In Other Ice News

Mark Parrish has been signed off of the Bridgeport roster by the Dallas Stars. Parrish had two points in three games for the Sound Tigers. Parrish is lucky enough to join the most dysfunctional team in the NHL right now, Brett Hull's Dallas squad. So far this season, Sean Avery has pished off Mike Modano and the rest of the team for taking stupid penalties and making a joke of the organization and the game. After a wild penalty-filled melee in Boston, Modano remarked that Avery and fellow agitator Steve Ott were an embarrassment and speculated that maybe he would be better off in a front office position rather than being involved with the bush league Stars.

So, you know, good luck to Parrish and all. The twenty-five game PTO contract with the Sound Tigers got him what he wanted: an NHL job. Still, walking into that locker room might make the arctic Peca-Yashin locker room look like a revival meeting for like-minded Amway distributors.

Speaking of Mr. Peca, he was back on the island Monday night in a Blue Jackets uniform to take on the Isles. Of course, being Michael Peca, he had to give his two cents about the team he captained and played for earlier this decade. Suffice to say that Peca criticized the lack of stability on the island to Newsday without even once being called on the fact that he allegedly created a lot of divisiveness that fractured the team back in the day. Plus, while he has his Thinking Toque on, let's also remember that he has never been the same player since Darcy Tucker turned his knee to spaghetti in the 2002 playoffs. Yes, the same Darcy Tucker that Peca became buddies and golfing partners with when Peca ended up in Toronto.

Maybe he is a poor judge. That's all I am saying.

Peca Signs with the Blue Jackets

Well, after weeks of trying to drum up interest in Toronto and with the Rangers, Michael Peca's agent Don Meehan finally convinced Columbus to sign the oft-injured center and former Islanders captain.

For the Blue Jackets, this move makes a ton of sound, inexpensive hockey sense. They are a young team screaming for veteran leadership. Peca and Adam Foote should be helpful showing guys like Rick Nash the way to winning hockey. Nash, who has had his commitment and his passion for the game questioned, will hopefully reach his potential with guys like Peca to take some of the leadership burden off of his shoulders.

One thing worth noting is that it is fair to wonder about Peca's physical health. The extensive leg fracture that shortened his season last year was bad enough but let's not forget the leg injury he suffered through thanks to Darcy Tucker when he was the Islanders' captain. Add to that various shoulder and hip problems, there is more than enough evidence for any team to question Peca’s game at this point of his career. My guess is that this laundry list of maladies is what kept the Rangers from sealing the deal that Meehan thought he had for his client to join the blueshirts.

I was very glad that Garth Snow and the Islanders Brain Trust didn't make a move to bring back Peca after buying out Alexei Yashin. We all know that Peca and Yashin were not exactly supportive teammates while both were on the Island and while it is easy to point fingers in retrospect, there's no reason to lay blame two or three years down the line. Whatever the reason, the guys didn't get along and that fractured the room. You can speculate all you want about the organization and the team all that you want but in the end, when the two highest-paid players on the squad are feuding, it can never be a good thing.