Lets go crazy on this one, feel free to comment as much as you’d like, we’ll keep this going all afternoon…

Just to update, it’s a 1 year contract for Bertuzzi worth $1.95 million. Also, I have to give credit to Calgary Puck, they had this rumour last night!

Calgary Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter announced today the signing of free agent forward Todd Bertuzzi.

“Todd is a proven scorer with the ability to play both wings,” said Sutter. “He expressed to us that he wanted to play in Canada and that desire along with signing him to a one year deal was important to our philosophy. He wanted to play on a good team and it fit our money. Additionally, our captain, Jarome Iginla, was a strong supporter of Todd and wanted him on our team.”

Bertuzzi, a native of Sudbury, ON, has amassed 793 games over the course of his 12 seasons in the NHL. During that period, the 6’3”, 231lb forward has accumulated 580 points from 240 goals and 340 assists. Last season with the Anaheim Ducks, Bertuzzi recorded 40 points, including 14 goals in 68 games. He has recorded 50-plus points in six of his last eight seasons including a 97 point performance in the 2002-03 campaign. The 33 year old has played in at least 68 games in six of his last eight seasons.

Originally drafted by the NY Islanders in the first round, 23rd overall, in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Bertuzzi has been chosen twice to play in the NHL All-Star Game (2003 and 2004) and was named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 2003. He has twice represented Canada and the World Championships (1998 and 2000) and also wore Canada’s colors at the 2006 Olympic Games.

Todd and his wife Julie have two children: daughter, Jaden (8) and son, Tag (6).

We’ll start with hockey, where I believe the Flames have suffered a bit of a loss. Owen Nolan has signed with the Minnesota Wild
on a reported 2 year contract worth $2.75 million. When Nolan first signed with the Flames about a year ago, I thought it was another “Sutter vet” brought in for no reason (read: Jeff Friesen). However, Nolan proved immediately this was something different…he was in your face, he was a leader on the ice, AND he was damn productive. Huselius, Tanguay, and now Nolan…that’s 59 goals the Flames lose, with Camalerri, Glencross, and Bourque added to try and fill that void. Now, if you go back and read my responses to comments, I’ve been very clear that I thought Daryl Sutter would re-sign Nolan. Now that he hasn’t, my outlook on the Flames offseason has been scaled back a little bit…I was going on the assumption that Nolan would be back. I still believe Moss and Nystrom are ready to take the next step in their careers, and I still think the Flames look a little better than last year, but we may be on the “secondary scoring” topic for the upcoming season, just like this past one.

Wow, what an incredible fight card at UFC 86 in Las Vegas Saturday night. When we talked to Patrick ‘The Predator’ Cote on Sportsline Saturday, I asked him straight up…”if you win this fight over Ricardo Almeida, do you get a title shot at Anderson Silva?” To which he replied yes…and now he’s got it. After a split decision win over Almeida, UFC President Dana White said he’ll get his title shot, because right now, at 185, there isn’t anyone else who deserves it more. In fact, there aren’t very many people who can boast 4 straight wins inside The Octagon right now. Cote wasn’t able to show just how impressive his stand-up game is on Saturday, but what he did show was how much his wrestling has improved since training with the Canadian Olympic team. He fought tooth and nail to thwart Almeida’s takedown attempts, and tired him out en route to the win. A few more months of training for Cote, and his brawling ability might be interesting against Silva, the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet.

And how about Forrest Griffin? One of the most popular fighters on the planet stunned Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson with a 5 round, unamious decision victory in the main event to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. After Forrest took his lumps in the 1st round, he was able to gain traction with vicious leg kicks in the second round. As the fight went to the later rounds, Forrest was selective in his striking and didn’t get reckless like we’ve seen in the past. He continued to work the leg kicks, and was able to pull out a unanimous decision. Well done, and we’re already hearing Griffin-Liddell rumours for the first title defence.

UFC 86 takes center stage this weekend on Sportsline Saturday. I’ll be live from the Bud Big Rig at the 2008 Calgary Stampede and we’ll start the show as soon as the rodeo wraps up with Rob Kerr. The main event sees Forrest Griffin take on Quintin ‘Rampage’ Jackson for the UFC Light Heavyweight Title.

However, in one of the featured undercard bouts, Canada’s own Patrick ‘The Predator’ Cote looks for his 4th straight win inside The Octagon when he takes on Ricardo Almeida. Patrick will join us at 5:25 and 5:45 pm tonight. He’s in a very unique situation. With 3 straight UFC wins, he’s on a roll that not many other fighters can boast, yet the division he’s in makes it tough to get really excited. On top of the middleweight ranks is the unstoppable Anderson Silva; the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. Patrick wants a shot at him though, and he’s on the right track.

The main event should be interesting…Rampage hasn’t fought in what seems like 4 years, and it’s been around a year for real. His last win came in a 5 round war with Dan Henderson, which followed Quinton’s win over Chuck Liddell. Rampage is all about the ground and pound…but Forrest has been working on his wrestling with some of the best in the business. If Forrest can make it tough on Rampage in the takedown category, I think he has the advantage on the feet. Forrest is one resilient mother, but he’ll eventually succumb if it’s too easy for Rampage to take him down. And you can’t really tire Rampage out, as he went 5 rounds with Henderson.

Dave Hiza from Between Rounds Radio joins the show at 4:25 while John Pollock from The Fight Network comes on at 6:25. Check out UFC 86, it’s only on pay per view.

Here’s what we have as the work day comes to an end…if anything else comes up, we’ll let you know!

-The Calgary Flames signing forward Rene Bourque to a contract. Terms not disclosed…the Flames acquired the Alberta native on Tuesday from Chicago.

-Jaromir Jagr has decided to call it a career in the NHL, for now. According to a number of sources now, Avangard Omsk in Russia has decided to sign the former Hart Trophy winner to a 2 year contract. Jagr is going to be paid about 7 million dollars per year, tax free.

-The Dan Boyle trade is confirmed according to a number of sources. The defenceman goes from Tampa to San Jose in exchange for blueliner Matt Carle, former Moose Jaw Warrior and Prince George Cougar Ty Wishart, a 1st round pick and a 4th round pick.

-The Vancouver Canucks have finally done something of significance. Winger Steve Bernier is on his way to Vancouver after being acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres for a second- and third-round draft choice. The Canucks also sign UFA center Mark Cullen to a contract.

-The Sharks also trade blueliner Craig Rivet to Buffalo in exchange for a pair of 2nd round selections.

-The Toronto Maple Leafs have come to terms with newly acquired forward Mikhail Grabovski on a 1 year contract.

Updated at 5:37 pm…new stuff in bold…

Here’s what we have for the 3rd day of NHL free agency, with some interesting stuff going on. Feel free to comment on what’s going on…

-Rob Blake is now a member of the San Jose Sharks, as he signs a 1 year deal worth $5 million.

-The New York Rangers are still busy, as they sign Markus Naslund to a reported 2 year deal. The Rangers also sign UFA blueliner Dmitri Kalinin to a 1 year deal.

-It’s been a busy day in Pittsburgh. The Penguins sign RFA goalie Marc-Andre Fleury to a 7 year, $35 million deal. The Pens also sign UFA forwards Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko to 1 year contracts worth $3.5 million and $2.5 million respectively.

-David Hale’s time in Calgary, as he’ll look for his first NHL goal in Phoenix. He signs a 2 year contract with Phoenix.

-According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Antii Miettinen has signed a 3 year contract worth $7 million. It’ll break down ti $2.0 million, $2.5 million and $2.5 million dollars in those 3 years respectively.

-Montreal has signed UFA goalie Marc Denis to a 1 year, 2 way contract.

-The Toronto Maple Leafs re-sign forward Dominic Moore to a 1 year contract.

-Montreal signs enforcer Georges Laraque to a 3 year contract worth 4.5 million dollars.

-The St. Louis Blues sign forward Yan Stastny to a 2 year contract.

-The Phoenix Coyotes sign blueliner Matt Jones to a 2 year contract.

-The Leafs and Habs hook up on a minor deal, with Montreal sending forward Mikhail Grabovski to Toronto in exchange for prospect Greg Pateryn and a second-round draft pick in 2010.

-The Florida Panthers sign four, all to 2 way contracts…defenceman Rory Fitzpatrick, blueliner James DeLory, forward Steve MacIntyre and goalie Chris Beckford-Tseu.

-Tampa Bay signs UFA forward Wyatt Smith to a 1 year, 2 way contract.

-Colorado signs UFA defenceman Daniel Tjarnqvist to a contract.

-Dallas signs UFA winger Landon Wilson to a 1 year contract.

Rumours

-The New York Rangers have seemingly closed the door on Jaromir Jagr’s return. Glen Sather said in a conference call the signing of Markus Naslund effectively shuts the door on another stint on Broadway for Jagr.

-A report suggests Mike Peca is close to returning to Columbus. A deal could be announced as early as today.

-The Dan Boyle trade rumours continue swirling. The Lightning contacted their blueliner yesterday to alert him that a trade may be in the works. Apparently they’ve asked if he’ll waive his no trade clause which was included in his 6 year, $40 million contract signed in February.

-The Washington Capitals are still in talks with Sergei Federov, however Tarik El-Bashir is reporting Matt Cooke will not be returning.

Final update…

As of 10:38 pm MT, this is what we’re looking at, in order of importance to the Calgary market. If anything else happens throughout the night, I’ll get it on here. Still leave comments, I enjoy chatting back and forth on here!

-The Calgary Flames staying busy. They sign UFA forward Curtis Glencross to a 3 year contract. He played in Edmonton and Columbus last year. The Flames also re-sign defenceman Jim Vandermeer to 3 year, $6.9 million contract and sign his brother Peter to a contract as well. Dan Ryder is also back in the Flames organization.

-The Columbus Blue Jackets sign former Flame Kristian Huselius to a 4 year deal worth 4.75 million dollars per season. The Jackets also send forwards Nikolai Zherdev and Dan Fritsche to the New York Rangers in exchange for defencemen Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman.

-Marian Hossa is a member of the Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Hossa signs a 1 year deal worth 7.4 million dollars.

-Evgeni Malkin has signed a 5 year, 43.5 million dollar contract extension with the Pittsburgh Penguins. It kicks in after next year. The Penguins have also re-signed defenceman Brooks Orpik to a 6 year contract worth $22.5 million. That works out to $3.75 million a year.

-Sean Avery is now a member of the Dallas Stars. He signs a 4 year contract worth 15.5 million dollars. It also has a limited-movement clause.

-Defenceman Ron Hainsey is on the move, now a member of the Atlanta Thrashers. He signs a 5 year deal worth 22.5 million dollars.

-The Minnesota Wild re-signing defenceman Kurtis Foster to what looks like a 1 year contract.

-The New York Islanders have signed UFA center Doug Weight to a 1 year, $1.75 million contract.

-The Vancouver Canucks make some minor moves. The team confirms the signing of Kyle Wellwood, while also announce the signing of defenceman Nolan Baumgartner and forward Alexandre Bolduc. As well, Vancouver re-signs UFA goalie Curtis Sanford to an undisclosed deal while also signing UFA forward Ryan Johnson to a deal.

-The Colorado Avalanche signing RFA forward Wojtek Wolski to a 2 year contract.

-Carolina was busy yesterday, and they follow up today, signing newly acquired blueliner Joni Pitkanen to a 3 year contract worth 12 million dollars. It’ll pay him $3.5, $4.0 and $4.5 million in the 3 years respectively. The Canes also sign UFA blueliner Josef Melichar to a 1 year deal worth $1 million.

-The Ottawa Senators ink forward Jarkko Ruutu to a 3 year contract worth $3.9 million over 3 years. As well, the Sens sign UFA forward Shean Donovan to a 2 year contract.

-Philadelphia gets 2 players under contract, signing defenceman Randy Jones to a 2 year contract and forward Riley Cote to a 3 year contract.

-Tampa Bay makes 2 more moves, re-signing 2 RFA’s. First, forward Ryan Craig to a 2 year deal worth 1.75 million dollars. Then blueliner Janne Niskala to a 1 year deal.

-Dallas signs RFA forward BJ Crombeen to a year deal.

Rumours

-Dan Boyle could be on the move. The Tampa Bay defenceman has been linked to a number of trade rumours the last few hours. He just signed a 6 year, $40 million contract.

-Looks like we won’t be hearing about Mats Sundin to Vancouver anytime soon. His agent JP Barry made a statement today ruling out any contract signings this week, saying his client needs more time.

Final update…for now…

As of 7:58 pm MT, it looks like everything is done. Here is the COMPLETE rundown kind of in terms of importance to the Calgary market. Still some rumours, they’re at the bottom. If anything else happens, you’ll see it right here!

Comments are still welcome, it’s been a crazy day on the blog!

-The Flames acquire forward Rene Bourque from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a conditional 2nd round pick.

-Brian Campbell has signed with the Chicago Blackhawks…it’s an 8 year deal worth 56.8 million dollars, that averages out to 7.1 per season.

-The New York Rangers sign Wade Redden to a 6 year, 6.5 million dollar contract. Just under 40 million overall.

-2 big moves for Minnesota…first, they sign forward Andrew Brunette to a 3 year deal worth 7 million dollars. Wild also bring in defenceman Marek Zidlicky from Nashville in exchange for prospect Ryan Jones and a 2nd round pick. Minnesota also signs forward Craig Weller to a 2 year deal worth 1.2 million dollars.

-Oilers busy…first trading forward Raffi Torres to Columbus for forward Gilbert Brule. Then, they trade defenceman Joni Pitkanen to Carolina in exchange for forward Eric Cole.

-Colorado making a few moves. This a little surprising, signing UFA forward Darcy Tucker to a 2 year deal worth 4.5 million dollars. They also sign UFA goalie Andrew Raycroft to a 1 year contract worth 800 thousand dollars. That’s because…

-A busy day for Washington…they sign UFA goalie Jose Theodore to a 2 year contract. Roger Millions from Sportsnet is reporting the deal is worth 4.5 million dollars a season. The Caps also sign RFA defenceman to a 4 year deal worth 5.25 million a season.

-The New Jersey Devils make another move, TSN reporting the Devils signing center Brian Rolston to a 5 year deal worth 20 million dollars. As well, the Devils sign Bobby Holik to a 1 year deal worth 2.5 million dollars. The Devils also sign defenceman Bryce Salvador to a 4 year deal that works out to 2.9 million dollars a season. As well, the team signs forward Jay Pandolfo to a 3 year deal worth 7 million dollars. The Devils decline an option on forward Sergei Brylin.

-Columbus signs blueliner Mike Commodore to a 5 year, 18.75 million dollar contract.

-The Boston Bruins lock up Michael Ryder to a 3 year deal worth 12 million dollars.

-Chicago signs Cristobal Huet to a new contract, it looks like 3 years and 15 million dollars.

-The Rangers sign defenceman Michal Roszival to a 4 year deal worth 20 million dollars. Rangers also sign UFA forward Patrick Rismiller to an undisclosed deal.

-Toronto has signed UFA forward Niklas Hagman to a 4 year, 12 million dollar contract. The Leafs also signing UFA goalie Curtis Joseph to a 1 year deal worth 700 thousand dollars. The Maple Leafs sign defenceman Jeff Finger to a 4 year deal worth 3.5 million dollars a season.

-Anaheim signs RFA forward Corey Perry to a 5 year, 26.625 million dollar deal.

-The Montreal Canadiens keep forward Andrei Kostitsyn around, locking him up to a 3 year deal that averages out to 3.25 million dollars a year.

-Florida signs UFA forward Cory Stillman to a 3 year deal worth 10.6 million dollars.

-The Penguins are certainly doing some things…They sign UFA forward and former Flame Eric Godard to a 3 year deal. Also, they’ve re-signed defenceman Mark Eaton to a 2 year contract worth 2 million dollars. Pascal Dupuis signs a 3 year, 4.2 million dollar deal with the Pens. And TSN is reporting they’re very close to a long term deal with Evgeni Malkin.

-Brad Stuart is staying put…he signs a 4 year deal with Detroit worth 3.75 million a season. The Red Wings also sign UFA goalie Ty Conklin to a 1 year deal worth 750 thousand dollars.

-The New York Islanders getting in on the action…they sign defenceman Mark Streit to a 5 year contract worth 5.1 million dollars.

-Ottawa signs UFA goalie Alex Auld to a 2 year contract worth 1 million dollars per season.

-The Buffalo Sabres sign UFA goalie Patrick Lalime to a 2 year deal. Sportsnet is reporting it’s for 2 million dollars.

-The LA Kings and Philadelphia Flyers hook up on a deal…the Kings acquire blueliner Denis Gauthier and a 2nd round pick from the Flyers in exchange for 2 prospects.

-Vancouver signs UFA forward Darcy Hordicuk to a 2 year contract. The St. Louis Blues have matched Vancouver’s RFA offer sheet on David Backes, 3 years and 7.5 million dollars. Also, Vancouver signs forward Kyle Wellwood to a 1 year contract worth just under 1 million dollars.

-The Phoenix Coyotes make their first splash, signing UFA defenceman Kurt Sauer to a 4 year deal worth 1.75 million dollars a year. They also sign forward Todd Fedoruk to a 3 year contract.

-Tampa Bay Lightning sign UFA forward David Koci to a one-year, two-way contract worth $525,000 in the NHL, $100,000 in the minors. The Lightning sign UFA goalie Olaf Kolzig to a 1 year deal worth 1.5 million dollars. Also, Tampa Bay brings in UFA forward Radim Vrbata…3 years, 9 million dollars. And they sign forward Adam Hall to a 3 year deal worth 1.8 million dollars.

-The NY Rangers sign forward Aaron Voros to a deal.

-The Flyers sign 2 forwards…UFA Glen Metropolit to a 2 year deal and Nate Raduns to a 1 year deal. The Flyers also sign defenceman Ossi Vaananen to a 1 year worth 1 million dollars.

Rumours
-We’re hearing the Calgary Flames are close to signing Owen Nolan to a 2 year contract.

-According to a Rangers blog, GM Glen Sather is still open to the possibility of bringing Jaromir Jagr back.

-TSN is reporting Marian Hossa will NOT be signed tonight, it’ll have to wait till tomorrow or after. Edmonton is the frontrunner apparently.

-The Vancouver Canucks have offered Mats Sundin a 2 year deal worth 20 MILLION DOLLARS. GM Mike Gillis is confident he’ll take the deal.