Not only has Dany Heatley requested a trade, thereby removing “The Heat is On” from the music repertoire, but no action has been made on the Brendan Bell front, essentially relegating “You Can Ring My Bell” to the vault.

What the hell?!?!?

You see, I have to think that is one of the coolest parts of the job. Having a Dany Heatley button. Or a Brendan Bell button. And that’s not to say there aren’t cool songs associated with certain players (Daniel Alfredsson gets “Beautiful Day” by U2 and Jason Spezza gets “I Like the Way You Move“), but it can be a hard job to have appropriate songs ready at appropriate moments.

So with that, I’ve come up with a few musical suggestions for certain moments this season at Scotiabank Place.

Suggestion #1

- When Mike Fisher gets a penalty, I would like to hear Carrie Underwood’s “Maybe Next Time He’ll Think Before He Cheats.” Better yet, I would like to hear Carrie Underwood herself grab the microphone and bust that one out.

Suggestion #2

- When Nick Foligno scores a goal, Van Halen’s “Jump” is pretty creative. But it’s got to be hard to Little Nicky to be moving out of the shadow of his father. Plus, he only jumped that one time. So instead, I want to hear “Tequila“, with the crowd yelling “Foligno” at the right time.

Suggestion #3

- Whenever an opposing goalie gets pulled, there’s never enough fanfare. This should be one of the most embarrassing moments ever. Therefore, I think “Another One Bites the Dust” would be great for this very moment. .

Suggestion #4

- We all know that Dany Heatley is going to be playing in front of the Scotiabank Place crowd….for another team. So rather than booing, I think they should put him up on the big screen and play Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone.” Those lyrics will cut to the core.

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For anyone who’s unaware of the comments Havlat’s comments, here’s the basic jist:

- Havlat really wanted to stay in Chicago and was hopeful about resigning with the Blackhawks.
- Chicago goes out and signs Marian Hossa to a big time 12 year deal, while Havlat remains unsigned.
- Havlat strikes a 6 year deal with the Minnesota Wild and tells fans via twitter “The real story about what happened in Chicago to come out”.
- Approximately 9 minutes later, Havlat tweets the following “There’s something to be said for loyalty and honor”.  Hmmm, interesting.
- On Tuesday July 14^th, Dale Tallon is moved from Blackhawks GM to Senior Hockey Operations Advisor and replace with Stan Bowman (son of the great Scottie Bowman).
- This prompts Havlat to tweet “I guess everyone saw what happened to Dale….yes, the story is starting to come out but it’s just the tip of the iceberg”.
- Havlat goes on to say Tallon is like a 2nd father to him and his contract negotiations stalled with Chicago largely because McDonough wanted ‘his’ guys, not Tallon’s guys.

There’s a bit more, but that’s the highlights.  So it leads me to ask the question, should Martin Havlat really be telling the whole world about this?

As a fan of the NHL and the Hawks, I appreciate the insight Havlat is bringing.  But I have to wonder what his motives are with his twittering/TSN interviews with Darren Dreger.  I get he’s angry, but he’s not the only NHL player to get caught up in organizational politics.  He is, however, one of few to come out this candidly about the situation.

I question the ethics here.  I mean, is he breaking hockey player code by leaking out this info – regardless of its truth?  Again, he’s not the first player something like this has happened to.  If I was a member of the Minnesota Wild and their organization, I think I’d be wondering what kind of baggage Havlat might be bringing, why his focus isn’t on the Wild and if he’s going to say the same things when his 6 year $30 Million contract expires.

I like Martin Havlat, but is he crossing the line here?

Stay classy, Martin Havlat.

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December
December features 17 games with heavy travel, including a four game West coast swing (Sharks, Kings, Coyotes, Ducks).  11 of the games are against Eastern Conference teams, so again, a good time to make up points against teams the Sens will be battling for a playoff spot with.  In December, there are three back-t0-back games – a tough way to end 2009.  First, December 5/6 against the Coyotes and Ducks (both away), then December 18/19 against the Devils and Wild (in New Jersey, then back to Ottawa) and finally December 30/31 against the Avalanche and the Islanders (both home).

Needless to say, this is a pretty critical stretch for the Senators.  Nearly half their season will be played in 57 days.  Their performance in these months will be the foundation for a 2010 playoff run or top 9 2010 NHL Entry Draft pick… again.  For the full Senators schedule, you can see it here.

Stay classy, Ottawa Senators.

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Is there anything you can do to make things a little more exciting right now?

With all due respect, the last week has been pretty dull. I mean, it’s just been a bunch of signings and stuff. I know you announced Fenway as the sight of the Winter Classic, and I know that the schedule is coming out today. But man, this has been pretty rough.

And I don’t mean to harp on this, but the tension is building. In fact, I’m expecting the next “domino to fall” to be huge. Legendary. So, no pressure, okay?

Therefore, if you could trade Dany Heatley in a 8-team deal that breaks the Internet and Google in its complexity, that would be great. Anything less would be uncivilized at this point.

Best regards,

The Staff at Stayclassy.net

The impact a summer of rebuilding, retooling or simply tweaking has never been as critical to an upcoming season’s success.  Judging by today’s rosters and the moves we’ve seen (or in some cases, not seen), I believe some teams are stronger, while others are weaker and it starts with key decision making from GMs and front offices.  Today, let’s talk about team’s who’ve drastically improved their rosters since ending the season last year.

Los Angeles Kings
I like the Kings and the patience they’ve showed assembling their young core group.  I like that they went out and got Ryan Smyth last week.  The price was high and giving up a Powerplay quarterback like Kyle Quincey is tough, but with their defensive depth and the need for gritty/skilled/experienced forwards, the deal makes sense.  Smyth is a good player on a solid team.  I don’t think he’s a first line guy, but think he’s very effective within a team of stars.  The young Kings kids will learn from him and I feel Smyth will be rejuvinated with the Kings after playing the last few years with the Colorado Avalanche and New York Islanders.  The Kings remind me a bit of last season’s Blackhawks, but aren’t quite as solid, yet.  Although I believe Los Angeles will make the playoffs this year, I don’t think they’ll see the Conference Finals in the 09-10 season.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Talk about two summers of difference for the Lightning.  Last summer looked like random UFA spending without a plan.  This summer they plugged roster holes in a seemingly calculated way.  After selecting Victor Hedman 2nd overall at this summer’s NHL Entry Draft,  Tampa Bay signed Mattias Ohlund to a 7 year deal.  Nice – the Lightning get an experienced NHL defenceman at a good price and someone who happens to speak the native Ikea tongue of Hedman.  Also, signing Kurtis Foster is a great depth signing.  Having 3 stronger defenceman will help Andrej Meszaros feel more comfortable, especially on the powerplay where they need him most.  I strongly believe Hedman to be a better fit in Tampa than Tavares would have been.  The Lightning needed quality defenceman more than offense (Vinny Lecavalier, Steven Stampkos and Marty St. Louis) and got it.  Especially when you consider the firepower of other Eastern Conference stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jason Spezza, Alex Ovechkin and others.  Good job, Tampa.  Within the next three years, I see a deep playoff run for the Lightning.

Chicago Blackhawks
Despite scaring the living crap out of revived Blackhawks fans, everything is calm in the Windy City.  Getting both Cam Barker and Kris Versteeg under contract for the next three years was a good move and secures depth for the Hawks.  Adding a player at the caliber of Marian Hossa isn’t a bad thing, for the immediate future.  Unlike the Lightning and Kings, the Hawks are on my list for the moves they didn’t make – signing any other players they probably didn’t need.  The reality is they need all the cap room they can get for impending contract renewals for Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Andrew Ladd, Duncan Keith and more.  I believe this is the year Chicago finally dethrones the Detroit Red Wings from the Central Division dominance… assuming new GM Stan Bowman doesn’t screw up next year’s RFA contracts.

(** All major hockey outlets are reporting this morning the Hawks have shuffled their front office and have replaced GM Dale Tallon with Scottie Bowman’s son, Stan Bowman.  Tallon is now the Senior advisor of hockey operations for the Blackhawks. **)

Stay classy, Kings, Lightning and Hawks.

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So I felt a bit slighted on behalf of Jason Spezza when he wasn’t named to the invitation camp for Team Canada.  Now a lot of players weren’t invited, and some players were who won’t likely make the team (I’m looking at you Milan Lucic), so it can’t be all bad.  And there is a very serious likelihood that Spezza can probably play himself onto the team.  The retirement of Joe Sakic has likely opened the door for that as well.  But yet there’s still a debate over who should go.

So I present to you, Part 7 in the widely popular What Would You Do series, Jason Spezza vs. Marc Savard.

Jason Spezza age: 26 years old, will be 27 years old for the Olympics.

Marc Savard age: 31 years old, will be 32 years old for the Olympics.

Now Spezza will probably have another chance to make the 2014 games, while Marc Savard likely won’t.  But is that a good enough reason to not let youth win here?  By giving Spezza a chance now, you also guarantee some experience on the 2014 squad as well.  I’m going to have to go with Spezza here.

Jason Spezza size: 6’3, 216 lbs

Marc Savard size: 5’10, 191 lbs

Again, I’m going to have to go with Spezza here.  The size is going to be a big factor on the smaller ice surface in Vancouver.  Maybe Canada went too big in 2006, but I don’t think it will be as much of a factor in 2010.  Plus, we’re not talking about a slow player in Jason Spezza.  He has soft hands and can find space on the ice very well.  2 points for Spezza.

Jason Spezza International Appearances: 3 National Junior Team appearances, 2 National Team appearances

Marc Savard International Appearances: 0

Again, this doesn’t say much other than Spezza just has more experience on the international stage and representing Canada.  I’m not saying that Savard would be a bad candidate for the Canadian team, but you have to think that those 5 appearances have given Spezza some upper hand here.

Jason Spezza 2008/09 Point Totals: 82 GP, 32 G, 41 A, 73 pts

Marc Savard 2008/09 Point Totals: 82 GP, 25 G, 63 A, 88 pts

Savard has been no slouch in the point total department, and last year was no different.  While Spezza had an off year by his usual standards, Savard was quietly showing the skill he displayed in his days in Atlanta and Boston when he posted point totals of 97 and 96, respectively.  Spezza has never broken the 100 point barrier himself, but at 26, will have more opportunity to do it.  Give this one to Savard, with honourable mention to Spezza.

Bottom Line:

Spezza brings some added size, international experience and youth to the Canadian Olympic Team.  While neither were invited to camp, I would have to think that Hockey Canada should be looking closer at Jason Spezza, rather than Marc Savard.  Both players, ironically enough, have shown they can dish the puck well to Dany Heatley, so that argument should go out the window.  Rather, Hockey Canada should go with Spezza and show the world that we are not just thinking about 2010, but 2014 as well.

Stay Classy, Marc Savard.

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Forwards
Alex Tanguay, Robert Lang, Todd Bertuzzi, Rob Niedermayer, P.J. Axelsson, Mike Comrie, Brendan Shanahan, Manny Malhotra, Maxim Afinogenov, Dominic Moore, Petr Sykora.

Defencemen
Mathieu Schneider, Derek Morris, Sergei Zubov, Marek Malik, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Martin Skoula, Philippe Boucher, Rhett Warrener, Dennis Seidenberg.

Goaltenders
Curtis Joseph, Martin Gerber, Manny Fernandez, Marty Biron.

Although the names above remain unsigned, the lack of cap space could become a big issue.  The majority of these players have paid their dues and likely won’t play for basement bargain prices.  Enter, younger restricted free agents.

There are also a number of RFA’s that remain unsigned, too.  They could be great pickups, especially when some of these players’ respective teams are very close to the salary cap and may not have room to match any potential offer sheets.  Note, I haven’t included any RFA’s that filed for salary arbitration, as they’re not available for offer sheets.

Unsigned RFA’s

Jack Johnson, Phil Kessel, Josh Harding, Drew Stafford, Brandon Dubinsky, Kari Lehtonen, Keith Yandle, Rob Schremp, Ladislav Smid, Scottie Upshall, Shaone Morrisonn, Justin Pogge, Brian Elliott.

Of this list, I believe there’s a high likeliness at least one or two of these RFA’s will be signed to offer sheets.  Whether or not their respective teams choose to match the offer is another question altogether… but they may not have the cap room and I’m wondering if GM’s are willing to be that cut-throat.  These are strong players that could be had for similar or lower prices than the veteran UFAs noted above.

This could provide the NHL off-season with even more fireworks than we’ve seen so far.  So, do you think GM’s will throw around offer sheets to one another?  Will one team’s vulnerable salary cap position be another’s gain?

Your Reporter in the Field,

Fantana

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I had to ask myself what that guy was thinking when he did that?  I mean, what if he moves, or worse-yet, the team moves?  What if his favourite puppy gets run over by the team bus?  Any regrets?

Which got me thinking.  There are a lot of die-hard fans out there.  You know the ones: they’ll live and die with the team.  They’re opinions are formulated out of a shear, unadulterated passion for this team, whichever team it may be.

But they are also the fans with the least amount of common sense.

When Dany Heatley asks for a trade, they are up in arms, pitchforks and stakes sharpened for the chance they might get to see Heatley.  If the team loses in the playoffs, they lock themselves in their room until the upcoming October for the next season.

These are the same people who heralded the extension of Dany Heatley, Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, Jason Spezza and Co.  This is the same group of fans who always believe that things are about to turn a corner.  The team just needs to get rid of the bad apples.

But they’re attitudes towards the team extends even beyond optimism.  At times it can be absolute pessimism.  Just listen to the Team 1200 after a loss to hear their rants and raves.  For many of them, Bryan Murray needs to be fired because the Senators, like 28 other teams, haven’t won a Stanley Cup this year (or appeared in the Stanley Cup finals).

And I guess that’s what I appreciate about the hockey blogosphere.  There are so many people out there that deserve mention here, but this is a group of fans that recognize hockey, understand the game, and ultimately know that you cheer for the experience, not the team.  It doesn’t matter what logo is on the front of the chest.  You cheer for how you feel when you see that team win, whoever it might be.

When the Senators went to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007, an entire city embraced the team.  Fans were coming out of the woodwork.  It was slightly offensive to those who watched the team from their inception, but there was a new legion of fans emerging.  But ask half of those fans to name the defensive core of that Senators team, and you will be hard pressed to get answers.

Here at Stayclassy.net, we are victims of our own obsession at times.  We dutifully acknowledge our passion for hockey, and at times can go into vitriolic rants about the game and it’s players (including GMs- with my apologies to Brian Burke).  At times we mean it, and at other times we are merely addressing the ridiculousness of it all.  I hope that in my time writing here, people have had a chance to enjoy the irony of being a fan.

We create storylines, battles and rivalries in our heads, not because they truly exist, but because they will only enhance our experience of watching the game.  And that is, after all, what we’re cheering for.  The Experience.

There’s an old saying: it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.  Hockey is the same: it’s not about the team on the ice, it’s about the experience of watching them.

No matter what happens over the off-season, we will continue to write.  We will continue to poke fun.  And we will continue to enjoy the experience.  Thanks for enjoying it with us.

Stay classy, loyal readers.

I should probably clarify something.  This isn’t an ode to Michael Jackson and that ridiculous $1.4 Million California shutdown earlier this week.  I’m talking about the Detroit Red Wings and the blow their depth chart has taken since July  1st.  For anyone looking to keep score, the Red Wings have lost Marian Hossa and Thomas Kopecky (both to the Chicago Blackhawks), Mikael Samuelsson (Vancouver Canucks) and Jiri Hudler (KHL) since game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals.

We’ve long praised the Detroit Red Wings organization as the NHL’s model drafting and developing organization for what feels like forever.  Unfortunately for the Red Wings, the talent they’ve scouted and developed over the years represents the very reason the guys listed above aren’t a part of their roster for years to come.  That’s quite the quandary.  A catch 22, if you will.

So the question is, how deep are the Red Wings and just how good are some of their prospects or “role players”?  I say that with no disrespect.  Some of Detroit’s checking line players fit into most team’s top 2 lines.   And a testament to Detroit’s depth, most teams would be crippled losing the likes of Hudler, Hossa, Kopecky and Samuelsson, yet we’re discussing if it will be a set back or not.

One way or another, this is a turning point for the Red Wings organization.  Either it’s the beginning of their decline (one I’m sure would be extremely brief, given GM Ken Holland’s track record), paving way for Chicago to be the dominant force in the Central Division and Western Conference.  Or Detroit’s perennial Stanley Cup contender legacy will solidify beyond comprehension if guys like Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm can make the adjustment and continue to evolve.

I’m betting this will be a set-back for the Detroit Red Wings.  Not a huge one – they still have 2 top flight forwards in Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, as well as the most dominant NHL defenceman in modern history, Nick Lidstrom (plus a great supporting cast including Stuart, Rafalski and Kronwall).  I’m guessing the secondary scoring won’t come as easily, which will place more pressure on Chris Osgood, Zetterberg and Datsyuk.

Do you think this is a changing of the guards in the Central division, or a small blip in the Red Wings radar?

Stay classy, Detroit Red Wings.

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It’s easy to look at a few of the things that Brian Burke has done in this free agency period, but by doing so, you neglect to look at what he hasn’t been able to accomplish in his time in Toronto.  This, I believe, grants unfair intelligence to the man.

Take for instance last year’s trade deadline day.  The biggest splash Burke made that day was take on some salary from the Tampa Bay Lightning, move Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore.

Possibly the most overused Burke picture ever.

Oh yeah.  And he signed Martin Gerber.

Wow.  March 3rd must have been a blast in Leaf-Land.

Following that, Burke made it quite clear he was going to move up in the NHL Entry Draft and get John Tavares in a Leafs uniform.

He had, after all, made life easier in Tampa.  So maybe they wouldn’t mind moving that number 2 pick, right?  Wrong.  Not only did Burke not live up to his lofty expectations, but he didn’t do anything at all.  And in fitting with Brian Burke’s previous GM strategies, he even went as far as to find out who Bryan Murray wanted, just to make sure he could draft him.

Now Burke has turned to his old strategy of bringing in players who played well for him before.  Remember Bertuzzi in Anaheim? Yep, that worked.  Brad May was a great trade, in that he played for Burke in two teams.  And now Francois Beauchemin is going to be wearing the white and blue.  Oh right.  And let’s not forget his too-little too-late flight to Sweden to sign those elusive Sedins.

He did sign Jonas Gustavsson.  But if you haven’t read today, there’s already a goaltending controversy in Toronto.  The Monster wants the number one job.

I predict an upcoming implosion in Leaf-Land pretty soon.  And Burke is going to be the epi-centre.  Yes he’s quotable.  And yes he’s won a Stanley Cup, but making a lot of noise does not a good GM make.

Stay classy, Brian Burke.

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