Thanks for the link, great article. Obviously did not like that he went to the Rangers but any animosity subsided as he continued to ply his trade elsewhere. Glad he is back and making a contribution.
MSG+ ran an intermission segment on Sal awhile back that left me with the same impression. The viewer saw a stand up guy who is a great father to his children going about and doing his thing. Performance issues on the ice aside, some fans (thankfully a small minority) need to remember that most of these players are good people and should be treated as such.
Anytime someone complains about how players don't like to play in NJ and it's not an attractive place to play and Lou is an evil dictator they should be forced to read this article.
And this is off topic but on the topic of players jumping ship. I've forgiven Zach as well. Hearing him talk about how being in Minnesota allowed him to have that extra time with JP (and knowing what losing a parent feels like) I'm glad he left. That's way more important then hockey.
All is forgiven Gomez. Glad he is back and having success and I hope Lou keeps him. He definitely earned it. I got the impression Lou did care for Scott and wanted him to succeed. Especially when he told him to just come back instead of signing with San Jose.
And this is off topic but on the topic of players jumping ship. I've forgiven Zach as well. Hearing him talk about how being in Minnesota allowed him to have that extra time with JP (and knowing what losing a parent feels like) I'm glad he left. That's way more important then hockey.
Kovalchuk is the only one I don't really forgive. Doosh backed out of a contract, **** him.This is an important point. I mean, Zach is a great hockey player, of course, but I always thought he was a genuinely nice guy too. It's good he was able to spend that time with his father, even if it sucks not having him in red and black anymore.
He understood and said as much in the article that he struggled in Montreal, however a pretty big difference in my reaction deals with how the player handles the situation and I would not give Gomez a similar reaction to that of Ryder and Havlat because they have handled their situations pretty differently.
Ryder and Havlat have complained multiple times and have put forth an attitude that they deserve to be handed their opportunities when they have struggled after being given a number of opportunities.
Gomez (to the farthest of my knowledge) didn't complain about his situation in Montreal and knowing his personality from his first stint here and now in his second stint, he isn't that type of person to complain. He understands what it takes to work for and create your own opportunities.
Kovalchuk is the only one I don't really forgive. Doosh backed out of a contract, **** him.
This was a great article. It's funny that Holik did the same thing about a half a decade earlier, then wound up returning to the Devils nearly as many years later as Gomer did. We also tried signing Holik after he was bought out by the Rangers, but he decided to sign with the Thrashers instead.
I wish we did sign Gomez in 2013. He would have been our best signing that year. **** Butler, Poni 2.0, and that big nose nobody that had one good year in St Louis.
It would have been before 2012.
That means we likely would have had Gomez centering Kovalchuk. That would've had the potential to be an amazing combination.
I think this just means that Gomez will be back next season, unless we manage to somehow get McDavid in the draft.
It would have been before 2012.
That means we likely would have had Gomez centering Kovalchuk. That would've had the potential to be an amazing combination.
I think this just means that Gomez will be back next season, unless we manage to somehow get McDavid in the draft.
2013 was when he became a UFA and signed with the Sharks, right after being bought out by Montreal. We didn't have the opportunity to sign him prior to that, other than when he left in 2007.
I think Gomer is still back. Henrique goes to wing and JJ goes to the 4th line.
He may have become a UFA in 2013, but it was still prior to the 2012-13 season.
They made an exception to the rule and allowed Gomez to be bought out prior to the 2012-13 season. It says in the article that Montreal was prepared to sit him out that entire season, to avoid this happening (there was another player in the same situation), the NHL let the Canadiens use their buyout prior to the season.
He signed with the Sharks during training camp in 2013 which was before the 2012-13 lockout shortened season.
He would've been playing alongside Kovalchuk -- that would have been very fun to watch.
Since we're all being so uncharacteristically mature about things.
Ryder and Havlat haven't complained. They've been interrogated by journalists and when they've eventually offered more than a "no comment" their obvious distaste at being prevented from doing the job they love has been turned into a "story".
Between this and what happened with Fetisov I don't see why guys wouldn't want to play for Lou