Yesterday we posted a blurb from boston.com about Vincent Lecavalier calling Milan Jurcina one of the toughest defensemen he’s had to play against.
Well NHL.com has jumped on the Jurcina bandwagon, with this feature article by Tom Worgo about the Caps’ new defenseman.
“‘I see nothing but good things for him down the road,’ says Jay Leach, who coaches the team’s defensemen. ‘I can’t say enough about him. We didn’t know what we were getting, whether he could play or couldn’t. He has gotten a lot better defensively in a shorter period of time than I ever thought he would.’
“Along with all the eye-catching skills Jurcina possesses, his rugged style of play impresses Leach the most.
“‘When he hits people he hurts them,’ Leach said.
“With Jurcina, an eighth-round pick in the 2001 draft, playing as well as ever with the Capitals, it sounds like the Bruins now wish they could undo the trade. After all, Jurcina could be on track for a solid career as a top-four NHL defenseman.”
High praise indeed. It seems that Jurcina, after warming the Bruins’ bench for most of the season, has found a productive and welcoming home in the nation’s capital.
6 Comments
So does this mean he’s on McPhee’s trade list (as were Anson Carter and Jason Allison as soon as they showed promise)?
Jean,
Wasn’t that trade David Poile’s mistake?
agreed, that was Poile’s trade and the caps cinderella finals against detroit does not happen if Carey is not traded/Ranford hurt to let Kolzig shine AND it does not happen without Oates getting traded to washington as well.
Getting Jurcina may be like when poile got johannson(sp) from buffalo and even Cote from hartford.
It most certainly was Poile’s trade. Anson Carter, Jason Allison and Jim Carey were traded to Boston on March 1, 1997 for Adam Oates, Rick Tocchet and Bill Ranford. McPhee became GM on June 7, 1997. But hell, Mcphee gets blamed for everything else, might as well pin that one on him as well.
My apologies - that blunder was Poile’s, I forgot exactly when McPhee took the reins. You have not assuaged my fears though - McPhee has presided over some of the worst trades in hockey history. (Jagr???) How long will we get to keep someone like Jurcina?
But hell, Mcphee gets blamed for everything else, might as well pin that one on him as well.
Forgive me, but didn’t Anson Carter come back to Washington as part of the Jagr deal, only to be traded again after a mere 19 games?
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