not quite yoda
Registered User
King'sPawn said:33 is old? Since when? Here are a few "old" players who will turn 33 by the end of this year (if they haven't already):
Zigmund Palffy
Roman Hamrlik
Alexei Yashin
Mike Rathje...
Just look at the 1992 draft and before. You'll find many 33 year-OLD players who are contributing just fine.
But all these damn old dogs... we should just take them to the back yard now and shoot them! They're on their last legs!
33 is old for a proffessional athlete.
I didn't say they are "done". I didn't say "finished". I didn't say "useless".
These days a player who is 27 or 28 and who has been in the league for a few years is a veteran. At 33 you are not only a veteran but the end of your career is likely somewhere in the horizon. You think about it, getting one last big contract, or joining a contender to gain that elusive championship ring.
Nolan, in particular due to his style of play, ware and tear, and consequent injuries, is old at 33. He is an old 33. Look at Team Canada. They put him on the SLC team in 2002. And what since then? They decided to go "young" for the WC of hockey in 2004. They didn't even consider him for the World championships. They took "youngsters" like Morrow ahead of Nolan. They took "stars" like Fischer and Maltby ahead of him.
Nolan is clearly not what he once was. He is not the same player he was in 2001 or 2002. He certainly isn't a young player. So what does that leave us with?