 | Ovechkin a Panther?? |
 comrie44 writes "I know this is an old story, but it has yet to be posted here and I found it extremely interesting.
As you may or may not have heard, Rick Dudley, GM of the Florida Panthers selected top prospect Alexander Ovechkin in the 9th round of the 2003 entry draft.
Claiming that Ovechkin, born 2 days after the deadline for the draft, should be eligible because 4 leap years have passed since his birthday making him 18 years old. Since there is no specifics in the CBA as to what constitutes a year, Dudley and company thought they had found a loophole. The NHL rejected the selections for 4 rounds until they confirmed on paper the Panthers had tried to select him, so that Dudley could use the evidence later in an arbitration case. Working against them in arbitration is the fact that Ovechkin did not opt-in by the May 1st deadline, however, the fact that he tried and was denied could help the Panthers.
"It's a long shot. But if it's a viable long shot, we would be a very happy crew because hes a special player." Dudley said.
Word is Panthers ownership and management cooked up the idea a few weeks before the draft.
This is not unprecedented. Remember when Pat Quinn stole Pavel Bure in the 6th round of the 1989 draft? You didn't actually think he was a sleeper pick did you? Many GM's protested the pick saying he was ineligible and Bure found himself in the middle of a legal battle until evidence turned up that Bure was, in fact, eligible since he had played the required amount of games in Russia's top league.
MY OPINION: A long shot for sure, but if the loophole works, then the Panthers management have made the biggest steal of the draft, and if it doesn't? A measly 9th round pick down the drain. I say kudos to Dudley and crew for trying to pull off such a daring heist.
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| "Ovechkin a Panther??" | Login/Create an Account | 8 comments |
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Re: Ovechkin a Panther?? (Score: 1)
by Tradedude (edbelfourfan@hotmail.com) on Friday, July 25
(User Info | Send a Message) | | 9th round!!! This kid is better then any other player in the draft. But is it official yet? |
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Re: Ovechkin a Panther?? (Score: 1)
by jon95616 on Friday, July 25
(User Info | Send a Message) | NHL said no...he will be in next years draft
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Re: Ovechkin a Panther?? (Score: 1)
by rojoke on Friday, July 25
(User Info | Send a Message) | I'm not a lawyer, but if you look at it logically, the fact that a leap year contains an extra day shouldn't have any bearing on it. If you follow Dudley's logic to his intended purpose, then everyone's birthday would fall back a day every four years. It's not only idiotic, it's preposterous. The Mogilny case is even remotely similar. They weren't claiming he was too young, but that he didn't play enough games in the Russian league.
By the way, the Panthers called another name for their final pick, a kid by the name of Tanner Glass. The moment they did that, they should have lost all claims and rights to arbitrate the selection of Ovechkin. |
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Re: Ovechkin a Panther?? (Score: 1)
by Captainspoon on Saturday, July 26
(User Info | Send a Message) | | This is a stupid claim by Dudley. One year equals exactly 365 1/4 days. Meaning a leap year every four years is what makes every four years.... every four years. |
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Re: Ovechkin a Panther?? (Score: 1)
by Donovan on Saturday, July 26
(User Info | Send a Message) | | What the hell is going on? I assume he was born on Feburary 29 1985, right? That makes him 18 in my book. So whats the big deal? Who cares about a fourth of a day? If everyone else was too stupid to see this, I guess Rick Dudley is the best GM in the league. Besides I looked him up on a Russian website. Sure he's kinda big, but he looks like a complete *****. Like Alexandre Daigle! I'm sure he'll be wearing a full visor when he's playing for the Panther's farm team next year, and still be wearing it for the Panthers. |
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Re: Ovechkin a Panther?? (Score: 1)
by OldTimeHockey_28 on Sunday, July 27
(User Info | Send a Message) | Donovan, you obviously have been locked in a closet for a couple years.
This kid, although he may bust, is a superstar in the making. Heck I'm sure some teams are thinking about how they can get next year's first pick right now.
As for Florida's arbitration case. They don't have one. |
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