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| Anna Kournikova: | "Hello everyone! Welcome to another issue of Big Hitz! Today's guests will include regulars Jim Rome (covers the Icedogs), Mike Woods (covers the Dropkicked), Michael Landsberg(covers the Bulls), and Bob MacKenzie (covers the Express). Lets get to it! - What team improved their chances of winning the Cyber Cup the most leading up to and including the trade deadline?" | |
| Mike Woods: | "The Icedogs made some astute moves and that helps them out a great deal. Say what you want about Parity in this league but I see the Voodoo, Bulls, Stallions, Sparrows, Icedogs, Corinths, 'Kicks, Express and the Saints all as serious contenders this year. That's great for the league no matter how you feel about the impending cap." | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "Wow, I actually agree with Woods... well, partially... Although the Icedogs did improve the most leading up to d-day, the question remains to be one of chemistry. Of course they acquired a lot of ex-bulls from last season in the hopes of bringing a cup to Winnipeg, but it's still a new atmosphere for most of those guys... But don't forget the Raiders in this either, they made many moves this year, and acquiring players like O'Neill, Burns, Miller, Noronen (and rumour has it Nolan and Hatcher at seasons end), makes this team far better in comparison to a year ago." | |
| Bob MacKenzie: | "Even though thier deals were heavily lopsided all season, you can't blame a GM for being shrewd, and I think the Dropkicks have made a myriad of moves that will see them contend and put fear into the perrenial powerhouses in the West and East. They are in many respects the new kids on the block and could turn some heads early if they come out like gangbusters in the 1st round. If they have weak point it could be depth, with a couple of injuries or slumps, they'll look just like the Dropkicks of old." | |
| Jim Rome: | "I'm going to have to say without a doubt the Winnipeg Icedogs improved their team the most leading up to and inluding the deadline. They acquired upgrades like Jonas Hoglund and Jere Karalhati... They also add key players to the roster like Robert Svehla, Fredrik Olausson, Sean Hill, Brett Hull and Sergei Fedorov. There isn't a team in the WHL that landed that much talent leading up to the deadline. If these guys are healthy and their goaltending can hold up they are going to go a long way in the playoffs." | |
| Anna Kournikova: | "With the trade deadline now long gone what do you think the best and worst trades were this season?" | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "Well I think the Bears dealing of Ruutu is obviously one of the worst, but how you could overlook the deal that saw the Oceanics send Rob Blake to the Dropkicks. One of the big deals of the season would probably take us back to september when the Bulls were able to land Demitra for the Krushers, and then they ended up sending Kovalchuk out the next day in a deal rumoured to have some pretty interesting future considerations from the Dropkicks." | |
| Bob MacKenzie: | "Worst trade, without a doubt was anything significant the Bears did this season. And unless you count swaps of 4th round picks for 5th and 4th round picks significant, that means only 2 moves involving the same player and a volentary devaluing of a franchise. Here's the rundown: Bears deal Weiss, Woywitka, a 1st rounder (first overall) and 2nd rounder -for- Pavel Bure, Rick Berry and Future Considerations, my sources have already confirmed that the Future Considerations has been fufilled as NOTHING. So in acknowledging Berry is a minor leaguer, you basicly have 2 prospects, the first overall pick and another prospect for Bure who at this stage in his career has one leg left and is a prime candidate for WHL retirement but hey, he can still score 30 in the WHL and yes yes Anna, I'm sure he's a real hot shot in the sack, and yeah, the Bears desperately need the offence. But here's the kicker, later the Bears then deal Bure and a 2nd rounderto the Voodoo for unproven goalie Rick Dipeitro and a LATE 1st rounder. So being that 'moving up in the draft 4 spots' is a wash, you essentially have the Bears moving Weiss, Woywitka, the first overall pick and a high second rounder for Dipietro and Berry. It's interesting to note both Woywitka and Weiss were both dealt for 1st rounders later on themselves, so if the Bears were looking to rebuild with different prospects, they really shit the bed. And people wonder whay they're in last place? Best trade... The Express moving Mellanby to the farm for the price of Hyvonen, simply brilliant." | |
| Jim Rome: | "The best deal of the year was the Dropkicks deal in which the 'Kicks picked up Alexei Yashin, Ryan Smyth and Brian Rolston. This deal gave the Kicks some big time players which will really help them on there way to the Cyber Cup finals. The worst deal of the year was the Dropkicks and Icedogs swap of Tyson Nash and Tie Domi. really what was the point in this deal the two teams swapped cement heads." | |
| Mike Woods: | "Worst trade has to be Ruutu, Pitkanen, Aulin and Emery to the Vikes for Brewer and Carter. I mean come on. Best was probably Dipietro for Bure. Dipietro will be a starter in this league for a long time and Bure is playing his farewell season. The Voodoo got hammered on this one, good going by the Bears." | |
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| Anna Kournikova: | "Given the GMs involved in the Mellanby fiasco, should Pongratz and Howe have not followed through with their 'transactions'?" | |
| Bob MacKenzie: | "I agree that Bears GM Andrew Ketner should be fired by his ownership for his non-sensical dismantling of thier franchise. Has the WHL not bigger issues to complain about than a mediocre player sneaking through waivers? Of all the questionable moves in the WHL, this is the one that made most sense." | |
| Jim Rome: | "The deal is iffy. Deals like this have not been allowed before but the rules on this aren't very clear. However the commish allowed the deal and the BOD later approved the deal after review. It was a smart move by the Express." | |
| Mike Woods: | "Well I think a lot has been made of this deal...too much in fact. It won't happen again, that much we can be sure of." | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "Oh come on MacKenzie, we all know the Express paid you to try and change the subject when this came up, but the bottom line is this: we've all had the thought of doing it, it's been this leagues worst kept secret for an eternity it seems, and the fact that this took place so obviously was a slap in the leagues face... I mean really, only a one for one swap both times? Sad that such highly esteemed organizations would take part in something like that; lets hope the Easton thing makes fans forget about what they did." | |
| Anna Kournikova: | "How do you guys see the top 8 playoff spots in each conference shaping up?" | |
| Jim Rome: | "The top 8 teams in the East will be the Stallions, Sparrows, Bulls, Icedogs, Corinths, Vipers, Oceanics and Taipans. The most exciting series in the East should be the Icedogs and Corinths. In the West the top 8 will be Voodoo, Saints, Dropkicks, Express, Islanders, SmokeEaters, Krushers and Cougars. The most exciting series in the West should be the Express and Islanders series." | |
| Mike Woods: | "Well I expect the West to look like the Voodoo, Saints, Kicks, Express, Isles, Krushers, Smokies and the Cougars. There WILL be upsets in this Div. In the East all people need to know is the Hensch are going to take the conference and then the Cyber Cup. I have no doubt in my mind that this will happen." | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "I don't think there's going to be any surprises as to what teams make it in each conference. However, I do expect to see the Saints and Islanders earn some respect from their colleagues when all is said and done. In the east, it is frustrating, because on one hand you have a Hensch team that just seems to be floating right now - when they should be cutting right into the waves with the Taipans so close to them. The Oceanics should still finish out of the playoffs race if the Hensch can get their act together, so it will be interesting to see what happens in the last stretch." | |
| Bob MacKenzie: | "Aside from a late push by the ass-pirates to squeeze into 8th, there could be some flipflop between the Corinths and Icedogs, but not much else. You're likely looking at Stallions vs. Taipans, and wont that one be a profanity laced event, Sparrows vs. Oceanics (yawn), Bulls vs. Vipers, this one has potentntal to be close and Icedogs vs. Corinths, another exciting series. In the West however, I see some real fights near the end... I think the Voodoo/Dropkicks/Express battle is going to get a whole lots closer and I'm predicting the Dropkicks claim the division, followed by the Express and 1 point after them, the Voodoo who are prone to late season mediocre play. From that division, you're looking at seeds 1, 3 and 4 no matter how you dice it, so it'll be interesting if it is close. as far as the top 8 though, they'll remain stagnant likely from 5 down with possibly only the Krushers waking up to move up a spot." | |
| Anna Kournikova: | "For this week's draft eligable prospect we will be taking a look at goaltender Ty Conklin. Where do you think Ty will be drafted and what do you think he will bring to the table as a WHL goaltender?" | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "There are still some GMs who value young goalies very highly, so I expect to see one of the western GMs select Conks somewhere around the end of round two. He's a guy with great reflexes, and a team like the Vikings may have some particular interest in letting him develop in the minors for a season." | |
| Bob MacKenzie: | "Goaltenders have never been a factor in the WHL and each season a new guy seems to rise to the occasion, so I'll be very suprised if Ty is picked earlier than the 3rd round. He's a tall lanky goaltender who has good reflexes, however, that could be said for most goalies, they key with Ty is his flopping ability to make Hasek-esque type stops. His second effort is what might have GM's coveting him, but realisticaly, he'll be lucky to ever reach top 10 status at his position in the WHL as it remains to be seen if he can handle the workload of a full season. A native of Anchorage, he will become one of only 4 players from Alaska in the WHL, the others being Barrett Heisten of the Hawks, Brian Swanson of the Voodoo and oddly enough hispanic-american centre Scott Gomez. Anna, have you been tapping him yet? It's about time you moved on from those ruskie players, I hear that Gomez is all the buzz with the ladies in Seattle." | |
| Jim Rome: | "My opinion is that Ty has really come out of nowhere this year. He's older at age 27 so I don't really see Conklin getting much better then he is now. I see Ty going in the middle of the first round to a team with question marks in goal. I don't think the Ty will ever be a top goalie in the WHL but he will likely be a solid goalie on a middle of the pack team." | |
| Mike Woods: | "I see him as a late second/early third round pick. Conks is a solid keeper." | |
| Anna Kournikova: | "In a recent poll the Stallions vs Bulls was voted as the best rivalry in the WHL, Do you think that this is true, or do you see any bigger rivalries?" | |
| Bob MacKenzie: | "In the fight for supremacy in the East, quite likely, but perhaps a more complex and definately more hate fueled rivalry is the Express/Voodoo. They've faced the last 4 years in row in the playoffs with a 14-9 edge to the Voodoo in games won and a 3-1 advantage in series, although it should be noted in WHL6, the Express were up 3-0 in the 3rd round and seemed poised to go on the the Cyber Cup finals and potiantally win thier 3rd cup in 4 years only to have the Voodoo storm back in win 4 straight games, including the last 2 in overtime en route to thier only Cyber Cup victory. The road to the Cyber cup definetely seems to go though Jasper each year, but not always Vancouver, as they've been subject to a couple choke jobs. Also notable, in 6 years, the Voodoo and Express have NEVER made a transaction. Add this iwth thier frequent tirades at each other and the fact Pongratz first had his franchise set up across the Fraser River in Surrey a mere skytrain trip away from GM place, and you have the makings of a legendary WHL rivalry that looks set to write another chapter this post season." | |
| Jim Rome: | "Stallions and Bulls, that is a good rivalry, but the Icedogs vs Stallions rivalry is 10 times better. The SmokeEaters and Krushers have had a solid rivalry in the past the Voodoo and Express has likely been the biggest rivalry however, over time. Both teams have always been amongst the best. However the Express get the nod in this rivarly as they do have more Cyber Cups." | |
| Mike Woods: | "That's a great rivalry, but there are others. The Hawks would like to think they are rivals of the Dropkicks but they can't really be taken seriously...the Express/Voodoo/Dropkicks rivalry is one that actually matters. There used to be a team in Chicago but I forget what happened to them." | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "The Bulls/Stallions rivalry isn't all it's cracked up to be these days... I mean the Bulls' backed up their smack with two rings, enough said. I think the league needs to lighten up a little more on 'gag-orders' and that, because the best days in this league are when the GMs get so pissed at each other that they actually hire pranksters living in the same provinces' as rival GMs'. I personally love seeing Golbez, Easton, etc. run their mouths' off most of the time, let me reiterate 'most' of the time, because we all know it's just a game, and that we're all here to poke a little fun at one another... Just ask my drunk buddy Mr. Kordyback, he'll tell ya (*laughs*)" | |
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| Anna Kournikova: | "With the Bulls moving from Oakville to Las Vegas, and possibly the South China team on the move, How do you feel about possible realignment?" | |
| Jim Rome: | "Personally I'm hoping that the division stay the same. I really don't want to see the Bulls move divisions. It is very possible that the 3 best teams in the East could all come from the same division. Stallions, Bulls and Icedogs in the Central division have 121, 117 and 95 points respectively. This is by far the best division in the WHL and easily the most competitive. Even the 4th place Vipers are no push over." | |
| Mike Woods: | "I think we ought to have some fun with this and shake up the divs...The 'Kicks want it done before all the prospects they gave the Vikes come back to haunt them." | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "'Viva Las Vegas!... I'm gonna love reporting from their next season, but have the Stallions and Icedogs in the same division as the Bulls does have its merits. But then again, there's a lot of other markets looking to see the Bulls more too, so Woods' notion of a big shakeup would be interesting. Imagine having the Stallions, Voodoo, Taipans, Krushers, and SmokeEaters all in one division?! - the fans would like it, Unless these clubs are afraid? (*smiles*)" | |
| Bob MacKenzie: | "Let's see... Subtract gambling and whores, add gambling and whores. We still have gambling and whores so I feel pretty good about it." | |
| Anna Kournikova: | "The league is in a rut right now. There are very few PR's and teams found it almost impossible to make trades this past year. Do you think with the cap coming in next season that the interest will increase and we will see more trades and PR's in future or is the problem bigger then just instituting a cap?" | |
| Mike Woods: | "I think the cap business has given a lot of teams an excuse to sit back and do nothing until they know what's going on, which is entirely fair. SO once that's in place we will see an increase in activity. Let's not discount some majior activity throughout the year though, because even the speculation about the cap has led many teams to make deals that they wouldn't normally have made. There's no "goodness of my heart" deals in this league and anyone who says there is is full of it. Let's face it though, there really are only a handful of guys who appear to care about making waves as other guys have pointed out. Too many guys just don't do anything with their teams." | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "Let's be honest folks, teams like the Bears, Oceanics, Vipers, and Cougars have a lot of work to do in order to get fans excited about their teams again. The problem is more about the attitudes of GMs, then things like trades or anything else... because ultimately it all comes back to a willingness to be more consistently active, instead of seating in your armani suits not even watching the games. You change the attitude and the game sees more fans, press releases, trades, and more." | |
| Bob MacKenzie | "It remains to be seen as to how many moves we will see, but this reporter anticipates alot of whining when top GM's will be forced to deal with realistic constaints. The real winners will be the strategists who think the game better, and are able to assemble the best lines and players at each position despite the limits and plan for the future. I suspect the top teams will still reign supreme though, as we've shown many a time, mose teams are weak because the GM is weak. It's proven time and agian, you can teach a man to fish but you can't drain the ocean and let him run around like a moron grabbing at fish flopping around everywhere while trying to avoid getting snapped at by crabs and eels and those giant octopi, and if there's a whale, what are you going to do? Try and tow it with crane or something?!? And do you realize all the god damn barnicles and caves and crap there would be to get lost in? GOOD LUCK!" | |
| Jim Rome: | "Well I think with the cap coming in next year, their wil be alot of roster moves and changes within organizations. There will be alot to talk about and I'm sure that we will see alot more PR's coming out. As for the problem being bigger then just the cap it's hard to say. I'd like to think not, but I guess we will just have to wait and see." | |
| Anna Kournikova: | "Regardless of how your personal feelings are towards David Easton do you think that he's possibly opened the eyes of many in the league, including the BOD, to see possible ways to make the league better?" | |
| Michael Landsberg: | "I think that's a little bit of an overstatement, because David has tended to take credit for some things that others have either already discussed, or that have already happened. BUT, this season has opened the leagues eyes to the fact that unwritten rules now HAVE to be written, unfortunately." | |
| Bob MacKenzie: | "David has enlightened us to the posibility that if you try and exploit the rules enough and then write a sop story and fax it to the offices of every GM on your way out, it's possible that some GM's will be suckered in and hold a candle light vigil for you in hope of your return. We also now know that some GM's will also crash that party with gasoline. In all seriousness though, there's no doubt Easton helped sew up some loopholes that existed and has lit a fire underneath the collective rear of the "old boys club" in the WHL, and with the ammount of tacos and fajitas served up at the last BOD meeting, we should see the rercussions of this well into next season. I even heard that Al Strickan will be removing his head from Howe's ass just long enough to write a playoff preview! " | |
| Jim Rome: | "I'm not so sure that David has opened any eyes as to how to make the league better. He has however opened the leagues eyes to some loopholes that nobody ever would have thought would be used. As a result the league has taken care of these loop holes and has taken alot of crap for it from Easton who seems to view everything as a personal attack either on himself or on his organization. It's unfortunate because my opinion is that if David focused more on adjusting to rule chandes rather then bitching about them he might prove himself to be a very good owner in this league. " | |
| Mike Woods: | "I think David enjoys running the show and he can do that in his other league. David has a lack of understanding or respect or whatever you want to call it for the way things are run in this league, one that is in its 9th year. There are a few GMs that seem to think that the people who have invested the most time/effort into making the league as much fun as it is owe David the opportunity to try to turn the WHL into another TWHL. I'm not suggesting that the TWHL isn't a fun place to operate a team and no GM from our league ought to join that one and start to criticize everybody's efforts whilst trying to bend the rules to create unrealistic scenarios either. If someone doesn't like aspects of this league, they always have the option of making constructive suggestions like some guys (Dave McDougall, Roy Kimball to name a few ) have. The only things that will change overnight in this league are gross manipulations of the rules. The rest all takes time. I'm of the belief that Easton's constant criticism hurt progress for the league, because almost everything this league is doing was wrong to him...rerates being based on NHL counterparts...now that's stupid... triple shifting...what's wrong with that.....the rules are all made to help the old boys club....I mean that one isn't even original. I will not credit Easton for helping the league in any significant way...to say the cap idea was his idea would be robbing Brian Howe of the blame he deserves. Even Brian will tell you that. The BOD was already thinking about improving rerates, etc which was another one of Eason's "causes". I do wish him well in all of his endeavours if he leaves but I think he actually needs the attention he gets in this league so I have my doubts about his actual plans to quit. Just one reporter's opinions." | |
| Anna Kournikova: | "And with that we're almost out of time for today - I'm Anna Kournikova thanking special guest Bob MacKenzie for joining us, and as always thanks to Jim Rome, Mike Woods, and Michael Landsberg for a great show!" | |