More than once today I heard the name Andrei Kovalenko. Kovalenko was nicknamed "The Russian Tank," respecting that once he parked himself in the crease, he was difficult to move. Kovalenko is now the Chairman of the KHL Players' Association.
But today, Kovalenko's name was being tossed about as people carelessly tried to compare the Jaroslav Halak deal to the Canadiens' trade that shipped out Patrick Roy and Mike Keane to the Avalanche in return for Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky, and Jocelyn Thibault. It is considered one of the worst trades in Canadiens' history.
Halak hasn't won two Stanley Cups. Nor does he have two Conn Symthe trophies. Halak doesn't need to clear shelf space for multiple Vezina and Jennings trophies. Roy had amassed quite a collection by the time he was traded on December 6, 1995.
Halak has not even had one full season as a starting goalie in the NHL.
Still, the hyperbole continued. Despite Halak having a mediocre Olympic performance and being the eighth-ranked goaltender in IIHF post-tournament statistics, the fairy tale said otherwise.
Not wanting to be outdone, a local sports radio personality tweeted, "Hala ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Rocket All Habs
Jaroslav Halak Fans Singing The Blues
June 17th, 2010 by Rocket All Habs Leave a reply »
Advertisement