NHL Trade Deadline Stream of Consciousness Diary

February 26, 2008

6:50 AM: Wake up and head downstairs to brew Starbucks’ Christmas Blend before breakfast. Wondering if Calgary Flames’ GM Darryl Sutter has had any sleep at all. Turn on the TV, which is on CNN Headline News, then scroll down to The Score. Mats Sundin is all they can talk about – what ifs. Get a life! He said no to waiving the no trade clause in his contract days ago. Get over it. Five-plus hours of those guys will make me want to slit my wrists.

Quickly flip to TSN, but then check out Sportsnet – who are those guys? Ugh, more Mat Sundin. Sheesh. Is he the only freaking player in the league these days? Back to TSN and reality. The only trade so far came in last night: Vaclav Prospal to Philadelphia; Alex Picard to Tampa Bay.

Looks like the word of the day will be NTC: No Trade Clause.

8:30 AM or thereabouts: After completing a few important tasks around the house, hear about Bryce Salvador to New Jersey and Cam Janssen to St. Louis before stepping in the shower. Get out of the shower and Cam Janssen is already on the phone with TSN.

9:03 AM: Speak with a client about their annual report and take care of other business.

9:40 AM: The big trade so far: Steve Bernier to Buffalo and Brian Campbell to San Jose. Scrap that – Brad Richards and Johan Holmqvist goes to Dallas for Mike Smith, Jussi Jokinen, and Jeff Halpern. Getting my files and such together to head to the rink for the day.

11:52 AM: I’ve been at the rink for nearly an hour and half. First stop into the Flames’ locker room, where I spoke with Jim Vandermeer about his trade to Calgary and some of the trades in the past, particularly about what goes through the thought pattern, what does he do when he gets home – madly throw what he can find into a suitcase?

Found a plug-in at the media lounge and got the laptop going. Took a l-o-n-g time. Almost as fast as dial-up. Need a new laptop for next season.

12:30 PM: Back in the media lounge from the Avalanche locker room, where we spoke with Milan Hedjuk, Joel Quennevelle, Ryan Smyth, and Joe Sakic about Peter Forsburg and Adam Foote rejoining the team, and maybe a little bit about Ruslan Salei. Smyth talked about how last year was one of the toughest days in his career, as he expected to be an Oiler for a very long time. Chatted with Ian Laperriere off the record about his family and kids’ antics.

Seems to be a record number of female reporters at the rink today. Remember the days when it was just me.

12:45 PM: Everyone congregating the media lounge waiting for the next moves and anticipating some food. The Flames are usually gracious in feeding the throngs of media who are parked here for the day.

12:55 PM: Chowing down on some very welcome pizza. Always starving when I come to the rink.

1:00 PM: Looks like the winners of the day are the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

1:15 PM: Post – deadline -- Darryl Sutter has already addressed the media and Calgary made no deals. He just said he could have made a couple of bad ones.

1:36 PM: The media lounge and the whole rink quiets down. Just a few of use left finishing up their reports, and others, like me, who will likely stay here until game time.

3:30 PM: After completing my game notes in the media lounge, shut down the computer and moved operations upstairs to the press box. Have the TV on TSN, catching a few of the GM interviews while the ice gets flooded down below. It’s freezing in here, but the advertising band around the rink and the Jumbotron have the simulated fire going on. I’m pretending it’s warming up the rink. No lights on my side of the press box. Have a flashlight to see where all the plug-ins are. Always need the flashlight for pre-puck drop as they always seem to turn off the lights in the press box for the anthem. Not sure why. That’s usually when we do the call-in with the scratches and goalies.

5:29 PM: Working on what I think is hour number seven. Just four more to go. Did a bit of manuscript editing on a client’s book and watched the Young and the Restless. Fireball tests have warmed up the rink somewhat, but my fingers are frozen and operating stiffly. Lethal combination with a old and slow laptop. Time for supper. My back is killing me from these plastic chairs. Back down to the media lounge. Arnie and I discuss strategy as to getting interviews after the game. Not a lot of time to reach either room as the attitude is, if you’re late, too bad. Arnie will go into the Avs with two recorders; I go into the Flames with two recorders, and we switch after we come back upstairs to transcribe. Well, he files audio, I transcribe.

6:52 PM: Back in the press box getting ready to call in the starting goalies, scratches, and officials.

7:50 PM: First intermission. Have been instant messaging the updates to PA Sportsticker, emailing the editor, and instant messaging my assistant all at the same time. Adam Foote’s plane arrived just after 7:00 and he made it onto the Avs bench with 6:26 left in the first period. No stretch, no warm up. He is probably one of the very few NHL players who could do that.

8:58 PM: After second intermission, sent in this game recap:

Because Pepsi has coined the ad campaign of “forever young,” the fact they sponsor the building the Avalanche play in, it’s probably no coincidence the team’s desire to turn back the clock in resigning veteran players Peter Forsberg and pick up Adam Foote in a trade this morning with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

These two clubs haven’t met since November 24, when Calgary beat the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center 5-2.

The subject of last year’s trade deadline, Avs Ryan Smyth, popped in a backhand shot at 4:08 into the first, from inside the circle that sailed over the left shoulder of Miikka Kiprusoff about 15 feet.

Calgary’s Dustin Boyd tied it up at 15:35. The puck went from the corner, passed up the boards, back to the corner then to the net.

Flames’ Robyn Regehr was credited with a short-handed goal at 12:58 of the second. His shot went off Scott Hannan’s foot into the net.

Dion Phaneuf took a shot that hit John-Michael Liles, who was carried off the ice about a minute and a half into the second, but he did return.

Adam Foote arrived in Calgary just after 7:00 and made it to the ice with 6:26 left in the first.

9:00 PM: Fifteen minutes left in the game and I’m working on hour number nine, I believe. Can’t wait to get into the comfortable seats of my nice big car.

10:07 PM: Back in the press box from the rooms. Working on the game notes, getting Avs clips from Arnie.

10:24 PM: I’m totally dragging. Sent off the game notes, got the clips from Arnie, and now ready to transcribe.

10:56 PM: Still transcribing

11:18 PM: Finished filing. Checking last minute emails.

11:21 PM Called the Ticker to see if received everything.

11:31 PM: Go home.