Bertuzzi also had this to say:
"(I'm) really happy to be back, especially knowing pretty much everyone in the room. I really wanted to come to Detroit."
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Oh, there's definately some new faces in the room, Todd. I'd like you to meet Darren Helm, he plays like he's bigger than you and works his butt off all shift, every shift. He's your new workout partner.
But wait, there's more...
"At the same time, I was trying to look east, too, just in case something came up, just for travel sake. I thought maybe it would do a little bit better on my body."
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Fair enough, it wasn't too long ago that some Leastern Conference teams wouldn't even leave their own timezone, which is criminal. But instead of going to a weaker Leastern Conference team with little travel, he goes to the on of the biggest travelers around...hmmm. Methinks the whole Leastern Conference thing had less to do with travel and more to do with the softness of the conference. Just my oppinion of course.
Todd goes on...
"All in all, I knew this was the place I wanted to go and it was a no-brainer when the decision came down."
It looks like he takes the sandwich approach, where you start off by saying one good thing, then you say one bad thing, and then you end with another good thing. Bottom line: the dude is pumped to be here, take it to the bank.
The things that Khan(!) left out about the criticism? They were a bit more stinging than just calling someone a "donkey"...
"To be honest, I don't really give a crap (about the criticism). Early on, I actually cared what people said. Now, I've been through enough and been around enough that it doesn't affect me anymore. People are always going to be negative with me coming in It's (criticism) been going on for so long, I could have 15 houses full of stuff to motivate me."
Some of those negative nancys Include a few fans from the team you currently play for. I'm all about second chances though, and luckily for Bertuzzi, Patrick Eaves and Dan Cleary... so is Ken Holland. What else you got for us, Todd?
"I keep feeling my game's still there. Every time it's been here I've been snagged by something. Call it what it is, old age or just running down, but I worked extremely hard this summer to get myself in good shape. I got a clear head and I'm very, very excited to come in here and help out. You don't have any cape-wearers here. You got guys, who on a nightly basis, are looked upon to do it. The Zetterbergs, Datsyuks, Cleary's really coming around. You got a handful of guys who can step up to the plate"
That's why this is going to work. I think Todd gets it, I really do.
The only real concern I have left about Bertuzzi is whether he's going to take too many stupid penalties. For how small his contract is, it's not going to take him much to put up enough numbers to make the gamble worthwhile, but 2-minutes in the box for roughing can kill the momentum on a comeback effort almost as well as an empty-net goal can. It's going to be real tough for him in the mental department here because, on the flipside, I want him to be playing with an edge like Sammy always did. It's a real fine line.
ReplyDeleteHa, Sammy playing with an edge.
ReplyDeleteEasy, Bacon Bits...Sammy played with an edge very similar to Maltby's. He'd mix it up after the whistle but there was 0.00% chance that he would actually drop the gloves. Remember, Bertuzzi did throw Dion "I've had Phaneuf of you" down to the ice, and with a bad back too.
ReplyDeleteThat's a mean picture, Drew.
ReplyDelete