Niemi accepts deal with San Jose

Former Chicago Blackhawks goalie and Stanley Cup champion Antti Niemi has decided to accept a contract with the San Jose Sharks, a source tells ESPNChicago. It’s a one-year, $2 million deal.

This tells us even more about how much it means for an individual to win a championship. People rag on Dan Marino and Jim Kelly for not winning a Super Bowl. Well if winning it all was so important to the status of an individual, how come Niemi couldn’t get a job until September? Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl in 2000 and the team rewarded him by signing Elvis Grbac.

But, we digress. Niemi was awarded a $2.75 million salary from Chicago by an arbitrator. Great, right? Nope, they decided it was too much to pay him and they passed. In some fairness to the Blackhawks, they aren’t flush with cap room.