Yardbarker: Georges Laraque

Sundin Saga drawing to a close?

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:47:15 -0500

With a decision forthcoming, let's take another look at the potential landing spots for Mats Sundin and the pros and cons of each.

Questions Heading into the Centennial Season

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:44:02 -0500

A look at the questions facing the Montreal Canadiens this upcoming season.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:32:23 -0500

insert rock band miming.

Max Pacioretty is the last Michigan hockey player who hasn't announced his intentions to return for the 2008 season. When last we left our budding power forward, he was torn:

Heard it from a very good source that he would like to sign and that Montreal wants him but the family will have none of it. At this point, put the chances of him returning for his sophomore year at about 80%.

That was The Wolverine's Mike Spath about three weeks ago. Pacioretty is now at Montreal's rookie camp and... sigh(?)... impressing:

And Canadiens director of player recruitment and development Trevor Timmins was on the ice, watching his recent draft choices - plus a few free agent signings - skate through their paces.

Timmins spoke glowingly of Max Pacioretty, telling journalists "as you can see out on the ice surface, he's a big, strong, powerful athlete" who's a strong skater and likes to hit and finish his checks. Timmins thinks Pacioretty is "physically ready" to turn pro but has to work on aspects of his game, either as a University of Michigan sophomore or a Hamilton Bulldogs rookie.

At least Montreal isn't dangling a chance at the NHL at Pacioretty. If he's eyeing the AHL... well... that's a far less appealing alternative. Further quotes from Pacioretty, however, indicate he's open to the Bulldogs:

Pacioretty said "this is a big summer for me." He trusts the Canadiens to offer sound advice on whether he should turn pro or go back to Michigan.

"I couldn't tell you right now. We have to talk more about it and figure out how they (Canadiens) feel and that'll help my decision." Pacioretty is aware that the big club could use a power forward. "I think that's where they see my upside," Pacioretty said. "I'm able to play a more physical role. But I've got a lot of work to become a power forward."

Eek. Spath says Montreal wants him to sign, Pacioretty says he'll do what the Canadiens want him to do... 1 + 1 = dammit. HOWEVA, maybe Spath's source was premature? This article makes it sound like Montreal is expecting him to return to Ann Arbor (emphasis mine):

Trevor Timmins, the Canadiens' director of player recruitment, said yesterday that Pacioretty is physically capable of playing in the NHL, but the smart money says the Connecticut native will be a Wolverine for at least one more season.

Pacioretty, who is projected as a power forward, said as much yesterday when members of the media told him about Timmins's statement. While he said his strength was one of his assets, he also said he might have a way to go before he can battle along the boards with the likes of Georges Laraque.

Pacioretty had an outstanding season at Michigan. He played on Michigan's top line with Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik, both of whom have signed contracts with the Phoenix Coyotes.

"Playing with those guys definitely helped," Pacioretty said. But Timmins and Pacioretty both feel the youngster will be able to survive - and thrive - in the wake of the departures.

"I was the guy doing the dirty work in the corners and I think that I'll be able to play a more offensive role now that they're gone," Pacioretty said.

"He's lost two outstanding linemates, but this will give him a chance to showcase his talents," Timmins added.

Spath's 80% now seems like 60% to me, but the above passage contains direct quotes from the two people closest to the situation that assume Pacioretty's hockey will be played at Yost this fall. Still... Michigan Hockey Summer and all that. We should know sometime soon, at least, as I doubt Montreal will drag out the decision much past the next couple weeks.

Also, in a BCS-like move that comes one season too late:

Also, the Division I Men's Ice Hockey committee will recommend that teams be required to have a .500 record or better to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Wisconsin, of course, made the tournament (as a three-seed!) despite being under .500 and got to play at home. No more of that.

Georges Laraque, Alex Henry & Marc Denis on their way to Montreal

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:39:31 -0500

Great additions to the Montreal Canadiens roster. How good are they and what could they bring for the Habs' organization?

Penguins Free Agency Update

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:57:18 -0500

It has been a week of good news and bad news for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they have seen several roster gains, losses and signings as the free agency market swings into full motion. Ray Shero is quick to emphasize that he managed to keep the core in place, yet he lost his #1 post-season priority as Marian Hossa opted to take a 1-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings. While managing to keep their defensive core, centers, and starting goaltender in place, the Penguins have lost the majority of their active wingers to the free agent market.

Penguins extend Malkin, lose Ruutu

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 14:38:59 -0500

The Penguins have signed superstar Evgeni Malkin to a five year extension.

NEWS AND NOTES

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:22:04 -0500

Been out of town for a few days, so I'm majorly backed up on reader emails and links. Plus, there are a few articles ready to go up, as well as the full recap and breakdown of the Pittsburgh Sports Media Popularity Contest. So help me at least partially clear out my inbox with a few of the better reader-submitted links:

--Former Lions RB Kevin Jones worked out, and the Steelers were one of four teams in attendance. I thought they were overloaded at running back?

--CBS's Pete Prisco decided to stir the pot and rank the Top 50 NFL players. Ben Roethlisberger was the only Steeler to crack the list, at #17. Of course, he would have to be below Carson Palmer (#8). The biggest story may be that FOUR Vikings made the top 20: #10, Kevin Williams; #12, Jared Allen; 15, Adrian Peterson; and 19, Steve Hutchinson.

--Kiss 96.1 found video of Georges Laraque singing "Ice, Ice Baby". Not sure if this will help or hurt him in free agency.

--The DVE morning show mentioned www.rottenneighbor.com, a website to "locate, rate, and share good and bad neighbors before and after you move."

--Cecil from Cecil sent over the 2008 video of the Stephen A. Smith sock-puppet hecklers at the NBA Draft.

--Vote for Pierogis N'at's Big Snack, a.k.a. Contestant 9, in an ESPN Radio 1250 search for on-air talent.

--Bob Smizik makes the case that Tampa Bay's turaround gives the Pirates hope. I think of the Rays kind of like the Penguins: a team blessed with so many high draft picks that they are just overloaded with young talent. Sorry, but the Pirates aren't in that boat yet.

--Any thoughts on the respective Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts jackpots from the Lightning?

Much more to follow later today

Myron Cope: To Infinity And Beyond!

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:50:55 -0500

I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. Don't ask me to specify which science. I just knew "scientist" sounded like a pretty cool job. Plus, there was always the hope I would some day get accidentally bombarded by gamma radiation. Then came calculus and I quickly realized "scientist" might not be my intended career path after all. I still admire what they do. When I was at Carnegie Mellon, I was always eager to hear about their advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence. When our evil metallic overlords rise up to enslave us all, you can safely direct a large amount of the blame toward that fine institution. I also enjoyed hearing about how their robotic creations were used to find and explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before… Of course, some scientists do their exploring the old fashioned way. They use a big ass telescope. Recently, a Dr. Eric Mamajek , clearly a man of high moral character and good taste in that oasis of Massholes, peeked through his big ass telescope and saw something between Mars and Jupiter. They call it a "minor planet" although that sounds like calling something a "minor groin pull." Ain't nothing minor about either one. The International Astronomical Union, an organization which no doubt purchases pocket protectors in bulk, has officially named it 7835 Myroncope. Yes, Myron Cope has a planet named after him. A minor planet, but a planet nonetheless. No word yet on whether they plan to send a space probe over to plant a Terrible Towel in the soil. But they should. Other football related news: –Taking a cue from Carlton Haselrig, several Steelers decided to turn mini-camp practices into an MMA event last week. "I don't know, maybe they've been watching Georges Laraque," said OL Max Starks. No Max, if they'd been watching Laraque, they would've stood around watching other people start shit while waiting for the coach to tap them on the shoulder and remind them they're supposed to be an enforcer. –The Post-Gazette thinks Marvel Smith is in the same boat as Alan Faneca. I guess they're doing P.R. work for agents now. Sure, they're in the same boat. Unless you count the fact Faneca is a five-time Pro Bowler while Smith made it once and Faneca is relatively healthy while Smith is coming off major back surgery which caused him to pretty much miss the entire season last year. –Franco Harris spoke at Brashear High School. Meanwhile over in Hampton, Ben Roethlisberger visited Wyland Elementary. Luckily for Wyland, their second choice, Roger Clemens, declined their invitation. He already had a date for the weekend. —Ex-Steeler/Super Bowl Champion Plaxico Burress is holding out for more money. Who didn't see this one coming? He's an elite player when he's not missing every other game over some injury or totally disappearing in the playoffs. Burress did come up man-sized in bringing down the hated Patriots, though, so he'll always get my respect for that. –"Raven For Life," Jonathan Ogden retires. Know what that means? Whichever talentless scrub Baltimore decides to trot out there this season just got a little easier for us to sack. –The Bengals released both WR Chris Henry and LB Odell Thurman. If Cincinnati continues to remove all the criminals from their roster, they might not have enough players to field a team. –Bills RB Marshawn Lynch is in trouble over an alleged hit-and-run incident. The Curse of O.J. Simpson, perhaps?

Myron Cope: To Infinity And Beyond!

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:50:55 -0500

SO CLOSE...

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:21:44 -0500

RED WINGS 3
PENGUINS 2

Watching this season play out, the way the Penguins' 2007-08 campaign finally ended pretty much summed it all up: a talented team facing adversity gave an incredible, gutsy effort.

Down 3-1 while getting only one shot on goal through the first 16 minutes of the third period? No problem. Summon Sergei Gonchar and Marian Hossa for a little power-play magic and give us renewed hope with a minute-and-a-half remaining.

With the lid of Mellon Arena ready to be blown off, Marian Hossa's final effort trickled past Detroit goalie Chris Osgood, just inches away from tying the score as the clock ran out on the Boys of Winter.

It was an excruciating tease of what could have been.

But hockey, like football and golf, is a game of inches. A bounce here, a bounce there, and the Penguins could have won more than two games in this series. But there is no doubt that the better team won. The Penguins were the NHL's #2 team this year, and considering the age and inexperience of many of these players, there's no shame in that. But the day after, that's a message that no one wants to hear, especially the players.

As the title implies, the Penguins were both close and far in this series. Things couldn't have started much worse than back-to-back shutouts in Detroit, coming home with a 7-0 goal defecit.

There were times when this series had the feel of the 1960 World Series between the Yankees and Pirates. Yes, it was played about 20 years before I was born, but I've heard and read about it enough to know what happened.

Going into Game Seven, the Yankees won three games over the Pirates by scores of 16-3, 10-0, and 12-0. The Pirates also won three games: 6-2, 3-2, and 5-2. And as we all know, it took every bit of the seventh game, right down to the final at-bat, for the Pirates to eek out a 10-9 victory on home turf, cementing Bill Mazeroski's legacy in this town for the rest of time.

From 1947-1959, the Yankees won eight World Series and appeared in two others. Of the three years in that span that they didn't make it, their records were 94-60 (1948), 103-51 (1954), and 79-75 (1959). Their team was stocked with names like Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford...and that was just in 1960, to say nothing of the DiMaggios, Rizzutos, and Billy Martins that played in the years preceding.

To tie my comparison together, the Penguins were outshot by the following margins in this series: 36-19, 34-22, 34-24, 30-23, 58-32, and 30-22. True, shots alone don't win games, but they certainly give you an indication of who is in possession of the puck, and that was not the Penguins. They scored a grand total of 10 goals in six games, with seven of those 10 coming in just two games. They were facing a Red Wings team absolutely stocked with experienced, Stanley Cup-winning talent.

And much like the 1960 Pirates, these Penguins bridged the apparent gap between the two championship contestants with an amazing effort and a never-say-die attitude. After the series' start, few would have been surprised to see a sweep. But a funny thing happened on the way to that four-game series: the Penguins made it a series. This is not a team that packs it in.

The obstacles in the Penguins' path were many. First and foremost was the ridiculous Detroit defense, which was somehow able to totally neutralize the red-hot Pens, who had just had their way with the entire Eastern Conference. At times it was felt like trying to penetrate the Steel Curtain defense.

The Red Wings were able to hold Evgeni Malkin to a mere one goal for the entire series. The Penguins' goal scoring was very top-heavy, with three of their 10 from Hossa, two from Sidney Crosby, and two from the surprisingly efficient Adam Hall. Ryan Malone, Pascal Dupuis, and Gary Roberts were held to just one assist each. Jordan Staal failed to crack the scoring ledger.

With the lack of scoring production came the increased importance of other factors. Marc-Andre Fleury certainly silenced any remaining doubters who failed to notice his 19-10-2, 2.33 regular season or his 12-2 record coming into the Finals. Brooks Orpik and Hal Gill did their part to make the Red Wings sore on a regular basis. For inspirational purposes, you could look at a number of guys playing hurt, most notably Gonchar and Malone. There was the added lift from veterans Roberts and Daryl Sydor. And of course, no one will forget the efforts of Max Talbot or Petr Sykora in the near future.

Even on the losing end, it was as heroic an effort as anyone could have asked for. The Penguins gave, gave, and gave up until the final buzzer. Sadly, it was not to be this year. And I realize we can't take any future Finals appearances for granted, but the future is certainly bright.

So today, the offseason officially begins. GM Ray Shero is in a tough situation, as some combination of Hossa, Roberts, Dupuis, Hall, Malone, Orpik, Ty Conklin, Georges Laraque, and Jarkko Ruutu will surely sign for greater dollars elsewhere. But as he's proven time and time again, he's more than competent at his job. And while I'd love to see a guy like Hossa back in the black and gold next season, the Penguins will be a challenger for the crown regardless of who stays or goes.

To the Penguins, we thank you for an incredible, memorable season. From the October 5th opener against Carolina to the Winter Classic to the climactic finale last night, it will be regarded as a year for the ages.

The great thing for fans about playing this late into the season? Training camp's only a few short months away. I'm sure this nucleus will be more than ready to finish what they started.

A Look Inside Penguins Vs. Rangers

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:05:39 -0500

Breaking down the series between the Penguins and the Rangers. Just how good has Marc-Andre Fleury been? Is the Penguins defense being underestimated by the media? Do the Rangers have anything left as the series switches to New York? Should Sean Avery have a suspension coming his way?

The Ottawa Sun's Don Brennan has lost his mind

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:33:34 -0500

Fresh off his suggestion that Senators two-hand Sidney Crosby's ankle and subsequent attempt to pick a fight with Georges Laraque, the Ottawa Sun's Don Brennan is back with more quality journalism. This time, he explains why a high-stick to the head shouldn't be a penalty.

Flyers playoff hopes slip with loss to Penguins

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:26:17 -0500

In a critical game that would have nearly clinched a playoff berth had they won, the Flyers came up short and lost 4-2 to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers played a solid first period, but looked like a different team in the second and third periods as the Penguins used better special teams and goaltending to win the game and clinch the Atlantic Division title. The Penguins victory also moved them back into the 1st seed in Eastern Conference. Click the link for more, including a video of the highlight of the game, a fight between Riley Cote and Georges Laraque

Ruutu Powers Pens Past Islanders 3-1

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 23:07:17 -0500

The Pittsburgh Penguins avenged their recent loss to the New York Islanders by beating them 3-1 on Thursday night to take over 1st place in the Eastern Conference. Sidney Crosby returned to round out Pittsburgh's offensively laden top-2 lines, but it was Jarkko Ruutu who put up the points by scoring a short-handed goal and two assists to power the Penguins into the Eastern Conference lead over an idle Montreal Canadiens. Despite the win, the Penguins were yet again dealt adversity as Marian Hossa left the game in the 3rd period with an unspecified upper body injury after being hit from behind. Hossa briefly left the game in the 2nd period after taking a hip-check to his previously injured knee, but returned and appeared to be fine.

Hockey Fights! Laraque serves up some punches to Cote

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 08:37:25 -0500

I only watch hockey for the fights, so here's a good one!