought in to Atlanta specifically to mentor Kari. Let's just keep traveling down the path fate started laying out, and offer him a high-paying job as goalie coach.
Manny Legace
Oh Manny, how you make me laugh. I have a soft spot for this guy, even if I could not give a shit less about any of the teams he played for previously. He's affable, charming, has a thick skin, has won a Cup or two (I think? I'm probably wrong), and has been an All Star multiple times. This is a good guy, and one that is desperately needed in the room. He's the Colby Armstrong of goalies. Or the Marc Savard, to go back in time a little. He would also do well to serve as a goalie coach/mentor, but dollars to donuts, Kari is not going to take to him like he did to Johan. The Scandinavian connection between the other two goalies, despite the tension that was apparent between them last season, is too strong a bond for Kari to break off and immediately turn to a new mentor.
So in summation, if I were the GM, here's what I would do about the goalie situation:
First question of the day, obviously, is why the hell they're reporting Kari's "injury" as "upper body" when it's not like there's a chance in hell the team will make playoffs, and don't need to really keep their players' injuries under cover? I mean, seriously. I'm all for keeping a guy's situation guarded when he's in a situation that he can get hurt, badly, and the team needs him, badly. But when there's 15 days left in the season wherein a team's been mathematically eliminated, "he got his bell rung" would not be an out-of-line description of an injury. Nor "well his own player cross checked him into his own net after that douchebag Avery checked him, so, y'know, we're just gonna let him take it easy so he doesn't go back on the ice and try to kill that man-purse carrying asshole." Just a little honesty, that's all I'm askin' for!
But in other news, what an awesome win. And no, seriously, where did all the fans come from? Was it free beer night at Philips? I don't think I'd EVER heard as loud a crowd there as when Moose denied Drury in that last shootout round. Least, not this season anyway. Whatever the case, props to the locals for putting their butts in the seats to round out the season.
Someone please tell me that in 15 more days, we'll NEVER have to see or hear Natalie Taylor's insanely vapid "interviews" again. Please please? Make my day, willya? There've been few occasions where I honestly considered a true-to-life replay of that "wanna get away?" commercial where the guy throws the Wiimote at the TV... and I don't have a Wii, but the insanely over-acted slap-happy routine when she interviewed Whitey gave me an itchy throwing hand. Honestly, who did she blow to get that job? And can I blow them too? Because I could do a better job hammered off my tits on Long Island iced teas while wearing skates. Seriously, get me a contact name. It's for the betterment of the team!
I know I've kind of fallen down on the "blogging" job lately, but as it were the blogging job that actually pays the bills has really gotten in the way of my fucking-off time, both at work and at home. Not that I'm complaining, I mean, I still have a job so there's that. And being busy at work is nice. But holy shit do I have a couple frillion photos for y'all once things get into a normal groove for me. And it appears that time will dovetail nicely with the end of the (Thrashers') season. Although then I'll be frenetically foaming at the mouth over the Bruins, and possibly the Oilers, should they manage to make it out of the bubble and into the top 8. And golfing. I will definitely be golfing. I think I'ma switch to lefty, since my right shot cruises about 3' off the ground, no matter how far I drive that fucking thing.
Right right, you don't care. Anyway, here's a photo of Kari from tonight. Surprisingly, this was NOT a goal. I say surprisingly because K's eyes are closed, and it looks like the puck's going over his glove. But it's labeled as "makes a save" so .... come to your own conclusions?
And really, thank god about the B's, because if they'd lost to Habsy and his cult, I'd be distraught.
Here's the awesome front page of NHL.com - Z being the lead story!
So here's Stu talking about his throw-down, which I thought was awesome. Way to step up and fill in for Luc!
And here's the fight, along with the rest of the highlights. Hopefully including Timmy popping Andrei Kostitsyn or whoever the hell it was that banged Ward into the glass:
ETA: Here's Timmy taking out Andrei:
I think Timmy is my new hero. And I think ALL goalies should start banging more players. You want to make the game more exciting? LET THE GOALIES HIT!!!
Now for those of you who still come here for Kari and/or Thrasher stuff... I'm breaking up with the Thrashers until the organisation gets its head out of its ass and starts running the team like, I dunno, A FUCKING NHL HOCKEY TEAM, and not, let's say, a beer league run by a bunch of cokeheaded drunks who love to sit around and talk about the good old days when they were relevant. You know what would help the team a lot? A GOALIE COACH. IT'S JUST A THOUGHT. SINCE EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THE NHL HAS ONE YOU FUCKING LOSERS. Marting Brodeur, arguably the best goalie of this generation, HAS A GOALTENDING COACH. You can't expect ANYONE to get better at what they're naturally good at, without coaching in guidance. You get to the NHL the same way you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice. And that practice, learning, and improvement has to continue. Which it won't, without proper coaching. Way to go, Atlanta Spirit, you cheap bastards. You have now become the model for how NOT to run an NHL team.
And I have a bunch of pictures of Mistah Lehtonen from Casino Night, but I've gotta be real with you here. He's miserable in every fucking picture. Every smile is forced, I have not seen one photo of him yet where he's actually looking at the camera, and has a real smile. So I'm not posting them. I'm not spreading the misery around for all to see. You my faithful readers, are smart smart people. If you want to see them, I'm sure you can find them on ye ol' Intarwebs.
No wait, I lied, because I wanted to show this one picture, because (A) It's the closest Kari comes to a real smile, and (B) this is the most awkwardly uncomfortable photo I have ever seen in my life. And I've seen and been in many. But this photo could not be any more forced (photo courtesy TammyMoose):
V interesting article from Knobler. Interesting because it's the first "media admittance" that one of our goalies could well play their last in Blueland. Tomorrow night's game is probably going to be hella interesting, and Lehts is slated for the start. Guess we'll see what we see, eh? And once again, the article's edited down. Check AJC for the full article. And sorry no photos up yet from last night. I've been up to my eyebrows in my car's engine all day. I'll post them sometime soon though.
Buffalo, N.Y. — Johan Hedberg was playing for his job Friday night, and it wasn’t going well. The Buffalo Sabres had scored four goals on him through two periods. He might have been headed for his third loss in as many starts. Teammate Niclas Havelid skated over to him after the fourth goal, tapped a stick on his pads and told him to keep going. And Hedberg did.
“I’ve been chasing this feeling for a long time now,” Hedberg said. “It’s been a hard time. Hopefully, this is something that I can build off and the team can build off, and we all can take strides and get better.”
Hedberg entered the game with the lowest save percentage and the highest goals-allowed average among the NHL’s 67 goalies. He was on the verge of getting squeezed in a numbers game between soon-to-return No. 1 goalie Kari Lehtonen and up-and-coming youngster Ondrej Pavelec. NHL teams don’t keep three goalies on the roster.
No one had to tell Hedberg that his eighth NHL season might have been heading for an abrupt end.
“I’m not blind. I’m not stupid. You have to realize the situation you’re in,” he said. “At the same time, you can’t think about it, either. I want to come out, and I want to play hockey the way I can. I haven’t done that for a long time. Tonight, I started getting that feeling back a little bit, and hopefully it’s going to be something that’s a trend.”
Did Hedberg do enough to keep his roster spot?
“Yes, absolutely,” Thrashers coach John Anderson said.
At least that's the word on the street. The metaphorical street, of course, since I am in neither Buffalo nor Atlanta. But luckily Knobler is on one or the other, and before braving the beef on weck, he offered this little nugget:
Johan Hedberg is slated to start in net tonight for the Thrashers against Buffalo. Ondrej Pavelec is 2-0 as a starter, but he played last night, and Thrashers coach John Anderson decided to stick with his plans and use a rested goaltender. Kari Lehtonen is here, too, and told me he felt great during today’s skate, but Hedberg and Pavelec were the guys in net.Listen, everyone is going to form their own opinions on this whole 3 goalies thing. And I'm sure I'm not the only one remembering last season's situation with the Caps, and Huet, Kolzig and Johnson. And I'm also sure I am not the only one wondering which goalie is being showcased, or being rested in order to avoid injury.
Johan Hedberg gets his first start of the season in net as the Thrashers play their eighth game, at Boston. It will be interesting to see how he does after sitting out so long; his only action of 2008-09 aside from 3:37 at Florida when Kari Lehtonen lost a contact lens (1 save made).
Hedberg, who appeared in 36 games last season, is likely to get a lot less action this year.
That should really be edited to say "action on-ice this year."
Just sayin'.
Also, Perrsy and Kari spotted at a Dunks near the Garden earlier today. Apparently the two are as oddball a couple as Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenneger in Twins.
Maybe you've noticed, maybe you haven't, but the goalies are kind of my wheelhouse. So allow me, if you will, some time and space to craft up some prognostications.
EDIT: So I was listening to the radio broadcast, and from what I remember, Ondrej was upset with his demotion, and it seemed that the second he was cut, his agent was calling the team, threatening that he won't report to Chicago, that they're in breach of contract, that they used the 4GAA last night out of context in deciding who the better goalies were. Now I will posit that perhaps Pony made the call in a fit of blind rage and frustration. I would have. And there are some that posit his agent (Allan Walsh, if you're interested) had been waiting for exactly a situation of this magnitude, where he caught Waddell in a lie, and in a potential breach of contract, and lo his day hath come. So in a way, Ondrej would be nothing more than a mere pawn in this little game. Which fucking sucks. I'm just not sure if I buy that, being that Walsh also reps Havlat, Elias, Fleury. Unless there is some long-buried hatched between he and D-Wad.
Back to my earlier rambling.
I think we all saw what happened end of last season when the Caps picked up Huet, but didn't do anything about Johnson or Kolzig. One goalie sat in the stands, watching his team play, and another sat on the bench, and watched his team, the franchise he'd worked his entire career to build, start tearing it up.
I don't think D-Wad'll carry 3 goalies, although that would be a convenient loophole in the cap thing, seeing as how we've got an eNORmous cushion still to play with.
So let's say you're Don Waddell. You have three options.
1. Let Pavelec walk.
2. Trade Lehtonen, keep Pavelec, Hedberg.
3. Trade Hedberg, keep Pavelec, Lehtonen.
I can sit here for another week or so and come up with totally valid theories about what will happen. I must say, this is completely and totally out of left field. At least to me. Maybe some of you knew and didn't share. But either way, we have a glut of goalies who all want to play up.
Hey remember that season we had 13 goalies? Yeahhhh, good times.
Here are my theories on those three choices:
1. Pony can walk, and likely get signed with another team in need of an upcoming goalie (Jersey maybe), or he can walk even further, and sign with the KHL. Atlanta would have to release him from his contract for that, especially given the pissing contest Radulov stirred up between the NHL and KHL. But either way, Pony got options. But would this happen? Would Waddell lose face, publicly being called out for lying (hah, it's about time someone did it in the media) and get the reputation of a GM who feeds lines to his players? Would Atlanta Spirit let it happen?
2. Off the top of my head, I can think of 5 other teams in the NHL where Kari would be a good fit, and he would have the required defencive corps in front of him to enable him to properly do his job, and not have to stop every day thing sent his way. This is a guy who loves the game of hockey. He has said in the past that if it came down to it, he'd play for less money, just so he could keep playing. And he's totally got the talent and the ability to be one of the top netminders in the NHL. The damage done to him was done by this club, and to be frank, keeping Pavelec in the same situation risks damaging him similiarly, despite Hartley being gone now. Additionally, what would the spin be on trading Kari, and what could be gotten in return? Some really great D? An all-star center for Ilya? The sky's the limit. As for the spin, he's been being groomed for his career as an NHL player, and now he's ready, what do have to offer us? Dunno if Atlanta would want to let go of one of their only commonly acknowledged stars.
3. Which leaves Moose being traded. If I were the GM, and I love Moose a whole whole lot, but you can't make business decisions with your heart, can you? I would trade Moose if I had D-Wad's job. I would send him to a team that actually has a shot at winning the Cup, because hello, he's getting older. And there are a SHITLOAD of teams out there in desperate need of a GOOD backup. Plus the experience and leadership he brings to a team are invaluable. Would it be a crushing loss to our organisation? Yes. Which is why it probably won't happen. But it would also be a great move for Moose.
So let's say we went with option 3 and traded Moose. The next problem is, is Kari ready to mentor a younger goalie? Johan was brought in to mentor Kari specifically. And while I've not actually seen him play yet this season (DAMN IT SPORTSOUTH! STOP SHOWING FISHING!), I'm reading the event summaries and game summaries, and looking at the shot charts, and I get it. Someone just put some new garnish on it, blew off the dust, and served up the same old shit as last year. So while Kari's under the pressure of maintaining a sv% above .900, if nothing else, oh and win a game if the team could score once in a while (We love you Crusher and Army!), is that really the best time for him to be helping another goalie adjust to the NHL? Nothing against Kari at all, or Pony, but ..... perhaps....
I HAVE A BRILLIANT IDEA!
Buy out Moose's contract next season.
Give him a big fat salary to be the goalie coach from next season out
Keep Pony in the AHL this season, called up when necessary
Pony and Kari play 41/41 next season
Huh! HUH! Is that a good idea or what! I thnk it is!
So you know what we do?
We wait.
And when D-Wad invariably makes the wrong choice, and it invariably goes horribly awry, then, and only then, shall we call for his impeachment.
Who's with me?!
In a boldly surprising move that made me almost want to go check the revised CBA to see if the rule had been changed, goaltender Roberto Luongo has been named captain of the 08-09 Vancouver Canucks. However, the C will not be on his jersey.
Seeing that the 'Nucks have gone out on a limb and set a modern precedent for goalies to be captains, I hereby nominate Johan "Moose" Hedberg as the captain of the Atlanta Thrashers. I don't think there's one guy in that room that commands more respect or affection than Moose, and his maturity and experience provide the necessary skillset to be an effective captain.
Here's the deets:
"We might be a little outside of box here (naming Luongo captain), but there's only two things that, as captain, Roberto can't do and that's wear the 'C' on his jersey or take faceoffs," Vigneault said.If ANY of the players on our team should serve as a voice of reason in the room and during critical parts of the game, it's Moose.
By League rules, Luongo cannot wear the 'C,' but he can be named captain. Mitchell will deal with officials on a nightly basis and as the longest-serving Canuck. Ohlund, who is entering his 11th NHL season, will deal with any ceremonial aspects of the position such as faceoffs.
The 29-year-old Luongo, however, will be the voice of reason in the dressing room and, perhaps, during critical moments of each game.
Johan Hedberg said at the end of the season that he wanted to return for 2008-09 to help get the Thrashers back on track. His wish was granted as the popular netminder has been re-signed to a multi-year contract according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell.
THE MOOSE WAS NOT SET LOOSE!! WOOOOOO!!!!
yeah, i know i've been slacking on the updates. seriously, what do i say? rah rah they're giving... the same half assed effort they gave since november? yeah, no, it's cool. you're there. you've seen it. so hey, interesting thrasher stuff in the interim. i'm preparing for offseason. so... carry on and enjoy the repubs.
Hedberg's amazing perspective on his career shines through during interviews. This isn't someone who is taking his career for granted. Hedberg has worked too hard to not appreciate everything he has right now as a 34-year-old NHL player.
Since you're reading this here, you probably guessed "Kari." And then you probably said, really? But no, seriously! How awesome is that! His first career start against the Red Wings. Go KL go! I'm super psyched to see this match up, I have to remember to tape it.
In other news, apparently the goalies have been working on screening one another at practice lately. Not being a goalie coach, I can't really tell you why, but um. Here.
Thanks to tackkjr for these videos, btw!
Congratulations to Moose for playing his 200th NHL game. It seems like it was so many more, but I guess there was all that time in the AHL, plus back home in Leksand for the Stars. Hopefully the boys can pull out a win for his milestone.
Sunday, April 08, 2001
By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
Johan Hedberg was sipping slowly on a cold beer, his first of the evening. He glanced around the restaurant and noticed several other members of the Detroit Vipers working on their fifth, sixth and beyond, fulfilling the stereotype that the only thing harder than the lifestyle in the minor leagues is the drinking.
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STUBBORN AS A MOOSE (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) | |
Hedberg, a newcomer to the club, looked across the table and noticed that Brent Fedyk, an older teammate, was staying dry.
"So I asked him, 'You don't like to drink so much?' And he told me, 'No, we have a game tomorrow night. And for me, every game is a showcase, my chance to get to the NHL. I never know who's going to be up in the stands watching me. If someone's up there just for one game and I'm not playing well, my chance might be gone.' "
Hedberg set his mug down.
He never had anything resembling a drinking problem, but he took Fedyk's stance in a different light and clinged tightly to it for the next three years.
"What Brent told me that night really stuck in my head. There were days where I didn't feel so sharp, didn't feel so good. I would just think to myself that there was someone sitting up there somewhere in that arena that I was trying to impress, someone who came there just to watch me."
Turns out that someone was up there, after all.
On a handful of occasions, this season and last, that someone would sit in the rafters and study his every move, his every mannerism. And, just as Hedberg had envisioned, that someone never introduced himself, never told anyone he was there.
"I loved him, just loved him," Ed Johnston, the Penguins' assistant general manager, recalled. "We were looking at him for two years. Saw him when he played in Cleveland, saw him in Kentucky, saw him in lots of places. Loved him."
"I didn't have a clue," Hedberg said. "No idea."
On March 13, Hedberg, nearly washed up at age 27, was headed to Pittsburgh. And to the NHL.
'My reaction was ... wow'
When Penguins General Manager Craig Patrick announced he had acquired the rights to Hedberg and defenseman Bobby Dollas from the San Jose Sharks for defenseman Jeff Norton, the cries rose in Pittsburgh.
"Johan who?"
"That's it?"
"A minor-leaguer?"
One reaction in Winnipeg was decidedly different.
The Manitoba Moose had just arrived at the airport after a long road trip, and Hedberg was greeted by his wife, Pernilla, and daughters Molly, 5, and Wilma, 2.
Pernilla noticed Randy Carlyle, Manitoba's general manager and coach, on his cell phone across the way. Mindful that it was the day of the NHL trading deadline, she couldn't help herself.
"She teased me," Hedberg said. "She tells me, 'OK, maybe you're going somewhere, maybe to the NHL.' "
Carlyle waved to summon Hedberg.
"I handed Johan a phone number and told him to call this guy in San Jose," Carlyle recalled. "I told him this was the break he'd finally been waiting for. He was going to the Penguins."
"My reaction was ... wow. I was so excited I could barely speak," Hedberg said. "My kids and my wife hadn't seen me for a week, and I'm just standing there, saying nothing to them. I looked back at Randy and I asked what I'm supposed to do, whether they're going to just send me back to the minors. He told me they wanted me right away. And I said, 'Oh, OK ... great.' "
That blank stare rapidly disintegrated into a full-throttle case of the nerves when he arrived at Mellon Arena the next day and met the Penguins.
"I was really excited. I was just like a kid, peeking around all the rooms and meeting all the guys."
Including the owner.
"I was wondering all that morning what I was going to say to Mario Lemieux when I met him. You see him on TV and you have some kind of idea what he's like, but until you meet him, you don't know. He has a real karma about him. It was a great experience for me."
But not the real thing. That began the morning of March 16. Hedberg showed up at Florida's arena early, trying desperately to regain some sense of focus. Not to face the Panthers in his NHL debut that night, but to impress his new teammates in the morning skate.
"I was just as focused for that as I've been for any game. I knew there were so many great players on this team, and I wanted to make sure I did my best."
Then came the interminable six-hour stretch between the skate and faceoff.
"I was really nervous. Not that I didn't think I could do it. But here I was, this was the chance I had been dreaming about. I knew I had to be at the top of my game to take advantage of it. Funny thing was, right before the game, I started to settle down a little. I just tried to take shots and get comfortable. And by game time, I felt really calm. I was focused in a good way."
A good way, indeed. He made 41 saves and thwarted the league's premier goal-scorer, Pavel Bure, on two of three breakaways in a 6-3 victory.
That was just the start. Since then, he has gone 6-1-1 with a 2.44 goals-against average and .909 save percentage, the best numbers on the club.
To top it off, he learned yesterday from Coach Ivan Hlinka that the Penguins' starting job for the Stanley Cup playoffs is his. That will match him against the Washington Capitals' Olaf Kolzig, the winner of the Vezina Trophy last year as the NHL's best goaltender, in the first round.
"If I see Kolzig on the other side of the rink, it's going to be a great challenge, a fun challenge. But he might not feel the same way about me. I don't know. He probably doesn't even know who I am."
'I was always a goaltender'
Hedberg's story has the same opening chapter of just about every goaltender.
When he was 6, by far the youngest on his block in the 200-strong village of Alvik, Sweden, he, his brothers and some friends helped build a makeshift rink. Hedberg, true to a universal custom in pick-up hockey, was forced by the older boys to don the pads.
And, as so often happens, the youngster fell in love with the position.
"These guys were so much bigger than me, and they shot the puck really hard. But I was never afraid. I would stand there for hours. I loved it. I never played any other position. I was always a goaltender."
His brothers -- Anders was five years older, Bjorn three years older -- gradually lost interest and found other pursuits. But not the youngest.
"I was the only one who kept playing, so I always had to find my own way with it. My mother would help me, too. She was the one who would drive me, who would always be there, selling hot dogs and programs, organizing everything. And that was all the time. I spent so much time at rinks. I never wanted to leave."
Hedberg remains tight with his family. His father, Lars, calls to offer advice. And his brothers stay up at night to listen to Internet broadcasts of his games. After his NHL debut, they were brought to tears when they heard Lemieux presented Hedberg with the puck.
But his mother, Bia, died two years ago after a long illness. That, Hedberg said, changed his life.
"I've become more mature, I think. Not that I'm all grown up now, but it helped me in the progress of becoming a better human being, of dealing with stuff."
And how much would she enjoy his making the NHL?
Hedberg smiles at the thought.
"I always knew she would help me out. I'm sure she's up there helping me out right now, and I think she's the happiest person there is."
'He never quit'
Hedberg rose rapidly through the junior ranks in Sweden, but he never seemed to catch the eye of scouts in that country's elite league.
His fortune changed in 1992, when both goaltenders for the Leksand club were injured.
"Kind of the same situation I'm in now. I was buried in the minors, but I ended up in the right place at the right time."
Then as now, he made the most of it. He would be Leksand's starter for the next five years and claw his way onto the national team's roster.
In that time, he was claimed by Philadelphia in the eighth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. But the Flyers never seemed interested, visiting him only once.
"I always wanted to come to America to play. When they drafted me, I thought they were going to invite me to camp, but they didn't. They always told me I had to play on the national team. Well, I was on the national team, but it didn't seem to help."
Realizing his clock was ticking at age 23, Hedberg came overseas on his own in 1997, figuring he had a better shot of getting noticed with an independent minor-league team than in Europe.
In his first season, he signed with the Baton Rouge Kingfish of the ECHL, then played for Detroit and Manitoba of the IHL. The hockey went well, but he didn't get noticed. Worse still, his family was homesick and his old teammates in Sweden were phoning him to tell him he was nuts to be riding buses across America when he could be playing in that country's top league. So he went back to Leksand for another year.
"There were times in this business when I doubted myself," Hedberg said. "I wondered if I can do this."
San Jose acquired his NHL rights from the Flyers in 1998, and he agreed the following year to report to their system. The Sharks gave him a good look, last season with the Kentucky Thoroughblades of the AHL and this season with Manitoba. But a glut of good goaltenders left him at No. 4 on the organizational depth chart.
He might as well have been selling used cars.
"It was a rare situation," Manitoba's Carlyle said. "The only strike against Johan was that the other goaltenders they had were younger than him."
He was No. 1 on Carlyle's depth chart, though, displacing former NHL veteran Ken Wregget and blossoming into the Moose's most valuable player.
The Penguins were aware of this. Johnston was in touch with Wregget, who played nearly a decade in Pittsburgh, and had his own observations confirmed. But the Sharks were loath to make a deal.
"We tried to get him last year, too, but San Jose just wouldn't budge," Johnston said. "They had all those goalies, and they wouldn't let them go."
That changed in February and March when the Sharks told the Penguins they wanted Norton. Seems strange, considering Norton is 35 and had been having a forgettable season in Pittsburgh, but ...
"He played there before, and they wanted him bad," Johnston said. "So we asked for Hedberg."
They got him, and his Winnipeg days were over.
Carlyle is as disappointed to have lost Hedberg as he is delighted to watch him succeed in Pittsburgh. He and other Manitoba officials and players have watched some of the Penguins' games on television with pride.
"In reality, we know he's not coming back here, and that's great," Carlyle said. "They say good things happen to good people, and he's definitely one of those. He never quit, never gave up. He always knew that if somebody would just take a look at him, he'd be fine."
'It's gotten a little bit crazy'
Anyone worried about how Hedberg will hold up under the pressure of the Stanley Cup playoffs should compare that to his first two days in the NHL.
Every save, every rebound, every touch mattered. If he didn't excel -- immediately -- his chances at an NHL career would have fizzled just as quickly.
His pivotal game came March 17 at Tampa, the night after his successful debut. He had stopped only 15 of 20 shots in a 5-1 loss to the Lightning and was devastated afterward, sitting at his locker, staring straight ahead.
But as microphones and cameras surrounded him, he stood and answered every reporter's question by blaming himself. Even though his teammates had played abysmally in front of him. Even though by acknowledging that he didn't play his best game, he was risking never seeing another one in the NHL.
His final comment: "I'm very sad."
That, as much as any game Hedberg has won, carried plenty of weight in the Penguins' locker room.
"He's the kind of guy you try to help," defenseman Darius Kasparaitis said. "You see his effort. In every game, every practice, he works hard. You see a guy doing that, you want to help him succeed."
"That game meant a lot," Johnston said. "The kid showed he doesn't get rattled."
Hedberg hasn't lost since then.
"I didn't feel pressure from anyone except myself because I knew everyone here wanted me to do well. You could feel that. When you come to the next level, you have to take your game to the next level, too. That's what these guys helped me to do by believing in me."
Now, Hedberg doesn't want the script to change.
He still expresses the same childlike awe at sharing an ice surface with Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr.
He still sits on a metal folding chair in the locker room of the team's Southpointe practice facility, while the rest of the players have plush stalls.
And yes, he still wears his bright blue Moose mask. A new one, featuring a flashy Penguins design, has yet to escape his equipment bag.
"You have superstitions, so I think I'm going to stick with it for a while. As long as the team doesn't mind me wearing it, that's OK with me. Besides, I think it's a pretty nice mask, and people here always seem to be asking me about it. It's gotten a little bit crazy."
It's a crazy story, to be sure, and he loves sharing it.
With his wife and kids, still living in Winnipeg.
With his father and brothers.
And most of all, with his old hockey buddies back in Leksand.
"They're all very happy for me now. But it's funny, you know, because these were the same the people who were asking me, 'Why aren't you giving up?' 'Why are you still in the minors?' 'Why don't you come back to Sweden?' I would tell them I didn't want to do that, that I had a shot at the NHL. ... I always believed that."
First, I had to work til 7 on Friday, and with an hour long commute home, that meant I'd miss puck-drop. So I called home to have the resident 12 year old electronics expert set up the VCR to tape the game. Well guess what? It wasn't being shown on Center Ice. [Insert mad face here] And of course, because that's just how things go, Kari lost. So Moose gets the start for yesterday's matinee, which I both forgot to do a game-day preview on AND forgot to bet on (lost a mill on the Carolina game Friday, btw), and he gets the win. Which says to me Moose will get the start tomorrow against Philly.
You know, I kind of hope that Downie is still in the lineup when they come to town, because I would pay cold hard cash to see X give that punk one of his patented open-ice knock-you-the-eff-out hits. Also? Derian Hatcher? I hate you. I hated you before but you broke my buddy Loops! Your own teammate. What the hell is wrong with you, jackass? Stay away from Gator, you may taint him with your evil.
Further, Steve Eminger, an old personal friend of all of us at FWH, and a guy we love and love making fun of, finally played this weekend, after being a healthy scratch since Novermber 26. Yeah, I know, I thought it was a typo too, but no, 17 healthy scratches in a row, yet on the 5th of January, he played.
But here's the thing. I can't find ANY pictures of it. So I pose this question to you, dear readers. If an oft-scratched defenceman plays, but there are no photos, did he actually play? I'll be spending the day scouring the intarwebs for a photo to prove he really did play. If you've got one and can direct me, that would be full of awesomesauce (much like Steve himself, although, maybe not so much as a Cap). Now look, I know I rag on Emmy a lot, but I love the guy. Having the early part of his professional career not just marred, but perhaps shattered and scarred by the "coaching" of Bruce "Butch" Cassidy did him in - and not just Emmer, but many Caps players. He just needs the right environment, with the right D-partners, and the right coach..... That said...
I'm considering starting a campaign to trade Steve Eminger. Anyone think he'd be good in Atlanta? We can do a straight up Steve-for-Steve trade, Eminger for McCarthy. Put Eminger back on a pairing with Kenny Klee and put X with Tobi maybe? Yeaaaah, I'm liking that idea. Waddell, are you listening? Steve Eminger, buddy. You want him! Plus, we can still maintain our wonder twin defencemen status, because Emmer and X do look a bit alike!
Here's your photos from yesterday's matinee. Bit low on photos because ModSquad has mostly ones from Presswire, and they only release small photos, not the 1024x768s that I prefer. That said, here we go:
Colin Stuart goooooal!
Um, Kevin Doell? I guess he's a callup?
Thaaaat's another goal!
Mooooooooooooose!During a scrum in front of the Flyers net midway through the second period, Zajac got his glove into the face of Philadelphia defenceman Derian Hatcher and then pulled his bare hand out.Am I the only one imagining Preston Lacy and Wee Man from Jackass 2.5 right now? Yes? No? I'm delusional you say? Well no kidding. Tell me something I don't know.
"I guess I got close to him and he bit me," said Zajac, who wore a splint on the middle finger of his left hand. "I felt pain, I saw blood and then got stitched up and went back out."
Zajac, who gave the Devils a 2-0 lead with his first goal in nearly a month, missed the rest of the second period but returned for the third. Zajac said Hatcher didn't talk to him. "I had my finger in his mouth, so I don't think he could," Zajac said.
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The Philadelphia Flyers announced Sunday that forward Joffrey Lupul will out of the lineup for a few weeks after being diagnosed with a spinal cord bruise and a mild concussion.
Lupul was released from a Pennsylvania hospital Sunday after hit his head on the ice in a collision with teammmate Derian Hatcher against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Look, what more do you people want from me? It's obvious that Hatcher is blazing a path to hell and he's taking everyone down with him. I would say I am surprised, but I think I warned you all he was a flesh eating creature of the night and that one day it would come to this. It's OK. It's obvious the Day of Judgment is at hand and when the shit hits the fan at least I know I'm prepared.
Christ. He's eating people and now he's concussing his own teammates. This is like something out of a goddamn "Frankenstein" movie. Or "King Kong." The monster has turned on its own now and there is no stopping it. Pretty soon you're going to turn on CNN and there will be Hatcher, clinging to the top of the Empire State building, swatting at passing airplanes while the National Guard tries to take him down with a militia of tanks and fire power.I can see it unfold now... members of the clergy will be on top of the building trying to perform some sort of exorcism, so all you'll hear is Hatcher yowling and an army of priests yelling: "THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU!" Then they'll have Anderson Cooper reporting, as the Beast they call "The Hatch" is riddled with bullets, saying, something like, "OH THE HUMANITY!"
I personally cannot WAIT.
This might be the greatest headline in the history of the Thrashers, to our thinking anyway: Thrashers will continue to ride Moose
Seriously, Best. Headline. Ever.
