Hockey Recon

LW's NHL Road Trip 2011 (Final Part)

2011-11-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

Final game of the trip. Looking for a four-game winning streak. Here was Part Six.

Game #7: Winnipeg Jets 0-3 New York Rangers

Predictably, far fewer Jets jerseys in the crowd than there were Canadiens jerseys last night. The fans must have opted to spend all their ticket money to sit under a leaking ceiling on Long Island. Understandable choice.
During the anthems, somebody unfurls a banner reading: "2012 END FED RON PAUL". I'm not heavily into U.S. politics, but it seems odd that Ruslan Fedotenko's contract status would be such a prominent issue for Republicans.
After the excitement of last night's game, it seems back-to-back games for both teams is showing. The first period is unremarkable, notable only for one crazy sequence in Marty Biron's goalmouth in which the puck is stopped on the goal-line two or three times and ends up with every player on the ice bar Jets goalie Ondřej Pavelec either in or right around the crease. Dustin Byfuglien does a passable impression of an NFL fullback leaping over the pile at the goal-line, but cannot force the football to break the plane.
The second period is almost equally unremarkable, notable only for Derek Stepan's PP goal to open the scoring.
A bit more interesting in the third. Three quick Jets penalties, give the Rangers the opportunity to get booed for failing to score on an extended 5-on-3 PP. (Actually not that bad a PP - Pavelec mostly responsible for the lack of scoring.) Then Marián Gáborik converts on a 2-on-1 rush led by the recently excellent Derek Stepan.
Late Jets pressure is pretty sporadic and Gáborik seals the game in the last seconds with a lob wedge backhand empty netter. Biron earns his first shutout as a Ranger and continues his strong start to the season.
Signs of the tenuous strength of the financial support provided by Winnipeg fans are revealed when two of them duck the fare barriers at the crowded subway station rather than face the outrageous $2.50 cost.

So, another winning record for the Rangers during my trip. They look a far better team than the one that struggled throughout the majority of the seven-game international road trip that preceded the homestand, if still a bit fortunate to earn as many points as they did.

Still a few questions to be answered too, such as:

When will Marc Staal recover and return to the line-up?
Will Dan Girardi die of exhaustion if that doesn't happen soon?
When will "Sausage Boss by Andrew Carmellini" finally open at MSG?

LW's NHL Road Trip 2011 (Part Six)

2011-11-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the penultimateness. Here was Part Five.

Game #6: Montréal Canadiens 3-5 New York Rangers

Beaucoup trop de partisans des Habitants ici.
I'm surprised to see that somebody actually purchased one of these monstrosities:
(Meaning the style of jersey. Nobody would be stupid enough to pay lots of money for an actual Gomez, right?)
Bad news for the ~~Canadiens~~ Rangers is that Gomez is still injured and will not play. The Rangers do ice the best two players involved in the Gomez trade: Ryan McDonagh and No Gomez.
An interesting start, as Mike Blunden flattens a speeding Brandon Dubinsky by the Habs' bench, sparking a huge get-together. "Clean" hit from Blunden, had it not been for the fact that he jumped off the bench early to make the hit.
After Ryan Callahan and Blunden fight and a separate one between Mike Sauer and Petteri Nokelainen (the latter two receiving game misconducts), we emerge with a 5-on-3 PP for two minutes to the Rangers, on which Erik Christensen capitalises.
Well into the game, we finally see a shift for returning hero, Sean Avery. First time I've heard grown men squeal with excitement at MSG.
The first period ends 3-0 Rangers, the third goal a particularly good one, a shot block by Dan Girardi leading to a rush the other way, capped by a great pass from Derek Stepan to a streaking Michael Del Zotto to beat Carey Price.
As expected, the Habs score early in the second period and pull to within a goal midway through the period on a 5-on-3 PP of their own, courtesy of Brian Gionta's wonky sense of balance as much as anything worth penalising.
After surviving more than one shot off the post and some dangerous rushes from the apparently not-dead-yet Erik Cole, things become more comfortable for the Rangers as Brad Richards wires one past Price late in the second.
The game tightens up considerably in the final frame, but a frantic finish is ensured once Gionta get his customary goal against the Rangers with two minutes to go.
Captain Callahan eases nerves with the empty-netter, the puck amusingly being followed into the goal by Garden crowd favourite, P.K. Subban, spinning on his derrière.

Next up: The homestand and my trip ends with the visit of Dystugien Bufflin and the Jetlanta Thrasherpegs.

LW's NHL Road Trip 2011 (Part Five)

2011-11-04T15:43:00.000-07:00

Recalled back to the NHL grind. Here was the AHL experience of Part Four.

Game #5: Anaheim Ducks 1-2(SO) New York Rangers

Back in the ~~cheap~~ moderately less obscenely expensive seats for this one. Hence, not surrounded by corporate no-shows / BlackBerry idiots.
Instead, I'm sat next to somebody who talks loudly non-stop for the entire game, none of which is about the game or hockey generally, except for: "I ****ing hate the ****ing Montréal Canadiens. Not only are they from Montréal, but they are ****ing Canadians."
After a pretty poor game between the two teams in Stockholm four weeks ago, much of this one is similarly uneventful, the Ducks mustering only two shots in the first period.
The Rangers open the scoring through the increasingly Paul Coffey-like Jeff Woywitka, before the moustache-free George Parros is again engaged in a not-at-all-staged fight on the restart, the Bahama Bomber, Andre Deveaux taking the place that Mike Rupp filled in Stockholm and proving less like a Parros punchbag.
It's tied after 40 minutes thanks to Bobby Ryan wiring a screened wrister high past Henrik Lundqvist.
A more eventful third period sees the Ducks carry most of the play, Ryan Callahan missing a shorthanded breakaway with no Duck skater within 60 feet of him (his only breakaway/shootout move failing him), and both goalies playing well.
A fairly crazy OT session somehow ends without a winner, before the completely unexpected sight of Marián Gáborik (2-for-19 career record coming in) scoring in the shootout and Bobby Ryan this time not fanning the final attempt past Lundqvist.

Next up: Having not played a Canadian team for an incredible stretch of two games, the Rangers face the ****ing Montréal ****ing Canadiens. Will the MSG crowd get the chance to shower the usual acclaim on returning hero, Scott Gomez?

LW's NHL* Road Trip 2011 (Part Four)

2011-11-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

*Apart from this bit, which is an AHL Road Trip. Here was Part Three.

A travel snafu prevented my planned attendance at the Devils-Leafs game in the evening. I hope Marty Brodeur's return performance was as amusing for those in person as it appeared to be on TV.

Game #4: Connecticut Whale 3-4 (OT) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

A 90-minute train journey from Manhattan for an 11am faceoff. Not my usual kind of trip.
The reason for the early start: Some sort of schoolkids promotion. So, a few thousand kids in the stands make the atmosphere one part hockey game, nine parts Justin Bieber concert.
A completely indecipherable P.A. system and unfamiliarity with many of the players will make it tougher than normal to keep up. And to know when the building is being evacuated.
Line-up news:
- The Whale are now Avery-less (must've been publicised somewhere), but still feature recent Ranger demotions Tim Erixon, Kris Newbury and Mats Zuccarello-Aasen. The mini-Fishsticks include Nino Niederreiter and the overwhelmingly talented Trevor Gillies.
- Kevin Poulin versus Cam Talbot in net - no start for Chad "Dos Nueve" Johnson (apparently "Tres Cero" in the minors)
Why does the typeface on Calvin de Haan's nameplate say: dE HAAN?
The Whale's first goal (Jonathan Audy-Marchessault from Mats Zuccarello-Aasen and Tim Erixon) smashes the record for most letters combining on a goal I've seen.
Gillies (who doesn't appear to even get a regular shift at this level) takes an appropriately dumb penalty, leading to the stuff of nightmares: Wade Redden as the PP quarterback.
The between period T-shirt toss produces a painfully shrill noise.
A fight between Micheal (sic) Haley and Stu Bickel is broken up almost as soon as it starts, while doing so, the linesman presumably screaming "Won't somebody please think of the children?!"
The Whale take a 3-1 lead early in the third, the goal (Jonathan Audy-Marchessault from Mats Zuccarello-Aasen and John Mitchell) smashing the record for most letters combining on a goal I've seen, if falling just short on the syllables equivalent.
Showing impressive dedication to becoming Rangers, the Whale then blow their lead over the last 11 minutes and lose in OT, the Tigers' Tim Wallace completing his hat-trick on the winner.

Next up: Back to MSG for yet another intense clash for the Rangers against a hated divisional rival, the Anaheim Ducks.

LW's NHL Road Trip 2011 (Part Three)

2011-11-01T15:51:00.000-07:00

Here is Part Three. Here was Part Two.

Game #3: San Jose Sharks 2-5 New York Rangers

Right off the opening faceoff, Brandon Prust and Ryane Clowe "tangle". Approximately 10 minutes of pirouetting and helmet punching ends with the pair almost landing on top of Pierre McGuire in his usual spot ~~licking Mike Richards' shoes~~ between the benches.
News of Sean Avery's impending recall and the Rangers not actually losing at the time make the (mostly failed) attempts to start the "We want Avery" chant more confusing than ever.
Ryan McDonagh: 1-0. Scott Gomezhahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Brandon Dubinsky and Derek Stepan somehow exploit Colin White's legendary footspeed to make it 2-0 in the first; the Rangers looking strangely competent.
However, it's tied midway through the second period, the tying goal by Logan Couture coming at the end of a shift of six or seven minutes of the crack Jeff Woywitka-Steve Eminger pairing being trapped in their own end by the Sharks' top line.
Not tied for long as, befitting of a player who looks like Joe Sakic for one game every two months (Joe Sakic's wife for the rest), Erik Christensen makes two great passes on goals by Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov.
In the final minute of the second period, Callahan makes a spectacular stretch/dive from behind the net to poke home a rebound and give the Rangers the unassailable three-goal lead that has not been assailed by a Rangers opponent in, oh...two days.
The third period is largely a non-event. Shame.
In front of me tonight:
- Firstly, your typical MSG BlackBerry Man. Not even a glance towards the ice during the entire first period. Doesn't return to his seat for the third.
- Replaced in the third by a fan in a Patrick Marleau jersey wearing an "Occupy Madison Square Garden" sign around his neck. Loses marks for not sitting with a friend in a Jeremy Roenick costume holding a bag of guts.
After the game, Joe Thornton bizarrely (given he was fairly anonymous in defeat) decides to call the Rangers the softest team the Sharks played on their road trip. With the two teams not meeting again this season (neither team has a chance of winning the Western Conference Final series), this appears to be Jumbo Joe's Halloween equivalent of knocking on the Rangers' dressing room door and running away.

Next up: Logistics and apathy permitting, a two games in one day odyssey spanning a morning (!) AHL clash in Bridgeport, CT - now not featuring the star Avery attraction - and an evening (zzz) dull-fest in tropical Newark, NJ.

LW's NHL Road Trip 2011 (Part Two)

2011-10-30T14:52:00.000-07:00

Here is Part Two. Here was Part One.

Game #2: Ottawa Senators 5-4 (SO) New York Rangers

An unseasonal October snowstorm means dangerous conditions have to be navigated on my journey to the game - dopey 5th Avenue tourists wielding umbrellas in the manner of a blindfolded Dan Carcillo.
I'm seated directly in front of one of the press boxes, tonight featuring legendary former Leafs GM, John Ferguson Jr, now scouting for the Sharks. I successfully sell my hot dog to him for $300. Not sure why I need a no-trade clause though.
Line-up news: MSG fan favourites, Erik Christensen and Wojtek Wolski are rewarded for their consistent work ethic and gritty play with the assignment next to Marián Gáborik for at least one shift (and probably one shift).
A predictably terrible first period from the Rangers sees them heavily outshot and 1-0. One relatively quiet and quickly aborted "We want Avery" chant results.
Not for the first time (nor the last), the between periods puck shooting contest sees the participant mercilessly booed for his repeated failures. He still has a better than 50% chance of playing on the Rangers top line for the rest of the game though.
Momentum shifts after Zenon Konopka pleases his many fantasy owners by getting five plus a game for performing his own renovation of the MSG glass using Artem Anisimov's face as raw materials (though the hit was actually not that bad, if at all). The Rangers shock the world by putting away two (two) PPGs on the major penalty.
Despite another patchy performance at best, the Rangers work themselves into a 4-1 lead with eight minutes left in the game, the third goal by Gáborik from a great pass by Derek Stepan being the pick of the bunch.
Despite...something, the Rangers then work themselves into a 4-4 tie with three minutes left as, shockingly, the strategy of panicking and spending the rest of the game chasing the puck in their own end fails to pay dividends.
Milan Michálek scores the only goal in the shootout, the building erupts with joyous emotion.

Next up: An easily winnable game against perennial Western Conference doormat, the San Jose Sharks. Right here on Versus! Let's hope Milbury is in ~~a Swedish prison wearing a visor~~ attendance.

LW's NHL Road Trip 2011 (Part One)

2011-10-28T16:49:00.000-07:00

More like a homestand than a road trip this year (bar perhaps a trip to the minor league operation in Bridgeport, CT and a trip to the minor league operation in Newark, NJ), but here is Part One of my comprehensive, analytical coverage of the Rangers' upcoming six game losing streak.

Game #1: Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 New York Rangers

After finding my seat easily despite apocalyptic warnings about the layout of the partially-renovated Madison Square Garden, I find myself sat right behind somebody with the unfortunate appearance of a homeless Barry Melrose.
I then witness the impressive feat of a man managing to dump a beer over his own head after stumbling on the stairs.
The Rangers controversially opt to introduce the players individually at the home opener - not something that has occurred every year, mostly for boo-related reasons. Accordingly, nobody gets booed (yet).
Apparently, a huge pro-Avery, anti-Tortorella banner is unveiled somewhere in the crowd. Either I completely miss it, or it was behind me. (Apparently, the banner was subsequently banned by the tolerant MSG staff.)
Against type so far this season, the Rangers actually put together a decent first period to lead 1-0, also having two other efforts chalked off for reasonably marginal contact with a very shaky looking Jonas Gustavsson in the Leafs' net.
While I did not feel the need to test any of the new facilities, I can only assume the bathrooms and concessions are of the highest standard since I was seemingly the only person in my section to leave their seat fewer than 18 times a period to visit the concourse while play was in progress.
Entirely not against type so far this season, the Rangers decide to exploit a very shaky looking Jonas Gustavsson in the Leafs' net by giving him practically no work at all the rest of the way, while Henrik Lundqvist allows a few weak goals for the first time in a while, despite also stopping two Phil Kessel breakaways.
Patient and moderate as they are, a sizeable chunk of the home fans use the late third period to start a "We want Avery" chant, seizing the opportunity to remind everyone that a lack of defensive depth and completely dysfunctional start from most of the point producing forwards can only be corrected by the return of a 3rd/4th line forward who scored three goals last year and the coach doesn't trust.
The Leafs' fourth goal from noted sniper Mike Brown with six minutes to go sees the New Transformed Exits brought to you by Chase at Madison Square Garden adequately tested for the first time.

Next up: An afternoon game against hated rival, the superstar-laden Ottawa Senators. I can hear the booing already.

LW Road Trip: NHL Premiere 2011 in Stockholm

2011-10-10T16:56:00.000-07:00

My usual précis (French word, meaning "list compiled by lazy writer unable, unwlling to construct paragraphs") of the NHL's latest Europansy expedition, following on from my attendance at games in Stockholm in 2009 and Prague last year. This year, a team I'm actually bothered about!

New York Rangers 2-3 (OT) Los Angeles Kings, 7 October 2011

What is Swedish for "Far too many Crosby jerseys?"
In contrast to the policies put in place by the draconian concourse police in Prague, again I am actually free to enter the lower bowl during warmups without creating a major security crisis.
Unlike last time in Stockholm, there is no game night presentation to speak of and no sign of the internationally acclaimed Bullet or Backyard Babies to provide live music pre-game, presumably victims of the European financial crisis. A scheduling clash with his Unicef humanitarian endeavours in a foreign land again robs us of an appearance from Scandic beats colossus, Basshunter.
An wholly unreasonable 100kr once more secures me (suckers me?) a match(es) programme, once more almost entirely in Swedish, bar what will stay unread forewords from the charasmatic Messrs Bettman and Fehr.
Despite the language barrier, I'm fully on board with the sentiments of the Canadiens' season preview:
For the player introductions, large crowd reactions for Henrik Lundqvist, Tim Erixon and Mats Zuccarello-Aasen on the Rangers side, only really anything for former SEL player, Anže Kopitar for the Kings.
Notionally a Kings home game in the record books, but despite the presence of the team mascot, the Rangers' P.A. announcer and a significant disparity in fans make it sound otherwise. There are even a couple of half-hearted airings of the "Potvin sucks" chant.
Among the crowd and featured on the big screen at various points: Mats Sundin (similar ovation to two years ago), Markus Näslund (similar strangely disinterested expression as two years ago), Ulf "Reason why Potvin sucks" Nilsson, Kent Nilsson, Anders Hedberg and Mattias Norström.
As far as the game goes...the Kings dominate the first period completely but the Rangers somehow escape at 1-1, mostly thanks to Lundqvist. Kopitar, the best skater all game, scores off a Callahan giveaway ending up with roughly 27 Rangers face down on the ice, our glorious leader tying it up from a bad angle.
Marián Gáborík shovels one home in the third at the end of a great shift by Brad Richards, earning him an assist and already the title of most successful UFA signing in franchise history.
As is customary, NHL Commissioner of Respect and V.P. of Public Sobriety, Mike Richards scores against the Rangers to tie it up late, mostly thanks to Michael Del Zotto failing to tie him up late.
Ryan McDonagh takes a slightly careless offensive zone penalty in OT, with more than a little help from a world class dive from Willie Mitchell, whose leg functionality is somehow directly and completely related to the muscles in his left shoulder. Jack Johnson scores the winner, Brandon Dubinsky and his obliterated stick express mild consternation at the referee's penalty call. Meh.

New York Rangers 1-2 (SO) Anaheim Ducks, 8 October 2011

A more visible and audible block of Ducks fans in attendance than was seen from the Kings contingent, but still a heavily blue colour to the crowd.
Clear from the player introductions that even Swedes like Teemu Selanne.
After the Zambonis exit prior to the start and the teams line up for the anthems, from above, the wide expanse of gleaming white surface reflecting the house lights is always an impressive sight. Then Ryan Getzlaf puts his helmet back on and we're ready to go.
As well as some of the ex-players we saw yesterday, we see former Ranger Jan Erixon (father of current Ranger Tim Erixon, who is son of former Ranger, Jan Erixon), the bloke out of Roxette, who earns a surprisingly enthusiastic response, and the Swedish soccerball squadron, apparently fresh off a rivalry match-up against Findusland in the EuroSoccerPansy play-in tournament.
I'm sat a mere three rows behind the Swedish TV announcers, including Calle Johansson (Washington Capitals fans: Google "Calle Johansson").
As advertised, the Ducks top line of Andrew Cogliano, Andrew Gordon and veteran Devante Smith-Pelly prove tough to stop, Cogliano opening the scoring off a well-Emingerneered rush.
Getzlaf and Gáborík manage to upset each other off the play for some reason. One benefit of the relatively benign atmosphere in the arena is the unexpected ability to hear from the second tier Getzlaf call Gáborík a "pizza shed" (I think) across the benches.
Not much at all to note from a pretty useless game - nice to hear a couple of awesome Lundqvist saves elicit a big crowd response, but probably a sign that the game is going the wrong way.
Brad Richards saves a point late in the third after a quiet game, before opting to leave the puck at center ice for his SO attempt. The Ducks win in sudden death thanks to Bobby Ryan majorly whiffing on the puck, the change up beating Lundqvist.

Bringing the Noise and the Funk- Brendan Shanahan Sets a Needed Tone

2011-09-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

God and Ireland Bless you Shanny, for doing it right.

2 Solid Suspensions for two thugs, including one who should have left that chip on his shoulder back in the AHL. And its only Pre-season. Suck it Shelley and Letourneau.

(That said, I have to admit I was impressed with the way Mary Kay Letourneau has reinvented herself. Let's hope this 40 year old pedo-teacher can keep it in her pants, and tone it down a notch. At least on the ice.)

No, I don’t care that its “only” pre-season, and neither should you if you have the sense god gave a dung beetle. And NO this isn’t just about setting a tone and sending a clear signal, although I am happy that it does both. This is about intentional infliction of harm. Intent to Harm. And if you are fooling yourself into thinking otherwise, you’ve never been to Anaheim or Philly.

Oh- and yea, tell the guy with the pre-season concussion that its “only” pre-season.

Set that tone Shanny. You have the chops, the intellect, the balls and the charisma to make the right calls this season- even when it gets tough, and you have a HUGE fan base of support for settling these assholes down...More after the break

Just last week I heard someone – HERE IN LA- say:

“Yea I know its out of fashion to be a thug in the NHL anymore. I'm glad. Makes the game more exciting when its not always stopped for stupid fights by guys who can’t even reach each other.”

To which I responded:

Riiiiieeeght? If I wanted to see a couple of guys grab jerseys and struggle for balance during a fight, I’d put Mike Tyson and Johnny Ohno on skates, with boxing gloves and let them go at it.

And everyone agreed that would be awesome.Then we went to the beach.

Its interesting and disappointing to see what a thug Jody Shelley is showing himself to be. For years as a Red Wings Fan I whined about Jody Shelley and his dirty play as a Shark. And everyone said- “Please, Juice. There are no Dirty players in the Mini-D”. But now we see the tight lid McClellan kept on Shelley and guys of his ilk. Proof is in the Orange Sweater. And they almost had me fooled in Philly- what with Pronger seeming to take it down a Notch. Ha ha, I kid! that season shortening injury probably had me fooled, right?

So I say with all my hockey loving heart and soul: Keep it up Shanny- Don’t be afraid to make those hard decisions. We have your back. And thank you for so far seeming to have a vision that will help everyone else see its more than a bunch of pasty angry white guys on skates trying to beat the shit out of each other.

Finally.

Now if we could only suspend the mother faulking Flyer fans. Or at least let Wayne Simmonds throw a cheese steak at that racist bigoted asshole “fan”…. Hey Shanny, can you do anything about fan deuce baggery?

ps (I know we are gonna miss you Wanye-o here in LA. Hang in there, and don't get all "Shelley" on us.)

by (Who else?) Juice in LA, or "LA Juice" if you're nasty.

LW's Burning Questions - Western Conference

2011-09-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Arriving unexpectedly within a week of the Eastern Conference preview - timing Matt Cooke would call "a damn hurry" - presenting...er, the Western Conference:

Anaheim Ducks

Why is there all this talk about the anticipation over the long-awaited return of the veteran winger with the $4m cap hit to the Canadian city where he was so beloved, when the schedule says that the Ducks and Jason Blake don't even play in Toronto this year?

Calgary Flames

Does the close proximity of the words "no movement clause" to the words "Curtis Glencross" elicit the same confusion in everyone else as it does with me?

Chicago Blackhawks

Will universally popular new recruit Dan Carcillo finally prove that he is not dumber than he looks in the only possible way - by tattooing "Nah, I looks dummah" on his forehead?

Colorado Avalanche

Might there be one or two flaws apparent in Greg Sherman's strategy of adding Shane O'Brien to Ryan O'Reilly and Ryan O'Byrne in the hope of making the Colorad O'Avalanche the most attractive destination when much-coveted Irish sniper, Alex O'Vechkin, hits free agency in 2021?

Columbus Blue Jackets

Will James Wisniewski seize the opportunity to be a #1 defenseman, or will he blow it?

Dallas Stars

Will the suffering of the fans through an almost-inevitable non-playoff season be compensated to some degree by the optimism given by the bushel of prospects and picks acquired in the Brad Richards trade at last year's deadline?

Detroit Red Wings

Is Mike Commodore's sentiment in not cheapening the game by associating his jersey with a consumer electronics brand shared by newly-named team-mate Jakub Kindle?

Edmonton Oilers

OMG RNH > MPS LOL WTF?

Los Angeles Kings

Is the Drew Doughty contract impasse due to Dean Lombardi's unwillingness to pay him more than Anže Kopitar or his nagging doubt that Mike Richards' offer to take him to a Christian book reading evening to celebrate the eventual contract signing isn't all that it seems?

Minnesota Wild

Can we assume this was the trade to a non-contending, cold-climate NW Division team that Dany Heatley has been looking for his whole career?

Nashville Predators

Should the NHL fear another lockout when Brian Burke relents and accepts Ryan Ellis as a sweetener for having to take on Shea Weber's contract in exchange for Jay Rosehill, Joey Crabb and a napkin autographed by Lonny Bohonos?

Phoenix Coyotes

By replacing Ilya Bryzgalov with Mike Smith, can we expect reports on the Coyotes to feature the phrase "huge losses" even more than normal?

San Jose Sharks

Can Doug Wilson continue to pry the most successful parts out of the Minnesota franchise by acquiring the rights to Jacques Lemaire and the year 2003?

St. Louis Blues

Does Nikita Nikitin possess the best smoking-related name in the NHL since Zdeno Ciger?

Vancouver Canucks

What will the fans' reception be like at the home opener, when the team shows up there for the first time since Game Five of the Cup Final?

LW's Burning Questions - Eastern Conference

2011-09-14T04:54:00.000-07:00

The month of September means it's Burning Questions time in the NHL (except for Vancouver fans, where questions about burning stuff get asked in June). So, here is the Eastern Conference - with a guarantee that somewhere less than 100% of last year's material has been re-used.

(Publishing note: As is customary, due to time-zone differences, the Western Conference equivalent will likely not follow for another 2-3 months.)

Atlanta Thrashers

How is the season ticket drive going?

Boston Bruins

Is Brad Marchand hampering his chances of being signed before training camp by his insistence on repeatedly punching Peter Chiarelli in the face during contract negotiations?

Buffalo Sabres

Will Terry Pegula be forced to hire more personal security staff to deal with the daily onslaught of individuals wanting to shake his hand and express their overwhelming joy about his ownership of the team, or will Ville Leino and Christian Ehrhoff eventually leave him alone?

Carolina Hurricanes

Will the notoriously potty-mouthed Paul Maurice be able to find a more acceptable way of shouting Justin Faulk's name on the bench if he makes the team?

"FAULK, OFF!"

Florida Panthers

Will Matt Bradley have a higher opinion of Alexander Semin's playoff production once he discovers every one of his new teammates suffers a 100% drop off in scoring after the regular season ends?

Montreal Canadiens

After closing their case against Zdeno Chara's size, will the local police find something more worthy of investigation, such as the theft of $51.5m by Scott Gomez?

New Jersey Devils

What are the chances coach DeBoer misinterprets Marty Brodeur's usual request to "put mousse in the goal every night"?

New York Islanders

In the unlikely event of Trevor Gillies missing 19 games through suspension again, which player(s) will seize the opportunity to make up the deficit of 38 seconds of aggregate ice-time?

New York Rangers

Is the start of the multi-million dollar renovation of Madison Square Garden connected in any way to Bruce Boudreau's complaints about the building during the playoffs, or was the Dunkin' Donuts stand integrated into the away bench in the original construction plans?

Ottawa Senators

Is the holding of 20th anniversary season celebrations just an elaborate ruse to ice a more competitive line-up by inviting members of the stellar 10-win team of 1992-93 back to Ottawa?

Philadelphia Flyers

Will ECHL 2nd Team All-Star Michael Leighton make his season debut in Game One or Game Two of the Flyers first round playoff series?

Pittsburgh Penguins

Will the headaches, nausea and irritability eventually subside, or will I still be subjected to Steigerwald and Errey broadcasting on far too many occasions?

Tampa Bay Lightning

Can evil genius Guy Boucher again create the illusion that Dwayne Roloson is a dominant NHL goalie in the second half of the season by playing the entire first half of the season with five sheets of slightly damp toilet paper dangling from the crossbar instead?

Toronto Maple Leafs

Should fans be worried by Brian Burke's comment that iron-man Tim Connolly is "going to get new legs" in Toronto, given the historical lack of success for amputees at the NHL level?

Washington Capitals

During games against the Islanders, will Tomáš Vokoun attempt to distract Evgeni Nabokov by burning ~~$50~~ $10 bills in front of him?

Winnipeg Jets

Does the franchise risk tarnishing its proud association with the military by promising Dustin Byfuglien a test-drive in a nuclear submarine?

The Grind and the Buck stop here: Kris Draper will announce his retirement tomorrow.

2011-07-25T21:39:00.000-07:00

Kris Draper will announce his retirement tomorrow, marking the formal end of the Grind Line Era. Sure, you might say that when Macs and Malts quietly stepped off the ice for the last time, the Grind Line was done, but you’d be wrong. As long as Kris Draper was on the ice to remind us what real speed is, the Grind Line lived on.

I was hoping he’d be back for one more year, but so far, the hockey gods are not granting my wishes in 2011. I mean who else can keep up with D-Helm? Nobody, that’s who.

Most will remember Kris Draper as the grinder with the tremendous heart, who was maimed by that filthy pig cochon deucebag Claude le-pew who viciously blindsided Draper in a devastating boarding back in 1996, a violently disgusting criminal act against Kris Draper that left him hospitalized for months with multiple broken facial bones and required reconstruction of his jaw, an incident that forever formed our most intense and hated rivalry and around which the Wings organization and her fans rallied as the Wings utterly humiliated Patrick Wah and his Avalanche teammates soon after.

You may even know that the Wings picked Drapes up for the cost of a song. $1 dollar man. The best $1 ever spent by a sports organization EVER. Kris Draper, like his bretheren, Maltby, Osgood and McCarty gave his heart and soul to the Wings organization, integral in everyway to its on ice success. But there are some things you might not know about Kris.

In the 1990’s, Draper and quite a few other Red Wings would head to the training room after each game and hop on a bike to do cardio or other workouts. A practice pretty much unheard of in the NHL at this time. I mean Messier’s preferred after game routine involved single dollar bills and strippers for christsakes. Draper was one of the first Red Wings (and players in the NHL) to embrace trainer John Wharton’s workout philosophies, and incorporate post game workouts, plyometrics, cross training and other techniques, helping turn the world of NHL from one where the boys played a game, threw a few punches and then headed out for beers at the Post (or worse, if you were Mark Messier), to a world where each player could better his game and better his team by more fully functioning as a world class athlete. Chronic knee and back injuries, such as those suffered by Stevie Y. and Mario L. are virtually a past remembrance due to the changes in training techniques first successfully employed in the 1990s, and Draper was a pioneer.

In the way Jimmy Howard credits Chris Osgood for mentoring him, Guys like Darren Helm and Jiri Hudler can and have given credit to Kris Draper for his role in helping them grow their game.

It was Kris Draper who first gave Darren McCarty his second, third and fourth chances to launch his come back, including his heartwarming rise back onto the Red Wing Roster in 2008-2009. In fact, this is a story that bears repeating – please click here to read about the incredible strength of friendship, loyalty and generosity between two life long friends and teammates: Mac and Drapes.

I will remember Kris Draper as the incredibly hardworking, tough as nails speedster who could explode across the ice faster than any other player, even players half his age. I will always remember and be grateful for the days of “Grind and Kocurs”, and I will fondly remember the last couple years of watching him play with Darren Helm, and the speed and accuracy with which they could pick off any defense and leave their opponents standing between the blues as if the whistle had been blown. Thank you Kris Draper for all you have given the Red Wing Organization and us fans. We are forever in your debt and just like Ozzie, Malts, Macs, and even Joey- Wings Fans adore you.

A Letter of Gratitude to the Great and Powerful Wizard: Chris Osgood

2011-07-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Ozzie:

Just because we all knew this day would come as we watched Malts hang 'em up and worried while you fought off groin injury after groin injury, doesn’t make the announcement of your retirement any easier for true Detroit Red Wing Fans.

When I heard the news, the first thing I thought of was one of your first Stanley Cup speeches, where you simply and humbly thanked all of us, the 1,000,000 fans crammed into Hart Plaza, the fans across the state, country, all of Metro Detroit.

Thanked us.

As if we had given you even a modicum of what you gave us or the Red Wing Organization. Its absurd really, when we have so much to thank you for, so much we need to tell the greatest goaltender to wear the Winged Wheel and a mask, one of the greatest goaltenders to stop a puck (that’s you, FYI). yea I said it. See, I can concede that Terry Sawchuk was also the greatest goaltender to wear the Winged Wheel- the greatest goaltender to wear the Winged Wheel without a mask. But this isn't about TS, let it go.

Oz, Detroit Red Wings fans everywhere owe you endless and overwhelming thanks for your 14+ years of unwavering loyalty, amazing talent, monstrous heart, never ending hard work, Stanley Cup gifts, clutch wins, reinventing your game, your wicked sense of humor, endless generosity, boundless grace, love and respect for the Detroit Red Wings organization and for us, the people of Metro Detroit, the Wings fans.

We will never forget or stop adoring the “rook” who wanted so badly to help the Detroit Red Wings and her fans bring a Cup back to Detroit after 35+ years, that he took his youthful mistake painfully to heart ; or the calm, steely yet humble record holding veteran who flawlessly executed in Red Wing Goal when so many others labeled “great” could not; or for bringing the Red Wing family its 9^th, 10^th and 11th Stanley Cups; or the sassy, generous, wizened mentor and (now) goaltending coach the Detroit Red Wing Organization knows it has been impossibly lucky to have within the fold, because Chris Osgood gives the Wings, and her fans everything.

The class and poise you have exhibited just by virtue of being the most absurdly and erroneously maligned goaltender in all of hockey makes you a bit of a saint, but having survived, achieved greatness and excellence for 14+ years as a Detroit Red Wing Goaltender makes you a legend and a superstar.

And all that time, you have humbly, continually and heart-fully expressed your overwhelming thanks to and appreciation for Red Wing Fans. Laughable, because the only people who should be bestowing thanks are Red Wing fans. We owe you a lifetime of gratitude and praise.

And so does all of hockey. For the record, there are gads of stellar stats and achievements tucked under your fight strap. Here is a list of some of your NHL goaltending achievements.

3 Stanley Cups (Only 6 goaltenders in history have more: Sawchuk, Plante, Dryden, Smith, Worsley and “Wah”).

401 Wins ranking you the 10^th goalie to ever win that many games in the history of the league.

4^th Best Win Percentage of all-time with a career WP of 53.9%, (Only Brodeur, Dryden, “Wah” and Plante have a better W%).

7^th Best GAA of all-time with a career GAA 2.49 (amongst goalies playing more than 500 games, since statistic was first tracked)

4^th Most playoff shutouts of all time with 15 (Only Brody, Cujo and “Wah” have more).

8^th Winning-est playoff goaltender of all time with 74 playoff victories.

16^st Best SV% of all-time at .905 (Amongst goalies playing more than 500 games, since statistic was tracked).

24th Most Shutouts of all-time with 50.

3 time All-Star.

2 time Jennings Winner.

One of only 8 NHL Goalies to score a goal, 1 of only 5 NHL Goalies to put the puck in the opposing team’s net.

Most Wins of Any Detroit Red Wing Goaltender (401). Only the Great Terry Sawchuk has more wins, played more games or has more shutouts wearing a winged wheel.

32 single season victories in 2000-2001 still ties the NYI franchise record.

15 years playing in net for a franchise that is historically known to be brutal on goaltenders (well, we did run Cujo out…).

Only the 4^th Detroit Red Wing of the Wiley Kenotye Holland GM Era to be given the post UFA deadline opportunity to come back if he wanted. (Stevie Y, Sergei, Shanny being the others.)

Osgood? No. OsGREAT.

The heart of a lion made you impossible to beat in the net when it counted most. A strong left hook meant Patrick Roy would twice be called out as the sissy we knew him to be. The character, class and grace of a champion and the insight of an elder statesman make you one of the all time greats to ever wear a Winged Wheel. Heartbreakingly, a long battle with a recurring groin injury ultimately ends one of the most storied, least appreciated goaltending careers in all of hockey.

No, I take that back. You are appreciated. Your talent, contributions and generosity have been greater than almost any. You embody what it means to be a Detroit Red Wing as surly as Stevie Y., Nic Lids, Pavel, Igor, Hank, B-Raf, Malts, and Draper always will: Greatness, Excellence, Loyalty, Heart, Selflessness, Strength of Character, Leadership, Modesty and Drive.

So thank you, Chris Osgood for all you have given Detroit Red Wing Fans everywhere. We adore and appreciate you more than you can possibly know.

Sincerely,

Juice

Nobody Beats the Wiz

The Commodore 64 Campaign is ON like Donkey Kong! A Donkey Kong Charity Drive

2011-07-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well Kids, if you build it, they WILL come! The day Mike Commodore signed with the Detroit Red Wings, George Malik (one of my favorite blog/sports writers) started a Facebook-Twitter campaign suggesting Commie wear the number 64 as a Wing. I loved the idea, twitted it and then forgot. Luckily the rest of the Hockey/Wing/IT/Geek/Gen X/Slacker world did not:

Today Puck Daddy announced they are raising money for charity in an attempt to get Mike Commodore to agree to wear No. 64. And Mike Commodore has been in touch with Puck Daddy on the matter, and is responding positively, as his twitter account shows!

SWOON!!!!

On behalf of the Hockey Recon Team, and and my website, la-juice.com We have collectively pledged our $64 toward the cause. The cause beign twofold:

Get Commie to wear No. 64 as a Wing.
Money will go to the charity of Mike's choice.

If you want to contribute- and why wouldn't you? email puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com and let Wysh know!

Sharks toss Loyalty, Hunger, History and Heatley out like Chum

2011-07-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

It’s a common and non-controversial belief of mine, one which can be proven factually over in at least a dozen different ways- that the San Jose Sharks, in their dogged pursuit of a Stanley Cup, have modeled their system after the Detroit Red Wings. From coaching to Blueline, I have spent the past 7-8 years thinking of the Sharks as “Mini-wings” – and if they had ever gotten farther through the playoffs than past the Wings in these last two years, I would have probably internally uttered the phrase “And the Student becomes the master.”

Of course we all know that on paper, even with a President’s Cup in glove, the Sharks cannot have so far been unable to seal the deal. I suspect that it has something to do with not having 100% complete full buy in to the system. If not lack of buy in, it’s a lack of heart, and frankly, of all the other teams I watch, I scrutinize the Sharks, and I can tell you that from my seats (which- when they are in HP Pavilion-are in the rafters) I don’t see a lack of heart on the team. (Take that JR)

In other words the puzzle pieces are there. Frankly, I suspect that what they need now is the pain, the suffering that comes from getting so close that you spend the next 365+ days doing nothing but pursuing the Stanley Cup. Because that is precisely how the Wings of the 1990s did it. And I have thought of these San Jose Sharks as heading down the same path as my beloved Red(Army)Wings.

But what I see now is a lack of patience, and a pursuit of the short term, perhaps borne of a lack of history and therefore perspective. It began last year when they let Nabby go. Sure they got lucky with Niemi, but that was a HUGE gamble that luckily paid off.

I know you are thinking, Niemi has a Cup, Nabby doesn’t, how could it possibly be a bad trade? And to that I say, in my opinion, Niemi was an unknown whose true talent would not be experienced until he stopped goaltending for a defensive juggernaut (the 2010 Blackhawks) who made his job relatively easy.

In retrospect, I think the Sharks got lucky because Niemi does indeed seem to have the talent. But I think they gave up something crucial in letting Nabby go: they lost the hunger, loyalty and the history. They tossed away one of their core, one who has suffered and fought and tasted bitter loss, and who still wanted it. They lost a historied statesman who had shown time and time again that he had massive talent and could win clutch games. They tossed away things that cannot come with a new goaltender, things that have to be earned:

Loyalty, Hunger, History.

To me it was the first crack- or break, if you will- from a crucial part of the formula, the one that brings so much success to the Detroit Red Wing Organization. In the late 1990s through several early exits and heart breaking conference and Stanley Cup Final losses, the Wings stayed with their core. Some tinkering or retiring players were moved or let go, but the core stayed solid. Only when the chance to bring a truly phenomenal talent in arose did the Wings depart from the script.

Because they believed in themselves, they believed in each other, they believed in their team, they believed in the Red Wing Organization, the system. Top to bottom, full 100% buy in. And on top of that they were patient. And then they won, and then they kept on winning. Since 1996, almost every 4 years, if not more, a Detroit Red Wing Team wins a Stanley Cup. 20 years of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, more than any team in any professional sport. The system works, and if you don’t buy in you don’t stay.

(I’d like to point out the Sharks have a impressive playoff streak too- second best in the league, as a matter of fact.)

By tossing Nabby, the Sharks showed an impatience, and perhaps fear that they don’t know how to put together a Stanley Cup winning organization. They show that they don’t either have top to bottom buy in, or that they don’t believe: in themselves, their team mates, their organization.

The Heatley trade reflects this same crack. As does letting Setogucci go. They brought Danny in for grit and hands. He came and played with grit, talent and heart. He bought whole heartedly into the system, or so it seemed. He had chemistry with his tram mates and linesmen, he was a power play dynamo. The guy played his heart out through broken hands, high ankle sprains, groin injuries (all in the playoffs). He brought monstrous points to a team that already had monstrous points. He fit into the system. Honestly, I could be talking about any number of great Detroit Red Wings here. Players who Mr. Holland and Illitch would never let go. Heatley fit so well, I thought of him as core: with Marleau, Thornton, Guci, Clowe, Nabby.

Heatley had 39 goals in a year he played with a “serious groin injury” for cripes sake. This is not a guy you trade away for Marty Havlat.

Heatley and Guci for Burns and Havlat? Sorry this looks insanely “short term” to me. Even if they are as talented as Heater and Gooc, it looks like you are trading away key, crucial, intangibles, things that these new guys cannot bring you: your history, your Hunger, your loyalty, chemistry, buy in.

Sure its unknown, maybe Havlat and Burns have the hunger. Then again, they played for the Wild and that was also a team on paper that should have gone farther than it did in the last 3 years. Something tells me the Sharks have probably destroyed any chance they had to move on further into the playoffs next year. Sure I could eat these words come Spring ‘12, I just don’t think I will. I don’t think short term gambles on the unknown will pay off. I think the Sharks truly don’t understand what a talented team they had, and they don’t understand the concept of long term payoff. These trades make me sad and disappointed for the Sharks Organization.

Its funny, you would think that this would be fine by me: Sharks taking more after Chicago and performing a mini-implosion than emulating my Red Wing Organization. But here is the thing. Since 2008, the Sharks are the only team that I ever though was truly as talented, deep and worthy- top to bottom- as my Wings. I both dreaded and prayed for a playoff series with the Sharks. I considered the last two Wings-Shark playoff series to be the true Stanley Cup Finals, and I sincerely believed both the Sharks and the Wings could have defeated the ultimate SCF teams if matched up. And I was broken hearted when my Wings lost in both of those series.

Now as it stands, knowing the injury counts, things like Brian Rafalski giving us clutch game winners, all while skating without a ACL for –oh a year- and that my Red Wing Organization would never have considered trading him and in fact are feeling a little lost without him- I know with certainty that the Red Wings continue to be the Winning Organization I will always be in awe and proud of. I am proud to be a Detroit Red Wing Fan. Above all else the RWO is loyal and cohesive. And it pays off year after year after year.

But my heart breaks for the Sharks. Even if I am wrong in thinking that they are making colossal fundamental errors in the management of their organization, and these changes end up taking them further in the Playoffs, I will still believe they traded in long term success for short term gain.

Free Agent Frenzy and Happy canada day!

2011-07-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Wings fans typically watch Free Agency Day with a bucket of popcorn and some 3-D glasses. owever this year for the first time in recent history, we have holes to fill- and the shoes are enormous: Rafalski's retirement and Chris Osgood's status makes us vulnerable. And given the mediocrity of this year's UFA pool, well this Wings fan is a nervous as a fox in a hen house...

As the minutes tick down to RFA frenzy hour, and some of the choice UFA D-men get signed for STUPID contracts that not only set an unreasonable precedent for this years free agent contracts, but are so overblown that they will affect next's years Free Agency Class- I am talking to you Buffalo and Columbus- Here are the day's biggest questions

1. If Jagr won't go to the Pens (and he won't, they pulled the offer a minute ago), then whose gonna pay more than 1.5MM for the guy? Wings won't (yes I remember of our Hossa contract shenanigans, but we had no holes that year) Rangers probably cannot. That leaves Philly- with plenty of cap room....

2. Could Doughty be lured away from LA?

3. Will Brad Richards go to LA?

4. What is Colorado going to do about the empty net?

5. What kind of Offer sheets will Stamkos see?

What are your biggest questions for Free Agent Frenzy day?

I tell you, so far the smartest players in the hunt this week and day are the Pens, 'Nucks and Wings, with the Pens pulled Jagr offer and 2MM for Tyler Kennedy giving them the Edge, while the Nucks over the Wings on smart reasonable contracts, but only by an Ericsson. Vancouver has signed only players taking under 2MM/year so far.

Who are the big winners and losers of the day?

NHL Connect goes offline forever June 30th.

2011-06-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

Every blogger here at recon met and developed their chops at the nhl fans site "NHL Connect". We've become fast loyal great friends over the past three years. We are from all walks of life. No matter why any of of left connect, its legacy lives through the great writing, great fandom, great friendships and ice cream.

The NHL has announced that as of June 30th, NHL Connect will be no longer. I haven't been back to connect in years, and I was left unsure of how this makes me feel. It got me wondering: How does it make you feel, and what will you remember most?

Me? I will remember those dog days of summer when the mint chocolate chip and Guinness flowed and we all were so full of joie de vivre and sugar that we even believed Hank Zetterberg would chat with all of us no-named slobs.

Some thoughts on fans

2011-06-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

It’s down to two now. The two best teams left vie for the Stanley Cup. It was a long road to get here, and lots of pain and suffering endured just for this reason. All the other series are a memory. It’s all about Vancouver and Boston for most hockey fans and that’s the way it should be.
But I can’t stop thinking about the Western Semi Finals between the San Jose Sharks and The Detroit Red Wings. Man did I love that series. And I learned some stuff too. Weird stuff.

The Detroit/San Jose series was the best hockey I’ve seen all season from both clubs. Real edge of my seat drama for every game. I hated it when San Jose won Game 7 with a seamlessly perfect effort, because I didn’t want that amazing hockey to end. But I have a short attention span, and I tend to drink a lot during the games, so I often find myself looking at stuff other than the on ice action. For instance, it became clear to me during this series that while I am and will always be a diehard Red Wings fan and Detroit Defender, San Jose has really attractive fans. Really attractive. For instance, the smoking hot blonde who sat behind Todd McLellan for every one of the Sharks home games made sure her hair was perfectly artfully tousled, had flawless makeup, and wore her eye poppingly deep vee Sharks jersey like a second skin. Maybe even a first skin, or more properly, skin. It was that snug. When it comes to attractive women in revealingly ripped jerseys I come down strongly pro snug. The women sitting next to her were similarly geared up. They had obviously put some concerted effort into this. I noticed the cameraman seemed to stay on them even after Todd had walked out of the shot. I make no assumptions on their hockey knowledge. They seemed to be following the game with a rapt attention that indicated familiarity and knowledge.

The rest of the Sharks fans that I could see were styling it as well. Lots of dapper men in V neck sweaters with just a touch of grey at the temple even though they looked too young for grey temples. Men who looked like they doubled as the guy on the ‘Just for Men box’. They even had that weird ability you only see in commercials where they cock their heads slightly towards their companion and point at something off camera and smile, and immediately make you wish you could see what it was they were pointing at because it had to be incredibly interesting. I'm certain they were wearing expensive cologne.

The crowd at the Joe, on the other hand, were mostly guys who look like me. Our jerseys are snug too but they’re all size XL so this is not a good thing. We have grey at our temples too, as well as on the rest of our head, beard and legs. San Jose fans won the Men’s event hands down.

It was closer for the Women’s event. There were lots of hot women at the Joe, but they didn’t seem to put any real thought into how to artfully shrink, cut and tear their jerseys to achieve maximum classy sluttiness. Of course it was still spring in Detroit and after enduring a Michigan winter, even hot women want to be warm in Michigan in spring. I’ve never been to San Jose but it looked balmy to me. That could have been the difference. I'd say that one was a tie.

The intensity of the two crowds was equal, but dissimilar. In Detroit, you didn’t have to be a master lip reader to understand what the fans wanted to do to Clowe. The old two word phrase that sounds a lot like ‘puck view’ that the sports world has come to know so well was repeated over and over. I believe it even got on the air a couple times. In San Jose, the fans were equally engaged and vocal, but they seemed a bit more, let’s say restrained in their epithets. You sensed a lot of ‘I say Kronwall, that’s just not cricket!’ or even 'Dash it all, that Datsyuk is a slippery fellow!' rather than the Detroit refrain of ‘Go F*** yourself Thornton! Yeah, you heard me! Go F*** yourself! And your dog! Didja hear me Thornton? Go F**** your dog after you F*** yourself!’ I could go through all the phrases used for the first 3 lines but you get the point. Now I’ve been to games at the Joe, and can honestly say Detroit fans are not a foul mouthed bunch. Certainly not as bad as many other NHL fans (are you listening Nashville?). I believe it was the intensity of the series that made them drop a filter or two from the brain to mouth circuit and go to the adult material. But San Jose folks seemed to be a strongly worded PG crowd even in their enthusiasm. I did notice something that I welcomed. Detroit fans never stopped screaming. It was as loud when they were down 3-1 as when they scored to go ahead. One long sustained raucous cheer from buzzer to buzzer. You can’t feel sad when that is going on. It’s like a wave of emotion buoying you. San Jose had lots of fan noise as well, but it came in peaks and valleys.

Even the food seemed different. Dogs and beers in the Joe. Occasional nachos, with the odd pizza box thrown in. Good solid hockey fare. There were several guys with a beer in each hand and a nacho tray balanced on their knee. A classic case of someone bringing them a beer before they had finished the one they had. This is a dangerous situation and only the most skilled fans are capable of surviving it unstained. There is a ballet like procedure that must be employed to successfully resolve this sports crisis. It’s a skill developed over a lifetime of practice. If you're right handed, it goes like this. 1. Thank the bearer of the new, cold beer and take it in your left hand. 2. Pound the old, warm beer in your right hand and immediately put the cup down on the floor. 3. Use your now free right hand to eat a nacho with 2 jalapeños to take your mind off the throat spasms from pounding warm beer. 4. Sip the new, cold beer in your left hand to take your mind off the jalapeño burn. 5. Transfer the new cold beer to your right hand. I actually saw one grizzled veteran of many a rink side beer quandary perform this ancient and risky move when the second period was about to start. I raised my glass in silent tribute.

But HP Pavillion seemed to have a whole different food system. I saw a woman eating what for all the world appeared to be a salad. At a hockey game. I couldn’t determine if it was a house, Caesar, or even possibly Arugula. It could have been a wedge for that matter. My point is that someone actually decided it would be a good idea to eat a salad at a hockey game. For all I know this could just be the tip of the food iceberg in San Jose. There could be caviar vendors with a warming pouch full of toast points. Asparagus hawkers with molten vats of Hollandaise sauce bubbling at their sides. Sweaty carnie style lugs with trays of Crème Brule on their heads weaving up and down the rows. Jittery espresso jockeys racing around in caffeine frenzies with multi handled urns strapped to their backs, batting people out of their way with enormous biscotti clubs. Honestly it boggled my mind.

All in all these two cities are about as different as two cities can be. One a former glittering gem now fallen on hard times, the other a new and shiny jewel with a bright future. One an Original Six powerhouse with a rafter full of legends, the other a young team on the rise, hungry for a sip from the Cup. One in the flyover Middle, one on the dazzling Coast. Blue collar versus New collar. It seemed on most nights that hockey was all they had in common.

But Hockey is enough. In the end, the clothes, the trash talk, the food, none of that mattered. Neither team made it out of the West, but even that didn’t matter. All That mattered was that two groups of passionate fans converged on their favorite barn to will their teams to win, and it was all about the hockey. Masterful coaching, stars playing like stars. Rookies playing like vets. Goalies making us gasp with their gymnastic brilliance. Role players raising their game to dazzle with skill they didn’t know they had. Everyone giving more than they thought they had to give in order to keep playing for the prize of a lifetime. That moment when time stops. That moment when you are handed the heavy, awkward, glittering embodiment of everything you have worked for your whole life. That’s why they play. And that’s why we watch.

Stanley Cup Final 2011: A Viewer's Guide

2011-05-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

So your team has (yet again) not made it as far as the Stanley Cup Final? So jaded by the long grind of playoff hockey that you can't summon the energy to write an intro different to the one you used last year?

If you have nothing better to do, why not use my viewer's guide? Score along at home during the series and if you break 30 points, a multi-million dollar prize will head your way. At least that's what Chris Drury and Shawn Horcoff told me...

(I accept no responsibility for the consequences if you instead turn this into a drinking game. Watching a few playoff games is no excuse for drunken debauchery. At least that's what the Montreal Police Department told me...)

Man in garish, fluorescent green outfit performing tired, attention-seeking act next to road team penalty box during game (2 pts)

Man in garish, fluorescent green outfit performing tired, attention-seeking act next to Ron MacLean during Coach's Corner segment (1 pt)

Versus or NBC displaying on-screen graphic to illustrate where Canada is (5 pts)

Versus or NBC displaying on-screen graphic to illustrate where Sidney Crosby is (10 pts)

Denis Leary dropping F-bomb accidentally-on-purpose during mid-game interview with rink-side reporter (6 pts)

Mike Emrick failing to mention which US college was attended by Ryan Kesler, Jeff Tambellini, Chris Higgins, Rich Peverley, Tim Thomas, the goal judge, his hotel receptionist etc... (8 million pts)

Eddie Olczyk's forced chuckle (2 pts)

"Good active stick" (-5 pts)

Jeremy Roenick clearly articulating a thoughtful, rational point during post-game coverage (100 pts)

Jeremy Roenick scribbling "JR needs a wee wee" using his virtual crayons during post-game coverage (40 pts)

Each CBC shot of Bruins President of Looking Angry in Executive Boxes, Cam Neely (1 pt)

Each CBC shot of Maple Leafs President of Looking Angry in Executive Boxes Even Though My Team Isn't Taking Part, Brian Burke (0.1 pts)

Tom Brady watching the game while holding a goat (7 pts)

Funny looking bald guy shouting and getting up close to Bruins players during timeout (10 pts)

Claude Julien struggling to muscle past Pierre McGuire and/or Darren Pang to diagram a play for Bruins players during timeout (20 pts)

Coach Julien is not usually happy to be interviewed during the game

Adrien Plavsic (0 pts)

Jim Hughson or Mike Emrick calling the winning goal in OT to clinch the 2011 Stanley Cup (1 pt)

Jim Hughson or Mike Emrick finally calling the winning goal in OT to clinch the 2010 Stanley Cup (88 pts)

Andrew Ference raising the Cup over his head in triumph (5 pts)

Andrew Ference lowering his pants around his ankles in triumph (15 pts)

After the final game, Mark Recchi immediately bringing the end to a long, dinstinguished career, by announcing the retirement of the patch of hair above his forehead (43 pts)

Throwing games in the NHL

2011-05-27T10:15:00.001-07:00

[If the title led you to believe this would be an analysis of the team-building strategy of the Pittsburgh Penguins, I apologise. It's not.]

The aftermath of the post-game torrent of giveaway paddles/clappers/rally drums launched by Tampa Bay fans onto the playing surface - and ever so accidentally in the general vicinity of one or two Boston Bruins players - last night has brought with it the usual furious, yet measured and consistent, response from NHL HQ today.

The Lightning organisation and the retaliating Nathan Horton have both been left reeling from the respective heavy fine and suspension laid down by the league.

Far from being rare, of course there have been many instances of unusual objects being discarded onto the ice at hockey arenas over the years. Here is just a small selection:

Octopi

As every hockey fan knows, Detroit Red Wings fans have been lobbing octopi on the ice during the playoffs since the 1950s, the eight arms originally signifying the number of wins necessary to win the Stanley Cup. Recently the NHL has begun to frown upon the ritual, a crackdown on eight animal limbs hitting the playing surface first instituted by Colin Campbell in response to Sean Avery spilling the contents of Martin Brodeur's KFC bargain bucket during the 2008 playoffs.

A wooden bench

In January 2000, irate at a missed call, New Jersey Devils coach Robbie Ftorek opted to throw part of the team bench onto the ice. The Devils' well-established run-and-gun system allowed the bench to seamlessly fit in on a line with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo, chalking up a creditable +12 rating over the balance of the season, before signing a lucrative but ultimately disastrous free agent deal with the New York Rangers that summer.

Plastic rats

In one of several short-lived crazes aping Detroit's octupus tossing, during one of their team's regular marches to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996, Florida Panthers fans took to littering the ice with plastic rats whenever the Panthers scored, apparently instigated by the story of Scott Mellanby killing a (real) rat in the dressing room. The practice is also thought to have inspired the recent throwing of plastic dogs after every Michael Vick touchdown in Philadelphia.

Confetti

The Vancouver Canucks faced criticism this week for allowing confetti to be showered onto the ice after clinching the Western Conference championship, the sight of players consequently being forced to skate very slowly to avoid injury only bringing back bad memories of Mats Sundin's time in the city.

Waffles

After famously throwing waffles onto the Air Canada Centre ice to express his displeasure at the Toronto Maple Leafs' loss to the Atlanta Thrashers earlier this season, die-hard fan Joe Robb avoided criminal charges but was forced to carry out five hours of community service and is now banned from ever again watching the Atlanta Thrashers play at Air Canada Centre.

Rubber snake

Following an internet-led campaign, a Keith Yandle goal in a 2010 playoff game against Detroit resulted in one Phoenix Coyotes fan flinging a rubber snake onto the ice. Originally believed to be motivated as a riposte to the Red Wings' octopus tradition, it later emerged that the sacrifice of a hairless, predatory and cold-blooded object merely symbolised the rejection of Jim Balsillie's as the team's potential owner.

Hats

The throwing of hats on the ice after a player scores a hat-trick goal has long been embraced by players and fans alike, a tradition only threatened by league spokesman Sidney Crosby's complaints during a 2009 playoff game about the sheer volume of hats being thrown in his direction by the Capitals' Dave Steckel.

A glove

In the final minute of a tied December 2008 game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning, popular Flyers forward Scott Hartnell attempted to thwart a breakaway by Ryan Malone by throwing his glove towards the Lightning player, resulting in a penalty shot being awarded and missed, thus astonishing Flyers fans under the age of 40, who had never before seen the glove of a Flyers player prevent a goal.

Tennis balls

The annual college match-up between Dartmouth and Princeton includes the ritual of Dartmouth fans hurling tennis balls onto the ice after their team's first goal of the game. The continuation of that tradition at Madison Square Garden for each goal scored by star New York Rangers forward and Dartmouth alum, Hugh Jessiman, is believed to have extinguished the entire stock of tennis balls in Manhattan.

No Words. Detroit Red Wings 3, San Jose Sharks 1- Game 6 Stanley Cup Playoffs

2011-05-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight’s Wings win is not the sort of game a girl can let go by without blogging. And yet I find myself almost speechless. Dazed, shocked and awed. Stunned.

From the first face-off until the final buzzer sounded, the Detroit Red Wings played with an intensity I haven’t seen in years. Game 7 of the 2008 SCF might have come close, but that had more grit and desperation. And even bearing that game in mind, the singularity with which these Wings pushed the San Jose Sharks onto their heels tonight and kept an incredibly driven talented team on said heels for almost 60 minutes straight feels stronger, surer, more powerful than any playoff game I have seen in many, many years.

Typically, the Red Wings don’t charge out of the gate. Everything is done with maddening patience and calm. Sure, I am used to my team coming out strong enough and meeting their opponent’s intensity, but often there are large stretches when the Wings will sit on a lead, or fall into a holding pattern only to then rise up and, elevate their game over said opponent at just the right time. I am accustomed to seeing the Wings start rather slowly, only to surprise an opponent whose made the mistake of underestimating them, and then frustratingly taking time to rest on their laurels, only to have to scramble in the end to overcome gains made by the other team.

And through all of the years of methodical, patient (often maddening) play, signature Red Wing style, I never doubt the ability of the Wings to get it done when they want to.

All that ever stands in the way of a Red Wing victory is their own will to win.

And occasionally injuries, let us never forget the Patrick Sharp spearing of Nic Lids' family jewels. But even injuries rarely stop the Wings when they want to win.

I won't lie, I really thought as Round 2 began, that the Sharks had an edge when it came to desire, hunger, will to win. And the Wings did not dominated much early in this series. Despite the brilliant full team effort tonight, we all know that Jimmy Howard has kept us in this series, almost singlehandedly.

And tonight his performance was on par with those series saving plays of the last 4 games. Jimmy Howard is proving himself a goaltender on track to be compared to the greats. I have rarely seen a Red Wing goaltender with the unwavering confidence and assured consistency that Jimmy Howard has exhibited in these Playoffs, and this season.Oh sure I am used to great, brilliant, clutch Red Wing goaltending (Nobody beats the Wiz), but the calm consistency here is near flawless.

Starting in the third period of Game 5 and rolling through every last minute of Game 6, I saw a Red Wings team like no other. Wave after wave, they worked the Sharks back, pushing them further and further out to sea. Relentless, driven, with an intensity unlike anything I can recall seeing.

There is no way San Jose knew what hit them. No one could have expected this. If it was intentional and strategic, Bravo, my brilliant RWO, bravo.

But something tells me that what really happened was that my Red Wings snapped to attention in Game 5 and began to feel and exhibit that innate, driven Will to Win that brings them to the playoffs 20 years straight and takes them all the way to the SCF more times than any team in the last 25.

Game 7 will not be easy and the Sharks will be ready for the sort of smothering onslaught we saw tonight. But if my Red Wings hold onto that momentum and will to win, nothing can stop them.

NHL Awards - meet the contenders

2011-05-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

[Re-posted from fine affiliate blog...]

Somewhat lost in the excitement of the playoffs over the last couple of weeks have been the announcements about the nominees for the various NHL awards (those that are voted on).

Once again, these are to be handed out in a ~~faintly embarrassing~~ lavish ceremony in Las Vegas in June attended by ~~whoever comes up first on Bettman's "Best Rock of the 80s" iPod playlist~~ some of the entertainment industry's biggest names and ~~Eric Weinrich and Darcy Wakaluk~~ many legends of the game.

Here is a quick rundown of the main awards and those in the running:

Hart Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The player adjudged most valuable to his team
In practice, normally awarded to: The player with the most points and/or who happened to get hot in the last month of the season

Corey Perry (Anaheim)
Aiming to become the first MVP since Bobby Clarke in 1975/76 to rack up 100 penalty minutes in the season, thus creating the instant quiz question: "How the hell did Chris Pronger go a season without getting 100 penalty minutes?"

Daniel Sedin (Vancouver)
There is simply no other player like him.

Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay)
Put the team on his shoulders and carried them, the team promising to return the favour during a planned off-season trip to Disneyland.

James Norris Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position
In practice, normally awarded to: Nicklas Lidstrom

Zdeno Chara (Boston)
Neutralised the offense of Max Pacioretty and Ryan Callahan more effectively than any other player in the league could manage.

Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit)
Continued to defy conventional wisdom by putting up the first minus season of his career despite playing much less often in front of Chris Osgood.

Shea Weber (Nashville)
First Norris Trophy nomination for a player with an Irish name since Sandis O'Zolinsh in 1997.

Vezina Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The goaltender who is adjudged to be the best at this position
In practice, normally awarded to: The goaltender who is adjudged to be at least as good as Jim Carey and Jose Theodore turned out to be

Roberto Luongo (Vancouver)
Strong performance attributed to playing 12 inches deeper in his crease and Dustin Byfuglien playing 600 miles deeper in the Eastern Conference.

Pekka Rinne (Nashville)
Hoping to become the first Finnish goalie to pick up some hardware since Brian Burke sent Vesa Toskala to Canadian Tire to collect his new lawnmower.

Tim Thomas (Boston)
Rewarded for breaking Dominik Hasek's long-standing NHL record for most saves made while looking like an inebriated octopus playing Twister.

Calder Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League
In practice, normally awarded to: The player selected as the most proficient in what might be his third year of competition in the National Hockey League after what might be no or several years of competition in another professional league

Logan Couture (San Jose)
Consistent scorer over the long NHL season after being a less consistent scorer over the 40 NHL games he played last year.

Michael Grabner (New York Islanders)
Impending impressive season and his many suitors triggered Dale Tallon to start the Panthers' annual fire sale before Game #1.

Jeff Skinner (Carolina)
Highly promising rookie campaign means Jim Rutherford will surely look to re-acquire his services from other teams three or four times over his career.

Frank J. Selke Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game
In practice, normally awarded to: The forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game while having the offensive ability to score at least 50 points

Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit)
Incredibly, was not on the ice for a single goal conceded by the Wings during any of the 26 games he missed through injury.

Ryan Kesler (Vancouver)
Strong in all the areas the voters look for in determining the best defensive forward, most importantly in scoring a lot more goals than last year.

Jonathan Toews (Chicago)
Credited with significantly reducing the Hawks' goals against over the course of the season due to his suggestion to the coaching staff that Marty Turco should maybe start fewer games.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey
In practice, normally awarded to: The player who missed the most games through injury the season before

Ray Emery (Anaheim)
Despite showing up for his first practice a personal best four months late, beat enormously long odds to become the more sympathetic character of the Ducks' goalie tandem alongside Dan Ellis.

Daymond Langkow (Calgary)
Displayed remarkable commitment, bolstering Calgary's lack of depth at center during his 78-game absence by matching Matt Stajan's production.

Ian Laperriere (Philadelphia)
Showed huge determination in his personal quest to prove that the Masterton Award is not a "Comeback Player" award by not coming back at all.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

Supposed to be awarded to: The player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability
In practice, normally awarded to: The player adjudged to have had the fewest penalty minutes when the voters quickly skim down the list of top 20 scorers five minutes before the deadline to send in their ballot

Loui Eriksson (Dallas)
Only 8 penalty minutes for the Swedish forward, meaning he only lost patience and speared Steve Ott once every 20 games.

Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit)
Six-time winner, perennial All-Star and future Hall of Famer demonstrated admirable restraint by not throttling Versus reporters referring to him as Nicholas Lindstrom at the All-Star Game.

Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay)
Voters were apparently convinced by his claims that he had nothing to do with Guy Boucher's scar.

Jack Adams Award

Supposed to be awarded to: The coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success
In practice, normally awarded to: The coach adjudged to have coached a team to a position somewhere between 5th and 8th in the conference

Dan Bylsma (Pittsburgh)
Led the league in the all-important media-friendly statistical category of Most Appearances in High-Profile Documentary While Swearing Fewer Times Than Bruce Boudreau.

Barry Trotz (Nashville)
Steered an offensively-challenged line-up to a playoff berth and calmly handled controversial mid-season addition of Randy Moss.

Alain Vigneault (Vancouver)
Coached his team to a 54-19-9 record in undoubtedly one of the American Hockey League's strongest divisions.

General Manager of the Year Award

Supposed to be awarded to: Brian Burke
In practice, normally awarded to: The top National Hockey League General Manager

Mike Gillis (Vancouver)
Backed his belief that extra goalscoring was not necessary for his team by acquiring the likes of Dan Hamhuis, Keith Ballard and Chris Higgins.

David Poile (Nashville)
Veteran GM has refused to waver in his position that Coach Trotz's neck has never been on the block.

Steve Yzerman (Tampa Bay)
Earned high praise from the Canadian media for showing superb prowess in the areas of being Steve Yzerman, not being associated with the previous ownership and somehow managing to find a better goalie than Mike Smith.

NHL injury analysis - more stuff

2011-05-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Presenting...

2010/11 end of season wrap

3-year aggregate analysis (2008/09 - 2010/11)

Which NHL Fans Deserve a Stanley Cup the Most?

2011-04-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

As I watch some truly unexpected games 6 and 7 go down this week, I spend a great deal of that time doing/thinking about these things:

1. Scouting potential Wings opponents watching for injuries and weaknesses, trying to choose who I'd rather play; and

2. Congratulating/consoling my various hockey blogger friends on their teams victories and losses.

A few tears may even have fallen in Brentwood as my Wings swept the 'Yotes in what is sure to be their last home stand, and I felt quite a bit of sadness as the Sabres fell last night after a heroic and unexpected first round rally. It got me thinking: Which fans deserve a Cup the most?

or to be more specific:

Of the Teams Who Have Never Won a Stanley Cup, Whose Fans deserve One the Most?

Here are Juice's Contenders:

San Jose Shark Fans. I have never seen sports fans like this. My personal experience sitting @HP watching a game with these people, in a year when most Shark Fans felt their team had the best shot was unforgettable. They are the classiest, most well informed fans. They appreciate and respect your team, but boy do they love their team. I don't know a collective group who loves their team more. I have never once heard from my friends who are shark fans even the remotest inkling that they would give up on them- EVEN in light of the last few years. Especially since 2008, (when SJ seemed so brilliant and poised, even after losing to Dallas and yet many in the hockey world felt it was inevitable that San Jose would soon get its chance at the Cup after that playoff run) these fans have been mindboggling loyal and true ~~blue~~ teal to their Sharkies. Through 4 years heartbreaking years, having to deal with the damn Dirty Ducks in one year and utterly flopping the next, with the likelihood of SJ reaching a Final seems less promising than in years past, the fans never give up, or turn ugly.
Buffalo Sabre Fans. I ~~never realized~~ faulking forgot about it, it but the Sabres have NEVER won a CUP. Its tough enough that they had the Dominator and still lost, but now they have Hobie... Although I have never gone to see a Sabres game, I know quite a few sabres fans and they are as loyal as they come. These people will sit outside over night in the snow and sub-zero temps for tickets to a playoff game and dammit, that counts for something!
St. Louis Blues. I don't know if its just all the residual guilt over my Wings crushing this franchise throughout the 1990s, but it makes me sad that this team hasn't won a cup. And I loved it in 2009 when the rumors of relocation started to swirl, the Blues fan base took up arms and came out with a near record on consecutive sellouts. All for a team that has only made the playoffs once since the lockout.
Minnesota Wild: While we are on the subject of teams that don't make the playoffs and the fans that love them: Wild fans get my utmost respect. Did you know that up until last year the Wild held the record for most consecutive sellouts @381? That is more than the Wings old streak and more than Vancouver. Speaking of which...
Vancouver is it just me or do Vancouver fans seem to be operating under a dangerous sense of entitlement this year? As if winning the President's Trophy means anything (just ask Shark fans, they knows. And so do Wings fans, btw.) I want to want this for the 'Nucks fans, but I am finding them to be a bit annoying. Anyone know why? Anyone agree with me?

Teams/Fans on the Cusp of probably maybe sort of deserving a Cup

Washington Caps.

Winnipeg Jets. Oh yea. I went there. I'm not afraid.

Teams who have never won a Stanley Cup, whose fans have not proven themselves

Los Angeles Kings. That is not to say I haven't met some great, loyal, long suffering Kings fans- its just there aren't enough of you. And your bandwagonner brethren suck.

Phoenix Coyotes- TL:TL

That is my story and I am sticking to it. go 'head, tell me why I am wrong.

Monthly NHL injury analysis - another (two) month(s)

2011-03-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

Since nobody else in the hockey world appears to be talking about injuries right now (shame on you, Greyhound buses...), try the following for your fix of hurt:

Springing Malik: The Pain Game 2010/11 - Part Five

Sanctioned Brutality in the NHL must end: Chara-Pacioretty / LeMieux-Draper

2011-03-10T09:26:00.000-08:00

ENOUGH! enough. enough enough. "ENOUGH" to mothra faulking infinity, enough.

I started this blog today to compare the Chara-Pacioretty boarding to the Claude LeMieux brutalization of Kris Draper in 1996, mainly because there are such striking similarities with the location of the hit and horrific outcomes.

But I am far too pissed about the heart of the matter: unnecessary sanctioned violence in professional hockey, to address so narrow an issue.

You can debate all you want whether Chara's (likely) career ending hit on Pacioretty was unintentionally brutal, because it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it didn't look like a particularly bad hit. There is no need to continue to sanction and permit hits in this sport, especially because the risk of injuring or maiming a player far outweighs any misanthropic benefit.

But while we are on the subject, Do you really think Chara didn't know his "innocent check" wasn't a boarding? You think he couldn't see where -on the ice- they were as he drove his shoulder in? If so, you're a bleeding idiot. Sorry. Wait. No I am not.

Enough!

When will this league realize that the strength, grace and heart of this sport has nothing to do with hits or fighting? How many careers have to end by "innocent", "acceptable" hits from thugs?

What kind of professional sports league encourages, enjoys and sanctions willful, uncontrolled violence amongst and between its players in the course of a game?

The National Hockey League. The NHL, that is who. All the more horrific and astonishing because this sport does not need that shit to be incredible, exciting, explosive. Hockey, when played at its most skilled level is the most incredible sport on the planet. And yet year after year, the NHL pays only lip service to the cries of outrage as the preventable concussions and injuries pile up over the course of each season.

And what about the fans who continue to "fight for the right to fight"? How many "unintended" concussions to brilliant, talented players will you all continue to accept, just because you like seeing a fight or a hard check? And what kind of person are you that you want to see these things? What kind of dim Neanderthal monsters are you to seek out purposeful violence amongst players? What kind of a cretin enjoys such things, knowing each one- whether brutally crushing a guy's jaw against the boards or "unintentionally" snapping a guy's vertebra against glass edge- is more likely than not to end a career?

Why is it good gamesmanship to drive a guy into the boards,or poke your stick between his skates just because you are too damn slow to keep up?

This sport does not need the violence. These players do not deserve it. As long as it goes on in the NHL, hockey will never grow to be one of the top four professional sports in the world. Baseball, Football, Basketball, NASCAR, WWF, Soccer and Poker will continue to outrank the NHL in terms of popularity and fan base.

How, Dear Messieurs Campbell and Bettman, can we make you hear us? Why do you care more about a monstrous, demented fan base that seeks violence, than the health and safety of your players?

It needs to end now. Your priorities are woefully scrambled.

Built to (be) last

2011-03-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

Juice 8:15: "And He dost proclaimeth that the men and women of Recon shallt guesseth most wildly who shallt finish in position named eighth and position named last both in conference most-westerly and that most-oriental."

[Editor's note: Due to circumstances beyond the control of our 1,000-strong monkey typist pool, submissions have taken a week or two to hit the press, so a comment or ten might seem slightly out-of-date now.]

Avs2119
The Buffalo Sabres will finish 8th in the East. Why? Ryan Miller, enough said. In the West, I see the Kings getting it together and making a run and finishing 8th. In the East, the Senators will finish last, too many things to overcome for them to make a run out of the cellar. Out West, right now I'd say the Avs will finish last, but that would mean Edmonton would have to go one heck of a run, so barring a huge collapse by either St. Louis or Colorado, it will be the Oilers, but not for long.

Macksayev
In the East, the Buffalo Sabres will finish 8th, thanks to riding Ryan Miller, only to face the strongest opponent and of course go out in the first round... As for finishing last, the New York Islanders are there on my list. In the West, I'd put Anaheim in the 8th spot, after a bit of shuffling in the playoff race over there. As for last place, the Edmonton Oilers have that on lock down.

Ola
For the East, I say Buffalo gets 8th thanks to Miller and some clutch goal scoring from Vanek down the stretch. Isles/Sens toss up on which of them finish last in the East, I'll say that it's the Sens because the rebuild is on in Ottawa and the Isles somehow finish ahead of them... no idea how it will happen, but a gut feeling mixed in with some Sens hate haha.

In the West, I say Phoenix finishes 8th after a surge from current 8th place Minnesota (the BELIEVE movement is in full swing here haha) that will ultimately put them in the 5th-7th range (I wanted this in writing which is why I'm say it lol), and the Oilers finish last in the West again because they have that on lock.

LW3H
8th in the East: The Rangers, because their destiny is surely to get pounded by the Flyers instead of getting a winnable 2-7 matchup against the Lightning/Capitals, and I'm (just about) confident enough they won't slump enough to miss out entirely.

Last in the East: The Islanders, because they just belong.

8th in the West: About as impossible to predict as which DiPietro body part will fall apart next, but let's wildly guess at the Hawks, if only so they can beat the Canucks a round earlier than normal.

Last in the West: I'll speculate that the 14th placed team will continue stay as far away from Edmonton as Dany Heatley.

Mchiconsky
The searing pain was almost more than I could bear. What was causing this???? Light! Hideous, agonizing light! It was my computer monitor, filling the darkened room with an awful white light that jolted me awake. Someone had sent me a message. I took the half eaten sandwich off my cheek and sat up. It was a bad idea. My tongue felt like it was glued to the roof of my mouth. After attempting to dislodge it I realized it actually had been glued there. I looked across the room and saw the Pens Loving Poodle staring at me smugly, a flattened tube of Superglue next to him. Undeterred, I swished a half bottle of nail polish remover around in my mouth to break the tongue suction, swept a pile of empty beer cans off the desk chair and dragged myself into it.

I read the email. It was from Juice. She wanted a blog on who would finish last. Geeze, is it February already? Ok, if Juice wanted it, I was gonna do it. It would be a dark piece, but that fit my mood. I put on my Grinder cap, told the Pens Loving Poodle to put on a pot of coffee, and went to work. What? It could be only four sentences or one paragraph long? Is this some twisted Canadian haiku? The jagged little pieces of what used to be my brain couldn’t handle this kind of limitation. I couldn’t stop the torrent of ideas bursting out of me, although part of that was yesterday’s sauerkraut enchilada. I pressed on.

The East: I don’t know much about the East. Except that they play a different form of hockey. Something like Curling but tougher, and highlighted by goalie fights and mega contracts. Lots of teams are capable of rolling into the cutoff spot, and Buffalo has a good shot if they can continue their hot streak, but I’m liking Carolina. They’re playing .500 hockey their last 10 games, and I think they can hold on long enough to make it under the wire, although who knows how far they’ll go in the post season. As for who’ll be last in the East, my heart says Isles, but my brain says Sens. The fans say who cares, the rest of the East is so much better. My gut says what the hell was in that sandwich you ate half of? Petroleum jelly?

And now the West. Gritty, flinty, Ok, smelly. The battle for the Ocho is fierce here. A log jam where any team can steal the last sweet spot, with 8 teams separated by only 6 points. The Wild, Flames and Kings have all been playing well enough to get there. Take your pick. I’m going with the Flames. They just seem poised right now. As for last, although smart money is on Edmonton, my money is on the Avs. They are in freefall and losing top players to injury, and the latest news, that some panic stricken front office types, fresh from a Vodka and 5 Hour Energy weekend binge, are trying to jam Forsberg’s mangled feet back into ‘magic’ skates says all I need to hear. The haunted look of wounded prey is stamped on their chalky white faces.

And then it was done. I slumped over my desk, gasping in ragged breaths. It had taken everything in me, but I’d finished it. Exhausted I staggered to my feet and poured myself a stiff nail polish remover and 7-Up on the rocks, and then settled down in the bean bag chair to continue my Trailer Park Boys DVD festival. In the dim reflected light of Ricky’s car, I realized everything was going to be alright.

ted
East:
8th: Montreal...they've got no official first line, and every line has to play every night like it's a play off game. All their leading goal scorers are tiny. PK Subban FTW

Last: The Devils. I think Kovi will just give up...not that it matters because they probably can't fit a draft pick into their cap situation.

West:
8th: Chicago. They are only 3 points out, and they can play when their goalie doesn't piss himself.

Last: Sigh...Edmonton. I've become a fan of "Oil Change" but I think they need size. Their young kids are getting pushed around a lot.

Kate TG
Shock and awe, I'm going to go with my 'Canes for 8th in the East, just because there has to be some kind of justice in the world. They've played their little hearts out lately and Cam Ward seems to be busting out the old '06 jedi mind tricks to will the team into making the postseason. Also, I've put about 5 solid hours into the postseason guide and I'd guess I have about 10 more to go, and if it doesn't get used, I'm going to flip. Isles for last. They're just so sad.

I'll go Chicago for 8th in the West, even though it's a little unlikely, just because picking Chicago for everything last summer worked out pretty well...And Edmonton for last in the West. Because they're sadder.

Alicia
8th in the East: The New York Rangers. They have the defense and they have the goaltending, but their offense always makes me wonder. They'll squeak in and the Thrashers will get back into it and end up ahead of them in the standings. The Islanders will finish last because... There isn't really much else to say. I don't think things will get worse for the Sens and the Isles will fall into their usual place.

8th in the West: I say LA catches fire by climbing the standings and Calgary keeps pace to get the 7th seed as the Sharks finish 8th. I don't think Minnesota has it in them to keep up and despite their struggles, I think the Sharks will be able to stay in the race and grab the 8th seed. Edmonton will finish last in West. Need I say more?

Dagmar27
Eastern Conference: Eighth in the East will go to the Atlanta Thrashers, mostly because I want to see four of the five Southeast Division teams in playoffs this year - just to be spiteful. And 15th in the East will go to Ottawa, because they've already given up on the season and are unloading the team for all their worth - which apparently isn't much.

Western Conference: Eighth in the West will go to the San Jose Sharks, so that means they'll manage to make it past the first round this year for once. And 15th in the West will go to Edmonton, because no one wants to play there - just ask Pronger's wife.

ccd3m
I'll go with Buffalo at the 8th spot in the East ~~despite my Brodeur/Lemaire infatuation~~, Ottawa in last.

I think Calgary will squeak into the 8th seed in the West and Colorado is pretty horrible right now so I think they just might pull off the impossible and finish behind the Oilers now that their goaltending is Brian Elliott.

Valentine's Day tidbit for Caps fans

2011-02-14T10:03:00.000-08:00

From my "NHL Fact-A-Day" calendar:

Chris Valentine, an Ontario native, played three seasons for the Washington Capitals from 1981-82 to 1983-84, scoring 43 goals. He then played 12 years in Europe.

I hope this little fact warms your hearts.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Playoff Projections in the WC: Wild West Edition

2011-02-13T08:28:00.000-08:00

Just how tough is it going to be to make the playoffs in the West this year, especially if you are on the cusp? If this month is any indication, the race for 8^th is tighter than Bryzgalov’s five hole.

LA Kings have at least a point in the last 8 games. In other words, no regulations losses, and yet the Kings have spent most of February being bumped around from 8^th to 10^th, fighting for their 63 points.

Until last night, Calgary (9^th, 64 pts) had won 9 straight games- 18 points straight (NB: NHL on the Fly is reporting it as 11 straight wins, but nhl.com says otherwise. If anyone actually knows, please drop a comment).

8 straight games of points, 9-11 straight wins, and yet who emerged this morning in 8^th?

The Minnesota Wild.

Arguably as crucial as the two points from their win over the Blues, the Wild (8^th, 65 pts) benefited from Vancouver’s 2 points over the Flames. (Vancouver (1^st, 81 pts) didn’t need ‘em anyway.) A practical gain of 4 points in one night.

H-E-D-H-S, as it stands, 4 points in any given night has the potential to utterly disrupt the western conference standings and the playoff picture.

Just 3 points separate Chicago (11^th, 62 pts) from Minnesota today, and only three points separate the Wild from Dallas (3rd, 68 pts). Only Vancouver and Detroit seem relatively safe with respective 10 and 19 point cushions separating the top two from Chicago.Then again, a couple regulation losses by the Wings and a couple of regulation wins by the Wild on the same nights, with positive movement from Dallas or Nashvillle? Well you do the math, but I tell you it gets too close for comfort.

With only 6 points covering the spread, playoff seeds 3 through 8 are still up in the air in the West, and even the Wings are not out of firing range.

Bottom Line? From now until April it will not be enough to just win in regulation for many teams.

It’s only Mid-February, and as it stands on every given night, no fewer than 10 teams have to fight not just for the win, but hope the right team loses.

Sure within a week or two some of these teams will stop believing they can make it, stop fighting- but at this point there is no telling who. And in all honesty, I still expect Colorado (14^th 56 pts) or St. Louis (13^th 57pts.) to flip a switch and return to early season glory, making a run at it. Making it that much harder for every other team fighting for its playoff life.

Never have I before given such credence to the cliché “every point counts”.

That said, I am not a huge advocate of winning your conference, and even less a fan of winning the President’s Cup. It stems from my firm conviction that the road to the Stanley Cup is a marathon not a mile. When I see teams like Vancouver and San Jose burn it out with 112 points in a year, I remember 1995.

That said, if you let yourself get to far behind, like Chicago, Calgary and even Anaheim- all who are nursing some injuries in key players, I can tell you that fighting for your playoff life at Valentine's Day will cost you after the 1^st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If February is any indication, this year’s race will put the “W” in Minnesota.

NHL on the Fly: Head Up His Arse Edition

2011-02-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the NHL Network's NHL on the Fly does not have its own website? And did you know that the NHL Network doesn't have its own website? As the flagship program for the only sports network reporting on the NHL, it is utterly amazing to me that these two media outlets do not have their own websites. Upon realizing this, my first reaction was to categorize this fail as just another example of how archaic, poorly prioritized and woefully inept the League seems handle its media.

Adding this ~~complaint~~ observation to an already long list that includes the fact that neither its local contracts with all Fox Sports channels, nor Center Ice have "HD" broadcasting requirements, it becomes easy to believe the rumor that Doc Emrick is still broadcasting the play by play with a transistor radio plug in his ear.

And if that is the case, perhaps we've all been too hard on Pierre McGuire... You make the call.

more after the break...

Really though what should I have expected when less than 10% of the players in the league have twitter accounts, and those that do get censored by the league? (BIZNASTY2point0 for the win)

But the NHL's technological inadequacies are not the reason I started this blog, merely an incredulous aside as I went searching the interwebs for today's NHL on the FLY broadcast. This blog is really about flawed, lazy gossip mongering and unsupportable analysis on the only damn sports news show that covers the NHL.

See Dave Amber and Mike Johnson, who hosted NHL on the FLY this morning, recapping last night's games, are maroons. And if they are not maroons, then the fools writing their copy are maroons.

It was bad enough that they decried Ryan Kesler's 3rd period routine wrist shot in a 6-0 routing over a struggling Phoenix team as the "play of the night", over Johan Franzen's historic 5 goals, and the Dipietro-Johnson brawl....

How funny was it to see Ricko-Suave laughing as Johnson grabbed his sweater. And BTW, anyone who thinks Rick "got dropped" probably ought to consider that what likely went down was Rick saying, "Alright you're mad, get one good shot in and then I'm protecting my head."

But then, Mr. Mike Johnson waxed ecstatic about Jimmy Howard's "failing" career, proclaiming that Howard is lacking confidence, convinced that the team has no faith in him and that he has to "fight for the No. 1 goaltending spot", all apparently evidenced by the Nabokov offer.

How sad is it when a lawyer living in Los Angeles, who has never played the game and cannot even score on "Holograph Richter" @ the HHOF, has better insight and understanding of the league than a former Maple Leaf who is supposed to be a top notch sports broadcaster?

For the record, Mr. Johnson, you - or the people who write your copy- are misguided, maroons or mere mouthpieces. And if you didn't do your own research, and don't write your own copy, then I extend my apologies for calling you a maroon, but I re-emphasize all lazy, gossipy, mouthpiece criticisms.

Here is why you are embarrassingly wrong about Jimmy Howard.

A 25-8-3 record sets him atop of the league with wins, tied for first with TT who has a 25-5-6 record.

Further- Jimmy Howard is currently 8th in league for GAA. He's still winning game after game covering the net for a team that has spent the last month rolling more lines of Grand Rapid Griffins than Detroit Red Wings. Oh yea, and he's doing it without a back up (sorry Joey!) , while coming off an injury.

And let me remind you, Mr. Johnson, how the "26 year old" rookie carried our broken and battered team in the playoffs last year. When you pontificated that the Wings went hunting for Nabby because Jimmy is unproven in the playoffs, I seriously wondered if you had ever played the game. How can you possibly imply -with a straight face- that Nabby has a better showing in the playoffs than Jimmy? Sure he's seen a few extra overtime periods, but that perennial second rounder has not yet proven to anyone that he has what it takes. In fact quite a few people would tell you Nabby has proven just the opposite.... But this is not about Nabby, who I do like, who I do think is an elite goat-tender and whom I would have loved to see come to Detroit. As a back up.

The Wings are NOT looking for a starting goaltender and if they were, do you really think Wiley Ken-otye Holland would pick a likely out-of-shape, un-worked 35 year old from the KHL? The Wings-Nabby deal was either a favor to Nabby, or intended to fill the void Ozzie's surgery has created, to bring a still very skilled, top notch goaltender into the fold as a bargain back up and insurance. Even Holland basically said the salary was too good a deal to pass up.

On what basis do you support the claim that Red Wing Organization was looking for anything other than a back up/insurance/ some rest time for the goaltender that has been almost singlehandedly managing the net for the Wings since last March?

Further Mr. Johnson: on what basis can you possibly justify implying that Jimmy Howard doesn't deserve and hasn't earned starting goaltender status on any team in this league, let alone a perpetually elite team? How on earth can you possible argue that the Wings have even sent any mixed signals? It's very clear to all of Detroit, the entire Detroit Red Wing organization and her fans everywhere that Jimmy is the real deal. Everyone has confidence in Howard, and he continues to prove his elite status night after night.

For every answer you have to these questions I repeat: Jimmy Howard is currently the most winning goalie in the league (with TT) and in his rookie season he played like a BOSS for the Wings 2010 playoff run.

Nabby was a lark that would have been a nice back up if it worked out. The Detroit Red Wings have no doubts about Howard and what he is capable of. Jimmy Howard has no doubts about himself, his abilities or his standing as the Starting Goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings. The fans have no doubts.

So please. Stop being lazy, and give some thought to your on air analysis. Stop instigating thoughtless rumor and stirring controversy where there is none. We take our Wings seriously in Hockeytown, and we will call you out.

Now about that "play of the night":

NHL All-Star Game - LW goes live-blog back-to-back

2011-01-30T13:02:00.000-08:00

After last night's Versusastrophe, looks like I'm getting the CBC coverage of the game tonight...

Interviews with the laugh-a-minute Sedins precede the anthems. Or they precede more commercials that precede the anthems. No, they haven't switched teams etc etc...

Back from break to see the Montreal players not picked for the game with some kind of amateur dramatic tribute to the team captains and Caniac favourites, Rod Brind'Amour and Ron Francis. Brind'Amour then takes the kids off the ice to bag skate them and lift weights for the rest of the evening.

Player intros...Why is Martin Havlat's Sedin-like beard an entirely different colour to his hair? Why did Dan Boyle's caption say "Daniel Boyle"? And David Backes apparently plays for the St. Louis Reds now, according to his caption...

As if the Sedins, Giroux, Marc Staal, Havlat's beard and the ghost of Glen Wesley didn't bring enough gingerness to proceedings, some ginger guy sings the US anthem too. Coming back from yet another break, an inadvertent piece of audio fluff masks part of host Ron MacLean's comments, so I hear: "Let's get this sh-- on the road". I'll assume the missing syllable was "ow" rather than something else.

Right on cue, it's the ghost of Glen Wesley doing the pre-game siren thing! Now awaiting the appearance of Alexei Zhamnov and Conan O'Brien later in the evening.

1st period

Ovechkin banks one in past Fleury within the first minute. Knew I shouldn't have put money on the shutout...

Not long until Stastny converts on the 150th odd-man rush of the game to make it 2-0 before three minutes are up. And the corpse of Patrik Elias then beats Fleury five-hole as I look up - 3-0 Staal already. Nope, make that 4-0 as Giroux pokes one home to open the account for Team Ginger. If nothing else, this start only proves how much better the presence of Sidney Crosby's faceoffs and defensive effort makes Fleury look (yawn)...And sorry for stealing the premise of your column tomorrow, Rob Rossi...

One emergency call later, Jacques Lemaire arrives behind the Team Lidstrom bench and we go several minutes without a goal...Until Anze Kopitar gets in behind the new defense pairing of Mark Fraser and Olivier Magnan-Grenier to make it 4-1. As we know, a four goal lead inside 10 minutes is the proverbial worst lead in hockey, so no surprise if this one turns around.

The obligatory Jeff Skinner figure skating conversation takes place early. The graphic confirms he was born in May 1992. I feel old.

What did I tell you? 4-2 as the 7-3 310lb Bufflin sneaks in unnoticed behind the defense. Lou Lamoriello fires the coaching staff of Team Staal. Everyone wonders how Lamoriello has the power to do such a thing.

Loui Eriksson scores off a horrendous giveaway by Kris Letang, who will undoubtedly be stapled to the bench by the new coach of Team Staal, Larry Robinson, for the rest of the game. Quickly followed by a Matt Duchene goal to tie it at four with three minutes still to play in the game. Oh, there's another two periods after this?

No further goals before the period ends, as both teams are content to spread four men across the blue line, force the opposition to chip the puck in before picking it up and banging it off the glass and out the zone.

1st intermission

Entertainment is to be provided by Steve "3 Doors" Downie, who will be given 90 seconds to smash his way through both penalty box doors and the Zamboni entrance using only his fists and flying shoulders.

2nd period

Price and Hiller now in goal after the ritual sacrifice of the two starters in the first period. Early on, Shea Weber almost breaks his arm by pulling out of of a one-timer. Patrick Sharp makes it 5-4 Staal, giving him four points already. Puck hog.

Just noticed that the strange shading on the hockey pants the players are wearing, particularly the red ones, makes it look from some angles that they have wet themselves. I'm sure Reebok has a suitably flashy market-savvy name for it anyway.

Letang makes it 6-4. Lemaire is now understood to have been fired or resigned/retired, with Lou Lamoriello coaching both teams simultaneously on an interim basis.

Kopitar pulls one back on a rare 8-on-0 break. Marc Staal is something like -5 now. Not really his kind of game... Jeff Skinner is seemingly going to be on the ice for the entire game now, or at least until he scores. Letang decides to rip a shot straight at Hiller's mask. Will Corey Perry slash his own team-mate in retaliation?

Stamkos beats Price up high from in tight to tie the game up again. Glenn Healy accuses Stamkos of using an illegal curve. As if a player once coached by Barry Melrose would risk doing such a thing...

Danny Briere gives Team Lidstrom the lead for the first time with another roof shot from in tight. No stupid fist pump celebration from a subdued Briere though. At the other end, a presumably fatigued Skinner is robbed by Hiller on a breakaway, then Hiller repeats the dose on Rick Nash.

In the last minute, the refs blow a clear call as Ryan Kesler garottes Matt Duchene with a trailing microphone cable. Accidental, sure, but the rule is clear: Players are responsible for loosely attached audio equipment at all times.

2nd intermission

Not sure what's on tap. Traditionally, this is the slot for the MacLean vs Bettman mid-season mutual cringerview, but the much-hyped "Guardian Project" thing is supposed to be getting unveiled.

After an interview with Marty St. Louis and his three kids (tough to tell which ones were the kids), it looks like we're getting at least some of the Guardian Project stuff rather than our esteemed Commish. In summary: Huh?

Still plenty of time for a Bettman interview, but instead we get a look at some of the results of the NHLPA player poll that came out yesterday. Key fact: 95% of players do not think Frans Nielsen is the most underrated player in the league.

3rd period

Tim Thomas is mic'd up for this period while he's between the pipes. A certain irony about the announcers asking him about being focused at different times during games while distracting him with conversation as play goes on around him.

Thomas is alert enough to stop Skinner's 57th shot of the game, but soon after, Captain Staal beats him on a breakaway. CBC revert suddenly to talking to Staal on the ice instead, rather than that loser, Thomas.

Penalty shot awarded to Duchene as Ovechkin throws his stick towards the puck as Duchene breaks in. True to this year's form, Ovechkin misses anyway. True to form, Lundqvist stops the penalty shot attempt.

Apparently, the MVP will be decided by text voting. Pretty sure that ruins any chance Dustin Byfuglien had of winning.

Letang puts one through Thomas to make it 8-7 Staal, but then the pump-free Briere splits the shutdown Boyle/Karlsson pairing to tie things up again. Next, Toews beats Lundqvist to make it 9-8 Lidstrom. OK, no shutout for Hank. Take him out the game NOW, Lemaire/Lamoriello/Robinson...

Glenn Healy takes time out to praise the play of Lundqvist and the much-injured Rangers this year. Obviously, he has some affection for the team still, but still odd and unusual for a Canadian broadcaster to offer anything Ranger-wise other than how Sean Avery is a blight on the game. With excellent timing, St. Louis squeezes one past Lundqvist for a 10-8 lead. But soon matched by Rick Nash at the other end. 10-9 Lidstrom.

As we hit the last two minutes, the intensity level is ratcheted up to "Fleetingly Moderate" as Team Staal looks for the tying marker. I learn that writing about so many goals forces you to use horrible Beninatisms such as "tying marker" in order to stop repeating the same phrases.

Strangely enough, Team Staal fails to crank up the physical effort needed to hold the puck in the offensive zone with the goalie pulled and Loui Eriksson puts one into the vacant cage. Must muzzle my inner Beninati...

But hold on - E-Staal still has time to notch another tally (OK, I'll stop now...) to make it 11-10 late. It's too little, too late, however. Team Lidstrom holds on. Lundqvist must dwell on what will be the biggest deluge of late goals he will face until...er, Tuesday when the Rangers ritual home screw up against the Penguins takes place.

Wrap-up

Just enough time (i.e. approximately 12 seconds before the network here completely bails to show some X-Games garbage) to learn than Patrick Sharp was voted as MVP. Well he does have a pretty easy name to spell.

NHL SuperSkills - LW's attempted live blog

2011-01-29T16:02:00.000-08:00

Incoherent Red Bull-assisted thoughts to follow...

First disappointment of the night: I'm getting the Versus coverage rather than CBC. Doc Emrick providing the screech-by-screech commentary. At least this means no Milbury (I hope)...

First record of the evening: Bob Harwood asks a question featuring fewer than 17 subclauses. Meanwhile, Charissa Thompson clearly invades Nick Lidstrom's personal space during her harrowing interrogation.

Onto the player introductions. We can only hope this isn't punctuated by another 180-minute Glen Wesley jersey retirement ceremony. I've not kept track, admittedly, but I think this is the first time I've ever seen the word "SHATTENKIRK" projected onto a streaming plume of smoke by a hockey rink.

I'm guessing the giant curtain at center ice is there for some kind of Chara-unveiling. The crowd noise almost literally raises the roof for the entrances of Evgeny Dadonov and Michael Grabner.

Fastest Skater

So, after bowing to the endless howls of protest from approximately zero fans around the world for the last 10 years, we finally get to see goalies in the fastest skater contest. Hmm...was Hal Gill not available?

Eric Staal wins the puck flip and elects to receive the kickoff. Or something.

Wins for Letang (skating backwards) and Grabner (rookies) precede a predictable blown tire for Tim Thomas in the goalie event. In a dramatic technological upgrade from two years ago, we appear to have working clocks. St. Louis beats Kesler, then Stamkos easily beats Mike Green, who must've skated in the wrong direction when he entered the defensive zone. Spoke too soon on the clocks, unless Matt Duchene really did beat Marc Staal by about seven seconds.

In the repeat rookie final, Grabner again comes out on top, thus increasing his chances of producing the finest SuperSkills performance by an Austrian rookie in several years.

Breakaway challenge

Or officially, the BlackBerry NHL Breakaway Challenge, which presumably means it's some kind of auction of sunbelt teams to a rival league run by Jim Balsillie coming up.

Oh, disappointingly, it's instead the freestyle shootout thing again. Anyway, Go Team Dadonov!

P.K. Subban dons Jeff Skinner's jersey in a cheap, showy move to find favour with the home fans. Somewhere, Mike Richards sets fire to his television. Sadly, Mr Dadonov appears to have never played hockey before...until he actually puts one home on his fourth attempt while Carey Price pays practically no attention.

Really, since nobody is that concerned about scoring in this, why not just put a cardboard cutout of a goalie between the pipes? Or Rick DiPietro?

Alex Ovechkin puts one home on Fleury after some stick-reversal shenanigans. Cue 1,000 articles tomorrow from Pittsburgh beat writers and the Canadian press about how he failed to pull off the same moves when it counted against Crosby...

Points are awarded here based on text voting entries from the public...so we head to a break first. Let's hope the Dadonov family's planned mass voting scam doesn't get found out.

In a shock outcome, the winner of the text vote turns out to be Brett Favre's penis. I have no idea which team is winning.

Accuracy shooting

Now players compete to shoot a target off the top of John Forslund's quiff in the quickest time possible.

Er, watching two players shoot at four targets at the same time is slightly difficult...As is hearing out-of-synch interviews above the arena music...

The Sharp/Toews contest appears to be operating as a best of seven series. Rick Nash defeats Phil Kessel. Brian Burke immediately schedules a press conference to bemoan the unfairness of the competition.

Fans unexpectedly chant "Let's go Kane" as 20 Cent goes head-to-head with Captain Staal. At least I think that's what the chanting was. Daniel Sedin goes 4-for-4 and presumably gets a 10-day lay off before meeting the winner of the Sharp/Toews series.

Harwood back on form as he manages to take 20 seconds over a question to Sedin that basically amounted to: "Do you aim at the targets?" And I've no idea what the score is. Probably more due more to my inability to multi-task than any flaws in the wonderful Versus broadcast.

Skills challenge relay

The description of this appears confusing enough, so I'm expecting to not follow this at all. Before it starts, Charissa Thompson casts aside any concerns that she doesn't know anything about hockey by dropping a "Lindstrom" during an interview with ASG supremo/czar/overlord Brendan Shanahan. Whoops...

Jeff Skinner used to be a figure skater? They really should mention that more often every time he plays.

Distracted while typing...Edzo does what with horse meat? Given the length of this break, either they must be resurfacing the ice several times, there is a lot of equipment to arrange on the ice or Harwood has started another interview.

The relay includes a part where a player skates through a series of pylons. So the Devils did provide some players for the festivities after all. Still not ready, so Thompson interviews Carey Prince and Kris Lentang, Harwood treats Tim Thomas to the "you're old" line of questioning.

The one-timer portion of this relay features Erik Karlsson feeding the puck to players in different jerseys within the defensive zone, a skill he has developed carefully in Ottawa the last couple of years. Either those are giant Gatorade bottles that Tyler Ennis is skating around or he really is a midget.

Group 1 of Team Lindstrom takes the lead in the relay, but Matt Duchene clearly flubbed the puck control bit. Controversy. Surely worth a trip to the war room. Group 2 of Team Staal with the slowest time yet - Kris Letang using up a valuable 25 minutes trying to score three one-timers from the blue line. The final group also fails to match the best time, Keith Yandle failing to realise skating around the Gatorade bottles in the dressing room too was not necessary. Duchene or somebody too close to his mic seemed to say something he shouldn't have just then...

Score is Team Lindstrom 113, Team Staal 163.8.

Hardest shot

I'm really not that interested in this round, given Scott Gomez isn't here, but I'll try and work through my dismay...

Burns defeats Backes and Seguin defeats Fowler - nobody threatening 100mph yet. Edzo gives Sharp/Kopitar the heavy sell by noting that neither of them have big slapshots. Weber/Chara should be better.

Weber beats Chara in a mild surprise with a 104.8mph blast. A rematch in the final round is speculated. Dystuglien Bufflin also tops 100mph to easily overcome Rick Nash. The inevitable technology fail finally arrives as Ovechkin tees up - one stick breakage and a malfunctioning speed gun meaning he has three extra attempts. Before tripping over a loose cable by the boards. Ted Leonsis fires up a new blog post as we speak.

In the rematch with Weber, Chara cranks a blast of 105.9mph to win; a speed only beaten in NHL All-Star game history by Martin Brodeur's sprint to the pre-game buffet in 2006.

Elimination shootout

The old guy we see in a Blackhawks jersey on the bench as we return from break turns out to be some contest winner, not Chris Chelios as I first thought.

Looks like everybody takes part in this one. My money is definitely on the Dadonov-ator this time. Only Bufflin scores early. The goalies aren't rotating after every three attempts as it was billed. Another Dado-fail...

Subban, Perry and Briere still in...Stepan and Marc Staal predictably fail. Lundqvist trips Brad Richards into the boards - an attempt to knock a few thousand off his free agent price orchestrated by Rangers management? Rick Nash scores...Lundqvist stopping everything so far. Until St. Louis beats him with his patented "Omark's not allowed to do this" ass-out move.

Several more players stay in as noted sieves, Thomas and Ward assume goalie duties...2nd round: Subban, Bufflin now out. Perry scores again as Fleury uncharacteristically flops around like a dead fish. Briere stopped by Price. Nash misses before St. Louis disgracefully pulls a few moves again to score. Somewhere, Dan Ellis sets fire to Mike Richards' television.

Kane stopped by Lundqvist. Karlsson Kovalchuks his attempt away and Shattenkirk and E-Staal drop out. Havlat denied by Lundqvist. Down to Perry vs St. Louis...

Perry scores again, while St. Louis fails with his new double ass-out move, bringing NHL respect levels down to a crashing new low. Somewhere, Mike Richards sets fire to every television he can find that has ever shown a picture of Dan Ellis on it.

Wrap-up

Apparently the final score was actually Staal 33-22 Lindstrom. Possibly the identical final score to the game itself tomorrow. Patrick Kane boldly states his team will win "the more important one". Or more accurately, "the marginally less unimportant one", I think he means to say.

Will I watch? Dunno. Is there a Dadonov presence?

ASG Weekend reading links!

2011-01-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hey Reconners (don't worry that nickname can't possibly stick), I'll bet you are gonna jones for some non-ASG hockey related news this weekend, so here are a couple great links to keep you busy:

Biznasty and Doaner pick their fantasy ASG teams at TSN

Fantastic Blogger Super Dave (whom I constantly beg to write for us) confesses here

Hockey Recon's own Motley Su reminds us there are other leagues here

Maybe you like Waffles?

Annoyed by the ASG and want to get on with it already? start here

I'll add more as the weekend progresses, but for now enjoy this totally random flash from the past:

Why Nabokov will clear waivers, a team by team analysis.

2011-01-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

In order of waiver priority, here are the reasons each of these teams won’t pick Nabokov from Holland’s pocket.

Obviously Nabby’s deal with Detroit isn’t likely to hurt most salary caps, even the 12 "OTC" (over-the-cap) teams (Rangers,Wings, Wild, Sharks, Flames, Devils, Canucks, Canadiens, Kings, Flyers, Leafs, Sens, Bruins), assuming their GMs were creative enough, or they had enough season ending injuries. Still, where applicable the cap is noted. All cap information gleaned from Hockey Buzz. Note: Players on IR and two-way players and their respective cap hits are not factored.

New Jersey Lou said they would not. What he should have said is “could not”. And you know why? K-O-V, A-L-C, ... M-O-U-S-E. Devils are No. 1 on the Over the Cap Race, ringing in at +8MM.

Edmonton The Bulin Wall is costing them 3.7MM/yr and they still can’t get out of the fivehole. Goaltending is not their biggest problem.

NY Islanders Although they have plenty of cap space, the Islanders have a rigorous pre-signing fitness exam and rumor has it they believe Nabby would undoubtedly fail the whip cream licking test.

Ottawa Still stinging over the Chee Choo and Emery Buyouts and having made that deal to pay Pascale Le Claire 3MM a year. Also, no cap space since they could not unload Spezza or Alfreddson.

Toronto Cap space at a negative, and with Giggy being their highest paid player, they are now counting on Kessel to do it all.

Calgary With the third highest Cap Hit in the league(<5MM) and Kipper, there is no way in hell this would go down, unless the management were colossally stupid. Oh wait.

Buffalo They Have Cap room, but they also have Hobie.

Florida I have nothing clever to say about the Panthers, and I refuse to stoop to cliche. They can't all be winners folks.

Columbus Too afraid to piss Holland off, plus Steve Mason keeps promising he’s not a fluke.

Los Angeles Just spent all their Cap room to keep their GM’s mouth shut, and to install better goal cams in Johnny Quick’s net.

San Jose Pride. Yea, because they have loads of that these days in SJ. (I know. Even I think this is a cheap shot, but hells bells, we all were thinking it. Just like I am thinking it would be stupid of SJ not to pick him up. Seriously. No, I mean it.)

Carolina Perfectly happy with Cam Ward and their middle of the pack status. Actually Carolina could be the sleeper in this equation. I mean, its always been rumored in the Detroit Area that Karmanos and Ilitch are mortal enemies. It would be just like Karmanos to pick up a goalie just to screw Ol’ Mike. And they have cap room.

Atlanta I got nothing. But who really worries about Atlanta?

St. Louis Provided the St. Louis Management isn’t still balled up in a corner suffering PTSD from the Wellwood and Stavos fiascoes, this could happen- just out of spite.

Minnesota Cap issues aside, with a net-minding tandem that includes Jose Theodore, there should be no need to even speculate.

Anaheim Rumor has it they wanted Nabby, but he ain’t gangsta enough and has refused to purchase a mask with a gold grill.

Chicago No more room on their AHL affiliate for million dollar goaltenders.

Phoenix Owner Bettman won’t hear of it, keeps muttering “those who defect must be punished” in strange Slavic accent of unknown origin.

Colorado Absolutely no reason why they shouldn’t. Except that I am holding Joe Sakic hostage and will force him to snow blow my driveway if they mess with my Wings.

NY Rangers Two Words: Glen Sather.

Montreal Two more words: Carey Price. This is not commentary on Carey’s skill and success in net. Its judgment.

Nashville Two more words: Pekka Renne. (This is commentary on Renne’s amazing skill)

Washington Have reached the little known, never publicized NHL Russian quota (established in 2002) referred to in secret circles as the “R5Q" (or "There will never be another Russian 5 in this league again Quota”) and may not pick him up.

Tampa Bay Stevie Y. would never do this to Kenny, unless he expressly let him.

Boston Absolutely the only team in the League without the need. Thomas-Rask tandem is amazing.

Pittsburgh Team moratorium on any sort of relevant NHL activity until Sid’s head gets better.

Dallas Still laughing about the Modano signing, B. Hull doesn’t feel the need to kick his old team when its “down”.

Wings - Nabokov Deal: New and Interesting Theories Abound

2011-01-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

Oh I love all of this! Excepting any ill effects toward or on the Wiz, the Nabokov rumor mill is by far the most fun -so far this year- that a girl can have without taking her skates off.

As you know, if you read my post yesterday, I had my theory on why this was going down and why Nabby would clear waivers:

Mainly because no one else was talking to him, and if anyone can work a "waiver proof" deal, it would be the Detroit Red Wing GM extraordinaire: Wylie E. Kenyote, E. Pluribus Holland.

Well now that we "know" the deal is a one year $570k contract, my theory might be dead....or not.

My bet now is that the Wings lowballed the contract knowing someone would pick him up off waivers and they have a side deal with another team to do just that. Say they have a side deal with Stevie Y. Tampa picks Nabby up off waivers, then releases him, Wings uh- "nab" him. (ahem).

And while we are on the subject, Maybe we don't want him at all, but Stevie Y. does. Its totally plausible that the Red Wings are doing No. 19 a solid here. I am totally ok with that.

Oh there are other theories too!

Plenty of smart fans on various boards (say...."puck daddy") have some lovely ideas, go ahead pick your favorite or tell me what you think.

One commenter speculated that the Devils will pick him up and trade him back for a draft pick. But Lou addressed this one today and said "Why the faulk would I do that. We got our own problems, leave me alone."

Tyris commented that the Wings are merely doing Nabby a favor to get him back into the NHL, because they want him for next year. (This is my favorite idea, BTW, you know, ONLY if Oz retires.)

An anonymous commenter told us that Nitty was placed on IR after today's morning skate.... If the Wings don't have a side deal on the waiver process, I can't see how the Sharks could NOT pick Nabby up if he's still around at 12:30 tomorrow, at bargain basement prices. If this goes down I think that will be the end of any UFAs heading to Europe "to find themselves".(more on why at a later date.)

Another commenter argued the Blues should pick him up, just out of spite.. ahhh haaa: I say "Piss off, strong letter to follow."

Someone said one of my favorite Red Wings Bloggers,George Malik, has an interesting theory, but I can;t find it anywhere! If you have a link, send it.

What's your theory? What is your favorite?

For more fun, Left Wing Lock has the waiver order.

Nabokov headed for Detroit? What does it mean for Chris Osgood?

2011-01-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

Nabokov to Detroit? What does it mean for the Wizard of Oz?

If you weren't already scared of the Detroit Red Wings potential to head back to the SCF again this year, you ought to be quaking in your boots at this point as news breaks of a Wings-Nabokov deal that has been quietly brewing since - oh, November-ish, when Nabby first publicly stated he wanted to come back to the NHL.

People in the know were predicting this is where he would end up, and I have to say for Nabby its a helluva place to land. For the Wings and their fans I will be the first to say its bitter sweet.

For those of you who don't recall the 2008 playoffs, where Evengi Nabokov stood on his head, playing and winning in the clutch almost through the first two rounds- being the only saving grace on a surprisingly overrated San Jose team, or for those of you who haven't closely followed the Sharks for the past 5 years and don't know how time and time again Nabby saved their chum loving tushes, well heads up. He is the real deal. A goaltending stable including Nabby, Howard and future HHOF Chris Osgood should send every team in the league running for the locker rooms.

oh wait. Faulk. Who in this league carries three starting goaltenders? It has never been the Wings style to carry three starting goaltenders, and I think we all know what that means.

Truth is, if the Wings sign Nabby (and waivers are cleared), it probably means we have seen the last of the Wizard. The last of the loyal, hardworking, incredibly talented ~~Kid~~ Future HHOFer who saved our red asses year in and out, who stood on his head time and time again, in the clutch and brought us 3 Stanley Cups. The "Kid" who always gets tossed aside for the Big Name Goaltender, but ends up having lifetime stats as good or better than some such as the Dominator or CuJo. The "Kid" who succeeds in Detroit where BIG Name Goaltenders fall.

It will break my heart. You know I am protective of Ozzie. You know I think he is underrated by the league, the fans and often even his own team. I just want Wings to do right by him, and let him go out with class dignity and the respect he deserves.

Some of you will say that I am jumping the gun and I hope you are right, because its true that I have no way of actually knowing what will happen to Oz if the Nabokov deal is finalized and waivers cleared.

After all with Oz out recovering from sport hernia surgery now anyway, we need stellar talent in back up. We need to take some of the pressure off Jimmah, and frankly Oz has not been able to do that for over a year now.

Of course Nabby will take time to get back up to speed and into shape. Maybe in the end, come March, what we will have is two veteran goaltenders, the best in the league, duke-ing it out for that back up spot. Not a bad situation for the Detroit Red Wings to find themselves in.

Stay tuned.There are Waivers to clear.But keep this in mind: We all know how brilliant Wyle E. Kenote Holland is with his Cap space and creative deals. HEDHS, for all we know, Nabby will get a nice big one year check for his shot at seeing a cup and then pull a Hossa. I'm ok with that, except for the impact on Oz.

Just for JUICE

2011-01-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

From my NHL "Fact-A-Day" Calendar for January 17, 2011.

"Igor Larionov, a champion in Russia and in the United States, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008. He won eight consecutive Russian league championships with CSKA Moscow from 1982-89 and three Stanley Cup Championships with Detroit in 1997-98 and 2002."

Just a little "Professor" love for you, Juice!

Hockey Recon lost an old friend.

2011-01-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

Maruschka was one of the brightest stars, and she will be missed. You can read a loving tribute at the Daily Su:

Monthly NHL injury analysis - another month

2011-01-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

A year-end (calendar rather than season - same thing for the Devils...) analysis, courtesy of LW Industries, can be located by using the following hypertextualised words:

Springing Malik: The Pain Game 2010/11 - Part Three

Osgood? HEDHS no- OSGREAT. Chris Osgood racks up 400 in a stunner

2010-12-27T20:44:00.000-08:00

400!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After three gut wrenching periods and OT, with 50 damn good shots on goal and a 30-(er PLUS) something Ozzie standing on his head like a 25 year old kid, future HHOF Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings joins 10 of the best goaltenders in history to rack up his 400th win.

Not to mention a career high of 47-48(?) saves…

Congratulations Oz- Nobody Beats the Wiz. Nobody deserves this record more. Nobody deserves the accolades and congratulations that you will be receiving in the coming days.

Thank you Nic Lidstrom for that top shelf slapper which took our boys up 3-2 in regulation (and also jumping up in a couple record stats categories yourself). Thank you Nic for playing your heart out for Oz. You too Z. Holy shizz Z, that steal with 3 seconds??? ZZZZ!!! and MULE, you are a monster. Berts- sniping like he’s 28 again. Don’t think we didn't notice. OH HOMER! coming back after the puck to the face? I am proud of you all. And I thank you for stepping it up despite a damn bench worth of injuries. Dats, Cleary, Modano, B-Raf (who am I missing?).

Do I feel bad for chastising all of you last week after tonight's show stopper? Hmm, uh, well, no. Sorry, we all know it would have been much sweeter for Oz to win at home. But I do forgive you. And how about this- When called to arms, you the amazing Detroit Red Wings, never let us down. Thanks for not letting Oz down tonight.

AND FINALLY, THANK YOU KRONNER FOR THAT OVERTIME WINNER. Sure it was heart-wrenching to deal with overtime. I was only a little sick to my stomach, but I wasn't crying yet. Plus its indisputable that Oz looked to Great in Goal. Maybe his play elevated all of you tonight and you fed off each other's energy. Whatever it was, it was a gorgeous PP, picture perfect power play goal. Tic Tac toe baby. Assists by Nic and Z, all wonderful, a great effort. An Os-Great effort.

Nobody beats the Wiz. Nobody beats the Wiz.

Love ya Ozzie- Detroit Loves ya, Michigan Loves ya. We know you are one of the all-time best to ever guard a net.

Now go get Fuhr…And Stay Big. You are playing so well this month, we love it!

American bloggers making fun of the American stereotype

2010-12-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Sleeping Giant

If you're taking this site at all seriously, then you're missing the entire point of it.

This is a USA - World Junior Hockey Championships blog. And it's run by two of the most sarcastic and caustically humored guys that you'll come across in the hockey blogging world. One is a Leafs fan who writes for Pension Plan Puppets on SB Nation, and the other has a general NHL blog, The Two-Line Pass (and contributes to Yahoo Sports' Puck Daddy blog), where he lampoons everyone pretty equally. Which should tell you everything you need to know about this particular blog.

This WJC blog isn't making fun of other countries. Not even close. They're making fun of their fellow Americans. They're intentionally playing up all of the bad American stereotypes and trying to be funny about it. So if non-Americans are getting all worked up over this site, then they joke's on them. That's not what it's about.

There isn't a lot of press or publicity here in the US when it comes to international hockey. So, they're working the ugly American gag to get attention. And, frankly, I think it's hysterically funny because it is so over the top.

So, sit back and enjoy Americans ripping into, and making fun of, Americans. And don't take it personally. Really. It's not that we're oblivious to what the rest of the world thinks of us. (Okay, some of us are.) It's just that most of us don't care about what the rest of the world thinks of us. (Though, some of us do actually care.)

Have a laugh on us. Or, on the US. Either way, it works.

Detroit Red Wings play abysmally, fail to honor Chris Osgood.

2010-12-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

In the hundreds of Red Wings blogs I have written, I doubt you’ll find a truly negative word written about the Detroit Red Wing team, organization and its legendary players. I may occasionally call some players and coaches out, but not like I am about to do. In the 25+ years I have had occasion to be a Red Wings fan, this team hasn’t ever before disappointed me, excepting you know, parts of the mid 80’s.

In 25 years this team hasn't ever disappointed me the way it did last night.

How could you? How could you let Ozzie down like that? Nic, Pavel, B-Raf, Z, Homer -Drapes? DRAPES! How could you? Yea, I am calling you all out. You all have been there with him through the great majority of his career. You all, better than anyone else, know how much Oz deserves to achieve this hall of fame-esque milestone.

What a faulking abysmal game, what a lackluster effort. Losing to Dallas? With Raycroft in net and Crawford on the bench? COME ON!! I am so disgusted, I can barely contain it.

What is it? Do you just think once Oz in in goal, he can handle it all by himself? Did you just forget that this game could have been a historical momentous occasion? Or did you let Dallas school you? Hm?

BTW- this loss WAS NOT Ozzie’s fault. It was a clear breakdown of defense, sloppy puck handling and turnovers that you all should have been much, much sharper about. Oz stood on his head making the kind of acrobatic saves we usually only see when we are down in the 7^th game of a SCF. Did you not see how amped he was, how "in it" he was the whole game, doing all the little things Oz does so well, like keeping the play going when any other goalie would have covered the puck, helping on the power play, mid air leaping saves? How did you all fail to see how badly he wanted this 400th win last night?

The rest of us saw it. And you boys broke our hearts. Good thing Oz's heart is bigger than all of ours combined.

And Coach Babs, don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t make it any easier on Oz. Look. I get that you like to play with and mix up lines. And with the recent slump the boys are dragging their sticks through, I know mixing up lines is your go-to move. While I don’t always see the success in this strategy that some of my better learned hockey fan brethren do, I respect you and your talent and success enough to keep most of my grumbling to myself. But dammit- it wasn’t working for our D last night.

Trouble is, the two points don’t really matter at this point in the season. What does matter is a career milestone. It was Oz that suffered. The most loyal, sincere, honest player on your team. The guy who cares as much about Detroit Red Wing Hockey as all of us combined. The guy who cares more about the Detroit Red Wing Fans, Family and Community than all of us combined. Here is just one of a bazillion speeches Ozzie has given thanking and being grateful for all of the Red Wing Community.

It wasn’t just another mid-season, pre-holiday 2 point game. This was Number 400. A game that meant a lot to the one person who should have mattered the most yesterday: Chris Osgood.

The one guy who deserved to see his 400^th win at home, in front of a holiday sellout crowd, with his family and closest friends and teammates right there with him.

How could you let Ozzie down? Ozzie.

The goaltender with the biggest heart, who fights adversity, wins in the clutch, who brought you (us) THREE Stanley Cups. The goaltender who has, time and time again, saved your asses when all your “super star” goaltenders had nothing left. The biggest heart, the most clutch goalie. And the most unsung future hall of fame deserving goaltender that ever will be.

This is Ozzie we are talking about. Get your shit together boys, Coach. You owe him. We all do.

Shame on you. Can’t believe I ever had to say this. Can’t believe it relates to Ozzie.

Kinda-Quarter mark reviews - update

2010-12-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

Following a brief hiatus, our correspondents are (wo)manfully straining to complete the remaining team reviews this side of the playoffs. Follow the LINK to see the latest updates.

Monthly NHL injury analysis

2010-12-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

If you are so inclined (i.e. want to justify your team's bad start by pointing and whining about injuries), LW Industries has churned out a second analysis for 2010/11 at the following fine, fine location:

Springing Malik: The Pain Game 2010/11 - Part Two

Why I WILL Be Watching the Winter Classic

2010-12-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of talk among both my internet friends and my actual family and friends about just not watching the Winter Classic this year. So many people are disappointed with the match-up. People are not only angry about the Penguins getting their second Winter Classic after having one in '08, which is definitely understandable. But on top of that people are angry with it being the "media made" rivalry of Crosby and Ovechkin. It's not just going to be about the Penguins Vs. the Capitals. We all know it's going to be made into a Crosby vs. Ovechkin frenzy.

But I am actually excited for the Winter Classic just as I am every season. The first Winter Classic was automatically great because it was the first one, but I thought the snow made it even better. The second Winter Classic between Chicago and Detroit was outstanding. The two teams hate each other and the game was made part of a home and home series. The '10 Winter Classic was near and dear to my heart because I got to see my favorite team play in it which was very special.

This seaosn people feel as if the Winter Classic is almost getting ruined due to the match-up. People think that the whole meaning of the Winter Classic has been taken away which I can completely understand. When I first heard the announcement of the teams involved this year, I thought in my head "Are you kidding me?" I was assuming that we were going to see two teams that have not played in a Winter Classic before. That is obviously not the case, but I'm not going to let that ruin it for me.

I don't know how many of you have the NHL Network, but if you do then you have probably heard of or seen the documentary "Pond Hockey." If you have not seen it, then I highly recommend buying it on dvd.

Here is the trailer:
http://www.pondhockeymovie.com/trailer.html

In short the film talks about the real roots of what hockey is all about and how special pond hockey is. It also examines the unfortunate decline of kids playing hockey outside. I am not a hockey player, but I have skated on an an outdoor rink and there is nothing like it. It really gives you a new perspective on the greatest game on earth. If you ask any NHL player, I'm sure 95% of them will have countless stories of playing hockey outside in the bitter cold. The film "Pond Hockey" gives you a clear message of what the Winter Classic is all about. Yes, the NHL knows that they make a ton of money from it and they aren't dumb in choosing the Pens and Caps. They know what's going to get them money and national media attention. But to the fans and players that shouldn't matter. That is the business aspect of it. The true hockey aspect of it can be seen without the HBO documentary and without the countless articles and headlines comparing Crosby to Ovechkin (Why are we still doing that?)

At the end of the day, it is about a hockey game, but it's still not just any hockey game. It is special in its own sense. Just watching the Flyers and Bruins practicing on December 31st last year showed me what it was all about. The snow was falling and the players were just having a good time together. Then the families came out onto the ice and it was even more special. That was my fondest memory of the Winter Classic. I love moments like that when I can just appreciate the game for what it is. Hockey is a beautiful game and seeing it played outside makes it even better. Sometimes we get so caught up in rooting for specific teams and really being a fan of our favorite team before we are hockey fans, which is something that I hate to do. At the end of the day, we are all hockey fans. Most Flyers fans I know hate both the Caps and Pens and for that reason they refuse to watch the Winter Classic. To me that is going against what the Winter Classic is about.

I used to be a Caps fan but for some unforeseen reasons I am not anymore and I will actually be rooting for the Penguins to win. As a hockey fan first (Flyers and Red Wings fan second), it disappoints me that so many people are planning on boycotting the Winter Classic. To me the end of December and the beginning of January are some of the greatest months for hockey. For one, it is perfect hockey weather. But on top of that, most us start paying attention to the standings more often. We have the Winter Classic to look forward to. And we also have the WJC to look forward to. The WJC is another thing that brings my love of hockey to the forefront.

So I say give the Winter Classic a chance. Face it, you aren't going anywhere on January 1st after a fun New Years Eve. Make it a big hockey event for you. Personally I put on a jersey, make some hot chocolate, get in a comfy seat with a blanket and enjoy my morning and afternoon of hockey. That's right, you have the morning too if you have the NHL Network (as well as the day before.) Nothing beats a great game of hockey and for that reason, nothing beats the Winter Classic (Well maybe possibly the Heritage Classic but that is something special in it's own right).

Happy Birthday to Recon Blogger MCHIONSKY- annnnnnd IGOR LARIONOV!

2010-12-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Happy Joy Joy, its a great day for birthin'. To clarify, 2 of my favorite people were born today and we here at Hockey Recon give a warm shout out to Mikey and Igor. But of course, a shout out isn't enough... did you really think you'd get away with mere written word?

In honor of the day, Former Grinder Front Man and Legendary Detroit Red Wing, Darren McCarty, has been "tapped" for this little Ditty...

Ahem. Oh- to clarify: Dmac didn't actually make this or even consent to starring in the video. This a Juicer Special made with google images, photoshop, jibjab and vodka. But we all know Dmac is a badass and if he knew Mchi, how cool Mchi is, and what a great Red Wing fan Mchi is, Dmac would totally wail a birthday tune for him...

Finally, a shout of thanks to Fellow Recon member Alicia for reminding me of Igor's Birth! Please read her amazing Winter Classic blog, you know after you watch this video and wish Mich a happy day

Caption it Contest! Week of Nov 29th.

2010-11-30T10:44:00.000-08:00

HEDGS Yes! (H-E-Double Goalie Sticks)

10 Q's From The 5-Hole: JuiceinLA

2010-11-29T22:49:00.000-08:00

Since I originally came up with the idea of a "get-to-know-you" survey for our new blog, I was given the honor of conducting the first interview. I chose to take it coast-to-coast and let you all get to know about my West Coast counterpart. Juice is one of the most passionate Red Wings fans I've ever met (and I've met quite a few!). Juice grew up in Detroit, attended Michigan State and eventually landed in very sunny and warm Los Angeles. I've been lucky enough to live near my favorite team's market my entire life, but I knew Juice would have an interesting perspective as a fan displaced from her beloved Red Wings family. Without further ado...

1) Favorite team(s):

Any team with the words “Detroit” “Red” and “Wings” in the name. Very fond of LA Kings, SJ Sharks, and for some weird reason, the Canucks. I reserve the right to revoke any such fondness for said secondary teams upon meeting up in playoffs.

2) Nearest NHL team to your location and your favorite player on that team:

I live 11.2 miles from the home of the LA Kings. That is the Staples Center to be clear, not an actually home of Kopi, or Doughty, or Simmonds or someone… why that would just be crazy..

I am a huge fan of the “Quick and Dirty”. Being from a goaltending family, I adore Johnny Quick, and “Dirty” Doughty has made me very proud in the last year or so. And also I wish someone would steal Ersberg and give him a legit shot because he has SKILZ. I will preemptively say that if Jarome Iginla comes to LA, I will be thrilled but still love the Quick and Dirty best.

3) Favorite current player(s):

Pavel Datsyuk, Pavel Datsyuk and Darren Helm. And Pavel Datsyuk.

4) Favorite all-time player(s):

Igor Larionov, the greatest, most cerebral, most underrated center to ever play the game. (and Pavel Datsyuk. And Stevie Y. And Nic Lids. And Chris Osgood. And this ashtray. And my dog shix-head.)

5) First game ever attended in person:

Whew. I can’t actually remember. My Grandpa took my sister and I to a couple games at the Old Olympia before it was torn down. He would slip the ticket-takers a 6 pack of Black Label and they would let us sit in the nosebleeds. (Saw a LOT of Tigers games that way too!) If we are being honest I probably cannot remember because all I cared about was getting a mini Gordie Howe hockey stick to match my mini Lou Whittaker baseball bat. And a bag of cotton candy. And this ashtray and my dog ….

6) Arenas visited:

The Hall of Joe-stice- the Great Joe Louis Arena in Det-riot, where I spent far too many Tuesday and Saturday evenings in the late 1990’s, Section 118, row L (I think) drinking horrible beer, trying not to fall down the aisle and watching the greatest hockey team ever assembled.

The HP Pavilion (SJ)- home of the greatest collective of loyal hockey fans this side of the Rouge River.

The Staples Center (LA)- The first sports event to which I wore True Religion Jeans, Red stilletos and an oversized Hockey Sweater but still looked like a (comparative) slob.

Jobing.com Arena (Phoenix)- The place I encountered the absolute worst, most inbred, offensive, gutless wonders and not sitting in the cheap seats either. Also has the worst usher/security system.

Honda Center (Anaheim) – Formerly known as the arena with the worst fans, now just a sad place where a bunch of thugs used to maim and harm real hockey players.

Wrigley Field- 2009 Winter Classic. One of the best experiences I ever had with my darling comrade in Red Wing Arms, Jla Wings!

Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing MI- home of the Michigan State Spartans. Nothing like sitting in front of the MSU band while they play the theme from Jaws while people waive a “broken” hockey stick bearing a kitchen colander on its end, from which they dangle a sign that reads “sieve”. Good times.

Center Ice Arena in Ontario CA- Home of the Ontario Reign. This is only fun if you get to hang out there with a foam finger and Miss Motley Su. Then it’s a total blast!

Compuware Arena- Plymouth MI- Home of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers. What, usually we could get in free, and my brother played a lot of hockey there.

Eddie Edgar Arena- Livonia MI/Plymouth Cultural Center Arena/Great Lakes Sports Arena in Fraser MI/The Ice Box in An Arbor MI, along with a gaggle of rinks in throughout Ontario Canada, where I followed my brother watching his teams play.

7) Arenas on your bucket list:

Back to the Joe, honestly. I don’t live in Detroit anymore, so the Joe is a real treat for me.

JLA Wings and I almost got to attend the 2009 All Star Game in Montreal and honestly, I think that would be the most incredible place to see a game. Oh and I would love to see a season opener in Moscow’s Red Square… any team!

8) Ever attended an NHL draft, All-Star weekend, premiere, Awards Show, Winter Classic or other special event?

Define “Special Event”… Does hanging with Mac and Cheese at The Post count? No. ok. well I was lucky enough to sit about 5 rows back from the Wrigley Field Dugouts for the 2009 Winter Classic, and I cannot encourage it enough- when your team gets a “Classic”- go. Find a way, sit in the cheap seats. Run, do not walk, do not pass go, do not roll Mike Milbury for $200 and a pair of tickets- just find a way!

9) What city currently without an NHL team should have one in your opinion?

I am not a fan of expansion, but I am not a fan of retraction either. 30 teams are enough. But if we are talking about moving Phoenix- and I think we are (wink, wink)- I vote for Saskatoon (a) because Saskatchewan is for lovers (b) they could be called the Saskatoon Sizzurps and (iii) any additions or relocations should be into Canada.

10) If you could schedule the Winter Classic this year, what two teams would be in it and what would be the venue?

Jeebuz Crikes! How did you know I obsess about the heavy handed, biased, screamingly unfair distribution of Winter Classic berths??? Its like you read my diary. And if you did, that half empty bottle of Promethazine and Grape Fanta, left resting on a decidedly un-photoshopped picture of Commissioner Bettman with his eyes “x’ed” out like a cartoon character “seemingly” engaged in lascivious latitudes with a narcoleptic goat, all tucked way with my diary in the back of my shoe closet- well those things aren’t mine. I am just holding them for a friend.

Honestly, this year’s WC should be in Yankee Stadium, Rangers and Caps.

Hey did you know there is something called the Winter Classic Curse? Wiki says that the Away team for each WC has gone on to the SCF, only to lose. “Eff You Wikipedia”. That is what I say. Now where is that sizzurp???

Recon on Recon: 10 Q's for the Five Hole

2010-11-29T11:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wanted to know just why Mchionsky gave up his gig driving the zamboni at Philips Arena for the night shift @ Hooters? (hint: it wasn't the wings...ok ok it probably was...)

Maybe you want to know how a Defensewoman from Canada ends up the most prolific TB Lighting Blogger this side of Panhandle...

Or how on earth an actuary from the UK mathematically justifies his lifelong allegiance to the NY Rangers...

Or how an ass kicking (former) punk rocker became the sweetest Pens fan in history?

Well Cats and Pajamas: Grab a McRib, your favorite flavor of sizzurp and Stay Tuned because we here at Hockey Recon are soon introducing a new monthly feature: "Recon on Recon: Ten Questions for the Five Hole". Brief but piercing, probing but not Probert, in depth interviews of your Recon Team, by your Recon Team.

Why and how does this relate to Hockey? I'd tell you but then wikileaks would get a hold of it, and I just don't need anymore Canadian Mounties showing up at my door, asking me questions about how drunk I was the night I "Chatted up" Kirk Maltby. (LOOK PEOPLE, it was at least 12 years ago and I was so hammered I don't even remember it, I didn't even know it was him... Let. it. go.)

In other words, You'll have to find out for yourself. But I will tell you this: Your Recon Team is truly the oddest lot of Hockey Fan Sports Writers you'll ever meet. We have lawyers and high school students. We have writers "on the inside" of the hurricane, and some who blog from the depths of the Gulf of Mexico; we have players and television producers and geologists. We have burlesque choreographers, pickle tasters and animal trainers. We have Mackseyev!

It fair to say that on any given Sunday, your Recon Team is as interesting as the sport we cover.

I hope you'll enjoy the new feature, and btw- feel free to submit questions you want answered by your favorite Recon Team member!

jooce crest out.

Quarter mark team reviews

2010-11-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

In a highly original, groundbreaking concept, Team Recon will be bringing you bitesize reviews of the first quarter (roughly) performance of all 29 NHL teams, plus the New York Islanders.

As our affiliations do not quite cover each team, some of the commentary may feature elements of ill-informed guesswork and hearsay based on watching only a couple of games, but hey, that never stopped Mike Milbury offering an opinion, so why should it stop us?

Team reviews will be drip-fed by our correspondents within this post (after the break) - keep checking back for updates.

Jump to:

Anaheim Ducks; Atlanta Thrashers; Boston Bruins; Chicago Blackhawks; Colorado Avalanche; Columbus Blue Jackets; Dallas Stars; Detroit Red Wings; Edmonton Oilers; Los Angeles Kings; Minnesota Wild; Montreal Canadiens; New Jersey Devils; New York Islanders; New York Rangers; Phoenix Coyotes; Pittsburgh Penguins; San Jose Sharks; St. Louis Blues; Toronto Maple Leafs; Vancouver Canucks; Washington Capitals

Vancouver Canucks
(10-5-3, 3rd in Western Conference, 1st in NW Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Daniel/Henrik Sedin

Does this question really need to be asked of the Vancouver Canucks? I mean, come on, unless you have been hanging out in Lindsay Land with Ms. Lohan, you know that the Canucks are all about the Sedin sisters…I mean, twins. My bad , a little slip of the tongue, which usually costs the Avalanche 3 or 4 goals a game when uttered. Let’s face it; this dynamic duo is pretty darn good. They just know where each other are on the ice at all times, kind of scary. Daniel is sitting with 12 goals and 12 assists at through 18 games, and is shooting at 22.2%...not too shabby. And you can bet that most, if not all, of those goals were assisted on by his brother Henrik, who has 2 goals and 22 assists through 18 games. My only question is, in this dynamic duo, who is the Batman and who is the Robin?

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Keith Ballard

I am not sure what Canucks fans expectations are for Keith Ballard, but I consider him to be a disappointment for this team thus far. In 9 appearances with the Canucks this year, he has no points and is a -2. I think they expected a lot more from Keith when they acquired him. Mind you, he did miss some time with a concussion, and that could be playing a part in it, but I think at this point of the season, he gets this distinction.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Raffi Torres

Torres has 7 goals and 9 points through 18 games with a shooting percentage of 21.2%. I don’t think that is too shabby for a 3rd liner. I certainly didn’t expect that kind of start to the season by Torres.

Team Grade: A-

I am giving the Canucks an A- at this point. There really is not a lot to be disappointed with as they are near the top of the NHL in almost all categories. They are #8 in goals /game with 3.06 and they are #5 in goals against/game with 2.44. The PP is #2 in the league, thanks in large part to the aforementioned sisters…I mean…twins. If I’m a Canucks fan I’d like to see Burrows get going, he hasn’t done a whole lot in the 8 games since his injury, and playing top line minutes, he should at least be getting a few secondary assists.

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Dallas Stars
(10-7-0, 12th in the Western Conference, 5th in the Pacific Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Brad Richards

It is hard to argue against Brad Richards for this distinction. 9 goals and 24 points with a +10 rating, pretty good numbers for 17 games. Richards is more than the stats though. He is the veteran presence on a team whose best forwards are all pretty young guys league experience wise.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Stars' PK

A Stars fan that I talked with mentioned James Neal for this distinction, stating that up until the last game or two, he really hasn’t been performing up to his level of play. I was thinking the same of Jamie Benn myself as he has not impressed me thus far this year, and I know the expectations for him are pretty high. I decided to go against picking these 2 players though and go with the penalty kill of the Dallas Stars for the worst performer of their season to date. 76.4% on the penalty kill…that is good for #27 overall in the NHL. It really makes it hard to win games when you are giving up PP goals like that, puts a lot of pressure on your 5 on 5 play. Definitely an area Dallas needs to improve in if they are going to make the playoffs.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Kari Lehtonen

This has to be Kari Lehtonen. I know I for one had a lot of questions when Dallas acquired Kari from Atlanta. We have heard for years that he is a good goalie, and at times in Atlanta he showed that, but at other times he was awful. Kari is off to a good start this season in Dallas, giving them a chance to win games. He is 9-6 with a 2.83 GAA and .910 save %, nothing earth shattering numbers wise mind you, but not too shabby either. Plus, he has stayed healthy, which in and of itself is a surprise at this point. Maybe Kari will finally show the NHL the skill that has been talked of.

Team Grade: C-

I think a C- for the Stars at this point in the season. Usually you would toss a D or an F out for a team that is in last place in their division, but then you realize they are in the Pacific with the likes of the Kings and Sharks. You put Dallas and their 20 points out East, and they are in the top 8 of the conference right now. They are #12 in the league in goals/game with 3.00 and are #17 in goals against/game with 2.88. That is their story right now, middle of the pack in most stat categories…playing some good hockey, but nothing too awe inspiring or spectacular.

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Colorado Avalanche
(11-7-1, 5th in the Western Conference, 2nd in the NW Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: John-Michael Liles

The quick and easy answer to this question is Chris Stewart. Stewart leads the team in scoring and has really blossomed into a great NHL player. I am going to go a different route though and go with John-Michael Liles (can we get a little love from Juice for the Spartan?). His numbers are impressive, 3 goals and 15 assists while being +10. What I see this year in Liles that I haven’t in the past is confidence and a purpose to his game. I feel his defensive game has grown this year and he is seeing the ice really well right now. The other part that impresses with Liles, and the same can be said for Stewart as well…Liles was in the dog house with Sacco a lot last year. He was sat for extended periods of time and he never stopped working at his game and he never pouted, at least publicly. Instead, it seems that Liles put in the work this summer and has come back determined to stay out of the dog house, and that has really translated well to the ice.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Avs' Special Teams

I have to go with special teams on this one. While the PP is finally coming around, they are #9 in the league currently; at the beginning it was not very good. It seemed we were getting scored on while on the PP more than we were scoring early on. I was all about the NHL allowing teams to decline penalties at that point. The penalty kill on the other hand, not well. The Avs are currently #26 in the NHL at 76.6%...OUCH!!! At one point a few weeks back, the Avs were allowing a PP goal every 3 attempts. That is not going to cut the mustard in the NHL these days, especially when you have to play the Canucks 6 games out of the season and the Wings and LA 4 times.

Most Improved: Kevin Porter

Did not have a great start to the season and was sent down the AHL for a bit. Injuries forced him back into action with the Avalanche, and thus far he has answered the call with 5 goals and a +8. He has seen some time on the top line and is getting PP chances as well. I am digging the improvement I have seen from Kevin and really hope he can keep it up over the rest of the season.

Biggest Surprise: Peter Budaj

It is tough for me to say that Budaj is the biggest surprise right now, because I have always loved the guy. He had a rough time of it when the starting job was his alone, but as a backup Budaj has been stellar and the guy works very hard even though he doesn’t get many chances to play. So, Anderson goes down with an injury and now we need to Avs need to make a Budaj call (the Budaj references on Twitter kill me). He played all 10 games that Anderson was out and posted a 7-3-1 record with 1 shut out. This could have been a time when the Avs struggled mightily as not only was Anderson out, but the Avs also had 9-10 other guys out as well and were relying on some rookie D to fill the holes. Budaj came in and played solid hockey and gave them a chance to the win the games and not lose any ground in the West. A bit surprising to the rest of the NHL probably, but for most Avalanche fans, we’ve always known Peter had it in him.

Team Grade: B

I am going to give the Avalanche a B right now. They are #2 in the NHL in goals/game with 3.53, but on the flip side, they are #22 in goals against/game with 3.00. They are the second best team stat wise 5 on 5 in the NHL at this point as well. Defense is really where they need to shore things up and get more consistency. I have been impressed thus far with the rookies that have come in and had to fill roles with the injury situations. Kevin Shattenkirk, Colby Cohen, Jonas Holos, David Liffiton, Greg Mauldin and David Van Der Gulik (now a casualty of the game himself)…all have come in and played well in their first season with the Avalanche. Honestly, I am more disappointed in the defensive play of some of the guys who have been there a year or two. It is a tough Western Conference, but I like what I see so far from this Avalanche team and if they can get the PK righted, they should be able to have a great season and hopefully make a nice playoff run.

Vancouver, Dallas and Colorado reviews by Avfan2119

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New York Rangers
(10-9-1, 7th in the Eastern Conference, 3rd in the Atlantic Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Brandon Dubinsky

Fingers crossed, having the year Rangers fans were hoping for last year. 11 goals, much more consistent play and part of a unit with Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov that was surprisingly productive during the shocking 12-game absence of Marian Gaborik.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Alex Frolov

OK, still early and suffered from the absence of expected-linemate Gaborik. However, one four-point splurge against the hapless Oilers aside, production of anything other than multiple whiffs on close-in scoring chances and endless extremely slow wraparound attempts has been scarce.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Brian Boyle
After being in tough to make the team during camp, has produced unexpected offense (eight goals, after never scoring more than four in any year) in still fairly limited minutes, and is using his "big, strong body" (copyright Joe Micheletti) to much greater effect.

Team Grade: B-
Some great wins mixed with a few horrid defeats, especially at home, suggest more of the same; a team likely to finish anywhere from 6th to 11th in the parity-rich Eastern Conference. However, relative to last year, the team appears to have a stronger playing identity and has coped better than anticipated with key injuries that just haven't occurred in the last two seasons.

NY Rangers review by LW3H

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Kings, Yotes, Ducks reviewed below by Juice in LA (Caveated ahead of time so you know who to blame.)

Los Angeles Kings
A Cinderella Story ~~probably~~ bigger than St. Louis.

(13-6-0, 2nd in Western Conference, 1st in Pacific Division at time of writing)

Washington, Philly, Detroit - all teams you expect to be Top 5 in the League standings. Maybe you’d expect to see even the Pens, Vancouver and the 2008 SJ Sharks… but the LA Kings ~~cracking~~ sitting solidly in the Top 5 in league standings with an 8-0 start at home is this year's Cinderella Story - so far.

Best Performer: Anze Kopitar
As inclined as I am to argue that the Kings' strength is that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, I am going with Kopi, Kopi, Kopi! Anze Kopitar honestly cannot seem to do any wrong these days. Lead the league in points for about two weeks in October, has 20 points now. Coming to play every night dominating in a way people had forgotten to expect. Love it.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Jack MF Johnson
Maybe its tough to be a defensive star on a team with Doughty and Greene and O’Donnell- but dammit, you don’t get the Mothra Faulkner Nickname with being a bad one.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Justin Williams
I am giving this to Justin Williams because (a) he has 20 points, (b) he’s not injured yet (c) I consider him a poorman’s Gaborik (ok ok maybe a poorman’s Jussi Jokinen), and (d) he’s playing far more solidly than I would ever otherwise have given him credit for this year.

Team Grade: Solid A
8-0 at home through last week, top of their disturbingly water logged division (seriously, two former powerhouses (Ducks-Sharks), the perennial scrappy Yotes and Stars and yet this division looks like the weakest link in the league…how bizarre), but solidly in the top 5 of the league. Doughty is back, and Johnny Quick is incredibly solid in goal. Their success is almost more exciting that St. Louis this year, but just because St. Louis is a surprise, the LA Kings are coming into a 4 year period of slow steady patient growth, good management choices and showing heart that each year expands more than the Grinch at Christmas.

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Phoenix Coyotes
Might as well be sleeping in the sun.

(9-5-5, 8th in the Western Conference, 2nd in the Pacific Division at time of writing)

Where on earth is that spitfire of a team my poor Red Wings battled last April? Without the fiery cauldron of bankruptcy and Hamilton Ont. licking at their skates, the ‘Yotes seem to be asleep in the sun. Shane Doan is non existent, and NOT just because of injury, Yandle, Morris, Woj Wolski have made less impact on the league and their team’s standing than - uh-

-Biz nasty on Twitter? … nope, not even a contest.

-Kovi on Jersey? … Naw, too easy.

-Wily E. Coyote on the population of Arizona Road Runners? Sure let’s go with that.

Best Performer: Ilya Bryzgalov
10-6 record, with a 2.04 goals against average, a .921 save percentage and three shutouts. Far and away the only thing keeping this team even in divisional running - unless you count the implosion and dismantling of the Sharks and Ducks in the off season… Honorable Mention to BizNasty- but only for his Parros Tribute ‘Stache and his Twitter campaign for the All Star ballot. Good god don’t you want to see Bettman’s sphincter clenching anger when he has to let Bissonette into the All Star game? Vote here.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Shane Doan
Sure Morris, Prucha, Woj, and Yandle are all stinking it up and sure I’ll kick a guy when he’s down. But its warranted. Before he was injured Doaner was stinking it up to high hell with 1 goal 2 assists 25 PIMS in 9 games for the captain? THE CAPTAIN? Trust me these are NOT vintage Doaner numbers. Let’s hope he’s taken time while on IR get his poop in a group.

Biggest Surprise/Most Improved: ?
eh. Korpikoski? IDK.

Team Grade: C
A very steamy pile of D. Ok ok a “C”, but only because Bryz gets an A+.

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Anaheim Thucks
Yes Rodney, Someone did, indeed, step on a Duck.

(10-9-3, 9th in the Western Conference, 3rd in the Pacific Division at time of writing)

It is my colleagues' not so deeply disguised desire to cause me intense mental anguish which sees me having to cover the Thucks in this Quarter Mark Report. My only joy comes from the unfathomable off season dismantling (that actually began when they let Pronger go) has made them a mere shell of their former Thuck-iness.

Best Performer: Andreas Lilja
According to the masses we might give this one to Selanne with his 22 points, and an argument might be made that Bobby Ryan with his 19 points and a +/- of 6 is really truly the only hope for the future. There is always an argument for Jonas Hiller, and then take a look at Lydman’s surprising numbers… But I am giving this one to Andreas Lilja, who after being unceremoniously tossed around the league on his overly concussed head, has 2 assists - and because he was a Red Wing. Yea suck it, I don’t care. Pay me if you want me to be objective.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment (struggling not to make Goldberg joke here…): Todd Marchant
OK I am actually giving this one to Todd Marchant whose completely pathetic 0 goals 2 assists, 6 PIM are worse numbers than being put up by a guy whose ears won’t stop ringing and who should probably hang up the skates for the good of his own health … just saying.

Biggest Surprise/Most Improved: Lubomir Visnovsky
I think I am going with Visnovsky, a defenseman with 17 points and a +10 sitting in the top 5 of all Duck point getters. How does that feel Ryan Getzlaf? Corey Perry? Bueller?

Team Grade: C-
But with my bias does it matter? A cursory glance around the interwebs seems to give the team an overall grade of B-, but objectively I think that is very generous - unless you are weighing it for the complete and utter off season and trade deadline implosions that have occurred over the last 2 seasons, then I see your point. Still not giving it to them.

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Toronto Maple Leafs
(7-9-3, 13th in the Eastern Conference, 5th in the NE Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Tyler Seg...er, Clarke MacArthur

I'll admit to not having seen enough of the Leafs outside of the three games they have played against the Rangers, so despite what seems to be a much-improved defensive performance by the team and Luke Schenn in particular, I'll take the easy route and pick the top scorer. 17 points in 19 games smells more like a nice streak than a sustainable trend for MacArthur (one goal in the last 12 suggests so), but on a team starved of offense, it stands out.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Tyler Bozak

Probably harsh to have high expectations of a college free-agent signing with only 37 games of NHL experience (with only another 32 games of pro experience on top of that) coming into the season. However, given those 37 games produced 27 points and starting out with a place next to Phil Kessel on what passes for a scoring line in Toronto, a line of 2-3-5 in 19 games is likely not what was hoped for.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Leafs' defense/goaltending

Perhaps largely attributable to a revolutionary defensive strategy (known as "Not Employing Vesa Toskala") implemented by the shy, retiring Burke/Wilson tag team, the Leafs sit in the middle of the pack with a Goals Against per Game of 2.74, down around half a goal from last year. The PK numbers still appear to be pretty horrendous though.

Team Grade: C

I was expecting a non-playoff team, and that's where the Leafs sit right now, despite a short-lived hot start. But that's OK for a franchise clearly committed to rebuilding over the long-term through the draft. Oh, wait a sec...

Toronto review by LW3H

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Washington Capitals
(14-5-2, 1st in the Eastern Conference, 1st in the SE Division at time of writing, and 1st in your hearts always)

Best Performer: Alexander Semin

A couple third line/role players are in the running for this title as well, but Semin has the stat line to prove it. With 14 goals and 26 points, he is tied with 4-time Pearson/Lindsay Award winner teammate Alex Ovechkin for the team scoring lead. Semin has a lot to prove this year after receiving only a one year extension this summer. Caps fans have been waiting for years for Semin to finally consistently show the skill and flashes of hard work. Coach Bruce Boudreau challenged Semin a few weeks ago: if he wanted to stay on the top line, he had to show how badly he wanted it. Semin responded with skillful goals and playmaking, good discipline and even uncharacteristic mucking and grinding in the corners to the point that he even dons the “A” occasionally. Semin has been playing like a man desperate to stay in Washington and the Caps are definitely benefiting.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Tomas Fleischmann

Eric Fehr may have less desirable stats, but Fleischmann gets the “biggest disappointment” tag for failing at his position. At the end of training camp, Coach Boudreau announced Fleischmann would start as the second-line center and he has had little success. “Flash” needs a lot of work on faceoffs – out of the top 6 to take faceoffs, his percentage is only higher than rookie Marcus Johansson. Over the next 20 games, Fleischmann went from second line center to healthy scratch. It’s not for a lack of effort that Flash gets this infamous title, but it appears the young center is easily shaken and thinks too much about every move. With so many secondary players firing on all cylinders at the moment, Flash just seems to be the odd man out in the team on-ice chemistry. After a great year last year, it is disappointing to see him not take the next step and fill the second line center role that was his to lose 20 games ago.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Caps' PK

Instead of choosing just one player, I’d like to give props to all of the players on the penalty kill. Last year, the Caps had a horrendous penalty kill with only 78.8% efficiency, good for 6th worst in the league. This year, the Caps’ PK at 84.6% ranks 9th in the league at the moment, which is crucial considering the Caps are 4th in the league in minor penalties against. The Caps staff lamented the problem last year and this summer worked hard to come up with a more effective scheme including increased aggressiveness and shorter shifts to conserve energy. The PK has come up big time and time again and many nights it has been the difference between a win and overtime/loss.

Team Grade: A-

It’s tough to give the number one team in the league anything less than an A, but while secondary scoring is fantastic and the defense (for the most part) satisfactory, the goaltending situation is still unclear. Michal Neuvirth was great the first few weeks in the season, but there are worries that he may be overworked, even though he’s been fine so far. Semyon Varlamov was expected to split time with him this year in net, but so far has been plagued with injuries. Braden Holtby has made a few starts, but he was not expected to really be a major player this early in his development.

Washington review by ccd3m

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New York Islanders
(4-12-4, 15th in Eastern Conference, 5th in Atlantic Division at time of writing...Yikes)

Best Performer: Matt Moulson

Well there has to be SOMETHING positive to say, right? To many people, the Islanders are just the team John Tavares plays for. It's clear that their team is not going anywhere, but they have had a pleasant surprise so far this season. Matt Moulson leads the team in goals and points. He is on pace to score 35 goals this season. To do that on a team that is projected to be in the basement all season gives Isles fans at least one reason to smile.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Dwayne Roloson/ Rick DiPietro

The Isles do have the second worst goals for/against differential which not only shows that they aren't scoring, but that they aren't keeping the puck out of the net. DiPietro has a GAA of almost 4 and Dwayne Roloson has a 2-9-1 record. They are not helping the team steal any victories.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: James Wisniewski

(He does do more than make "obscene" gestures.) Wisniewski is already 1 goal shy of topping his career high 3 goal plateau. He is known more as a pest and has not changed that role, but James suddenly finds himself tied for the team lead in points. I think it's safe to say that no one expected that. He even has more points than John Tavares. His only downside is his current -15 rating.

Team Grade: D-

I know, I know. How could I not give this team an F? Well they are the worst team in the league so far. There is no denying that. But the team is without two of their best players and will be for some time to come. Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit both started the season on the IR.

NY Islanders review by Alicia

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Atlanta Thrashers
(9-9-3, 8th in the Eastern Conference, 3rd in the SE Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Dustin Byfuglien

The recent Stanley Cup winner joined several other Blackhawks teammates in the move to Atlanta and they brought their confident attitude with them. Byfuglien has spent his career jumping between forward and defense, and this year the Thrashers elected to use him on defense to help young Tobias Enstrom with puck-moving on the blue line. The move has paid off well with Byfuglien tied for the team lead in goals and first among Thrashers defensemen in points. Not only are his personal stats impressive, the Thrashers are currently in a playoff position despite being in a tough Southeast division so far this year. With Byfuglien’s addition, the team has also greatly improved their power play from 16% efficiency last year 23.5%, good for sixth in the league.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Thrashers' defense

While the Thrashers offense has significantly improved along with a rocking power play, the team’s defense has a long way to go. Defensemen Johnny Oduya and Zach Bogosian are a combined minus-17 only 21 games into the season and the team allows an average of 35.4 shots on goal per game. To put it in perspective, the only team that allows more shots is the Edmonton Oilers with 35.6. The main reason the Thrashers are not losing more often is because of goalie Ondrej Pavelec, but even the best goaltenders will start to falter if they become overworked.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Alexander Burmistrov

The Russian rookie has impressed everyone so far this season with his strong two-way game. While most Russian forwards coming into the league tend to focus solely on offense, Burmistrov has always valued the defensive side of the game. In a recent interview with nhl.com, the 2010 No. 8 overall pick showed just how much when asked who his dream linemates would be: Igor Larionov and Pavel Datsyuk. The coaching staff has become so comfortable with him, they happily put him out against the opposition’s top lines every night. Not only is he a strong checking presence with a team-high plus-4, he has also dazzled with his hard work and puck skills as some might remember in a recent game against Washington. Look for Burmistrov to only get better as he becomes more adjusted to the NHL and adds some size.

Team Grade: C

While the offense has been much stronger this year when compared to last year and is actually in the top 10 in the league, this is mostly due to the success of the power play. The Thrashers need to be more effective 5 on 5 since your game plan can’t count on the expectation of getting power plays every game. The defense is in the bottom 10 in the league and they allow entirely too many shots per game to keep up their winning percentage for the rest of the season. The penalty kill is the 5th worst in the league, but luckily the Thrashers have good team discipline so this aspect of play has not been as glaring as it could be. Overall, the Thrashers need to work on controlling the game at even strength, and keeping the puck out of the net by allowing their goalies a chance to win.

Atlanta review by ccd3m

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Columbus Blue Jackets
(13-6-0, 4th in Western Conference, 2nd in Central Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Rick Nash

It almost sounds too predictable, but you really can't argue against Rick Nash being the best player in Columbus so far this season. He already has 13 goals this season, and the player second to him in goals (RJ Umberger) has just 6. It has been years that we've been saying Rick Nash needs a centerman, but he seems to be doing just find without playing with a superstar.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Antoine Vermette

Antoine Vermette is at the opposite end of the spectrum from Nash. He has been visibly struggling to score goals. At this rate he is only on pace to score 13 goals. Vermette scored 27 last season. It would be fine if he was finding his name on the box score for assists, but he isn't having any success in point production whatsoever.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Derick Brassard

It would be safe to say that this has been Derick Brassard's breakout season. He had a successful 09-10 season with the Blue Jackets, but Brassard now finds himself competing with Rick Nash for the team lead in points. Who can say that they honestly expected that? Brassard isn't a very well known name, but I would start to get used to the sound of it.

Team Grade: B+

How can you not give this team a fantastic grade? No one expected them to be making any noise this season. They are in a tough Western Conference and one of the toughest divisions in hockey. Not only do they have to face the defending Stanley Cup champions 6 times, but they have to face the Detroit Red Wings 6 times. That is no easy task. And to be where they are in the standings right now with one of the least well known rosters in the NHL is VERY impressive.

Columbus review by Alicia

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Chicago Blackhawks

“It’s ok, we still have our core.”
(11-10-2, 7th in the Western Conference, 4th in the Central Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Patrick Sharp

Patrick Sharp leads Chicago in goals, 3rd in assists, and tied for the team lead with 22 points. 1/3 of Sharp’s goals have come on the power play, which is 3rd best in the NHL behind Vancouver and Minnesota.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Marty Turco

8-6-2 record, 2.83 goals against and a .906 save %. That’s Marty Turco. Turco has given up 4 or more goals in a game 5 times already this season, including giving up 7 goals in his last start against Calgary.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Viktor Stalberg

Stalberg has 10 points in 22 games so far for Chicago after having 14 points in 40 games last season for Toronto. I almost went with Toews and his “intangibles” that have him ranked 3rd among forwards in all-star voting (and apparently a top 3 player in the world), but Stalberg seemed like a much better option here.

Team Grade: C-

“It’s ok, we still have our core.” This is what numerous Chicago fans said after their team lost a majority of its depth after they won the Cup this past June after being “Old Yeller’d” due to the salary cap. They still have their core, so all is good, right? A significant injury to a member of their beloved “core” and they most likely miss the playoffs in a deep Western Conference. Chicago fans are right: they still have their “core,” just place a “medio” in front of it, hit spell check, and you get what they are: mediocre.

Chicago review by Ola

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St. Louis Blues

(11-5-3, 6th in Western Conference, 3rd in the Central Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Andy McDonald/Patrick Berglund

Andy McDonald leads the Blues in scoring with 5G and 9A for 14 points in 19 game so far, but Patrick Berglund is right behind him with 5G and 8A for 13 points. I can honestly say that I haven't seen too much action from this team, so I'm going by the stats alone.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: T.J. Oshie's injury

I'm not going to talk about the worst performer. Looking at the numbers, several players could fall into that category and maybe undeservedly. I want to talk about the biggest disappointment, and this has nothing to do with play. My biggest disappointment is T.J. Oshie, who is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery for a fractured ankle. He broke it on November 10 when Columbus' Samuel Pahlsson fell on T.J.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Matt D'Agostini

The biggest surprise for me is Matt D'Agostini, who already has 6G and 4A for 10 points after 19 games. Last season, he managed 2 goals and 2 assists in 40 games for Montreal before being traded to St. Louis during the playoffs. He didn't do anything to help the Blues advance, but he sure seems to be doing his part to keep St. Louis in fighting form.

Team Grade: C

I'm taking a "wait and see" attitude about this team. I think they're still pretty inconsistent. Die-hard Blues fans may take exception and I welcome the opportunity to be educated by them. Don't be shy!

St. Louis review by Motley Su

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Edmonton Oilers

As Charles Barkley would say, “turrible, just turrible”
(5-11-4, 15th in the Western Conference, 5th in the NW Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Ryan Whitney

Edmonton’s leading scorer with 17 points so far on the season is Ryan Whitney. All of his 17 points come on 17 assists. He also has a +/- rating of +2, good enough for 2nd on the Oilers, while averaging 25:59 of ice time per game on a team that is in rebuild mode.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Andrew Cogliano

1 goal, 3 assists and a +/- rating of -10. Yikes. Let’s move on.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Jordan Eberle

“But what about 1st overall pick Taylor Hall?” Eberle has 4 goals and 8 assists so far in 19 games for the Oilers. 2 of his 4 goals have come shorthanded, including a highlight reel goal for his 1st career goal against the Calgary Flames.

Team Grade: F

Yes, they are rebuilding and will go through rough patches along the way, but when you have penalty kill that is under 70% and are last in goals against, the grade warrants itself. Couple that with the worst record in the Western Conference, a -28 goal differential and the 2nd fewest points in the NHL with 14, and you know it will be a long year. This team should be better in a few years, but right now, they need time to gel with one another. Hall, Eberle and Paajarvi are exciting players to watch and will be for years to come.

Edmonton review by Ola

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Minnesota Wild

Picking top 10 again in the draft? Pshh yeah right
(10-7-2, 10th in Western Conference, 3rd in NW Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Brent Burns/Niklas Backstrom

After an injury ridden season in 2009-10 for Brent Burns and a struggling year in net for Niklas Backstrom, both of these players are playing like men on a mission. Burns is 2nd in the NHL for goals by a defenseman with 6, with 4 of those 6 goals coming on the power play, which is currently the 2nd best power play in the league, and those 4 power play goals currently lead all NHL defenseman. Burns is averaging 24:31 of ice time per game while playing superb (and all-star worthy; vote him in, people) defense on a Minnesota blue line that had a lot of “what ifs” prior to the start of the season. His resurgence after an injury filled year last season can be attributed to 2 things: his awesome “Movember” beard and Wild assistant coach Rick Wilson.

The first two words that should be said about Niklas Backstrom are “he’s back!” After an off year for Backstrom, the Finnish netminder is looking like his old self at the start of the 2010-11 season with a record of 8-5-2, a goals against of 2.11, which is good for a 7th place tie with Brent Johnson, and a .932 save %, which is tied for 5th best in the NHL. There’s only one lingering problem with Backstrom this year: all-star votes. Something is clearly wrong if Marc-Andre Fleury, Marty Turco, Roberto Luongo, Antti Niemi, Marty Brodeur, Craig Anderson, and JS Giguere all have more all-star votes than Backstrom while having worse numbers.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Cam Barker

3 assists, -5 rating, out of position defensively, and turning the puck over way too much. The anti-Brent Burns if you will. Nothing else really needs to be said.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Wild special teams

The Minnesota Wild gave up a league high 13 shorthanded goals last season. This year, they have given up a total of 2. The penalty kill last year was ranked 14th in the NHL at 82.7%, compared to this season where they are at an 84.7% success rate, which is good for 7th in the NHL. Minnesota’s power play last year finished at 19.1%, which was good enough for 10th best in the NHL. The power play has improved dramatically for the Wild, thanks in large part to the acquisition of Minnesota native Matt Cullen. As of now, the power play for the Wild is 2nd best in the NHL at 26.3%, which only trails Vancouver’s 27.0% success rate.

Team Grade: B

This team is ignoring the words of “experts” so far this season. Predicted to finish 13th in the Western Conference yet again, the Wild are off to a much better start to the season this year than they were last year. Niklas Backstrom is off to a great start to the season, which is huge for this team. If Backstrom keeps them in games like he has been so far, this team can be a playoff team in the Western Conference. With the resurgence of Brent Burns, leadership of captain Mikko Koivu, current leading point producer Martin Havlat, agitator and leading scorer Cal Clutterbuck, as well as the imminent return of Pierre-Marc Bouchard, which should be a huge lift to a team that desperately needs more speed and goal scoring, things are looking a lot better right now than they were a year ago in the State of Hockey. For a team that is labeled as “the most boring team in the league,” a team that is “lucky” to win games, and one “mired in mediocrity,” they are playing better than people expected them to this year, which is a welcome sight to a hockey-crazed fan base.

Minnesota review by Ola

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Boston Bruins

(12-6-2, 6th in the Eastern Conference, 2nd in the NE Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Tim Thomas

The winner of the Vezina Trophy two years ago is showing a strong rebound from last season’s less-than-Vezina-worthy play that saw him lose the starting position to Tuukka Rask. There is some speculation that his play last year may have been affected by a torn labrum in his hip, and Thomas underwent surgery this summer to repair it. The result has been terrific. “The Tank” has regained his starter position, which is no small feat as backup Rask’s numbers are not so shabby either. Thomas has a 1.46 GAA and leads the league with a 0.955 save percentage. He is also tied for the league lead with 4 shutouts. Before you think Thomas’s job is easy playing behind guys like Zdeno Chara every night, let me point out that the Bruins have allowed on average 34 shots per game, which is near the most in the league. The Bruins have played well as a team but Thomas is the biggest reason the Bruins are doing as well as they are.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Daniel Paille

It’s tough to choose a “biggest disappointment” on a team performing so well defensively and offensively, and most importantly rolling all four lines. Unfortunately for Paille, he seems to be the odd man out and to date has only played in 7 games, posting one assist and a minus-1. With Savard possibly returning and Sturm expected back in the next few weeks, the Bruins will only have more depth on the front end.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Nathan Horton

I could have gone with the 42-year-old Mark Recchi, showing no signs of slowing down in his “old age”, or the opposite end of the spectrum with the two rookies Seguin and Caron, both of whom have adjusted in no time at all to the NHL game. But Horton takes the cake as the Bruins got exactly what they are hoping for in this summer’s trade. For years, the Panthers hoped that Horton would fully develop into the dominant offensive force they drafted him to be, but thanks to injuries and perhaps his overall situation in Florida, he never quite lived up to expectations. Now in Boston, Horton is not only tied for the team lead in points but has served as the perfect complement to his linemate, Milan Lucic. Their stats are perfect mirror images of each other: Horton with 8 goals, 10 assists; Lucic with 10 goals and 8 assists. Both players are strong defensively as well, with matching plus-10’s and both Horton and Lucic are gritty and unafraid to do the dirty work, with 25 and 22 points, respectively.

Team Grade: B+

The Bruins may have one of the more anemic offenses in the East, but the team also did last year and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Holding on to the 6th spot in the East at the moment will become a little easier if offensive players Marc Savard and Marco Sturm are able to return to the lineup soon. The defense has been strong as usual, and with Thomas and Rask filling in the goal, the Bruins have allowed the fewest goals in the league.

Boston review by ccd3m

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Pittsburgh Penguins

(13-8-2, 5th in Eastern Conference, 2nd in Atlantic Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Sidney Crosby

Hands down, it has to be Sid. Love him or hate him, you can't argue with 36 points in 23 games (15G, 21A). Do I now regret that I passed him over to select Geno first overall in my fantasy hockey draft? I guess I do a little, but I have a feeling that Geno will turn on the jets. He's second in scoring for the Pens with 7G and 14A for 21 points in 22 games.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Marc-Andre Fleury

Another obvious answer. Marc-Andre Fleury has been playing like a goalie from another planet. Or maybe it's a case of "Invasion of the Goalie-Snatchers." Either way, he's got to work hard to improve his .896 save percentage and 2.68GAA. Those might not be bad numbers for other goalies, but Flower can do much better. He seemed back on form the other night against Buffalo. Maybe this is a sign of things to come. (*fingers crossed* <-well, not really, otherwise I couldn't type)

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Kris Letang

Where has this guy been the last two seasons??? He's EN FUEGO right now, with 19 points (4G, 15A) in 23 games and sports a +10 rating. He's the third highest scoring defenseman in the NHL right now, behind Dustin Byfuglien (yes, I spelled this without looking it up!) from Atlanta (8G, 12A = 20P) and Nicklas Lidstrom from Detroit (3G, 17A = 20P). For the past 3 years, I've said Tanger was destined for great things. This might be the season he proves me right

Team Grade: B-

I know the Pens took a hit on the D corps and they have yet to find solid linemates for Sid and Geno, but I expected much more out of this team that still remembers what it's like to hoist the Cup. Now that it looks as though Fleury might have his head (and skills) back, maybe he and the D will step up to help pick up the slack, while Sid, Geno and others continue to rack up the points.

Pittsburgh review by Motley Su

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Detroit Red Wings

(17-5-3, 1st in Western Conference, 1st in Central Division at time of writing)

Best Performers: Nicklas Lidstrom/Pavel Datsyuk

Lidstrom: The list of things that can be said about Nicklas Lidstrom is endless, so endless that I can only sum up his season to date like this: He’s 40, playing amazing defense as usual, averaging .84 points/game, is the front runner for the Norris trophy (at least I think so), and he’s the perfect human. This debunks any prior myths about him being an alternate life form from another universe.

Datsyuk: The "Magic Czar," master and innovator of Dastyukian dekes, stickhandling wizard, human highlight reel and 1/2 of the Euro twins known as Pavel Datsyuk leads the Red Wings in scoring with 29 points (8 goals, 21 assists). Defensively, Datsyuk is on a quest to add a 5th Selke trophy to his name, as he is tied for the league lead in takeaways with 35. Oh, yeah... he also embarrasses people, too.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Jiri Hudler

6 points and a -7 in 22 games for Jiri Hudler so far this year. Maybe he needs to be happier before the points start piling up?

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Jimmy Howard

Jimmy Howard is 2nd in the NHL in wins with 15, trailing only Montreal's Carey Price (16). Howard has gotten off to an amazing start so far this season, posting a record of 15-3-2 through 20 starts, and an even more impressive 29-3-4 record in his last 35 regular season starts.

Team Grade: A

The Red Wings are off to a fast start this season (currently on pace for 121 points) after being eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs last season by the San Jose Sharks. Detroit is healthy, their star players are producing, and Jimmy Howard is standing on his head. Typical Red Wings. There's no such thing as a perfect start to a season at the 25 game mark (outside of being undefeated which is very unlikely), but for a team as good as Detroit, a start to the season such as this one sends a message to the rest of the Western Conference. It basically goes like this: "We're back... and we're not going away." That means bad news for any and all Wings haters out there.

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San Jose Sharks

(13-9-4, 9th in Western Conference, 4th in Pacific Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Dany Heatley

I’m getting this out of the way now while I can: Yes, he should be in jail for the Dan Snyder incident. Now that this is out of the way, let’s move on. Heatley leads the Sharks in goals with 13 and points with 28. He is also tied for 3rd on the team with a +/- of +4, tied for the team lead in power play goals with 5 along with Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski, and ranks 2nd on the Sharks in power play assists with 8, trailing Joe Thornton’s team leading 10 in that department.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Antti Niemi

You knew this was coming. After winning a Stanley Cup behind a stellar Chicago defense last season, Niemi swam for warmer waters (you know you thought it was clever, don’t lie) and signed with the Sharks during the offseason. He was supposed to be half of the answer to the departure of Evgeni Nabokov (with Antero Niittymaki being the other half of the answer), but so far, Niemi has not lived up to expectations. Niemi currently has a 5-6-1 record with a 3.33 goals against and a .890 save % with the Sharks. As of now, this signing is looking like a terrible one for the Sharks and their fans. Maybe things will pick up for Niemi when the stakes are higher and he's forced to “Antti” up (ugh I can’t believe I said it either).

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Logan Couture

In 25 games for the Sharks last season as a call-up from Worcester, Couture had 5 goals and 4 assists for a total of 9 points. This season is Couture’s first full season in the NHL, and he’s taking people by surprise. Couture currently has 12 goals (including 4 game winners) and 18 points in 26 games for the Sharks, and he’s on pace for 38 goals and 19 assists as a true rookie. If he maintains this pace, he should easily be a Calder nominee and a favorite to win the award at season’s end if he keeps producing the way he is for San Jose.

Team Grade: B-

The Sharks have gotten off to a slow start this season compared to the past couple of years. They are currently 4th in the Pacific division (tied with Los Angeles with 30 points), trailing division leading Dallas by 4 points, and are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs in the Western Conference as they sit in 9th place in the West with 30 points. The Western Conference is log-jammed at the moment with teams 2nd (Dallas) – 13th (Minnesota) separated by a total of 8 points, with the Sharks currently in the middle of this group. The standings can dramatically change in just a few games out West, and there’s still plenty of season left to play, which means anything can happen, which is good news for the Sharks and their fans.

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New Jersey Devils

(8-17-2, 14th in Eastern Conference, 4th in Atlantic Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Nobody

I’m serious when I say this. Every single member of the New Jersey Devils is under performing this season, so much so that I seriously can’t come up with a best performer to name. Let’s move on.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Ilya Kovalchuk, Devils' offense in general, Martin Brodeur

1.8 goals per game… good enough for last in the entire NHL. This is how many goals the Devils currently average per game… there are so many words that I could throw out here like depressing, terrible, awful, etc. but it would be a lengthy list and I haven’t gotten to the next part of the worst performers yet. Ilya Kovalchuk, 40 goal scorer, elite offensive player, sniper. This is what he used to be before he signed his huge contract prior to the start of the season. Kovalchuk has gotten off to to horrid start this season with 5 goals and 11 points in 26 games (currently on pace for 15 goals, 18 assists, 33 points). Oh yeah, it gets worse… he’s a -17 (on pace for a +/- of -52… that’s not a typo either) as well. That 15 year $100 million contract doesn't look all that good at the moment, does it? I didn’t think so.

And to make matters even worse for him:

Marty Brodeur is being left out to dry by his defense. Brodeur currently has a record of 4-10-1 with a 2.74 goals against and a .901 save %. These numbers are not entirely his fault, are un-Marty like, and do not reflect how “good” Brodeur really is. He is still an elite goaltender, future hall of famer, the all-time wins leader in NHL history, and 3-time Stanley Cup champion, but this season, these are the numbers of Marty Brodeur, and they are not good at all. Poor Marty.

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Whole team

If you told me prior to the start of the season that the Devils would be 14th in the East and have the 2nd fewest wins (and points) in the NHL right now, I would have laughed for quite some time. This team is in shambles from top to bottom, everywhere from the coach, to Kovalchuk, to their offense, to their defense, to losing Zach Parise to an injury, to their attendance - oh wait, that was never in shambles, my bad (too easy). The Devils’ season to date is an abysmal one but has two bright spots in it - the eventual return of Parise, and the possibility of getting a high draft pick if they continue to struggle.

Team Grade: F

1.8 goals a game, losing an all-star caliber player in Parise, paying a player $100 million over 15 years and having him underachieve so far, terrible defense, a -31 goal differential (currently worst in the league), the 2nd fewest wins in the NHL and the most regulation losses in the NHL. This is the 2010-11 Devils right now. All of this has left “The Rock” relatively quiet this season (insert another attendance joke here if you wish). The Devils have hit rock bottom. I never thought I would be saying it this soon, but they have (at least so far this year) and it’s gotten them in a bad situation in the East. Only time will tell if they are capable of salvaging the rest of their season.

Detroit, San Jose and New Jersey reviews by Ola

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Montreal Canadiens

(18-8-2, 3rd in Eastern Conference, 1st in NE Division at time of writing)

Best Performer: Carey Price

Jaroslav qui? It's fair to say more than a few Francophones were sceptical about the Habs' summer decision to place their faith in the seemingly-flaky Price over the seemingly-unbeatable Halak. So far, so good, judging by Price's numbers - a sub-2.00 GAA, .936 SV% and four shutouts so far. Inflated by the ever-so-slightly negative Jacques Martin system? Most likely, but Habs fans' eager All-Star ballot stuffing appears to be at least marginally justifiable for a change.

Worst Performer/Biggest Disappointment: Scott Gomez

Four goals in 28 games isn't actually so far short of what I'd expect from Gomez. But just the five assists from the Mexican Gretzky? I don't actually need to see the Canadiens play to picture all the half-assed turnovers just inside the offensive blue line. Exactly how drunk did Glen Sather manage to get Bob Gainey?

Most Improved/Biggest Surprise: Jeff Halpern

After seasons of only 19 and 18 points, Halpern's line of 6-9-15 is relatively surprising output to date for a checking line staple. Can surely now expect "Gomez money" when he again hits the free agent market in the summer.

Team Grade: A-

There doesn't appear to be too much to complain about while the team is holding off the much-favoured Bruins at the top of the NE Division, overcoming one or two very slow starts from their top offensive players, the departure of a playoff hero and Commissioner of Respect, Mike Richards, taking public umbrage at the nasty words/actions of their top rookie. However, it will be interesting to see how the team copes with another long-term absence of Andrei Markov and whether Price can cope with his currently high workload as the season progresses.

Montreal review by LW3H

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Connecticut Hockey Fan

2010-11-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

I grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, and watching the Carolina Hurricanes, the former Hartford Whalers, win the Stanley Cup was like watching an ex-girlfriend get married.

Now, without a team, a hockey vagabond, rink rat (“You guys need fans?”), I watch with an analytical, but unbiased eye. And it sucks. I find that I no longer root for a team with the passion I once had.

Oh I came close last year. I was screaming at my TV when Parise knocked in a rebound with seconds left in the US-Canada game, and cursing like a drunken sailor when Sid the Kid (of all people) scored the winning OT goal. I watched the World Juniors, and that too was amazing. But regular nights, I flip through games, watching individual players, lines, coaches, power plays, break-outs, dump and chase and cycle, cycle, cycle. I root for playmakers; David Krejci (the cog in the Bruins offense), Nick Backstrom, and Crosby (who I dislike on principle, but admire his passing).

You guys know what “hot sauce” is? It's when someone throws a wicked sick Saucer pass, which is an airborne pass that lands on the ice on the tape of a teammate's stick. I witnessed Malkin pass to Gonchar last year from the corner to the point: the pass was chest high through the slot, and landed flat as a pancake right at Gonchar's stick. As if that wasn't sick enough, he did it on his backhand. You can't see something like that on TV unless they move down to ice level, and as a player, let me tell you, it is hard, no really fucking hard to do, and brilliant to see. Guys who can dish out hot sauce on a regular night are amazing.

I hate the Flyers, yet due to Fantasy auto draft I have Briere and Carter on my team. Oh and I dropped Giguere because the Leafs are playing, well, like the Leafs, so I picked up Bobby the Goalie, and well now I have to root for a team I hate. Why was my fantasy hockey team on auto draft? Because 15 minutes before it started, a friend asked me to sub in on his team, and when I told him I had a Fantasy draft that night, he asked if I was really going to play fake sports over real sports. So I went and played, and my first round pick took Backstrom over Stamkos (stupid stupid stupid) and it just went downhill from there.

So now I root for the Flyers, who have decided to become really good ever since their coach accused them of being a bunch of pussies (to the media no less).

I also root for Jonny Quick, LA's goaltender who is a CT native. I play in men's league with guys who played against him. He was not a fun goalie to shoot against. Oh and across the county is Ducks rookie Nick Bonino who I had the pleasure of skating against a few times in pick up in West Hartford. Bonino was one of those guys who was always in control of the game. He would play down to your level, then take it just a notch above, so you always thought you had a chance to take the puck from him, when in reality you never did. You should look this kid who, since two years ago he had a REDICULOUS goal and assist for BU in the NCAA championship game. Down 4-2 with less than a minute left, Bonino scored a goal to make it 4-3. On the next faceoff, he got the puck to the BU captain who tied it. They won in overtime.

We got to see him again play for the Syracuse Crunch a few weeks ago when they came to Hartford to play the Wolfpack. Down 1-0 with under a minute left, Syracuse put in Bonino, who ended up with the puck in the corner. While getting hacked like a tree in a room full of lumber jacks, he sent a ridiculous pass to to the point, who fired in a slapshot and the Crunch won in overtime. Now it looks like Bonino is back full time with the Ducks. One of the few good things to come out of Farmington, Connecticut, other than yours truly.

So I guess hockey isn't dead here, but we are still the punk rock of sports. Connecticut natives do have someone other than Chris Drury (since Leetch retired) to root for. Maybe well get lucky, and Bonino and Quick can bring back the Whalers to Hartford, captain the team to a Stanley Cup win (I wont say Dynasty). Haha, that would be a hoot. But this isn't a Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy, and the girlfriend doesn't come back in the end. Bitch.

Tampa Bay Lightning fans, just remember to breathe

2010-11-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

As posted on Raw Charge, Tuesday, 16 November 2010.

Okay, everyone. Let's all take that collective step back from the ledge and regain some perspective. Things are not quite as dismal as you may think.

The Lightning aren't gunning for first in the East here. The goal is playoffs - that's it. And most people have this team as coming in at 7th or 8th in the East, which is reasonable.

Let's revisit where they've been. In the past three drafts, the Lightning have picked first (2008 - Steven Stamkos), second (2009 - Victor Hedman), and sixth (2010 - Brett Connolly) overall. That means that the team has sucked in a big way the past few years, if you're trying to block that out. I won't go into the traumatic details, but anyone who's followed this team for a while already knows what's happened.

So while the team got off to a strong start this season, they weren't likely to keep it up. The law of averages demands that bad times follow the good. That's just life.

[More after the break....]

Yes, they've only won one game in their past seven. Yes, they've allowed 15 goals to be scored in their past three games. Yes, team captain Vincent Lecavalier is out for 4-5 weeks with a broken hand. And, yes, Simon Gagne - who was off to a slow start himself - is still out with neck problems. Though, to be fair, Gagne has been back skating the past few days.

But it's not all death, destruction, and despair. It's only mid-November. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather they go through the serious slumps and get the injuries out of the way early in the season than at the end.

Remember, despite being a dysfunctional team last season, they still had a good shot at playoffs. And keep in mind that this season so far isn't anything compared to last season. I'm sure everyone's having flashbacks to then, but it's much, much better. It's just a natural slump in the season, nothing more.

It's okay. Really. They'll make playoffs. And they'll have Vinny and Simon back with a month's less wear and tear on them for it, too. That can only help.

Now all they need is to have Martin St. Louis step up and lead in Vinny's absence without feeling like he's taking Vinny's spot, which he wouldn't be, and they'll be all set to break out of their slump and get things going again.

Caption It Contest for Week of Nov 15th

2010-11-17T15:13:00.001-08:00

here ya go!

Why Bloggers are the Fourth Estate: “Bob McKenzie is a Patsy” Edition.

2010-11-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

As I hydrated myself with G2 and ate pizza over looking Monterey Bay at sunset, begging for a massage and an early bedtime after running my first half marathon in Big Sur this weekend, some Hockey sizzurp went down like Claude Le Mieux in a fight.

NB: I must start with a caveat: I don’t drink tea, I can’t stand Sarah Palin, and I don’t usually disparage or even think about the mainstream media and its ineffectualness- except to the extent that I get all my news from Jon Stewart and Puck Daddy. That said, a story broke yesterday that should be covered in every nook and cranny of the sports and hockey worlds. Yet 24 hours later, only the blogging/twitter world is afire.

Yesterday, Hockey Blogger, Tyler Dellow, who goes by the nom de plume “MC79Hockey” unearthed a series of emails written by the NHL’s Vice President of Player Operations, Colin Campbell, that damningly expose an inappropriate personal bias and arguably an indication of corruption within the ranks of the NHL’s Top Brass.

Plenty of smart sports bloggers have analyzed the immediate issues concerning Campbell over the past 24 hours, but what struck me as poignant is the utter bias in mainstream media.

In his even handed and fair exposure and analysis of Campbell’s emails, (which you can read here) Tyler Dellow does what main stream media fails, and has failed for sometime now, to accomplish- whether in a sports related arena, or in coverage of a world event:

Dellow reports facts culled from legal records and court transcripts and analyzes them, identifying factually related matters and most importantly, asking the tough penetrating questions of the parties under fire.

Nothing Dellow has reported can be construed as anything other than truthful reporting of facts as stated by Campbell from court records and probing analysis. The questions which such factual documentation give rise to, and the conclusions which Dellow's reporting leads us to draw, are appropriate and hard pressing. This is real investigative journalism, frankly, at its finest.

The fact that this story spread like lightning across the blogosphere, without much mention of this league shaking controversy, by any mainstream news outlet is telling. The lack of coverage after this blog broke all over Twitter is endemic of the emasculation of mainstream media. (more after break)

Not one major outlet is digging in. They are barely even reporting that the blogosphere is in an uproar. They are instead reporting the NHL’s scant press release reaction: “you have to know Colly.” (From the LA Times…).

I'm amazed. Frankly I’d have bet $100 that ESPN would delight in seeing NHL brass take such a blow to credibility… but nope. No major outlet is pressing on this matter, asking the tough questions or demanding the League properly respond, or perhaps act.

In fact, there is one outlet who has reported a story so pathetically biased, that its a stunning caricature of actual journalism: TSN, The Sports Network.

Bob McKenzie - one of the most respected and trusted hockey journalists out there- has written a piece that clearly indicates that while the media isn’t reporting anything of substance, the story is making the rounds amongst those “in the know”- McKenzie describes a veritable fraternity of league officials, owners, players and the mainstream media they all control repeatedly alluding to the fact that they all are talking amongst themselves, and yet refusing to report or dig into the obvious ethical problems the emails represent. In fact, McKenzie’s coverage of the story smacks of championship level ass kissing, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Game 5 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals when – allegedly- a camera actually caught Gary Bettman’s lips firmly affixed to Sidney Crosby’s buttocks right before the start of the third period.

I give you McKenzie’s Headline:

“CAMPBELL STILL HAS BACKING OF NHL COMMUNITY”.

Biased headline aside, McKenzie starts out undermining his own credibility by admitting that while no one in the NHL community is publicly addressing “Campbell gate”- everyone is emailing Campbell leaving him with “a filled in-box”.

“The [twitter/blogosphere] cacophony was deafening.

Everywhere except within the NHL community.

Scant hours after 'Colie-mail' broke, the NHL issued what can only be described as a supreme vote of confidence in Campbell.

There was nary a negative word spoken publicly by anyone directly involved in the game. And Campbell's own in-box filled with emails from "hockey people" telling him to hang in there.

McKenzie continues his take, attempting to discredit the blogosphere as a group of rabid out of touch, eunuched fans, whose opinions do not matter. this goes for fans too:

“The truth is there is this incredibly huge, and growing by leaps and bounds every day, disconnect between how hockey fans and media view crime and punishment in the NHL and how the league and those who comprise it -- the 30 owners, the 30 GMs, the 30 head coaches, the 700-plus players who play the game, the NHL head office executives led by commissioner Gary Bettman and, finally, the NHL Players Association -- deal with it.”

Curiously he attempted to lump the media in with the fans, but as quickly as he headed down that shit creek, he remembered he had no paddle, going on to essentially defend Campbell, arguing “Hey its just the system- deal with it”:

“There's a reason why many players don't get suspended or, if they do, they only get a game or two or three -- because that's the way the vast majority of people who comprise the NHL community want it.

The owners don't want to be paying players not to play.

The general managers don't want a hole in their lineup.

The coaches don't want to re-jig the forward lines or defence pairs.”

The "vast majority of people who comprise the NHL community"? How about the people who watch the game on television, pay for tickets and merchandise-the people paying all your salaries, whether directly or indirectly.

Rather than an indictment of this sordid system, McKenzie tells us “suck it up bitches. You have no say, and too bad.” McKenzie drives the point home with this jem:

It's not about one man, it never has been. It's about The Game, those who run it, those who play it and how they govern it. They do, we (media and fans) don't. That's just the way it is.”

Overlooking that McKenzie's logic is impossibly flawed since Campbell is one of the powerful people who run “The Game”,

What a dangerous faulking cop-out.

Ask Bud Selig how hard it is to win fans back once you betray them, what folly it is to think the fans don't matter. …Baseball almost didn’t recover from its lockout, -in fact, hockey still suffers from Bettman's Waterloo.

The respect for the NHL in the sports world is non-existent, the League can’t get ratings, good television contracts and cannot grow its audience. Why? The perpetuation of the system McKenzie not only describes, but upholds, lauds, applauds and give credence to. This Boys Club, old white guys from up north, “old tyme hockey” rough and tumble” "faulk ‘em lets just fight" all too real stereotype.

How many times do we have to lament that Hockey is not even ranked in the top 5 of all professional sports in the world anymore… faulking NASCAR and Soccer are more popular, better respected. NASCAR. Seriously?

Go ahead Mr. McKenzie, uphold, tout and test your “that’s just the way it is, suck it up bitches” perspective. Let's see how long the alienated fans stick around. And what happens when we don't.

The league and its lapdog, the mainstream media, do the sport of hockey an incredible disservice in failing to report the potential corruption of a League VP.

Worse, their cheerleader from the inky pages, Mr. McKenzie, has taken a position that he purports to be upheld by the Owners, Teams, Players, Unions and League. A position that alienates, disparages and demeans the fans and those who blog about the sport.

Disregarding the fact that McKenzie article's bias is so blatant that I jadedly wonder if his tie got caught in Campbell’s zipper as ol' Colly was previewing it before publication, I am more disturbed by the obvious circumvention of the issues raised by Dallow, and the truly underhanded effort demean and belittle this blogging journalist who asked the right questions and exposed important facts that need to be addressed.

In other words, and to bring this story around to the face-off circle, the mainstream media, in failing to report the Campbell story in a professional and unbiased manner, is undermines their profession and credibility.

Darrow’s story is an important example of actual investigative journalism and hard hitting reporting, better than anything we see coming out of mainstream media. It might not be Pulitzer Prize winning material about Haiti or Burma, but this story is more important than sport, more important than Hockey.

Its practically Woodward and Bernstein on Ice and it should be treated with the respect it deserves.

Investigative Journalists like Darrow his story are a clear example of the demise of the value of mainstream media, and the rise of the new Fourth Estate: The Blogosphere.

Take heed NHL, if you fail to deal with this Campbell matter openly and honestly, if you continue to hide behind the persona McKenzie has so tragically identified for you, you risk losing the precious few followers you still have. Rest assured the only reason most of us stick around is for the players, the teams themselves and the hope that someone, one day, will soon make changes that bring this league out of the 20^th century.

Very few people in the real world who follow hockey think the League is anything other than an inbred, secretive, corrupt bastion of a bunch of out of touch “old tymers” who are strangling the most impressive, challenging, beautiful sport to a slow death.and with the campbell story coming down the way it is, they seem to be right.

Confessions of a Tampa Bay Lightning writer

2010-11-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

As posted on From the Rink, Thursday, 11 November 2010.

Hi. My name is Cassie. And I have a problem.

I'm in denial. You see, the Tampa Bay Lightning are currently second in the Southeast Division, fourth in the Eastern Conference, and sixth overall in the NHL. Many people would be happy with that, especially considering what this team has been through in the past couple of years. But I just can't quite wrap my head around all of that.

The worst part about this is that I write for the SB Nation Lightning site, Raw Charge. So I'm watching all of their games, reading Lightning news, writing many of the game recaps, et cetera. It's not as if I'm just a casual fan of the team or a bandwagon jumper or anything like that.

Yes, Steven Stamkos is currently leading the NHL in both points (24) and goals (13). Yes, goaltender Dan Ellis ninth overall in the NHL with save percentage (.924), and seventh overall with goals against (2.11). Yes, Vincent Lecavalier is having a much better season than he has in a while, and Martin St. Louis has scored more goals at this point in the season than he had last season. I get all of this.

I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop is all.

[More after the break....]

There were times during the twisted reign of the previous ownership group, OK Hockey, where things weren't so bad. Where you could almost think that the front office antics were finally dying down and where the coaching was almost okay. There were stretches where the team actually did fairly well, and you started to believe that maybe all of the craziness was past them. And then it all collapsed on them in a hugely horrific way.

So I just can't quite believe that it's real. That the good fortune that has been showered upon them by Jeff Vinik, Steve Yzerman, and Guy Boucher is permanent. Every team has its ups and downs, certainly, but I'm talking more downs than ups here - as was the case for the past couple of seasons.

I want them to do well. I really do. And I'm happy that it'd not been ugly - so far. But until this becomes a sustained effort - the season is a marathon and not a sprint, after all - I'm just not quite going to believe it. I can't. I've had my hopes brought up too high by this team, only to have them viciously dashed on the rocks.

I keep telling people "talk to me in February" about how this team is doing. But I don't really mean it. Until the Tampa Bay Lightning are in playoffs again, and have played at least one playoff game, I will still be in denial about their doing well. I can't get excited - not yet.

This is how OK Hockey has traumatized me, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. And not just Len Barrie and Oren Koules, but Brian Lawton, Barry Melrose, and Rick Tocchet as well. So let me know when to look, because right now, I'm just waiting for the train wreck to happen.

LW's NHL Road* Trip 2010 (Final Part)

2010-11-11T22:12:00.000-08:00

*Technically, featuring no roads

Following Part Six, a few brief observations from the final game I'm attending while on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

Game #7: Buffalo Sabres 2-3 (OT) New York Rangers

Just because I haven't seen enough backup goalies this trip, Henrik Lundqvist is a late flu victim (late pull out rather than it being fatal...) so Marty Biron gets another MSG start. Lundqvist not even in warmups, but he'll have to be on the bench
The returning Marián Gáborík gets crunched into the boards on an early shift. I (and probably most of MSG) ignore the rest of the shift to instead see if he's hurt on his return to the bench - he seems OK
Rob Niedermayer misses on a breakaway as he exits the penalty box - further proof, if it were needed, that Drew Stafford does not belong in the NHL
After a shaky looking first period from Jhonas Enroth in the Sabres goal, the Rangers take advantage by pummeling him with four shots in the second, which ends tied at two as the Rangers obligingly let Mike Grier stand in the crease untouched to score with 2.9 seconds left
I even manage to watch the whole second period without painting the floor of an MSG bathroom vivid orange
The crowd becomes mildly incensed when Ruslan Fedotenko has a goal chalked off in an "intent to blow" scenario. Especially odd for a quick whistle (at least an intended one) to come when two earlier goals came from similar situations that were allowed to play out
Things look bleak for the Rangers when Brian Boyle takes a penalty with six minutes left shortly after yet another PP failure - a circumstance that has not produced favourable results on roughly 300 other occasions this year already. However, the PK holds firm
Alex Frolov's third period contribution includes another slam dunk chance missed from right in front of goal and a sensible decision to ice the puck late in the game rather than take two strides in open ice to reach the red line first
In OT, a Vanek/Roy 2-on-1 is survived by the Rangers (not the first such mess up by Vanek the last two nights) before Artem Anisimov secures the two points with his second goal of the game

All in all, a satisfying end to the trip and another strong showing by Beer Pong, which hopefully earns Lundqvist the lighter workload this year that the Rangers are looking for. A 3-3 record for the Rangers in my presence, just about maintaining my streak of non-losing records (19-9-1 overall for those scoring at home...)

LW's NHL Road* Trip 2010 (Part Six)

2010-11-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

*Technically, featuring no roads

Following Part Five, the continuation of a few brief observations from the games I'm attending while on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

Game #6: Buffalo Sabres 5-4 (SO) New Jersey Devils

Despite spending most of the day in bed or on the toilet and feeling like I've lost about 10lbs in five hours (the "Reverse Brodeur"), the lure of seeing two bad teams that I don't support proves too much, so I make the late decision to head out
Surprising to see the box office lobby so full of people. Is it Tommy Albelin's jersey retirement tonight? Ken Daneyko's TV make-up crew having a meeting? Whatever it is, precisely one other person is actually there to buy a ticket, which makes more sense
More backup goalie dueling tonight - Enroth and Hedberg are filling in for the injured Miller and Brodeur respectively
My section is jam packed with annoying fans tonight:
1. Your typical sports radio idiot sat right behind me. He yaps away constantly (sample: "I hate all Canadians except one. Spezza. And Rick Nash.") and is well on pace to smash the records for most instances of saying "Just shoot the puck!" and calling Mattias Tedenby "Tanabe", until he is moved on by someone actually having tickets to sit there
2. His replacement is a kid unfortunately prone to greeting any routine clear or two foot pass with an exclamation you would perhaps hear had Marv Albert starred in "When Harry Met Sally" and smoked 100 a day from birth
3. A Sabres fan rhetorically asking why Drew Stafford (#21, right-hand shot, not playing due to injury) was still in the NHL every time Rob Niedermayer (#20, left-hand shot, actually playing tonight) touched the puck. For the whole game.
I'd like to be able to describe the first two Sabres goals, but I was too busy projectile vomiting a bottle of orange juice across the nearest bathroom floor. Should be more embarrassed by that than I really am...
Having regained control of my stomach, I get to see four more second period goals as the Sabres and Devils both do a pretty good impression of teams with bad defense, which (against type and reputation) they actually seem to be
After the Sabres tie it up again in the third, they have most of the chances the rest of the way with Hedberg somewhat fortunately surviving several scrambles in his crease
His confidence up after missing the net by roughly 30 feet on a partial breakaway late in the third, Ilya Kovalchuk then caps off the shootout in sudden death by amusingly flubbing the puck slowly into the corner

Next up: The Sabres and their aforementioned backup goalie and bad defense head to MSG, where they will undoubtedly shutout the Rangers in my trip finale

Kovalchuk -- We are all witnesses.

2010-11-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

What should I do?

Should I admit that I've made mistakes? Should I remind you that I've done this before? Should I tell you about Atlanta's playoff trip?

What should I do?

Should I tell you how I fill the stands? (So...this went well.) Should I really believe that I have a legacy to ruin?

What should I do?

Should I just sell skates like Ovechkin? Should I put my unattached head in a locker and tell you "Soon the championship will be ours!"?

Seriously? What should I do?

Should I tell you I'm a championship chaser? Did it for the money? Cup? Should I be who you want me to be?

Should I accept my role as the selfish Russian? Maybe I should just disappear and go to the KHL.

Should I have never listened to Lou Lamoriello? He's Lou Lamoriello!

Should I try acting?

(Kovalchuk glides down the ice, is checked off the puck and...and falls. The refs arm is up. I haven't seen acting like that since our last broadcast in Pittsburgh.)

Should I make you laugh? Should I try to be a better teammate?

"I skate down ice. You give me puck. I shoot, score goal. We win. Okay? Okay!"

Should we just call out the zamboni? Try again next period?

What should I do?

Should I be who you want me to be?

JUST DO IT

LW's NHL Road* Trip 2010 (Part Five)

2010-11-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

*Technically, featuring no roads

Following Part Four, the continuation of a few brief observations from the games I'm attending while on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

Game #5: Washington Capitals 5-3 New York Rangers

A smattering of Caps fans / Ovechkin fanboys in evidence during warmups - including one confused kid wearing a Caps jersey and Rangers hat
The guest anthem singer is apparently the former frontman of Barenaked Ladies - US/Canadian diplomatic relations become strained as he botches the lyrics
A fast, physical start as Ryan Callahan dumps Semin in the corner
Brandon Dubinsky and Mike Green discard helmets and square off - more grabbing than punching going on though. Smart move by Green to take the more talented, dangerous offensive threat off for five minutes...
Despite the 24/7 efforts of some of the finest minds in the hockey world, nobody has yet found a way of stopping Brian Boyle scoring goals
John Erskine is revealed as tonight's winner of the "Player Who Never Scores Or Is In A Horrendous Slump Until He Plays The Rangers" Lottery
That is soon surpassed by the frankly astonishing sight of Derek Boogaard channeling his inner Pavel Bure, as he blazes a path down the left wing (slight exaggeration) before unleashing a laser of a slapshot (no exaggeration) over Michal Neuvirth's shoulder - I struggle to surpress laughter for the rest of the period
Despite playing much better than the last few games and containing the Caps reasonably well over the last 40 minutes, the crushingly inevitable tie-breaking goal from a fourth line scrub, followed by the crushingly inevitable total inability to control the puck with the goalie pulled kills off the Rangers

Next up: After this incident-packed game, it's back to Newark for what promises to be a classic snoozefest between the high-flying Sabres and Devils. Bring a pillow.

Movember in the NHL

2010-11-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know, Movember is a month-long fundraising event for men's cancer research. It is now a global campaign with a number of countries involved from North America to New Zealand. Movember encourages men to show their support by growing a moustache for the entire month of November. I imagine there are some pretty long and crazy-looking ones by November 30th. I first became aware of the event last year when a few Caps players participated and there are even more participants this year. The NHL in general is a big supporter of the 'Mo with players and staff from all over the league participating to help raise money with their facial hair.

I personally want to help shed more light on this fundraiser because I've always been a big supporter of fund-raising for cancer research in my community so I'd like to encourage everyone to do what they can to either donate or help spread the word. I'm planning to use the Caps Mobile Challenge to help me decide to whom and how much to donate. The Washington Capitals have a mobile challenge where each game, participants must choose one forward and one defenseman who will score either a goal, an assist or a plus and they get a point for each category. I'm planning to donate a certain amount for each point a Movember participant nets me when I choose them. Here's a list of NHL players (there may be more than what I found) from various teams who are participating this year, perhaps you would like to donate to one of your favorites!

Anaheim Ducks

Captain: George Parros
Members: Danny Syvret

Dallas Stars

Captain: Mark Fistric
Members: Andrew Raycroft, Brandon Segal, Brian Sutherby, Kari Lehtonen, Karlis Skrastins, Loui Eriksson, Matt Niskanen, Nicklas Grossman, Stephane Robidas, Steve Ott, Toby Petersen, Trevor Daley

Minnesota Wild

Captain: Nick Schultz
Members: Appears to be the entire team roster on the site. Go Wild!

Washington Capitals

Captain: Jason Chimera
Members: Braden Holtby, Jeff Schultz, John Carlson, John Erskine, Karl Alzner, Matt Hendricks, Mike Green

Other participating teams include the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings and Calgary Hitmen, and from across the pond, the EIHL's Cardiff Devils.

Caption It Monday: Nov. 8th.

2010-11-08T11:02:00.000-08:00

Find Last week's Winner in the Archives!

LW's NHL Road* Trip 2010 (Part Four)

2010-11-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

*Technically, featuring no roads

Following Part Three, the continuation of a few brief observations from the games I'm attending while on the wrong side of the Atlantic.

Game #4: St. Louis Blues 2-0 New York Rangers

A real buzz in the building as everyone anticipates the much-hyped, marquee goalie match-up of...er, Ty Conklin versus Marty Biron
If you like having people walk across your line of sight repeatedly, including vendors carrying large objects above head height, then try and get tickets two rows back from the internal concourse at MSG. (Alternatively, just watch a Red Wings home game on TV.)
Beer Pong has a strong first period to keep the game goalless, as the Blues dictate most of the play
A break - aided by the fleet-footed Derek Boogaard stranding himself in the offensive zone looking for a pointless hit - sees Alex Steen open the scoring early in the second
From that point, the Blues sit back and watch the Rangers painfully flounder for the rest of the game
I was hoping for a disallowed goal from the Blues' #64, so I could say it was nixed as Nikita Nikitin kicked it in, but no joy...
The only serious threat comes from a five-minute powerplay in the third period after B.J. Crombeen tries to decorate the boards with the contents of Derek Stepan's skull. The "threat" mainly one of being deafened by the booing of the practically impotent Rangers PP
My view of the empty-netter is blocked by a few hundred people leaving - not that I care by that point. A pretty rancid game all round

Next up: The Rangers' powerhouse offensive machine hosts the anaemic, struggling forwards of the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. A Versus game! Possible Beninati sighting opportunity!