Cudos to the Habs

I don't have much to say today, but there are a few things. First off, the NHL news of the day yesterday was the Montreal Canadien's resigning of 23 year old defencemen PK Subban. In the end the two reached an agreement on a two year deal worth $5.5 million dollars, or $2.75 million per season. While to me this is a fair deal, it is nowhere close to the five years Subban was looking for. I also heard reports he was looking for money in the ballpark of $5 million per season.

I commend the brass of the Canadiens, in particular GM Marc Bergevin who did not waver in his dealings with Subban and his agent, Don Meehan. Since the moment he broke into the league Subban has rustled a lot of feathers with his actions and words. It went so far as Mike Richards stating the Subban needed to earn his spot in the NHL elite prior to acting like he was already a member. Those weren't Richard's exact words but they were along those lines.

More GM's need to follow the lead of Bergevin and not give into these demands. While Subban has the potential to be a top tier defender in the NHL, he is not there yet. He might tell you otherwise but he would be mistaken. I would even go so far to say that the Canadiens may have even dangled Subban to other clubs but chose to sign him when there was no deal, or no deal that was to their liking.

It seems as if Subban has already nearly worn out his welcome in Montreal as according to tsn.ca, there was very little excitement and chatter amongst the club today as they awaited the return of Subban to practice. And don't kid yourself, word spreads throughout the league pretty quickly. The actions of Subban have already done damage to his image and stock as a player in the NHL and Bergevin did his due diligence in making sure that the deal signed made sense for the hockey club and not simply the demands of what appears to be a 23 year old ego - maniac.

On the note of guys I am not terribly fond of, a report surfaced today that documentation has been discovered from a Miami clinic stating that Alex Rodriquez was one of a handful of players who attained PED's from them. Yes, the same Alex Rodriguez who admitted to using PED's while in Texas between 2001 and 2003. This report comes much later, but Rodriguez vehemently denies the allegations. If you ask me, he is a stone faced liar. Look at the numbers; at one time one of the most feared hitters in all of the game, since the MLB crackdown on PED's Rodriguez has been slightly better than average. That being said I am almost convinced that he has been taking PED's since he broke in with the Mariners as a 19 year old in the mid 1990's. I can only hope that in time the truth is told when it comes to the likes of Rodriguez, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds to name a few. I eagerly anticipate the day Bonds steps up and admits his wrong - doings.

That's all; real job is calling -- final exams and parenthood
HM