FanHouse DallasDrake

Now that Detroit's Dallas Drake finally had the Stanley Cup ring he so desired, it was a good time for him to call it quits and sail off into the sunset after over 1000 NHL games.

He also took the time to take a little well-deserved potshot at NFL QB Brett "I Can't Pronounce My Own Surname Correctly" Favre.

"I'm a little disappointed in Brett right now," Drake said. "If he comes back I want him to come back and play for Green Bay. But no, you don't have to worry about me doing that."

I was rather surprised that the Wings bothered to pick up Drake last season, given his age (almost 40!) and the fact that he is long removed from his best days on the ice. The guy put up only 12 points in 2006-07.

As we know, the Wings collective is great at assimilating all sorts of players into their lineup, and Drake performed adequately in his fourth-line role, giving the Wings experience, defensive presence, and leadership. Certainly, Drake had to be doing something right to justify his regular spot in the lineup while producing about as much offense as Luke Richardson.

While Wings fans may remember Drake fondly, I'll always remember "Dirty Dallas" as being one of the nastier players in the NHL. Drake had a penchant for leaving his feet to make a hit, and leaving the scene of the crime before he could face the music.

While Dallas Drake has my respect as a warrior and tough little bugger, I don't think the NHL will really miss his headhunting ways.

It didn't take "Dirty" Dallas Drake long to find work after being bought out by the St. Louis Blues.

His new destination? Detroit Red Wings, the division rival with which he started out his long NHL career.

"He's a very physical player who will add grit to our lineup and make our team even more difficult to play against," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said in a statement. "He's a veteran player, and you can never have enough experience and leadership on a team."

At this point in his career, Dallas Drake is an absolute zero on offence.

SEASON TEAM GP G A PTS
03-04 STL 79 13 22 35
05-06 STL 62 2 24 26
06-07 STL 60 6 6 12

The benefit? Dallas Drake can still kill penalties (he led Blues' forwards in PK time last season), get under the skin of opposing players, and generally be a pain in the ass.

Detroit has always been extremely good at bringing in tossed-away players (Larry Murphy, Joey Kocur, and Daniel Cleary, for example) and getting the most out of them in specific roles. Just don't expect more than 10-15 points.

The St. Louis Blues made a shocking move as they put 38-year old captain Dallas Drake on waivers with the intention of buying him out and clearing a little bit of cap space if he goes unclaimed.

Given how hard Drake worked night in and night out for the Blues, and given their lack of leadership, it's somewhat strange that they would boot their captain out the door.

The Blues say the move wasn't about saving money. Rather, they need the roster spot heading into training camp. Several of the Blues' young players, such as D.J. King, will need to clear waivers this season to be sent to Peoria, and the Blues don't want to risk losing them.

"We tried to make deals during the draft to open up roster spots, and we couldn't make any deals," Blues President John Davidson said. "If we could have found ways to open up more spots with certain deals, then we wouldn't have to worry so much about our 23-man roster. If you look at our roster, there's only a couple of spots open for free agents and we need a couple of free agents, if we can."

Dallas Drake's offensive production slipped to a mere 12 points in 60 games last season, and it was clear that he was a one-dimensional defensive forward. Still, he led the Blues' forwards in PK ice time, and was still able to get under the skin of many opposing scoring stars. It's not as if he wasn't without SOME value.

Fine, the Blues want to clear a roster spot for a younger player with more upside. I understand that. But, DJ King? A goon that had just 9 points in 38 AHL games? What's the use?

Drake would make a good 4th liner on a team willing to give him a spot, but the old fart may want to retire, instead of making the league minimum and playing a greatly diminished role.