Eastern Conference Eye Candy: Mike Comrie (Pittsburgh Penguins)

My hope was to post this last week, but it just didn't turn out that way ... but this week is as good as any (hockey hotties really never have an expiration date or go out of style!).

Mike Comrie is the newest Pittsburgh Penguins forward after signing him a few weeks back to a one-year, $500,000 contract.  It won't take you too long to realize that Comrie also "ups" the hotness factor on this already gorgeous team in addition to possibly being the next best candidate for filling the role of the all-to-infamous "winger for Sid!"

HOCKEY FACTOR:

While attending and playing collegiate hockey for the University of Michigan, Comrie was drafted 3rd in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers (91st overall).  He was one of the first players to take advantage of the loophole established by the "Van Ryn Ruling" by joining the Kootenay Ice of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2000-2001 after playing two seasons for the University of Michigan and signing with the Edmonton Oilers halfway through the season collecting a paycheck well above the league max for draftees in 2001 ($10 million for 3 years; $1.13 million / year, per year, over three years).  Prior to this ruling, NHL teams "retained the rights of drafted collegians until they leave school," but that changed in June 1999 when Michigan Wolverines defenseman Mike Van Ryn took the issue to court and an arbitrator ruled that "a player drafted off a college team could play one season of major junior hockey as an overage player (20 years old) and then become a free agent."

Since his start in the NHL and after the Oilers ultimately traded him in December 2003 to the Philadelphia Flyers, Comrie has been somewhat of a hockey transient playing with a total of four teams before returning to Edmonton in September 2009 after signing a one-year contract for $1.125 million.  His return wasn't much better than his departure as he was placed on long-term injured reserve for a bought with mononucleosis in November 2009 and not returning until February 2010.

HOTNESS FACTOR:

Mike has an older sister, Cathy, and older brother, Paul, who also played with the Edmonton Oilers for a short time prior to Mike being drafted.  His mother passed away in 1990 after a battle with cancer and their father, William (Bill), remarried extending Mike's family by a step-mother and two younger half-brothers, Eric and Ty, who share in the dream of playing in the NHL.

As a player, Mike has speed on top of skill which is where all the talk of his playing on the top line with Sid comes from.  Everyone believes those qualities as a player would make him a good fit and would enable him to keep up with Sid.  He also has alot of grit and doesn't back away from throwing down the gloves when he feels the need ... this is something that's quite attractive and has me looking forward to seeing from his this season.  The Pens could definitely use more grit to help Matt Cooke in that department!

The Comrie name is actually more synonymous with furniture in Edmonton.  It's also where Mike acquired his nickname, "the Brick," which comes from the name of the furniture company his father and uncles, Fred and John founded back in 1971 when his father was 21 years old.

Like his son, Bill himself was also a promising young hockey player, being signed by the Chicago Black Hawks, aged 16. The 1968–69 season, saw Bill playing his last year of junior hockey with his hometown Edmonton Oil Kings. In the fall of 1969, Bill was all set to attend the Black Hawks training camp, but after the untimely death of his father, Herb (Mike's grandfather), Bill immediately made the decision to cut his hockey career short, and took over the running of his father's business, to support his family.

I really don't believe that I have to mention this as I'm sure you're all well aware (but its a big part of Comrie's life) ... he recently married his longtime star girlfriend Hilary Duff this past August which will make things interesting come hockey season!!  It's actually something I'm NOT looking forward to this season (and I'm hoping she keeps her appearances at the CONSOL to a minimum)!