Hope everyone had an enjoyable 4th of July long weekend. Word of advice: if you ever think about making a spur of the moment trip to the coast on a long weekend, well, don’t.
Still a relative newbie to the area, I learned this weekend that trips to the coast on a long weekend need to be planned out with military precision. If not, you run into a situation like we did on Friday when it takes over an hour to drive the last two miles into Astoria since we didn’t know any better. Good times.
That said, the 73 degrees on the coast was much more palatable than the 95 degrees it was in Portland, and we discovered the Baked Alaska in Astoria, a restaurant worth the trip there alone.
But with the end of the long weekend comes the realization that training camp is just over six weeks away. Coming in to work yesterday and looking at the schedule was like getting doused with a bucket of cold water.
It’s already been a busy offseason, but it really gets going from here. Make sure you keep an eye on winterhawks.com and our various social networking sites for a variety of news that will be coming out of here over the next few weeks.
There’s some interesting changes getting set to take place both on and off the ice, and we’re getting set to make some announcements in the near future.
In the meantime, Brett Ponich has left for St. Louis and starts the Blues’ development camp tomorrow, while Tayler Jordan’s mom reports that Tayler has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets and will play with them at a prospect tournament in Traverse City in September.
As we get more news about our players we’ll keep you posted, and keep checking winterhawks.com for the latest team news and features.
Don’t be fooled, this is just another series of news and notes. Three days in a row using the same format, I’m on a roll. Anyway, here goes:
-The week of Ponich continues. You can check out an interview with Brett Ponich right here. Brett’s been out at Valley Ice Arena all week helping out with the WAHA Mites camp. You can also read an article on him in today’s Portland Tribune.
-While we’re linking to YouTube clips, here’s one of Winterhawks second round import draft choice Jacob Berglund in a shootout. The best part is the goaltender’s resignation after the goal- he got schooled, and he knew it. Nothing he could do but put his head down and go back to the locker room;
-After Marian Hossa and Matt Walker found new homes yesterday, another former Hawk is on the move today. Goaltender Jason LaBarbera is headed to Phoenix after spending last season as Roberto Luongo’s backup in Vancouver. Former NHL goalie and current Coyotes broadcaster Darren Pang weighs in on the signing here.
-Speaking of former Winterhawks, Brenden Morrow has earned an invitation to Canada’s Olympic team tryouts.
-The VIP list for the Winterhawks golf tournament continues to grow. Two former players RSVP’d this week: Dan Da Silva and Grant Sasser. The tournament is set for August 10, with all proceeds going to WAHA. To register, contact Andrea at 503-238-6366, ext. 10.
That’s it for this week. Stay safe this long weekend, and the blog will be back next week.
I’m not sure what this means exactly, but I almost find the first day of NHL free agency as exciting as anything that actually happens on the ice from October through June.
Every 30 seconds there’s a new headline – “Sedins staying! Bouweester signs! Khabibulin leaves!” It’s dizzying.
But in all the hoopla, at least two former Hawks have found new homes. Marian Hossa has signed a 12(!)-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Hossa will be a great addition for the Hawks, but it will be interesting to see how they manage the cap in the next year or two. They have Hossa and Brian Campbell signed to long-term, big dollar deals, and after next season young snipers Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both become unrestricted free agents who will be looking for big raises from their current rookie deals.
At any rate, another former Winterhawk with ties to Chicago is on the move. Defenseman Matt Walker, who spent last season with the Blackhawks, has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning, making him the second D-man to ink with the Bolts today after long-time Vancouver Canuck Mattias Ohlund.
Defense was a big priority for Tampa (in much the same way water is a priority for fish) after they surrendered 279 goals last season, tying the third-highest total in the league. Not one of their defensemen was on the positive side in the plus/minus department last year, while Ohlund was a +14 and Walker a +7.
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Forgot to add this when I initially posted this entry earlier this afternoon…
The local papers have a few Hawks-related articles out there today.
The Oregonian has a story on Brett Ponich and how he celebrated his being drafted by the Blues, and includes quotes from his billets and Paul Gaustad.
Meanwhile, both the Tribune and Columbian feature stories on yesterday’s import draft.
Lastly, we have an interview with Killian Hutt over at winterhawks.com.
The Hawks' Nest 