ASK SLAM!

By CHRIS NICHOLS -- SLAM! Sports

A few email reactions to the Bertuzzi column from Friday, then on to your fantasy hockey questions...

Nice column about Bertuzzi. You are so right that if Blake had been the one checking Naslund there wouldn't have been all this, but you have to remember that if it had been Blake, Naslund would still be wondering what truck hit him!!

Cheers for a great column!
Nathan Leeds

Chris: Finally... someone (in the media) who can put everything into perspective. Yes we all know what Bertuzzi did was wrong, but let's face it -- these things do not happen every second game. And to have the PM of Canada come out and tell the NHL to clean up its act is no PM of mine. This is our culture, something we can identify with and everyone wants to take it away.

Where would we be in the NHL without players of Bertuzzi's ilk? (Wendel Clark, Neely, Tocchet, Nolan, Iginla, Howe, Richard, Thornton, Lindros etc...) We would have a whole bunch of Reichels with one Forsberg. The NHL would be nothing other than fast paced adult hockey. Everyone says we don't need fighting in the league "Just look at the playoffs and Olympic hockey, now that's hockey."

Let me tell you, Teemu Selanne threw one of the cheapest hits from behind that I've ever seen on Pronger and if it wasn't for Prongers size and strength he could have been injured seriously in the 2002 Olympics. I haven't seen Selanne throw a hit like that ever before or after.

The bottom line is the media wants to run the NHL to nothing more than soccer players on ice. If fighting is banned, than soon body contact will be banned because you are not supposed to touch anyone in any way shape or form by their means.

Fighting is controlled 99% of the time and the only people that do not like it are the ones who have never played any sport competitively. Some of those critics can all go back safely to the confines of their holes and leave the sport alone.

And Chris you are absolutely correct, the only time these guys bring something like this up is when people are at their weakest, it's nothing but rally the troops so everyone can see I am right and I make sense. If you do not enjoy the sport, than find another job. Only the "true" hockey people know what it means to defend a teammate like your brother, and not many professions or even sports can say I bleed for the team, I gave my heart to this team, the team comes before me, which is a lot more than what I can say for people who speculate and stomp on people when they are down.

Again, sorry I rambled, but you are one of the only ones with a sense of the real hockey world.

Sincerely,

Mark V

Chris thanks SO MUCH for your advice. I went from fourth to first with your advice in the past two months and despite my relatively low positions remaining I've got a very good lead on the closest challenger! Win or loose
I've got to think about next year... we're starting our keeper league by keeping 5 guys this year. Here's my best players - Naslund, Heatley, Gonchar, Leetch, Schneider, Zubov, Jovo, Turco, Nabokov, Aebischer, & Kipper.

Three questions:
Who would you keep?
I dealt Pronger at the deadline for Heatley, I have lots of D obviously, and do you think it's a good deal?
Also we're adding a guy next year to our league, how do you suggest expanding a keeper league when everyone has some of the best guys protected?
I'd REALLY love to here what you have to say about the last one!

Thanks, Chris

You've got a great roster and picking five guys would be tough. Gonchar is an automatic for me, as are Naslund (Assuming Bert plays next season) and Heatley. Turco, Aebischer and Kipper would be two of my final three and it would be a tough, tough choice.
Giving up Pronger to get Heatley, with your defense, was fine. Both are great players.
Adding a new guy is tough, because you have to be fair with him and give him a chance to get some good players so he can compete. It would partly depend on how many teams you have in your league, but you'd want to have each team be able to protect maybe three players. The new guy could pick from players not protected and each team could lose only two players; or something like that. Again, the specific numbers would depend on how many teams are in your league.

Chris: I'm nearing 1st in a points only pool. I have been bitten by the injury bug of late. The guy in last has offered me his Handzus & Modano for my Henrik Sedin & Forsberg. I think he is more optimistic than I am about Forsberg coming back soon. What do you think? I think it's a good deal

I wouldn't do it. I know Forsberg is frustrating, but what if he comes back right away? Trade Sedin for sure, but keep Forsberg unless you get a better return.

Hey Chris.....couple of quick questions, what is your opinion

League 1

Keeper league and I need to take a utility player

Lang, Shane Doan, or Brad Richards


And..............

League 2

We are allowed to take 5 keepers from any position, but must choose 1 goalie which counts in the total of 5...here are my top players to choose from.

Iginla, Sakic, Naslund, Palffy, Gonchar, Schneider,

Goalies: Cechmanek, DiPietro, Legace, Thibault, and Salo

What five would you choose?

Thank you, Brad

League 1: Lang wins ever so slightly for me.
League 2: DiPietro (Unless Detroit comes to its senses and lets Legace have the starting job next year), Iginla, Gonchar, Naslund, Schneider. Sakic and Schneider are tough for me, because both are older and great at their positions. It comes down to choosing between forward and defense and which position is more important to you.

Hey Chris,

My situation is that I have Pronger, Brisebois, Hatcher, and Gonchar on D. I am about two games under on games and want to pick up another defenseman. I am dropping Boucher on Dallas to pick up Forsberg and then put him on the IR. Who should I pick up from this group: Ric Jackman, Pilar, Markov, Kaberle, Liles, Malakhov, and Rachunek. We count g, a, shots, +/-, PIM. And should I keep Hatcher?

Thanks for all the advice.

Ric Jackman is the winner of that group. Keep Hatcher for now and let's see how he does.

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Have a fantasy hockey question? Drop me a line at chris_nichols@canoemail.com. I do my best to answer all questions within 24 hours, depending on the volume of emails. Please keep the questions short. Your fantasy questions may be answered in our Ask Slam! section.

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