Sask Flavour at the Trade Deadline

If you want a "winners and losers" segment then go check out TSN. They're great for that. We know if you are reading this, you've likely seen that already, and have your mind made up about what you think. We all know Jokinen (who I think is the most underrated player in the league) is going to kick ass in Calgary, and although they lose Lombardi it was definitely an upgrade that will help them battle Detroit and Patrick Marleau's SJ Sharks. What you may not know, because there is no SportsNet Saskatchewan, is that three solid hometown boys got moved around as well.

We at the Prairie Puck, would like to apologize for not looking further past the shadow of Ryan Getzlaf. The big forward has become a huge star in the NHL, and as a previous Wendel Clark Award winner, he has received the glory. The two other SK born Duck players, Travis Moen and Chris Kunitz, have gone relatively unmentioned. Sometimes it takes a change to get attention, and both players have been traded. Now, apologetically, we give them the attention they deserve. Here they are, the Saskatchewan flavour on the move at the trade deadline.

Chris Kunitz

He was born in Regina, SK, and this week was traded from the Anaheim Ducks (where he played with Moen and Getzlaf) to the Pittsburg Penguins (where he'll get to play with Crosby and that awkward looking fellow).

Kunitz took an althernate route to the NHL, playing for the Melville Millionaire's of the SJHL before moving to the NCAA ranks. He had 60 points in his only Stanley Cup winning season. We know Chris will flourish on a young, underachieving-this-year team with a bright future.

Olaf Kolzig

Few people know this, but Olaf Kolzig grew up right here in Saskatchewan, around Regina as far as I know. He was born in Germany, and that is why he's played for the German National Team instead of Canada's. Kolzig is long past his years, but the years he's past were great. He somehow brought the lowly Washington Capitals all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Unfortunately they met the mighty Detroit Red Wings, who never gave them a chance. Still, Kolzig's performance in those playoffs was as great as John Vanbeesbruck's when he took Florida up against Colorado in the finals. Kolzig won the Vezina trophy in 2000 as the league's best goaltender as well.

He has been injured for much of the season (right now out with a shoulder injury), and so he was merely trade bait sent to Toronto from Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, I must say I don't really care about this trade, because Toronto gets basically nothing but a 4th round draft pick out of the deal. With their terrible scouting, and Brian Burke's poor performance in the draft, let's just be happy the Olaf Kolzig is taking some of their money. We're happy for ya Olli. Keep it up.

Travis Moen

This strapping 26 year old hails from Swift Current. He played his junior hockey in the city "where life makes sense" and was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2000. He played with the Anaheim Ducks, helping them win the Stanley Cup. He brought the Cup home to Saskatchewan, which you'll see in the upcoming story. You might be interested to hear that I saw Travis Moen playing shinny in EASTEND FREAKING SASKATCHEWAN over the summer. He's obviously awesome because of this alone. This year, in a close-to-the-deadline move, he was traded to the 2nd place San Jose Sharks. With Anaheim battling for a playoff spot, we hope that Travis will love his new home in SJ.

An interesting tale about Travis Moen. When it was his turn to have the Stanley Cup, he did what any great guy would do. He brought it home, to Swift Current Saskatchewan. After a night of partying with Lord Stanley at a bar and at home, Moen woke up early. He grabbed some dish soap, went into his back yard, turned on the hose, and started scrubbing. Eventually the man in the white gloves (the Stanley Cup holder guy) came out and said, "what do you think you're doing?" Travis admitted he was cleaning it, and the Cup Keeper said,

"There are only two other players I've ever seen who cleaned it after a night with it: Scott Stevens and Steve Yzerman."

That's right folks, two of the greatest captains the NHL has seen, and there's Travis Moen in select company.

So, as uneventful as the Trade Deadline may have been, we're happy for these three players. They have all moved on to situations at least as good as the ones they were in before. We'll keep an eye on them, to see if the trades can spark that something that often turns good players into great ones, at least for a season or two. Stay tuned, where you'll get view a hilarious discussion between Toppings and me about the many ways Toronto screwed up leading to the deadline. You stay classy Saskatchewan.