Yardbarker: Antoine Vermette

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:07:00 -0500

Competitive WeekThe Jackets end the week 1-2, but each game was entertaining for fans and they have withstood an early western road swing. After back-to-back losses at Calgary and Edmonton, teh Jackets defeated the Ducks in Anaheim 6-4. It's fun to prepare to watch each game with a sense that they will win. So this is how Detroit fans feel... feels good. In Anaheim the team continued to puck the puck in the net at a much improved rate over last year. Antoine Vermette had a goal and two as...

Filatov, Vermette help Jackets win SO vs. Bruins

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:46:50 -0500

COLUMBUS, Ohio(AP) Nikita Filatov and Antoine Vermette scored in the shootout to lift the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 6-5 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night.

Jackets oufit Vermette with five-year extension

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:54:14 -0500

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed center Antoine Vermette to a five-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season.

Jackets extend Vermette's deal through 2014-15

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:18:43 -0500

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed center Antoine Vermette to a five-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season.

Columbus Blue Jackets sign Antoine Vermette to five-year contract extension

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:53:36 -0500

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed center Antoine Vermette to a five-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season.

Blue Jackets sign Vermette to 5-year extension

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:37:19 -0500

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed center Antoine Vermette to a five-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Sign Center Antoine Vermette to a Five-Year Contract Extension

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:01:00 -0500

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed center Antoine Vermette to a five-year contract extension which begins in 2010-11 and continues through the 2014-15 season, club General Manager Scott Howson announced September 15. As i...

Bounce Back: Jackets Edge Blackhawks in OT

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 09:10:56 -0500

AP Photo/Paul Vernon Blue Jackets 4, Blackhawks 3 - OT (Box) - Highlights Record: 37-28-6

Blue Jackets to trade Leclaire to Ottawa for Vermette?

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 17:54:45 -0500

via Columbus GM Scott Howson was in Ottawa on Saturday to scout the Maple Leafs

Blackhawks Beat: Scouting Report Antoine Vermette

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 20:34:34 -0500

Sorry STB for how late this is, it turned out to be way more work than I had thought it would be going in but hopefully everyone enjoys this. I have posted in a few Blogs recently that the Chicago Blackhawks have twice sent out a scout to take a closer look at the Ottawa Senators [...]

Maybe The Islanders Aren't So Bad

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 00:07:55 -0500

Note: What follows is a true story, with Islander and NHL figures replacing the guilty/innocent. Disregard time discrepancies, as this would be impossible to piece together without bending things a bit. Enjoy... if you dare.

Imagine Charles Wang buys the New York Islanders in early 2007. In his first act, he fires Brad Shaw and replaces him with Ted Nolan. Wang's big bucks and dedication to restoring the club's reputation with fans gave him high marks in the Islanders community, and everyone is assured he'll spend big bucks to restore the team to its former glory.

Imagine Ted Nolan doesn't work out and that the Islanders are in 12th place in the East at the All-Star Break of the 2007-08 season. Wang, not wanting to entirely waste a season, fires Nolan. Sensing that he needs to do something drastic to keep his fans interested, he brings back the biggest name in franchise history - Al Arbour. Arbour dramatically improves just about everything he touches. Not only are the fans invigorated, but the team itself goes on a tear to close out the season. They miss the playoffs, but there is plenty of optimism to go around.

Imagine July 1 rolls around and the Islanders are expected to be the biggest of spenders. Arbour, in his role as coach and general manager, promises the Islanders faithful that the club is going to be a major player in free agency. Wang even gets in on the act, proclaiming there's a "WOW Signing" in the works. The fans whip themselves into a frenzy, constantly speculating which elite players they'll be bringing in.

Imagine the free agency period is drawing to a close, and the only players the Islanders sign are Jason Blake and Jason Smith. Furthermore, the Islanders have traded Mike Comrie away for draft picks. Arbour proclaims he has some aces up his sleeve and that the Islanders are going to break camp with some new blood; also, the money the Isles won't be paying Comrie will be re-invested in the free agent market. Speculation is rampant as to who these new players will be.

Imagine training camp rolls around with no new signings. The fans are furious and Arbour starts dropping hints to the media that his hands are tied. The day before camp, Arbour swings a deal for Antoine Vermette, then announces the Islanders' roster is set heading into the pre-season.

Imagine Charles Wang and his board brings Al Arbour in for a series of meetings. The media immediately assumes the worst and reports that Arbour has resigned. They later change their tune a bit, stating that Arbour was fired. The next day, the Islanders issue a statement on their website, stating that Arbour is still their coach and the two parties are still in meetings. The day after that, the two parties are still talking, this time about something called "mutual consent". Before the day is done, Arbour announces his resignation - this time for real.

Imagine the fallout from this falling out. Islander fans immediately take Arbour's side and swarm the Nassau Coliseum to protest the decision. The fans take to the Internet and post death threats directed at Wang and his cronies. There's even talk of a player revolt led by Pavel Bure, the oft-injured sniper who's rediscovered his scoring touch under Arbour. Bure, an unrestricted free agent at season's end, is sure to leave for nothing, assuring the team will return to the doldrums which they've inhabited for the better part of the past decade.

Imagine this happened to your Islanders.

Imagine this could happen to any professional sports club.

Well, guess what. The above story is an entirely accurate depiction of the past eighteen months at the Newcastle United Football Club, currently ranked fourth in the Barclay's Premier League in England. Substitute Mike Ashley for Charles Wang, Kevin Keegan for Al Arbour, Michael Owen for Pavel Bure, and you've pretty much got the whole story. Crazy, right?

Figures that as soon as I fall for this team, they fall into a state of disarray. Maybe I'm just a giant jinx to all my teams. Then again, Newcastle hasn't won a major trophy since 1955 and last won the league title since 1927, a drought Ranger fans could certainly relate to.

The moral of the story? No matter how much people love to dump on the Islanders, no matter how many times the Islanders make themselves look like the laughingstock of the league, no matter how many times the Islanders place backup goalies into prominent roles in the organization... it could always be worse. And in the case of Newcastle United, much worse. That said, if the Islanders ever go through a three-day period where nobody can tell if their coach is still coaching them, shoot me.

Busy times ahead for Senators?

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 03:05:12 -0500

Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun suggests that Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray will get a few calls from rival GMs trying to persuade him to make some ill advised trades.