Done Deal: Heatley to SJ

[Marvin]

For Michalek, Cheechoo and a 2nd Round pick. Ottawa is getting some nice pieces to add to their team.

TSN link added: tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=290808

[Andrew]

It'll be fun to see what Thornton does with an elite sniper on his wing. Heatley could hit 65 this year.

San Jose wins this deal by virtue of getting the best player IMO. Michalek is a decent young player, but not on the same level as Heatley. Cheechoo is pretty inconsistent, and injury prone from what I've seen.

Any deal that weakens a division rival is a good one in my books.

[Deleted]

Pretty fair trade, but I think San Jose bolstered their offense BIG time.

[blny]

Interesting return. I've always like Michalek's talent, but he's never really put it all together. Cheechoo is slow on his feet, but with a great play maker he can still score goals - he just won't ever pot 50 again imo. That second round pick will be a late pick.

Ottawa gets some good depth, but nothing outstanding. SJ gets a sniper that could be unbelievable in the regular season with Thornton. He doesn't give them a proven playoff guy though. Does he put them over the hump? Hard to say.

[franko]

SJ wins big time. Murray didn't originally want Cheechoo but I guess you get what you get when you have to take what you are offered.

Fans not buying tickets until Heatley goes? I guess we'll find out if that was just an excuse.

odds ’n’ ends

[madhabber]

SJ seems to be following the Tampa Bay formula for success.

Load up on top talent and surround them with inexpensive, sometimes lesser players.

Will they have enough cap room to sign Dandenault. (haven't looked and too lazy to go look)

[seventeen]

Ottawa wasn't able to address the questions marks they have in goal and on D. I think they'll have better character in the room, but its hard to give up a natural goal scorer like Heatley.

[PTH]

SJ gets the best player, but if Michalek becomes a reliable contributor for the Sens, and if Cheechoo gets back his scoring touch, Ottawa can come out ahead. Still, SJ gets the guy I think would be most likely to make a difference in a big game, so for the moment, looks like a better deal for SJ. For now.

[CentreHice]

Heard a clip from Heatley on the radio last night.

Clearly he had issues with Ottawa players/management, or they had issues with him.

Interesting to see if those "issues" arise in San Jose.

And without the media microscope, we may never know.

[Marvin]

Yes SJ gets the best player (Heatley) in the deal, but I think the sum (Cheechoo & Michaelk) complimented with the players that Ottawa already has, makes Ott a stronger team than last year.

So how does SJ keep the salaries of Thornton, Boyle, Marleau and Heatley intact?

[sergejean]

Ottawa did good in getting Michalek, Cheechoo, they had no choice to take him. I think they could have insisted to get Ryan Clowe instead of the 2nd but hey... I'm nit picking. BTW, I think SJ wins this trade.

[Disgruntled70sHab]

Sept 13, 2009 9:29:09 GMT -5 CentreHice said:

Heard a clip from Heatley on the radio last night.

Clearly he had issues with Ottawa players/management, or they had issues with him.

Interesting to see if those "issues" arise in San Jose.

And without the media microscope, we may never know.

I honestly can't remember if there were similar issues in Atlanta or why Heatley was traded in the first place. Would be interesting if there was a pattern, but like I was saying, I really don't know.

Cheers.

[blny]

I'm pretty sure the main, if not only, reason he was moved out of Atlanta was fall out from Dan Snyder's death. It became increasingly difficult for Heatley to play there. I can understand that. I don't recall any issues that had to do with his personality, or clashes with the team. It was simply an issue where he wanted to get away from an environment that did nothing but remind him of a tragic event.

[sergejean]

Sept 13, 2009 21:35:10 GMT -5 Disgruntled70sHab said:

Sept 13, 2009 9:29:09 GMT -5 CentreHice said:

Heard a clip from Heatley on the radio last night.

Clearly he had issues with Ottawa players/management, or they had issues with him.

Interesting to see if those "issues" arise in San Jose.

And without the media microscope, we may never know.

I honestly can't remember if there were similar issues in Atlanta or why Heatley was traded in the first place. Would be interesting if there was a pattern, but like I was saying, I really don't know.

Cheers.

Well, at the time it was reported that Heathly asked for a trade because it would facilitate him going over the death of a teammate that died in a car incident while he was driving...

[sergejean]

Sept 13, 2009 21:57:35 GMT -5 sergejean said:

Sept 13, 2009 21:35:10 GMT -5 Disgruntled70sHab said:

I honestly can't remember if there were similar issues in Atlanta or why Heatley was traded in the first place. Would be interesting if there was a pattern, but like I was saying, I really don't know.

Cheers.

Well, at the time it was reported that Heathly asked for a trade because it would facilitate him going over the death of a teammate that died in a car incident while Heathly was driving...

[Disgruntled70sHab]

I was looking at the trade as a salary cap issue earlier on www.nhlnumbers.com .

Heatley's salary is $8 million this year; however, Doug Wilson was able to move $7 million out the other way. Both Michalek and Cheechoo make $3.5 each.

Wilson did well but as Marvin was saying that's a lot of coin to pay out on four players; five when you include Nabokov's salary as well.

Cheers.

[seventeen]

Sept 13, 2009 21:57:35 GMT -5 sergejean said:

Well, at the time it was reported that Heathly asked for a trade because it would facilitate him going over the death of a teammate that died in a car incident while he was driving...

Yes he was younger then (and more foolish, obviously), but you have to question the judgement of a guy going that fast in that area. Or had he been drinking? I can't recall the details except it was a strange place to be going fast.

[goingfornumber25]

wasn't it a ferrari or something like that? those cars are dangerous, how can you not drive fast behind the wheel of a car with that much speed and power. wonder what he drives now, a prius?

[blny]

Ferrari 360 Modena. Don't recall if it was the coupe or spyder.

[CrocRob]

No alcohol, or at least it wasn't a significant factor. He was going quickly, but not that quickly (relative to the power of a Ferrari, anyway). I recall 70mph is about what the estimated speed was, but I'm not too certain. The posted speed limit was 35mph, and it was the Spyder model. The top was down and Snyder was ejected from the vehicle when it broke in half on impact.

edit: The speed of the car was apparently 57 or 58 mph according to expert testimony (both defense and prosecution). www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/sh/comments/the_trials_of_dany_heatley/

[blny]

Thanks Red.

My question would be, was it accelerating? He's doing 90+ kph in a 50, so almost double the limit in Canada.

It's so much car, that in the hands of someone inexperienced it can be too much. I see it with motorcycles all the time - it's why Luc Bourdon is no longer with us. There was a rather infamous - for my area - accident in 1995. It involved a young kid, maybe 19 at the time, and a Dodge Stealth turbo. He left a light in a drag race, and he lost control under acceleration. The result was jumping the curb, killing two young girls on the sidewalk, then cross opposing traffic and putting it in a ditch. It was too much car for a kid that didn't know how to control it or where to use it.

[CrocRob]

Sept 15, 2009 19:11:05 GMT -5 blny said:

Thanks Red.

My question would be, was it accelerating? He's doing 90+ kph in a 50, so almost double the limit in Canada.

It's so much car, that in the hands of someone inexperienced it can be too much. I see it with motorcycles all the time - it's why Luc Bourdon is no longer with us. There was a rather infamous - for my area - accident in 1995. It involved a young kid, maybe 19 at the time, and a Dodge Stealth turbo. He left a light in a drag race, and he lost control under acceleration. The result was jumping the curb, killing two young girls on the sidewalk, then cross opposing traffic and putting it in a ditch. It was too much car for a kid that didn't know how to control it or where to use it.

That's a good question. Probably either accelerating or braking. Not that many accidents happen on straight stretches of road when the driver is cruising. There's a simulation somewhere out there of the accident. The company that was hired to figure out what happened made a video of it.

[CentreHice]

Here's the simulation.

To view again, just click the Dany Heatley - Atlanta Thrashers link from the list at the bottom.

From the simulation, it would appear as if Heatley was still accelerating and simply couldn't handle it.

It's a wonder Heatley survived. Horrific. And so needless.

[CrocRob]

Huh, pretty sure I edited my post but I guess it didn't go through. Anyway, like BLNY there was a story around here a few years ago where some man had just bought a brand new Viper SRT-10. A behemoth of a car, with a newly lightened chassis but Dodge left the same suspension in (the new one cost too much, they say).
Anyway, as the paper told the story he got out on the expressway here and after going into the left lane he floored the accelerator. Well the Viper SRT-10 produces over 500 lb-ft of torque and has a suspension that can't deal with it. He lost control, went into the center median, flipped the car and was killed instantly. Lucky he didn't kill anyone else.

Truthfully, if you ask me, Dodge did a disservice to the world with all their high-powered cars in the 03-06 range. The SRT4 is ludicrous (it's a Neon with a 200+ horsepower engine) and I've honestly read there are more of them in the junkyard than there are on the road from the 2004 model (when it jumped to 230 bhp) due to accidents. The Vipers were poorly designed and they cheaped out on the suspension (unless you wanted to buy the $190,000 Hennessy 1000 bhp version) and there have been tons of accidents in them as well. And don't get me started on the Ram SRT-10, a pickup truck that can go 250 km/h.

[CentreHice]

ll these speed freaks would just go to a racetrack to endanger themselves only.....but nope, they'd rather let it all out and endanger their passengers and other drivers.

Going to a racetrack is an "inconvenience", don't you know....and besides, the TV commercials show these cars doing this stuff in cities and on highways all the time. I guess they didn't read the tiny disclaimer that removes most of the manufacturers' culpability: DO NOT ATTEMPT. PROFESSIONAL DRIVER. CLOSED COURSE.

In other words: "We've spent millions showing you what this car can do. But don't do it."

Ever notice most of what they show in those commercials are illegal driving practices? And it's not reserved solely for race-type vehicles....we've all seen ads showing economy cars stunt-driving their way around town and into tight parking spaces.

Again, don't get me started on advertising.

[franko]

Sept 16, 2009 10:13:29 GMT -5 CentreHice said:

Going to a racetrack is an "inconvenience", don't you know....and besides, the TV commercials show these cars doing this stuff in cities and on highways all the time. I guess they didn't read the tiny disclaimer that removes most of the manufacturers' culpability: DO NOT ATTEMPT. PROFESSIONAL DRIVER. CLOSED COURSE.

In other words: "We've spent millions showing you what this car can do. But don't do it."

Again, don't get me started on advertising.

Ya, truth in advertising is only relevant for children's toys and everything adult except cars.

You could, of course, ask about common sense, but it seems to disappear when some people put the key in the ignition.

[clear observer]

Sept 15, 2009 19:11:05 GMT -5 blny said:

It involved a young kid, maybe 19 at the time, and a Dodge Stealth turbo. He left a light in a drag race, and he lost control under acceleration. The result was jumping the curb, killing two young girls on the sidewalk, then cross opposing traffic and putting it in a ditch. It was too much car for a kid that didn't know how to control it or where to use it.

Interesting.

I owned one of those but sold it once I became a daddy.

Mine was a 1996 Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo AWD Manual 6 Speed (GT3000 in the U.S.).

It was a magnificent vehicle in many ways; performance-wise this thing was geared masterfully; quarter mile (13.1 secs) and top-end 190 mph. I remember reading reviews it was "too much car for the money" and that it rivalled and should only be compared to high-perf Porsche's and Ferraris. Bang-for-buck a clear winner over the latter-mentioned.

I took mine to the track (Shannonville Speedway) several times and fell in love with it's unbelievable performance.

I must, however, tell you that from a standing-start these things DO NOT and CANNOT fish-tail out of control; they not only DO NOT "burn rubber" they barely squawk the tires. "Out-of-the hole" and despite the fact they were a fairly beefy 320 HP (very good out of a 6-cylinder engine), they were notoriously sluggish and featured a "turbo-lag"; coupled with the fact they were an AWD (all-wheel drive), it took a few seconds for this things to get "moving". In other words, impossible to lose control of by fish-tailing...there was simply faaaar too much grip to the road....tons of "pull" (once both turbos peaked) but never enough to send the car "sideways".

All bets are off, of course, if the race was on a winding run which is what I suspect happened to the young man.

[blny]

Interesting input CO.

The Mitsu variant was the GT3000, no? Aside from the turbo lag, the AWD made them a fairly heavy car. They tipped the scales something close to 3800lbs didn't they? I'd have to wiki it to be sure.

The accident I described occurred from a standing start at a busy intersection. The kids he hit weren't more than 500 meters ahead of him and it was straight line, up hill to them from the light. I was not an eye witness. I was working at the time, but remember it well as I went to school with the girls' older brother. All the reports were about him losing control of the car. I don't know if it was a wheel spin issue, or not. Who knows, the person he raced, may have spun it up and forced him over. All I know is he was the one charged in the incident. He's the only one who really knows what happened, and I'm sure he'll carry memories of that night to his grave.

[clear observer]

Sept 16, 2009 11:21:03 GMT -5 blny said:

Interesting input CO.

The Mitsu variant was the GT3000, no? Aside from the turbo lag, the AWD made them a fairly heavy car. They tipped the scales something close to 3800lbs didn't they? I'd have to wiki it to be sure.

The accident I described occurred from a standing start at a busy intersection. The kids he hit weren't more than 500 meters ahead of him and it was straight line, up hill to them from the light. I was not an eye witness. I was working at the time, but remember it well as I went to school with the girls' older brother. All the reports were about him losing control of the car. I don't know if it was a wheel spin issue, or not. Who knows, the person he raced, may have spun it up and forced him over. All I know is he was the one charged in the incident. He's the only one who really knows what happened, and I'm sure he'll carry memories of that night to his grave.

Yep, for some reason here in Canada they called it a Dodge Stealth whereas in the U.S. they were a GT-3000; both one-in-the-same and manufactured by Mitsubishi. The ONLY visible difference was the "Dodge Logo" was featured embossed on the front bumper.

Yes, as you stated, no-one will ever know exactly how he lost control. A tragic loss, regardless.

As an aside and quite a coincidence...when I sold my car, I sold it to a rather wealthy executive in his (at the time) 50's. Months later I discovered he had gifted it to his 18yr-old son....while racing down a winding road he wrapped it around a telephone pole within one week of driving it. Fortunately he collided with the pole passenger-side-first where no-one was sitting.

Too much car, indeed.

[CentreHice]

Drove behind/beside one of these on the way home from Toronto today. Same colour. Won't post its vanity plate for privacy purposes, but it was a pretty impressive-looking auto. Driving very responsibly, I must say.

Ferrari Testarossa. (edit: forgot an "s").

First time I've ever seen one.

What are these babies capable of, and what's their safety record?