Today in hockey history, fans reveled at the idea of having no sport to watch but baseball, and a current top defenseman is born.
August 14, 1985 – Current Predators captain Shea Weber was born in Sicamous, British Columbia. At 6’4” 240 pounds, Weber is one of the bigger guys in the league, and he plays like a big man, and surprisingly, he’s just 27. Known for his vicious physical play, smart defense, and powerful shot, the defenseman is regarded as one of the top-10 defensemen in the league today, and was recognized for his efforts by being a finalist for the Norris in 2011 (finished second). Named the fifth captain in Nashville history in 2010, He was almost a Flyer when in the 2012 offseason, Philadelphia gave him a 14-year, $110 million offer sheet (front-loaded), which he signed. Nashville, after having lost their second-best defenseman in Ryan Suter just a few days prior (via free agency to the Wild), had no choice but to match the offer, which will absolutely hurt them somewhere down the road since they agreed to the deal with pretend money. Had they chosen not to match, Philly would have owed Nashville four first-round draft picks because of the enormity of the average annual salary. It was actually the biggest offer sheet in terms of total money, cap hit, and length. He’s already played 528 games, and if he plays out most of his contract, at this rate, he might be in the top 100 all time for games played.
Source: Hockey Hall of Fame
Latest posts by Scott Finger (see all)
- Possible destinations for players on the block - February 25, 2014
- Why Suspensions Don’t Matter and how they can Be Fixed - January 3, 2014
- This Day in Hockey History – December 31 - December 31, 2013
