IlliniKrush Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Blackhawks Sign D Jassen Cullimore July 22, 2004 The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that the club has signed defenseman Jassen Cullimore to a multi-year deal. "Jassen Cullimore is a big, steady, stay-at-home defenseman who definitely improves our defense," said Blackhawk assistant general manager Dale Tallon. "He is a quality individual and he certainly fits into what we are doing in the area of free agent signings. He is one of the biggest defensemen in the NHL and was a member of the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He is a solid veteran who logs a lot of minutes against the other team's top players. Along with Matthew Barnaby and Curtis Brown, Cullimore gives us a lot more character on our team." "I'm very excited about coming to a city like Chicago that has such a great hockey tradition," said Cullimore. "The situation in Chicago right now reminds me a lot of Tampa Bay three or four years ago. We turned things around there. We brought in some veterans who helped out our younger players with their experience and leadership. Personally, I've been through a lot in my career and I feel that I can help a young team like the Blackhawks through the experiences I've had." Cullimore, 31, stands at 6'5" and weighs in at 244 pounds. He appeared in 79 games last season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, recording two goals and five assists for seven points and 58 penalty minutes. He was limited to 11 post-season games for the Lightning, notching two assists and six penalty minutes after suffering an injury early in the 1st round. He returned to the Lightning lineup for Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals and appeared in all seven games of the Stanley Cup Finals for the Lightning. A veteran of 10 NHL seasons, Cullimore has appeared in 524 career NHL games, scoring 19 goals and 47 assists for 66 points and 504 penalty minutes. He has also skated in 35 career playoff games, recording one goal and three assists for four points and 24 penalty minutes. Cullimore's playoff action culminated in hoisting the Stanley Cup this spring as a member of the 2004 Stanley Cup champion Lightning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilJester99 Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Now he will be a solid Dman. Excellent move for the Hawks. I am shocked they are actually going after guys who aren't washed up or otherwise useless. Did Bill Wirtz die and we not hear anything about it?? hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Kinda heard that this guy could be the next Klemm. Good Number 3 d-man, but is going to be thrown into the number 1 position where he isnt cut out to be one. Will see though, hopfully I heard wrong. Solid pick up for the Hawks none the less. Bingo. But, until the Hawks decide they'll spend boatloads for #1 and #2 dmen, or the kids develop into that, we're stuck with this. It's an upgrade over last year's absolutely horrible defense (aitken? karpo? quint? wow), so i'll take it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
israel4ever Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Wirtz knows there will be a lock out...he probably knows he won't have to pay his free agent acquisitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Incorrect. If it's a lockout, their salaries still get paid. It's not a strike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilJester99 Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Yes Cullimore is not a #1 but he is better than any of the other Dmen the Hawks currently have. Hopefully the Hacks will resign Berard but with him going to arbitration its unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
israel4ever Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Incorrect. If it's a lockout, their salaries still get paid. It's not a strike. I stand corrected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Speaking of lockouts, this is horrible: http://www.nypost.com/sports/27666.htm NHL SHOWS NO DECENCY July 21, 2004 -- ANALYSIS THIS isn't about a hard cap, small markets, competitive balance or players making too much money. It isn't about any of that, at all. This is about big business exercising naked power. This is about greed. This is about common decency, or the absence thereof. This is about the NHL figuratively putting hundreds of its own loyal employees on the street eight weeks before the expiration of the current CBA even as the league sits on a reserve fund of well over $300 million to support its monumentally wealthy owners through a lockout that seems certain to claim at least the entire 2004-05 season. As we reported Sunday, the NHL yesterday informed its Manhattan- and Toronto-based staffs of its lockout layoff plans. The news was worse than anticipated. Call it the Tuesday Afternoon Massacre. Up to 70 percent of the league's personnel — essentially all those from the Director's level down on the corporate depth chart in departments across the board — were told during late-afternoon meetings that they'd be laid off upon the Sept. 16 expiration of the CBA. And it gets worse than that. The Post has been told that targeted employees were given the choice of, a) remaining on the job for the next eight weeks without future severance pay but with the likelihood of being rehired at the conclusion of the lockout; or, B) leaving immediately with eight weeks severance while forfeiting the opportunity to return to their respective positions. Some choice. Thus, Gary Bettman's June 25 pledge that the league would not begin layoffs until expiration of the CBA hardly seems to stand the credibility test, even if it's not outright public perjury. The league, which called a press conference to trumpet the Arthur Levitt audit that found NHL losses of $273 million during 2002-03 and runs a CBA-dedicated Web site (bet the Web master isn't locked out) would not comment on yesterday's news, though its at-least-temporarily-employed VP of PR disputed the details of the choices presented targeted employees. The NHL would not allow our colleague, Pat Reichart, access to its office yesterday. Indeed, the league is believed to have dispatched an employee to monitor Reichart as he sought to interview NHL staffers in the lobby of its Sixth Avenue building. Again. This has nothing to do with what side, if either, you've chosen in this labor dispute. It's not about that at all. It's about abuse of trust and power, about your friends and neighbors being thrown under the bus. This morning, Bob Goodenow and the PA will meet here with Bettman and the NHL. It will be the first discussion between the parties since early June. The question isn't whether progress will be made, because it won't. The question is, how on earth did the NHL executives responsible for yesterday's Massacre sleep last night? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAVVY18 Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 He is an upgrade, but I hope this isn't the #1 defenseman we were promised. He will do a good job and will clear the crease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeportHeather Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 He is an upgrade, but I hope this isn't the #1 defenseman we were promised. He will do a good job and will clear the crease. Something Alexander Karpovtsev always had troubles doing...even to the point that he SCORED GOALS FOR THE OTHER TEAM!!!!! This is the type of size we need on the blueline. A guy who doesn't get many penalty minutes but can be that enforcer needed to help better our forechecking unit. He won't get into many altercations, because nobody's gonna wanna mess with him. This was a decent move indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 The Hawks have been signing the same people they sign every year. Barnaby and Brown are more 2 million dollar 4th line players, going to a teamin need of a top goal scorer and a top d-man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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