The Pittsburgh Penguins are determined to make sure history does not repeat itself.
Despite being down 2-0 to the powerhouse Detroit Red Wings, the same result after two games in the Stanley Cup Final last season, the plucky Pens have fought back to tie the series at two and are showing their true colours once again in these playoffs. While there were some eerie similarities between this year’s finals and last, Sidney Crosby and company have changed all that after an impressive game four win.
Older, wiser, more mature. All words and phrases used to describe the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins. If there was ever a time to prove it, it was in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch with the reigning champion Red Wings. After the first weekend, however, the Penguins found themselves in a familiar situation, down 2-0 and nothing going their way.
Young, inexperienced, nervous. These were the new buzz words surrounding the Penguins. Wait, new? No, these too were carryovers from last season. It felt like everything had changed and yet nothing truly had. You could see the frustration in the faces of Crosby, Staal, coach Dan Bylsma and many others in the Penguins organization.
Going back to Steel Town, it was fair to say that every fan of the flightless birds felt that sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach. This feels too familiar... Then the Pens won game three. Nobody really felt better. After all, it was 2-1 Wings after three games last year too. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that game four was going to be big.
They started well, seeing Evgeni Malkin pot his 14th goal of this post-season, but fell behind with two Red Wings’ goals less than three minutes apart spanning the end of the first and the beginning of the second periods. But something finally changed, the Penguins wouldn’t quit and they would finally show the Red Wings just what they are capable of. In a flurry, Malkin, Crosby and their partners in crime went to work. Jordan Staal barrels in on Osgood fighting off a defender and slides home the tying goal. Malkin and Crosby get the 2-on-1 and Crosby makes good on a nice second effort pass from Evgeni. Then to top it all off, Kennedy slams home the biscuit on one of the nicest passing plays of the postseason.
The Red Wings are in trouble, and they are well aware of it, even if they won’t say so. The series has dramatically shifted in Pittsburgh’s favour and they show no sign of slowing down. Detroit hasn’t been able to see almost any contribution from their big guns and Pavel Datsyuk hasn’t played a game in the series. Even if they get him back, the damage may be done.
Led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins are demonstrating the hunger and drive they showed in their run not only through the playoffs, but fighting back from near the bottom of the Eastern Conference barrel in the regular season just to make the postseason. They still have to win at least one game in Detroit to win the Cup, but their confidence is seemingly limitless.
The Cup will be in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, but will it stay there or be on the move back to Detroit?
mitch.hart@gmail.com
Follow Me on Twitter
Friday, June 5, 2009
Ruffling Feathers
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Norris and Calder Thoughts
When the NHL playoffs begin, so too do the gradual announcements of the nominees for the various annual individual awards. Starting with the Calder Trophy for the league's outstanding rookie and the Norris Trophy for the outstanding defenseman, I'll be taking a look at the nominees, picking a winner and offering up names of players who could have been there instead.
The Calder Trophy
The three nominees for the Calder Trophy are Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks, Steve Mason from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Kris Versteeg of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ryan led all rookies in scoring this season with 31 goals and 57 total points in just 64 games. Versteeg placed second with 22 goals and 53 points in 78 games. Mason is the youngest of the group, leading the NHL in shut outs with 10 at just 20 years old. Versteeg and Ryan are both 22 and have played in the AHL previously.
Steve Mason is the primary reason the Columbus Blue Jackets were finally able to make the playoffs this season for the first time in franchise history, though they were swept out by the defending champion Detroit Red Wings.
Bobby Ryan was a great piece in helping the Anaheim Ducks sneak into the playoffs and is leading the Ducks with 4 goals, all while holding a 3-2 series advantage over the league's best regular season team, the San Jose Sharks.
Versteeg was a nice addition to a very young, very good Chicago Blackhawks squad. He hasn't had the impact that Ryan and Mason have. I would have preferred to see Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty nominated in his place. Doughty stepped right into the Kings' line up and established himself as a top line d-man almost immediately. I would have also taken Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne over Versteeg.
Who Will Win: Steve Mason
Who Should Win: Steve Mason
The Norris Trophy
The three players nominated for The Norris Trophy this season are Detroit Red Wings captain and the guy this trophy will probably get re-named after, Niklas Lidstrom, Boston Bruins monster Zdeno Chara and the offensively explosive Mike Green of the Washington Capitals.
Green played just 68 games this season but managed to accumulate 31 goals and 73 points, the most in both categories for a defenseman. He also set a record for an NHL defenseman with goals in 8 straight games. He isn't as defensive minded as Lidstrom or Chara, but his offense more than makes up for it.
Nik Lidstrom has won the Norris 6 out of the past 7 years and is only two shy of Bobby Orr's record of eight awards. He placed third in defenseman scoring with 59 points and is one of the best and most consistent captains in the NHL. You could easily make a case for Lidstrom to win his seventh Norris.
Chara has been nominated for the Norris twice previously, but has never won. The 6'9" 251 pound monster has the hardest shot in the NHL and finished the season with 50 points. He is a fearsome competitor and has a very strong defensive game. He has more of an impact on his team than either Lidstrom or Green.
It's hard to argue with the nominees here, but Dan Boyle of the San Jose Sharks and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators also deserve a mention for their outstanding play this season.
Who Will Win: Mike Green
Who Should Win: Zdeno Chara
mitch.hart@gmail.com
Follow Me on Twitter at Twitter.com/Mitchell_Hart
Friday, April 10, 2009
Flames Update
The Flames have finally made it to the final weekend of their regular season and it couldn't have come any sooner. Actually, the Flames probably would have preferred it did. For the past few weeks, the team has been limping toward the post-season. Now they find themselves two points back of the division leading Canucks and face two must-win games back to back against the hated Oilers.
The Injury Bug
Calgary is literally limping at this point. Injuries to Rene Bourque, Mark Giordano, Andre Roy, Rhett Warrener, Cory Sarich and Robyn Regehr have crippled several aspects of Calgary's game and they are paying for it in the standings. Daymond Langkow was also out for an extended period of time and some now are speculating that Dion Phaneuf could be battling an injury. Luckily, it appears they should be able to get most of, if not all, of these players healthy for the playoffs.
Davis Moss Signs on the Dotted Line
Darryl Sutter managed to get David Moss to re-sign with the Flames for three years at $1.3 million per season. This is great news as many were predicting the American could be looking at around $2 million a season much like Alex Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks. Moss finally hit the 20 goal plateau this season and will be a strong presence on the Flames' second line and on the powerplay for the next three seasons. Once again, it looks like players are willing to take a little less to stay in Calgary. Next up, Mike Cammalleri. Well, maybe not.
Cap Issues
Due to the amount of injuries the Flames have been dealing with, there has been a revolving door on the Flames' locker room. Trying to keep up with the call ups from Quad City and who is heading back to the AHL club is a chore by itself. Now they've reached the breaking point. Currently, the Flames only have 17 skaters on the roster and are only $246 000 from the salary cap ceiling. At points recently, the have been just hundreds of dollars clear of the cap limit. They've had to send Dustin Boyd down to the AHL just to clear up some salary room.
There is good news. When the regular season ends, NHL players no longer collect a paycheck from their clubs. They essentially play in the post-season for free, not counting bonus clauses in their contracts and what not. So the salary cap is a non-factor come game one. This means that the Flames are free to stock their roster with any player in the organization, including AHL players and players who have previously been on the injured reserve, even if their contracts would normally exceed the salary cap.
The only exception to the rule is Anders Eriksson, who because of his contract, age and years in the league would need to clear re-entry waivers to come up to the NHL team. Essentially, a team ranked lower than the Flames could claim him and not have to pay his salary, but would be responsible for his per-diem and his accommodations. Another hitch though, they would not be allowed to play him. As an example, if the Flames finish third in the Western Conference and play the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round, Columbus could claim Eriksson before the Flames, but would only do so to deny the Flames that player. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but a team looking for any sort of advantage could be desperate enough to brew some bad blood between the teams.
Just for Fun
From local band SubPlot A, comes this delightful diddy based on Hey There Delilah by the Plain White T's about Calgary's most beloved hockey player. It's worth a listen and may bring a smile to your face.
mitch.hart@gmail.com
Follow Me on Twitter!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Minute with Murrey Episode 2!
That's right, this is episode 2 of Minute with Murrey. As voted on CFBHockey.com, this episode features a discussion of fighting in hockey, including features of Pierre McWire and Mike Millberry. Be sure to check it out! Click read more to see the video.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Question Period - Flames Edition
5. With Florida's playoff chances hanging by a thread and Jay Bouwmeester not being dealt at the trade deadline, do you think Calgary has a chance of signing him in the off-season? What exactly would Darryl Sutter have to do to snag JayBo instead of perhaps the hated Northwest division rivals to the west or north?
- The Flames will unveil an alternate jersey next year. Do you hope they follow the Oilers and unveil a vintage jersey?
- If you visit the Red Mile this year, do you intend on bringing a camera? If so, just what kind of creep are you?
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Calgary, We Have a Problem...
Actually, the Calgary Flames have several problems at the moment. Add that to the fact that they only have eight, count 'em, eight games left to stave off the Vancouver Canucks for the Northwest division crown and somehow get their game rounded into playoff form. If they fail at those tasks and manage to be "one and done" in the playoffs (again), you can bet that irate Flames fans will make sure The Red Mile literally lives up to it's name. The road ahead will be bumpy and will need the Flames to get several things in order to become a serious playoff threat again.
Special Teams
The most disappointing aspect of the Flames' game in recent weeks. Just two months ago, Calgary had a top seven powerplay. Now it is ranked 18th and is the lowest amongst division leaders. It's as if the Flames are taking the opportunity to rest and are not working hard to get the puck in the net. David Moss has been highly effective on the PP for the Flames while in front of the net, but he has seen his time cut for whatever reason. The Flames went 0-for-12 on the PP in their last two games, including time with four minute powerplays and on the 5-on-3. There have also been rumours that the Flames almost never practice the PP, and that is no way to win in the playoffs.
The penalty kill is ranked 5th in the NHL, but the horrifying stat here is that the Flames have given up a league high 13 shorthanded goals. The communication between players on the PK is obviously a problem for the Flames. Looking at these stats, it's plain to see the Flames are missing Rene Bourque pretty badly.
Defense
When you have one of the best defensive corps in the NHL on paper, why is it that the Flames are losing games with as many as 8 goals against? For most of the season, Calgary's defense was feared throughout the league as tough, fast and smart. However, the system employed earlier has all but completely fallen apart. They are losing position on their assigned players, not skating, failing at getting pucks to the net and are giving up far too many odd man rushes. Assistant coach Jim Playfair has to reel his guys in and get them to play smart hockey again. It's really as simple as that. Until then, they're the Swiss Cheese Brigade, porous as the American-Mexican border.
Goaltending
The Flames are lucky to have one of the best goaltenders of this decade between the pipes in Miikka Kiprusoff, and he's almost always between the pipes. Chances are the Finn will play in 77 of the 82 Flames games this season. Now, I'm not saying this is a problem because Kipper is subject to being over worked or becoming tired, he's not. The coaching staff and Miikka have a terrific system in place that lets Kipper get all the rest he needs and for him to stay in game-ready shape at almost all times. While Kipper hasn't been playing his best hockey lately, he is hardly losing hockey games single-handedly. Although he's also not giving the Flames the best chance to win every night consistently. The man has won 42 games this season, and will probably tie or fall just short of Martin Brodeur's single season wins record of 48.
The real problem is in the back-up position and Curtis McElhinney or, as many affectionately (or maybe not) refer to him, Curtis McAHLinney. The kid is now 0-6-1 this season and has never won an NHL game. He is not a suitable NHL back-up and the team just can't seem to play in front of him. At the beginning of the season, Curtis wouldn't accept anything less than a one way deal, and the Flames gave it to him for a one year term. As it became clear later in the season that the position was a problem, there were cries for Darryl Sutter to try and bring in a capable back-up before the NHL trading deadline. He didn't do that and now the Flames must approach the playoffs with McElhinney the only option if Kiprusoff can't play. In that case, the Flames are surely doomed.
The only good news here is that Curtis becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and Sutter is not going to re-sign him, perhaps in favor of tracking down another UFA goaltender such as Ty Conklin, Scott Clemmensen, Craig Anderson or Wade Dubielewicz.
Coaching
Mike Keenan is an interesting subject. When his big name players are struggling, he doesn't punish them with reduced ice time, he demands they work harder, and will do almost anything to get that point across. Although Dion Phaneuf isn't playing his best hockey, Keenan still has number 3 on the ice for a team high 26:33 a game. Keenan also likes to juggle his line combinations. Usually, the players accept this as a simple fact of life under Iron Mike, but lately, it may be a harmful practice. With new additions due to trade and due to injury, the players haven't been able to establish a solid rhythm with their line mates and really begin to develop some chemistry.
He has also tightened his grip on Kiprusoff's leash as of late, pulling him five times in the month of March. Kipper was left well enough alone during of the regular season, but now Keenan seems adamant on sending a message to Kiprusoff. The problem is, he is often pulled early or when he doesn't deserve it. Even for a cool character like Kiprusoff, that has to get under your skin and rattle your confidence a bit. It also gives McElhinney the chance to let in a soft goal or two or three or four, as is often the case. At that point, you aren't inspiring the players to play better, you're telling them that defeat is around the corner.
There have also been a couple of cases of just flat out poor decision making. I point to the Toronto game when Calgary lost to the Buds 8-6. Keenan pulled the goalie for the extra attacker with over two minutes left, and the Flames managed to make the game 7-6. It was clear Calgary had all the momentum and seemed destined to tie the game. However, Keenan pulls the goalie with over 1:30 left and a bad hop over a stick results in a Maple Leafs empty net goal when you really didn't need the extra attacker. Unless you hadn't tied it with about 30 seconds to go, the goalie shouldn't have been yanked.
Leadership and Star Players
Jarome Iginla and Robyn Regehr are the leaders of the Calgary Flames both on the ice and in the dressing room. Lately, the players seem to have become disjointed, and the identity of the team muddled. It is clear that both Jarome has had his role on the team adjusted with the new additions to the team and the emergence of role players like Curtis Glencross, Dustin Boyd, David Moss and Rene Bourque. The new guys have added a desperately needed secondary scoring punch, but for the first time in recent history, Iginla doesn't have to be the most important Flame on the ice all of the time. How this affects Iginla may be showing up in his play and his statistics. He is a minus player more often than not lately and has now not scored a point in 28 of the 74 games played so far. You used to be able to count on Iginla to get that big goal, but he is slowly shrinking from that duty.
With the additions of Olli Jokinen and Michael Cammalleri, along with Iginla, the Flames now have three star players who love to shoot the puck, and it's beginning to hurt the statistics of all three players. Cammalleri is leading the team with 36 goals, but has been very streaky in his last few games. Iginla is usually paired with Jokinen, and has seen his shot count go down, but his missed shot total go up. Jokinen scored 8 goals in his first 6 games with his new club, but has failed to produce since then. Dion Phaneuf is having an off year, he is a minus 13 and has struggled producing goals with only 11. Your best players have to be your best players, and right now, the Flames aren't getting that.
The Little Things
Watching the Flames lately can be like watching a circus. They have strayed so far from structured hockey at times that you wish somebody would get out the ruler and start slapping wrists. Short, ineffective passes that end up in the recipient's skates, lead feet that has them being beaten to almost every loose puck, the dreaded blue line turnover, weak play on the boards resulting in loss of possession, players being too aggressive and losing position in order to try and make the big hit, high numbers of missed shots that result in the puck clearing the offensive zone or a turnover, horrible face-off percentages. The list goes on and on, and the little things become big things when you're stumbling this badly.
The Bottom Line
The Flames are good. Scary good. They have an offense capable of burying chance after chance, a defense that can physically dominate the opposition and effectively quarterback the offensive zone and a goaltender that is capable of throwing up the brick wall and making the big save when it's called for. They have also been decimated by injury, effectively having their entire second line wiped out at the same time. Daymond Langkow is back from a hand injury, but is playing at around 40%. The man can't even shoot the puck. Bertuzzi has drawn back into the line-up after having arthoscopic knee surgery just three weeks ago and is probably operating at about 75%. Rene Bourque is back skating and should be back for the playoffs, but his high ankle sprain has a reputation of being one of the most stubborn injuries in sports.
If the Flames can finally get healthy and revert back to the team they once were, they will be a force to be reckoned with in the post-season. The goal now is just to make it there, and the Flames are limping toward the light at the end of the tunnel. Winning the division would be nice, but post-season results will speak for themselves, and the focus of the Calgary Flames should be to gain some momentum before game one of the chase for the Stanley Cup. Everyone needs to buckle down and hold themselves accountable if they wish to be sipping from Lord Stanley's chalice in June.
BONUS:
The Good News
The Flames take on the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The Flames have had the number of the Wild all season, winning all four meetings between the division rivals.
The last time the Flames were shut out in back-to-back games was in November 2003, losing 3-0 to both the Red Wings and the Wild. We all know what the Flames did in the playoffs that year. OK, now I'm really reaching for positives...
mitch.hart@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
In Sutter We Trust
The NHL trade deadline has come and gone for another year and it’s quite apparent that Darryl Sutter didn’t forget his BlackBerry in his other jacket this time around. Sutter was very busy at the deadline acquiring what his team needs most, a top line centre and a puck moving defenceman. The best part? The price wasn’t as high as one might have thought. With these new additions, the Flames roster for the upcoming playoffs is set and expectations are higher than ever.
During his time in Calgary, it’s safe to say that General Manager Darryl Sutter has made some interesting moves. These generally fit into Sutter’s iron clad three and five year plans for his players and his franchise. While they can be hard to understand on the surface, it’s made harder by the fact that Sutter holds things pretty close to the chest. Recently, he was asked repeatedly what he would be looking to add to the team as the trade deadline approached. Time and time again, Sutter gave the answer that he was confident in the team he had assembled and didn’t really feel the need to give up assets to secure a “rental” player or to make a move for the sake of making a move. He openly denied rumors he was presented with and we all believed he would be relatively quiet.
On Wednesday morning as I rolled out of bed, I got word that Sutter had re-acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold from the Colorado Avalanche. I was immediately excited because I didn’t expect this and was a huge Leopold fan. Then I braced myself for the price. Recent waiver pick up Lawrence Nycholat, prospect Ryan Wilson and a second round pick. Not bad. Not exactly a blockbuster, but a good pick up that would surely help the Flames after losing Mark Giordano to injury.
Later that morning, the hockey world was lit up by the news that the Flames had traded for Olli Jokinen, easily the biggest trade of the day. Sutter also got a third round pick in the deal for long time Flame Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust and a conditional first round pick. At that moment, Calgary had one of, if not the most dangerous offensive line in the NHL with Jokinen centering Jarome Iginla and Michael Cammalleri.
In the Flames’ first two contests with the new additions, they beat up on the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 with Jokinen scoring twice and Leopold also adding a marker. Then they lost 6-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes, a stark contrast from the previous night. Of course, they had played the night before and Curtis McElhinney got the start in net in Raleigh. The rookie has yet to win a game and the Flames just can’t put together a decent effort in front of him. You could say the jury is still out on the moves for now.
Looking at the Flames now, they seem stacked for a deep playoff run and Sutter has clearly sent the message that he believes the team has the chance to win it all and is doing everything he can to give them that opportunity. He realizes what some other GMs don’t seem to, namely in places like Washington, that the window for success in the salary cap era is very small and you have to everything possible to jump through it.
With the acquisition of Olli Jokinen, the likelihood of Michael Cammalleri re-signing with the team at the end of the season has become very slim. Clearly, this is the year the Flames have to make a push for the Stanley Cup. They easily boast one of the best offensive and defensive cores in the game when they are healthy, as they are finally expected to be when the first round rolls around and have one of the best goalies available in Miikka Kiprusoff. The only real weakness is in the back up goaltender position. Sutter didn’t address this problem because frankly, if Kiprusoff goes down, the Flames have almost no chance at success anyway.
There is no question that the Flames are built for success, and the rest of the league has taken notice. San Jose and Detroit have reason to be worried in the post season for the first real time this season. The teams below the Flames are shaking in their boots. The Devils and Bruins can’t be feeling good after the emergence of another super power from the seemingly superior Western Conference. Whether or not the Flames are playing in June remains to be seen, but for the first time since 1989, you can finally say the Calgary Flames are a prominent Stanley Cup threat. Flames fans have every reason to begin planning the start of the 2009 Red Mile festivities. It all comes down to Darryl Sutter and the team he has assembled. Can Calgary become Canada’s Team again?
mitch.hart@gmail.com
A Nice Problem to Have
Canada is crazy about hockey. There’s no question there. It might help explain why now, just under a year away from the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, the nation is already abuzz over who Steve Yzerman will add to the team charged with the monumental task of avenging a national disappointment in 2006 and who will hope to recapture the golden memories from Salt Lake City. Of course, they’ll be doing it all while under the microscope and inviting the best the world has to offer to their own backyard.
As many have said, with the Canadian talent the NHL enjoys, Canada could easily submit two or even three Gold Medal contending squads. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you’re not a Canadian fan) there will be only one group wearing… well, they’ll have some sort of Canadian crest on their uniforms. I’m offering up my predictions and opinions, and the reader should keep in mind that a lot can happen between now and then, and that everything is subject to change. Yzerman’s process has already begun, and so we begin with what will be his first major selection, the coaching staff.
Now that Wayne Gretzky has said that he won’t be at the Olympics as part of Team Canada, or possibly at all, there can be no doubt that the Detroit Red Wings’ Mike Babcock will be behind the bench. Babcock has enjoyed tremendous success in his NHL career recently, leading the Mighty Ducks to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2002 and the Red Wings to the holy grail just last year. He could be joined by Ken Hitchcock of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who won a Cup with Dallas in 1999 and Brent Sutter who would be a virtual lock if he leaves the New Jersey Devils after this year as is rumoured. “Hitch” recently coached Team Canada at the 2008 World Championships, collecting a silver medal while Sutter led Team Canada to World Junior Championship Gold Medals in 2005 and 2006 and has never lost in that tournament. Other candidates include Pat Quinn, Guy Carbonneau, Bruce Boudreau or even Mike Keenan.
Now we take a look at the masked men who will be guarding the net in 2010. It’s a pretty fair assumption that Roberto Luongo, captain of the Vancouver Canucks, will be the go-to guy in his home rink. Canadian legend and candidate for best goalie of all time, Martin Brodeur will also surely be there, as he was a major component in the 2002 Gold Medal win. Now we come to the third goaltender. Although this position doesn’t play nearly at all, it is the most debated of the goaltending spots. Some feel that Montreal’s Carey Price will be filling the role. Others feel rookie goaltender Steve Mason of the Columbus Blue Jackets should be on the team. I would choose Mason. The rookie phenom is one of the best goalies in the NHL currently and one would assume he can only get better. Price has struggled in net this season for the slumping Canadiens and his attitude seems to suggest that he would be nothing but an emotional drain on the team. Mason should be selected so that he may gain experience for future games, not only in the NHL, but hopefully in the Olympics as well. Other goaltenders in consideration are Marty Turco, Marc-Andre Fléury and Jean-Sébastien Giguère.
Luongo, Brodeur and Steve Mason should be between the pipes in 2010.
Getting to defencemen, I am going under the assumption that some older players, such as Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer may not make the trip. Otherwise, Niedermayer could certainly find himself on the roster. Luckily, Canada has a plethora of young talent at the blue line. A pairing of Calgary’s Robyn Regehr, the league’s premiere shut-down defensemen and two way defenseman Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks could wreak havoc both defensively and offensively with Keith providing some forward thinking. A young pairing of the Flames’ Dion Phaneuf and Nashville Predator Shea Weber would also spark the offense in front of them as well as providing a huge physical presence, assuming that Dion manages to get his game back to previous levels. Finally, the combination of Washington’s Mike Green and San Jose Shark veteran Dan Boyle would provide a blue line scoring touch that can easily sway a game in their team’s favour. Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester would prove to be a capable seventh, as he is playing some of the best hockey of his career. Other names being floated include Brent Burns, Brian Campbell, Sheldon Souray, Chris Pronger and the aforementioned Niedermayer.
Because the Olympic hockey games are going to be played on the smaller NHL ice instead of the massive Olympic surface, Canada doesn’t have to build for speed with their forwards as much as previous years, which will help give a great mix of playmakers and snipers as well as a bit of a gritty element in the physical puck battles. Doing this gives the Canadians a tremendous advantage over their American, Swedish and Russian counterparts, as they have less players to select from.
A line of the Sharks’ Joe Thornton centering Penguins playmaker Sidney Crosby and the leading candidate for captain in 2010, consummate power forward Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames would be nearly unstoppable. These three will make up the most powerful line in the Olympics other than the offensively loaded line of Russia’s Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk. It provides a large body and incredibly gifted hands in Thornton, the best vision in the game in Crosby and a powerful shot with a gritty persistence in Iginla.
Next, we have the sniper, Ottawa’s Dany Heatley and the dangler, Columbus’ Rick Nash being centered by the Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf, who would rather go through a defender than around him. The line would be a massive headache for opponents as they will get beaten in any number of ways, over and over again, never being able to adjust as fast as these three.
Another offensively gifted line anchored by the Lightning’s Vincent Lecavalier with Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter and Simon Gagné on the wings provides one of the best shots in the game with Gagné, an all out offensive attack in Carter with the powerful Lecavalier feeding pucks to both.
Finally, Canada’s fourth line will consist of Dallas’ captain Brendan Morrow and “The Next Captain Canada” after Ryan Smyth, Phoenix’s Shane Doan. He won’t be wearing the “C” this time around however. These two sandpaper forwards will be centered by Philadelphia’s penalty killer extraordinaire, Mike Richards who is quickly becoming one of the most dependable players in the league. Aside from a terrific PK line, it would bring some much needed grit and would apply in situations where the opponent simply needs to battered into making mistakes.
These four lines will be powerful enough on their own, but who do they send in case a role needs to be filled or an injury occurs? This comes back to my opening statement, that Canada could easily field two Gold Medal rosters. I would add the offensively powered, but extremely underrated Sharks captain, Patrick Marleau and Boston’s Marc Savard. Both are capable all-round forwards who could easily slot into any line on the team. I would also love to send the young Blackhawks captain, Jonathan Toews, but just can’t find a place for him. Other names making waves include Jason Spezza, Derek Roy, Eric Staal, Corey Perry and Michael Cammalleri.
While it is certain that Canada will have the deepest and arguably most talented squad in Vancouver, they face extreme challenges from not only the powerful Russian, Swedish and American squads, but also the intense media spotlight generated by the Olympics, increased by the games taking place on Canadian soil. Whoever Yzerman and his staff selects, you can be sure that they have their reasons. The real judgement can only be made when a national anthem is being blared over the General Motors Place speakers and the three flags are being hoisted to the rafters. Where will the Maple Leaf be?
mitch.hart@gmail.com
The Curious Case of the Vezina Trophy
In previous years, the goaltending duels in the National Hockey League have lead to some interesting playoff runs, but also equally interesting races for the Vezina Trophy, awarded annually to the goaltender deemed best at his position during the regular season by the general managers of the thirty clubs in the NHL. The winning player is usually the result of a combination of high rankings in the four vital stats that reflect a goaltenders performance; games won, goals against average, save percentage and shut-outs. Who are the contenders this year and who will bring it home?
Now that we are roughly sixty games into the 2008-09 regular season, the leading candidates for this years Vezina trophy have emerged and left the rest of the pack behind. Generally, there are three final candidates nominated for the award. Common sense and some extrapolated statistics would dictate that the three finalists this year will be Tim Thomas, an American playing for the Boston Bruins, Miikka Kiprusoff, the Finnish ice man who previously won the award in 2006 and rookie phenom Steve Mason, a young Canadian manning the net for the Columbus Blue Jackets (when he isn’t stricken with an untimely case of mono of course.)
Now, this is far from unusual. In years past, the candidates for most of the NHLs individual awards have begun to surface at this point in the season. The names are thrown around with much fanfare and hours are lost pouring over every statistic known to man as the case is made for each player or made against another. I should know, I’ve been privy to many a heated argument on the steps of a school or crowded around the tables in the employee break room. I may have even suffered the occasional black eye or arrest when these discussions got particularly interesting. Of course, my lawyer has advised me to deny these allegations.
This season, however, has thrown us an interesting twist, of which I will begin to explain as I explained it to myself while listening to the talking heads and digging up the numbers.
When examining the candidates, we find that we have three very different cases on our hands. Mason, only 20 years old, has found himself leading the charge towards a Blue Jackets’ inaugural post-season berth. His main statistic to keep an eye on is his shut-out total. In just 36 starts, Mason has denied his opponents a red light seven times, leading the league in that category and on pace for a nine, ten or even eleven shut-out season.
Thomas, on the other hand, has only three shut-outs in his 36 games for the league’s best Bruins. What is note worthy is that his unorthodox style of never giving up on a save has earned him a league best save percentage of 0.931 and a second best goals against average of 2.12, trailing only Mason’s mark of 2.06. So you ask, “Well, isn’t that just another tick in Mason’s column?” Perhaps. But Mason is fourth in save percentage and first in GAA and shutouts. Thomas is intriguing because he manages to be at or near the top in save percentage and GAA while being 14 years older than Mason, exhibiting a goaltending style one could only describe as ice pack approved. Of course, the Bruins are the best team in the NHL, and their goal differential is the highest in the league at plus 62. This certainly contributes to Thomas’ numbers, and he is widely thought to be the recipient of the excellent play of a defensive group lead by captain Zdeno Chara.
Kiprusoff is the potential enigma. He leads the league with 33 wins, and has played the most games of any goaltender along side Dallas’ Marty Turco with 52. The record for most wins in a regular season by a goaltender was set in the 2006-07 season by the Devils’ Martin Brodeur with 48, a year in which he won the Vezina. Looking at Kiprusoff’s numbers, he is on pace for exactly the same amount of wins. One could easily think that he may break that record when the Flames begin the final stretch leading into the post-season and Kiprusoff turns his game up another notch to steal a few games that his team has no business winning, as is his penchant. He is largely shrugged off by many members of the media because he has a GAA of 2.80 for 27th best in the league, tied with Jose Theodore and a save percentage of 0.906, putting him 32nd in the midst of company like floundering goaltenders J-S Giguere and Carey Price or backups like Curtis Sanford. Given his win total, he should secure a nomination, despite those horrid stats.
Now this is where it can get truly head scratching, to the point that you may never again get a haircut without the assistance of novocaine and a team of trained medical professionals. In 2006, when Kiprusoff won his only Vezina trophy, he led the other candidates, Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lundqvist, in games played, save percentage, GAA and shutouts by mostly large margins. Martin Brodeur had one more win in one less game, giving him a win percentage of 0.589 compared to Miikka’s 0.568, hardly enough to wrest the crown from the rightful victor.
In 2007, when Martin Brodeur won his first of back-to-back Vezinas, he led the other candidates in wins, games played, GAA, save percentage and shut-outs in rather convincing fashion, with a win percentage of 0.615, second only to Roberto Luongo’s 0.618. Again, the seemingly worthy man wins the award.
The next season, Brodeur won again, despite only leading his opponents Henrik Lundqvist and Evgeni Nabokov in games played and save percentage. Nabokov had the most wins, the same amount of games played as Martin, a better GAA and six shut-outs, second to Lundqvist’s mark of ten. Statistically speaking, Nabokov should have won the trophy. During that season, Brodeur, a guaranteed hall-of-famer, candidate for the best goaltender of all time with Patrick Roy and Terry Sawchuck and a favorite of many people in the league, became just the second goalie in history to win 500 games, a terrific achievement. Later, in the playoffs against the New York Rangers, he was involved in numerous altercations with the most hated player in the league, the Rangers’ Sean Avery and was furious when his team lost the series, refusing to shake Avery’s hand. Could a sympathy vote or votes based on his 500 wins have swayed the overall tally for the Vezina? Many would, and still, make that argument.
Based on this evidence, it makes the choice between the three supposed candidates this season a very difficult one indeed. Because Mason and Thomas are mostly a wash statistically, and with Mason all but assured to win the Calder Trophy as the outstanding rookie, some of his votes could be swayed Thomas’ way, even with his incredible rookie numbers. If Kiprusoff manages to tie Brodeur’s record, or even break it, you could imagine that some votes will be put under his name because of that momentous feat from a true workhorse of a goaltender who could easily be judged most valuable of the three to his team. If I had to give a prediction, I would say that the latest example would prove to be the one that prevails.
These are all estimations and hypothesis, but this is easily shaping up to be the best Vezina race in recent memory, and whoever wins, you can be guaranteed that there are going to be more than a handful of people who are not satisfied with the decision. This race may best determine how the general managers actually vote for the award, so that future awards may be predicted even more easily, and hey, doesn’t that just make a whole lot of jobs for a whole lot of hockey writers a whole lot easier? I can find nothing wrong with that.
mitch.hart@gmail.com
Posts
