Kolzig needs surgery
Lightning backup Olie Kolzig will have surgery on Saturday to repair a ruptured distal biceps tendon in his left forearm. The surgery will be performed in Washington by orthopedist Ben Shaffer, a Capitals team physician who treated Kolzig when he played in Washington. Lightning head trainer Tommy Mulligan said Kolzig will be out three to four months. Unless Tampa Bay makes the playoffs, his season is over. It is unclear how this will affect the 17-year veteran's career. Kolzig spoke during Wednesday's practice and said he will not make any decisions about his future until the summer. He admitted, however, "In my mind, there's a lot of doubt for my future as far as hockey goes."
In other news, the Lightning is expected to call up goaltender Riku Helenius from AHL Norfolk and return goaltender Karri Ramo so he can serve a six-game suspension for leaving the bench to join a fight in a recent game.
Follow the Lightning through the season with beat writer Damian Cristodero and the Times sports staff. We invite your participation in the comments area.
reading
Posted by: hockeytalkie | January 30, 2009 at 01:36 PM
double u t f
Posted by: hyjyljyj | January 30, 2009 at 08:12 AM
...
Posted by: Coach Bill | January 30, 2009 at 08:01 AM
...
Posted by: Coach Bill | January 30, 2009 at 08:01 AM
Brit-Wear it to the wall Friday. You said the trip across town could be a problem. Which way are you coming from? My grandson and I are coming West on I4 if that helps.
Posted by: Coach Bill | January 30, 2009 at 08:00 AM
to talkie
because your a hockey fan thats why ! are not! :)
Posted by: Marki Mark and the funky bunch | January 29, 2009 at 03:21 PM
marki mark
i do go to the games and have since day one back at expo hall. it's fun to watch a great player like v4 but i go for the sport and to support my team. if vinny tore up his knee tomorrow, but they continued to win, people would go. yes many are there to socialize or whatever, i agree, but that has nothing to do w/vinny. in the early years people would go to see 99 or 66 play just to say they saw them (like some virtual trophy case i guess). these fans aren't here now to see vinny. he just makes their experience better. the yokels don't appreciate the way he makes something so difficult look so effortless. they just know he's the star. but then again the yokels are good for 3-5 games a year these days. the bigger problem for this market is that they are fair weather fans no matter what the sport. always have been and always will be. look no further than the rays to see my point. after the all star break when they made their move is when people started showing up. i bet you they draw 20,000 a night in the first half of the upcoming season. would anyone argue that central florida is not a traditional baseball market as well? or that we dont know that game either? of course not, so how can you equate attendance with intelligence?
i dont like the cowboys thus far, but if they can produce a situation long term like colorado had or detroit has, the butts will be back in the seats. then the yokels will learn the game in a de facto sort of way.
i think it stems from the bucs being so bad for so long that the yokels were embarrassed to be associated with "loser". along comes hockey and same thing. then along comes baseball and same thing. it has more to do with the community's psycee (sp) and fragile self image IMHO.
i wish more were unrepentantly loyal like the leafs fans, but they just aren't, as whole, about anything. not even football or nascar.
Posted by: hockeytalkie | January 29, 2009 at 11:31 AM
but pd the 49th parallel is where the line has been drawn. we heard it ad nauseum when facing calgary in 04 and again in 06 while watching car face edm.
if the sport is limited to ONLY the traditional markets IT WILL NEVER GROW! 60 years ago technology wouldn't really allow for it, but nowdays the "june" ice in tpa is in better shape than the "june" in calgary.
and speaking of traditional markets... just the ones in the "nascar belt" eh? maybe you should look at the size of the nascar belt these days (includes quebec, mich, il, ohio, nhamp, ny, wisc, delaware, calif, indiana, va, tex and penn among others)
-so eliminate 19 teams including 4 of the original 6? BRILLIANT!
btw, don't think i didn't notice you glossed over the part about major sport options.
-HT
ps i cant believe i just wikipeia'd nascar. ugh, excuse me while i take a shower. thanks for making me do that pd :-p but i'll give nascar credit for cotinueing to grow their "sport" out of the southeast.
Posted by: hockeytalkie | January 29, 2009 at 10:54 AM
To Joe the Plummer & Talkie
First of all what I am saying is that
The lighting is in serious trouble money wise.
Took them 3 weeks to pay the coach his salary
V4 sing a contract for 11 years (start July 1 with a no exchange clause)
If V4 is traded you can say goodbye to the franchise because he is the reason
That people and not a lot go see the game or have interest in the lighting
With the cap salary in the NHL a big contract like Vinny is 22% of the cap salary that’s a lot
Good thing Marty is there to play with Vinny
I would love to have vinny in Montreal but we are not going to win with only one player sure vinny is a good player but you can't win with 3 guys or make a playoff spot
To Brittany
Don’t be so sure that vinny will stay in Tampa it is possible but not certain
The Tampa lightning management Sucks
Bad decision poor management from the cowboys
Sure I am a habs fan forever
But I love the lightning I live in Florida for 10 years
And now just back for business once in a while
In 2004 I had a party in my home in Montreal for the lighting
And was glad they won the cup and kick some butt in Calgary
Hockey market is not a south thing
sad but true
In Montreal it’s a religion from generation
Economic difficulty you said?
Look at the Yankees gezzz they don’t seem to have any problem singing player for HUGE money so
My point is I would love to see the lighting make the playoff
Vinny and Marty deserve it
But please go to the game to support the team because hockey is a great sport.
Posted by: Marki Mark and the funky bunch | January 29, 2009 at 10:45 AM
"Yet another "wise" investment by OK Hockey...This was money that could have been better spent on defensemen."
Tweeeeeeet! I call total BS.
Nice 20/20 hindsight there Brian ol' buddy ol' pal, but attempting to use Kolzig's recent injury to beat OK over the head doesn't even start to fly. At the time (last summer), those with brain cells still rubbing together will remember, we needed goaltending help WORST OF ALL. First and foremost comes the goaltending position on any hockey club, Kolzig was the best available, and IMHO he is as you acknowledge a hell of a competitor. Always a Lightning killer and an outstanding technical goaltender, Vezina winner, All-Star, yada yada. In other words, a waste of money.
Request for all: Next time any of us has a premonition like this about a player about to need season-ending surgery on his biceps tendon three months into the campaign, let's not keep it to ourselves in this manner until the surgery is announced. Let's inform the team in August or September instead, so they can prepare the player and secure a replacement early. That would be more helpful than this nonsense IMHO
Posted by: hyjyljyj | January 29, 2009 at 09:55 AM
Late nite, 2nite. Speaking of crazy contracts. Vancouver is 1-5-2 since signing the savior (Sundin, you know the grey haired guy) Sundin has 3 points in 8 games and is a minus 5.
Like I said, oh about 2 months ago, rich people can do stupid things because they can. Same reason any contract is tradeable (see B. Richards last year) (see all the interest in picking up VL4 this year) (see another monster contract in Zetterberg) When people worth 3 billion suddenly are only worth 2 billion, life doesn't really change much for them.
Posted by: ajax | January 29, 2009 at 01:49 AM
Boltflasher,
Your first Ahab quote was awesome. But being a computer geek, I of course remembered it from Ricardo Montalban in ST2 The Wrath of Khan!
"Khan you bloodsucker... You've managed to kill just about everyone else, but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target!"
Your second quote was pretty awesome too. Makes me want to read it now.
Posted by: Patrick | January 29, 2009 at 01:19 AM
however, here's more Melville:
"He did not feel the wind, or smell the salt air. He only stood, staring at the horizon, with the marks of some inner crucifixion and woe deep in his face"
Posted by: Boltflasher | January 29, 2009 at 12:57 AM
Well, at least, on this swing thru Fla by MTL, there won't be any Julius Ceasar quotes...
Posted by: Boltflasher | January 29, 2009 at 12:49 AM
By the way the Bolts play to 87.1 percent capacity. Boston in first place is 20th and NJ in first place is at 25th. Maybe we should all send a dollar to Koules to bail him out?? Let's see 16,454 per night for 20 more home games. Call it the bail out the Cowboys. OOPS forgot, 9500 per night times 20 home games. Koules just can't catch a break.
Posted by: ajax | January 29, 2009 at 12:43 AM
year 2006...2nd
year 2007....3rd
year 2008....8th
For a bunch of hicks, the Tampa community really supports the team pretty well.
We started off very poor this year, last year didn't help and the little ole recession probably has something to do with it, so yes we are 21st....
The above figures are league wide attendance standings. Yes, dumb ole Tampa Bay, had back to back 2nd and 3rd. But oops I forgot, when the building was sold out every night probably Palace was giving away 5000 a night then. I am still waiting for my free tickets, in fact so is everyone I know, as we all pay for our tickets.
Posted by: ajax | January 29, 2009 at 12:38 AM
Coach, I am having all kinds of problems reading the posts of others.
It has been going on for about 2-3 days. Can post, but it shows a bunch of posts and when I try to read it, it brings me to posts from hours ago. Duh???
Posted by: ajax | January 29, 2009 at 12:28 AM
and I thought you just liked tried to bring some reality to some of the inane "we're going to go undefeated and win the cup" talk from some of the unrealistic postings...
Posted by: Boltflasher | January 29, 2009 at 12:26 AM
So PD, its not just Koules, its Tampa itself that doesn't deserve an NHL team? That's your vendetta? so you are on a 1-man campaign to bring down hockey here?
..."From hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee"...Captain Ahab
Posted by: Boltflasher | January 29, 2009 at 12:20 AM
Talkie you do yourself a big disservice by drawing the line at the 49th parallel.
It's just the Nascar belt that doesn't belong
You can't force hockey on a market that goes to watch the team rather than understanding and supporting the sport itself.
The vast majority on this blog get the game. Tampa doesn't
Posted by: PD | January 28, 2009 at 11:30 PM
Like say 30 losing million a year Brittany?
Perhaps having my business playing to half a house in a 70% gate driven league with a bloated cap.
Signing a star I can't afford to pay?
No corporate support or local TV of any significance.
Thats your management philosophy Brit??
You must have the same MBA Bush has.
Your right , I'm missing something..Kool Aid
Posted by: PD | January 28, 2009 at 11:24 PM
Right you are, Patrick. The Habs are known for that nonsense and their minions get very agitated when you call them on it.
"How dare those lousy Zebra's call that stuff on us? Didn't you see that other guy murder our guy? C'mon..."
Bruin flashback, sorry...
Go Bolts!
Posted by: Oscar | January 28, 2009 at 10:57 PM
Furious is a bit of a complimentary take on it in my opinion. All I saw was him reflexively whining and crying after every call against them. From here on out he shall be known as "Cryin' Guy Carbonneau"
Posted by: Patrick | January 28, 2009 at 09:34 PM
There's been little to revel about in this season so far for Bolts fans, so let me revel a bit in last nite's win over the Habs....
from Eric Engles Canadiens' blog on Buzz: "Carbo looked furious last night, and justifiably so. Out-hit, out-shot (after a 20-shot performance in the first, the Canadiens managed 11 in the latter 40 minutes), out-goaltended, out-worked, and beaten..."
GLORIOUS!!!!
Posted by: Boltflasher | January 28, 2009 at 08:40 PM
The "P" in PD stands for pessimistic. The "D"? I guess we can just use our imaginations with that one.
Posted by: Vincenator | January 28, 2009 at 08:38 PM
Olie, hope you have a quick and complete recovery. Thanks for everything and sure hope you will be able to come back. Really believe we are getting close to turning things around. Thank You.
Marv
Posted by: Marv | January 28, 2009 at 08:09 PM
Patrick, I do like the Unforgiven line...its also true...
Posted by: Boltflasher | January 28, 2009 at 07:56 PM
I agree Brittany, it is a great blue. Glad to hear you are giving up on PD, although I'm sure he/she is disappointed.
Posted by: 2WayCenter | January 28, 2009 at 07:35 PM
I saw Ramo at the airport this afternoon and was wondering why he wasn't with the team. I didn't know about his suspension. Haven't been keeping up with the sporting world for the past week or so.
Posted by: Bob | January 28, 2009 at 07:19 PM
pd,
baseball teams run the exact same kinds of deals. so let me guess bud selig is moving or contracting the rays too. tampa apparently doesn't deserve anything. it has to do with having 81 dates and 41 dates respectively vs. 8 dates (football). again lots of options year-round in fl. what have you got in winter other than hockey, curling and ice fishing? before you mention snow skiing, a more expensive sport i do not know. probably cheaper to be a leafs/habs season tix holder.
from my earlier post i neglected to mention that top level ncaa football is also here competing for your dollar. and more golf courses per square mile than anywhere else.
i have one friend who buys 6 hockey games from us, is a usf football tix holder, bucs season tix AND a rays half season holder. 40 + 6 + 8 + 8... that's 62 sporting events a year! and not counting if any of them go to post season. he's committed 1/6 of his year to sporting events. this year he had both rays and bucs overlapping the bolts, in past years bolts overlapped rays. my smaller point is, in FL we have many options. hockey is just "e pluribus unam" that is to say; one out of many.
just as a reminder to you newfies up there, "e pluribus unam" is on american currency, which by the way ALL league contracts MUST be paid in. america may or may not need the nhl, but make no mistake; the nhl NEEDS america. so i guess you're stuck with us.
arrogant on my part to say such a thing? maybe. but deep down you know that's at the heart of all of this. disagree if you will, but let the Can teams start paying in Can $$$ again and see how many free agents come your way.
the game was invented in CAN; yes. mtl has the great tradition; no question. but neither of those things drive the revenue it costs to support a major league sport in the 21st century. if the league was still a 6 team league, it wouldn't exist as a major sport. as i said before, you're stuck with us ignorant americans leaching on to "your" sport.
Posted by: hockeytalkie | January 28, 2009 at 07:12 PM
I'm not going to bother anymore. Everyone can believe what they want to. I just hope for your sake PD, that you never own a business. With that business sense you have, it would lose money out the wazoo.
Let's all take a collective knock on wood that nothing happens to Smitty from here on out. Please do not have him sign any autographs (don't want any finger/hand/arm damage) or ask him to take pictures with you (don't want him to hurt his shoulder by putting his arm around you). Also, Smitty please stay away from snow blowers (Sakic), golf carts (Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues), and skate hooks (Danny Boy). Avoid walking under ladders, breaking mirrors, and running into black cats. Anybody know a good witch doctor we can have ensure that there is no bad juju around Smitty? Also, fans please continue to sacrifice your Barry Melrose voodoo dolls to the hockey gods to guarantee we do not upset them until the season is over.
On to Carolina tomorrow. Sure hope there isn't a sniper in the building knocking those players off their skates. For grown men, they sure do fall down easy. I mean, I think I could do a better job staying on my skates, and 5 year-olds can skate better than I can. Anyone know who the refs are going to be (please don't say Tim Peel or Hutz'n'Putz)? A win tomorrow night would be huge. Don't sleep through the first period tomorrow boys. I want to see Arty out on the first shift and smash a player into the glass. That always seems to fire everyone up.
Go Bolts!
Also finally got my new 3rd jersey with Smitty on it, and boy do I love the blue color of it. The 'Bolts' down the front is meh, but that blue more than makes up for it. Wish our home jerseys were that color. There is my fashion advice for the day.
Posted by: Brittany | January 28, 2009 at 07:03 PM
Britgirl, you make to much business common sense. Stop it. Stop being so smart...I insist...(LOL) Let it go, you will never ever ever break thru. Koules and Barrie are Houdini, and the whole NHL/business world are their pawns. 2007/08 some "people" couldn't stand Palace/Jay/Brad.....fast forward to 2008/09 and it has been replaced by Koules/Lawton/Vinny. Same tune,everyday, different faces. Move on Britgirl....learn from the zen....let it go and concentrate on the awesome way we are playing. Stick to the positive and enjoy. Palace is not only going to sit by and watch them run it into the ground, they are actually going to aide the collapse of their asset by extending terms. What an awesome concept. Anyway I refuse to go down this dead end again. Go Bolts you make me proud and I love being there in person spending money on our team!!!!! By the way, Palace was constantly on the clock last year and Koules has been on the clock for some time...but darn it all he keeps on ticking past those "watch and see deadlines" Brit you ever think real hard about the real truth??? Obama is funneling bailout money to Koules cause Koules has secret film of Obama in a p**n movie while in college. I read that in the Toronto paper...I swear!!!! little lol.
Posted by: ajax | January 28, 2009 at 06:30 PM
Afternoon all,
I hate the fact that ole has to have surgery. I wish him nothing but the best with his recovery.
I cannot believe we are back in this situation with needing a goal tender. I like Ramo and hope he does well, but I am not convinced he can make it up here. I of course with Rosies in hand am working the optimist view and think everything will work out.
I loved the game last night. We had a whole row of habs fans right behind us. They were speaking in french and got a kick out of our celebrating each goal.
Got another guy who I work with that is a habs fans or so he says and he said he did not think we were rowdy at all last night. He was not in my row I can tell you cause we raised hell.
I was glad to see the team come together as a unit and kick some butt. Way to go guys keep up the mo when you play the canes. See ya on Friday ready to raise some more hell.
To the berlin wall gang, sorry I did not make it down there last night I had some catching up to do upstairs. See you all Friday night coach, talkie, tack, olin, twg, ajax if possible. Sorry I missed anyone see ya
Friday.
Go Bolts!!!
Posted by: Hockey Chic | January 28, 2009 at 06:30 PM
Sad...sad so many of you are blinded by your adoration of the players that you cannot see how the ownership has ruined the franchise. The proof is there: dismal play, empty seats, renegotiation of loans, a prevaricating management, lack of respect around the league, etc., etc. The rebuilding process--if it is to take place here--a 50-50 proposition at best--will begin to bear fruit in 3 years. In this economy, not many willing to wait that long and pay for a loser in the interim.
Posted by: ignatz | January 28, 2009 at 06:18 PM
He's a con artist Brit, Barrie too.
I'll save this post.
You so desparatly want to believe it , far from me to bust your baloon.
The clock will.
Posted by: PD | January 28, 2009 at 05:59 PM
Except Patrick Koules didn't have enough cash..hello.
Posted by: PD | January 28, 2009 at 05:55 PM
I bet PD thinks that puck was in all those years ago, right? We totally ripped Canada off from their cup.
Guess OK is a magician and only PD and the Canadian media can see the truth. He has Bettman and the rest of the NHL fooled, even the lenders don't know he is broke (heck, even Eklund says there aren't financial problems!), yet PD and those up in Canada know the facts. When the lenders come out and say that everything is fine, how could there possibly be problems? Bill Davidson is a billionaire, that's right BILLIONAIRE, yet for whatever reason he finds it in his heart to allow OK to not make his payments on time? If OK didn't have money to pay him, Dollar Bill would take the team back, keep the $100 mil he got from OK and sell it again. He doesn't care if the team gets sold to Balsillie and then promptly moved to Timbuktu, as long as he gets his money. Not to mention, that if OK didn't have the money, like PD claims, and they were forced to trade Vinny away because we can't pay him, do you think PS&E would sit by and watch that happen? You think he would be okay with them trading away the #1 asset the team has, therefore running it into the ground and making it worthless, to have OK default on the loan, giving the team back to PS&E in shambles? Something tells me that while Bill was making all of those BILLIONS of dollars, he might have learned some common sense along the way. Although, apparently he must be spellbound by OK's Hollywood special effects or something.
Why is it that Oren doesn't deserve to own a team, PD? Is it because he didn't buy the team and then immediately move it to Toronto? Or do you just not like his Saw movies and the Two and a Half Men TV show? Personally, I kinda like Oren. He seems like he is passionate about winning and seeing this team do well. I don't necessarily like Lennie, but whatcha gonna do? If you said that is who doesn't deserve a team, I could understand, but what the heck did Oren do to you? Beat you up in the WHL or something?
Posted by: Brittany | January 28, 2009 at 05:20 PM
PD,
You sound like the whiney calgary fans during the Finals in 2004 - "We deserve it."
As Clint Eastwood said in Unforgiven - "deserve's got nothin to do with it."
Koules and company had enough cash and now he's got a team. If you had $100 dollars for every bitter post you've made on this forum, you could probably buy it off him.
Posted by: Patrick | January 28, 2009 at 04:51 PM
Buy some seats then Stacey, lots of them.
Not up to me.
Posted by: PD | January 28, 2009 at 04:21 PM
I don't give a s**t what he deserves. I care about my team so quit trying to send the U-Haul over to the Forum.
Posted by: Stacey | January 28, 2009 at 04:19 PM
Koules doesn't deserve a team Stacy
You have missed a few posts/
Posted by: PD | January 28, 2009 at 04:08 PM
Right Talkie
Same logic applies for baseball in the summer when some fools have to sit inside an air conditioned mausoleum to watch a game, while it feels like a 120 degree bast furnace outside.
Posted by: PD | January 28, 2009 at 03:52 PM
....good to meet you Boltflasher, and I do try to wear one of my swedish game worn's when a player of that team comes to our forum. Normally wear my Freddy Modin Njurunda, but none last nite.
Had a great experiance and learned alot last nite from a fella and his wife sitting in front of me, who was a goalie back in the 60's for the Flyer's, gave me a blow by blow description of how good a goalie Mike Smith is and of his skill's. His opinion's were all positive and that Mike will become a top goalie. Best part was that he was a snowbird here for the winter's but summer home back up to Montreal. Sadly after I was driving back to SRQ I never did ask his name...but will find out from my NHL rep guy's wife who run's the penelty box in the forum who is my seat neighbor.
Great game guy's, keep it rolling for all's sake. GO BOLT'S
Posted by: olin | January 28, 2009 at 03:06 PM
All B.S. aside, PD, what IS IT that you're trying to prove? We don't deserve a team? What?
Posted by: Stacey | January 28, 2009 at 02:45 PM
I just saw Ramo at the airport and was wondering why he wasn't with the team. I haven't been keeping up with the the sports news for the past several days.
Posted by: Bob | January 28, 2009 at 02:41 PM
Heh Joe:
Perfect, although I'm sure you didn't understand what you said.
That's actually the exact difference between a real hockey market and a doomed bandwagon niche hockey market.
Those in the real market pay money to watch hockey, while those in the niche,( See Tampa et Rush belt), go to watch their team ...if it's successful.
Guess which markets survive and which move in bad economic times or when the team sucks?
Hint, See the empty seats for the answer.
Joe the Plumber nails it.
Posted by: PD | January 28, 2009 at 02:16 PM
marki,
why would we want to fly up to the cold, to overpay for something we can enjoy for $39 a night WITH BEER! don't know if you live here or visiting or already back home but it's 80 degrees today in tampa.
i suppose there's something to be said for that kind of blind loyalty, but i think it was Poor Richard (aka ben franklin) that said "a fool and his money are soon parted."
also entertainment dollars are devided by 3 major sports teams in area, plus another one only 90 miles away in orl.
Posted by: hockeytalkie | January 28, 2009 at 02:10 PM
I don’t mind sounding like an echo but, heal well ‘Zilla. Heal and please return to us. We can’t get enough quality people in our organization and our community.
All the best…
Posted by: Oscar | January 28, 2009 at 01:56 PM
Bill, I think you are still having those problems (everyone is I think) with seeing stuff. Mike said towards the top of the Heward blog that you just need to scroll down to the bottom, click where it says "preview" under the comment box, then scroll back down and you can see all of the comments. The place where you can add comments will be at the top and everything will work out. Works for me, glad Mike figured that one out for us! I posted this here because I was betting you wouldn't be able to see it on the other blog where you typed "check". Hope that works for ya! Of course, you may have already found Mike's post and I didn't need to write it again, but just wanted to make sure.
Posted by: Brittany | January 28, 2009 at 01:43 PM
marki mark not that i should have to point this out but last i checked the habs are in there 100th year as a fanchise. i will not take anything away from them because they are very good but to state that the lightning are in touble because they have deals to promote in a non hockey market is just stupid.
just because they lower prices while the country is going through a horrible time as far as money goes does not mean that the world is over it means unlike hockey fans in canada many american teams understand that in order to get people to come they must give out deals to help keep people coming. unlike the leafs..... we all know how stupid those fans are i mean your team always sucks and yet still you continue to be happy with it. i will say habs fans at least have something to cheer for and that makes them charging you more for a ticket somewhat understandable.
but on that note just because your owners are greedy and keep prices super high does not mean that your organization is better then ours in anyway.
(sorry everyone for the rant hope oli gets better!!!!)
and the leafs comment was just to make pd die a little inside and marki mark just thought you should know thanks for your 39$ it always good to know your helping to keep us around so we can keep stomping out your team.
Posted by: Joe The Plumber | January 28, 2009 at 01:42 PM