Thanks...i'll go read tht now. here's an article
that was in the Toronto Sun today.<br><br>THE MARKOV
EXCELLENCE<br>Steve Simmons<br><br>There is blood still evident in
Danny Markov's left<br>eye, scar tissue all over his
forehead, two scrapes<br>across his cheeks, an open gash on
his left arm,<br>two scars below his lips.<br><br>And
he happens to think he looks just fine.<br><br>"I
feel very well," said the former Leaf, his
face<br>looking like a Halloween costume. "Life is
good."<br><br>This is no trick or treat. Just another odd
decision<br>by the Maple Leafs. They took a young defenceman
who<br>thought diving face first in front of an Al
MacInnis<br>slapshot was part of the job description and sent
him<br>to the Phoenix Coyotes.<br><br>For Robert Reichel
and Travis Green of all people.<br><br>For one guy
who wasn't playing in the league and<br>another who
was but nobody was noticing.<br><br>Let's just say
the Phoenix people are doing everything<br>humanly
possible not to be seen chuckling over this<br>one. But as
Phoenix assistant coach Rick Bowness<br>said yesterday:
"I've coached Robert Reichel and I've<br>coached Danny
Markov. Let's just say I like our end of<br>the
deal."<br><br>He was trying to be nice. But as he talks
about<br>Markov, he speaks with a big smile on his
face.<br><br>That is a common thing with the Coyotes. Ask
anyone<br>about Danny Markov and you get a huge smile before
you<br>get a story, and always you get a
story.<br><br>"We're playing in Columbus the other night and
Danny<br>takes a shot between the eyes from Kevin
Dineen,"<br>general manager Michael Barnett said. "He's there<br>and
there's this pool of blood and he needs 40<br>stitches
across the skull and I'm worried it's some<br>kind of
eye injury.<br><br>CRAZY NUT<br><br>"The trainer
calls up to me in the press box and tells<br>me it
looks pretty bad. This is a Tuesday night.
The<br>trainer tells me, 'I don't think he'll play<br>Thursday
but maybe he'll be ready or Saturday.'<br><br>"And as
he's saying this, he stops talking for a<br>moment and
says, 'Forget it, Danny just went back on<br>the ice.
That crazy (nut) went back on the ice.' "<br><br>That
crazy nut was sent packing from Toronto for
two<br>reasons, neither of which can be completely
explained.<br>The first was the Leafs' excitement over
Reichel.<br>They thought he was a big-time player just waiting
to<br>explode again. Turns out, they thought wrong.<br><br>They
also thought Markov, 25, was headed for the
big<br>explosion. Not on the ice, but off. While no one
in<br>management would come right out and say it, there<br>was
enough dirt spilled on Markov after he was traded<br>to
leave a trail heading west. Concerns were
raised<br>about his lifestyle, his supposed habits,
his<br>reliability.