| Subject: Harpoons deal Burke, nab 3rd pick overall |
Author:
Rock Lobster
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Date Posted: 19:13:32 02/10/05 Thu
(HALIFAX)-Will it ever end? That's the question that hockey observers are asking themselves after Halifax GM Stephen J. Holodinsky stepped up to the podium and delivered news of yet another deal just minutes ago. Unlike the first two deals of the day though, this one saw one of the pillars of the team moved to make way for younger blood.
Gone to arch-rivals Quebec is original Harpoon Sean Burke and the 9th overall pick in the draft. Coming the other way is Dan Cloutier and the 3rd overall pick in the draft. Burke, the first goalie ever to win the Terry Sawchuk Award three times in a row and the only goalie to win the Tony-O Award in back to back seasons, also has two Hoser Cup Rings to his credit. However age was starting to catch up to the veteran and it was probably a case of deal him now while the club could get the maximum return for him.
"It was very hard to deal Sean after all these years of battling together," commented Holodinsky. "But we have Roberto (Luongo) waiting in the wings and it's his time to shine. We feel that Dan (Cloutier) will be able to provide stable back-up goaltending. Further, we feel that the 2006 draft is all about four players. By moving up into the number three slot, we guarantee that we'll get one of them."
For his part, Quebec GM Dean Belanger was very pleased with the deal:
"We are extremely pleased to add a goalie with Sean's resume. The only thing he has ever done in this league is win; awards and more importantly, championships. We don't mind moving down six spots because we feel that one of the guys we want will still be there. It's sad to see Dan leave but this was a business decision that had to be made to make the team stronger."
This is a deal that well be analyzed and re-analyzed for years to come as these two Eastern Conference heavyweights will no doubt square off many times in the future in important games.
Rock Lobster
HALIFAX HERALD
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