...may be harder than making the cut in the first place

It sometimes amazes me how quickly the player turn around in professional sports is. The team you thought you knew five years ago is likely entirely different, with only a small fraction of familiar faces remaining with the squad.

I was reminded of that while watching the highlights from the Spengler Cup over the holidays. The Spengler, the second oldest club tournament to the Stanley Cup playoffs, has been held in Davos, Switzerland since 1923. The teams are chosen by invitation only, but in recent years have included a Canadian squad made up of Canadian players who are playing for European teams at the time of the tournament, which runs between Christmas and New Years.

The majority of the players are unrecognizable to the everyday hockey fan, but to those who spent time following minor leagues, including the CHL, some names might crop up that ring a bell. But this year it wasn't the unknowns making waves- it was a couple of players that NHL fans are familiar with. Namely, Curtis Joseph.

To be honest when I realized that it really was Joseph in net for the Canadians I laughed at the quick thought of how the mighty have fallen. After CuJo's abrupt departure from the Maple Leafs in search of a Stanley Cup with the Red Wings, and his subsequent disappearing act, it came as a shock to see the Olympic medalist back on the international scene for the red and white. Not that I'm complaining, because his play was definitely reminiscent of some of his time with the Leafs in that he not only played well, but carried the team at times.

So I sat down and took a look at the current Maple Leaf roster and realized that only a handful of players remain from the days when CuJo played net - all those changes in the lifespan of your typical hamster. Some of the players have retired either by choice or due to injury, some had become free agents and left the team via that route, and some had been traded.

It's all unavoidable, but at the same time it's becoming harder than ever to get attached to a player on any given team with the ease that trades tend to take place. There are the Mats Sundin's and Steve Yzerman's who not only had longevity, but spent either all or most of their career with one team. But for each of them, there are plenty more guys who are shuffled around so much it becomes hard to keep track of their movements.

Hard to want to get attached to them - and more importantly - to shell out the big bucks to get their name and number crested on your jersey, when chances are they'll be gone in a few short years.