John Murtha |ANC Burial Not to Be| Video Link|Funeral Plan not Final-Your
Funeral Guy
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There will be no Burial of John Murtha funeral at Arlington National
Cemetery(ANC), Instead services will take place near Johnstown, PA. A
temporary Funera…
And especially not all those wary Blackhawks fans. They look at Huet honestly and see a 34-year-old who has never played at an elite level for an extended length of time. Huet truthfully is just a few years from retirement, so it's now or never for him, and quite ominously many people think it might be never and he will drag down the best chance the long-downtrodden Hawks' organization has had in decades to win a Stanley Cup and revive their historically bruised image.
Jeremy Roenick, who tackles opinions the same way he used to jam opposing skaters, just stepped on whatever small chance he had to have his number retired by the Hawks. Roenick went on ESPN radio in Chicago Wednesday morning and insisted the Hawks would be wiser to trade for a goalie rather than a superstar scorer like Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk (who JR thinks is selfish), because neither Huet nor Andy Niemi seem the answer to a successful Stanley Cup run.
I guess we don't need to await news JR has been hired as GM Stan Bowman's new assistant.
The Hawks might have to rescind Roenick's Heritage Night. Since no such trade is going to happen, JR just buried the Hawks for all intents and purposes by saying they don't have a championship chance with these goalies. Nice season while it lasted, eh, JR? Even shorter than '90-91 when the big Stanley Cup dreams vanished in the first round in Minnesota.
Now, JR has been known to be right at times. And he has been known to be vociferous for no reason except to be known for being vociferous. He really didn't clamor for a goalie deal quite as much as ESPN promos claimed he did, but he did diss Huet and Niemi, trying to soften his slaps by calling them “good goaltenders.”
“He can probably get you through two rounds (of the playoffs],” JR said about Huet. “It remains to be seen if (Huet and Niemi) can take it to the next level.”
I predict there will be no plans by the Hawks to cancel the season because JR believes that Huet and Niemi together add up to an eventual heartbreak in Chicago.
The real question becomes that when Huet plays more games than ever, will he overload and underperform? Will he overcome fearful expectations and successfully fly underneath the radar and into the warm embrace of some chastened Chicago fans?
Some loathe him. Some love him. Some just want him to be quicker post-to-post, sharp enough to get into position consistently, smart enough not to dip into his butterfly when shooters initially cross the blue line and man enough to speak to the media after losses and show a dependable character to assume responsibility that hasn't always been so evident from him, win or lose.
Some badly want to support him. If only…
Responsibility off ice translates to a guy who can be trusted on ice. That's what worries you about Huet. At 34, it seems he still has a hell of a lot to learn.
I mean, that's true of me at 60, too. But I'm a lost cause. I hope for better for our baby Huey.
His finest hour was probably his 13-game spurt with the 07-08 Washington Capitals when he was traded there late in the season by Montreal. He had 11 wins in 13 games, a .936 saves percentage and a 1.63 goals-against for the Caps. Those are the best numbers he has ever posted, but it didn't last long enough.
They ultimately were tempered by his 3-4 record for those Capitals in seven playoff games with a .909 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against. In 16 NHL playoffs games played for the Canadiens, the Capitals and the Hawks, Huet is 6-10 with a .917 save percentage to go with a 2.73 goals-against.
Those are the numbers that fuel the tough talk of people such as JR.
Give him enough time and Huet seems to suffer, unable to endure long periods of strain and stress. Give him a good defense and brief challenges and Huet can impress, the way he did last time the Hawks traveled west and Huet beat the Flames, the Oilers and San Jose with simply five goals against him during this peak period for him between Nov. 19-25.
Huet's largest workload for one team in a season was his 42 games for the '06-'07 Canadiens when he won 19 with a .916 save percentage and 2.81 GAA. After seeing him 39 games the next season, when he won 21 of them, Montreal was ready to bid a fond adieu to up-and-down Huet, whose playoff record was a meager 2-4 for the '05-06 Canadiens.
Quenneville's immediate decision is whether to start Niemi over Huet Thursday night in Calgary after Huet, with the help of a porous defense, has given up 14 goals in three of his last four games (12 at even strength), the other being a shutout.
Quenneville seems to have no plans to start Niemi on a consistent basis. While many like to talk of that possibility, Q has committed to Huet time and again this season and I see just no reason to expect that to change, short of Huet starting to allow too many dumb goals per game to justify his existence or JR being named the Hawks coach and calling Ed Belfour and Tony Esposito and Glenn Hall out of retirement.
The Hawks and Huet have responded strongly and quickly to their few down times all season. They will find a surly mob awaiting them in Calgary, but the rabble rousers are out to hang beseiged brothers Brent and Darryl Sutter together from the crossbar, at the same time they kick slackard Dion Phaneuf out of town and trade 10 players or thereabout from the sound of their incensed media and bloggers.
The Flames fans are pissed. Hawks fans are still confident, but alert for trouble. JR is on to his next microphone and more ass-biting to stay relevant.
The times call for more reasonable minds than ones that want to trade for Ron Hextall before the March 3 deadline. We need Huet. We need Niemi. And we will have them, right or wrong.
It can work out well, as long as Huet decides he wants to grow up at the age of 34 and be a responsible member of a championship team who plays a full schedule, is recognized as a go-to goalie and doesn't hide his head in his ass.
OK, so this is a rare chance for the Hawks. For Huet, it might be his only chance to sniff a Stanley Cup.
Somebody better drive that simple fact home to him. Either you can own a page of history in the NHL or he can be known forever as a guy who couldn't cut it over the long haul and isn't someone to depend on.
Seven games from now, we'll start to see if Huet is a man or a mouse. It should be a boon to the recession with Hawks fans needing to stock up now on adult beverages, knowing Huet for certain will drive us to drink hearty, be he a champion or a chump.
Maybe he's just a hidden mole to jack up liquor sales for all the Wirtz distributorships. Who says he's good for nothing?
Burke Heading To Haiti
February 5th, 2010 British singer ALEXANDRA BURKE is planning a trip to Haiti after watching moving news coverage from the earthquake-stricken country. The X Factor star was quick to lend her vocal talents to Simon Cowell's Haiti charity single, a cover of R.E.M.'s Everybody Hurts, which he co-ordinated with the help of British newspaper The Sun.
Simon Cowell's Haiti single to become Britain's biggest-seller in 10yrs
February 3rd, 2010 LONDON – Simon Cowell's cover version of R.E.M.'s 1992 classic 'Everybody Hurts' in aid of Haiti is set to become Britain's biggest-selling single in a decade. The star-studded track, featuring the vocals of Kylie Minogue, Leona Lewis and Robbie Williams, is expected to sell well over a million copies within days.
Cowell could soon be 'Sir' Simon
January 31st, 2010 LONDON – Simon Cowell could be soon be knighted because top politicians think he should be rewarded for his “generosity and goodwill”. The 50-year-old Cowell has not only produced entertaining shows like The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent but has also given and raised millions for charity.
Robbie Williams to reunite with Take That for Haiti charity single
January 26th, 2010 LONDON – Robbie Williams will reunite with his former band Take That for a Helping Haiti single to help victims struck by the massive earthquake that shook the Caribbean region. The singer, who quit the group in 1995, will team up with the band for the cover version of REM's ballad Everybody Hurts to help raise funds for those hit by the 7.0-magnitude tremor on January 12.I'm very honoured to be asked to contribute to the single.
Robbie Williams re-unites with Take That for Haitians
January 26th, 2010 LONDON – Robbie Williams has re-united with his band Take That to record a song to raise fund for the earthquake victims in Haiti. Confirming his participation for the The Sun's Helping Haiti charity single, Williams said: “I'm very honoured to be asked to contribute to the single.
Susan Boyle, Take That team up for Haiti charity single
January 23rd, 2010 LONDON – Susan Boyle and Take That are set to lend their voices to a Helping Haiti single to help victims struck by the massive earthquake that shook the Caribbean region. The Britain's Got Talent star and the popular band will join other artists including Rod Stewart, Cheryl Cole, Leona Lewis and Westlife to record REM's Everybody Hurts to help raise funds for those hit by the 7.0-magnitude tremor on January 12.
Rod Stewart, Leona Lewis, Michael Buble lined up for Cowell's Haiti charity single
January 22nd, 2010 Rod Stewart, Leona Lewis on single for HaitiLONDON — Organizers say Rod Stewart, Leona Lewis and Michael Buble have agreed to sing on a charity single for victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The Sun newspaper is helping put together the single and says it will be a cover of R.E.M.'s 1993 ballad “Everybody Hurts.”
The newspaper said Friday that Robbie Williams, Coldplay, Take That and Paul McCartney also have been approached.
Britain's Brown Asks Cowell To Record Haiti Single
January 21st, 2010 SIMON COWELL has put his powers to good use by organising a charity single to help raise funds for the ravaged nation of Haiti – following a request from Britain's Prime Minister GORDON BROWN. The American Idol mogul is lining up stars including Lady Gaga, Cheryl Cole, Beyonce and Robbie Williams to sing on the cover track, and he's vowed to send the proceeds to the victims of last week's (12Jan10) devastating earthquake.
