DBAHO Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I know there r probably many Blackhawk fans including myself on these boards, and finally Tuumo Ruutu has signed a 3 year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks. Here's a link from blackhawkzone.com/news/028803.php By Frank Porcelli Date: 08/28/2003 Blackhawk fans will have a reason to smile on Thursday morning, as top prospect Tuomo Ruutu and the Blackhawks reached agreement on a three year contract late Wednesday night. This will mean that Ruutu will be in Chicago for the start of training camp All Blackhawk fans got some good news on Thursday morning, as it has been confirmed that 2001 first round draft pick Tuomo Ruutu has reached agreement on a contract with the Blackhawks. The deal was reached late Wednesday night and announced on Thursday morning. Terms of the deal are for the Blackhawks to know and for the rest of us to find out. The contract is a standard three year entry deal. As for the money, it is not the model contract, but signed something very similar to the model contract, according to Ruutu's Chicago based agent, Bill Zito. "I am pretty happy with the contract and I think that we got what we wanted." Zito told Blackhawkzone.com on Thursday morning. "Tuomo signed a novel contract and can make way more than the model deal". To say that this contract negotiation was interesting would be an understatement this summer, but lets say that both sides needed to do what they had to do to get this deal done. Ruutu will come to Chicago shortly and will be at training camp when it begins in two weeks. Ruutu was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round of the 2001 entry draft and was ranked the top prospect by the Hockey News in their 2001-2002 Future Watch. He dropped to fourth last season. Ruutu scored 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) in 30 games last season with HIFK in Finland before a knee injury ended his season. Ruutu has been skating for two months and should be ready to go in two weeks when camp starts. "I feel so happy" Ruutu told Blackhawkzone.com on Thursday Morning. "It is great to be a part of the Blackhawks. I am speechless. I hope to come to Chicago and play tough and score some goals. I will try to be as flexible as possible. I love the physical game and I hope to play that type of game with the Blackhawks." When asked if the Blackhawks had told Ruutu whether he would play in Chicago or spend some time with the Admirals down in Norfolk, Ruutu stated that "They haven't told me anything. I want to play with the Blackhawks this season and this is my goal." "We're extremely happy to get Tuomo signed and in here before training camp to get his NHL career started," Blackhawks General Manager Mike Smith stated in a press release. "It took a while to come to an agreement with Tuomo. Working together, both sides found a way we both could live with. We're optimistic he is going to have a long and successful career as a Blackhawk." BlackhawkZone.com's Take I wonder if the Blackhawk ticket offices are going to be ringing today with some new ticket sales This is great news and I am sure that all Blackhawk fans are going to be very excited today. Now that all of the public negotiations are over, it will be time to see how Ruutu performs on the ice. Some fans are probably going to expect him to be a savior and I don't know how fair that is, especially for his first taste of North American Hockey. Ruutu may also have a bulls eye on his chest after everything that has gone on in the media. If I had to predict today, my guess would be that Ruutu has a job to lose in training camp, due to the Blackhawks lack of depth up the middle. What line he ends up on will likely depend on how he plays in camp and the early part of the season. I could see Ruutu starting on the third line and moving up to the second line if his play warrants it and he continues to improve and gets accustomed to North American Hockey. It is probably safe to say that the Blackhawks haven't had much attention on a rookie player since Jeremy Roenick was here and that will make the upcoming season somewhat bearable to watch. Personally I think this is great news any finally this pitiful organisation has allowed their fans to have something to actually look forward to for the coming season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Wow, I honestly thought that this deal wouldn't get done. Next question is does he have a chance of making this team, or will he need a year in Norfolk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wong & Owens Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Why anyone would give one second of their life, or one penny they have earned to the Bill Wirtz Empire is baffling to me. I can understand being a fan of team itself, but given the circumstances, you gotta see the bigger picture. Only 2 professional sports teams do not have local television contracts--The Expos and the Blackhawks. f*** the Hawks, you'll see me at a game when Dollar Bill is dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAVVY18 Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Wow, I honestly thought that this deal wouldn't get done. Next question is does he have a chance of making this team, or will he need a year in Norfolk? It has been stated by the Organ-I-zation that he will be playing with the Hawks. He is slated as the 3rd line center as of know. This is GREAT news. He gives us something to watch this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAVVY18 Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 f*** the Hawks, you'll see me at a game when Dollar Bill is dead. I hope to see you at a game this year!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I hope to see you at a game this year!!! Ditto! I won't pay to see them. But I hope to be able to see them soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Thank God that took way too long He'll make the team and probly center the 3rd line, considering his competition for that spot is Nichol for crying out loud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeportHeather Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I gotta say I'm quite impressed...I thought he wouldn't sign until late December/Early January with the way $Bill deals with business. Though this IS good news, I'm STILL not getting pumped up about this season, because there are waaaaaaaaaay too many holes. Big guys like Eric Daze don't use their size to their advantage...Archie always has this "pass first" mentality, which causes him to miss easy opportunities of scoring goals. Our entire blueline is brutal (when you have a guy named Karpovtsev on your top defensive pairing, you KNOW you've got problems). That's just a few of the plethora of problems facing this team. HOPEFULLY Sutter will regain the respect of his team and squeeze dollars out of pennies, like he did in 2001-2002. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoxFan1 Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Its about damn time he signed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Its about damn time he signed! He would have signed long ago, if we hadn't have kept trying to screw him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soxfest Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I hope he was worth the wait Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I hope he was worth the wait He's not gonna be a savior this year so don't expect miracles He is a damn good prospect and will be better than watching the old crappy guys when we are supposedly "rebuilding" It'll give you a reason to watch a game if nothing else just to see how he's progressing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeportHeather Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 He's not gonna be a savior this year so don't expect miracles He is a damn good prospect and will be better than watching the old crappy guys when we are supposedly "rebuilding" It'll give you a reason to watch a game if nothing else just to see how he's progressing Completely agree!!! And it will be awesome watching more of the development of the ABC line, and it will be compelling to see how good Sully does this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Thank God that took way too long He'll make the team and probly center the 3rd line, considering his competition for that spot is Nichol for crying out loud They signed Scot Nichol, WTF are they thinking? He's about as talented as Ruutu's left nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 They signed Scot Nichol, WTF are they thinking? He's about as talented as Ruutu's left nut. They signed Nichol for two reasons: 1. The Lackhawks are obsessed with fourth-line players - they want them on ALL four lines! 2. They didn't think they were going to have either of Ruutu's nuts on the roster this year, so they had a sign SOMEONE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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