News from today:

• Brendan Shannahan exercises his option for the season, joining the Wings for a 9th season.
• The Red Wings also offered Yzerman a one year contract.
• The Avs made offers to 14 players, including Hejduk, Tanguay, Aebischer, Hinote, and others affiliated with their minor league team. Foote (likely to earn $4.5 mil) and Forsberg (likely to earn the max $7.8 mil) were not given offers.
• The Rangers signed University of Michigan goalie Al Montoya. Looks like the Rangers haven't learned much.

 

Hopefully Yzerman will return for a farewell year - he deserves that - and the Wings will be better for it.

 

A LETTER TO HOCKEYTOWN: McCarty to fans: Don't shed a tear

Detroit Free Press
July 28, 2005

Don't be sad it's over -- be happy it happened.

In the past few days, since the official word came of the buyout and as the status of my contract teetered, the reality that I'm not going to be a Red Wing anymore has set in, and I've taken some time to reflect.

I don't know if it's maturity ('cause if you know me, that's never been an issue) or the painstaking reality of the past 12 months without hockey. Either way, I'm saddened to leave an organization in a place where I've grown up, raised a family, been part of a first-class and first-rate team, won three Stanley Cups and achieved great personal success.

But looking back, what I really feel is gratitude -- thankful for the opportunity to realize a childhood dream to play for my childhood team. Grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Ilitch and their entire family for letting this boy become a man and always treating my family as one of their own. Grateful to the entire Red Wing organization from Ken Holland and his staff, to John Hahn and Anne Marie Krappmann in the PR department for their ever tireless effort. Grateful to Piet Van Zant and Paul Boyer for patching me up and getting me back out on the ice. Grateful for the support and memories from everyone at the Joe whom I will miss seeing daily, and thankful to the media for not only their endless support of myself but in the way they've always supported the McCarty Cancer Foundation and my band Grinder.

What will I miss most about playing hockey in Detroit? That's simple. The fans. From the day-to-day coffee stop or gas station conversation to the people who say hello on the street or ask for an autograph at the checkout, there are no greater fans than those in Detroit.

These are the great things about my time as a Red Wing that I will always remember no matter where I go. Thank you to all of you. But please don't shed a tear 'cause it's over -- crack a smile 'cause it happened, and no one can ever take that away. I'll always be a Red Wing at heart, and Detroit will always be my home.

Much love to you all,

Darren McCarty, Red Wings No. 25

a class act!

 

So cool! :envious:

 

(Not a Tie Domi fan before 2003) I think if you look at the Tie Domi of the 2003 playoffs you would agree that was a different Tie than the goony Tie. He' didn't play much (8-12 min a game) but he was *driven*.

Seriously I don't know how anyone could disagree... it's as if he feels the need to be remembered as something other than a goon. That would be difficult for all of his past but he was an entirely different player.

 

It will be interesting to see Montoya play in the NHL. I haven't seen or heard about him since he won the Top Goalie award at the World Juniors a couple of years back.
On a side note ('cause I'm too lazy to search), who do the Rangers currently have between the pipes?

 

I think you hit the nail on the head! Domi certainly stepped up his game last season as not to be remembered as "that guy from the Leafs who used to hit people". He seems to have re-kindled his love for the game, and it shows!

 

Domi would have to do a lot to reverse my view of him, which isn't very good. 5 years mentoring young players in the NHL would be a start, assuming he doesn't return to his goon ways when times get tough.

 

Dan Blackburn? Kevin Weekes (FLorida Panther washout) and Mike Dunham (long time backup) are on their roster as well. Blackburn is a prototypical goalie who was rushed into NHL duty.

 

Billy I'm not talking about rewriting history or even reversing your view of him. What I attempted to do is understand why mario might want him for the waddlers.

I know you hate the leafs but like good hockey. You can't deny that the most exciting hockey in the Leafs/Sens and Leafs/Phillies series was when Tie cam scrambling onto the ice. I'm a guy who loves the Leafs but always hated Domi... after those series though I though, "here's a guy who makes the game exciting... with hustle and not as a goon."

If I could watch that Tie Domi every game I'd grow to be a real fan of the guy. If he goes back to gooning, he loses me again.