Around the Rink – August 19 Edition

Photo By Dave Sandford/Getty Images

The Detroit Red Wings signed right winger Todd Bertuzzi on Tuesday afternoon to a one-year deal valued at $1.5 million per the Grand Rapids Press. Reports came out late Monday night that the team was negotiating a deal with the forward, but the deal was not finalized until Tuesday. Bruce MacLeod of the Macomb Daily details Bertuzzi’s history in the league, including a short stint with the Wings in 2007, and discusses where the Wings currently sit with the salary cap.

The Associated Press spoke with GM Ken Holland about the signing:

“He gives us a veteran with a big body and skill,” Holland said. “We think he can help us on one of our top three lines. And if a team wants to get physical with us, we’ll have the option of putting Todd out there to snarl at people.” …

“Our trainers were very impressed with him physically,” Holland said. “He’s in much better shape than he was with us last time, when he was trying to revive his career after back surgery.”

The Grand Rapids Press adds more comments from Holland:

“He’s in great shape and excited to be back in Detroit,” Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “In the short time he was here, I really enjoyed him and so did his teammates.” …

“He brings a dimension of size, and he’s going to be a hard guy to bounce around,” Holland said. “If you look at the cap system, most teams only count on offense from their top two lines. We’ll be able to put four lines together and have some scoring depth.”

Reactions toward the signing have been mixed throughout the Wings’ blogosphere: Abel to Yzerman, Babcock’s Death Stare, On the Wings, Snapshots, The Triple Deke, Winging It In Motown, and Nightmare on Helm Street,

In Other News

• Do you follow the official Wings’ account on Twitter? If so, you can add a twibbon to your profile’s avatar image to show your team pride.
• George Malik at Snapshots has a thorough breakdown of Chris Chelios-related articles around the web. As you may or may not know, USA Hockey’s pre-Olympic camp began on Monday. Chelios has participated as more of a coaching intern than a player, which was an odd feeling for the former Wing. The New York Times spoke with Cheli, who said that he has not ruled out playing in the KHL but says it would be very hard to do being that far away from his family. The Chicago Tribune reports that he has also been in touch with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.
• Kris at Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle offers up her 10 reasons why she loves hockey. What would you add to her list?
• THN.com’s Rory Boylen blogged about the accommodating Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby during the first round of the playoffs when he needed one-on-one interviews with them following morning skate or a game against Columbus depending on the player.
• A new blog on the scene, Octopus Thrower, has a preview up for the Wings’ prospect tournament held in Traverse City before Detroit’s training camp next month.
• Red Wings Central reported that the Wings have invited three players to the tournament and Wings’ training camp, including Willie Coetzee, Austin Fyten, and Chris Whitley. RWC also has the entire roster for the Wings’ prospect team up on their website.
• NHL.com came up with its mock first-team and second-team selections for the best NHLers 35 or older. Captain Nicklas Lidstrom made the first-team grouping while defensive partner Brian Rafalski was named to the second-team.
• The Wings may not play in the Winter Classic this season, but you can still try to snag tickets to the game at Fenway Park. As someone who attended the event at Wrigley Field, it was an incredibly unique experience and a memory I will treasure forever. Starting on September 15, you can register for the ticket lottery. Until then, sign up for the NHL’s e-mail alerts about the event.
• Puck Daddy takes a look at the USA Hockey jersey designs announced at Monday morning’s press conference. The jerseys had to be altered as the federation logo is no longer allowed per IOC rules.