Guest Column

Mad over Marty By Dave Popowich


I've been following the flurry of free agent signings from out here on the West Coast. It hasn't always been easy because the local newspaper mainly writes about fun runs and has a three-page obituary section. The "National" newspaper - The Globe and Mail - tends to have a somewhat Toronto-centric view, although this is improving. Anyhow, lost in the shuffle was a man who scored three series-winning goals in the last Stanley Cup Playoffs (four if you count the one in game 6 against the Lightning). I was very disappointed when I read on Wes' blog (which I check twice daily!) that Martin Gelinas had signed with the Sex Panthers.

I was even more disappointed to read that Tony Amonte and Darren
McCarty had been drafted as his replacements. I think to a large extent
that what got the whole city behind the Flames last season was their
drive and hunger, and I didn't think two guys in the twilight of their
careers - one of whom has won four cups and another who has always
played on underachieving teams - exactly personify this spirit. I said
so (although not in so many words) in the comments section of Wes'
blog, but Wes pointed out that I hadn't made a very strong argument in
support of my position. Thinking that perhaps I had prejudged poor Tony
Amonte, I sat down and did a little bit of research on him and Gelinas.
My analysis is presented below in table format. What I found is that in
many meaningful categories, Gelinas has indeed outperformed Amonte. Of
course, Amonte has more impressive individual stats, which have got him
picked to five all-star games where he got to play no defense and score
on a different goalie each period. But Gelinas has been on far better
teams over the course of his career, and I think that says something
about the kind of player he is. Maybe it's a coincidence that he ended
up in four Stanley Cup Finals while Amonte ended up in none, but the
Flames succeeded last year because they play a team game. I think it
remains to be seen if Amonte will fit into Darryl Sutter's system.
Sutter got us to the final so he deserves way more than the benefit of
the doubt, but this is one signing I'll be watching closely!
For WesinCalgary, I'm Dave Popowich.