Wednesday, January 31, 2007
In professional sports, player trades have a finality all their own.
Teams may take days or weeks to consummate a deal, but once a bargain is struck, things move quickly.
No drawn-out farewells. No player appreciation nights. The player is here one minute, gone the next.
Such was the case Friday when the Anaheim Ducks agreed to exchange two forwards from the Portland Pirates and a seventh-round draft pick with the Columbus Blue Jackets for two forwards from the Syracuse Crunch and a fourth-round draft pick.
After participating in the Pirates' morning skate, Zenon Konopka and Curtis Glencross received phone calls telling them they had been traded to Columbus.
Later that afternoon, about 90 minutes before the start of the game against the Providence Bruins at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Konopka and Glencross cleared their gear out of the locker room and said their goodbyes to their former teammates.
Later that night, sometime during the Providence-Portland game, they boarded a plane for a flight to New York, where both were to become members of the Syracuse Crunch.
"Walking out of here with all my stuff doesn't seem right," Konopka said before he left the Civic Center for the final time. "It's pretty hurtful inside but this is why you play. You play to go to the next level, and it's a better opportunity for me."
It's been a tumultuous season for Konopka.
It began last July with training camp in Russia, where he spent three months playing for Lada Togliatta after refusing to sign with Anaheim for an option year.
In October, just before the AHL season began, Konopka was back in Portland suiting up for the Pirates after wriggling out of his commitment to the Russian Elite League club and signing a two-year deal with the Ducks.
Now Konopka is getting a new start in pro hockey with the Blue Jackets. But it was a bittersweet parting.
"It's an opportunity and it's the best thing for my career, but it's been a tough day," he said. "So much has gone into this city and these people. I've got so much of a special bond with everyone here. I can't say enough about it."
Konopka, a fifth-year pro who was leading the Pirates in scoring with 11 goals and 24 assists, truly liked playing in Portland.
"I can't say enough about the community here, and everyone around," he said. "This year it's been a pleasure dealing with the coaching staff, the players here, the media and fans. It's a first-class city and I can't say enough about it."
After joining the Crunch, Konopka was supposed to play for Team Canada in last weekend's AHL All-Star Classic at the Ricoh Center in Toronto.
Instead he was immediately called up to the NHL by Columbus.
He skated five shifts Saturday night during the Blue Jackets' 3-2 victory against the Minnesota Wild at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
Playing in the NHL always has been Konopka's goal, but he's happy to be playing hockey anywhere and getting paid for it.
"I love playing hockey," he said. "I'm here to play. My body feels good and I'm thankful every day I'm playing the game for a living."
Konopka remained on the Columbus roster for the Blue Jackets' week-long trip to play the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.
Konopka, who turned 26 on New Year's Day, didn't dismiss the possibility of someday playing in Portland again.
"I still have a bunch of years left to play," he said, "and you know, it might not be the last of me in Portland."
THE PIRATES are scheduled to resume operations at 3 p.m. Thursday with a practice at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Before starting the three-day AHL All-Star break, the team practiced at the Travis Roy Arena in Yarmouth early Sunday.
"A lot of the guys had 11 o'clock flights to catch," said the team trainer, Rich Burrill, the only member of the staff at the Civic Center on Tuesday. "A few of the players stayed in town but most of them headed off for parts unknown."
Staff Writer Paul Betit can be contacted at 725-8795 or at:
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Reader comments
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Saw you play with the Blue Jackets on TV and hope you stay at the NHL level. You deserve it! Thanks for a magnificent 2 years, and Portland will miss you and hope you may be back some day (if only to visit).
All these trades are difficult for us fans, who get very attached to our players, and suddenly most of our hotshots and scorers and favorites are gone. I see how these trades are helping the Ducks, not sure how they are helping the Pirates. But you gotta have faith. The best we can do is wish our former players well in their NHL careers and keep on rooting for our boys in black and red!
Go Pirates!!!!report abuse
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