Pats have busy day in trade market, bring in Haynesworth and Ochocinco

So are Patriots fans still complaining about a lack of a splash in the accelerated free agency period since the new CBA was signed? Yeah, I didn't think so. The Patriots woke everyone up with a bang with the announcement of trading a 2013 5th round pick to the Redskins for DT "Fat" Albert Haynesworth. Haynesworth comes with his share of baggage with quite the "rap sheet" including a trial next month over feeling up a waitress with his credit card. Hey, we've all be there Albert. Fat Albert is a total win/win for the Pats as Washington, who signed him to a seven year 100+million dollar deal two summers ago but only played 20 games in two seasons for the Skins. He clashed with head coach Mike Shanahan and it go to the point where Washington dealt this headache away for a fifth round pick while paying all of the guaranteed money on his contract. I love this move for the Pats. You can listen to Felger and Mazz on 98.5 reading off his offenses since he joined the league. Yeah, yeah he gets angry and doesn't want to pay child support. He is a shitty human being for sure, but thankfully we only have to give a crap about how he performs on the field. Yes he need to stay out of jail but the guy doesn't need to be my best friend for me to root for him on the field. I think the line of Warren-Wilfork-Haynesworth has offensive lines hating their lives and Jerod Mayo and Brandon Spikes licking their chops. Mayo is gonna have 4000 tackles this year and just be lighting people up. The Patriots still need a solid OLB behind Jermaine Cunningham and Rob Ninkovich but it will be alot easier for them with this mammoth line along with DT Mike Wright, DT/DEMyron Pryor and DT/DE Brandon Deadrick coming off the bench.

Then if that moves wasn't enough for you, the Patriots have reportedly traded for WR Chad Ochocinco in exchange for two draft picks going to the Bengals. This is another win/win move as Ochocinco is always in great shape and gives the Patriots a legitimate quick, explosive wide receiver. Ochocinco also has agreed to restructure the three years left on his contract to fit the Patriots cap. This has to have the whole offense smiling from Brady to Wes Welker who can exploit the slot all season with Branch and Ochocinco on the outside. Yeah, yeah the Jets might have two shutdown corners but then you got Welker in the slot and the two young TE's(Gronk and Hernandez) running up the seem against Bart Scott. I like that matchup everyday and twice on Sunday. Now all fans are going to react way too hard and think this seals up the SB while the media will bash both guys for their off-the-field issues. The ideal way to look at it is somewhere inbetween the two. The guys are solid players with potential to be great on this team if they work hard can be special players on a special team. Sure they could be hitting up strip clubs in Providence all year long but usually players who are ringless this late in their career just want to win and will do what it takes. They will buy into the "Patriots way" and prove the critics and their former teams wrong while they are at it. I love these acquisitions now let's play some football!

Northeastern names Madigan as new coach

Northeastern finally ended a 45 day search for their next head coach with the announcement of a press conference for Tuesday to announce alum Jim Madigan(the current director of business at NU/scout for the Pittsburgh Penguins) as the next head coach. Madigan skated for the Huskies from 1981-1985 and even won two Beanpots which is unheard of over there on Huntington Ave. This hire really comes out of nowhere as many expected current assistant Sebastian LaPlante to be named to the job or for a big name from outside the school. I don't believe the director of business development was a top candidate but that's just me. Madigan, spent the last eight years as an university employee and scout for the Penguins so I would guess he knows the school and expectations currently and can also relate to the pro game. It will certainly be interesting to see if he can recover any of the decommitted recruits(Gaudreau and Harr) while rising sophomores Jamie Olesiak leaving for major juniors and Brodie Reid (signed with San Jose) have already left the University with no hope of returning. This NU team will fail to score all season but will find a way to win some games behind the Rawlings/Witt goalie combo along with Vinny Saponari(BU drop-out, BC reject) to party like a puck star and score some goals. I would still love nothing more to kill these idiots all three times for the crap they pulled in the HE Quarters last year. Is it October yet? Or better yet is it the first Monday of February so I can watch the disappointment in the faces of all the NU fans for the 24th straight year with the Beanpot futility. Doesn't matter who your coach is NU we're still gonna stomp your ass. Cue the music!

Is it October yet?

It is getting to that time of summer where it is time to start forward looking to October and the beginning of hockey season. Only 75 days until exhibition games and 82 until the season opener against those choke artists from New Hampshire.

It still burns doesn't it? Slash the kid in the background is fucking hilarious. I think he proposed to Lawrence 140 in. Hey think I did back in Warren at the same time.

New conference forming in college hockey...possibly more

The formation of the Big Ten Conference in 2013-2014(due to the emergence of Penn State hockey) is throwing the conference affiliation of college hockey into a big loop. The formation of this six team league leaves both the WCHA(10) and CCHA(8) short of teams and this situation could result in the end of both of the leagues. There is a report that five teams from WCHA plan to leave for the 2013-2014 season along with Miami to make a new conference. Notre Dame also has been reported to be contemplating between staying in the CCHA, the new conference, or moving to Hockey East or WCHA. The only real outcome here is the following conference breakdown:(stay with me here)

Big Ten(6): Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

New League(8): Miami,Denver, North Dakota, Colorado College, Minnesota-Duluth, Notre Dame, Western Michigan and Nebraska-Omaha

Hockey East(10): Same as is (BU,BC, Merrimack, UNH,UVM ,Lowell, UMASS, PC, Northeastern, and Maine)

CCHA/WCHA leftover league(10): Alaska,Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan, Alaska-Anchorage, Bemjidi State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, and St. Cloud State.

The other two leagues of Atlantic Hockey and the ECAC would remain the same unless the Ivy's break off and then a whole new can of worms would be opened as UCONN could possibly move to Hockey East if they got better and if URI starts a program since they have the facility to do so. This is all speculation though. The remaining teams in the CCHA and WCHA need to join to make a league of six or more. This realignment also opens the door for the independent Alabama-Huntsville get a chance to lose that tag and finally join a league so it has a chance to make the NCAA tournament and get decent recruits realistically. stay tuned for more on this story. In the end of the day, this really doesn't matter as BU is going to win the next 10 championships no matter who plays there. Parker retires after the eighth and Bavis wins two more as coach. You'll see.

Looks like Tampa is going to win the Cup next year

Tampa made the biggest splash of free agency so far today. Signing Matty Gilroy to a one year deal. Gilroy is coming off a two year stint with the New York Rangers where he posted a 7-19-26 in 127 games over two seasons. Tampa is gunning up to get back to the Eastern Conference Finals and maybe further on the back of my boy and 2009 Hobey Winner Matty Gilroy.

Well This is Awkward...

Holy shit, this place still exists? Man am I embarrassed.  Between the end of BU's season, Lebron choking in the finals, the Bruins winning the Cup, and Charlie Coyle getting traded on draft night (so emotional), I literally completely forgot that this blog existed. Whoops.

Anyways, I can't promise I'll be blogging with any frequency for the rest of the summer, but you can be sure that when the fall rolls around I'll be back in prime blogging form. On that note, only 96 days until the regular season commences (fuck you UNH). Get at me.