Hockeyblog.com

Bobby Clarke on Jeremy Roenick:

So much of J.R. is just talk. There is no speed bump between his brain and his mouth.

Kind of like Doug Sauter. The Walrus wasn't trying to run down the Brahmas or his godson, he's just incapable of expressing himself diplomatically. As a journalist, I gotta love that. What he says to the press is the same thing he'd say over a beer, or on the phone with Bernie Lukowich. Not great public relations, but in a world of stock answers and no comments, at least he adds a little color.

And obviously Lukowich is still not a Top 4 defenseman in the NHL on any but the worst teams. He spent most the finals as a #7. He knows nothing about his career is guaranteed, and it's likely financial value will go down after the lockout. He's hungry to continue his career and can't afford to lose his edge, so he's playing in the CHL to keep it. Sauter just gave his take on that plain truth in a less sunshiney ("not that great of a player") way.

I wasn't planning to bring up the Mudbugs Boilers Newsletter again, but then I saw the Times story about "closure". What, no interview with the guy who wrote "Ask Rufus?"