The road to Hell is paved with the best of intentions, and in the case of EX-Leaf Darcy Tucker, that means a certain well meaning blunder on his part will lead him right into the Calgary Flames dressing room.

Darcy's (im)perfect folly was in taking the much fabled, rarely seen "Hometown Discount" when he negotiated a new contract with JFJ a year and a half ago. By doing something we all wish more players would do; take a little less to stay and help the team financially, Darc effectively gave future GM Cliff "Thousand Yard Stare" Fletcher the rope he'd need to hang him. It's kind of like in movies about time travel where you're not supposed to touch or do anything in the past that might adversely affect your future. Well, let's just say that by making that deal in the past, Darcy Tucker stopped his mom and dad from kissing at the dance.

Tuckerunderthesea_medium


By taking less, Darc made himself easier to buyout. The Leafs could stomach eating his contract cap hit. If he'd gotten his full value (remember this was after he had gone74/28/33/61 in 05/06, sending every single cross-crease pass someone named Kyle sent over to him into the net) he'd have been too expensive to buyout, and Fletcher would have picked on someone else. Need proof? Sure. Its name is      B. McCabe.

  • Still on Tucker, Moose continues to indulge himself during "Moose Week" by offering some great, bi-partisan perspective on the Leafs, Fletcher, the buyouts, the lot. I'll let Moose have his fun for now, but when I get home my crystal egg better be on the mantel where it belongs!
  • At Down Goes Brown, Sean brightens our morning with a nightmare scenario involving Jason Blake. He then threatens to hurt himself. Someone in the Ottawa area please call Kids Help Phone.
  • Steve writes the Wellwood now lives in B.C. story so you don't have to. Great, Kyle now lives in Vancouver. As if he didn't get the munchies enough already.
  • Now we know where every female blogger/reader in North America hangs out. They're at Wrap Around Curl and I Mean, We Got Guys..., and not because Jared of London is practicing nunchuks without his shirt. It's because my lovelies Heather and Jenn have broken the mold yet again and unveiled phase 2 of their online photo poll "Hottie Hockey Dreamy Team". Last week was goalies, this week, it's defensemen. Next week, it'll be Leafs Bloggers. Oh my God, can you imagine?
  • General Borschevsky starts his post on Raycroft using alliteration, and it's all uphill from there./

To the comments!