Leighton Inked

[KaniacFever]

2 years at $600K per. Good price IMO:

AHL’s goaltender of the year in 2008 will join Carolina on two-year, one-way contract

RALEIGH, NC—Ron Francis, Assistant General Manager and Director of Player Development for the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed goaltender Michael Leighton to a two-year contract. The deal will pay Leighton $600,000 per season in 2008-09 and 2009-10.

“Michael had an outstanding year with Albany last season, and also handled himself well during his time on the NHL level,” said Francis. “He has earned a role on our team going forward and we feel confident in our goaltending situation with him and Cam Ward between the pipes.”

Leighton, 27, completed his seventh season of professional hockey in 2007-08, spending most of the season with the Hurricanes’ top minor-league affiliate, the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League (AHL). He appeared in three games with Carolina, registering a 1-1 record with a 2.66 goals-against average on the NHL level. Leighton (6’3’’, 186 lbs.) was 28-25-4 in 59 regular-season games for the River Rats, with a 2.10 goals-against average and seven shutouts. The Petrolia, Ont., native led the AHL in saves (1,634), save percentage (.931) and shutouts (7), and ranked second in the league in minutes played (1,634) and tied for second in goals-against average (2.10). He set Albany franchise regular-season and playoff records for shutouts, goals-against average and save percentage. At the conclusion of the AHL’s regular season, he was named the winner of the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender for the 2007-08 season, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media. He was also named a First-Team AHL All-Star.

Leighton was heroic during Albany’s seven-game Calder Cup playoff series against Philadelphia, stopping 304 of 314 shots (.968 save percentage) and posting a 1.18 goals-against average and two shutouts. He made an AHL-record 98 saves during Game 5 against the Phantoms, as the two teams played the longest game in league history, a 3-2 Philadelphia win in five overtimes. He then helped Albany rebound by stopping all 40 shots he faced in a 1-0 overtime victory in Game 6, before the River Rats finally succumbed to the Phantoms in a 2-0 Game 7 loss at Philadelphia.

A sixth-round draft choice of the Chicago Blackhawks (165th overall) in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, Leighton has appeared in 50 career NHL games with Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia and Carolina, earning an 11-24-10 record with a 3.01 goals-against average.

Link:
http://hurricanes.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=365591

[hyena]

Well, at least he's cheap. *sigh*

[nccanes]

saves us some cash over what crackers was making.

[atlflames]

Good contract by the Canes. If I remember correctly that is $1M/year less than what Crackers got. This and the Eaves deal are good values for the Canes.

[corylav]

Good deal ... tho I do wonder, somewhat, who our No. 3 is. I don't know that Peters is ready if someone gets hurt.

[andyt]

That's not a good contract, that's a great contract. It's only $77.5K more than Manzato signed for as the 4th goalie on the depth chart.

Crackers was at $1.4 million. That translated to $280K per win last year. So that sets the bar low for Leighton since he only has to win 3 games to beat Grahame's ratio. ;)

[PennsylvaniaCanesFan]

Nice. Frees up some coin for any possible D-man.

[aldamon]

I'm shocked he signed a two-year deal. Good deal for us.

[Guyute]

I'm shocked that he signed for 2 at that price. Great deal.

[puck_it]

^as am i

[caneshockeychick]

I'm wondering how many options there were available to him. I don't recall many teams needing a starting goaltender and IMO, most teams already have a decent back up and/or are stocked w/some decent depth. For goalies, I'm thinking this was not their year for big bucks if they are UFA (and not the current starter or backup for last year's team) because there just weren't many options out there.

Whatever payday he gets, this is good for him and good for Ward. I hope he can challenge Ward cuz I think, regardless of Ward's relationship with Grahame, there was no challenge there. Cam needs someone who could possibly take that starting position away*. I hope Leighton can be that goalie and thus, our goaltending tandem can hold up to the challenge most nights when our offense or defense cannot.

*No, I'm not trying to choose goalies, I'm not saying I hate Cam and love Leighton, I'm not trying to start a goalie war yada, yada, yada...:kiss::D

[ontheboards]

FWIW, Cam and Leighton will both be UFAs in 2010.

[Kahz]

FWIW, Cam and Leighton will both be UFAs in 2010.Cam will still be an RFA then. He'll be 26.

[ontheboards]

Cam will still be an RFA then. He'll be 26.

I stand corrected--:p

[KaniacFever]

Great picture :)

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/media/fight.JPG


*courtesy of Luke's blog*

[Canesluver]

Maybe they should be roomies on the road. Wicked pillow fights to come.

:beatup:

[SoCalcaniac]

It's soooo hilarious that the infamous Norfolk Brawl, Dec 11, 2004, (my mind is slipping that weekend was 12/10 & 11 right?) has come full circle. Tom Rowe in the tan/khaki colored jacket back there- I wonder if that was after he grabbed Trent Yawney by the tie and Bruno had to pull him off him? :laugh::lol: It kinda looks like they were sending him to the locker room which you had to cross the ice to get to. LOL.


Someone cue up the brawl from YouTube or that Zapruder film from Norfolk- (where are you E?). Just for fun.:lol:

[KaniacFever]

SoCal just for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugWMVbv07fY

And if you just want the Cam vs Leighton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKsmTU5V-GI

at the 30 second mark you can see Tom Rowe.

[SoCalcaniac]

SoCal just for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugWMVbv07fY

:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

"Get em off the ice, get em off!" :lol:

This classic:

........"Our first goalie fight at the Scope"

Ya'll know how upset I was about this whole crazy ass fight- but nearly 4 years later- it's just so daggone funny - #2 (Commodore) was shaking his head as Cam fought Leighton. LOL. and the shirtless Mike Brown for Norfolk & Brant Myhres for the Monsters-- teehee.

and after all this time-I was willing to admit it the day after but time has passed- It really was Tom Rowe who started that mess. That cracks me up.

Thanks for posting 59- memory lane for sure.

[aldamon]

LMAO!!!

[Guyute]

Being at that game and witnessing such utter bedlam is something I'm very thankful for... lol. And something I'll Never ever forget.

[nccanes]

It's funny that it kinda shows the emergence of YouTube, because back in the time of that game, the zapruder version from my camera was all we had available! :lol: Interesting to get a time on that fight...almost 7 minutes.

And let's not forget Bruce Cassidy. Maybe that was his lone head coaching duty since getting the boot from the Caps...an unexpected role after the coaches got tossed!

And what was left at the end

http://home.nc.rr.com/united91/norfolk/gloves_ice.JPG

[Guyute]

I need to save that video for sure. Especially once Cole is a little older and I can show it to him and say "This was your first hockey game". lmao.

[Canesluver]

It WAS fun to witness that. And my husband had a media pass, and was behind the glass right by the door to the visitor's locker room. In retrospect, he's surprised to see how few photos he took, because he said he got too wrapped-up watching the guys! :lol:

Remember that assy woman who was sitting in front us, talking smack the whole time? I wanted to kick her head in! :fire:

[puck_it]

lol, i love how the 'zapruder' name has stuck to it, and everyone instantly knwos what one were all talking about :lol:

[Mona2006]

I am glad I saw that in person as well. When I saw Cam drop the gloves, I was like WTF??? What a mess. :lol:

What I remember about it as well was this drunk and foul-mouthed man and woman being removed from the arena by security. There was a tiny boy in front of me and I took him by the arm to hold him back so he didn't get hurt. Turned out that these two "fine ones" were his parents. I was mortified.. and thankful those two didn't beat me senseless for trying to get him out of harm's way. :crazy:

The game and the fight was quite entertaining. :D

I just watched the fight again.. Cam looks like he is 13. :)

[PennsylvaniaCanesFan]

We got Cam Ward, we got Tom Rowe, we got Mike Leighton. Do you think there is a position for Trent Yawny here somewhere?

[Canesluver]

As great as that fight was.... it can't top a fight I saw on Christmas Day '05 between the Columbus (GA) Cottonmouths and the Augusta Lynx of the SPHL (Southern Pro. Hockey League). It was a bench clearer, and the Coach of the Cottonmouths, "Boom-Boom" Bechard (a former enforcer for the "Snakes") leaped over the bench to get to a ref, at the same time flinging his sport jacket behind him.

As Boom-Boom hit the ice, he yanked his tie over his head, then ripped open his shirt and tried to swing at the ref--- BUT--- he hadn't unbuttoned the cuffs, so his shirt was hanging behind him and he couldn't get his hands free (and this is going on, while virtually all the players are punching each other). As he's flailing around, a linesman comes up behind him and grabs a fist-full of Boom-Boom's shirt, which had essentially become a straight jacket. Boom-Boom fell on his butt, and the linesman skated off to the locker room, dragging Boom-Boom behind him-- all the while Boom-Boom was beet-red, yelling obscenities and kicking his feet! :laugh:

Once order was restored, there were barely enough players left on either bench to finish the game.... which went to OT!!! and then a shoot-out! :eek2: During the 3rd period, all the kicked-out guys came out and sat in the bleachers, and cheered right along with the fans.

And... get this.... we were using my brother's tickets (he lives in Columbus) because he promised his wife he'd go to church with her. He was SO pi$$ed he missed the "best game of the year!" :lol:

I just love telling that story!! :beatup:

O.K... sorry to digress..... back to Mike Leighton. Hope he and Cam make a great tandem next year! :kiss:

[ontheboards]

We got Cam Ward, we got Tom Rowe, we got Mike Leighton. Do you think there is a position for Trent Yawny here somewhere?
Other guys on the ice for that game included Mike Commodore, Chad LaRose, Anton Babchuk, Eric Staal, and Andrew Ladd (and Chuck Kobasew-- I through him in because I've always liked him).

[nccanes]

No Ladd.

[SoCalcaniac]

Yeah, No Ladd he just got drafted- he wasn't in Lowell- couldn't be in Lowell because of his age. He was playing for The Hitmen.

The line of Kobasew/Staal/Colin Forbes was the best line in the AHL that year.

Ya'll are bringing back the memories of the Norfolk game(s) that weekend. making me crack up too.

[nccanes]

It was a LOT of fun. :)

My kids went over to the locker room corner during the intermission & for the duration and Brant Myhres came out (since he was tossed) and was leaning against the stands and texting his friends about the fight before the game was even over. :lol:

I remember being at the DBAP for the Hurricanes night just after the lockout finally ended and stopping at the autograph tables. Danny Richmond was there and when I told him about being in Norfolk for the 2 games his face just lit up. :lol: Said it was a lot of fun.

[ssangste]

as far as brawls go.... from the way it was described, I had visions of it being a bigger deal than that. I guess I've seen and/or been involved in a few too many interesting ones in junior hockey.... when 3,000+ people from opposing fanbases beat the tar out of each other and the players end up brawling in the stands with fans, then it registers... ahhh... the memories....

Some guys go out to the pub to have fun with friends. Some guys go out to the pub to meet a pretty girl. Some guys go out to the pub to line up who they're going to fight after the pub closes....... and I've known a few girls to fall into the same categories :)... now imagine a lot of them at a hockey game after having a few too many before they showed up for a game against a hated rival.......

glad to finally see what you guys have mentioned a bunch of times, though...


As for Leighton's deal... seems like a no lose... he guarantees himself some cash for two years after bouncing all over the place for a while and mostly earning an AHL check... we don't have much invested money-wise if he isn't able to replicate his performance from last season at the NHL level.....

[ontheboards]

No Ladd.

I couldn't really remember, but thought that he was-- didn't Staal and Ladd play together in Lowell? Or am I just not remembering correctly?

[SoCalcaniac]

I couldn't really remember, but thought that he was-- didn't Staal and Ladd play together in Lowell? Or am I just not remembering correctly?

OTB, you're recalling they're very good buds- Eric was only in Lowell for the lockout- and as mentioned before, Ladd was drafted that June before the lockout began in Sept. and was only 17/18 and not eligible to play in Lowell, so he had to play for the Hitmen. Now Ladd did play in the minors, but that was for the conditioning stint after his injury but not with Eric.

SS- hilarious stories you share! that night in Norfolk, we were seated next to some guys who were originally from Canada (Banff, AB) living and working in Norfolk, who looked at us all non-chalant and said- "ah, this isn't much, you should come back home to Western Canada- lots of stuff like this up there" I was so mortified seeing Yawney grab Rowe and Rowe grab Yawney's tie, I just looked at the guy and said 'seriously, this is bad' (like I was trying to convince them it was bad, while I was yelling at the ice "stop it, stop it" but nobody was listening to me) and the guys kinda gave me the oh, poor girl, she has no clue- look. lol.

[nccanes]

I hope Leighton keeps his Stormy on 'Roids helmet. :lol:


PS - I thought Ladd started his rookie year in Lowell, right? For some reason I thought he did because his folks were on that West Coast swing to watch him play, only to watch him hurt his knee in PHX?

[puck_it]

he played 25 gmaes in lowell in 05-06. 04-05 he was with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL

[livinthedream]

Man, it's threads like these that make me wish I had been around before 2005. *wistful* Even I know what you're talking about when you mention the Zapruder film.

But 05-06 was a good time to jump on the bandwagon. :beer:

I agree about Leighton's Stormy mask. Hope he keeps it next year. :thumbsup:

[livinthedream]

Really cool Q&A with Leighton from the River Rats website:

http://www.albanyriverrats.com/news/?id=14537

[VandyCane]

Great find, LTD. Thanks for posting that. I didn't know he was married and had a two year old. I think the married guys appreciate the family atmosphere in Raleigh a little more. I also liked reading about how he wanted to stay with the Canes because they were honest in their expectations of him from the beginning.

[Mona2006]

I hope Michael brings it in camp and makes Cam sweat just a little.. Good for all of us if that happens. :)

[KaniacFever]

Interesting to read that he was playing the 2nd half injured. Makes that 98 save performance in the playoffs that much more awesome.