Carter finally speaks
Daily News Flyers blog
Carter finally speaks
Jeff Carter has finally spoken.
After the Columbus Dispatch reported that the Blue Jackets sent an envoy that included general manager Scott Howson, coach Scott Arniel and captain Rick Nash here to speak to a radio silent Carter, the former Flyers leading scorer has finally addressed his stunning trade.
"You feel anger and betrayal and all of the emotions that go along with being traded," Carter told the Columbus Dispatch. "Sometimes it's best to just sit back and think about what you're going to say than get right out there and say things that you'll regret.
"My decision to not talk had absolutely nothing to do with being traded to Columbus. I know that it's a team that has struggled in the past but there's a great future. I'm excited to be there, to be a part of it."
The two sides reportedly met for 90 minutes on Monday at his beach house in Sea Isle City, N.J.
“It was great," Carter said. "I really appreciate them making the trip down here to come see me. It shows a lot on their part, that they’re excited to have me. We talked for a while about the team, their direction. We talked about the city.
“Just sitting down and talking with them, it got me real excited, and wishing the season would start a little earlier.”
EARLIER: (provided for perspective on how tough it was to get Carter to talk)
As of Saturday, no member of the Columbus Blue Jackets organization – save a small text message exchange with captain Rick Nash – including general manager Scott Howson had any contact with Jeff Carter.
Carter was dealt last Thursday.
On Monday, the Blue Jackets decided to take the matter into their own hands, sending an envoy of club personnel to Philadelphia to meet with the player who is supposed to be the new face of their franchise.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, team majority owner John P. McConnell, Howson, Nash, and former Flyer R.J. Umberger were flying to Philadelphia today to try and seek out Carter.
Carter has also yet to publicly address his stunning trade.
Carter’s agent, Rick Curran, who said last Friday that the Flyers had given his client re-assurance as soon as early last week that he would not be traded, said he believes Carter will play for Columbus.
“I don’t think it’s going to be an issue,” Curran told the Dispatch.
He is set to begin an 11-year, $58 million contract with Columbus on July 1.
Holmgren denied on Friday night that he had told Carter he would not be traded during their face-to-face meeting.
“I was in the room,” Holmgren said. “That’s not how I would describe the conversation.”
Here’s more from the Dispatch, with two separate stories about the vibe of Carter blowing off his new town and team, imploring the disappointed 26-year-old to “act like a grown-up:”
“It's hard for me to fathom that his agent, Rick Curran, hasn't produced some sort of press release including Carter quotes. You know, something along the lines of ‘I'm very excited for a new opportunity, and I can't wait to get settled in Columbus.’
Trust me, agents have been cranking out ‘quotes’ like this for many years now.
I've spoken to five agents about this situation. They can't believe it. One said: ‘He's got to turn off his emotions for 10 minutes and make a phone call.’
-Columbus Dispatch Blue Jackets beat reporter Aaron Portzline.
“Carter could help reverse the trend by simply doing what most traded players do in these situations - act like a grown-up. It's easy to understand why he is ticked at the Flyers; he signed an 11-year contract with the team because he wanted to be in Philadelphia, and had been told that the trade rumors were only that: rumors. But Carter's petulance is undermining Howson's efforts to improve the team that he is going to play for and if he doesn't at least act like he wants to be here, Carter might even doom it to more losing.
Early in the franchise's history, Columbus was actually a destination for some players. Many saw a bright hockey future in a clean, livable city with an underrated night life and a great family atmosphere. The city hasn't changed, but poor draft picks, bad decisions and a history of losing have made the franchise harder and harder to sell.
The Carter deal should help the team tremendously, but it only added to the team's perception problem. As unfair as it must seem to Howson, he is back at the plate with the game on the line again.” -Columbus Dispatch columnist Bob Hunter.
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Comments (95)
Cater is very salty there aren't as many fine ladies in OH as there are in the Greater Philadelphia area. PLUS he just bought a house in Sea Isle City....to "train"— westchesterhky
Comment removed.- Jealous much? — flyers0100
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- Carter signed an 11 year deal with a no trade clause that started in 2012! Whether holmgren told him las tweek that eh would or would not be traded is silly, because if he wanted a no trade clause, he should have insisted it start immediately !(in 2010)
I have never been a big fan of carter or richards, in large part because they always seemed to act as if they had already one something (more than a calder cup) when in fact they really had never won anything. that is why (in my opinion) the team always played better when on the ropes, but seemed to let up when things got comfortable. It was as if now that they had the lead, the other team(s) wasn't good enough to catch them. The Finals in 2010 was an aberration, this team with the 2 of them was a consistently underachieving team in the playoffs, which is where heart and character mean more than talent. I think carter is showing just how much of a pampered professional he became as opposed to the general hard working hockey players we still like to believe in. I believe this trade will help the team, because i think the attitude that they (the whole team) were better than they were had hurt this team for a long time, and i think 17 & 18 were the prime reasons for that attitude. From remember the titans, "that's the worst attitude I ever heard" " Attitude reflects leadership , captain."— doc al 
Carter = Immature— Kevinmac- Comment removed.
- I am guessing that his salary as a professional hockey player would allow him to buy or rent in Columbus and still maintain his Sea Isle City home for the off-season.— boris
- Life is tough— FABER
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- He found out there are no hair bleaching facikities in Columbus ... at least none for men ... so he is throwing a tantrum.— RussOCNJ
- Columbus has an "underrated night life"??? Who knew— hey buddy
- I would spend 11 years in Siberia for 58 million dollars. Trade is already worth it.
- ^ — sla6yer
- I'm reminded of Bobby Clarke's classic quote regarding Eric Lindros, when dealing with Big E and his overbearing Mom and Dad: "What a baby."
The Blue Jackets have actually sent out a search party to find their new superstar?!? What a joke. You can't make this stuff up! Hint to Mr. Howson: you'll find Jeff in The Party Cave in Sea Isle City in the fetal position on the floor crying."
This Carter train wreck in Columbus is gonna be fun to watch for all of us here.
Good luck, Blue Jackets.— AFlyers66 - ROFL! — Romus
- Bring pictures of your wives. He'll come.— youknowitstrue
- And there wasn't a locker room problem? Thanks for clearing that up, Mr. Carter!— dave1walsh
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- ///Cater is very salty there aren't as many fine ladies in OH as there are in the Greater Philadelphia area.///
Having just moved back to Philly after spending 3.5 years in Columbus, I can attest that there are many, many fine looking ladies in Columbus.— General Turgidson - Just sign Gagne now!— Fabulous
- BOOHOOHOO, Maybe he should have spent a little more time in the locker room and less time in the bedroom..— ethicaloversite
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- "The Finals in 2010 was an aberration, this team with the 2 of them was a consistently underachieving team in the playoffs"
2008- went to conf. final
2009- lost to eventual champ penguins
2010- went to cup final
2011- blew it
i'm as disappointed with the latest results as anyone, but aside from this year, when exactly was this a team of underachievers?
— mrkmcc - Awwwwwww poor Jeff Carter. He he played as hard as he tried to get women he'd be a Stanley Cup champion. Pack your bags and get out of town as quickly as possible. You are done here, Mr. Big Shot.— Ferrell31
- Old City is going to go out of business with Richards and Carter gone.— heatmiser
- I was never on the fence about the Carter deal - but this just cements the reason as to why he was traded. I can't wait for the first time that Nash is in a perfect position to score waiting for a pass from Carter and he totally ignores him and takes one of his patented zero percentage shots from the blue line. Good luck Columbus dealing with this child.— CTL
- Cell phone reception is terrible in La Costa. No wonder it took them until Monday to get a hold of Carter.— Young Baller
- If the fans believe anything that Holmgren says is a fool. He is a mere puppet of the a-hole Snider. Holmgren all over the Philly papers said he had no intent in trading Carter. If your pro Carter or not or have no opinion, believe me as a 40 year season ticket holder the Flyer management is full of sh-t. If the Flyers had someone else in goal in game 6 other then Leighton and took the BlackHawks to game 7 all you iddiots would be saying what a hero Carter and Gagne were coming back so soon from injury. What, so Carter felt betrayed as did Richards. What did that have to do with money. They both could have got as much or more if they became a free agent instead of taking the Flyers offer. I wish the best of luck to them next year. Look for the Kings with Richards to be in the cup finals next year. Are you people happy the Flyers let Umberger go and instead sign Shelley, Carcello, Nodl? The Flyers after signing the goalie still have to sign the others they received who are restricted free agants. After that how much money do think they,ll have left to sign other free agents especially since Holmgren says he will sign Leino, Nodl,and Powe. They'll be no money to even try to sign Stampos or Richards. Get ready for project start over AGAIN!!!!!!!— Howard32
- Howard32 - so Snider is an a-hole and Holmgren his puppet etc. etc. Does that make you the village idiot for being a 40 season ticket holder? If you feel that strongly about the organization - why waste all that money? Go be someone elses anti-fan. — CTL
- There were rumors toward the end of the boston series and everything being implied was that Carter was a goner,If he had shown up in the buf series and remember when he didn't practice?? He's in Cokunbus for that reason,— jimmyanon
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F Jeff Carter. he was as overrated a player as any who passed through this town. he was the classic bobby abreau type of player - puts up great numbers and from the outside looks like an allstar, but when you watch him day in and day out, his contributions are quite hollow. and now that he has reacted like a little bi#ch over the trade, i've lost even more respect for him. enjoy columbus, enjoy last place, and be careful with those freshman girls from osu - some might still only be 17.— CosmoK- The most awkward moment of the whole meeting was when the coach and GM had to step over Scottie Upshall, who was out cold on Carter's kitchen floor.— Young Baller
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- So how long before you guys start ripping on Giroux and JvR? Philly has a really ugly fan base.— MissMolly
- "Carter down the right side, over the blue line, shoots a wrister from just outside the blue-line, and WIIIIIIDE of the net, and it travels all the way back around and into Philly's zone"
Phew, glad I wont be hearing that again...— xone9 - I think you need to qualify the statement about Ed Snider being a caring owner...ask any Sixers fan. And, thats MISTER Snyder to you. I do like the way he spent pre-cap days, but the man is a bit holier than thou....— dirttracker
- Jeffy--I felt anger and betrayal after every playoff game where you didn't show up......Good Riddance, I hear they have a good tattoo parlor in Columbus where you can trade some sticks for the word "Absent" over your heart.— IdahoMoose
- Carter has some serious baggage. Why didn't we get him help? He is going nowhere without it.— LaCroix,Nolet,Gendron
- Holmgren deserves credit for finally getting rid of this dead weight. $58M sure does buy a lot of hair frosting there Cartsy!— CFA
- Carter leads the league in springing 2 on 1's for the opposing team. I swear to you that he completed less than 1 pass per game this past year.— sla6yer
- Unreal. Carter and Richie had a good thing and they screwed it up. Make no mistake about it Homer stabbed Cater in the back and had no choice but to trade Richards after that bc he knew Richards would be nothing but trouble after that. Thats great their traded and all ...I thought after they signed their big contracts they were lazy. Carter pads his stats with empty net goals and Richie I think really hates Pronger and Lavy.
The Flyers continuously trade offense and get nothing back. They will not be better this year.
Gone
Lupol
Asham
Gagne
Umberger
Upshall
Knuble
Richards
Carter
Same Drama in Flyer land
The Big E vs Clarkie
Richie/Cater vs Homer
— BringBackTheGuffaw - Off topic.
Powe was traded.. Our journalists are a little late. \
Like always.— Nitroglycerin - ...I wonder who you clowns are gonna put the blame on next year ?— petemagoop
- i wish Jeff Carter the best. he is a great player. i don't know if i could have handled this any better when i was in my mid-twenties. it is an unfortunate situation all around. i can't say that he shouldn't have been traded, but i know that he was not the only one who could have handled this better. Snyder needs to sell the team. i've had enough of his impulsive emotional and stupid decisions. he is the one constant factor in the 37 year-long no-cup streak.— stonelamb
- These fans are bi-polar, he sucks, but we'll miss him, good bye mr. immature lazy woman chaser, oh my god we traded away all our offense, Snyder is an elitist jerk but spends, we need a goalie, if we only had a goalie, omg he's 31 and past his prime. If only they could have traded away half the ungrateful puck hopping wanna be fans. You got a top notch goalie locked down behind the best D in the NHL, got great prospects, draft picks and money cap space to resign, and sign other pieces. They will contend, they did get better. Take a pill— TexasYankee
- @nitroglycerin: You are dead right, he was traded to Wild for 3rd round pick in 2013. I found it at tsn.ca, I share your frustration on why other sites are working to get the info out harder than philly.com— drbob1
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- The unhinged anger and jealousy expressed by some of you is truly comical. And more than a little creepy. Freaks.— Jerome99RIP
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- It's a shame reading some of the remarks of you people. Seems 90% ( i'm guessing fans in the USA and NOT in Canada ) just don't get what is going on and think he is mainly upset because he will not be living the night life in Philly. Maybe best to stick with the eagles or phillies so you can get a better understanding of a sport. Guessing that hockey and human emotions are never big in the USA.— Crayonic
- I think, by Carter's reaction, that the Flyers made a good move with this trade. It's also about time that the coach got added security instead of a spoiled player.— 76erfn
- I felt angry and betrayed, too, with the way he played this post season. I'm glad he's gone!— erniebanks14
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- A little more committment and a lot less drinking and late nights there Mr. circles!!— sawgrass
- JC - enjoy the Buckeye babes..— M60tanker
Get over it Jeff Carter. Maybee if you stayed healthy and did not miss so many open nets you would still be a Flyer. You need to learn to stop partying with your boy Mike Richards too. Im glad the Flyers got rid of these guys honestly.— briandawkins20- CARTER NEEDS TO GET OVER IT. "IT'S A BUSINESS".....— mrjarn
- I'm so glad to be done with this big baby - waaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
Whine all the way to the bank you baby.
And, Jeff, what do they say - An Cleveland/Columbus 10 is a Philly 7 and an LA 3. I think that is the true problem here - the quality of the tail he'll be chasing is going to be dramatically poorer than what he has been sniffing in Olde City and down in Sea Isle City!!!
Good riddance!— cdk104 - Told ya he was a punk...buh bye!!!— Phillyfan666
This whole "anger and betrayal" thing is being blown way out of proportion. He didn't rant about the trade. He was asked his feelings when he heard about the trade and he answered honestly. Who wouldn't feel that way, at least right off the bat, no matter how much money you make. It would have been better if he'd put a positive face on from the beginning, but just keeping his mouth shut for a couple of days was the next-best thing. mrjarn: I THINK HE ALREADY IS OVER IT, JUDGING FROM WHAT HE SAID ABOUT WANTING THE SEASON TO START......— 1980- I guess the guy bled orange and black. I'd be pissed too.— drog
- I won't miss him... and there was no way to save face for Richards. We'll be fine.— kjuggs77
- Maybe Riley Cote's ex-wife Holly can console him in Columbus. She lives in Ohio now.— Philly Phan
- This is exactly why they traded him and why we have complained about him. He is thin skinned and very immature. And it shows exactly how badly the Flyers have pampered Carter and Richards. I CANT wait until the Richards and Carter marks get to see the new Flyers play. Richards will continue to be a 70 point player into the final years of his contract. Carter, MAYBE strikes 25 goals in a season in a place he isnt happy. Philly was Carter and Richards perfect fit. The whole hockey world will see how over rated we made these two players. If you dont think so, LOOK AND LISTEN to the language in these interviews. Carter KNOWS he is toast.— silrock27
- Contender....per the CBA, Carter nor Richards were eligible to have a NTC until 2012 when they would've been eligible to be an UFA.— CarterRocks
- The only thing Carter proved from all this drama is that Homer made the right call. Beleive me, this trade was good for all parties and perhaps what he needed. Personally, I don't beleive he will ever reach full potential. By the way, if you have to ask your boss where you stand, I guarantee that you stand on the outside. Get a clue Carter and fire that dumb agent of yours........Later.— Voytas
- What a pathetic loser. If Carter could make as good passes to women as he made to his poor, anticipating wingers, he might have been a decent 2nd line center. Instead, this clown couldn't pass the puck to save his life. There may have never been an NHL center with less hockey IQ and vision than this creep.— 33 YRS & COUNTING
- Anyone want to lay some blame at Holmgren's feet for his initial mistake of a long-term contract for this guy? I realize he's corrected the problem now, but seriously he didn't know all this before offering an 11 year contract?— kmon
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- Can we get some more Sea Isle jokes going here?— PattheBat
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- Somehow I can't feel sorry for someone making 58 million $$$. I could overlook a lot for that kind of money, where ever I play. Carter has to put things in perspective and get over it.— dogman5
- "You feel anger and betrayal and all of the emotions that go along with being traded,"
What is he, a 14 year old girl that was just dumped by her first boyfriend? Just substitute the word dumped for traded, and there you have it. Wow, what a 5 letter word for cat.— mjc1 - He wanted to cool off before he said anything. Not a big problem in my book. I would not be surprised if both of these guys went on to bigger and better things now that they are separated. Homer definitely rolled the dice. Whether you think we are a better team now you can't dent that we pretty much knew what Carter and Richards were going to bring to the team and the new players are a bit of a mystery
— hillbillybirdsfan - All you people are acting as if Carter is the reason your flyers keep choking in the playoffs, how about get a goalie that can stop a puck? You haven't had one since Hextall left...— PhilliefaninAZ
- part of the reason why Im glad hes gone. Look at him, hes sitting in sea isle sulking instead of being a man and talking to his new team. Get over it Carter. I used to think you were good until I saw the fraud you were, phoning it in each and every playoffs while other guys are laying out having their heads smashed by pucks and making unbelievable plays. You will not be missed, while Richards will get a standing O when he comes back.— theeman1
- I don't think Homer was set to trade Carter. Richards, yes. Then the opportunity dropped into his lap and he saw it as the chance to free up a bundle of cap room. Also, how would Carter play without his twin, Richards? Why keep him around for 10 years if he was going to mope.— mike l
- This only confirms what many suspected. Can you imagine why there was a problem in the room? We had Bong Hit Lupul, Party Boy Upshall, Carter and Richards. Can you imagine why Pronger, a future hall of famer was pissed? He trains and takes the game seriously. He comes in and see the party posse going out everynight and gets a little ticked? No wonder.— blackknight
- ...you know squat — petemagoop
- Am I missing something? What is wrong with a young single professional athlete with a nice bank account chasing women? Can you say your all jealous.— delcodanno
- ...they have to blame someone — petemagoop
- You know, the guy had set down roots here in this area and genuinely loves the area. Put yourself in his position for a moment and maybe you will have some compassion for the guy. He's given all he has to the Flyers and probably feels betrayed. I think he showed some maturity by holding his tongue in a very, very difficult situation. The immaturity seem, IMO to be coming from the posters here. Grow up guys.— djlen
- You know, the guy had set down roots here in this area and genuinely loves the area. Put yourself in his position for a moment and maybe you will have some compassion for the guy. He's given all he has to the Flyers and probably feels betrayed. I think he showed some maturity by holding his tongue in a very, very difficult situation. The immaturity seem, IMO to be coming from the posters here. Grow up guys.— djlen
- The problem is that Clarke dominates this front office still. He boils with envy at guys like Richards and Carter, who have already made in a half season what he made in his entire career, and wont have to carry water for the organeyezation for the rest of their natural lives, like "Clarkie" will— GoCowboys
- Let me give you bunch of orange bleeding fans some reality..........when the emperor speaks clarke and holmgren act. I have seen it all from cagey to rammer to the present day theatrics. If he can shred Jay??...... Ed was lucky to catch Bernie in a 2 year period where he was out of this world. He has destroyed much in his quest to go back there and if you think some of the bs fed to you the mindless robots will hold true - them check back in 2-3 years. There is a reason why we have had essentially 2 GM's since Keith Allen stepped aside.......the network that broadcasts his games is owned by him - the announcers and staff members all over csn are his - next round it'll be we need more speed and offense and puck handling blah - blah - blah - where is the assessment of the trades and moves........go read the hockey news and learn something about the sport.............team is further - not closer to the cup........— Northcountry
- Bingo, Northcountry. Maybe next year they will blame Leon Stickle again for blowing the offsides call— GoCowboys
- why isn't the word "Ed" in anybody's vocabulary down there. It is like a third grade class when everyone can't refer to him by his name but by some royal title. Try more fiber in your diet guys— GoCowboys
- It's a business. Get over it! Look at Gretzky, he was upset but he went on and still won in other places— Flyers_70
- Clarkie hung with the boys while they drank beers and still won TWO CUPS. Holmer, please stop annointing these guys saviors and handing out 11 year contracts? Did you not learn from Lindros, who was 100X the player these clowns were. JVR is at an elite camp with Pronger's trainer and Jeff is playing grab as*S with Susie Shoobie in Sea Isle. They should THANK Holmer for guaranteeing that their sorry punk immature shells will get PAID millions of dollars for YEARS to come, even if they're buried in the AHL. and that's unlikely due to the new "hard floor" miniumum...some team will always need an overpaid clown to drive up their salary cap. Paul Holmer says you're welcome for your million dollar paychecks.— MichaelZoe
- 14 goals in 47 playoffs games. Good riddance. Have fun getting your tips frosted in scenic Columbus.— largato
- Amen, to that! I did not understand the 11 year contract--at all. Frankly, I was disappointed they gave him any kind of contract.— Herdman
- Heard the Old City bars were having a New Orleans wake now that there 2 best customers are gone. Can somebody confirm that one of these two jokers also put water on Ed Snider's chair at some function and he sat in it???
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