Written by Jim Swanson
Citizen Sports Editor
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Thursday, 02 July 2009 |
Jason LaBarbera has a new hockey home -- he’s either a member of the Phoenix Coyotes or the Hamilton Blackberries.
The Prince George product had all of five minutes to give his OK to a free agent NHL deal on Wednesday, the day unrestricted free agents could start accepting offers, and the goaltender said yes to a two-year contract reported to be worth US $2-million.
It was a bittersweet decision for the 29-year-old, who in the space of a year has gone from being the starting netminder for the Los Angeles Kings, then traded to his favourite team in Vancouver, and now bound for the NHL’s most unstable franchise.
“It’s funny how free agency works -- I basically had about five minutes to make a decision on the deal,” said LaBarbera, who got into nine games for the Canucks -- the team he grew up idolizing as a youth in Burnaby before his family moved north.
“Teams get their offers all in order and throw them at the agents, and the agents call back. It’s back and forth, and it’s a weird situation. I probably had about five or six options, and Vancouver was one of them. It was a very tough decision.
“I woke up (Thursday morning) feeling different, to be honest with you. I thought I’d be all excited about it, but Vancouver is the one place that made it very hard. And having five minutes to sit there and digest it, that just makes it so hard to do.”
LaBarbera cited contract terms and a better chance to earn playing time as the reasons behind the move to Glendale, Ariz.
With Roberto Luongo entrenched with the Canucks, LaBarbera knew he’d have to find a new team to have a legitimate shot at starting. Ilya Bryzgalov is the No. 1 goaltender for a Phoenix team coached by Wayne Gretzky.
“Don Maloney is the GM in Phoenix, and he knows me well because he was the assistant GM with the New York Rangers when I was there,” said LaBarbera.
“He was one of the guys who drafted me and it’s nice to go somewhere you know someone, and you know they like you. I know Vancouver wanted me back, but it was one of those decisions you have to make. The organization in Vancouver was first-class, but it’s one of those things.
“I still think I’m an untapped resource and I have things to offer at this level.”
LaBarbera only laughed when asked
if he’s been checking out the real estate market in southern Ontario. Jim Balsillie, the head of the company that makes Blackberry cellular phones, has been in a tug-of-war with the NHL as he tries to lure the bankrupt Coyotes to the ‘centre of the universe.’
“You tell me what the market’s like in Hamilton -- I haven’t looked,” he laughed.
“You have to put the off-ice stuff aside, and I think it’s far too late now to move the team to Hamilton for this season. The product on the ice is pretty good, they have a lot of good young players and it’s just a matter of getting the right older guys and building some confidence.”
As for his ties to current members of the Phoenix roster, LaBarbera played junior with defenceman Kurt Sauer in Spokane, and he’s familiar with former WHL players Jim Vandermeer and Nigel Dawes.
LaBarbera, who is spending the summer in Calgary with his fiancee Kodette and newborn son Ryder, will be in Prince George to help instruct at a goaltending
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 02 July 2009 )
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