The NHL arbitrator came to a decision on Thursday. Given the task of choosing a fair salary for Kyle Wellwood between the $1 million offer tabled by the Canucks and a number proposed by Wellwood and his agent Mike Liut that was slightly below the Canucks’ $1.57 million limit, the judge awarded him $1.2 million for one year of service.

From calculating the average salary of the 10 players closest to him in points per game (as I did in my previous post), the salary awarded would have been $1.13 million, a difference of only $70,000. Surely this supports my hypothesis that the salary awarded by an arbitrator is based on the market value of players with similar production. With this in mind, perhaps the entire process of arbitration, which is often painted with a negative brush as it forces teams to denigrate their players in a demoralizing fashion, is a waste of time and energy.

But no, it is good for the public to know and believe that more goes into a determination of salary than just stats. Unless the arbitrators would be willing to perform an independent study on each player in question, the streamlined process will not be going anywhere in the near future.

I am writing this Tuesday post in lieu of Wednesday’s this week because today, Kyle Wellwood is having his hearing with the NHL salary arbitrator. Wellwood, his agent, Canucks’ assistant GM Laurence Gillman, the judge, and several other officials will sit in a room as the two sides present cases supporting their proposed numbers.

It won’t be pretty. The Canucks will likely bring up Wellwood’s well-publicized fitness issues, his 21 game goal scoring draught, and his paltry 9 assists for a supposed “playmaker”. Basically, his team will tell him how bad he is, and why he is worth no more than the 1M qualifying offer they placed.

My question is, when the judge deliberates, how much will all of these arguments affect the final number he produces? Will he not simply look at the salaries of other NHL players who had similar production in the past season, and create a number based on that?

In order to answer this question, I have calculated what Wellwood’s salary would be based on the 10 NHL forwards closest to him in production – based on points per game. I have discarded the highest and lowest salary out of those 10, so the number is based on 8 players.

Troy Brower: $ 700,000 0.38 PPG
Radek Bonk: $ 1,350,000 0.38 PPG
Mike Grier: $ 1,775,000 0.37 PPG
Daniel Paille: $ 900,000 0.37 PPG
Josh Bailey: $ 875,000 0.37 PPG

KYLE WELLWOOD: 0.36 Points Per Game

Kyle Calder: $ 2,700,000 0.36 PPG
Mikkel Boedker: $ 875,000 0.36 PPG
Chris Stewart: $ 850,000 0.36 PPG
Maxim Lapierre: $ 575,000 0.35 PPG
Alexander Steen: $ 1,700,000 0.35 PPG

Average salary based on 8 players: $ 1,128,125.


The Canucks have placed a limit on what they will pay, and if the judge awards Wellwood more than $ 1.57M, they will not pay and he will be free to sign with another team. The salary ruling shall come no later than 48 hours after the hearing - by Thursday. Stay tuned.

“Terrell Owens wants NFL to Reinstate Michael Vick,” reads one of the headlines on the TSN.ca website. The article explains that Owens believes Vick is deserving of a second chance after being imprisoned for two years for bankrolling a dogfighting operation.

After reading this, the question is, does Terrell Owens actually hate Michael Vick? Certainly any support from one of the NFL’s most controversial players can only hurt Vick’s cause, and it definitely carries no weight. Owens is not one of the game’s ambassadors, or even a respected individual. He has been a cancer to every dressing room he’s ever stepped into, a fact that is well known throughout the sporting world.

According to the article, published by the Canadian Press, Owens would also welcome Vick as a teammate. Wouldn’t that be splendid? A quarterback who would rather run with the ball himself than throw it to someone else, and a receiver who throws tantrums any time he’s not thrown to, plus the fact that they’re both apparently mentally unstable. Actually, that could possibly be the most entertaining thing we’ve ever seen in football, and it wouldn’t be surprising if it became the most watched team in the league.

Next week on TSN.ca: “O.J. Simpson Thinks Plaxico Burress Should Serve No Jail Time.” Ok, maybe that’s going too far.

Dear Readers,

I will be on vacation this week, so there will be no posts. Worry not, I shall return soon!

Brett Favre, caught in an every day conversation with his wife:

Mrs. Favre: Honey, I'm making steak for dinner, would you like corn or potatoes on the side?

Brett Favre: Oh... I don't know... I can't make up my mind..

MF: Brett, I need to know because potatoes take time!

Brett: Aw geez, I need some time to think this over!

1 hour later:
MF: Brett, we're eating in 20 minutes! If you want potatoes, I need to know NOW!

Brett: After carefully considering my options, I have come to a decision.

MF: Just tell me already!

Brett: It is with a heavy heart that I announce we will not be having potatoes with dinner tonight. Salad is the healthy choice.

During dinner:
Brett: Stop eating everyone! I've realized that steak is just not the same without potatoes! Therefore, I would like to announce that we are putting this dinner on hold for as long as it takes to make us some spuds!

After an injury plagued summer, the world’s real number one tennis player is on the comeback trail. Rafael Nadal plans to return for the Rogers Cup in Montreal, beginning on August 8th. With the tournament being the U.S. Open tune-up, it’s no secret that Rafa has his sights set on his first title at Flushing Meadows and achieving the career Grand Slam– winning at all four major tournaments in a lifetime – at age 23, the feat recently accomplished by 27 year old Roger Federer at the French Open.

Federer, who finally regained his ranking as the world’s number one player after winning at Wimbledon in Rafa’s absence, must once again prepare to face one of the few players who dominates him, and Nadal’s timing may be perfect. Last year, by the time Nadal reached the U.S. Open after winning the French Open, Wimbledon, gold at the Summer Olympics, and the Rogers Cup, he was completely burnt out. Perhaps the forced rest due to tendinitis in his knees will provide him with enough energy to play the U.S. Open at peak form. If so, the end of the summer has the potential to be very exciting for Tennis fans around the world.

My hacker team has done some amazing work to intercept this email chain between LA Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant and the Ottawa Senators’ Dany Heatley. It explains a lot about Heatley’s actions of late. Since it’s copied and pasted with no editing, start at the bottom and work your way up.



From: Kobe Bryant kobe24@hotmail.com
To: Dany Heatley supersniper@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 31, 2009 7:03:56 PM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: CONGRATS!

oh shit. guess your not as big a star as me. reject the trade. u cant let them push you around like that.

just remember this

IT’S ALL ABOUT NUMBER 1 BABY

peace



From: Dany Heatley supersniper@gmail.com
To: Kobe Bryant kobe24@hotmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 31, 2009 4:27:02 PM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: CONGRATS!

Buddy, I demanded a trade, and they’ve gone and made a deal with the Oilers! You told me this wouldn’t happen! I have a no trade clause, but maybe if both teams are happy, I should just agree to it?

Edmonton’s got a good young team, maybe it’ll be a good change for me?

Dany

From: Kobe Bryant kobe24@hotmail.com
To: Dany Heatley supersniper@gmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 11:32:10 AM
Subject: Re: Re: Re: CONGRATS!

dan
why you taking this shit man? you carry that team and any success they have is because of you. your an nhl superstar bro believe it. you know what i did when our team wasnt winning? i demanded a trade. u think they going to trade me? ha ha. they traded everyone around me to make the team better for ME, cuz thats what they do for stars like us. go in there and do the same thing. trust me.

CHAMP

From: Dany Heatley supersniper@gmail.com
To: Kobe Bryant kobe24@hotmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:44:21 PM
Subject: Re: Re: CONGRATS!

Hey, Yeah good work on the MVP too! We had a tough year here in Ottawa. Pretty crappy start to the season, and we changed coaches halfway through. We started the year 17-24-7 and after the coaching change, we went 19-10-3, so that’s pretty good.

New coach demoted me to the second power play and I had less ice time, but I guess we were winning more so he knows what he’s doing. Still, we missed the playoffs. Hoping for a good start to next year, though.

Dany

From: Kobe Bryant kobe24@hotmail.com
To: Dany Heatley supersniper@gmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 10:14:54 AM
Subject: Re: CONGRATS!

what up dan my man

thanks for the message bro. you forgot to mention my mvp trophy. worked my ass off for this championship. its all worth it in the end bro

hows shit at your end

CHAMP

From: Dany Heatley supersniper@gmail.com
To: Kobe Bryant kobe24@hotmail.com
Sent: Monday, June 15, 2009 6:21:34 PM
Subject: CONGRATS!

Hey Buddy,

Congrats on winning the NBA Championship last night! Your whole team worked their asses off for it and you all deserve it. Well done!

Talk soon,

Dany

The readers loved reading about the inside dealings between Shane O’Brien’s agent, Larry Kelly, and Mike Gillis, so we’ve decided to add some more posts that have been caught by our hidden microphones. The following is a conversation between Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM Brian Burke, and assistant GM Dave Nonis, captured two days before the 2009 Entry Draft.

Brian Burke: Dave, do you know which of our player acquisitions I consider to be our best move so far?

Dave Nonis: Which one, boss?

BB: Getting Brad May from the Ducks.

DN: Really? I didn’t think he was that amazing last year. He only had 7 points.

BB: That doesn’t matter! Anytime we have success with any of my ex-Canucks, it is vindication for us!

DN: Oh, ok. I think I get it.

BB: So Dave, who’s going to be available as free agents this year.

DN: Well, there’s Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, Saku Koivu, Alex Kovalev, Mike Cammalleri…

BB: Boring, keep going.

DN: Brian Gionta, Martin Havlat, Mike Komisarek, Brendan Morrison…

BB: STOP! Brendan Morrison is available? One of my Canucks! Let’s sign him!

DN: Do you think he’s still valuable?

BB: Dave, I traded for B. Mo years ago, and I am always right about talent. His best years are still to come, you’ll see. Everyone will see!

DN: Ok, what should we offer? I think he might sign for $1 million since there are no offers on the table.

BB: What? No way, we should offer at least $5 million.

DN: But boss, he only had 31 points last season, and he’s injury prone.

BB: Are you kidding? When we sign him for $5 million, those Vancouver idiots will realize what they missed out on, and they’ll wish they had never fired me! Just like when we signed Bertuzzi for $4.5 million in Anaheim! That sure showed them.

DN: Ok… if you say so boss.

BB: Absolutely. So is anyone else available?

DN: Well, since you like Canucks so much, if they don’t manage to sign them, the Sedin twins will be available on July 1st.

BB: WHAT!? The greatest draft move ever! Pulled off by none other than yours truly. We must get them! Oh, I love the taste of sweet revenge! Forget the draft, we’re flying to Sweden to talk to them!

DN: But sir, the Leafs are in a rebuilding phase, why would we sign two premier scoring forwards right now? Isn’t that a little premature in the process?

BB: Dave, have you understood nothing so far? Have you read our mission statement lately? After “To create a team that fosters excellence on the ice.” I added, “while showing up the Vancouver Canucks.”

DN: But boss, what happened to forgiving and forgetting?

BB: For-who and for-what? Never heard of it. Now get the plane ready, we’re going to Sweden!

Shane O’Brien is Back!

On July 6th, Shane O’Brien signed a one year contract extension with the Vancouver Canucks, and while it’s no surprise that both sides came to an agreement, what is surprising is the hefty raise he will receive in the coming year. He goes from making $1.025 million to $1.6, which is a very healthy salary for a sixth defenseman who plays 14:55 minutes per night. If you’re wondering how this deal happened, the answer is below! We caught the negotiation between Mike Gillis and O’Brien’s agent, Larry Kelly, on our hidden Head To The Net microphone:

Receptionist: Mr. Gillis, Shane O’Brien’s agent is here to see you.

Mike Gillis: Yes, I was expecting him. Send him in, please.

Larry Kelly: Hi Mike, thanks for agreeing to meet.

MG: Who are you? Where’s J.P. Barry?

LK: J.P. doesn’t represent Shane, I do. My name is Larry Kelly.

MG: What? I thought J.P. represented everyone in the NHL now. This is the first time I’m negotiating with anyone other than him!

LK: Ok…

MG: Anyways, so why should I resign Shane? Is he Swedish?

LK: No… he’s not Swedish, he’s Canadian. Why?

MG: I only want Swedes! You know what they say: “The Germans know how to make cars, the English do fish and chips, and the Swedes make hockey players”

LK: They say that? Who says that?

MG: I don’t know, I think it’s the Red Wings’ slogan. Anything the Red Wings do is good enough for me! Did Shane ever play for them? Because I’m looking for more ex-Red Wings.

LK: Uh… no, he didn’t. But you know, O’Brien is an Irish name. He’s pretty much European.

MG: European eh? Sweden is in Europe, so that’s a good selling point. Now, what kind of salary are we talking about?

LK: Well here’s what I’m thinking: Ovechkin scored 56 goals this year and earns $9.53 million per year. That’s about $180,000 per goal. I figure a penalty minute should be worth just less than half a goal. Shane had 196 penalty minutes, so at $80,000 each, that’s about $1.6 million dollars.

MG: Wow, sounds like you’ve done your homework. I can’t argue with your math, since my numbers guy, Laurence Gillman, isn’t around to help me. But you’ve obviously thought this through, so I agree.

LK: You do?!?! I mean, yes, I’ve thought it through. So we have a deal then? For how many years?

MG: Uh… numbers guy isn’t here… how about one? Great! I’ll see you later! Good to have another European on the team! Nice working with you J.P.!

LK: Uh… yeah, you too Mike. See you later.

Roger Federer’s record breaking 15th Grand Slam Championship came down to what may have been the toughest match he’s ever won. Though his game was not as sharp as it was four years ago when he dismissed Andy Roddick in straight sets, this version of Roddick is not the same either. In 2005, Federer possessed a seemingly error free game. He used this to demoralize opponents, daring them to bring their best against him, and always having a reply that challenged them to do one better.

But they couldn’t, he was just too good back then. These days, at 27, Federer must work hard to beat the best: Murray, Nadal, and Djokovic. They’ve all shown that they have the skill set to take him on now. The one separating aspect that Federer possesses more than any other tennis player is the factor that allowed him to beat Roddick for his sixth Wimbledon title, his incredible mental strength.

Federer has always had the ability to stick around, to play his best when everything is on the line. In a sport where one man will so often defeat himself, as did Robin Soderling in the French Open final against him, Federer never will. He forces his opponents to either outdo him or suffer the fate of so many others who have faced him – to be dismissed.

For Andy Roddick, who has worked so hard over the last year to make over his game, the reward is that he has put himself back into the top tier of tennis stars. His semi-final match against Murray and the final against Federer showcased a fitter, all-rounded player that we’ve never seen before – one who could go toe-to-toe with the best on the baseline, and one who could hit passing shots and deep, penetrating backhands. And he walked around the court with an air of self belief, not dwelling on past points, or forcing arguments with the umpire. When calls went against him, he accepted it and quickly moved on to trying to win the next point.

Unfortunately for Roddick, he was playing Roger Federer, who, up 15-14 in the fifth and final set – having played the equivalent of seven sets – was incredibly able to maintain the same relentless pressure that he started with four hours earlier. And in the end, Roddick couldn’t find the solution, leaving Federer to claim the title once again.

With only three days remaining until the 2009 Wimbledon final, two gargantuan story lines hang overhead. Most of the world is watching Roger Federer to see if he will set the all-time record for tennis Grand Slam Championships with his 15th, but the host, Great Britain, will not be on side. The Britons’ hopes and dreams have been saddled on homegrown Andy Murray’s shoulders, and with good reason.

The fourth seeded 22 year-old Murray sports a 6-2 record against the first seed, the most lopsided record any current player can claim on Federer. Murray has only once before met the Swiss superstar in a Grand Slam final, and this came at the U.S. Open final last year. Unfortunately, after beating the world’s best player, Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, Murray succumbed to the pressure of playing in his first Major final, failing to play his best, and losing the match in straight sets.

The locals are perhaps hoping that the set-back was a touch of fate, as it prepared him to win his first Major tournament in a much more dramatic fashion – on his home court in front of his own people. Murray, in an interview with Ian Baker from the official Wimbledon website, certainly thinks so,

“I feel like I'm ready to win a Grand Slam now, whereas last year I might not have been. But I understand how difficult it is.” If he manages to do so, it would make Andy Murray the first British man to win at Wimbledon in 73 years, since Fred Perry accomplished the feat in 1936. In England, there is a sentiment that the win would be as important to their country as when they captured Football’s World Cup in 1966.

Murray’s story has become larger than life in Britain, and the pressure on him is enormous. One can’t help to wonder how he will respond as he looks into the crowd and hears thousands chanting his name. Neil Harmann of the Times Online asked him about reacting to the pressure, and Murray replied,

“It is on the court where I feel most comfortable. I really don’t feel the weight of expectation, it’s the last thing you are thinking about when you are hitting your first serve of the match. When it comes down to it, playing in front of 15,000 people on Centre Court at Wimbledon is what I want to do, that’s the part of your job you enjoy the most.”

Murray’s head appears to be in the right place as he heads into his Friday semi-final match against the sixth-seeded American, Andy Roddick. The resurgent Roddick will provide a formidable foe and he could be just the medicine to round Murray’s game into form, so that he is ready to face the formidable Federer in the final. The British certainly hope it is.

Toronto Maple Leafs GM, Brian Burke wore a TSN microphone during the televised 2009 NHL Entry Draft. For the network, it was a calculated attempt to capture the dealings of the most active manager, as he had proclaimed many times in the days before that he intended to move up and hopefully draft John Tavares. In one televised exchange discussing the Tampa Bay Lightning's Vincent Lecavalier, Burke said to Montreal Canadiens’ GM, Bob Gainey, "I hear he's coming to you."

To which Gainey simply replied, "Yeah?" "Yeah..." stated Burke, and as Gainey walked away, "good luck." This was not the only conversation where the other party seemed to have no time for him, and one begins to wonder if Burke's brash tactics and bold predictions have finally caught up to him. Obviously the other General Managers were aware of his direct link to TSN, and likely did not want to give away their personal thoughts on live television.

In March 2007, Burke provided the USA Today with a full personal account of all of his dealings leading up to the 2006 trading deadline and allowed them to publish it. Having all of their conversations exposed didn’t sit well with the other general managers, and they probably keep it in mind every time they negotiate with him. A combination of animosity and fear of exposure from his negotiating parties can hardly serve him well as he tries to steer the Maple Leafs out of the NHL’s doldrums, and with the way he’s acting, he’s making the uphill climb even steeper.

Note: To see the article from the USA Today, click here