Bleacher Report - Articles by Christopher Rock

Flames vs. Blackhawks: the "Real" Numbers Game

Christopher Rock — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:25:11 -0400

There are a number of web destinations out there that break down the hockey stats in ways you can't even fathom!

Hockey Numbers displays and breaks down goals scored for all teams at even strength, on the PP and on the PK.

TimeOnIce at http://www.timeonice.com does a great job of tracking just what it says.

Puck Prospectus looks at stats and numbers from angles you've never even thought of!

Puck Daddy has a superb analysis of the Flames-Blackhawks matchup.

Now that we're all mesmerized by those numbers, let's take a look at the "real" numbers that Flames fans care about!

"55": times the luck (Pardy: hey, everyone needs a token Newfie on their team—see Cleary on the Wings last season!)

"34": Saves! (Kipper)

"33": Wooden Slapshots (Aucoin still opts for a $30 wooden stick rather than the composite alternative, and possesses the Flames; hardest shot.)

"25": Bricks taken from the Bulin Wall (David Moss will hopefully be planting his behind in front of Khabibulin all series long)

"24": quotes! (Conroy is always up for an interview!)

"23": Unsung hero No. 1 (Nystrom: can he bring his Dad's Cup winning magic? Click here for video 1980 Cup-winning GOal!)

"22": times the heart and soul! (Langkow: hopefully his wrist injury is closer to 100 percent)

"21": "He shoots, he scores!" (Jokinen has got to be pumped for his first playoff showing ever.)

"20": times the speed! (Glencross: the fastest Flame will need his top gear against the speedy Hawks!)

"17": is back baby (in the words of George Costanza)!!! (Rene Bourque: It's no coincidence the Flames down-slide coincided with this even strength and PK specialist)

"16"" Unsung hero No. 2 (Dustin Boyd—I just have a feeling Boyd is going to break through in a big way.)

"13": One-timers! (Cammalleri! (39 tallies in the regular season!))

"12": times the domination (Iginla will step it up the way only Iggy can, and terrorize the Blackhawks "D"!)

"7": times the size and skill! (Bertuzzi: This is the time of year Sutter signed Big Bert for. He has been at times lackadaisical, but if he can play at the level he is capable of, the Flames will be extra dangerous!)

"3": Hits everything that moves! Phaneuf: (the Flames do need him to take his game to the next level, especially as long as Regehr and Sarich are out with injuries. This year has been a major disappointment, but he has the tools—if he can only locate the toolbox!)

*Okay—admittedly, this is all borderline hallucinogenic optimism, but you have to believe in the "C" of Red!

The Hockey Spy

The Hockey Spy's NHL Playoff Predictions: Western Conference (Round One)

Christopher Rock — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:24:15 -0400

The Hockey Spy adds to the run of playoff predictions out there in cyberspace, tossing you his 20 pesos worth. If you missed it, here is my Eastern Conference first round predictions. Read on for Western Conference coverage.

My colleague Greg Caggiano (G-Cagg) at The Hockey Writers has a great rundown in his version of playoff predictions.

The Two-Line Pass via Puck Daddy also has interesting take on the upcoming quest for Lord Stanley.

Let's now take a look at the Western Conference .

Western Conference (First Round):

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Anaheim Ducks (8)

- Goalies: Nabokov > Hiller/Giguere
- Defense: Dead Even (Sharks depth likely gives them slight edge)
- Forwards: Thornton, Marleau and all the depth >> Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan

* Fearless Prediction: Sharks in seven (But Ducks could surprise!)

Detroit Red Wings (2) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (7)

- Goalies: Mason >>>Osgood/Conklin
- Defense: Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, Stuart et al >> Commodore et al
- Forwards: Datsyuk, Zetterberg and the clan > Nash, Huselius, Umberger, Vermette et al

*Fearless Prediction: Blue Jackets in seven! (It will take a monstrous Mason peroformance, but Wings might just be ripe for the picking.)

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. St. Louis Blues (6)

- Goalies: Luongo > Chris Mason
- Defense: Ohlund, Salo, Edler (Scandanavian trio) et al > Blues' Blueline (If only EJ wasn't hurt)
- Forwards: Sedins, Sundin (Swedish trio) et al > Backes, Berglund, Oshie et al (But give them a couple more years!)

*Fearless Prediction: Canucks in six (It was good while it lasted in St. Louis—they'll be better in the not so distant future)

Chicago Blackhawks (4) vs. Calgary Flames (5)

- Goalies: Bulin Wall = Kipper (Khabibulin's mastery over the Flames likely gives Chi-town the edge)
- Defense: Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, Barker et al > Injury-riddled Regehr (out), Phaneuf (back), Sarich et al
- Forwards: Iginla, Jokinen, Cammallari = Patrick Kane, Toews, Havlat et al (Both squads deep and Flames should have boost from return of Rene Bourque)

* Fearless Prediction: Blackhawks in six.

Feel free to comment, criticize and post your own picks.

Christopher Rock

aka The Hockey Spy

The Hockey Spy's NHL Playoff Predictions: Eastern Conference (Round One)

Christopher Rock — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:20:00 -0400

The Hockey Spy adds to the run of playoff predictions out there in cyberspace, tossing you his 20 pesos worth.

My colleague Greg Caggiano (G-Cagg) at The Hockey Writers has a great rundown in his version of playoff predictions.

The Two-Line Pass via Puck Daddy also has interesting take on the upcoming quest for Lord Stanley.

Let's break down the Eastern Conference first.

Eastern Conference (First Round):

Boston Bruins (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

- Goalies: "The Tank" Thomas > "Shakey" Carey Price
- Defense: Chara & Wideman et al (et al = the rest) >>Markov, Komo, and Schneider et al
- Forwards: Savard, Kessel, Krejci and plenty of depth > Kovalev, Koivu et al

*Fearless Prediction: Bruins in Five

Washington Capitals (2) vs. New York Rangers (7)

- Goalies: "King" Henrik Lundquist >> Theodore
- Defense: Mike Green et al >> Marc Staal et al
- Forwards: Great 8, Semin, Backstrom >>> Drury, Gomez et al

* Fearless Prediction: Caps in Five

New Jersey Devils (3) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (6)

- Goalies: Brodeur > Ward (but closer than you think!)
- Defense: Devils > Canes (only because of Devils defensive team play)
- Forwards: Parise, Elias, Gionta et al > Staal, Whitney, Cole et al (slight advantage Devils)

* Fearless Prediction: Devils in Seven

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (5)

- Goalies: MA Fleury > Niitymaki/Biron
- Defense: Gonchar, Boucher, Letang et al > Timmonen & Coburn et al
- Forwards: Malkin, SC87, Staal, Guerin, Kunitz et al > Mike Richards, Jeff Carter et al

* Fealess Prediction: Penguins in Six

Feel free to comment, criticize and post your own picks.

Christopher Rock

aka The Hockey Spy

Top 10 Keys for the Calgary Flames If They Hope to Burn the Chicago Blackhawks

Christopher Rock — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 11:15:28 -0400

Behind Enemy Lines: My colleague Jim Neveau—Blackhawks Correspondent at The Hockey Writers (THW)—states his case, listing his Five Keys for Success for the Blackhawks.

Flames fans and hockey fans alike by now already know how futile the Flames attack has been against the Blackhawks.

Amassing a paltry one point in four contests against Chicago this season, as Michael Cammaleri summed it up, (courtesy of Randy Sportak at calgarysun.com) "We're due!" Calgary lost by a combined score of 19-7 in the four games against Chi-town.

So...should the Flames even show up in the Windy City for game one? Is it a foregone conclusion the young gun Hawks will extinguish the already flickering Flames?

It's an old cliché—but that's why they play the games. As Herb Edwards (click for video clip) emphatically stated a few years back, "You play—to win the game!" Indeed, the Flames will show up, but if they have any chance of succeeding against a talented Blackhawk squad, here are 10 keys for Flames victory they will likely have to accomplish.

1. Tear down the Bulin Wall! Khabibulin has been a Flames killer throughout his career, posting a 22-5-2 record against Calgary. Toss in his win in the seven game series Cup final in 2004 and you have a major psychological hurdle for Flames shooters to overcome.

2. Kipper to regain 2004 form. He has been good this year, but not as consistent as he will need to be if the Red Mile will be in fine form going well into the playoffs. At times, Kiprusoff has been outstanding, but with a depleted defense due to trips to the infirmary, the outstanding play will have to be more of a constant rather than sporadic.

3. Keenan et al have to find the best solution to have Iggy and Olli coexist. It's not a personality conflict, but rather an on-ice mismatch. Both are shooters and have not found the chemistry most thought would develop when Sutter brought in the big Finn center on trade deadline day.

We know how important Iggy is to the Flames (time to check out the Youtube hit video "Hey There Iginla" by a Calgary ophthalmologist) and his play seemed to pick up at the end of the season, even if the results were not there in terms of Flames victories.

4. The Blueline has to step up in the absence of Regehr and possibly Sarich. The two best defensive d-men are likely out of the Flames lineup. Phaneuf (reportedly a back injury) is also banged up. If the Flames have any hope of shutting down the likes of Kane, Toews, and Havlat, the remaining blueliners will have to play out of their minds.

The Flames have recalled Anders Ericsson, but that might just have the Hawks forwards licking their lips. Phaneuf, Leopold, Aucoin, and Pardy will be key performers on the back end.

5. Intensified physical play! The veteran Flames must step up and play an aggressive, but disciplined physical game and show the young Blackhawks what playoff hockey is all about.

6. Flames forwards will have to try and solve the highly effective duo of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook patrolling the Hawks back end, and/or take advantage of other defensive pairings. The afore mentioned duo is quickly becoming one of the best shutdown pairs in the league.

Keenan will have to work diligently to find ways to break through these guys. There might be holes back there to be found, however, as you think back to Brian Campbell's poor series against Calgary in last year's playoffs, when he was with San Jose.

7. Rene Bourque recovery from high ankle sprain and for him to regain his mid-season form. I'm sure he'd love to show his former club what they gave up on. Amazingly, only one of his 40 points (a PP assist) was not scored at even strength in his 58 games played.

The valuable PK and second line forward's absence was certainly felt when he went down. It wasn't a coincidence that Calgary's downward spiral coincided with Bourque's absence.

8. Solve the powerless PP. With the weapons the Flames have offensively, it's hard to fathom the Flames went the last 10 games without a PP marker (0-43 streak). Mix it up! Put some big bodies in front of the opposing netminder—Bertuzzi, Moss, Jokinen, even Phaneuf!

The Flames need to be less predictable, but keep it simpler at the same time. I don't have to acknowledge how important special teams are in the post-season.

9. Keenan must unlock the optimum line combinations for his club. He's not likely to start now, but his juggling of the lines drives me insane. Although some of the best ever constantly did it, such as Scotty Bowman, I'd rather see some of the linemates be more constant.

I think that added edge of anticipating where your teammate is going to be, not just where he is at the moment, makes a tremendous difference.

10. Without home ice advantage, the Flames must find the remedy for their road woes. They finished the season less than .500 away from the friendly confines of the Saddledome, but they'll have to take the Blackhawk Faithful in attendance in Chicago out of the game. As Scotty Bowman once said, "Every boo on the road is a cheer!"

Christopher Rock

aka The Hockey Spy

The Hockey Spy: Infiltrating The NHL 2009 Entry Draft

Christopher Rock — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:24:31 -0400

With the NHL 2009 Entry Draft a little less than, The Hockey Spy is filtering through loads of information on the draft-eligible candidates and will incorporate his own instincts and intuition to bring you valuable draft previews, prospect profiles and mock drafts.

Operation: Eagle Eye Scouting will be your quintessential guide to this year's draft.

Until The Hockey Spy reveals information from the infiltration of the amateur hockey world for draft-eligible player rankings and projections, let's take a look at some preliminary rankings from some important resources:

1. Central Scouting Bureau's (CSB) 2009 Mid-Season Rankings

Of course, CSB's rankings are not segregated, rather than comprehensive.

They are divided into North American and Europe, and further sub-divided into skaters and goalies.

As Gare Joyce sates in his book “Future Greats and Heartbreaks,” CSB's preliminary and mid-season ranking are of more use to professional NHL scouts. A quote from Blue Jackets' head scout Don Boyd sums up the value of CSB rankings quite nicely:

"It's like a road map for us. That is, a list to cherry-pick from - names to chase down and see. The final list is useful for the media and the fans, but by the time it's issued NHL teams are more concerned about the lists offered up by their own scouts in the field."

2. International Scouting Services (ISS)

They released their latest Top 30 2009 rankings March 16 and feature a list of “Rising” and “Falling” prospects.

3. TSN's Mid-Season Top 30 Prospects for the 2009 Entry Draft

It actually features 31 players as Bob MacKenzie experienced a brain freeze and omitted Stefan Elliott from his initial list.

4. USA Today's Red Line Report: 2009 draft should be deep than 2008

Kyle Woodlief is a former NHL scout with the Nashville Predators.

I admittedly often disagree with plenty of his ratings. Here he simply provides some insight on the 2009 draft and a Top 10 list.

5. DC Pro Sports Report

This site contains a mock draft database from various sources. Expect a preliminary version from The Hockey Spy to appear soon!

If you would like information on a particular prospect or have some insight or information into any prospects for the upcoming draft, feel free to comment here or email

The Hockey Spy

Red Light District: Mike Ribeiro's Silky Smooth between the Legs Goal!

Christopher Rock — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:58:22 -0400

Are you kidding me?

What else really needs to be said about the creativity and sick hands Dallas Star's Ribeiro displays with that move? From this goal, I'm reminded of a Rick Nash goal last year, and a shootout goal by none other than Marek Malik a couple years back.

"Rarely imitated, never duplicated!"

Ray Emery: Former Ottawa Senator 'Razor's Hummer Impounded and Future Outlook

Christopher Rock — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:11:47 -0400

Emery continues to try and solidify his place as the Top Dog Goalie Gone Wild. After spending a year in hockey's version of purgatory, you'd think he'd be playing life on the straight and narrow, doing whatever he could to be given another shot at the NHL.

”Razor” Ray, however, seems to have other ideas.

As the Ottawa Citizen reports, Emery has a history of vehicle-related violations. In the latest incident:

"Emery was charged under the stunt driving provisions of the Highway Traffic Act. Under Ontario law, police have the authority to seize a vehicle going faster than 50 km/h above the speed limit, however they would not confirm how fast the vehicle was going."

Just the day before, the same newspaper was discussing “Razor” Ray’s future.

Emery had a solid season with Atlant Mistishchi of the KHL, compiling a 22-8 record with a 2.12 GAA and 0.920 save percentage.

What NHL team might be willing to take a chance on “Razor?”

Prior to this incident, the Toronto Maple Leafs were the first team to come to my mind, with Justin Pogge's ability to reach his potential in question.

Other teams interested in his service and willing to take a chance on his volatile personality may include the Flyers, the Islanders, the Avalanche or the Lightning.

Take part in my latest poll and weigh in on this issue.

If none of these pan out for Emery, maybe “Razor” Ray will go for an action acting career—failing that, he could also become a stuntman!

Olli "The Joker" Jokinen: The Calgary Flames' Secret Weapon

Christopher Rock — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:39:10 -0400

I couldn't resist posting this pic!

The "Jok" in Joker has to be pronounced as you would Jokinen for full effect!

Thanks to poster inferno from Calgarypuck for the photoshop wizardry.

Also, check out this link on "How To Draw Olli Jokinen". It'll bring out the artist in us all.

To make it an official current event post, Jokinen was named second star for the week ending March 15, with 6 goals and 2 assists. Since joining the Flames, Olli has tailed off after his torrid start. He does have 8 goals and 12 points in 11 games with the new squad, but is a dismal -7 in those games.

Christopher Rock

aka 'The Hockey Spy'

Top 10 NHL Goalies (Not Girls!) Gone Wild

Christopher Rock — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 23:09:11 -0400

After Martin Gerber's freak out last night (Read The PowerPlay's article here) and Tuuka Rask's outburst a couple days back (See my post), TSN was inspired with this excellent Top 10 Goalies Gone Wild highlight reel!

Ray Emery (surprise, surprise) make three appearances, with Ron Hextall making a couple himself. My favourite was 'little' known Neil Little at #3 (2:20 mark of the video), when he dives in on the action in a fashion that would make Superman himself proud! Enjoy!

Flames-Penguins: Calgary Fails to Burn Pittsburgh

Christopher Rock — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:36:59 -0400

I just finished watching the Flames-Pens game—and this 2-0 game is full of highlights that are definitely worth four minutes and 22 seconds of your time if you have yet to see them.

With this loss, the Flames give the Canucks even more life in their quest to overtake the once-thought-to-be untouchable NorthWest Division title.

The 'Nucks are now behind the Flames by just three points with a game in hand.

The Flames, in this one, I thought played fairly well against the red-hot Penguins, but after Calgary defeated the Red Wings Monday night, I was looking for a feast of "Roasted Penguins with Frank's Red Hot Sauce". No such luck!

Here are the key points in the video highlights below:

At the 1:25 mark, Marc-Andre Fleury made an amazing save on Curtis Glencross, who thought he had a wide open net after a nifty pass from David Moss, who was easily the best Flame on the night. This save will go down as one of the better ones all year.
At the 2:15 mark, Malkin takes the puck behind his own blue-line and decides to take control - he weaves and winds his way through several Flames only to be denied by Kipper.

Amazingly, Malkin ends up with a double-minor penalty as he took Vandermeer's helmet off with a high stick and cut him. He actually could've been also called with a high stick to Kipper at the end of the play.
At the 4:00 mark, Matt "I Ain't Gordon Ramsey" Cooke must've thought he was in 'Hell's Kitchen' as he could not convert on sure-shot empty-netter. The video only shows one chance by him, but he actually had a few chances to finish it off.

Click here for game highlights courtesy of NHL Network Online.

Next up for the Flames: The finally playoff-bound Rick Nash and his Columbus Blue Jackets.

Quest For The Holy Grail: The John Tavares Sweepstakes (NHL 2009 Entry Draft)

Christopher Rock — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:47:57 -0400

This time of year, when you think of the Quest for the Holy Grail, you think of a gruelling Cup run to have players' names of the victorious team engraved on the chalice of Lord Stanley.

On April 14, however, the Holy Grail is the prize position of the winner of the NHL 2009 Entry Draft lottery—John Tavares.

If you happened to forget just how talented this kid is, take a look at the above video clip of a goal scored at this past year's WJC.

Coming into this hockey season, hockey experts projected Victor Hedman would likely be the first-overall selection this June. An elite D-man with mammoth size and outstanding skill, he's the type of guy you can build a franchise around.

While that may very well still be the case, Tavares has risen atop of this year's draft crop and is now the consensus number-one pick. The elite centerman is the Next "Next One"!

Tavares has just recently shattered the OHL all-time goals record with 215, after sniping a hat-trick on Mar. 8 in a London Knights 4-3 victory over the league-leading Windsor Spitfires.

As of March 23, here's a look at the teams with the highest projected percentage chance of landing Tavares—that is, the first-overall pick in the 2009 Entry Draft (courtesy of TSN's Lottery Lookout ):

Team (Percentage Chance of Winning):

1. New York Islanders (25 percent)

2. Tampa Bay Lightning (18.8 percent)

3. Colorado Avalanche (14.2 percent)

4. Atlanta Thrashers (10.7 percent)

5. Phoenix Coyotes (8.1 percent)

6. Los Angeles Kings (6.2 percent)

7. Toronto Maple Leafs (4.7 percent)

8. Dallas Stars (3.6 percent)

9. Ottawa Senators (2.7 percent)

10. St. Louis Blues (2.1 percent)

The Islanders could use a potential franchise player like Tavares to help try and turn this team around. The Lightning, with Vinny and Stamkos already patrolling the middle, might be tempted to grab D-man Hedman even if they win the draft lottery.

One thing is for certain—the winner of all the losers will be one thrilled franchise!

Stay tuned as The Hockey Spy infiltrates the amateur hockey ranks to uncover in depth previews, prospect profiles, rankings and mock drafts via Eagle Eye Scouting - your source for inside coverage of the NHL 2009 Entry Draft.

Tuuka Rask, Boston Bruins Prospect, Infuriated After Shootout Loss

Christopher Rock — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 12:18:35 -0400

Anger management is likely in the future for Tuuka, the Bruins' goalie of the future.

After a 2-1 Providence Bruins loss in a shootout to the Albany River Rats (AHL), the 22 year-old Rask put on a John McEnroe-esque tantrum display.

The River Rats scored two controversial shootout goals to clinch the victory and Tuuka proceeded to lose his mind.

He displayed outstanding samurai-like control of his goalie stick, as he slashed and hacked at the goal multiple times. He followed that up with slamming his stick against the glass.

And when the glass didn't fight back, and after a somewhat embarrassing falling to the ice—as if the rest wasn't embarrassing enough—he flung his stick across the ice.

Sometime after that he had time to heave a milk carton across the ice as well. All in all, an impressive display of intensity by the young netminder.

A somewhat clearer video can be seen by clicking here - from ABC Channel 6 in Providence.

The Hockey Spy's NHL Awards Current Choices and New Trophies Revealed !

Christopher Rock — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:45:15 -0400

With the NHL heading into the home stretch, I thought it appropriate to look at the leading candidates for select trophies along with trophies I feel should be added to the mix to honour not only current players, but legends of the past as well.

The NHL actually just announced yesterday the Awards show is heading to Vegas - on a three year deal starting this year on June 18, with the postseason gala taking place at the Palms Hotel.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stated yesterday: "Las Vegas specializes in shining the spotlight on outstanding performers. Its innate energy offers an exciting setting for our celebration of excellence."

Current Awards (Top three candidates and The Hockey Spy's current choice)

Art Ross: Malkin, Ovechkin, Crosby

Projected Winner: Malkin

Rocket Richard: Ovechkin, Parise, Kovalchuk (who I think will surpass Jeff Carter)

Projected Winner: Ovechkin

Hart Trophy: Malkin, Ovechkin, Parise—the first NHLer to 40G-40A this season is also plus-27.

Projected Winner: Ovechkin

Vezina Trophy: Tim Thomas, Steve Mason, Niklas Backstrom

Projected Winner: Steve Mason. Put Chara and Wideman in front of this guy and his GAA would be under 1.80 and he'd have 15 shutouts at this point. Mason makes the Blue Jackets a very dangerous playoff team.

Calder Trophy: Steve Mason, Bobby Ryan, Pekka Rinne

Projected Winner:Steve Mason. Should be the first guy since Eddie "The Eagle" Belfour to win the Vezina and Calder in same season.

Selke: Datsyuk, Mike Richards, Mikko Koivu

Projected Winner: Mike Richards

Lady Byng: Pavel Datsyuk, Patrick Marleau, Dennis Wideman. It'd be nice to see a D-man win this award.

Projected Winner: Patrick Marleau—to break Datsyuk's three-year hold.

Jack Adams: Claude Julien, Joel Quinville, Brent Sutter

Projected Winner: Claude Julien

Masterton: Phil Kessel, Craig Conroy, Rod Brind'Amour

Projected Winner: Phil Kessel. He battled cancer and has had a breakthrough offensive year, proving naysayers wrong about his attitude and his zeal for the game.

Lester B. Pearson: Ovechkin, Steve Mason, Malkin

Projected Winner: Ovechkin

Norris: Mike Green, Niklas Lidstrom, Dennis Wideman

Projected Winner: Mike Green

The Hockey Spy's Proposed Awards:

Bobby Orr Trophy (Replaces Norris Trophy, but find another way for the NHL to honour James Norris)

Projected Winner: Mike Green

Rod Langway Trophy (Best Defensive D-man): See Mirtle's interesting post for a stat-based analysis of this suggested award. Duncan Keith, Paul Martin, Nik Lidstrom

Projected Winner: Duncan Keith

Wayne Gretzky Trophy (Most Assists Per Game with at least 70 percent of games played): Malkin, Crosby, Datsyuk.

Projected Winner: Evgeni Malkin

Mario Lemieux Trophy (Most Creative Offensive Player, as voted by NHL peers, weighted on goalie and D-man picks): Malkin, Datsyuk, Crosby.

Projected Winner: Pavel Datsyuk

Mark Messier Trophy (Most Effective Leader/Captain): Jarome Iginla, Mike Richards, Niklas Lidstrom.

Projected Winner: Jarome Iginla

Sam Pollock Trophy (Best GM): Peter Chiarelli (Boston), Darryl Sutter (Calgary), Lou Lamoriello (New Jersey).

Projected Winner: Chiarelli.

Ken Holland of Detroit could probably win this award every year and would likely win this award in reality. I'm basing candidates on what they've done this year and more recently to shape their current team.

Chiarelli is deserving on multiple levels:

First, the signing of Chara and Savard a couple years back now look brilliant indeed, along with the offseason signing of former Coyotes draftee Blake Wheeler.

Second, he's been drafting gems beyond the first round. Bergeron, Krejci and Lucic are all major contributors.

Third and last, even without blockbuster trades the Bruins have made very effective trades which shape the current team. Dennis Wideman for Brad Boyes has worked out for both teams, but Wideman's emergence this year as an elite D-man gives Beantown the nod in this one.

Bringing in Recchi and Montador at the trade deadline were not the blockbusters trade rumour generators alike were predicting, but should prove effective for the stretch run and postseason.

Maybe the best decision by Chiarelli was a NON-move at the trade deadline. Not giving up Phil Kessel for Pronger was the right move!

Post your comments and award winners below!

Introducing..."The Hockey Spy"

Christopher Rock — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 22:48:45 -0400

I'll expand on this in future posts, but "The Hockey Spy" is a hockey blog with a focus on the future of hockey—the prospects.

As well, Christopher Rock—aka "The Hockey Spy"—is your inside agent covering current NHL events, fantasy hockey, international hockey, trade speculation, and of course the NHL entry draft.

I live in Calgary, Alberta (Canada) and am a huge Flames fan, so expect to see a fair portion of posts pertaining to the "C" of Red.

For more info now, check out my original introduction for my blog.

On occasion (well, maybe more often than I think), "The Hockey Spy" will become The Hockey Writer Vigilante - exposing unacceptable and down-right inaccurate hockey articles on the web.

Wayne Gretzky once said:"A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be."

"The Hockey Spy" attempts to take readers not just where hockey is right now, but where it's going in the future.

Join me on this hockey journey—and keep your stick on the ice!