Mielenkiintoisia hanskaaja siirtoja tapahtui eilen ja tämän päivän aikana.
- Sean Avery siis siirtyi Los Angelesista New Yorkiin ja tämä tulee varmasti nostattamaan Rangers vs Islanders/Flyers pelien tunnetilaa. On se sen verran v-mäinen kaveri.
- Nashville Predators kutsui ylös Sheldon "Waden veli" Brookbankin. Mielenkiintoinen kaveri ja jos joku haluaa katsoa miehen fight cardia niin se löytyy täältä:
http://www.dropyourgloves.com/Players/Player.aspx?Player=6665
- New Jersey Devils kutsui vihdoinkin hyökkääjä Cam Janssenin ylös farmista. On tätä jo odotettukin. Mies kuuluu NHL:ään eikä AHL liigaan vaikka hänellä ei taida olla yhtään laukausta maalia kohti tämän kauden aikana :-) No muut avut puhukoot puolestaan.
- Ja meinas jäädä pois. Matthew Barnaby saattaa lopettaa kiekkoilijan uransa:
"INSIDE THE NHL
Ex-Sabre Barnaby may have played his final game
2/4/2007
By BUCKY GLEASON
Say whatever you want about the guy. Call him an instigator, a pest, a punk. Remind him how many players wanted to punch that toothy, sarcastic smile off his face, how many more he agitated with his mouth. Matthew Barnaby would plead guilty to the above charges and probably a few more.
Just be sure to give him credit, too, for playing 834 games for seven teams over 14 NHL seasons. The thankless work that goes with his chippy style was worth more than $9 million in salary. And fans thought the former Sabres winger was finished years ago after he yapped his way out of Buffalo.
The end finally appears near for Barnaby. The Dallas winger has had concussion problems since Jan. 9 that caused him to temporarily lose vision in his left eye, a scare serious enough for him to ponder retirement. He's not about to hang up his skates quite yet, but it's possible he's already played his last game.
"I'm frustrated that I'm not in there," Barnaby said by telephone last week. "At the same time, I'm reflecting. You don't want to reflect because you don't want it to be over, but I have to do what's best for my family whether it's playing or not playing. It's something we have to decide. They have a big say."
For all the broken noses, gouged eyeballs, sprained ankles and chipped teeth - and that's just from hanging around Rob Ray - there comes a time when players walk away from the game while they still can. Barnaby has 113 goals and 300 points in a career that also includes 2,562 penalty minutes.
He'll be remembered for his dirty work, but he should never apologize for effectively getting under the skin of his opponents. Don't blame him for doing whatever was necessary to stay in the NHL, which now appears out of his control.
"I've never been put through this test," Barnaby said. "But let's face it, I'm going to be 34 years old (in May). How much longer can I play anyway?"
Barnaby could wind up exiting the game the same way he entered. He was a small but scrappy brawler who fought his way onto the roster and spent his career agitating his opponents. It's exactly what led him to his current problems.
He lost vision in his left eye for about 15 minutes on Dec. 14 after a fight with New York Rangers center Ryan Hollweg. He couldn't see for 30 minutes after brawling with Anaheim's Shawn Thornton about week later. It happened again Jan. 9, this time for 45 minutes, after a bout with Phoenix's Josh Gratton.
Barnaby will return to Western New York whenever he retires. He still has a home here with his wife, Christine, a WNY native. He was hoping to return to the Stars this season but still suffered from concussion-related symptoms last week. If he does return this season, it will likely be his last.
"My wife is obviously very precautionary and very nervous," he said. "She keeps pointing out that I do have two kids to look after and want to be able to hold. That's her main focus. Her first concern is myself, without saying the obvious."