Around the league (signings, RFAs injuries)

[Cornuck]

Sami Salo has officially retired.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=776926

[Tciso]

Looks like both LV and QC have successfuly completed "phase 1" and have been invited to take part in "phase 2". I gather all phase will be complete by Sept 4.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck- ... 56907.html

15/16 looking more and more like the last of the 30 team universe. Too bad they were a year ealier in the process so that the 15 draft could have gone #1 & #2 to LV & QC. That would have totally pissed off the tankards in EdToBu. I would have loved that!

They are targeting a 17-18 season. Two years from now who can we expose?? Oh the thought of it. I bet a number of teams sign scabs just before the expansion draft just so they can expose them. Where are Ballard and Booth when you need them.

We'll have the Twins (just sayin), Sutter, Dorsett, Hansen, and Sbisa. One of the last 4 -has- to become a Ballard/Booth type. Just playing the odds.

[Tciso]

Kane has been turfed from the cover of NHL16, for obvious reasons. Toews gets it all to himself.

So, Toews set him up just to get the cover all to himself? Clever bastard.

[SKYO]

Carl Hagelin signs for 4 years @ $4M per, makes Higgins deal more acceptable.

Hag's gets less goals than Sutter, and they're both similar players as in speedy checkers with a sound two way game, plus top PK guys who can put up 2nd/3rd line type points.

And the world applauds the Hagelin signing, just cause it's not the Canucks.

I'm #spiteful

[Hockey Widow]

More on my he Kane matter, from the Buffalo News:

The young woman who alleges that she was raped by Patrick Kane the morning of Aug. 2 only went to his Hamburg waterfront home because her friend wanted to go, according to three people who have knowledge of the events that night and early morning.

“They were at SkyBar, and Kane invited them to his home. Her friend really wanted to go to Kane’s house, and she didn’t want her friend to go there alone,” a friend of the woman told The Buffalo News. “It wasn’t her idea to go there.”

Two other sources who are familiar with the Kane rape allegation – a law enforcement official and a member of Buffalo’s legal community – gave similar information to The News about what led the alleged victim to go to Kane’s residence.

The woman who allegedly was raped at Kane’s home was not the woman who wanted to go there, the law enforcement official said.

Town of Hamburg Police and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office are investigating allegations that Kane overpowered and raped the young woman in his Old Lakeshore Road home early on the morning of Aug. 2. No charges have been filed.

Kane and his attorney, Paul J. Cambria Jr., so far have not responded to the allegations.

“At this time, at this stage, I have no comment on any aspect of this case,” Cambria said Wednesday when a reporter attempted to ask him about the woman’s reasons for going to Kane’s home.

District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III, through a secretary, also declined to comment. So did Thomas J. Eoannou, attorney for the alleged victim.

Authorities have been investigating the woman’s allegations since she went to a hospital for a rape examination shortly after the alleged incident.

Since Sunday, The News has spoken to four friends and co-workers of the alleged victim, all of whom said they were upset by comments made by Mark Croce, the owner of SkyBar, the downtown Buffalo night club where the young woman met Kane late on the night of Aug. 1 or early the next morning.

Among other things, Croce said he saw a young woman and a female friend follow Kane and a friend of Kane’s as they left the rooftop night spot around 3 a.m. Aug. 2. Croce also said he told the district attorney’s office what he observed that night at SkyBar.

The four individuals who spoke to The News all have worked with the alleged rape victim at a Buffalo-area business. The News is not identifying the business to protect the identity of the alleged rape victim.

All described her as a smart, energetic woman who was trusted and well-liked in their workplace.

“She’s a really nice girl, and it made me sick to see Mr. Croce make her look like she was some kind of gold digger, that she was out looking to pick up Pat Kane,” one of the co-workers said. “She’s really getting bashed, and it upset me. … I don’t think Mr. Croce should be making remarks like that. I don’t think it’s fair. He’s taking Pat Kane’s side in this because Pat Kane was going to have a big Stanley Cup party at his bar.”

“She does not strike me like the kind of person who would make up a story about being raped. Not at all,” the co-worker added.

A manager who has worked with the woman for the past 18 months said: “She’s a very positive person, a hard worker. … To see her mixed up in something like this came as an absolute surprise to me. For her to be a gold digger and to take advantage of a situation like that would be totally out of character for her. … I’m completely surprised.”

When asked if he thinks the woman would lie about such an incident, the manager answered: “Absolutely not.”

Similar comments came from a second manager, who has only worked with the woman for the past few months. “If she said it happened, I believe it happened. I really do,” the second manager said.

The investigation caused Kane to cancel a planned celebration last weekend at SkyBar, where he had been expected to show up with the Stanley Cup that he and his Chicago Blackhawks teammates won in June.

Instead, a small party was held at Kane’s home.

The party at Kane’s home was “more like a funeral,” according to an individual with knowledge of the private event.

email: dherbeck@buffnews.com, lmichel@buffnews.com and tgraham@buffnews.com

[Meds]

If he did it, and I hope they throw the book at him.

A precedent needs to be set in our world right now that clearly states that celebrity figures are simply NOT above the law, especially in situations like this. Send the fucker to jail where he will undoubtedly become somebody's bitch.....if he's guilty that is.

[Hockey Widow]

The hockey fraternity is horribly silent. If this was a non athlete, or an athlete from a different sport the media would be all over it. But everyone wants to protect Kane. Let's not discuss it because after all he is innocent until proven guilty. I get that. But it is the double standard the media has for some reason around hockey players. I guess because it is mostly Canadians that get super excited for hockey. I dunno.

If he is charged and if he is convicted I too hope he gets a 25-life sentence that follows in New York State. Of course if he is acquitted I will still think him a scumbag.

[Hockey Widow]

So rumour has it that Cody Franson may be signing a try out contract?!? Wow, his stock has fallen. Worse thing that happened to him was getting traded to Nashville. Wonder what the word is on him such that he can't get a contract.

[Topper]

Is she a gold digger or is he a predator (oops, am I starting trade speculation - sorry)

[Meds]

So rumour has it that Cody Franson may be signing a try out contract?!? Wow, his stock has fallen. Worse thing that happened to him was getting traded to Nashville. Wonder what the word is on him such that he can't get a contract.

I think it's a combination of his performance in Nashville, Poille's comment that he regretted trading for Franson, and the fact that he is asking for upwards of $5M. I also suspect that teams that actually could fit that kind of money under their cap structure, don't really want to pony up that kind of money and term at this point for a guy who proved that he is a top-3 defenseman on a terrible team, but a bottom-pairing guy on a top team.

[Island Nucklehead]

So rumour has it that Cody Franson may be signing a try out contract?!? Wow, his stock has fallen. Worse thing that happened to him was getting traded to Nashville. Wonder what the word is on him such that he can't get a contract.

I think it's a combination of his performance in Nashville, Poille's comment that he regretted trading for Franson, and the fact that he is asking for upwards of $5M. I also suspect that teams that actually could fit that kind of money under their cap structure, don't really want to pony up that kind of money and term at this point for a guy who proved that he is a top-3 defenseman on a terrible team, but a bottom-pairing guy on a top team.

Too bad we don't have any cap space to offer him a deal for Sbisa money.

[Island Nucklehead]

The hockey fraternity is horribly silent. If this was a non athlete, or an athlete from a different sport the media would be all over it. But everyone wants to protect Kane.

If it was a non-athlete it wouldn't be a story.

IF he is charged, I expect the NHL will suspend him indefinitely. IF he is charged, the Hawks season goes down the drain.

[SKYO]

So rumour has it that Cody Franson may be signing a try out contract?!? Wow, his stock has fallen. Worse thing that happened to him was getting traded to Nashville. Wonder what the word is on him such that he can't get a contract.

I think it's a combination of his performance in Nashville, Poille's comment that he regretted trading for Franson, and the fact that he is asking for upwards of $5M. I also suspect that teams that actually could fit that kind of money under their cap structure, don't really want to pony up that kind of money and term at this point for a guy who proved that he is a top-3 defenseman on a terrible team, but a bottom-pairing guy on a top team.

And he sucks defensively, sadly for Franny had he stayed on the sad sack leaves with top pairing minutes, he'd gotten $5M per easily, but he got exposed with the Preds.

[SKYO]

The hockey fraternity is horribly silent. If this was a non athlete, or an athlete from a different sport the media would be all over it. But everyone wants to protect Kane.

If it was a non-athlete it wouldn't be a story.

IF he is charged, I expect the NHL will suspend him indefinitely. IF he is charged, the Hawks season goes down the drain.

It would end their dynasty run that's for sure.

[dbr]

The hockey fraternity is horribly silent. If this was a non athlete, or an athlete from a different sport the media would be all over it. But everyone wants to protect Kane.

If it was a non-athlete it wouldn't be a story.

IF he is charged, I expect the NHL will suspend him indefinitely. IF he is charged, the Hawks season goes down the drain.

Yeah I don't know what media he's missing from, I see plenty of stories on TSN, Sportsnet, CBC, NBC (sports)..

I know Topper is a super progressive guy and his remarks above are in jest but he is right that there simply isn't much of a story.. yet.

Unless you want to talk about how these cases are handled in general, or how the reporting has been done thus far, or as the accounts start leaking out there's some conversation to be had there but I don't really think "report: it wasn't the girl who was all over his balls in the club" is the kind of story that's going to make most sports pages.

I'm following it a bit more closely but I'd imagine (and reading the comments sections of the stories that do appear certainly supports this) that most sports fans simply don't want to hear about it until they have no other choice.