At the quarter-season marker for the season, it’s time to take a look around and re-align some expectations for certain players and the types of seasons they are about to have. Some of these players will be goal scorers, others are goal stoppers, while others are more known (or not YET recognized) for their passing capabilities. Some of them are highly lauded, while others tend to be overlooked.
These are the top ten(for one reason, or another) players in NHL right now:
10. PATRICK KANE - Surprisingly, Patrick Kane is the real deal. No, I'm not surprised because he's American. And not because he floats when he doesn't have the puck. I say that because he looks like he's 14 and he's playing in a league with big, mean men. His stats claim that he is 5'9'', 160 lbs but unless he weighed in immediately after attending a BALCO summer camp, there is no way that is true. He has avoided a sophomore slump, unlike his esteemed colleague and captain Jonathan Toews, and he might turn out to be the true star of the two. And more importantly, he has avoided being hammered by anybody bigger than him (read: everybody). He has a steady touch around the net and has shown good hands. To keep developing his play, he will need to contribute more defensively but as of now, he's a pure-scorer who is doing just that. A lot. He should be a shoo-in for the 2010 American Hockey Team. I’m just waiting for Deion Phaneuf to catch him by surprise with a hit to see how resilient he can be.
9. MATT STAJAN – Speaking of the 2010 Olympics, I’ll move onto some more sure-fire picks - right after I discuss Matt Stajan: He summarizes everything that is going right under Ron Wilson’s guidance. He has always been a hard worker, in order to compensate for his offensive deficiencies. But this month, he has exploded for 14 points and leads the Maple Leafs with 20 points in 20 games. While Stajan has always been a very consistent player, I’d be the most surprised person if he finishes the season with 82 points. However, he is still on pace for one of those inexplicable “career years” that occur occasionally. Just ask Jason Blake, he knows all about them. This year, with his increased responsibility on the 1st line, he is seeing the ice very well, he is able to make passes through traffic onto a teammate’s stick, and he is finally finishing on his opportunities around the net (which he gets a lot of, due to his big hustle). Enjoy it while it lasts, Leaf fans.
8. ALES HEMSKY – I feel I understood Ales Hemsky better after having watched him play in the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals against the Hurricanes. On a powerplay, he skated with the puck for at least 30 seconds straight, neither passing nor shooting, just deke-ing through everybody who decided to pressure him. The fans, exasperated, began to yell their two-cent opinions until the entire rink was in a frenzy. While Hemsky has clearly had this huge upside just waiting to come out, it seems he has pegged the 2008-09 season as the one to show what he can do. Regardless of his production at the end of the season (career-high 77, thus far), I always was vaguely disappointed when it came to Hemsky because I had the odd sensation that he could get 120 or 130 points. With 14 points in November, Hemsky is finally averaging a point-per-game on the season (21 pts, 20 games), he is on pace to have a minor breakout season.
7. RYAN GETZLAF – While Brian Burke may never get over the perceived slight he suffered at the hands of Kevin Lowe, he can rest assured that Lowe picked the wrong player. Or the fact that he is no longer managing the Ducks, so it doesn’t matter anymore. When the Oilers GM signed away one of the Ducks’ top prospects, Dustin Penner, using a Restricted Free Agent Offer-Sheet, Mt. Burke, which had been dormant for some time, nearly exploded. At any rate, the Ducks are certainly glad that Lowe signed Penner (4 G, 1 A over 18 games) instead of their young-star Getzlaf (8 G, 19 A over 22 games). Getzlaf is big, mobile, can fight or score. He’s a punishing player, a 2008 version of the Todd Bertuzzi we will never see again (a dubious compliment, perhaps, but a compliment all the same). He’s fun to watch and he’s passionate; on the other hand, he is ugly on a scale that rivals Milan Lucic. He should be another player to keep an eye on during the 2010 Team Canada selection process.
6. DEVIN SETOGUCHI – Who? Exactly. Devin Setoguchi is a rookie forward playing on the same line as a surging Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton. While the guidance of two of the best players in the league playing on your line (including the league’s best passer in Thornton), would certainly help, Setoguchi is creating plenty of his own scoring chances, as he sits tied with Marleau at 24 points. Setoguchi has 12 goals and 12 assists, showing a remarkably balanced skill-set. On the strength of their top line, as well as some journeymen defensemen having career years (see: Ehrhoff, Christian) and the Sharks are 17-3-1.
5. MARC SAVARD – Perhaps one of the most underrated players in the league, Marc Savard is again quietly putting together another terrific season. In every post-lockout season, Savard has averaged over a point-per-game. In 2 of the last 3 seasons, he has 95+ points, (as well as close to 100 PIMs in each). While his numbers have been impressive, he doesn’t demand attention in the same way that Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby do, so he’s often overlooked. But with the recent resurgence in the Bruins’ play, Savard is finally getting the recognition he deserves. He was named to his 1st All-Star game in 2008 and should be getting further attention from Team Canada for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
4. EVGENI MALKIN – Ovechkin’s Russian brethren, Evgeni Malkin and AO don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye on everything. They’ve taken the on-ice NHL rivalry to the point where I’m not sure they can be Olympic roommates anymore. Regardless of their feelings toward each other, both are playing some good hockey. Malkin leads the league with 31 points, but is closely trailed by Ovechkin’s Crosby-hating teammate Alexander Semin (27), among others. Most importantly, Malkin is outshining his perhaps better known teammate Sidney Crosby and proving that, even if Sid the Kid is struggling a bit, Gino has to be reckoned with on his own.
3. SIMON GAGNE - While having him on your favourite team or fantasy team is always questionable because of his health, Simon Gagne has made a case for himself to be considered the next coming of Yzerman. He has rebounded from an injury-shortened campaign last year and caught fire. He has 15 points in November, and is tied for 2nd in the NHL with 27 points. As long as he can stay healthy all season, he will remain a threat to win the NHL scoring race.
2. ROBERTO LUONGO – Robbie Lu has really stepped it up this season. What the Canucks lack in offensive depth, they make up for in net. Luongo enables the Sedin brothers and Pavol Demitra to get whatever offense they can, without having to worry too much about the defensive side. If a team has a goaltender they trust, that allows them to take more offensive risks than they would if they had Curtis Joseph in net. Over the span of 19 games, Luongo has 5 shutouts and allows only 2.2 goals per game. Prior to his injury, he was on pace for 20 shutouts. While those stats are inflated because of how early in the season it is, it shows that he had a realistic chance to beat Tony Esposito’s 1969 record of 15. Here’s hoping Luongo can heal from his groin injury quickly and that the Canucks can keep themselves in the playoff hunt without him.
1. ALEX OVECHKIN – Alex Ovechkin had a pedestrian October, as his mind was not entirely on hockey with some family matters going on back in Russia. He has 20 points this month, 4 more than anybody else in the league. #2 in November? That’s none other than Ovechkin’s linemate Nicklas Backstrom, who has 16 points. (Not to be confused with Niklas Backstrom.) While Backstrom and Alexander Semin are both having great seasons on their own, there is no debate as to who is the Top Dog in town. These guys are primed for a repeat trip to the playoffs and I will not be surprised if they do some barnstorming once they’re there.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Poker on ESPN - A Referendum
I’m sorry, Poker, but I’ve held my silence for too long. While you may have a “World Series,” I have been curious as to why ESPN and TSN cover your events. I am here to make my arguments against your inclusion on the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” television network, because let’s face it, Poker. You just aren’t a sport.
According to Webster’s dictionary, a sport was defined as “1. A source of diversion: PASTIME”. In the 19th century, sporting newspapers would cover horse racing, boxing and baseball. However, they would also make note of the happenings in burlesque, music halls and vaudeville. By Mr. Daniel Webster’s definition, just about anything can be a sport. Scrabble, while an enjoyable pastime, is not a sport. Other sources of diversion that aren’t sports include singing, reading, and watching television.
By nature of what can be included in Webster’s archaic definition, we clearly need to redefine “sport”. Because as enjoyable as playing Hungry Hungry Hippos may be – it isn’t a sport.
Traditionally accepted sports include boxing, football, baseball, hockey, basketball, tennis, golf, and anything found at the Olympics. They all include elements of competition, physical exertion, and demand intense focus. In fact, I would argue that in order for an activity to be a sport, they must have all three of these elements.
A heated debate over the years has been regarding Nascar’s inclusion in the term “sport”. A quote attributed to Ernest Hemingway says: “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering, all the others being games.” By my definition, Nascar is definitely a sport: while the engine does most of the work, drivers toil in 140 degree cockpits, sweating off ten pounds of water throughout the course of a race. They must maintain an intense focus for up to 4 hours, covering 500 miles of ground at speeds that most of us have only traveled on commercial airliners. The consequences of losing that focus are potentially disastrous. Anybody who has witnessed a Nascar race on television cannot question its level of competition. While Nascar drivers probably aren’t “athletes” per-se, they are definitely “sportsmen”.
Mountaineers could be also called “sportsmen”. What Hemingway liked about auto racing, mountaineering and bullfighting was the passion it required to look death in the eye and to choose to participate in that activity. These events are essentially struggles for survival between man and The Great Beyond – man’s decisions in the arena of those sports were tantamount to the decision between life and death. In the spirit of Hemingway’s quote, I am prepared to invite bow hunters and fishermen into the Club of Sports. There is a physical degree of difficulty that is included in pulling a 220 lb halibut from the sea. And there is no question that a life-and-death struggle is competitive and demands focus, whether it is man vs. man or man vs. beast.
Using the same criterion, let’s examine poker: It is undoubtedly competitive. I can’t imagine anything more cutthroat than a hundred men clamoring for several million dollars. Poker demands an intense amount of focus. One bad hand can spell disaster for a someone’s chances of winning “The World Series of Poker”. But the thing that trips me up is the degree of physical exertion. There just isn’t any. Sure, in the heat of the moment, a poker player might break a sweat. Mick Jagger sweats during his concerts; however, being a Rolling Stone is not a sport.
Poker – you’re close. You require focus and are very competitive. But two out of three doesn’t make you a sport. It leaves you in the “games” category. There is no shame in being grouped with Candyland, Halo, and Tic-Tac-Toe. They are all worthy peers. But in comparison to the potential for physical devastation in boxing, football, and hockey – real sports – you are just fun and games.
According to Webster’s dictionary, a sport was defined as “1. A source of diversion: PASTIME”. In the 19th century, sporting newspapers would cover horse racing, boxing and baseball. However, they would also make note of the happenings in burlesque, music halls and vaudeville. By Mr. Daniel Webster’s definition, just about anything can be a sport. Scrabble, while an enjoyable pastime, is not a sport. Other sources of diversion that aren’t sports include singing, reading, and watching television.
By nature of what can be included in Webster’s archaic definition, we clearly need to redefine “sport”. Because as enjoyable as playing Hungry Hungry Hippos may be – it isn’t a sport.
Traditionally accepted sports include boxing, football, baseball, hockey, basketball, tennis, golf, and anything found at the Olympics. They all include elements of competition, physical exertion, and demand intense focus. In fact, I would argue that in order for an activity to be a sport, they must have all three of these elements.
A heated debate over the years has been regarding Nascar’s inclusion in the term “sport”. A quote attributed to Ernest Hemingway says: “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering, all the others being games.” By my definition, Nascar is definitely a sport: while the engine does most of the work, drivers toil in 140 degree cockpits, sweating off ten pounds of water throughout the course of a race. They must maintain an intense focus for up to 4 hours, covering 500 miles of ground at speeds that most of us have only traveled on commercial airliners. The consequences of losing that focus are potentially disastrous. Anybody who has witnessed a Nascar race on television cannot question its level of competition. While Nascar drivers probably aren’t “athletes” per-se, they are definitely “sportsmen”.
Mountaineers could be also called “sportsmen”. What Hemingway liked about auto racing, mountaineering and bullfighting was the passion it required to look death in the eye and to choose to participate in that activity. These events are essentially struggles for survival between man and The Great Beyond – man’s decisions in the arena of those sports were tantamount to the decision between life and death. In the spirit of Hemingway’s quote, I am prepared to invite bow hunters and fishermen into the Club of Sports. There is a physical degree of difficulty that is included in pulling a 220 lb halibut from the sea. And there is no question that a life-and-death struggle is competitive and demands focus, whether it is man vs. man or man vs. beast.
Using the same criterion, let’s examine poker: It is undoubtedly competitive. I can’t imagine anything more cutthroat than a hundred men clamoring for several million dollars. Poker demands an intense amount of focus. One bad hand can spell disaster for a someone’s chances of winning “The World Series of Poker”. But the thing that trips me up is the degree of physical exertion. There just isn’t any. Sure, in the heat of the moment, a poker player might break a sweat. Mick Jagger sweats during his concerts; however, being a Rolling Stone is not a sport.
Poker – you’re close. You require focus and are very competitive. But two out of three doesn’t make you a sport. It leaves you in the “games” category. There is no shame in being grouped with Candyland, Halo, and Tic-Tac-Toe. They are all worthy peers. But in comparison to the potential for physical devastation in boxing, football, and hockey – real sports – you are just fun and games.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
"Mats... We Need To Talk..."
The four words anybody who is blissfully in love never wants to hear from their partner. But they are words Cliff Fletcher needs to practice in the mirror over the next few weeks, as former Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin works off the results of a restful summer back in Sweden.
Because as Mats was enjoying his summer deciding whether or not he had the emotional fortitude to wear the Blue and White (or any other colours) this winter, we have been moving on. Ok - we haven't REALLY been moving on. But that's what we have been telling ourselves.
Over the past 4 years, Leafs Nation was held captive by John Ferguson, Junior. During this time, the Front Street Faithful could trust Mats would come through. He always has. Like an old sweatshirt worked in by a loved one, we got comfortable with #13. And he got comfortable with us. We were spending every Saturday night on the couch together, watching movies and eating popcorn, while those poor, pitiful teams like Carolina had one-month flings and embarrassing trysts with All-Stars for their inevitable playoff pushes. We had our star. And we didn't have eyes for anybody else.
- The Future -
But when Ferguson was shown the door, the focus changed in Leafs Land. Leaf fans no longer held onto any pipe dreams of making the playoffs. We wanted a contender, but we had to do it right. In the post-salary cap era, there is no other way to improve than through The Draft.
That's when things began to sour with Sundin. As he put us on his back in the Spring of 2008, our perception of #13 was different. Like a relationship taking a turn for the worse, it started with insensitive jokes. Fans knew that Sundin was going to put the Maple Leafs on his back, but this time we didn't want the ride. We wanted Steven Stamkos. We wanted to be young again.
When he refused to lose and made every Leafs fan believe, even if for just a moment, that we could make the unlikely post-season rush, Sundin was doing what he had done every other year. And we loved him for it. But it wasn't the same. There was the embarrassing trade-deadline squabble when he refused to be rented out and go for a Playoff Run with a contender.
We looked toward the end of the season as a time when both Mats and Leaf fans could regroup. We would have some time apart. Take a break. See if we felt the same way in the fall.
- The Split -
And, surprisingly, we did feel the same way. We still needed time away from Sundin. It hurt, but the season began respectably under new coach Ron Wilson. We upended the Red Wings in the 1st game of the season. So far, so good. We had Mats at the back of our minds, but our first forays out on Saturday nights went alright without him. We got shot down a few times, but this was expected. We were back in the game and it was exciting.
As the air grows colder and we ready ourselves for a long winter, we remember Mats fondly. Like a fresh break-up, both parties are lonely and unfulfilled. It's late at night and Mats is lying awake in bed, thinking about the good times. So he picks up the phone and scrolls down the phonebook to "M". Maple Leafs.
And Leafs fans are doing the same. We're lying in bed with all kinds of new jerseys... not just #13. So when we see our phone ringing at 3:00 am, and Niklas Hagman asks "Who's calling at this hour?" We answer, "Just an old friend." You don't want to rock the boat and shake Hagman, Nik Antropov and Alex Ponikarovsky's fragile confidence. They're performing just fine.
We tell ourselves that we're over Mats. But the truth is: we're not. Ron Wilson's coaching has allowed us to retain some shreds of dignity, but we won't be able to truly smile with joy until we feel the butterflies of a new leader - the same type of butterflies we'd get in our stomachs when we'd see Sundin rush down the ice on a 2-on-1 in April and you just knew he was going to score.
- The One Who Got Away -
We will find out what our future holds in December when Brian Burke replies to the Ducks about his contract extension offer. Henry Samueli has made it clear he wants Brian Burke to stick around, but Burke is tempted by the Thrill of the Chase he would feel as the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The time is right: Things haven't felt the same for Burkie in Anaheim. They had very high highs, and some equally low lows. It might just be time.
The reasons are right: Burke's family lives on the East Coast and he has made it clear that the cross-continental trips to visit them are difficult; his wife would be able to work in Toronto; and it is the highest profile job in the biggest hockey city on earth.
Fletcher and Leafs Nation are getting dolled up to make Burke an offer he can't refuse. Until we have "The Talk" with Burke, we aren't really going to be able to get over Mats. When we get those late-night phone calls, we will be tempted to answer even though we know it's wrong. But with Burke in town, it will be easier to see Mats with another team.
And that is precisely what Mats should do - we are trying to move on; he needs to do the same. He should sign with one of those younger, better-looking hockey teams that are currently vying for the Stanley Cup. Sure, he won't feel as emotionally connected to his team and his new fans. It will be really awkward when he first encounters the Leafs on the ice. He might even be thinking about us when he's lacing up his skates.
But when he lifts that Cup above his head, he will be enjoying the moment. It won't matter what jersey he is wearing. He will have earned what he has worked for his entire life.
We will always have fond memories, Mats. But it's time to move on.
Because as Mats was enjoying his summer deciding whether or not he had the emotional fortitude to wear the Blue and White (or any other colours) this winter, we have been moving on. Ok - we haven't REALLY been moving on. But that's what we have been telling ourselves.
Over the past 4 years, Leafs Nation was held captive by John Ferguson, Junior. During this time, the Front Street Faithful could trust Mats would come through. He always has. Like an old sweatshirt worked in by a loved one, we got comfortable with #13. And he got comfortable with us. We were spending every Saturday night on the couch together, watching movies and eating popcorn, while those poor, pitiful teams like Carolina had one-month flings and embarrassing trysts with All-Stars for their inevitable playoff pushes. We had our star. And we didn't have eyes for anybody else.
- The Future -
But when Ferguson was shown the door, the focus changed in Leafs Land. Leaf fans no longer held onto any pipe dreams of making the playoffs. We wanted a contender, but we had to do it right. In the post-salary cap era, there is no other way to improve than through The Draft.
That's when things began to sour with Sundin. As he put us on his back in the Spring of 2008, our perception of #13 was different. Like a relationship taking a turn for the worse, it started with insensitive jokes. Fans knew that Sundin was going to put the Maple Leafs on his back, but this time we didn't want the ride. We wanted Steven Stamkos. We wanted to be young again.
When he refused to lose and made every Leafs fan believe, even if for just a moment, that we could make the unlikely post-season rush, Sundin was doing what he had done every other year. And we loved him for it. But it wasn't the same. There was the embarrassing trade-deadline squabble when he refused to be rented out and go for a Playoff Run with a contender.
We looked toward the end of the season as a time when both Mats and Leaf fans could regroup. We would have some time apart. Take a break. See if we felt the same way in the fall.
- The Split -
And, surprisingly, we did feel the same way. We still needed time away from Sundin. It hurt, but the season began respectably under new coach Ron Wilson. We upended the Red Wings in the 1st game of the season. So far, so good. We had Mats at the back of our minds, but our first forays out on Saturday nights went alright without him. We got shot down a few times, but this was expected. We were back in the game and it was exciting.
As the air grows colder and we ready ourselves for a long winter, we remember Mats fondly. Like a fresh break-up, both parties are lonely and unfulfilled. It's late at night and Mats is lying awake in bed, thinking about the good times. So he picks up the phone and scrolls down the phonebook to "M". Maple Leafs.
And Leafs fans are doing the same. We're lying in bed with all kinds of new jerseys... not just #13. So when we see our phone ringing at 3:00 am, and Niklas Hagman asks "Who's calling at this hour?" We answer, "Just an old friend." You don't want to rock the boat and shake Hagman, Nik Antropov and Alex Ponikarovsky's fragile confidence. They're performing just fine.
We tell ourselves that we're over Mats. But the truth is: we're not. Ron Wilson's coaching has allowed us to retain some shreds of dignity, but we won't be able to truly smile with joy until we feel the butterflies of a new leader - the same type of butterflies we'd get in our stomachs when we'd see Sundin rush down the ice on a 2-on-1 in April and you just knew he was going to score.
- The One Who Got Away -
We will find out what our future holds in December when Brian Burke replies to the Ducks about his contract extension offer. Henry Samueli has made it clear he wants Brian Burke to stick around, but Burke is tempted by the Thrill of the Chase he would feel as the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The time is right: Things haven't felt the same for Burkie in Anaheim. They had very high highs, and some equally low lows. It might just be time.
The reasons are right: Burke's family lives on the East Coast and he has made it clear that the cross-continental trips to visit them are difficult; his wife would be able to work in Toronto; and it is the highest profile job in the biggest hockey city on earth.
Fletcher and Leafs Nation are getting dolled up to make Burke an offer he can't refuse. Until we have "The Talk" with Burke, we aren't really going to be able to get over Mats. When we get those late-night phone calls, we will be tempted to answer even though we know it's wrong. But with Burke in town, it will be easier to see Mats with another team.
And that is precisely what Mats should do - we are trying to move on; he needs to do the same. He should sign with one of those younger, better-looking hockey teams that are currently vying for the Stanley Cup. Sure, he won't feel as emotionally connected to his team and his new fans. It will be really awkward when he first encounters the Leafs on the ice. He might even be thinking about us when he's lacing up his skates.
But when he lifts that Cup above his head, he will be enjoying the moment. It won't matter what jersey he is wearing. He will have earned what he has worked for his entire life.
We will always have fond memories, Mats. But it's time to move on.
Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs: Successes Already Achieved - and Challenges That Lie In The Future
On the off-chance that you like reading old news, this is a profile of a Canadian gymnast I did in May, 2008.
Prior to last week’s World Cup event in Tianjin, China, Canadian gymnast Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs explained that she went there with one thing in mind – preparing for Beijing. Because of the magnitude of an Olympic experience, Coaches Carol-Angela Orchard and Brian McVey wanted Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs to have some event experience in China.
If it seems premature to be focusing on the Olympics before she is even able to qualify, Coach Orchard clarifies that she has been preparing for this for the past nine years. “Since she was 10. She was the novice champion of Canada when she was 10 and it’s a matter of building on that constantly.” The two women to represent Canada in Beijing will be selected at the National Championships in Calgary, from June 1-8.
The amount of preparation required places a tremendous amount of pressure on Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs. “The psychological aspect is now probably the most important thing for Elyse. We are dealing more with the psychological aspect of dealing with the pressure of an Olympic Games, which is huge.”
Orchard is no stranger to the Olympics. She has trained three former Olympians, including Canadians Monica Covacci and Michelle Conway. “On paper, (Hopfner-Hibbs) is superior to any gymnast that we have ever had in Canada – she has accomplished things nobody else has ever done. She has shattered that glass ceiling, so now little kids think, ‘a Canadian can do it.’”
Despite her lack of Olympic experience, Hopfner-Hibbs leads Canadian women with several firsts for the program. She was the first Canadian woman to medal at a World Championships – she won bronze on the balance beam in 2007. She was the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal at a World Cup event. Until April, Canadian women had won 5 medals at World Cup events – four of those belong to Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs.
Last week, on her first ever trip to China, she won her 3rd World Cup medal of the year on the uneven bars – a silver, following a gold medal won in Maribor, Czech Republic and a bronze from Dohar, Qatar. She says that her international success gives her confidence leading up to the Olympic qualifications. “My name has gotten out there, which is important in a judged sport. The judges have seen me and have responded to my routine, so it gives you confidence to know that you are able to compete with the best.”
Orchard says she is well prepared, but is quick to point out that the pressure of the Olympics changes the competition. For an uneven bars and balance-beam specialist such as Hopfner-Hibbs, it all depends on how she performs from moment-to-moment. “Her routines are definitely comparable. She could definitely make a final. And once you’re in the final, anything can happen, especially on beam.”
Following the Olympics, Hopfner-Hibbs will reap the benefits of her past decade of hard work – she will enroll as a student at University of California – Los Angeles in August, where she will be on a full scholarship for gymnastics. She isn’t sure what she wants to study. “I’ve changed my mind so many times… I’m just going to go and see what I like best,” she gushes, suddenly an excited 18-year-old. Following a brief pause, she catches herself and looks again like the professional she has been for the past decade. “But that’s all for after the Olympics.”
Prior to last week’s World Cup event in Tianjin, China, Canadian gymnast Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs explained that she went there with one thing in mind – preparing for Beijing. Because of the magnitude of an Olympic experience, Coaches Carol-Angela Orchard and Brian McVey wanted Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs to have some event experience in China.
If it seems premature to be focusing on the Olympics before she is even able to qualify, Coach Orchard clarifies that she has been preparing for this for the past nine years. “Since she was 10. She was the novice champion of Canada when she was 10 and it’s a matter of building on that constantly.” The two women to represent Canada in Beijing will be selected at the National Championships in Calgary, from June 1-8.
The amount of preparation required places a tremendous amount of pressure on Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs. “The psychological aspect is now probably the most important thing for Elyse. We are dealing more with the psychological aspect of dealing with the pressure of an Olympic Games, which is huge.”
Orchard is no stranger to the Olympics. She has trained three former Olympians, including Canadians Monica Covacci and Michelle Conway. “On paper, (Hopfner-Hibbs) is superior to any gymnast that we have ever had in Canada – she has accomplished things nobody else has ever done. She has shattered that glass ceiling, so now little kids think, ‘a Canadian can do it.’”
Despite her lack of Olympic experience, Hopfner-Hibbs leads Canadian women with several firsts for the program. She was the first Canadian woman to medal at a World Championships – she won bronze on the balance beam in 2007. She was the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal at a World Cup event. Until April, Canadian women had won 5 medals at World Cup events – four of those belong to Ms. Hopfner-Hibbs.
Last week, on her first ever trip to China, she won her 3rd World Cup medal of the year on the uneven bars – a silver, following a gold medal won in Maribor, Czech Republic and a bronze from Dohar, Qatar. She says that her international success gives her confidence leading up to the Olympic qualifications. “My name has gotten out there, which is important in a judged sport. The judges have seen me and have responded to my routine, so it gives you confidence to know that you are able to compete with the best.”
Orchard says she is well prepared, but is quick to point out that the pressure of the Olympics changes the competition. For an uneven bars and balance-beam specialist such as Hopfner-Hibbs, it all depends on how she performs from moment-to-moment. “Her routines are definitely comparable. She could definitely make a final. And once you’re in the final, anything can happen, especially on beam.”
Following the Olympics, Hopfner-Hibbs will reap the benefits of her past decade of hard work – she will enroll as a student at University of California – Los Angeles in August, where she will be on a full scholarship for gymnastics. She isn’t sure what she wants to study. “I’ve changed my mind so many times… I’m just going to go and see what I like best,” she gushes, suddenly an excited 18-year-old. Following a brief pause, she catches herself and looks again like the professional she has been for the past decade. “But that’s all for after the Olympics.”
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Toronto Predators - Coming to an Air Canada Centre Near You!
With their recent article discussing the feasibility of having two NHL hockey teams in Toronto, the Globe and Mail opened a whole wave of responses that made this move seem imminent. While the overwhelming response from the media and fans alike is premature, there are too many arguments for the addition of a second NHL team to the Greater Toronto Area to ignore.
It is an understatement to say that there is a lot of interest in hockey in Toronto and considering the size of the city, it would be easy to find 18,900 fans to sell out the new team's games every night (let's, for convenience sake, call them the Predators). The infrastructure is already in place: there is a strong precedent for teams in the same league sharing facilities, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers in the L.A. Coliseum, and the Giants and Jets as roommates in Giants Stadium. There is a prospective owner with deep pockets who has been very vocal about his interest in owning an NHL team in Southern Ontario - Research In Motion's Jim Balsillie. He already tried to overpay for the Nashville Predators (and ultimately ended up offering $20 million more than the offer that was accepted, which is suspicious).
The time is right for the game to "grow" into a market that is a proven hotbed. Hockey is the biggest sport in Canada and in spite of the league's recent failures to make inroads in the Southern United States, they need their next franchise to be a runaway success. Of the most frequently named cities that have expressed interest in landing a NHL team (Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City, Kansas City, Houston and Las Vegas), Ontario seems to provide the most financially viable home. There are questions about Winnipeg's fans willingness to pay top-dollar for a ticket and Quebec City needs more companies who have become the top ticket-buyers in today's professional sport landscape (ie, luxury boxes). And following the struggles of the NHL in Nashville, Atlanta and Phoenix, who in their right mind would decide to put a team in Houston or Las Vegas? (On the other hand, who has accused Gary Bettman of being in his right mind?)
One NHL executive who requested anonymity has said, "If you take out the Canadian teams, which have done so well since the lockout largely because of the Canadian dollar, the league's revenues are actually only growing at a 2 per cent clip per year... It's not enough. We're not really growing as a sport, and we're still invisible in the U.S." 1 This says that the league, if not Gary Bettman - who is still committed to growing the game in areas where ice does not naturally occur - has finally realized that they have been under-serving the Canadian fans that they have long taken for granted.
In Southern Ontario there are 15 OHL hockey teams that, by all standards, are considered professional. 4 of those teams make their home in the Greater Toronto Area, which also compete with the AHL's Toronto Marlies. This shows that there is a hockey market that has needs beyond what the Toronto Maple Leafs serve. If New York City has 3 NHL teams and Los Angeles has two, why can't Toronto?
I would argue that the NHL can't afford to NOT add another Toronto team, and at least 1 more elsewhere in Canada. Toronto, the 5th largest market in North America and the biggest hockey city in the world, has 5.5 million fans who are dying to give their money away. The fact that there are Ottawa Senators fans who are Torontonians by birth speaks to the fact that the Maple Leafs aren't meeting everybody's needs.
The NHL also can't afford to expand to a 32 team league. Since they don't want to contract, look for some teams to be migrating back North with the geese over the next 3-5 seasons. When you consider the financial aspect of adding a team to Toronto, consider this: the Maple Leafs earned $1.9 million in ticket revenue every. single. game. last season. ($77.9 million total) To put this in perspective, Phoenix earned $450,000 in ticket revenue... last season. Since 50% of a team's total revenue comes from ticket sales, Phoenix is losing about $35 million dollars every year.
You could read this and say "Phoenix's owners must hate making money!" Or you could read this and remember that the NHL has a revenue-sharing system where the richest teams basically pay the operating costs of the poorest teams. And since 31% of the NHL's revenue over the last two seasons came from its 6 Canadian franchises, realize this: Canucks fans are essentially paying for the Coyotes to rot in the desert. After all, they paid $10 million dollars to support their deadbeat peers last season. The Leafs paid $12 million, Canadiens paid $11.5 million, Flames paid $6 million, Senators paid $1 million and the Oilers paid $800 K. The problem isn't just Phoenix. 11 of the 24 American based teams were either revenue flat or lost money on ticket sales. To put it bluntly, the Coyotes (and 10 other American teams) are on NHL welfare.
This just goes to show that the NHL's current course is ludicrous. How can a league that just underwent a crisis 4 years ago, enough to cancel an entire season, justify not putting a team in a market that will essentially be a license to print money?
It makes too much sense. Toronto needs another NHL team. Kitchener-Waterloo needs an NHL team. Winnipeg needs an NHL team.
After 20 years of trying, the NHL should realize that it needs to end the "Southern Experiment" and give back to the fans who have been keeping the league afloat.
It is an understatement to say that there is a lot of interest in hockey in Toronto and considering the size of the city, it would be easy to find 18,900 fans to sell out the new team's games every night (let's, for convenience sake, call them the Predators). The infrastructure is already in place: there is a strong precedent for teams in the same league sharing facilities, such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers in the L.A. Coliseum, and the Giants and Jets as roommates in Giants Stadium. There is a prospective owner with deep pockets who has been very vocal about his interest in owning an NHL team in Southern Ontario - Research In Motion's Jim Balsillie. He already tried to overpay for the Nashville Predators (and ultimately ended up offering $20 million more than the offer that was accepted, which is suspicious).
The time is right for the game to "grow" into a market that is a proven hotbed. Hockey is the biggest sport in Canada and in spite of the league's recent failures to make inroads in the Southern United States, they need their next franchise to be a runaway success. Of the most frequently named cities that have expressed interest in landing a NHL team (Winnipeg, Hamilton, Quebec City, Kansas City, Houston and Las Vegas), Ontario seems to provide the most financially viable home. There are questions about Winnipeg's fans willingness to pay top-dollar for a ticket and Quebec City needs more companies who have become the top ticket-buyers in today's professional sport landscape (ie, luxury boxes). And following the struggles of the NHL in Nashville, Atlanta and Phoenix, who in their right mind would decide to put a team in Houston or Las Vegas? (On the other hand, who has accused Gary Bettman of being in his right mind?)
One NHL executive who requested anonymity has said, "If you take out the Canadian teams, which have done so well since the lockout largely because of the Canadian dollar, the league's revenues are actually only growing at a 2 per cent clip per year... It's not enough. We're not really growing as a sport, and we're still invisible in the U.S." 1 This says that the league, if not Gary Bettman - who is still committed to growing the game in areas where ice does not naturally occur - has finally realized that they have been under-serving the Canadian fans that they have long taken for granted.
In Southern Ontario there are 15 OHL hockey teams that, by all standards, are considered professional. 4 of those teams make their home in the Greater Toronto Area, which also compete with the AHL's Toronto Marlies. This shows that there is a hockey market that has needs beyond what the Toronto Maple Leafs serve. If New York City has 3 NHL teams and Los Angeles has two, why can't Toronto?
I would argue that the NHL can't afford to NOT add another Toronto team, and at least 1 more elsewhere in Canada. Toronto, the 5th largest market in North America and the biggest hockey city in the world, has 5.5 million fans who are dying to give their money away. The fact that there are Ottawa Senators fans who are Torontonians by birth speaks to the fact that the Maple Leafs aren't meeting everybody's needs.
The NHL also can't afford to expand to a 32 team league. Since they don't want to contract, look for some teams to be migrating back North with the geese over the next 3-5 seasons. When you consider the financial aspect of adding a team to Toronto, consider this: the Maple Leafs earned $1.9 million in ticket revenue every. single. game. last season. ($77.9 million total) To put this in perspective, Phoenix earned $450,000 in ticket revenue... last season. Since 50% of a team's total revenue comes from ticket sales, Phoenix is losing about $35 million dollars every year.
You could read this and say "Phoenix's owners must hate making money!" Or you could read this and remember that the NHL has a revenue-sharing system where the richest teams basically pay the operating costs of the poorest teams. And since 31% of the NHL's revenue over the last two seasons came from its 6 Canadian franchises, realize this: Canucks fans are essentially paying for the Coyotes to rot in the desert. After all, they paid $10 million dollars to support their deadbeat peers last season. The Leafs paid $12 million, Canadiens paid $11.5 million, Flames paid $6 million, Senators paid $1 million and the Oilers paid $800 K. The problem isn't just Phoenix. 11 of the 24 American based teams were either revenue flat or lost money on ticket sales. To put it bluntly, the Coyotes (and 10 other American teams) are on NHL welfare.
This just goes to show that the NHL's current course is ludicrous. How can a league that just underwent a crisis 4 years ago, enough to cancel an entire season, justify not putting a team in a market that will essentially be a license to print money?
It makes too much sense. Toronto needs another NHL team. Kitchener-Waterloo needs an NHL team. Winnipeg needs an NHL team.
After 20 years of trying, the NHL should realize that it needs to end the "Southern Experiment" and give back to the fans who have been keeping the league afloat.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Elegy for the Role Model
"Help me help you."
If it were only that simple. If sports agents were more like Jerry Maguire and less like Drew Rosenhaus, maybe we wouldn't find ourselves in this predicament. Who knows when it all started. We should have known that something needed to be fixed when Latrell Sprewell claimed that he couldn't "feed (his) family" on $14.6 million dollars per year. Gone are the days of heroes like Lou Gehrig. In the 21st Century, we have dubious heroes such as Lance Armstrong. Sure we can admire his superhuman feats of strength, but we have the "Did he or didn't he?" debate gnawing at the back of our minds.
Now, we have athletes like Michael Vick, Ugueth Urbina and the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, as far as I can tell, the only motivation for an athlete to be an upstanding citizen is to maximize his endorsement potential. Take Michael Phelps for example: before he even returned from Beijing, after setting the Olympic record for most gold medals won in a single Games, he was fielding offers from companies who had already drawn up ad-pitches and hundred million dollar contracts.
Something is broken in North American professional sports that desperately needs to be fixed. There is a new focus on money that simply did not exist before. Sure, everybody likes to be valued in the workplace; however, when athletes refuse to play when they are already making $10+ million dollars per season, that is bringing it to a different level.
Sports leagues need to hold their athletes (and their former athletes) more accountable. But in order to do so, they need to educate their athletes on the responsibility they hold to the community that invests in them. They need to institute programs such as the NFL rookie orientation, that introduces players to the challenges and pressures they will face outside the field of competition. The NBA estimates that 60% of its athletes are bankrupt within 5 years of retiring. With such staggering numbers, how can the league not take action to educate their players on how to better handle their finances and their personal lives?
While these programs cannot guarantee that aberrant behavior is a thing of the past, it is a step in the right direction to rehabilitate the 21st Century Athlete.
If leagues don't take these steps, extreme cases such as OJ Simpson, Jose Canseco, and Adam "don't call me Pacman" Jones will continue to persist. Individuals like these are a blemish on the sport and, unfortunately, grab headlines before the good that happens on the field of competition. The media shares some of the blame; however, if they did not have so much fodder with which to lambaste the athletes, the headlines couldn't possibly be as juicy.
Perhaps it is unfair to blame Drew Rosenhaus. Maybe we've reached an age where personal conduct no longer matters - only the almighty dollar is important. But I refuse to believe that. I'd prefer to think that, with education, the good side of athletes will prevail - the good side of humanity will prevail.
We can save the Role Model from extinction. Just help me help you.
If it were only that simple. If sports agents were more like Jerry Maguire and less like Drew Rosenhaus, maybe we wouldn't find ourselves in this predicament. Who knows when it all started. We should have known that something needed to be fixed when Latrell Sprewell claimed that he couldn't "feed (his) family" on $14.6 million dollars per year. Gone are the days of heroes like Lou Gehrig. In the 21st Century, we have dubious heroes such as Lance Armstrong. Sure we can admire his superhuman feats of strength, but we have the "Did he or didn't he?" debate gnawing at the back of our minds.
Now, we have athletes like Michael Vick, Ugueth Urbina and the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, as far as I can tell, the only motivation for an athlete to be an upstanding citizen is to maximize his endorsement potential. Take Michael Phelps for example: before he even returned from Beijing, after setting the Olympic record for most gold medals won in a single Games, he was fielding offers from companies who had already drawn up ad-pitches and hundred million dollar contracts.
Something is broken in North American professional sports that desperately needs to be fixed. There is a new focus on money that simply did not exist before. Sure, everybody likes to be valued in the workplace; however, when athletes refuse to play when they are already making $10+ million dollars per season, that is bringing it to a different level.
Sports leagues need to hold their athletes (and their former athletes) more accountable. But in order to do so, they need to educate their athletes on the responsibility they hold to the community that invests in them. They need to institute programs such as the NFL rookie orientation, that introduces players to the challenges and pressures they will face outside the field of competition. The NBA estimates that 60% of its athletes are bankrupt within 5 years of retiring. With such staggering numbers, how can the league not take action to educate their players on how to better handle their finances and their personal lives?
While these programs cannot guarantee that aberrant behavior is a thing of the past, it is a step in the right direction to rehabilitate the 21st Century Athlete.
If leagues don't take these steps, extreme cases such as OJ Simpson, Jose Canseco, and Adam "don't call me Pacman" Jones will continue to persist. Individuals like these are a blemish on the sport and, unfortunately, grab headlines before the good that happens on the field of competition. The media shares some of the blame; however, if they did not have so much fodder with which to lambaste the athletes, the headlines couldn't possibly be as juicy.
Perhaps it is unfair to blame Drew Rosenhaus. Maybe we've reached an age where personal conduct no longer matters - only the almighty dollar is important. But I refuse to believe that. I'd prefer to think that, with education, the good side of athletes will prevail - the good side of humanity will prevail.
We can save the Role Model from extinction. Just help me help you.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Hockey Hair: An Analysis
For a sport whose competitors are stereotyped as being masculine and tough, hockey players give a surprising amount of thought and preparation to their physical appearance. Their hairstyles often receive a large amount of attention. The reason for this is simple: their hair is virtually the only part of their bodies that can be seen outside of their hockey equipment.
For years, hockey players did not wear helmets. This allowed their hair to become somewhat of a focal point. Few people who have seen Guy LaFleur fly down the wing or Doug Wilson's perfectly coiffed 'fro-mullet can deny this. The hair even spawned such famous nicknames as “The Golden Jet” and his son, "The Golden Brett".
Football, basketball and baseball players have some outlets to demonstrate some personal flavour. Barring pitchers in the Major Leagues, many athletes have used tattoos as a way to demonstrate their individuality, without compromising the concept of “the uniform”.
In the NHL, a league that is almost devoid of controversy when compared to its 3 prominent American cousins (NFL, NBA, MLB), players are much less outspoken and tend to have fewer disciplinary issues than their non-hockey contemporaries. This is evidenced by the stink raised when Ray Emery dedicated part of his helmet to boxing sideshow Mike Tyson. In the other leagues, this would hardly cause an observer to bat an eye – in the more conservative NHL, it caused a minor schism.
Since it is much more difficult for NHL-ers to stand-out from the crowd than other athletes, they have maintained their hair as a point of interest - the only part of their bodies visible outside of their equipment. While some players take this opportunity to simply be different, this focus on the hair naturally causes other players to respond by growing long locks that can be admired with or without a helmet on. This, my friends, is the true story of Hockey Hair.
Many of those who aren’t properly integrated into the culture of hockey may confuse Hockey Hair with a Mullet. It is a simple cultural misunderstanding that I choose to blame on the 1980’s. At a time when the average sports fan (outside of Canada and select American cities) was becoming aware of the league’s existence, there was one figure who stood above the rest, in terms of name-recognition: Wayne Gretzky. And at the helm of his Los Angeles Kings team was a charismatic young coach who led the team deep into the 1993 Playoffs. Regardless of whether that team won the Cup or not, Barry Melrose and Wayne Gretzky had a hand in permanently marrying the terms “Hockey Hair” and “Mullet”.
While Barry Melrose was erroneously credited with sporting “Hockey Hair,” and in doing so, confused the many of non-traditional hockey fans, Wayne did, in fact, wear his in the true “Hockey Hair” style. There are, however, many differences between true Hockey Hair and the common Mullet.
As many of you know, the Mullet has often been described as “business in the front and party in the back”. It goes by many names: Kentucky Waterfall, Neck Blanket, Mississippi Mudflap, or, my personal favorite, the Ape Drape. It is a hair-do that has been trimmed short from the front until about mid-skull, where it becomes longer and less groomed. In instances where the back is cut, it is still longer than the front half of the hair. Classic examples of the mullet include the aforementioned Melrose, young Jaromir Jagr, and Joe Dirt.
True Hockey Hair, on the other hand, is longer, more flowing hair that protrudes from the sides and back of a hockey helmet. Also known as "flow", it is generally the same length all-around. The back and sides may be shorter than the top, but in most cases the hair is of a similar length all over. Classic examples of desirable hockey hair include José Theodore and Antoine Vermette. Shane Doan does well for himself and while Sidney Crosby can't grow a playoff beard, he has pretty good flow. Thomas Vanek provides an example of more average hockey hair.
The astute among you are undoubtedly thinking: “But Justin, Barry Melrose and Al Iafrate sported classic Mullets – don’t try to tell me those were Hockey Hair.” And my answer to that is: Touché. I won’t try to tell you those were hockey hair. Those were good, old fashioned Mullets. I am not trying to claim that Mullets don’t exist in hockey; it just isn’t their natural environment.
The natural environment of the Mullet is 1985. Or European soccer leagues. And hopefully that is one trend that won’t come back to our neck of the woods.
For years, hockey players did not wear helmets. This allowed their hair to become somewhat of a focal point. Few people who have seen Guy LaFleur fly down the wing or Doug Wilson's perfectly coiffed 'fro-mullet can deny this. The hair even spawned such famous nicknames as “The Golden Jet” and his son, "The Golden Brett".
Football, basketball and baseball players have some outlets to demonstrate some personal flavour. Barring pitchers in the Major Leagues, many athletes have used tattoos as a way to demonstrate their individuality, without compromising the concept of “the uniform”.
In the NHL, a league that is almost devoid of controversy when compared to its 3 prominent American cousins (NFL, NBA, MLB), players are much less outspoken and tend to have fewer disciplinary issues than their non-hockey contemporaries. This is evidenced by the stink raised when Ray Emery dedicated part of his helmet to boxing sideshow Mike Tyson. In the other leagues, this would hardly cause an observer to bat an eye – in the more conservative NHL, it caused a minor schism.
Since it is much more difficult for NHL-ers to stand-out from the crowd than other athletes, they have maintained their hair as a point of interest - the only part of their bodies visible outside of their equipment. While some players take this opportunity to simply be different, this focus on the hair naturally causes other players to respond by growing long locks that can be admired with or without a helmet on. This, my friends, is the true story of Hockey Hair.
Many of those who aren’t properly integrated into the culture of hockey may confuse Hockey Hair with a Mullet. It is a simple cultural misunderstanding that I choose to blame on the 1980’s. At a time when the average sports fan (outside of Canada and select American cities) was becoming aware of the league’s existence, there was one figure who stood above the rest, in terms of name-recognition: Wayne Gretzky. And at the helm of his Los Angeles Kings team was a charismatic young coach who led the team deep into the 1993 Playoffs. Regardless of whether that team won the Cup or not, Barry Melrose and Wayne Gretzky had a hand in permanently marrying the terms “Hockey Hair” and “Mullet”.
While Barry Melrose was erroneously credited with sporting “Hockey Hair,” and in doing so, confused the many of non-traditional hockey fans, Wayne did, in fact, wear his in the true “Hockey Hair” style. There are, however, many differences between true Hockey Hair and the common Mullet.
As many of you know, the Mullet has often been described as “business in the front and party in the back”. It goes by many names: Kentucky Waterfall, Neck Blanket, Mississippi Mudflap, or, my personal favorite, the Ape Drape. It is a hair-do that has been trimmed short from the front until about mid-skull, where it becomes longer and less groomed. In instances where the back is cut, it is still longer than the front half of the hair. Classic examples of the mullet include the aforementioned Melrose, young Jaromir Jagr, and Joe Dirt.
True Hockey Hair, on the other hand, is longer, more flowing hair that protrudes from the sides and back of a hockey helmet. Also known as "flow", it is generally the same length all-around. The back and sides may be shorter than the top, but in most cases the hair is of a similar length all over. Classic examples of desirable hockey hair include José Theodore and Antoine Vermette. Shane Doan does well for himself and while Sidney Crosby can't grow a playoff beard, he has pretty good flow. Thomas Vanek provides an example of more average hockey hair.
The astute among you are undoubtedly thinking: “But Justin, Barry Melrose and Al Iafrate sported classic Mullets – don’t try to tell me those were Hockey Hair.” And my answer to that is: Touché. I won’t try to tell you those were hockey hair. Those were good, old fashioned Mullets. I am not trying to claim that Mullets don’t exist in hockey; it just isn’t their natural environment.
The natural environment of the Mullet is 1985. Or European soccer leagues. And hopefully that is one trend that won’t come back to our neck of the woods.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Summer Recap: The Most Changed Teams
Since the Detroit Red Wings cruised to their 11th Stanley Cup victory earlier in the summer, the landscape of the NHL has shifted. In some cases, the changes are subtle and will not much affect a team’s chances of securing the Ultimate Goal. In other cases, teams (and, in some cases, players) have made decisions that will affect the world for generations to come.
It is understandable, with the summer splendor that surrounds us, if fans cannot, by opportunity or decision, keep up with all of the changes that have taken place to shape the 2008-2009 NHL season. So, I will outline some of the most significant changes that have occurred since the beginning of the Free-Agent Season that started on July 1st.
Some teams are trying to get better. And while it may sound crazy, some teams are trying to get worse. Here is a look at two teams that have re-tooled their rosters and will deliver a noticeably different product on the ice. In one instance, the team should be less competitive. The other team completely turned around their fortunes in a matter of months.
Let’s start with the bad news:
Toronto Maple Leafs:
The suits on Bay Street have finally discovered what the average fan could have told you one season after 2004’s lockout: in order to win in The New NHL, you have to build internally. And with a new youth-based movement underfoot at the ACC, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. However, conventional wisdom tells us that the night is always darkest before the dawn.
There has been a changing of the guard and that is most evident by the conspicuous absence of Mats Sundin’s name on the Maple Leafs’ roster. Sure, he may return. But Toronto General Managers of yore would, by August 1st, have looked at the roster and realized that the latest edition of the Maple Leafs are going to score the fewest goals in the NHL by approximately 30. At this point, they would have panicked and made him an offer he can’t refuse. The difference between our-last-inept-general-manager-who-shall-remain-nameless (henceforth to be known by the abbreviation: OLIGMWSRN), and current GM Cliff Fletcher is this: OLIGMWSRN iced a bad hockey team that was trying to be good; Fletchy is going to ice a hockey team is simply too bad to compete. And this is very intentional. The only way that the Maple Leafs can be as hopeless as Fletcher needs them to be is if Mats Sundin is not their captain. He is too willful, too talented and he will strap the team on his back to almost make the playoffs yet again. Under Sundin’s watch, the Leafs cannot vie for last place in the NHL.
If you were to take a quick inventory of the staples of Leafs teams in the past few seasons, you would notice a common theme. They have been shipped out for players who are less expensive and less recognized than their predecessors.
Paul Maurice: Gone.
Andrew Raycroft: Gone.
Kyle Wellwood: Gone.
Darcy Tucker: Gone.
Mats Sundin: Probably gone.
Brian McCabe: Gone. (read the sports section on September 1st).
To have 6 of the most recognizable figures on one team not return for the next fall constitutes the largest remodeling project in recent memory that does not involve Ty Pennington (mercifully).
With Luke Schenn to be the face of the franchise in the near future, with another top prospect to be added in the 2009 Entry Draft, the Leafs are onto something that will be reminiscent of the formerly-hopeless, now-talent laden Chicago Blackhawks.
On the other side of the coin…
Tampa Bay Lightning:
I am terribly impressed with what has happened in Tampa Bay this summer. With a completely re-vamped roster and having Vinny Lecavalier locked up for the rest of his natural life with a new 39-year, $356 million contract* the Bolts are looking primed for a return to relevance in the Southeastern Division. They are easily the most improved team in the NHL and will look to make a run at things in the Eastern Conference this year.
Any time you solidify your veteran core with tested leaders like Mark Recchi (who still has not passed his ‘best-before date’) and Gary Roberts, you have done your team a service, regardless of the number of games they play. Roberts has a presence that teaches young players how to be a professional and his physical training is second to none (ok - second only to Rod Brind’amour). If the Lightning were smart, they would offer him a front-office job when his playing days are over, because few people understand hockey in the way that Roberts does.
They bolstered their goaltending with veteran Olaf Kolzig, who will be a good backup to the relatively green Mike Smith.
And as far as I’m concerned, they made off with one of the most underrated players in the entire NHL in Radim Vrbata. He is a solid two-way player who has a scorer’s touch and he isn’t afraid of physical hockey. And speaking of physical, they added Gary Roberts, Jr. - Ryan Malone. He really came into his own this past season in Pittsburgh, under Roberts’ tutelage. While the Lightning overpaid for Malone, it isn’t the end of the world, because if they didn’t someone else was going to.
And we cannot forget the addition of Steven Stamkos, who is definitely the real deal. Stamkos was the consensus #1 Draft Pick this past spring. The Lightning have learned from the debacle of making Lecavalier the youngest captain in the NHL by not putting Stamkos under too much pressure. He will thrive in a veteran-laden environment and will benefit from the experience of his teammates, who can teach him how to deal with the pressure.
However, there are several things that Tampa Bay may not have taken into consideration:
a. Barry Melrose has not coached in 13 seasons. When you take into consideration what the NHL looked like in 1995, it would be an understatement to say that the game has evolved dramatically. Some of you may not remember 1995. To jog your memory of what the world looked like, here are several significant events from the glorious perspective of hindsight:
i. Yahoo! and eBay were founded.
ii. Mississippi ratified the 13th Amendment. You know… the one that abolishes slavery. (Note: It became part of the Constitution in 1865. This was more of a gesture to slaves everywhere.)**
iii. Braveheart wins the Oscar for Best Picture.
iv. Christopher Reeve was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident.
v. O.J. Simpson’s gloves did not fit.
vi. The Toronto Maple Leafs were still in the Western Conference.
vii. Paul Kariya and Peter Forberg were rookies.
viii. Claude Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Devils won the Stanley Cup.
In an Austin Powers-esque video, I would love to help catch Mr. Melrose up on the events of the last 13 years***. This is a great idea for a reality TV show. While he has not been cryogenically frozen, I still imagine that he is wonderfully out of touch with 2008 – hilarity would ensue. Also, it might be helpful for Tampa’s new owners to mandate that Melrose re-grow his hockey-hair, as it is undoubtedly the source of his coaching powers.
b. They still play in the same division as Alexander Ovechkin, who will upgrade from Tropical Storm to a full-fledged Hurricane this season. This may have been a confusing reference, as he plays in the same division as the Carolina Hurricanes, you still understand the point – he is still getting better.
*The terms of this contract have been exaggerated. But it is a long time. And a lot of money.
** Poor taste? You decide!
***Austin Powers was not made until 1997. Barry Melrose probably will not understand the reference.
There are a lot of questions that remain to be answered in the next few weeks:
- Will NHL veterans Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin return to the teams that have been built around them for the past 13+ years? Or will they opt for permanent vacations in Burnaby and Bromma, respectively?
- Will Lauren Conrad and Audrina be able to overcome their Lo inflicted differences and fill the void left in their lives by the absence of Heidi?
- Did Rachel Hunter refuse to marry Jarret Stoll until he no longer lived in Edmonton? (We may never know the answer to this question, I am just painfully curious. And yes… I’m talking about THAT Rachel Hunter.)
- Will Martin Havlat make it out of the 1st period of his 1st game before he breaks a bone this season?
These are the questions that keep me awake at night. My counselor says I need to make real friends who aren’t on a TV show. Although, I do feel like I could be the winner on ‘Bromance’.
So, with the dust beginning to settle, the 2008-2009 NHL picture will begin to look clearer over the next few weeks. I will continue to break down who went where, why and what it all means!
It is understandable, with the summer splendor that surrounds us, if fans cannot, by opportunity or decision, keep up with all of the changes that have taken place to shape the 2008-2009 NHL season. So, I will outline some of the most significant changes that have occurred since the beginning of the Free-Agent Season that started on July 1st.
Some teams are trying to get better. And while it may sound crazy, some teams are trying to get worse. Here is a look at two teams that have re-tooled their rosters and will deliver a noticeably different product on the ice. In one instance, the team should be less competitive. The other team completely turned around their fortunes in a matter of months.
Let’s start with the bad news:
Toronto Maple Leafs:
The suits on Bay Street have finally discovered what the average fan could have told you one season after 2004’s lockout: in order to win in The New NHL, you have to build internally. And with a new youth-based movement underfoot at the ACC, there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel. However, conventional wisdom tells us that the night is always darkest before the dawn.
There has been a changing of the guard and that is most evident by the conspicuous absence of Mats Sundin’s name on the Maple Leafs’ roster. Sure, he may return. But Toronto General Managers of yore would, by August 1st, have looked at the roster and realized that the latest edition of the Maple Leafs are going to score the fewest goals in the NHL by approximately 30. At this point, they would have panicked and made him an offer he can’t refuse. The difference between our-last-inept-general-manager-who-shall-remain-nameless (henceforth to be known by the abbreviation: OLIGMWSRN), and current GM Cliff Fletcher is this: OLIGMWSRN iced a bad hockey team that was trying to be good; Fletchy is going to ice a hockey team is simply too bad to compete. And this is very intentional. The only way that the Maple Leafs can be as hopeless as Fletcher needs them to be is if Mats Sundin is not their captain. He is too willful, too talented and he will strap the team on his back to almost make the playoffs yet again. Under Sundin’s watch, the Leafs cannot vie for last place in the NHL.
If you were to take a quick inventory of the staples of Leafs teams in the past few seasons, you would notice a common theme. They have been shipped out for players who are less expensive and less recognized than their predecessors.
Paul Maurice: Gone.
Andrew Raycroft: Gone.
Kyle Wellwood: Gone.
Darcy Tucker: Gone.
Mats Sundin: Probably gone.
Brian McCabe: Gone. (read the sports section on September 1st).
To have 6 of the most recognizable figures on one team not return for the next fall constitutes the largest remodeling project in recent memory that does not involve Ty Pennington (mercifully).
With Luke Schenn to be the face of the franchise in the near future, with another top prospect to be added in the 2009 Entry Draft, the Leafs are onto something that will be reminiscent of the formerly-hopeless, now-talent laden Chicago Blackhawks.
On the other side of the coin…
Tampa Bay Lightning:
I am terribly impressed with what has happened in Tampa Bay this summer. With a completely re-vamped roster and having Vinny Lecavalier locked up for the rest of his natural life with a new 39-year, $356 million contract* the Bolts are looking primed for a return to relevance in the Southeastern Division. They are easily the most improved team in the NHL and will look to make a run at things in the Eastern Conference this year.
Any time you solidify your veteran core with tested leaders like Mark Recchi (who still has not passed his ‘best-before date’) and Gary Roberts, you have done your team a service, regardless of the number of games they play. Roberts has a presence that teaches young players how to be a professional and his physical training is second to none (ok - second only to Rod Brind’amour). If the Lightning were smart, they would offer him a front-office job when his playing days are over, because few people understand hockey in the way that Roberts does.
They bolstered their goaltending with veteran Olaf Kolzig, who will be a good backup to the relatively green Mike Smith.
And as far as I’m concerned, they made off with one of the most underrated players in the entire NHL in Radim Vrbata. He is a solid two-way player who has a scorer’s touch and he isn’t afraid of physical hockey. And speaking of physical, they added Gary Roberts, Jr. - Ryan Malone. He really came into his own this past season in Pittsburgh, under Roberts’ tutelage. While the Lightning overpaid for Malone, it isn’t the end of the world, because if they didn’t someone else was going to.
And we cannot forget the addition of Steven Stamkos, who is definitely the real deal. Stamkos was the consensus #1 Draft Pick this past spring. The Lightning have learned from the debacle of making Lecavalier the youngest captain in the NHL by not putting Stamkos under too much pressure. He will thrive in a veteran-laden environment and will benefit from the experience of his teammates, who can teach him how to deal with the pressure.
However, there are several things that Tampa Bay may not have taken into consideration:
a. Barry Melrose has not coached in 13 seasons. When you take into consideration what the NHL looked like in 1995, it would be an understatement to say that the game has evolved dramatically. Some of you may not remember 1995. To jog your memory of what the world looked like, here are several significant events from the glorious perspective of hindsight:
i. Yahoo! and eBay were founded.
ii. Mississippi ratified the 13th Amendment. You know… the one that abolishes slavery. (Note: It became part of the Constitution in 1865. This was more of a gesture to slaves everywhere.)**
iii. Braveheart wins the Oscar for Best Picture.
iv. Christopher Reeve was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident.
v. O.J. Simpson’s gloves did not fit.
vi. The Toronto Maple Leafs were still in the Western Conference.
vii. Paul Kariya and Peter Forberg were rookies.
viii. Claude Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy and the Devils won the Stanley Cup.
In an Austin Powers-esque video, I would love to help catch Mr. Melrose up on the events of the last 13 years***. This is a great idea for a reality TV show. While he has not been cryogenically frozen, I still imagine that he is wonderfully out of touch with 2008 – hilarity would ensue. Also, it might be helpful for Tampa’s new owners to mandate that Melrose re-grow his hockey-hair, as it is undoubtedly the source of his coaching powers.
b. They still play in the same division as Alexander Ovechkin, who will upgrade from Tropical Storm to a full-fledged Hurricane this season. This may have been a confusing reference, as he plays in the same division as the Carolina Hurricanes, you still understand the point – he is still getting better.
*The terms of this contract have been exaggerated. But it is a long time. And a lot of money.
** Poor taste? You decide!
***Austin Powers was not made until 1997. Barry Melrose probably will not understand the reference.
There are a lot of questions that remain to be answered in the next few weeks:
- Will NHL veterans Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin return to the teams that have been built around them for the past 13+ years? Or will they opt for permanent vacations in Burnaby and Bromma, respectively?
- Will Lauren Conrad and Audrina be able to overcome their Lo inflicted differences and fill the void left in their lives by the absence of Heidi?
- Did Rachel Hunter refuse to marry Jarret Stoll until he no longer lived in Edmonton? (We may never know the answer to this question, I am just painfully curious. And yes… I’m talking about THAT Rachel Hunter.)
- Will Martin Havlat make it out of the 1st period of his 1st game before he breaks a bone this season?
These are the questions that keep me awake at night. My counselor says I need to make real friends who aren’t on a TV show. Although, I do feel like I could be the winner on ‘Bromance’.
So, with the dust beginning to settle, the 2008-2009 NHL picture will begin to look clearer over the next few weeks. I will continue to break down who went where, why and what it all means!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Summertime!
For those of you who are waiting my next post with bated breath, I will offer you this: I will do a season-preview in September.
Meanwhile, I will be here.
See you in the fall!
Meanwhile, I will be here.
See you in the fall!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Finals!
So, here we are, two games deep in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Pittsburgh Penguins have yet to score. Yes, the team that is allegedly the same group who has been compared to the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980's, has not yet scored a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals. It is unfortunate for Crosby & Co. that they seem to be more like the 1983 Oilers, Gretz & Mess' 1st Stanley Cup Finals, when they were swept by the New York Islanders.
These teams cannot be better matched. A quick look at the teams and the Match-up:
Finesse: Both teams are supremely talented. Between Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsuyk, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, if I wanted to start a franchise, I would take the duo of Crosby and Malkin; however, if I were in the business of winning a Stanley Cup Finals series, I would probably take Zetterberg and Datsuyk as their playoff experience is priceless. Having been around for several years longer than their young foes is invaluable and will give them a slight advantage. Age and experience is the only significant difference between the two tandems, and since the older couple are not yet Chris Chelios-old, their background gives them the advantage.
Edge, Red Wings.
Goaltending: Both starting goalies have had question marks placed next to their names when it comes to performing in the clutch. Both starting goalies have quieted their critics this post-season. At the beginning of this series, Osgood and Fleury were the only two goalies in the playoffs who have a Goals-Against Average of below 2.00, weighing in at 1.60 and 1.70, respectively. Marc-Andre Fleury is a young talent, like everybody else on his team; and like everybody else on the Red Wings, Osgood is older and rife with experience. He has already backstopped the Red Wings to one Stanley Cup and was on the bench for another. He is a journeyman who played in the AHL as recently as 2005, after being placed on waivers, traded to several teams and finally signed back by Detroit on a 1-year, $900,000 contract. He has been through the ringer and you can bet he will be ready for this opportunity. Like Zetterberg and Datsuyk, Osgood has tremendous experience and a history of showing mental-toughness when it is most needed; however, he is not old enough to be falling into disrepair, like Dominik Hasek.
Edge, Red Wings.
Grit: In a fairly evenly matched series, this is the first category where there is a noticeable difference. As I pointed out in the past, Gary Roberts is grit personified; however, Roberts is 42-years old and has not played much this post-season.
In the other corner is a team who will not be intimidated by tough play or Avery-like antics. Starting at the top of the list (if you're going by age) is Chris Chelios, who is one of the toughest players in the last 20 years. He is dirty and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Then there is Niklas Kronwall. He has emerged as a big-game player this season and has made some game-altering hits. He will continue to be an impact player. Pittsburgh is not a team that will be easy to push around; however, the Red Wings will try to do just that. If you run down the list of players on the Wings, they are simply built hardier and are tougher than the majority of the Pens. This list includes: Dan Cleary, Kris Draper, Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby, Tomas Holmstrom, and Darren McCarty.
Edge, Red Wings.
Defense: This requires less explanation. Nicklas Lidstrom - 5 Norris Trophies. Chris Chelios - 3 Norris Trophies. Kris Draper - 1 Selke Trophy (best defensive forward). Niklas Kronwall - 12 assists and many bone-jarring hits.
I do not need to add much more. Pittsburgh is inherently an offensive team who tends to play a run-and-gun style in order to outscore their opponents. They will not be able to do that with such an experienced defensive core. They will need to rely on puck-control, rather than nifty dangles to beat the Red Wings. While Pittsburgh isn't a bad defensive team, they do not have the pedigree that the Red Wings do.
Edge, Red Wings.
All of that being said, I would be shocked if this series does not go to 6 or 7 games.
In this year's edition, both teams skated through the first 3 series, losing a combined 6 games. There are a couple other reasons why The Finals have featured the surprising scoring-drought of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
1. Chris Osgood - Nobody has talked much about it, but this is the end-point of another Darren McCarty-esque return to glory. He has had extreme highs and lows in his career, but here he is, back in net for The Big Dance. After out-playing a red-hot Marty Turco in the Western Conference Semifinals, Osgood is putting on another show in the first couple games. As he continues to nurse the 3rd longest Stanley Cup Finals shut-out streak ever, the Red Wings have a lot of confidence in their goaltending and their defensive abilities. This will empower their offense to take greater risks in an effort to add to their already daunting lead.
2. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin - Both of these stars are responsible for the success of the Penguins in this offseason. They scored timely goals and stepped up when it was needed. It's safe to say that Game 3 will be the most important game of their young careers. For a team that was averaging 3.6 goals-per-game entering the Stanley Cup Finals, being shut-out in 2 straight games is almost unprecedented. These teams have the run of the ice when they have the power-play and they really need to get Pittsburgh's powerplay on the scoreboard in Game 3 if they have any chance of winning this series. Once they see a scuff in the armour, they may go into feeding-frenzy mode that they displayed against the Flyers in the last game of that series.
3. Home Ice Advantage - The advantage that a team has in its own building is immense, especially when their opponent is a young and nervous team in their first Stanley Cup Finals. Going into the white-out of Mellon Arena on Wednesday should soothe their nerves and they will be able to play the entertaining style of hockey that got them this far. Only once has a team not won the Stanley Cup after winning jumping out to a 2-0 lead, but if there ever was a team that can make history, it is these Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens need to jump out to a fast lead at home, as Detroit is 11-1 when they score first while Pittsburgh is 10-0.
After 2 games, Detroit clearly has an overwhelming advantage, but the Penguins are the only team who is capable of mounting a comeback in the face of such daunting odds.
Edge, Red Wings. They win their 11th Stanley Cup in 6 games.
These teams cannot be better matched. A quick look at the teams and the Match-up:
Finesse: Both teams are supremely talented. Between Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsuyk, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, if I wanted to start a franchise, I would take the duo of Crosby and Malkin; however, if I were in the business of winning a Stanley Cup Finals series, I would probably take Zetterberg and Datsuyk as their playoff experience is priceless. Having been around for several years longer than their young foes is invaluable and will give them a slight advantage. Age and experience is the only significant difference between the two tandems, and since the older couple are not yet Chris Chelios-old, their background gives them the advantage.
Edge, Red Wings.
Goaltending: Both starting goalies have had question marks placed next to their names when it comes to performing in the clutch. Both starting goalies have quieted their critics this post-season. At the beginning of this series, Osgood and Fleury were the only two goalies in the playoffs who have a Goals-Against Average of below 2.00, weighing in at 1.60 and 1.70, respectively. Marc-Andre Fleury is a young talent, like everybody else on his team; and like everybody else on the Red Wings, Osgood is older and rife with experience. He has already backstopped the Red Wings to one Stanley Cup and was on the bench for another. He is a journeyman who played in the AHL as recently as 2005, after being placed on waivers, traded to several teams and finally signed back by Detroit on a 1-year, $900,000 contract. He has been through the ringer and you can bet he will be ready for this opportunity. Like Zetterberg and Datsuyk, Osgood has tremendous experience and a history of showing mental-toughness when it is most needed; however, he is not old enough to be falling into disrepair, like Dominik Hasek.
Edge, Red Wings.
Grit: In a fairly evenly matched series, this is the first category where there is a noticeable difference. As I pointed out in the past, Gary Roberts is grit personified; however, Roberts is 42-years old and has not played much this post-season.
In the other corner is a team who will not be intimidated by tough play or Avery-like antics. Starting at the top of the list (if you're going by age) is Chris Chelios, who is one of the toughest players in the last 20 years. He is dirty and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Then there is Niklas Kronwall. He has emerged as a big-game player this season and has made some game-altering hits. He will continue to be an impact player. Pittsburgh is not a team that will be easy to push around; however, the Red Wings will try to do just that. If you run down the list of players on the Wings, they are simply built hardier and are tougher than the majority of the Pens. This list includes: Dan Cleary, Kris Draper, Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kirk Maltby, Tomas Holmstrom, and Darren McCarty.
Edge, Red Wings.
Defense: This requires less explanation. Nicklas Lidstrom - 5 Norris Trophies. Chris Chelios - 3 Norris Trophies. Kris Draper - 1 Selke Trophy (best defensive forward). Niklas Kronwall - 12 assists and many bone-jarring hits.
I do not need to add much more. Pittsburgh is inherently an offensive team who tends to play a run-and-gun style in order to outscore their opponents. They will not be able to do that with such an experienced defensive core. They will need to rely on puck-control, rather than nifty dangles to beat the Red Wings. While Pittsburgh isn't a bad defensive team, they do not have the pedigree that the Red Wings do.
Edge, Red Wings.
All of that being said, I would be shocked if this series does not go to 6 or 7 games.
In this year's edition, both teams skated through the first 3 series, losing a combined 6 games. There are a couple other reasons why The Finals have featured the surprising scoring-drought of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
1. Chris Osgood - Nobody has talked much about it, but this is the end-point of another Darren McCarty-esque return to glory. He has had extreme highs and lows in his career, but here he is, back in net for The Big Dance. After out-playing a red-hot Marty Turco in the Western Conference Semifinals, Osgood is putting on another show in the first couple games. As he continues to nurse the 3rd longest Stanley Cup Finals shut-out streak ever, the Red Wings have a lot of confidence in their goaltending and their defensive abilities. This will empower their offense to take greater risks in an effort to add to their already daunting lead.
2. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin - Both of these stars are responsible for the success of the Penguins in this offseason. They scored timely goals and stepped up when it was needed. It's safe to say that Game 3 will be the most important game of their young careers. For a team that was averaging 3.6 goals-per-game entering the Stanley Cup Finals, being shut-out in 2 straight games is almost unprecedented. These teams have the run of the ice when they have the power-play and they really need to get Pittsburgh's powerplay on the scoreboard in Game 3 if they have any chance of winning this series. Once they see a scuff in the armour, they may go into feeding-frenzy mode that they displayed against the Flyers in the last game of that series.
3. Home Ice Advantage - The advantage that a team has in its own building is immense, especially when their opponent is a young and nervous team in their first Stanley Cup Finals. Going into the white-out of Mellon Arena on Wednesday should soothe their nerves and they will be able to play the entertaining style of hockey that got them this far. Only once has a team not won the Stanley Cup after winning jumping out to a 2-0 lead, but if there ever was a team that can make history, it is these Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens need to jump out to a fast lead at home, as Detroit is 11-1 when they score first while Pittsburgh is 10-0.
After 2 games, Detroit clearly has an overwhelming advantage, but the Penguins are the only team who is capable of mounting a comeback in the face of such daunting odds.
Edge, Red Wings. They win their 11th Stanley Cup in 6 games.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Western Conference Finals.
Working on a story for the newspaper. I'll get back to you.
Bottom Line: Red Wings in 7.
Bottom Line: Red Wings in 7.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Pennsylvania, Puberty, and PLAYOFFS!
In the Conference Semifinals, I went 2/4. Not the best, but if you’re in a Canadian public school, it’s still a passing mark. I’ll take a D-. Because it won’t happen again. I promise, Mom. HOWEVER, if you take my prediction of the Audrina-Lauren Conrad/Lo fallout into account, it bumps me up to 60%. Because the groundwork for that has taken place. Justin-Bobby has a haircut and the chickens are coming home to roost. I don't know what that means. Moving on...
I would also like to take this time to sit down with Sidney Crosby and have a chat. His nickname needs an upgrade in regards to some changes... that, er... have taken place of late:
Sid the Kid is not longer a kid. He's growing into a man. And when boys turn into men... their bodies begin to change. And when this change takes place, we need to do certain things to keep our bodies healthy and appealing. I know, Sid, this is uncomfortable for me too.
But one of these new things we need to do is shaving. Once our facial hair starts to grow, we need to take care of that so we don't look like we have a scraggly chocolate-milk mustache growing under our nose and on our necks. He has a terrible neckbeard (worse than my friend Byron's and that IS a statement). Perhaps Gillette and Sidney can come up with a promotion of 50% off Mach-12 razors for those who are just now going through puberty.
You agree? I'm sure glad we got that out of the way! I feel so much better, Sidney. So do your chances of, er, scoring.
ON TO THE PREDICTIONS!
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL –
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
The Battle of Pennsylvania. As much as I love historical hockey meetings, where a genuine dislike of the team on the opposite side of the ice boils just under the surface, the NHL needs to market its high-intensity meetings better. NCAA football has the Red River Shootout, The Civil War and the Iron Bowl. When compared to the pageantry and classic titles of those historic match-ups, the Battle of Alberta, the Battle of Ontario and the Battle of Pennsylvania seem wanting for effort. This will become more evident when we discuss the sun-baked hatred of the Battle of Florida and the players surf their way into the Battle of California in years to come.
Several short weeks ago, one wouldn’t expect much of this series; however, with the strength with which the Flyers played against the Canadiens, they have shown that they are capable of not only building a lead, but they show the killer-instinct to deal the fatal blow to a team’s Stanley Cup hopes. Montreal, on the other hand, could not do this against Boston as that series dragged to 7 games. Philadelphia’s success in this series depends largely on one man. If Martin Biron plays against Pittsburgh the way he did against Montreal, the Flyers will have a chance of winning this series. He has a .914 save percentage through 12 games in these playoffs and will need to continue at that level against a significantly more potent Penguins offense. In comparison, Marc-Andre Fleury boasts a .938 save percentage, but his Penguins faced a Senators crew who had no will to live and an inconsistent Rangers team.
The Penguins, much like the Canadiens and the Capitals, are a skill-based team whose playoff success depends largely on their ability to score goals. Unlike these teams, they have more significant scoring threats whom the Flyers will have to guard closely. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have demonstrated their ability to overcome playoff adversity with unanticipated maturity. They have, at times, shown their youth such as when they both lost their heads against the Rangers and wound up in the penalty box together – which may never happen again. But overall, they kept it together when the Penguins were down by large margins – when they were down 3-0 in Game 1, Crosby had 2 assists and Malkin scored 1 goal and 1 assist. These are the necessary contributions from a team’s most talented players when they are facing serious adversity. These contributions are the hallmarks of leadership.
The Flyers have had contributions from some unlikely candidates this spring. RJ Umberger has turned into a juggernaut who was a large contributing factor to the demise of the Habs. He scored 8 goals in 5 games against them, after scoring 13 goals in 74 games this season. The only possible explanation for his emergence is that in the playoffs, grit accounts for so much more than it does in the regular season. Often, the only way to score goals after April is by going to the net hard and taking your lumps – something that Umberger does better than the average bear. He will continue to be a factor in this series, along with the Usual Suspects of Danny Briere, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Joffrey Lupul. Philadelphia NEEDS their secondary players to keep scoring in order for them to stay in this series. If the scoring is left to Briere and Richards, the Flyers won't last long against the high-flying Penguins.
One thing Philadelphia needs to be aware of is the Pens' ability to blow a team out. If they continue to take penalties the way they did in the first two rounds, this will be a very short series. Pittsburgh has firepower that rarely find its way into the same Division, let alone the same team. The Flyers were the most suspended team in hockey during the regular season, and are the most penalized team in the playoffs. This might get some players looking over their shoulders, while others will be licking their chops. If they allow Crosby and Malkin to frequently have a man advantage, Biron will not likely be speaking to his teammates, as his save percentage will drop faster than booty in a Lil' John video.
The Penguins’ mental health will be a factor in this series as well. They have had it easy compared to the physical play that the Flyers are going to bring their way. If Pittsburgh lets it get to them – and we saw the Rangers get in the heads of Crosby and Malkin, especially in the game New York won – it could be their own downfall. They need to expect the Flyers to be a nasty, dirty, unpleasant team to play against if they are going to make it to The Finals. On the other hand, if the Flyers' grit leads them into penalty trouble, this could be an extremely short series because Pittsburgh will bury Philly if they get many multiple chances on the PP every game.
Bottom Line: When I see this Flyers team, I think of a rat. And not in the way that they have rabies and eat dog-poo. They find a way to survive and keep surviving against all odds. They are tough and have made the most of what their team can do. But Pittsburgh’s skill will be too much for Philadelphia to handle. The Penguins will be the last team standing in the Battle of Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh in 6.
I would also like to take this time to sit down with Sidney Crosby and have a chat. His nickname needs an upgrade in regards to some changes... that, er... have taken place of late:
Sid the Kid is not longer a kid. He's growing into a man. And when boys turn into men... their bodies begin to change. And when this change takes place, we need to do certain things to keep our bodies healthy and appealing. I know, Sid, this is uncomfortable for me too.
But one of these new things we need to do is shaving. Once our facial hair starts to grow, we need to take care of that so we don't look like we have a scraggly chocolate-milk mustache growing under our nose and on our necks. He has a terrible neckbeard (worse than my friend Byron's and that IS a statement). Perhaps Gillette and Sidney can come up with a promotion of 50% off Mach-12 razors for those who are just now going through puberty.
You agree? I'm sure glad we got that out of the way! I feel so much better, Sidney. So do your chances of, er, scoring.
ON TO THE PREDICTIONS!
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL –
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
The Battle of Pennsylvania. As much as I love historical hockey meetings, where a genuine dislike of the team on the opposite side of the ice boils just under the surface, the NHL needs to market its high-intensity meetings better. NCAA football has the Red River Shootout, The Civil War and the Iron Bowl. When compared to the pageantry and classic titles of those historic match-ups, the Battle of Alberta, the Battle of Ontario and the Battle of Pennsylvania seem wanting for effort. This will become more evident when we discuss the sun-baked hatred of the Battle of Florida and the players surf their way into the Battle of California in years to come.
Several short weeks ago, one wouldn’t expect much of this series; however, with the strength with which the Flyers played against the Canadiens, they have shown that they are capable of not only building a lead, but they show the killer-instinct to deal the fatal blow to a team’s Stanley Cup hopes. Montreal, on the other hand, could not do this against Boston as that series dragged to 7 games. Philadelphia’s success in this series depends largely on one man. If Martin Biron plays against Pittsburgh the way he did against Montreal, the Flyers will have a chance of winning this series. He has a .914 save percentage through 12 games in these playoffs and will need to continue at that level against a significantly more potent Penguins offense. In comparison, Marc-Andre Fleury boasts a .938 save percentage, but his Penguins faced a Senators crew who had no will to live and an inconsistent Rangers team.
The Penguins, much like the Canadiens and the Capitals, are a skill-based team whose playoff success depends largely on their ability to score goals. Unlike these teams, they have more significant scoring threats whom the Flyers will have to guard closely. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have demonstrated their ability to overcome playoff adversity with unanticipated maturity. They have, at times, shown their youth such as when they both lost their heads against the Rangers and wound up in the penalty box together – which may never happen again. But overall, they kept it together when the Penguins were down by large margins – when they were down 3-0 in Game 1, Crosby had 2 assists and Malkin scored 1 goal and 1 assist. These are the necessary contributions from a team’s most talented players when they are facing serious adversity. These contributions are the hallmarks of leadership.
The Flyers have had contributions from some unlikely candidates this spring. RJ Umberger has turned into a juggernaut who was a large contributing factor to the demise of the Habs. He scored 8 goals in 5 games against them, after scoring 13 goals in 74 games this season. The only possible explanation for his emergence is that in the playoffs, grit accounts for so much more than it does in the regular season. Often, the only way to score goals after April is by going to the net hard and taking your lumps – something that Umberger does better than the average bear. He will continue to be a factor in this series, along with the Usual Suspects of Danny Briere, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Joffrey Lupul. Philadelphia NEEDS their secondary players to keep scoring in order for them to stay in this series. If the scoring is left to Briere and Richards, the Flyers won't last long against the high-flying Penguins.
One thing Philadelphia needs to be aware of is the Pens' ability to blow a team out. If they continue to take penalties the way they did in the first two rounds, this will be a very short series. Pittsburgh has firepower that rarely find its way into the same Division, let alone the same team. The Flyers were the most suspended team in hockey during the regular season, and are the most penalized team in the playoffs. This might get some players looking over their shoulders, while others will be licking their chops. If they allow Crosby and Malkin to frequently have a man advantage, Biron will not likely be speaking to his teammates, as his save percentage will drop faster than booty in a Lil' John video.
The Penguins’ mental health will be a factor in this series as well. They have had it easy compared to the physical play that the Flyers are going to bring their way. If Pittsburgh lets it get to them – and we saw the Rangers get in the heads of Crosby and Malkin, especially in the game New York won – it could be their own downfall. They need to expect the Flyers to be a nasty, dirty, unpleasant team to play against if they are going to make it to The Finals. On the other hand, if the Flyers' grit leads them into penalty trouble, this could be an extremely short series because Pittsburgh will bury Philly if they get many multiple chances on the PP every game.
Bottom Line: When I see this Flyers team, I think of a rat. And not in the way that they have rabies and eat dog-poo. They find a way to survive and keep surviving against all odds. They are tough and have made the most of what their team can do. But Pittsburgh’s skill will be too much for Philadelphia to handle. The Penguins will be the last team standing in the Battle of Pennsylvania.
Pittsburgh in 6.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Round 2, Baby!
The Promised Land Preview:
So, to clarify why I only picked the Eastern conference in the 1st round is because I had a deadline and couldn't get the blog up in time before the games started. Instead of knowing what happened in Game 1, which would sway my picks even if I didn't intend them to, I just decided to hold off until round 2. So, I did pretty well, going 3/4 and picking the Rangers in the correct number of games. Not bad for a first timer!
Here comes the Second Round. We’ve got some good stuff for you. Let’s do it.
Unrelated to anything: I don't know if any of you watch The Hills. Probably not. At any rate, I do. And I was enjoying The Hills last week and noticed Spencer’s awesome playoff beard. Later that evening, I saw Spencer skating down the ice but he was wearing a Phil Kessel jersey. As it turns out, Spence wasn’t a late-season addition to the Bruins, but it was, in fact, Phil Kessel.
While I'm predicting things, I'll predict that Audrina doesn't move in with LC and Lo, being alienated by their obnoxious friendship and evident hatred for Justin Bobby. Even if she does initially move into their house, it won't last. You heard it here first!
Eastern Conference Semifinals –
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal had a much tougher fight on their hands in the first round than anybody expected, including the Boston Bruins. Their lack of killer instinct will be corrected in the second round, so if they jump to a quick lead, they will be able to finish what they have started.
This series is a special-teams matchup, as it features the top two regular-season powerplays (Canadiens – 24.2%; Flyers – 21.8%); however, Montreal’s powerplay dried up (9%) in parts of their first series against the Bruins. The opposite happened with the Flyers, as Daniel Briere led the team with 6 goals and 5 assists, with much of his success coming on the P.P. against the Capitals. On the other hand, in the absence of their powerplay, Les Habitants tightened up their defensive zone coverage and killed 90% of their penalties.
As Jeff Carter has pointed out, Montreal and Washington are similar teams, with a lot of European players relying on skill and puck possession to give them an advantage. However, one main difference between the Habs and the Capitals are that Montreal plays much better as a team and has more veteran leadership. Not to mention that Washington’s starting goalie is the same man that Montreal decided was going to take a backseat role to the Goalie of the Future, Carey Price.
If this series becomes an offensive battle, much like the last series that the Flyers survived, Montreal will have an advantage because they are capable of shutting the door defensively and stifling their opponents’ offenses. Not to mention that while Cristobal Huet is a Hasek-style reaction goalie, Price is very cool under pressure and to make many of his best saves, he is positioned perfectly to be waiting for the puck by the time it gets to him. As he did struggle at times in the first round, the Canadiens will need their veterans to step up, as Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev both did against the Bruins. Like Price, Martin Biron looked very strong at times, while letting some weak goals past him. Unlike Price, Biron did not show the ability to take control and steal a game for his team.
Bottom Line: While both demonstrated an ability to put the puck in the net in the Quarter-Finals, only one of these teams was capable of shutting down an offense. Montreal’s defense and penalty kill will be the deal breaker in this series, and the Habs will squander fewer chances against the most penalized team in the playoffs (35 penalties). Montreal sneaks out the back door en route to their 1st conference finals since 1993.
Canadiens in 6.
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) New York Rangers
I can’t wait for this series. Somehow, Pittsburgh is going to have to address Super Pest Sean Avery who single-handedly distracted future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur from his job of stopping pucks and forced him to focus on ways to kill Avery. It was like watching the Coyote and the Roadrunner, with Avery inventing new and creative ways to get an unfair advantage that aren’t technically outside the rules. The Penguins are going to have to out-pest The Pest this series. Jarkko Ruutu will be used as a tool to try to distract Avery – Ruutu will have extra assistance from Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts in deterring Avery from taking runs at more talented players. If those three can engage Avery and bother him enough to prevent him from getting to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, this series will take a turn other than the one I’m anticipating.
Crosby and Malkin have the first real playoff test of their careers. I generally give players an exemption from blame the first time they experience post-season hockey, because it is such a different game than the regular season. That was last year. This year, The Young Guns went untested against the predictably weak Ottawa Senators. The fact that they simply did not need to try in the first round will work against them. The extra week may work against them, as they comfortably awaited their opponents, while the Rangers duked it out another couple games. The Penguins are going to run into a bit of a wall in the first two games against the Rangers, who survived a war against the Devils. As usual, expect big things from Gary Roberts. One can never underestimate Pittsburgh’s pure talent, but this is the playoffs. It’s where talent needs to meet grit to win a championship.
The Rangers won this season series 5-3, Henrik Lundqvist is playing well and the Rangers are flying. Jaromir Jagr, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury are going to keep rolling. Also, the Rangers know how to win. They have 6.5 Stanley Cups among them (Jason Strudwick is a cousin of Scott and Rob Neidermayer, so that association gives him at least a half-Stanley Cup), compared to Pittsburgh’s 3 (Gary Roberts – 1 – and Darryl Sydor – 2 – are the only two who have tasted victory from Stanley’s Mug). Pittsburgh is going to win one (two, three or four) in the upcoming seasons (read: starting next year), but they might be too green to get there this season.
Bottom Line: Remember that Karma I was talking about last round? It’s going to bite the Penguins here, who took the easy way out in the 1st round, but will be unprepared because of it. Also, Avery isn’t going anywhere. Crosby has a habit of letting players get under his skin, and few people are as obnoxious as Avery.
Rangers in 6.
Western Conference Semifinals –
(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche
These are two perennial Western Conferences powerhouse in a classic match-up. They know each other very well and there is not much love between them. At first glance, they are similarly built teams with longstanding histories of success. Both have prominent veterans (Colorado – Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg; Detroit – Chris Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom) who have all won Stanley Cups. Both feature prominent young offensive talents; however this is where Detroit has the edge. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsuyk are two of the best finesse players in the league who have silky hands and have hit their playoff pace after having trouble getting started early in their careers. Paul Stastny is in the midst of his own playoff-scoring slump and he needs to figure this out. If he doesn’t get his offensive output started, this is going to be a short series, as Colorado needs his added firepower to keep up with Detroit.
Colorado has the advantage in net, as Jose Theodore has returned to his 2001-02 form when he won the Vezina and Hart Trophies. Theodore shut down the Wild in the Quarter-Finals, and he did not waver. Detroit has long-standing goaltending issues, as they insist on pursuing the Stanley Cup with goaltending that is often the weakest part of their formidable teams. Dominik Hasek looked very weak for the entire First Round and he should back-up Osgood this series, who was much better than Hasek. However, both are a step down from Theodore.
As I have pointed out before, grit mixed with talent is the key to the playoffs. And Ryan Smyth is the right amount of that combination. However, the Avs are older and slightly less talented than the Red Wings. When you consider that Sakic missed 38 games this season, Ryan Smyth missed 27, Adam Foote missed 70, and Peter Forsberg only played in 9 games, you have to be concerned about their aging core’s health in a long and physical series.
Bottom Line: Despite the Avalanche’s strong defense and goaltending, they just don’t have the fire-power to keep up with the Red Wings. Lidstrom and Chelios should be deterrent enough to slow down Colorado’s occasionally fiery offense.
Red Wings in 6.
(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Dallas Stars
This series comes down to match-ups and depth. The winner of this series is going to be the eventual Western Conference representative in the finals. So, let’s just jump right in! The water is great. There aren’t any sharks in it. I promise.
The Sharks did well by dispatching Jarome Iginla in the 1st round, as that is never an easy task. Yes, I’m aware he has 19 other guys who infrequently show up on the ice along with him, but none that were worth mentioning. Joe Thornton proved that he does have a pulse in April and that he is aware there are more than 82 games to be played in the year. He played very well, getting 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 6 games; however, he did disappear for periods at a time and occasionally reminded the Bruins why they sent him to the West Coast in exchange for Marco Sturm (there were two other guys involved, but neither of them play for the Bruins anymore). He received help from Ryane Clowe (yes I spelled that right… I don’t know… ask his parents) who leads the team with 8 points and Patrick Marleau turned out some impressive performances. It took a few guys stepping up to beat the Flames. It’s going to take a heck of a lot more to beat the Stars.
Unlike San Jose, the Stars have players coming out of the woodwork for no apparent reason to lead the team to new heights. Stephane Robidas is a journeyman who jumped to life in the 1st round. He had 26 points in the regular season, but is averaging 1 point per game in the playoffs. Mike Ribeiro is following his break-out season by adding 8 points in 6 games – which is the same number of points he had in 24 playoff games prior to this season. Stu Barnes is playing like he’s Claude Lemieux. Then you get to Mike Modano and Brad Richards – Richards has a Conn Smythe trophy to add to his and Modano’s rings. Dallas seemed genuinely unconcerned about home ice advantage last round, winning the first two games in Anaheim. Throw the best goalie from the 1st round in net and you are sitting pretty.
Bottom Line: When you consider Thornton’s history of disappearing in the face of adversity and Brad Richards’ history of doing the exact opposite, smart money says Richards steps it up. Also, San Jose looked shaky the entire 1st round. They were inconsistent, while the Stars showed up each game and twice were beat by a good team.
Stars in 7.
So, to clarify why I only picked the Eastern conference in the 1st round is because I had a deadline and couldn't get the blog up in time before the games started. Instead of knowing what happened in Game 1, which would sway my picks even if I didn't intend them to, I just decided to hold off until round 2. So, I did pretty well, going 3/4 and picking the Rangers in the correct number of games. Not bad for a first timer!
Here comes the Second Round. We’ve got some good stuff for you. Let’s do it.
Unrelated to anything: I don't know if any of you watch The Hills. Probably not. At any rate, I do. And I was enjoying The Hills last week and noticed Spencer’s awesome playoff beard. Later that evening, I saw Spencer skating down the ice but he was wearing a Phil Kessel jersey. As it turns out, Spence wasn’t a late-season addition to the Bruins, but it was, in fact, Phil Kessel.
While I'm predicting things, I'll predict that Audrina doesn't move in with LC and Lo, being alienated by their obnoxious friendship and evident hatred for Justin Bobby. Even if she does initially move into their house, it won't last. You heard it here first!
Eastern Conference Semifinals –
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal had a much tougher fight on their hands in the first round than anybody expected, including the Boston Bruins. Their lack of killer instinct will be corrected in the second round, so if they jump to a quick lead, they will be able to finish what they have started.
This series is a special-teams matchup, as it features the top two regular-season powerplays (Canadiens – 24.2%; Flyers – 21.8%); however, Montreal’s powerplay dried up (9%) in parts of their first series against the Bruins. The opposite happened with the Flyers, as Daniel Briere led the team with 6 goals and 5 assists, with much of his success coming on the P.P. against the Capitals. On the other hand, in the absence of their powerplay, Les Habitants tightened up their defensive zone coverage and killed 90% of their penalties.
As Jeff Carter has pointed out, Montreal and Washington are similar teams, with a lot of European players relying on skill and puck possession to give them an advantage. However, one main difference between the Habs and the Capitals are that Montreal plays much better as a team and has more veteran leadership. Not to mention that Washington’s starting goalie is the same man that Montreal decided was going to take a backseat role to the Goalie of the Future, Carey Price.
If this series becomes an offensive battle, much like the last series that the Flyers survived, Montreal will have an advantage because they are capable of shutting the door defensively and stifling their opponents’ offenses. Not to mention that while Cristobal Huet is a Hasek-style reaction goalie, Price is very cool under pressure and to make many of his best saves, he is positioned perfectly to be waiting for the puck by the time it gets to him. As he did struggle at times in the first round, the Canadiens will need their veterans to step up, as Saku Koivu and Alex Kovalev both did against the Bruins. Like Price, Martin Biron looked very strong at times, while letting some weak goals past him. Unlike Price, Biron did not show the ability to take control and steal a game for his team.
Bottom Line: While both demonstrated an ability to put the puck in the net in the Quarter-Finals, only one of these teams was capable of shutting down an offense. Montreal’s defense and penalty kill will be the deal breaker in this series, and the Habs will squander fewer chances against the most penalized team in the playoffs (35 penalties). Montreal sneaks out the back door en route to their 1st conference finals since 1993.
Canadiens in 6.
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) New York Rangers
I can’t wait for this series. Somehow, Pittsburgh is going to have to address Super Pest Sean Avery who single-handedly distracted future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur from his job of stopping pucks and forced him to focus on ways to kill Avery. It was like watching the Coyote and the Roadrunner, with Avery inventing new and creative ways to get an unfair advantage that aren’t technically outside the rules. The Penguins are going to have to out-pest The Pest this series. Jarkko Ruutu will be used as a tool to try to distract Avery – Ruutu will have extra assistance from Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts in deterring Avery from taking runs at more talented players. If those three can engage Avery and bother him enough to prevent him from getting to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, this series will take a turn other than the one I’m anticipating.
Crosby and Malkin have the first real playoff test of their careers. I generally give players an exemption from blame the first time they experience post-season hockey, because it is such a different game than the regular season. That was last year. This year, The Young Guns went untested against the predictably weak Ottawa Senators. The fact that they simply did not need to try in the first round will work against them. The extra week may work against them, as they comfortably awaited their opponents, while the Rangers duked it out another couple games. The Penguins are going to run into a bit of a wall in the first two games against the Rangers, who survived a war against the Devils. As usual, expect big things from Gary Roberts. One can never underestimate Pittsburgh’s pure talent, but this is the playoffs. It’s where talent needs to meet grit to win a championship.
The Rangers won this season series 5-3, Henrik Lundqvist is playing well and the Rangers are flying. Jaromir Jagr, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury are going to keep rolling. Also, the Rangers know how to win. They have 6.5 Stanley Cups among them (Jason Strudwick is a cousin of Scott and Rob Neidermayer, so that association gives him at least a half-Stanley Cup), compared to Pittsburgh’s 3 (Gary Roberts – 1 – and Darryl Sydor – 2 – are the only two who have tasted victory from Stanley’s Mug). Pittsburgh is going to win one (two, three or four) in the upcoming seasons (read: starting next year), but they might be too green to get there this season.
Bottom Line: Remember that Karma I was talking about last round? It’s going to bite the Penguins here, who took the easy way out in the 1st round, but will be unprepared because of it. Also, Avery isn’t going anywhere. Crosby has a habit of letting players get under his skin, and few people are as obnoxious as Avery.
Rangers in 6.
Western Conference Semifinals –
(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche
These are two perennial Western Conferences powerhouse in a classic match-up. They know each other very well and there is not much love between them. At first glance, they are similarly built teams with longstanding histories of success. Both have prominent veterans (Colorado – Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, Peter Forsberg; Detroit – Chris Chelios, Nicklas Lidstrom, Tomas Holmstrom) who have all won Stanley Cups. Both feature prominent young offensive talents; however this is where Detroit has the edge. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsuyk are two of the best finesse players in the league who have silky hands and have hit their playoff pace after having trouble getting started early in their careers. Paul Stastny is in the midst of his own playoff-scoring slump and he needs to figure this out. If he doesn’t get his offensive output started, this is going to be a short series, as Colorado needs his added firepower to keep up with Detroit.
Colorado has the advantage in net, as Jose Theodore has returned to his 2001-02 form when he won the Vezina and Hart Trophies. Theodore shut down the Wild in the Quarter-Finals, and he did not waver. Detroit has long-standing goaltending issues, as they insist on pursuing the Stanley Cup with goaltending that is often the weakest part of their formidable teams. Dominik Hasek looked very weak for the entire First Round and he should back-up Osgood this series, who was much better than Hasek. However, both are a step down from Theodore.
As I have pointed out before, grit mixed with talent is the key to the playoffs. And Ryan Smyth is the right amount of that combination. However, the Avs are older and slightly less talented than the Red Wings. When you consider that Sakic missed 38 games this season, Ryan Smyth missed 27, Adam Foote missed 70, and Peter Forsberg only played in 9 games, you have to be concerned about their aging core’s health in a long and physical series.
Bottom Line: Despite the Avalanche’s strong defense and goaltending, they just don’t have the fire-power to keep up with the Red Wings. Lidstrom and Chelios should be deterrent enough to slow down Colorado’s occasionally fiery offense.
Red Wings in 6.
(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Dallas Stars
This series comes down to match-ups and depth. The winner of this series is going to be the eventual Western Conference representative in the finals. So, let’s just jump right in! The water is great. There aren’t any sharks in it. I promise.
The Sharks did well by dispatching Jarome Iginla in the 1st round, as that is never an easy task. Yes, I’m aware he has 19 other guys who infrequently show up on the ice along with him, but none that were worth mentioning. Joe Thornton proved that he does have a pulse in April and that he is aware there are more than 82 games to be played in the year. He played very well, getting 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in 6 games; however, he did disappear for periods at a time and occasionally reminded the Bruins why they sent him to the West Coast in exchange for Marco Sturm (there were two other guys involved, but neither of them play for the Bruins anymore). He received help from Ryane Clowe (yes I spelled that right… I don’t know… ask his parents) who leads the team with 8 points and Patrick Marleau turned out some impressive performances. It took a few guys stepping up to beat the Flames. It’s going to take a heck of a lot more to beat the Stars.
Unlike San Jose, the Stars have players coming out of the woodwork for no apparent reason to lead the team to new heights. Stephane Robidas is a journeyman who jumped to life in the 1st round. He had 26 points in the regular season, but is averaging 1 point per game in the playoffs. Mike Ribeiro is following his break-out season by adding 8 points in 6 games – which is the same number of points he had in 24 playoff games prior to this season. Stu Barnes is playing like he’s Claude Lemieux. Then you get to Mike Modano and Brad Richards – Richards has a Conn Smythe trophy to add to his and Modano’s rings. Dallas seemed genuinely unconcerned about home ice advantage last round, winning the first two games in Anaheim. Throw the best goalie from the 1st round in net and you are sitting pretty.
Bottom Line: When you consider Thornton’s history of disappearing in the face of adversity and Brad Richards’ history of doing the exact opposite, smart money says Richards steps it up. Also, San Jose looked shaky the entire 1st round. They were inconsistent, while the Stars showed up each game and twice were beat by a good team.
Stars in 7.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
2008 Stanley Cup Playoff Preview
The Promised Land Preview, 2008:
Sixteen teams had some good things going for them this season. Fourteen teams were less organized and could not put together a strong enough campaign to last this long. However, in the playoffs, all is not as it appears. Some teams barely survived the regular season, only to find themselves in even bigger trouble. These teams will find themselves on the golf course faster than John Daly after a plate of Hooters wings and 3 pitchers of beer.
Other teams are built for speed and have hit the playoffs with an admirable stride. And if there is one thing that we can learn from the 2003-2008 Detroit Red Wings – the winner of the President’s Trophy is not necessarily the best playoff team.
I don’t know about you, but the anticipation is killing me. So let’s get to it.
Eastern Conference:
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Boston Bruins –
I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one. The reasons that the Canadiens are going to sweep the Bruins in this series are twofold: numbers and Destiny. Yes. Destiny. With a capital ‘D’.
I’m as big a believer that statistics are for baseball and mathematicians as the next guy; however, Montreal’s numbers against the B’s are so overwhelming that one can’t help but notice. The 2007-2008 season series was a rout for Montreal. Any time one team goes 8-0 against another in the regular season, it’s not a fluke or an accident. That team is simply better. If you look back in playoff history, teams with experience and leadership tend to go far, while teams that lack it do not. This is another reason why Boston comes up short. Boston is a young team with little playoff experience. In fact, two of their most important players – Marc Savard and goalie Tim Thomas – come into these playoffs with 0 post-season appearances between them.
It is at this point that the astute among you will point out, “Carey Price has even less experience than Tim Thomas.” This is true. But it is also where Destiny comes in. Carey Price is the most highly touted Canadiens goalies in the past 20 years. Since Patrick Roy came to town, no goaltending prospect has received as much hype in Montreal. And I will ask those of you who are older than myself to answer this question: what happened in Patrick Roy’s rookie season? (Seriously, I don’t know. I was 2.) No, he didn’t win the Calder Trophy (like Carey Price is going to). He just won the Stanley Cup. And the Conn Smythe Trophy.
The skeptic will say: OK, big deal. He’s a Hall of Famer who has hearing problems based on where he keeps his Stanley Cup rings.
Then I would tell you about Ken Dryden. He was a university goalie for Cornell before literacy was en vogue for hockey players. He was called up to the Habs with 6 games remaining in the regular season and went 6-0. They faced a rag-tag bunch of chumps called the Bruins. They had nobody of note on their team (Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Wayne Cashman, Johnny Bucyk). They barely scraped their way into the playoffs (league records for most goals by a team (399), most wins in the regular season (57) and most points with 121). Needless to say, they upset the Bruins in 7, won the Stanley Cup and Ken Dryden won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
As for Price himself, he won the Calder Cup as a 19-year old rookie in the AHL last season. He is unflappable and he will not be rattled, nor will he miss a step in these playoffs. It will help him that he will be eased into the post-season with a safe matchup against the Bruins.
Bottom line: Habs take this one in 4.
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators –
Unlike everybody else in the entire civilized world, I am not completely sold on the Crosby-Malkin led juggernaut that is the 2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins. However, I am even less sold on the flop that is the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators.
Let’s discuss the Penguins’ before I point out Ottawa’s issues* (*note: I will need to devote an entire article to that topic). Sure, there is a lot to love about 20-year old phenom Sidney Crosby and his compatriots. Crosby is ultra-competitive and he has the skills to back up his work ethic. Malkin has used Crosby’s absence to prove that he is more than simply a 2nd fiddle and can be a star in his own right. One can never underestimate playoff war-horse Gary Roberts. With the Cup on the line, nobody has less regard for their own physical safety than Roberts. He is grit personified.
On the other hand, I would like to see more grit out of Crosby and was unimpressed by their flat effort in their last regular season game against the Flyers. Hockey karma will catch up to them - but not just yet.
They face the lowly Senators who required 44 games to get their last 15 wins of the season. For a comparison, they started off the season red-hot and won 15 of their first 17. Captain Daniel Alfredsson will probably be gone for the entire series, courtesy of Toronto’s Mark Bell, as will Mike Fisher. That leaves journeyman Martin Lapointe to fill in on the top line. Ottawa limped out of the regular season and they will limp out of this series.
Bottom line: The punch-drunk Sens will buckle at the first sign of adversity. Penguins in 6.
(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers –
If you were painting a portrait of early April’s landscape from October’s point of view, there would be no Capitals or Flyers in the scene. Both have rebounded from tough years admirably and find themselves on the inside looking out. These teams are the two most improved in the league this year, with the Flyers improving on their 56 point performance, as they finished with 95 points – a 30 point improvement. The Capitals improved on their last year’s finish by 24 points.
As recently as American Thanksgiving (November 23, for us Canadians), the Caps were in last place in the NHL; however, nobody in the Eastern Conference is currently as hot, as they won 11 of 12 entering the playoffs. They have already proven that they can win when they need to, as they ousted Carolina from the Southeast Division lead in the last game of the season to clinch their playoff berth.
However, 15 Capitals who will see action this series have never played a game in the playoffs. Compare this with 9 unseasoned Flyers and we have a extremely young series. Historical precedents have no play in this series, as the last time they met in the playoffs, Ron Hextall scored for the Flyers (1989). Goaltending seems comparable, as the Capitals have Cristobal Huet and the Flyers will rely on Martin Biron. There is one X Factor in this series.
His name is Alexander Ovechkin. There is only 1 team in the league that would have an answer for Ovechkin and his crew of Russian All-Stars. And that team is not the Flyers. Along with Sergei Federov, Alexander Semin and Nickolas Backstrom (Swedish), the Capitals have the goal-scoring prowess to blow the doors of this series open. Philadelphia is tougher, but Ovechkin has never shied away from a physical style of play.
Bottom line: Barring more Philadelphia goonery, Washington takes this series in 7.
(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) New York Rangers
This series is going to be a good one. They are very evenly matched and their season came down to the last game against each other. The bad blood spilled over in a spirited affair that included Jaromir Jagr mugging several Devils. Both have veteran leadership, both are playoff tested and both have fantastic goaltending. The Devils have had more playoff success recently than the Rangers; however, these Rangers have been a major disappointment since GM Glen Sather put the finishing touches on the team’s current edition with the addition of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. Drury has, as we have all heard numerous times, is a winner at every level: from the 1989 Little League World Series all the way to the 2001 Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. And you can never underestimate Jaromir Jagr deciding to be the best Jagr he can be, with a newly revised workout schedule in preparation for the playoffs. He is aging and realizes it. This team has the right mix of young talent and veteran leadership to do something special in 2008.
This year represents a passing of the guard from the perennial dominance of the Martin Brodeur-led Devils to the Atlantic Division’s future of Henrik Lundqvist.
Bottom line: Rangers win in 6.
Sixteen teams had some good things going for them this season. Fourteen teams were less organized and could not put together a strong enough campaign to last this long. However, in the playoffs, all is not as it appears. Some teams barely survived the regular season, only to find themselves in even bigger trouble. These teams will find themselves on the golf course faster than John Daly after a plate of Hooters wings and 3 pitchers of beer.
Other teams are built for speed and have hit the playoffs with an admirable stride. And if there is one thing that we can learn from the 2003-2008 Detroit Red Wings – the winner of the President’s Trophy is not necessarily the best playoff team.
I don’t know about you, but the anticipation is killing me. So let’s get to it.
Eastern Conference:
(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Boston Bruins –
I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one. The reasons that the Canadiens are going to sweep the Bruins in this series are twofold: numbers and Destiny. Yes. Destiny. With a capital ‘D’.
I’m as big a believer that statistics are for baseball and mathematicians as the next guy; however, Montreal’s numbers against the B’s are so overwhelming that one can’t help but notice. The 2007-2008 season series was a rout for Montreal. Any time one team goes 8-0 against another in the regular season, it’s not a fluke or an accident. That team is simply better. If you look back in playoff history, teams with experience and leadership tend to go far, while teams that lack it do not. This is another reason why Boston comes up short. Boston is a young team with little playoff experience. In fact, two of their most important players – Marc Savard and goalie Tim Thomas – come into these playoffs with 0 post-season appearances between them.
It is at this point that the astute among you will point out, “Carey Price has even less experience than Tim Thomas.” This is true. But it is also where Destiny comes in. Carey Price is the most highly touted Canadiens goalies in the past 20 years. Since Patrick Roy came to town, no goaltending prospect has received as much hype in Montreal. And I will ask those of you who are older than myself to answer this question: what happened in Patrick Roy’s rookie season? (Seriously, I don’t know. I was 2.) No, he didn’t win the Calder Trophy (like Carey Price is going to). He just won the Stanley Cup. And the Conn Smythe Trophy.
The skeptic will say: OK, big deal. He’s a Hall of Famer who has hearing problems based on where he keeps his Stanley Cup rings.
Then I would tell you about Ken Dryden. He was a university goalie for Cornell before literacy was en vogue for hockey players. He was called up to the Habs with 6 games remaining in the regular season and went 6-0. They faced a rag-tag bunch of chumps called the Bruins. They had nobody of note on their team (Bobby Orr, Phil Esposito, Wayne Cashman, Johnny Bucyk). They barely scraped their way into the playoffs (league records for most goals by a team (399), most wins in the regular season (57) and most points with 121). Needless to say, they upset the Bruins in 7, won the Stanley Cup and Ken Dryden won the Conn Smythe Trophy.
As for Price himself, he won the Calder Cup as a 19-year old rookie in the AHL last season. He is unflappable and he will not be rattled, nor will he miss a step in these playoffs. It will help him that he will be eased into the post-season with a safe matchup against the Bruins.
Bottom line: Habs take this one in 4.
(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators –
Unlike everybody else in the entire civilized world, I am not completely sold on the Crosby-Malkin led juggernaut that is the 2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins. However, I am even less sold on the flop that is the 2007-08 Ottawa Senators.
Let’s discuss the Penguins’ before I point out Ottawa’s issues* (*note: I will need to devote an entire article to that topic). Sure, there is a lot to love about 20-year old phenom Sidney Crosby and his compatriots. Crosby is ultra-competitive and he has the skills to back up his work ethic. Malkin has used Crosby’s absence to prove that he is more than simply a 2nd fiddle and can be a star in his own right. One can never underestimate playoff war-horse Gary Roberts. With the Cup on the line, nobody has less regard for their own physical safety than Roberts. He is grit personified.
On the other hand, I would like to see more grit out of Crosby and was unimpressed by their flat effort in their last regular season game against the Flyers. Hockey karma will catch up to them - but not just yet.
They face the lowly Senators who required 44 games to get their last 15 wins of the season. For a comparison, they started off the season red-hot and won 15 of their first 17. Captain Daniel Alfredsson will probably be gone for the entire series, courtesy of Toronto’s Mark Bell, as will Mike Fisher. That leaves journeyman Martin Lapointe to fill in on the top line. Ottawa limped out of the regular season and they will limp out of this series.
Bottom line: The punch-drunk Sens will buckle at the first sign of adversity. Penguins in 6.
(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers –
If you were painting a portrait of early April’s landscape from October’s point of view, there would be no Capitals or Flyers in the scene. Both have rebounded from tough years admirably and find themselves on the inside looking out. These teams are the two most improved in the league this year, with the Flyers improving on their 56 point performance, as they finished with 95 points – a 30 point improvement. The Capitals improved on their last year’s finish by 24 points.
As recently as American Thanksgiving (November 23, for us Canadians), the Caps were in last place in the NHL; however, nobody in the Eastern Conference is currently as hot, as they won 11 of 12 entering the playoffs. They have already proven that they can win when they need to, as they ousted Carolina from the Southeast Division lead in the last game of the season to clinch their playoff berth.
However, 15 Capitals who will see action this series have never played a game in the playoffs. Compare this with 9 unseasoned Flyers and we have a extremely young series. Historical precedents have no play in this series, as the last time they met in the playoffs, Ron Hextall scored for the Flyers (1989). Goaltending seems comparable, as the Capitals have Cristobal Huet and the Flyers will rely on Martin Biron. There is one X Factor in this series.
His name is Alexander Ovechkin. There is only 1 team in the league that would have an answer for Ovechkin and his crew of Russian All-Stars. And that team is not the Flyers. Along with Sergei Federov, Alexander Semin and Nickolas Backstrom (Swedish), the Capitals have the goal-scoring prowess to blow the doors of this series open. Philadelphia is tougher, but Ovechkin has never shied away from a physical style of play.
Bottom line: Barring more Philadelphia goonery, Washington takes this series in 7.
(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) New York Rangers
This series is going to be a good one. They are very evenly matched and their season came down to the last game against each other. The bad blood spilled over in a spirited affair that included Jaromir Jagr mugging several Devils. Both have veteran leadership, both are playoff tested and both have fantastic goaltending. The Devils have had more playoff success recently than the Rangers; however, these Rangers have been a major disappointment since GM Glen Sather put the finishing touches on the team’s current edition with the addition of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury. Drury has, as we have all heard numerous times, is a winner at every level: from the 1989 Little League World Series all the way to the 2001 Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. And you can never underestimate Jaromir Jagr deciding to be the best Jagr he can be, with a newly revised workout schedule in preparation for the playoffs. He is aging and realizes it. This team has the right mix of young talent and veteran leadership to do something special in 2008.
This year represents a passing of the guard from the perennial dominance of the Martin Brodeur-led Devils to the Atlantic Division’s future of Henrik Lundqvist.
Bottom line: Rangers win in 6.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A Manifesto
The Blue Revolution:
A Manifesto
The History of Hockey is the History of Struggle. Forward and defenseman, sniper and goalie, goon and journeyman; combatants standing in opposition of each other, neither side giving, only taking. These opposing sides face each other in constant struggle, a fight between sworn foes – a fight that either ends in a Stanley Cup or the common ruin of a team and its fan base.
At this point in our history, We, the Citizens of Leafs Nation are at a crossroads. We can shirk our duty as Citizens of a great Nation and cower in the face of Adversity, or we can stand with pride at our Nation’s past and hope for our Nation’s future. We have the need to change, the strength to reconstruct, and the courage to start over. I propose to you, Dear Brothers and Sisters, that we institute this change. We need to become the means of a Revolutionary Shift in the way this Nation remembers its proud hockey past, how we see ourselves in our impoverished state of hockey present, and how we can impact our own hockey future.
I do not necessarily know much about being a revolutionary, nor am I a terribly political person; however, the silence of our humility at the hands of our keepers from Bay Street has become too much to bear. The Air Canada Centre needs to roar in triumph just as Maple Leaf Gardens once did. Therefore, The Blue Revolution must begin.
Any movement at its inception must provide a strong and unified front, lest it become a fractious and divided group. It needs to have clear goals and demands by which the success of the revolution may be gauged. Those goals, my friends, are easy to identify: Our Revolution will end only when our Nation is in the hands of a Wise and Just ruler who has outlined an acceptable path by which to govern Leafs Nation, so that we will best be able to ice a team that is capable of not only competing for, but winning Hockey’s Holy Grail.
As Citizens of this Great Nation, our Oppressors have distracted us from the ultimate objective for too long. For three seasons, we have failed to make The Playoffs. This fact is ultimately irrelevant. The greater problem is that for Two Score and One Year we have failed to make Lord Stanley a guest in our Home and Native Land. This is no easy task; however, teams without our numbers and strength of support continue to accomplish this feat each and every year.
Whether or not our Oppressors change name is inconsequential. They are all cogs in the same wheel – Pat Quinn is Cliff Fletcher, just as the citizens of Soviet Russia received no respite from Khrushchev to Brezhnev. For too long have we sat idle under the yoke of ineptitude while Larry Tanenbaum and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan lounged fat on their thrones made from the tithes of the hard-working citizens of Leaf Nation.
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Brothers and Sisters, Unite! Join the Legion as we tell Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, ‘This has gone on too long!’ Let us declare in One United Voice that The Playoffs are not good enough! Let us knock down the walls of 40 Bay Street and rebuild in the image of Greatness from days of yore.
Pick up the Refrain of The Blue Revolution as your own, as we seek to reclaim the Fertile Lands of The Playoffs under our Banner! We will not be deterred by Bruins, Lightning, Senators or Canadiens! We demand more from our Toronto Maple Leafs! .
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