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| The Owners Box By The Puckmaster |
| Good-bye Jaromir Jag-Off! Good Luck in Siberia! Jaromir Jagr was a special player early in his career. But with age his performance tailed off, leaving hockey fans in Pittsburgh, Washington and New York feeling somewhat miffed. How many jerseys have you seen where Jagr is covered with tape and black marker that reads -- Jag-off? Yes, Jagr had a nice stretch this year in the playoffs, serving as captain of a Ranger team that was desperate for Mark Messier-style leadership; the kind you only find on Broadway. But the final analysis will cast doubt on Jagr's ability to win on his own. He never really did. And now he's Russia-bound. The irony is, the Rangers are scheduled to play in the Czech Republic this fall. And they will do so without one of the best Czechs to play the game. Once again, Jaromir Jagr screws a team and moves on. How appropriate. By the way, Avangard Omsk, the team he's going to, is based in Siberia. Again, very appropriate. Good-bye and good riddance! What Next for Alex the Gr8? We saw Alex Ovechkin make mincemeat of goalies. We enjoyed Ovie's Capitals rise from the ashes to win the SouthLeast Division. Winning all those awards will only pile tons of pressure on Alexander the GR8. Whether he responds next year, taking his team beyond the first round of the playoffs, will follow him onto the ice in the fall. He's also very lucky he's been free of major injury. Just look at Sid the Kid missing 27 games. His ankle injury did not hamstring the Pens because of their firepower but it certainly put a dent in his personal stats. If Ovechkin gets hurt, the Caps' playoffs hopes may take a seat on the pine. Chicago Hope How about Chicago's two bright phenoms -- Kane and Toews? With the Hawks' long-time owner Bill Girtz now pushing up daisies, maybe the Hawks will finally shed their stingy image and start producing for fans in the Windy City. "Hey, mom and dad, come here. The Hawks are on TV!" There's a lot of hockey history in Chicago. Let's hope they start adding to it again. Nice moves with Huet and Campbell should also help! Gary Bettman's Wet Dream Wow! The Commish finally got his wish. Sidney Crosby made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. It's what the NHL and the some members of the lapdog media have wanted all along. There's little doubt Sid the Kid is talented. But maybe too much is being pushed on this tyke too soon. He brought his team all the way to the Big Show. But the power of the C on his sweater is in doubt. Many of his teammates failed to show. ("Paging Evgeni Malkin! paging Evgeni Malkin, please come to the arena. Your Pens need you!") Whether Sid the Kid makes it back to the Finals any time soon will hinge on whether Pittsburgh wants to break the bank. More than half of the team could end up playing somewhere else next season. ("Hey, look! It's Hossa. Is that a UHaul in front of his house?") And what good is throwing accolades on Crosby if the captain of the Pens cannot rally his team? I guess leadership will come in time. As for Bettman, he's just excited to have a great match-up in the Stanley Cup Finals this year. When you're the Commissioner of a league three years out from a crippling lock-out, what more could you ask for? Still on Versus -- Ugh! Sorry to see the NHL is sticking with Versus. As much as I love watching the obscure channel for hunting and fishing tips, hockey fans deserve better. Being on ESPN2 two or three times a week is much better than being on Versus at all. I don't care how dedicated Versus is to the NHL. Versus has virtually no footprint in the media universe. Ask a barkeeper what channel Versus is. Try to find it in a hotel while traveling. Often you can't. As long as the NHL makes its nest with Versus, the NHL will struggle to recruit casual fans. |