Dein erstes Forum » s his Norris Trophy form

DETROIT - If a contract extension between the Red Wings and Mike Babcock is indeed imminent, it appears to be news to the Detroit head coach.An animated Babcock addressed reporters after the Red Wings practice Thursday, candidly shooting down a media report that surfaced last night suggesting he was about to re-sign with the Original Six NHL club.Guys, this is like a fantasy world, Babcock said when asked about the report.Im happy here. I like the general manager, they treat me good. I dont know what else I can tell you.Babcock is in the last year of his current contract with the Red Wings, but he said he and general manager Ken Holland decided not to discuss contract negotiations during the season to prevent such talks from becoming a distraction.As far as negotiation between Mike Babcock and Ken Holland, there is none, he said. Do we ride on the plane together? Yeah. Was I out with his wife and his daughter the other night? Yeah. I think I had a glass of red wine and he had Coors Light. Theres nothing more to tell.Im not hiding anything, Im not making anything up, this is just reality. So lets not do this again tomorrow.The Red Wings have made the playoffs for nine straight seasons under Babcock, winning the Stanley Cup in 2008.They appear to be poised for another strong season. The Red Wings entered Thursday in first place in the Eastern Conference (17-6-6, 40 points).Babcock said the Red Wings impressive record this year should not come as a surprise.If you think Im working harder this year because Im in the last year of my contract, it makes no difference, he said. I grind, thats what I do. Im a professional grinder, I love winning.Babcock shrugged when asked whether he was getting tired of answering reporters questions about his contract status.They can write whatever they want, you guys get paid to make stuff up I guess, he replied. But the facts ... theres got to be something to do with the facts in the media somewhere, doesnt there? Youd think. Rickey Jackson Jersey .J. Fair didnt have many chances to be the main option for Syracuse last season. Bobby Hebert Jersey . Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto. http://www.shoptheofficialsaints.com/. - Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying Friday in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a 3. Morten Andersen Jersey . They named Mark Washington as their defensive co-ordinator on Thursday and appear to be closing in on an offensive co-ordinator. Sam Mills Jersey . Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent. But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form.The Ottawa Senators are having a bit of an attendance issue in the early part of this season and Tuesday nights result in Philadelphia certainly wont help put more people in the seats. However, there will be a 2-for-1 promotion for Wednesdays home game against the Minnesota Wild. No, there wont be a discount on tickets for this game, but fans will get a chance to boo two villains for the price of one. And considering how ornery and agitated Sens fans are these days, this could be a perfect outlet to vent their frustrations. Dany Heatley and Matt Cooke roll into town as members of the Wild, meaning they would only need Alexei Yashin to centre their line to make it the most hated visiting trio in Sens franchise history. Based on recent history, Heatley and Cooke could very well be Villains 1 and 1A for the Sens fan base. So which player will receive the louder boos tonight? Lets analyze the case for both Heatley and Cooke. Dany Heatley The Dany Heatley saga is well-documented in this town, after the sniper demanded a trade in the summer of 2009. He cited a "diminished role" under head coach Cory Clouston as the catalyst for his departure. When Heatley made his first return to Ottawa on December 2, 2010, he was clearly public enemy No. 1 in this city. The Ottawa Sun ran a headline that screamed Suck It Up Princess and was accompanied by a large photo of Heatley with a super-imposed baby pacifier in his mouth. The sub-headline elegantly stated Heatley still loved by children…….in Africa. Roy MacGregor had the following passage in his Globe and Mail story that day, which perfectly captured the sentiment of the city towards their former hero. "Dany Heatley screwed up the federal by-elections. Dany Heatley is causing area house prices to drop. Dany Heatley is behind this week-long spit that passes for weather around here…Welcome to Ottawa on Dany Heatley Day in the nations capital, the day the San Jose Sharks leading scorer gets blamed for, as the Bible might put it, every little sparrow that falls." That night, fans showed up with old No. 15 jerseys that had the Heatley name plate altered to just spell "H-A-T-E". At one point during the game, a handful of fans came down and threw Heatley jerseys onto the ice in a staged protest. Urinals had Heatley action figures in them, giving a new meaning to the term number-one winger. Ottawa has never had an evening quite like that and unfortunately for the home team, Heatley and his Sharks skated away with a 4-0 win. But since leaving Ottawa, its not like Heatley has made Ottawa fans wish he stayed. His goal production has diminished in each of the last five years, going from 39 to 26 to 24 to 11. And last night at the Bell Centre, he scored a meaningless goal with only two seconds left in regulation time – only his third marker of the season. And for a player who once complained about his role on a team, its interesting to note that Heatley is playing only 14 minutes a night this season under Mike Yeo, marking the lowest ice time of his NHL career. Heatley is no longer a front-line pplayer in the NHL and, with his contract expiring at the end of this season, it will be interesting to see how many offers he receives as a free agent.dddddddddddd Ironically, this is the final year of the six-year deal he signed with the Sens in the fall of 2007. The terms of that contract called for him to receive a $4 million bonus on July 1, 2009, which the Senators grudgingly paid, even after Heatley had demanded a trade and refused to accept one to Edmonton. Owner Eugene Melynk was so incensed with that turn of events that he filed a grievance against Heatley and that case was only resolved in the past couple of weeks, although the terms of the settlement were not disclosed. So the book on Heatley is virtually closed for Sens fans. It seems like the pitchforks and torches have been put away and the hatred towards Heatley has been replaced with some level of indifference. Matt Cooke Matt Cooke could receive the lions share of boos tonight because the wound he caused is still fresh in the minds of Sens fans. It was only nine months ago that Cookes skate blade sliced the achilles tendon of Erik Karlsson in a game at Pittsburgh. At the time, Karlsson was arguably the most dynamic player in the game and since coming back from the injury, he has only shown flashes of his former brilliance. This will actually be Cookes fourth visit to Ottawa since the incident occurred and when he returned for his first visit in April, there were Wanted posters that were circulating with his name and face on it. Sens fans wanted Cooke to pay for his recklessness, with some suggesting he deliberately caused the injury. Even Eugene Melnyk went on the record to say he would consider launching an independent investigation into the matter to prove that Cookes actions were intentional. To Cookes credit, he faced the media and answered all of the questions about the incident and adamantly denied he purposely tried to slice Karlssons leg. And to Karlssons credit, he completely downplayed the situation when the two faced off in their second-round playoff series last spring. The Sens defenceman likely holds some deep-rooted anger towards Cooke, but he has done a very good job of masking it and trying to defuse the situation. Still, Sens fans and management cant help but wonder how good Karlsson would be if that incident hadnt occurred. And if Karlsson never regains his Norris Trophy form, Cookes ranking on the villain list will stay firmly at the top. Conclusion If I had to place my bet, I would think that Heatley would receive more boos than Cooke – if only because the fan base still hates the fact that he demanded a trade and had five years left on his contract. And in the case of Cooke, you can make the argument that what he did was an accident; whereas Heatleys decision was calculated and intentional. Both players had a negative impact on the Sens franchise, but only one of them was on the teams payroll when he chose his course of action. But while the Heatley vs. Cooke argument is debatable, we can probably agree on one thing: If the Sens dont play well tonight, they will be the ones getting the loudest boos from the hometown crowd. ' ' '