[News] Alex Steen retires due to back injury

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Hiss’s was still a very good player and worth his $5M cap hit.

Imagine we had a healthy Honda playing instead of Lucic.


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He was only making 1M a year when he quit.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

You mean if his contract was still paying well and he was still chasing a Cup right? Come on man, if you don't think that was the deciding factor I have some tropical paradise property to sell you in Greenland.

Skin conditions can change and worsen over time and can be quite painful.
The reality is you simply don't know if it was legit or not.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Skin conditions can change and worsen over time and can be quite painful.
The reality is you simply don't know if it was legit or not.

I do know there are many different ways they could have modified his equipment with different padding materials if he still wanted to play.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Skin conditions can change and worsen over time and can be quite painful.
The reality is you simply don't know if it was legit or not.

I thought it was funny how the Chicago sports media came out to support the franchise about how Hossa's condition was totally legit and even somewhat commonplace.

Then all the other examples of players seriously affected by this condition were from the 1970's and 80's.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I do know there are many different ways they could have modified his equipment with different padding materials if he still wanted to play.

Again you don’t know

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Again you don’t know

Again, I know, it is contact dermatitus. Literally millions of people have this allergy and it is easily treatable by identifying the material causing the reaction and adjusting accordingly. There are thousands of athletes that have encountered this and had a dermatologist correct it. Go ahead and Google it if you don't believe me. It is amazing he could control it with no issues until the backend of a contract that paid him only 1 million a year on a faltering team. Sometimes if it looks like a duck and walks like a duck...

[Jiri Hrdina]

https://www.bardown.com/marian-hossa...reer-1.1259902

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

https://www.bardown.com/marian-hossa...reer-1.1259902

Exactly. So he developed this problem in 2013 and managed it up until his contract started paying him 1M a year and the Blackhawks desperately needed cap relief. Do you think if the Hawks did not have cap issues, were a contending team, and he was still banking big dollars he would not still be managing it? I am pretty sure he would. I mean good for both parties for finding a way to circumvent the system but it is pretty obvious what this was.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

You mean if his contract was still paying well and he was still chasing a Cup right? Come on man, if you don't think that was the deciding factor I have some tropical paradise property to sell you in Greenland.

I’ve had mild eczema on the inside of my elbow.

It wasn’t pleasant.

Eczema all over your body getting disturbed by the daily regimen of pro hockey sounds like a waking nightmare.

Again, if the guy didn’t have a very real skin condition, he would’ve kept playing.

[Scroopy Noopers]

And then Chicago won all the cups!

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Exactly. So he developed this problem in 2013 and managed it up until his contract started paying him 1M a year and the Blackhawks desperately needed cap relief. Do you think if the Hawks did not have cap issues, were a contending team, and he was still banking big dollars he would not still be managing it? I am pretty sure he would. I mean good for both parties for finding a way to circumvent the system but it is pretty obvious what this was.

He played with a skin issue for 5 years. How long would you do that?

His last year, he had 26 goals. His production was actual .1 ppg better than the year before.

Clearly, Marian Hossa still had game.

Even at $5M, a 20G/35-40 Point Hossa would have been valuable for Chicago. It’s not a Brouwer situation where the guy has negative value on the ice.

Instead, a medical issue that was severe enough to require ongoing treatment for 5 years caught up with him.

It is what it is.

And back on topic, Alex Steen would be playing hockey if his back wasn’t ####ed.

That’s my point. Every one of these guys would play forever and play for free if you let them.

Datsyuk didn’t go back to Russia to fish.

Pronger didn’t take a job with the NHL because he was passionate about player safety.

Jagr just started his 32nd pro season.

Chelios rode the bus in the AHL at age 46 because he loved the game that much.

Mike Fisher, Justin Williams, Joe Thornton, on and on and on - this sport is personified by guys who don’t know when to quit. Hossa was so stubborn he went to three straight finals with three different teams.

That guy’s not quitting the game and the life a year after 26 goals if he can wear his equipment comfortably.

The only guy I can actually recall saying “nah I’m good” and walking away from his ghost year is Kiprusoff.

[TheScorpion]

Slightly unrelated, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the Hawks started to suck as soon as they lost Hossa.

He was a huge part of what made them tick. Of course, trading Panarin for Saad didn't help, either.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Slightly unrelated, but I don't think it's a coincidence that the Hawks started to suck as soon as they lost Hossa.

The Hawks started to suck as soon as they began paying Toews and Kane $21 million a year. They put themselves in perpetual cap hell and haven't made it past the first round since.

[savemedrzaius]

Always liked Steen. Seems like a smart move to retire with his injuries and Covid.

I remember when the Leafs traded him when he was still young and really starting to look good for freaking Lee Stempniak. Plus the Leafs added Carlo Colliacvo who was pretty good when he wasn't injured.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by savemedrzaius

Always liked Steen. Seems like a smart move to retire with his injuries and Covid.

I remember when the Leafs traded him when he was still young and really starting to look good for freaking Lee Stempniak. Plus the Leafs added Carlo Colliacvo who was pretty good when he wasn't injured.

At the time most people on CP thought the trade was a huge win for Toronto. Stempniak had been a good goal scorer on what were bad Blues teams and was a guy who always scored against the Flames. Steen was still young and had been okay for Toronto but for whatever reason they did not have patience for him. Stempniak never came close to scoring 27 goals again and Steen went on to have a long productive career.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

The Hawks started to suck as soon as they began paying Toews and Kane $21 million a year. They put themselves in perpetual cap hell and haven't made it past the first round since.

While that didn’t help, the Hawks downfall was really just because their core started aging and playing worse.

Even if those two were making $8M, the Hawks are still a poor team.


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[Hockey-and_stuff]

I'd kill to have what the Hawks had, even if you can see the consequences of their success now.

About 7ish years of dominance and 3 Cups. I'll take that and suffer the crap team later every time.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

While that didn’t help, the Hawks downfall was really just because their core started aging and playing worse.

Even if those two were making $8M, the Hawks are still a poor team.

They fell further and faster because of all the good players they had to trade away to stay under the cap with those two monster contracts. I suspect they would be better off now if they had simply let one of them walk and signed the other.

I repeat, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2015. Toews and Kane's contracts went into effect on July 1 of that year. They lost in the first round in 2016 and have not advanced beyond the first round since then.

That's not aging; that's falling off a cliff.

[Hockey-and_stuff]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

They fell further and faster because of all the good players they had to trade away to stay under the cap with those two monster contracts. I suspect they would be better off now if they had simply let one of them walk and signed the other.

I repeat, the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2015. Toews and Kane's contracts went into effect on July 1 of that year. They lost in the first round in 2016 and have not advanced beyond the first round since then.

That's not aging; that's falling off a cliff.

They earned those contracts though. They won it all 3 times.

This is just part of the regular team cycle you hope the Flames one day endure. The fact that they signed these big deals, their talents began to erode and they aren't able to fill the roster with talented depth shouldn't come as a surprise.

If the Flames won 3 Cups and we were sitting in cap hell because of Monahan, Gaudreau and Giordano I wouldn't be complaining too much. It's the price of success.

[Jay Random]

The thing is, you can't afford to be paying $10 million or more to two players at a time. The bottom of your roster will be filled out with junk to stay under the cap, and you will keep having to trade good players at a disadvantage because you can't afford them.

According to Capfriendly, 13 players in the NHL have cap hits of $10 million or more. Toronto has three (!), L.A. has two, and Chicago has two. None of those teams have won a single playoff round (ignoring the 2020 play-in) since those contracts were signed. All three teams have constant cap trouble and have been spinning their wheels, even though all three are in big markets and have an easy time attracting free-agent talent.

Overpaying for past performance is the surest way to tank your future performance.