WASHINGTON AND DETROIT
BLOCKBUSTER DEAL #2
WASHINGTON POST
(07/25/04)
Washington, D.C. - GM Bonkosky and GM Cawker
negotiated for almost a complete day before finally coming to an agreement
where Curtis Joseph landed in a Capitals uniform.
--Washington,
D.C.
After almost a day of continuous negotiating, Detroit GM Dave
Bonkosky and Capitals GM Spencer Cawker were finally able to come to an
agreement. The papers were sent back and forth all Friday night and right
through the first day of the 2004 Entry Draft. The deal was officially
completed in the fourth round of the draft.
The deal saw the
Capitals send their upcoming sniper, Alexei Morozov, backup goalie Jani
Hurme (moved to clear space for Maxime Ouellet), seventh defenseman, Cale
Hulse and prospect Rob Bellamy (drafted 114th overall) to the Wings. When
GM Cawker was asked to comment on the departing players, he told reporters
"Alexei is definitely a very talented player with a tremendous upside. He
was a solid first line right winger for us last year and we had no
intentions of moving him; however, GM Bonkosky wouldn't consider any deal
unless it had Morozov," GM Cawker told reporters. "Jani Hurme simply had
no place on the Capitals this year. Ouellet proved to the management that
he deserves some playing time at the NsHL level and it would've been
unfair to Jani to have him play in the AsHL. Finally, with Yonkman and
Eminger having spectacular rookie campaigns, Hulse would've been our
seventh defenseman and we plan to only play six this year for the most
part. The final piece to the deal was 114th overall pick, Rob Bellamy, and
I personally feel he has tons of potential and can potentially be a very
solid NsHL player one day. We wish Alexei, Jani, Cale and Rob the best of
luck in Detroit and throughout the rest of their careers."
As for
what the Capitals got in return, the main part to the deal was all-star
netminder, Curtis Joseph. Another solid player in Kris Draper was also
sent to the Capitals along with farmer Tomas Kopecky and $2.4 million. GM
Cawker told reporters the following "When you have the option of acquring
a goalie as talented as Curtis Joseph, it is very hard to say no. He
proved himself in Detroit last year, and did a fantastic job in filling in
the shoes of Dominik Hasek. We have high expectations for Joseph and we
are comfortable with him between the pipes," he told reporters. "Kris
Draper is a very intense, two-way centre who will see tons of ice-time on
the penalty-kill this year. As for Tomas Kopecky, he is still a ways away
from being an elite NsHL player but we are confident that he will be a
very dominant player in the future. We would like to welcome Joseph,
Draper and Kopecky to the Washington Capitals
organization."
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WASHINGTON AND DETROIT
BLOCKBUSTER DEAL
WASHINGTON POST
(07/12/04)
Washington, D.C. - After the NsHL trade ban was
lifted, a trade between the Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings was
finally allowed to be officially announced.
Although the trade was
finalized about a month ago, due to NsHL policies, the trade was not
allowed to be officially announced. The trade only take a couple of days
of negotiations between GM Bonkosky and GM Cawker and they both were happy
when the deal was finalized. It was a great deal for both franchises and
it was one of the largest deals in Washington Capitals history. Not only
did the Capitals land veteran winger Brett Hull, but they also landed
veteran defenseman Jason Wooley and Detroit's 1st and 4th round picks in
the upcoming 2004 NsHL Entry Draft.
When reporters asked GM Cawker
how he felt about the deal, he responded by saying "It was one of those
deals that was perfect for both sides. Our right wing is that much deeper
with the addition of Hull and our blue line adds a solid veteran
defenseman in Jason Wooley. The scouting staff has been looking at
prospects for months and I'm confident that the 24th pick in the 2004 NsHL
Entry Draft will land us an upcoming star and the 3rd rounder will land us
a player with tons of potential." He concluded by telling reporters the
following "Brett Hull will be our #1 right winger and will see tons of
time on the powerplay. We have high expectations and we're confident that
he will not only reach the expectations, but also achieve them."
He
then chose to comment on the departure of the former #1 overall pick,
Patrick Stefan. "Patrick Stefan was a great person and it is unfortunate
to have to let him go. However, when someone with Brett Hull's talent is
on the block, sometimes you have to sacrifice. We wish Patrick nothing but
the best of luck and we are confident that he will have a solid year in
Detroit and eventually become one of the elite players in the
NsHL."
GM Cawker chose not to comment on whether or not he will be
active in the free agent market or if the fans of Washington can expect
more deals to come. We'll have to wait and see.
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| GM CAWKER RECEIVES DIRECTOR'S
TROPHY
PITTSBURGH POST
GAZETTE
(05/21/04)
Pittsburgh, PA. - At the annual banquet today where the awards were
presented to players and general managers, GM Cawker was stunned when he
had learned he won the Director's Trophy.
Today was a day of history in Washington. As the Inaugural Season of
NsHL slowly comes to a close, it was time for the annual awards banquet
held in Pittsburgh, PA. It is an annual ceremony where the NsHL BOD
presents its annual awards to the players and general
managers.
Many awards were handed out today, including the Ray
Bourque Award, Patrick Roy Award, etc. There were two awards presented to
the general managers - the Presidents' Trophy and the Director's Trophy.
The Presidents' Trophy is decided by votes from the GMs of NsHL; while the
Director's Trophy is voted on by the BOD.
The environment inside
the banquet hall was as if they were all one big "family." All of the GMs
got along tremendously and they all seemed very happy to see one another.
The hot-topic was the Stanley Cup Finals being between the New York
Islanders and the San Jose Sharks and of course, predictions were also
included in the talks as well.
The last awarded that was going to
be presented this year was the Director's Trophy. According to the awards
page, it is "Awarded to the General Manager who most contributes to his
team, the NsHL, to his colleagues, and consistently shows his drive and
determination for the betterment of the league. This award will be voted
on by the Board of Directors and presented by the Commissioner to its
worthy recipient." GM Cawker was sitting calmly with his fellow GMs when
to his surprise; NsHL Commissioner Nathan Kopsack announced that GM
Spencer Cawker had received the trophy. GM Cawker looked stunned yet
thrilled at the same time; it was quite evident that he was honoured to
receive the trophy.
He then presented his speech to the BOD, GMs,
and reporters before stepping off of the stage. The young GM had nothing
but a smile on his face and thanked each and every member of the BOD for
giving him the honour of receiving the trophy.
After stepping out
of the building, GM Cawker only had a couple of minutes to speak with
reporters as the NsHL GMs were going to a local restaurant to have dinner.
He was only able to release one more public statement as time was tight
and the Kopsack's were waiting patiently for him to get in their
car.
"It is truly an honour to be chosen by the BOD to receive this
award. The NsHL is a great league and I personally feel that each and
every GM could've easily taken the Director's Trophy home," said GM
Cawker. "I would also like to thank a few of my good buddies - Mark and
Nate Kopsack and Mike Henderson for their support and countless number of
hours spent guiding me along the road of the NsHL. Without a doubt they
helped me mature as a GM and I definitely would not be as knowledgeable as
I am today without the help of them. Thanks a lot guys, I couldn't have
done it without you!"
He was unable to speak any longer as the
reservations were set for 1:00 p.m. and it was already 12:45 p.m. He then
hoped into the back seat of the Kopsack's car (as he isn't old enough to
step behind the wheel just yet) and they were off to the "unknown"
restaurant.
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