The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Perusing the canoe.ca website and reading up on the latest goings-on in the NHL, I came across a comment by Columbus Blue Jackets forward Anson Carter. The trade deadline is less than a month away, and many teams are deciding if they're buyer or sellers: do they have a chance of winning the Stanley Cup or not? The Blue Jackets are clearly NOT a contender, so rumours of movement on their roster will, of course, start to surface and Carter is a candidate for a trade. But interestingly, Carter doesn't think moving to a Cup contender is "all that":

"Ah, it's pretty easy to step in at the deadline on a contender, get a ring and say you're a champion. It's not the same as grinding it out with your teammates from the start of training camp."

That statement rings very true. Mark Recchi and Doug Weight were moved to Carolina around the trade deadline (Weight 6 weeks earlier) and they got their ring. After the season was finished, they moved back to their respective clubs, the Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues.

So my question is, yes, while the playoffs are a grind in itself and whoever comes out on top deserves all the glory bestowed on them, do guys like Recchi and Weight really now have a special connection to Carolina?

Do they look upon the city of Raleigh and its fans with passion and fondness?

Will they be ambassadors for the Hurricanes once they retire?

To me it's like they stopped for the proverbial "cup of coffee" and reaped the benefits. Weight didn't even dress for game 7 of the final.

They got their ring, but like Carter said, most of the grinding out was done long before they ever showed up.

Other thoughts: It was nice to hear a player happy to be playing in a city that cares about the NHL. Mike Comrie commented, "It's been awhile since I've had this much fun playing hockey." When Yashin wanted to leave, good riddance. I have no interest having players on the roster who'd rather play elsewhere. Welcome to Ottawa, Mr. Comrie.