Bleacher Report - Articles by David Heere

ESPN: World Wide Leader in Terrible Hockey Writers

David Heere — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:41:16 -0400

Any good hockey fan knows that ESPN is not their number-one source for hockey news. Writer Scott Burnside once again proved ESPN’s complete lack of any real hockey knowledge when he decided to post his NHL team rankings.

(If you have no idea what I am talking about, make sure to waste two minutes of your life by reading Burnside's Summer Power Rankings article.)

Burnside started off by ranking the Eastern Conference teams, and I was already done with him after the first team. He ranked the Pittsburgh Penguins the best team in the East—even with the mass migration of players from last year’s team.

Apparently Burnside has the same delusions as every bandwagon Penguins fan has that only four players matter on a team and “never mind the absence of Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque.”

Now, I am not saying the Penguins are the worst team in the East—but to rank them above the Montreal Canadians is just stupid.

Burnside then goes on to rank the Rangers at number four—even though they are, as he put it, “Different, but not necessarily better.”

How can a team not be better, but still climb in the rankings?

Fourth is pretty high for a boom-or-bust team, but it is the “logic” he used to come to his conclusion that makes me angry.

This so called “sports expert” then ranks the Carolina Hurricanes at number seven. Yes, the team that missed the playoffs twice in a row, and lost Erik Cole for Joni Pitkanen. Replacing 51 points with 26 points does not make your team better.

He ranked the Bruins at number 11, despite Boston making the playoffs last year and improving their team while losing no one of importance (sorry, Glenn Murray).

In the West, Burnside did a little bit better, but I still have some major grievances.

Burnside put Anaheim at number four, even though Selanne may not come back and the Ducks still have a defense that are going to be sponsored by AARP. Anaheim is a top-eight team, but not number four in such a strong Conference.

Other than that, I was generally okay with his Western Conference rankings—until I saw Colorado at number 13.

Okay, so we do not know if Joe Sakic will be back—but this team has some really great players like Ryan Smyth, Milan Hejduk, and Paul Stastny. Maybe the loss of Jeff Finger was enough to take this team out of the playoffs. Goaltending is a potential issue, so I would not put this team in the top five—but putting them at 13 is insulting.

It may seem like I am nitpicking, but I am not sitting here saying his number five team should be a number four. These are serious misplacements in the rankings—four or more spots for some teams!

To me, Burnside’s power rankings just further prove that ESPN does not anything about hockey.

How the NHL Should Use "Special" Games to Build Exposure

David Heere — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:09:43 -0400

There is a ton of coverage and conversation in the hockey world about this year's Winter Classic in Chicago.

The sad part is that this coverage seems to be limited to the hockey world, and no other sports people I talk to have even heard about it. I have not even been yelled at by a Cubs fan for hockey trespassing on their sacred field.

No one outside of hockey knows about the NHL opening their season in Europe, or the Rangers participation in the 2008 Victoria Cup.

I doubt that the 2009 All-Star Game will be a big hit, especially compared to the blockbuster show that the MLB put on.

I sat down in my thinking chair, and came up with some interesting solutions for the NHL's lack of exposure.

I love the whole idea of the Winter Classic. It represents hockey at its finest, and really touches players and fans on a deep level.

It would be like watching the Celtics play a pick-up game with the Lakers on the local blacktop. How about the Red Sox and the Yankees playing in a sandlot for the neighborhood trophy made from a really cool rock duct-taped to a couple of sticks?

The Winter Classic is sports at its finest. The only problem I have with the Winter Classic is that it is considered a regular-season game. The game is anything but regular, so why should it be a part of the regular season?

The conditions of the ice are different and the atmosphere is different, so in that respect it is not fair to the two teams that play to have it count as one of their 82 games.

I have come up with the solution: Combine the All-Star Game with the Winter Classic. Have the All-Star teams play on an outdoor rink.

Everything about it seems so perfect to me. There are more seats, so more fans can attend, and the league would combine two "special" game ideas. That should increase coverage.

If the NHL actually were to do this, I am pretty sure they would generate a substantial amount of buzz about the event. The only problem would be that once people see the All-Star Game, they might be turned off by the retarded relay race.

The game is fine, the fastest skater competition is fine, the hardest shot conest is fine, and the shooting accuracy competition is fine—but the league should get rid of the stupid Mickey Mouse passing drills.

They should also make the game worth something, like in baseball. The winning conference should get to be the home team for the Stanley Cup Finals.

I also wanted to give my two cents on the European road trip to kick off the regular season.

First of all, I am severely against playing regular-season games overseas. At the highest level, it is not fair to that team’s fans that get fewer games to see their team play. From the team's perspective, it really sucks to start your season off by flying around the world.

Eastern Conference teams complain about having to go to Western Canada, and the league responds by flying them out to Prague?

The whole reason we are given for this inconvenience is that is spreads our product to other countries—but this is complete bull, since both the Czech Republic and Sweden have their own much-respected hockey leagues!

If Gary Bettman really wanted to spread the joy of the NHL, he should start right here in North America. Play a game in Kansas City or Portland, or give those neglected people in Hamilton, Ontario some love.

If you want to play exhibition games against European or Russian teams, go right ahead—but do not take regular season games away from the NHL's loyal fans just so you can try to sell more Crosby jerseys in Europe.

A Love Letter to Hockey

David Heere — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:25:17 -0400

In my local newspaper on Sunday there was a letter to the sports editor complaining about the amount of hockey coverage in the sports section.

This person ranted on like a drunken frat boy about how no one cares about hockey and how college football is the greatest thing since someone fitted a tube to a funnel and poured beer down it.

I have become immune to the insults on my beloved sport from a bunch of cow-towners who could never understand the beauty of hockey. This attack, however, got to me for whatever reason and I decided to write a love letter of sorts, expressing my undying love for this sport.

Dear Hockey,

I have been quietly watching you from the stands since I was a young lad of five years of age. I quickly fell in love with your blistering pace and your unbridled skill. I did not ever doubt your use of fighting or thundering open ice hits because it just completed the ballet of massive Canadians and quick Russians.

My admiration did not falter when my favorite team decided on a defensive style. I enjoyed the countering and positioning like a life-sized chess game. Their one or two goals seemed so much more special and meaningful than the other teams who would score four or five goals.

I never got a chance to play you competitively when I was younger as you were not as popular in my area as you were popular in my heart. Finally the chance came when we got our own professional team and you caught on like a wildfire. Leagues and clubs popped up everywhere and I could finally enjoy you from your glittering smooth surface.

Others do not understand the skills and coordination it takes you play you. I am convinced that no other sport takes as much skill to perform properly as you do. You make me driven to be better so I can one day wow the crowds like so many before me.

Some ridicule you for being boring, awkward, or brutal. They are just jealous of your long and astounding history as well as your die hard fans. You have allowed me to meet so many people based solely on our shared love of you.

You are amazing hockey and I thank you for all the memories so far and all the memories to come.

David Heere

There are plenty of other reasons I follow hockey more than any other sport, but this letter would probably turn into a novel if I listed them all. Post your stories or love confessions about hockey in the comments section.

NHL: The 10 Teams You Should See in Person in 2008-2009

David Heere — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:06:28 -0400

If you are not a season ticket holder like I am, you have to pick out which select few games you are going to attend. I wrote this article to help you sift through all the games to find which ones you have to see.

This is a general list for all teams because I really do not feel like going through 30 teams’ schedules of 82 games and then writing a little blurb for all the teams. I know there are not home games and away games against all teams, but I will offer enough alternatives that if this one team does not come to town you can find another game to watch.

I am NOT saying these are the top 10 teams in the league! These are just 10 teams I think are worth seeing in person this upcoming season.

No. 1 Detroit Red Wings.

I hope no explanation is necessary as to why you should go see the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Red Wings are also an original six team and you should strive, as a hockey fan, to see all six of them play.

Another reason you should see this game is because you need to fill the stands with your fans—otherwise the Red Wings fans will come in droves, trust me.

No. 2 Montreal Canadians.

No, they are not the Eastern Conference Champs and, no, they do not have Sidney Crosby. But, they are an original six team and have the most cups of any franchise. They have a pretty good team this year too, in case you didn't know.

The only thing better would be seeing the Canadians play in Montreal, but this is not a bad alternative.

No. 3 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Although I think the Penguins aren't as good as they were last year, they do have two superstars. I have not seen Crosby or Malkin in person, so this is on good faith that they will deliver the same product I got when I saw Ovechkin.

You can watch one of these guys on TV a million times, but it is so much different to see them play in person. Bring your girlfriend in her pink Crosby jersey and giant “I <3 Crosby” sign and make an awkward date out of it.

No. 4 Washington Capitals.

You have no idea how amazing and big Ovechkin is until you see him in person. You also get the chance to see the Russian player with the highest NHL point total in Sergei Fedorov.

The Capitals are also a pretty good team if you had not noticed. It is worth seeing Brashear and his tree trunk legs pick a fight with your local goon.

No. 5 San Jose Sharks.

Montreal technically had a better powerplay last year, but I have seen San Jose’s five on four skills in person, and it is really frightening. They are so efficient with their set-up and passing—and that was also last year, before they picked up Dan Boyle.

Joe Thornton is a treat to watch, as is goaltender Nabokov.

No. 6 Chicago Blackhawks.

Young duo of Kane and Toews are jaw dropping to watch in person. You also get to see Brian Campbell and the Hawks' underrated defense. The fun part will be guessing which All-Star goalie the team will start that night.

Oh, and there is also the original six factor to consider.

No. 7 Boston Bruins.

Original six team, The “Other” Boston Team, and seeing how big 6’7” Chara is on skates. These tickets will probably be easier to pick-up than the teams mentioned above. Trust me.

No. 8 Philadelphia Flyers.

They are a pretty good team with a storied history and some pretty amazing players. If James vanRiemsdyk and Claude Giroux make the team, they will add to the superstar appeal. Additionally, Daniel Briere has moments of brilliance you could witness first hand.

No. 9 Columbus Blue Jackets.

If brilliance is what you are seeking, you should go to a Blue Jackets game and perhaps Rick Nash could give a repeat performance of his goal against the Coyotes last year. It might be a bit of a stretch, putting them in the top-10, but this team is much improved this year. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that they will produce.

Jakub Voracek and Derick Brassard are two rookies that are worth watching in person. You could probably walk up the night of the game and pick-up tickets, but you will get your money’s worth.

No. 10 Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers are a really young and really high powered team that should be exciting to watch. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano are an amazing duo. The addition of Erik Cole from Carolina makes the Oilers a team to go see for a fan who likes offense.

Like the Bruins and Blue Jackets, these tickets will be easy to pick-up in most areas.

Honorable Mention: New York Rangers.

If the New York Rangers live up to their potential, they will definitely be worth seeing. Nikolai Zherdev, when he chooses to apply his talent, is breathtaking in his skill, and I have seen him go end to end and score on multiple occasions.

This team could either be brilliant or a catastrophic flop during the regular season—that is why they did not make the top-10. However, keep an eye out if they get hot. There is also that original six factor that is worth considering.

A word of advice: DO NOT sit next to a Rangers fan.

The "Other" Boston Team

David Heere — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:38:33 -0400

Everyone knows about the huge moves the Blue Jackets, Rangers, and Lightning made. If you do not know what I am talking about, shame on you for living under a rock. My Boom or Bust article covers everything you need to know or go to any hockey website.

I wanted to cover a team you never saw coming that is going to have an amazing season. This team has all the pieces they need to be serious contenders.

I know a couple people from Boston and lately all I have heard is Tom Brady this, Red Sox that, Yankees suck, and all this while decked out in green clothes celebrating the return of the Celtics to basketball powerhouses. No one seems to be talking about “the other” Boston team, the Boston Bruins.

Secretly the Bruins have been putting together one very nasty team and outside of Zdeno Chara, there has been no mention of their possible greatness.

First, the Bruins have a really solid group of goaltenders. They have veterans Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas backed with the best goalie not playing in the NHL, Tuukka Rask. Fernandez has not delivered exactly what was expected of him and should be a good depth guy as the third goaltender.

This year could be Rask’s year to cut his teeth in the NHL as a backup to Tim Thomas. Rask has been playing in Finland and needs to become adjusted to the North American game before he can rightfully claim the starting job.

Tim Thomas is the starting goaltender and for good reason. Thomas’ 2.44 GAA and .921 save percentage are respectable and I believe he can repeat those numbers in the ’08-’09 season.

Guarding this trio of goaltenders is the Bruins’ underrated defense. The monolith that is Zdeno Chara led the Bruins' defense in most categories—including size—with 17 goals, 34 assists, 51 points, and 114 PIM.

The Bruins also have well-rounded Dennis Wideman contributing significant points from the blueline. The rest of Boston’s defense consists mainly of shutdown guys like veteran Aaron Ward, former first-rounder Mark Stuart, and anti-Crosby hero Andrew Ference (even though I would call the fight a draw).

Up front, the Bruins have multiple lines that can score and that translates into a serious threat for top heavy teams. Sure, the Bruins made that trade to get rid of Joe Thornton, but Marc Savard seems to be stepping into Joe’s place quite nicely by averaging more than a point a game last year.

Marco Sturm and Chuck Kobasew are also big contributors to the Bruins' top lines. Patrice Bergeron is the best player you have never heard of and if it were not for his injury early last season he would have put up similar numbers to Savard.

If you look at the Bruin’s stats from last year, you'll see it has a nice descending flow in point totals rather than a sharp drop off after the top line. This shows that even guys that play less minutes like David Krejci, Peter Schaefer, and Milan Lucic can contribute 20+ points a season.

In the off-season, the Bruins added former fifth overall pick Blake Wheeler from Phoenix to their line-up. Wheeler has played with Bruin and fellow American Phil Kessel at the University of Minnesota and a reunion could spell success.

Another possible reunion that the Bruins will reap the benefits from is coach Julien and newly acquired Michael Ryder. The Bruins hope the change of scenery and getting back with an old coach will return Michael Ryder to his 30 goal form.

All of these pieces the Bruins have assembled may not seem like much individually, but this is truly a great team capable of great things.

NHL Hockey Trivia: The Answers

David Heere — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:33:12 -0400

Think you knew all the answers to yesterday's Hockey Trivia to Cure Your Summer Boredom article?

Draft

Steven Stamkos (2 points)

Ontario Hockey League (3 points)

Erik Johnson, 2006, US National Under 18 Team (5 points)

Chris Phillips, 1996, Prince Albert Raiders (10 points)

Stanley Cup

Detroit Red Wings (2 points)

Montreal Canadians, 24 titles (3 points)

Maurice Richard, 11 (5 points)

No one, the season was canceled due to Influenza Epidemic (10 points)

NHL Commissioner

Gary Bettman (2 points)

NBA (3 points)

Gil Stein (5 points)

Franchises

Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets (2 points)

California Seals or any other team in the next answer (3 points)

L.A. Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, St Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota North Stars (5 points)

The Maple Leafs were known as the St. Patricks and before that as the Arenas, The Red Wings were known as the Falcons and before that they were the Cougars. (10 points)

Penalties

2 minutes (2 points)

Tripping an opponent by using your feet (3 points)

Dave “Tiger” Williams, 3,966 (5 points)

Records

Wayne Gretzky, 2,857 points (2 points)

Bobby Orr, 31 years old (3 points)

Joe Malone, 7 goals (5 points)

Firsts

Jacques Plante (2 points)

Bernard “Boom Boom“ Geoffrion (3 points)

Stan Mikita (5 points)

Now add up the number of total points from the questions you answered correctly and find where you stand as a hockey trivia fan. After you have found you standing, please post your point total and what level you are in the comments. Hope you had fun!

0-14 points Career Minor League Player

15-35 points Third or Forth Line Player

36-50 points Second Line Player

51-70 points First Line Player

71-100 points NHL All-Star

Hockey Trivia to Cure Your Summer Boredom

David Heere — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:30:35 -0400

Step right up and test your hockey trivia knowledge. The points each question are worth are listed after the actual question.

I will post the answers tomorrow so please do not spoil the fun for everyone by posting your answers in the comments. Most importantly, NO CHEATING! Looking something up on wikipedia or google and claiming you knew it is cheating! Otherwise, Have fun!

Draft

Who was the first overall draft in the 2008 NHL entry draft? (2 points)

What league did the player drafted first overall play for before he was drafted? (3 points)

Who was the last player drafted first overall that did not play for the CHL? (5 points)

Who was the last player to be drafted first overall from the WHL? (10 points)

Stanley Cup

What team won the Stanley Cup last season? (2007-’08) (2 points)

What NHL franchise has the most Stanley Cup finals victories? (3 points)

What NHL player has his name the most on the Stanley Cup as a player? (5 points)

What team won the 1918-’19 season’s Stanley Cup? (10 points)

NHL Commissioner

Who is the Commissioner for the NHL? (2 points)

What league did the current NHL Commissioner work for before the NHL? (3 points)

Who was the NHL Commissioner/President before the current one? (I wanted to say something mean about the current one, but I do not want to have to deal with his two fanboys leaving hate messages on my wall) (5 points)

Franchises

What are the names of the two newest NHL franchises? (2 points)

Name a team that was part of the 1967 NHL expansion. (3 points)

Name the other five teams that were part of the 1967 NHL expansion. (5 points)

Before they were the “Maple Leafs” and the “Red Wings”, what were the team names of these original six franchises? (10 points)

Penalties

A minor penalty is worth how many minutes in the penalty box? (2 points)

What is Slew Footing? (3 points)

What NHL player holds the record for most PIM in their career? (5 points)

Records

What NHL player has the most points in their career? (2 points)

Who was the youngest player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame? (3 points)

Who holds the record for most goals in one game? (5 points)

Firsts

Who was the first goalie to wear a mask full-time? (2 points)

Who was the player credited with “invention” of the slapshot? (3 points)

Who was the first player credited with using a curved blade on their stick? (5 points)

0-14 points Career Minor League Player

15-35 points Third or Forth Line Player

36-50 points Second Line Player

51-70 points First Line Player

71-100 points NHL All-Star

Thanks Jay Feaster?

David Heere — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:43:38 -0400

The rebuilding in Tampa Bay started early, hit hard, and when the dust settled, the team looked drastically different than it did last year.

The Lightning are not just different, but more importantly they are much better.

The Lightning went through a very important draft and a very busy off-season.

None of this is a problem, because it helps a General Manager build the team they want.

Feaster however, will not be the Lightning GM come September and see his rebuilding effort come into focus.

The real question for me is: why would Feaster wait until all the important dates and activities in the summer are done?

He built the ship, hired the crew, and as it is about to set sail— Feaster jumps ship.

From the report, it seems like Feaster was pushed out by the new owners and did not feel like he had control over the team.

Why would the owners not kick Feaster out and find a guy that had their vision of a team earlier?

Unless, the new GM comes from this group of owners, I am pretty sure the team will have an interesting time finding a GM.

What if he did not want “The Mullet” behind the bench or Vinny Lecavalier to be the long-term player he is now?

What good GM would want to have no control over the team they have “control” over?

A team that wants to rebuild like the Lightning, should take a page from the Blue Jackets’ book.

They canned their GM at the end of the season and allowed their new GM to draft and do a bit of free agency.

New GM, Scott Howson, has been able to take the reigns for an entire year now and according to reports is quite happy with his team.

The new Lightning GM will have to wait a whole season before they can start building their team.

The new GM is going to be looking at two or more years until they can make a team they want.

I have to hope for the sake of Tampa Bay fans this is not a bad omen for their season or future.

NHL Players: Offseason Losers

David Heere — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:11:08 -0400

Today I will examine players that I consider to be "losers" from this offseason.

Losers- These are not bad players! These players may have not made a good choice in new teams. Side effects of being a loser include decreased point total or decreased role with their new team.

Sean Avery

I think any team would love a Sean Avery, Jared Boll, or STEVE OTT. Dallas decided it would be a good idea to have two.

Sean Avery moved away from the spotlight that he loves for the desert of Texas. Avery will now have to compete with Ott for drawing the ire of players.

I am not sure the points will be there for Avery either because Dallas has not been the most offensively explosive team lately outside of their top line. He may also not have his goofy exploits covered by ESPN as much and to him that is bad.

Pavel Demitra

You want to go to Vancouver? Do you think the Sedin Twins are going to bring your point totals up? Sorry Pavel, the Sedins will put up big numbers as usual, but you will not be a fixture on the top line.

Demitra went to the Canucks because he said he did not like Minnesota’s style of hockey and Vancouver is a winner.

I will pause for laughter.

You took a pay cut and did not get the contract you wanted with a team that is so desperate they offered $10 million a season to Mats Sundin. Demitra better hope Sundin does not take that contract because that would be just one more guy kicking him down into third line duty.

Wade Redden

The pressure of performing in Ottawa was too much for you? Redden will be eaten alive in New York. He was logging huge ice time in Ottawa because he was one of their only weapons on the blue line. Now Redden is going to have to compete for ice time with a bunch of hungry young players and guys that are comfortable with the media attention and New York fans.

Redden’s ice time will be down and he may spend some nights crying because this old lady outside of MSG told him he sucks and makes too much money.

Cristobal Huet

You left a team that was willing to kick out a long time goaltender to have you. You went to a team that has a starting goaltender in Nikolai Khabibulin.

I think I see Huet’s thought process: “make $5.625 million for only playing 30 games… sounds great!”

Unless there is something going to happen in the Windy City that we do not know about, I think he is going to not get as much playing time as he could have somewhere else. Huet also went from a very mediocre Southeast to a very potent division with a lot of young scorers and the defending Stanley Cup champions.

NHL Players: Offseason Winners

David Heere — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:24:16 -0400

All hockey fans should know by now which teams everyone has pegged as winners and losers of the off-season. The question I would like take a look at is which players are the real winners and losers of this offseason.

Winners today, losers tomorrow.

I should start off by saying a winner is not necessarily a player that is going to score 50 goals and win a Stanley Cup, but rather a winner is a player the went to a much better situation for them individually. This is a perfect transition into my first winner:

Gilbert Brule

If you just said “He is not a winner! He will not score 50 goals!” you need to read the paragraph above that you obviously skipped.

Yes, Brule was a high first round draft pick who may never live up to expectations. However, his small size and fast tempo are well suited for Edmonton.

Brule gets the added benefit of starting over with a new team, and this could do wonders for his confidence—which was shattered by his premature entrance into the NHL.

Additionally, Brule projects to be on a second or third line in Edmonton. That is much better than where he would have been in Columbus—pulling occasional fourth-line duty.

Brule is not a big time winner, but I would call him my budget winner.

Ron Hainsey

Do not think I am picking on the Blue Jackets by saying that every player that leaves will be in a better situation. In Hainsey’s case, he is going to a worse team in Atlanta, but this situation will personally benefit him.

Columbus’ defense got much better in the offseason, and this could have spelled a cut in Hainsey’s minutes. Instead, in Atlanta he will get all the playing time he could ever want.

Being a Thrasher should see Hainsey’s point total increase significantly even though his plus/minus may suffer from the lack of help around him.

Marian Hossa

How could moving to Detroit make Marian Hossa a winner? Do you even watch hockey? The top line of Detroit is going to look like the top line from some fantasy hockey league.

At left wing is offensive genius and third-place Selke Trophy nominee, sweet Swede Henrik Zetterberg. Centering this juggernaut of a line is Selke Trophy winner and almost 100-point scorer Pavel Datsuk. Marian Hossa gets to play right wing.

His point totals will be sick this year, and he has the added benefit of going from a team that lost a lot of players to the Stanley Cup winners who lost practically no players. Hossa will be a winner who does in fact score 50 goals and win a Stanley Cup.

Jaromir Jagr

The KHL gets a superstar with name recognition that they can plaster all over posters for their new league. Jagr gets to drink from the fountain of youth and is essentially a rookie again.

The style of the league is suited for him, but it might take some time for him to adjust. He will put up some amazing numbers and people will love him again.

He was becoming old news in the NHL, and losing his coverage to the youth movement in the NHL. This will show people on an international stage he is still one of the best.

Oh, and I hear the paycheck is not too bad.

I Thought We Had an Agreement?

David Heere — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:03:48 -0400

There is a new hockey league in town, the KHL. The KHL is the new name for the Russian Super League for those of you who were wondering what the heck the KHL is.

The one key difference between the old Russian league and this new KHL, is that the KHL has tons of money and is sick of having its players go to the NHL. So, the new Russians are trying to steal players under contract with NHL teams as long as there is no transfer agreement between the two leagues.

This all started last year with the Columbus Blue Jackets having Alexander Svitov sign a two year contract with the Jackets then turn around almost the next day and sign a contract in Russia and go to play for Avangard Omsk.

The Jackets were much better off without the bust of a former third overall pick, but that is beside the point.

Recently with the new money the KHL is making, they have been throwing ridiculous contracts at NHL players like Malkin and Jagr to try to bring some star power to this new league.

In looking at this issue from the Russian’s perspective, the NHL has been doing similar things to their players since Sergei Fedorov (Detroit Red Wings).

A random Russian hockey team is at some team dinner or something, and a guy like Nikolai Zherdev (another Blue Jacket) “has to go the bathroom” or something.

Sounds of a taxi cab peeling out from in front of the restaurant can be heard and the coaches and players looked baffled at how long it is taking this guy to finish his business. It turns out that while his team is downing their military ration, this Russian player is munching on peanuts on a red eye flight to the United States.

This backstabbing and double-crossing was getting out of hand, so recently the NHL and the new KHL signed an agreement to respect players under contract in their respective leagues. The announcement came on the afternoon of July 10, 2008. That morning the Blue Jackets had signed Nikita Filatov to an entry level contract.

So now we hear that the KHL claims the Blue Jackets and Filatov’s Canadian Hockey League team owes them compensation for signing him. It is hard to get an exact read on the situation because there are conflicting stories coming out of both camps and the International Ice Hockey Federation works slower than a Zamboni when it comes to resolving situations.

Additionally, the Russians claim that under their law (which the IIHF has no control over) that Filatov is not an unrestricted free agent even though he is not under contract with the Russians. I think that translates to, "he is a restricted free-agent that does not want to sign with his team and his team will not trade his rights", but my Russian is bit rusty.

Personally, I think the Blue Jackets signed Filatov before the agreement went into affect and therefore they, and the CHL team, do not owe the Russians anything. Add that to the fact he is not under contract, reportedly, so his situation is not covered under the transfer agreement.

To add an even higher level of complexity to the situation, on July 11, the KHL team Salavat Yulayev Ufa, signed Nashville Predators’ player Alexander Radulov. I know, it makes my head hurt too, but just think of it like a soap opera. Radulov claims he sort of told Nashville he wanted out of his contract to go play in Russia.

This is similar in regards to Swede Jonas Frogren, who apparently asked to be released from his contract from his Swedish club to sign with the Maple Leafs.

Anyway, the Radulov situation has an interesting twist because the team he signed with is under the thumb of the IIHF so it gets exempt from this “Russian law” stuff and has to abide by the transfer agreement.

The bottom line is this: Sit down, shut the heck up, and stop stealing each other’s players. Otherwise there might be another Cold War between the Central Division and the KHL.

Revisting Why the Pens Will Not be Back Next Year.

David Heere — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:17:19 -0400

I wanted to write a follow up article on my Why the Pens Will Not be Back Next Year article. In the previous article I pointed out the oncoming exodus of players from Pittsburgh via-free agency and how the team was going to screw itself over by locking up a few superstar players to long pricey contracts.

I of course was mauled by every Penguins fan on the internet as a bias and ignorant Devils fan. There is no way they can sign two players to contracts that could total over $17 million. Marc-Andre Fleury will not be worth $5-6 million. They will resign Hossa and all their other free agents.

Well look who is laughing now. Malkin signed a $9 million contract when I said he would get $8+ million. Marc-Andre Fleury got a $5 million contract when I said he would make $5-6 million. Hossa left Pittsburgh for, as he put it, a real cup contender.

How many of their 16 Eastern Conference Champion team’s free agents did they sign? THREE! I said they will not even be able to resign a chunk of their players and they just resigned Pascal Dupuis, Mark Eaton, and Brooks Orpik.

To rub salt in the faces of those experts that said the Marian Hossa trade was amazing, I would like to point out the Penguins gave up two former first round players, a first round pick in 2008, and a former third round draft pick.

What they got was a rental player who did not win them a Stanley Cup, then bolted for another team. Now the Penguins are out four players that could have filled out their roster this season.

Some say that Pittsburgh will not stumble at all because the team resigned their “core players.”

Six players do not make up the “core” of a hockey team. There are three forwards, two defensemen, and a goalie in that “core” and that makes up one shift. What are you going to do with the other 30+ minutes of the hockey game? You need at least 10 or 11 players to have a “core” of a team.

The Penguins are seriously lacking third and forth line players. If you look at the Penguins stats from last year, there was a serious drop off of point from outside the top five forwards. Ryan Malone had 51 points, and the next closest foward was Jordan Staal and his 28 points and -5 rating.

Never mind the third and forth line guys, who could possibly replace the 66 points from Hossa, the 51 points from Ryan Malone, the combined 279 PIM from Georges Laraque and Jarkko Ruutu, and finally the leadership and 15 points in 38 games from Gary Roberts?

Apparently two former New York Islanders, fresh off their 25th place finish last season, are going to replace all the lost Penguins. Miroslav Satan and his 41 points and Ruslan Fedotenko and his 33 points are going to take the Penguins back to the Promised Land.

Let us not forget the Penguins also brought in former ninth round draft pick and unproven NHLer Janne Pesonen. His enigma of a season last year has prompted fans everywhere to jump back on the bandwagon.

Matt Cooke also signed with the Penguins and his 23 points and 91 PIM are a sub-par substitute for departed Ruutu.

Eric Godard will be taking the place of George Laraques, except Godard will only contribute one or two points compared to Laraques’ 20ish average points a season.

Bottom line is the players that the Penguins are bringing in are worse than the players that went out. Unless you really want to debate that Miroslav Satan and Fedotenko are better than Hossa and Malone? You can call me bias and stupid all you want, but the stats do not lie.

It is a simple equation that says to me: Unless the Penguins’ front office really thinks Sidney Crosby is good enough to take on an entire team with a couple other players, I would not expect to see the Penguins anywhere near the Stanley Cup this season.

New Jersey Devils:Top Five Draft Classes

David Heere — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 10:57:21 -0400

Some fans were not too happy with my previous article and how hard I was on the Devils' 2008 draft picks. I thought I would make it up my readers and write a top five Devils' drafts article.

Honorable Mention - 1996

This is definitely an odd way to start off my countdown considering not many people even remember who the Devils drafted in 1996. There is a good reason that no super star comes to mind when you think about this year’s draft because it was the year of the goon.

Scott Parker, Colin White, Willie Mitchell, and Lance Ward are the highlights of this draft class. They have a combined 2,312 PIM in only 1,495 games. All of them except Lance Ward still play in the NHL and are all known for their physical play. Lance Ward posted 212 PIM in 52 games last year playing for HV71 Jonkoping.

Honorable Mention II - 1993

This class was not quite good enough to make the top five but is still worth listing. 1993 had two players with 678 points in 1380 games between Jay Pandolfo and Brendan Morrison. I also wanted to point out Krzysztof Oliwa was drafted this year and contributed 1447 PIM in 410 NHL games.

No. 5 - 1992

Coming in at No. 5 is the 1992 draft class. Headlining this year are defenseman Jason Smith, dearly departed Sergei Brylin, Cale Hulse, and Stephane Yelle. These players combined for 810 pts. in 3173 GP and all of them except Hulse are still in the league.

No. 4 - 1998

Mike Van Ryan, Scott Gomez, and Brian Gionta are the top players coming out of this draft. 890 points in 1377 games makes this a very impressive class. All of these players are still playing in the NHL and are still putting up impressive statistics.

No. 3 - 1982

The very first draft the franchise participated in as the New Jersey Devils. Only two players are household names from this draft class, Ken Daneyko and Pat Verbeek. The stats on these two retired players are staggering with 1241 pts. and 5421 PIM in 2707 GP. Daneyko added three Stanley Cups with the Devils and Verbeek had one with Dallas in 1999.

No. 2 - 1994

The second best class according to me was the class of 1994 which includes All-Stars Patrik Elias, Sheldon Souray, and Steve Sullivan. These three players have a combined 1401 points in 2000 games played.

They are the highest trio of points per game players of the same draft class and that is why they find their way to the silver medal. All three players are still playing in the NHL and are very important to each of their respective teams.

No. 1 - 1990

Any good Devils fan knew 1990 was coming. This was the year of the goalie including legendary Devil Martin Brodeur. Brodeur combined with other goalies Corey Schwab and Mike Dunham to play in 1509 games. This class also had defenseman Jaroslav Modry and Valeri Zelepukin who have 544 pts. in 1320 GP. Additionally, this class had the most players see some NHL playing time at 10.

There are three draft classes that are too young, but could eventually crack this list. Look for the class of 2004 draft picks of Tyler Eckford and big guy Nathan Perkovich to add to current Devil Travis Zajac’s contributions.

2006’s class features pit bull Matt Corrente, Alexander Vasyunov, Kirill Tulupov, Vladimir Zharkov, defenseman T.J. Miller, defenseman Olivier Magnan, and Tony Romano.

2007 was a small class, but it was packed with firepower in Mike Hoeffel, Matt Halischuk, Vili Sopanen, and power forward Nick Palmieri.

Grading the New Jersey Devils' Offseason Moves

David Heere — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:38:03 -0400

Second round of the playoffs came about, and again, the Devils were done.

This is a pretty disturbing trend, and the franchise said they realized it. Word from the team was the defense was going to be retooled in the offseason and some improvements were going to be made.

If you read my draft recap article, my biggest needs article, or any other recent Devils article, you should know I am not very happy about the team.

I get hockey and I get Devils hockey, and I get the kind of players the organization usually looks for. Lately, I have felt like the team is really off track and in disrepair.

So to gauge the moves the Devils have made, I am going to give them a report card for their offseason moves so far:

Draft: C

The draft was a chance to reload for the future, and possibly now. I was staring at Greg Nemisz, a big two-way center from the Windsor Spitfires—the Devils ended up taking two other players from Windsor in the draft, but not the one I thought they should—but the rug was pulled out from under me when the Devils went with undersized Swedish left wing Mattias Tedenby.

The scouting report on Tedenby is that he plays a lot like Brian Gionta. It makes me wonder if Gionta—entering the last year of his contract—will be around after the trade deadline next season. I really do not like this pick, but it is hard to judge how European players will do in the NHL, so I could be wrong.

The Devils got a steal by nabbing defenseman Matt Delahey at pick 112, considering he was ranked 50th by Central Scouting. Other than that, the Devils got a couple of average picks, so I think I will give them an average grade.

Total Re-signing: C+

I liked the players the Devils brought back on offense, but they did not get rid of as many players as I thought they would on the defense. To me, it looks like that retooled defense comment was just a rumor.

Jay Pandolfo: B+

I was worried when I heard rumors the Devils were going to cut Jay loose, but breathed a sign of relief when they re-signed him. Teamed up with John Madden, Pandolfo wll be a force on the penalty kill and as part of a shutdown line.

Pandolfo had 12g-12a-24pt in 54 games, which is pretty good for a third-line guy on a team with “no offense”. My only beef with this is the $2.5 million—which is a little hard to swallow.

David Clarkson: B+

I love Clarkson. In his rookie campaign he had 9g-13a-22pt, and 185 PIM. He crashes and bangs, but as he showed in the Young Stars game, he has some serious offensive upside. I hope he sees more time on the power play, so he can park that big body in front of the net and cause havoc.

He may never make it consistently above the fourth or third lines, but at $800k I consider him a good bargain.

Bryce Salvador: C+

It is hard to judge a stay-at-home defenseman by his stats—but one requirement I always have is they have to be a plus player, unless they happen to be on a minus team.

Salvador was plus-one last season as a Devil, including the playoffs, and managed just a playoff goal and no other points. For his career he is a -23, including the playoffs, and that does not do much for my confidence in his ability to shut other players down.

I suppose he did not get enough of a chance to prove his play to me or the Devils last season due to injury, and the team wanted to see more. He got a $2.9 million contract—so he better step up big because that is pretty high for a stay-at-home guy.

Mike Mottau: D+

Mottau is a former Hobey Baker winner—and that concludes the nice things I have to say about him.

He is a career AHL player, and I do not see how bringing him back is change for the defense in the right direction. Mottau is too small, and does not hit hard enough or play with enough of an edge to be a stay-at-home guy. His team-worst -11 in the regular season and -3 in the playoffs just proves he can not play the defensive game.

He averaged 20-plus minutes of ice time and still only managed 4g-13a-17pt in 76 games. I think the Devils could have found a more defensively responsible guy that would have put up more points. He is only making $750k, so I suppose it could have been worse.

Signings: B

This area makes me the happiest so far this offseason. The Devils brought back two proven contributors who can potentially get the Devils over that first-round hump in the playoffs. They could also potentially both be busts. Regardless, the Devils got my attention and the attention of the rest of the league with these signings:

Brian Rolston. A-

An ex-Devil coming back to the team in his mid-to-late 30s? That should surprise no one.

I really like Rolston coming back. He seems like he will do very well in the Brent Sutter system, and will probably add 30 goals and 60 points to the team playing on the first line.

Rolston could play the point on the power play and contribute that cannon of a shot he has. He apparently had a lot of teams after him, and I find it to be a bargain to come to the Devils at around $5 million a season.

The interesting part is going to see who he kicks out of the top two lines—and possibly off the team.

Bobby Holik. C+

An ex-Devil coming back to the team in his mid-to-late 30s? Déjà vu. Holik puts an emphasis on the late part of that comment, seeing as how he is 37.

I definitely see Holik as the type of player David Clarkson will be in a few years. He had 15g-19a-34pt and 90 PIM in 82 games last year. That total might go down this year as he is getting older, but 30 points and his big style of play will be welcomed.

He only averaged about 16 minutes of ice time last year with the Thrashers and I see him probably getting about the same work load on the third line with Madden and Pandolfo, or possibly getting goon duty on the fourth.

Overall: C+

The Devils had a really bland offseason compared to what I was expecting. Hopefully, the few moves they did make will pay off next year.

However, I do not think the Devils are done making moves, because, as I stated, Brian Rolston kicked someone out of the top-six forwards, and it makes me wonder if there might be a departure.

The rumors are the Devils are shopping Vitaly Vishnevski, and may just release him completely.

The Devils could also see some prospects fight for jobs next year, like Rod Pelley, Nicklas Bergfors, Petr Vrana, Matt Halischuk, Mark Fraser, Matt Corrente, and Nick Palmieri. If these prospects can prove they are ready for the NHL—and possibly even a better alternative to a current player—the Devils could make even more moves to shuffle some people around.

I would like to leave with my thoughts on the Sergei Brylin situation. He was a great player and will be missed dearly. I give the Devils kudos for cutting emotional ties with a player to make a better team, because his $1.52 million was way too much to be paying him.

I do not think the Devils fans have seen the last of Sergei Brylin, and he could be back in a different non-player position.

NHL Signings: Boom or Bust Teams

David Heere — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 13:23:56 -0400

Now that the trading dust has settled, it is time to sit back and see what happened. There are several teams that look drastically different and I know you are just dying to hear my opinion of their moves. Here are three teams I think made the most drastic changes to their line-ups. These are the moves as of July 5th.

New York Rangers

Additions: Wade Redden, Markus Naslund, Aaron Voros, Patrick Rissmiller, Dmitri Kalinin, Nikolai Zherdev, and Dan Fritsche.

Departures: Jaromir Jagr, Sean Avery, Martin Straka, Fedor Tyutin, Christian Backman, and Brendan Shanahan.

At this point it is rumored that Paul Mara is resigning and that Straka and Shanahan will not be back. The additions of Zherdev, Naslund, and Fritsche make the Rangers much deeper in scoring up front.

The loss of their old guys club (Jagr, Straka, and Shanahan) does not hurt them as much as some people think because of how much better the younger guys on this team are going to be. Aaron Voros will fill the whole left by Sean Avery quite nicely as well.

Shipping out Backman and Tyutin leaves some space for Bobby Sanguinetti to try to crack the line-up. Redden adds a quarterback on the powerplay and role model for the young defense. My only concern about the Rangers team is that the defense might be too young in some spots and the entire team to me seems like a boom or bust team.

Redden does not apparently do well with pressure and New York spotlight will test that rumor. Nikolai Zherdev has talent to be a superstar and then some, but is some what of an enigma. Markus Naslund seems to be losing his potency, but a change in scenery could spark a resurgence.

There are a couple of other players on this team that have “but”s in their description. Depending on which players actually show up on game night the Rangers could be Atlantic champs or scrapping the bottom of the division with the Islanders.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Additions: Raffi Torres, Mike Commodore, Fedor Tyutin, Christian Backman, R.J. Umberger, and Kristian Huselius

Departures: Nikolai Zherdev, Dan Fritsche, Ron Hainsey, Gilbert Brule, and Duvie Westcott

The only question mark is Michael Peca. He seems to think he will be back, but I do not think the Blue Jackets need him and staying could even hurt the chances of some of their prospects getting a shot. The funny part is the Blue Jackets have two players in their system that could have edged Peca out of a spot even while he was in his prime.

Jakub Voracek and Derek Brassard are almost certainly going to make the roster next year and could even find 2nd line spots thanks to the departure of Zherdev, Fritsche, and Brule. The additions of Umberger and Torres fit perfectly into the new Jackets and it makes them very big and tough up front.

However, the Jackets’ forwards are dwarfed by the additions of big 6’5” Mike Commodore, 6’4” Backman, and 6’3” Tyutin. Add those three players to 6’3” Jan Hejda and 6’3” Rusty Klesla and you have a formula to a defense core that all contribute 20 or more points and will bring serious nastiness to the ice.

This new defense will help out raising star goaltender Pascal Leclaire. Kristian Huselius adds a third Swedish player and I predict will have some amazing chemistry on the top line with Rick Nash and either Freddy Modin or Umberger.

The rebuilding plan in Columbus has impressed me greatly and the sky is the limit for this young team (The sky being a symbol for two northern divisional opponents in Chicago and Detroit). Welcome to the playoffs Columbus, better late than never.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Additions: Olaf Kolzig, Ryan Malone, Radim Vrbata, Gary Roberts, Adam Hall, David Koci, Matt Carle, prospect Ty Wishart,Wyatt Smith, Janne Niskala, and Vaclav Prospal

Departures: Marc Denis, Brad Lukowich, and Dan Boyle

Turn your back on a team for one second and all the sudden they may not be completely terrible. The Lightning must have finally realized you can not win with just three really good players. Tampa Bay added lots and lots of depth to their team.

They got back Prospal who will help on offense along with Radim Vrbata. 1st overall draft pick Steven Stamkos could see some playing time on the 2nd or 3rd line. Ryan Malone will be an interesting addition and adds some power to the team.

Gary Roberts adds what every team acquires him for: leadership and experience. Adam Hall and David Koci add some grit. Their defense is still a little thin but trading Dan Boyle is not the end of the world because they got a very good defenseman in Matt Carle and a good prospect in Ty Wishart.

I still consider this team to be rebuilding but they have taken many steps to filling out their roster. Tampa Bay will not finish last this year and I give them a chance at making the playoffs.

They could be this year’s version of last year’s Philadelphia or they could fall flat on their face and all their work makes them this year’s version of last year’s L.A. Kings.

Team Report: New Jersey Devils Roster

David Heere — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:20:12 -0400

This is the first in a series of articles describing the current state of the New Jersey Devils. In this article I am going to shine some light on the current club's players and possible future players.

First let us see what the Devils have as far as the big club goes. They have several potential 50-point players in the 07/’08 season right now with Zach Parise, Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Travis Zajac.

These players are so solid offensively and defensively, any team would love to have them. Travis Zajac will have a coming of age season but should still be the No. 2 center. Jamie Lagenbrunner will hopefully get to play a full season and should have a pretty good one as Right Wing on the No. 1 line.

Patrik Elias seems to have finally adjusted to Brent Sutter’s system and will be back to his No. 1 line job and should be playing Left Wing rather than Center.

Zach Parise is the best player on the Devils in terms of scoring skills and I would be interested in seeing him try Center on the No. 1 line since he is a natural Center.

The Devils also have one of the top shutdown tandems in the league with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo. David Clarkson is one of my favorite players on the team and I think he will get even better this year. Clarkson can play on that third line with Madden/Pandolfo or as a fourth line guy and can be thrown in front of the net during power plays.

Sergei Brylin is the other third or fourth line option the Devils have. If they want some more firepower on the third they can put Brylin in or if they want more shutdown they can put in Clarkson.

Additionally, the Devils have a few forwards I think they should consider getting rid of in Brian Gionta, Dainius Zubrus, and Michael Rupp. I get that Michael Rupp is your big fourth-line guy but I think he might get bumped by some of the Devils’ prospects this fall.

The Devils needed a first line center last year so they signed Right Wing Dainius Zubrus to a six-year, $3.4 million a year contract. I do not know who would take a player who has only been over 50 points twice in his career for that much money and for that long of a contract, but if the Devils can find someone they should get rid of him.

I know everyone loves Brian Gionta and he had that amazing season where he scored 48 goals, but that will never happen again. Gio’s contract is up next season, and I could see him as a deadline deal or perhaps before. I also do not see the Devils resigning Arron Asham.

On the blue line the Devils need to rebuild, but they have some pieces of the puzzle. Paul Martin is in the same mold as Rafalski and Niedermayer and can have a 40-point season.

Colin White is your shutdown guy, and his value can not be expressed on paper, meaning he will not score much. Johnny Oduya is really impressive and I think he will get better again this season contributing equally as a physical presence and a scoring one.

Andy Greene is not quite a top-four d-man but he is pretty solid if he can find a roster spot, but I think the Devils can find someone better. Vitaly Vishnevski is a Darian Hatcher-type player, but not even close to as good. I would not feel bad if he left and I have similar thoughts with him as Andy Greene.

Sheldon Brookbank is a good player I would like to see make the full-time leap from the AHL level. Karel Rachunek is gone back to Russia, and I assume Bryce Salvador is not going to be resigned either.

Mike Mottau was resigned for some reason. In my opinion, he is a terrible player and I really hope the Devils are not so in love with him that he will not make the cut in the fall and go to the minors where he belongs.

The Devils recently signed Anssi Salmela from Finland, and he has put up some impressive numbers. I can only hope that he turns out like other Devils’ defensemen picked out of the European leagues like Johnny Oduya and Brian Rafalski

I am choosing not to spend much time talking about Goalies for obvious reasons. Martin Brodeur. The End. My only concern is the Devils do not have very strong goaltending prospects and there are very few in general.

The Devils have a couple players that are going to take a shot at making the roster this fall. Rod Pelley might make it, but is only a fourth line guy. He plays a lot like John Madden.

Nicklas Berfors made it to the roster last season but hurt himself and then spent the rest of the season in the minors. He plays a very European game with fast skating and good stick handling and I would be curious to see him on the second line.

Petr Vrana has a good shot of making the team this year. Scouts say he plays a lot like Sergei Brylin, but I do not see that. Vrana had a breakout season in the AHL last year and probably will be a fourth-line guy with Pelley and Brylin. That means the Devils could have every line be a potential scoring threat.

If the Devils try to replace Rupp with another big guy, it will be Barry Tallackson. Tallackson keeps getting called up for brief stints with the team, but he might not be able to make the full-time jump.

Matt Corrente and Mark Fraser are the d-men looking for roster spots. Corrente has some character issues but is one hell of a pit-bull on ice. Mark Fraser plays like a Colin White clone.

In the future, there are a couple players to look out for. Russian Left Winger Alexander Vasyunov has plenty of upside, but he has some maturing to do. Brad Snetsinger will probably end up playing in Lowell next season and might eventually make the big club’s roster.

The Devils have four Right Wing prospects to keep your eye on gritty Nick Palmieri, big Nathan Perkovich, offensive god Matt Halischuk, and Vladimir Zharkov.

The only Center with a chance is Tony Romano, but he seems to be a long shot. Defense has only two other guys I could see making the pro level, T.J. Miller and Tyler Eckford.

A Different Type of Playoff Article, Shootout Vs Overtime Debate

David Heere — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:11:14 -0400

Refusing to be one of too many writers that think they have some sort of magic 8-ball of playoff predictions, I searched for another way to talk about something relevant to the playoffs. I came up with an interesting question that will hopefully spawn a good debate. Is it fair to have a different format for deciding a tie game in the regular season than in the playoffs?

In the regular season, a game that is tied goes to 5 minutes of sudden death overtime and then a best-of-three shootout. In the playoffs however, if the game is tied after regulation then full 20 minute overtime periods are played until one team scores. Is this switching of systems fair to the players, coaching, and players?

Here are the three options I came up with in regards to the system to resolve ties at the end of regulation.

Revert back to the old system without the shootout and a longer OT period during the regular season. Pros include better preparing the players for the playoff system and giving a sense of consistency. This system would also eliminate the soft two points that are guaranteed each game, but more on that later. The main con would be it is hard for casual hockey fans to sit through three periods of 20 minutes, let alone the addition of another full period of OT. It also takes more of a toll on the players that have to play another game the next day. Additionally it strikes a problem with the broadcasters who will either have to blackout the game or end up not showing the shows that would normally be scheduled, especially in the playoffs.

Option two is to introduce the shootout into the playoffs. This will ruffle the feathers of most hockey traditionalists, including me. This option has a similar pro to reverting back to the old system because it would give some sense of continuity from the regular season to the playoffs. A shootout system would also keep casual fans interested to watch the game all the way through because it will not likely last until one o’clock in the morning like some triple OT games can. One of cons for this idea would be it takes away some of the tradition of the game. It also eliminates the hero status for that guy who scores the triple-overtime winner.

The NHL could also leave the system as it stands now. The pro as far as I can see is I am the only one to bring this up as a problem, no one else seems to mind the current system so why fix what no one has a problem with. A con would be a skewed regular season point system. A team that wins 40+ games in the regular season makes it to the playoffs but gets swept in 4 games because they no longer have the luxury of the shootout which provided them with 10 of those wins. It is entirely plausible that if given the extra OT time they could have won those 10 games anyway, but not that likely. Teams also seem to not even bother playing the 5 minutes of OT during the regular season, it seems like they are just playing for the shootout.

Those are the options I am proposing and hopefully they will spark some sort of call for continuity from regular season to playoffs. Personally I would also hate to see the shootout go because it is very exciting to watch, however the abundance of “.500+” teams and wins from the shootout seem to be painting a picture that some teams are better than they actually are. On the other hand, I am a hockey traditionalist and I could not stand the NHL changing the game anymore than they already have.

New Jersey Devils: Team Awards for 2008

David Heere — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:55:44 -0400

Today I am in a strangely giving mood so now would be a good time to pass out some awards. First up are some of the minor awards like the most improved, biggest bust, and Mr. Tough-guy.

Most improved goes to the player that showed the most improvement from last season to this season. I am giving this one to David Johnny “Orr” Oduya. He went from 2G-9A-11P with a -5 rating in '06-'07 to 6G-20A-26P and a team leading +27. Oduya went from a minus player to a big plus player and more than doubling all his stats, which is just phenomenal. Now that Oduya seems fully adjusted from the Swedish leagues to the NHL, Devils’ fans can expect this sort of production and plus play for years to come.

Biggest bust award is given to the player who just did not live up to expectations put on them. This one goes to two players: Mike Mottau and Dainius Zubrus. Averaging over 20 minutes of ice time a night, Mike Mottau did not put up the stats or effort to justify that much playing time. Mottau only had 17 points and was a -11. He also seemed to always be the guy who was responsible for the turnover in the Devils’ zone which end up costing them a goal. Mottau only makes the league minimum; however, Dainius Zubrus makes a reported $3.4 million. Zubrus managed to only put up 13G-25A-38P while playing on the top 2 lines for most of the season. This comes after putting up 57 points in '05-'06 and 60 points in the '06-'07 season.

Mr. Tough-guy award goes to the player who showed the most grit and toughness during the regular season. The honorable mention goes to Arron Asham and his one shot punch on Mathew Spiller, but the true winner is David Clarkson. Clarkson ranked 5th in the league in fighting majors with 21. I dare anyone to tell him he does not deserve this award, enough said.

Next I will be handing out my praises for the big awards: most valuable player, rookie of the year, and Mr. Clutch.

MVP goes to Martin Brodeur. Not only does he contribute as far as stats go, but he also has a presence that just makes his team play better. He always comes to play and it is hard to imagine the Devils are going to be without him in several years when he retires.

Rookie of the year goes to David Clarkson. The lack of rookies should not overshadow the outstanding season Clarkson had. 9G-13A-22P, 183 PIM, and 151 shots is pretty good but with only 12:01 minutes of ice time per game it seems even better.

Mr. Clutch goes to Patrik Elias. How clutch is Elias? His 3 goals in OT put him in a 4-way tie for top in the league. Elias also drew the primary assists on both Zach Parise’s OT goals and John Madden’s lone OT goal. What about shootouts? I am glad you asked. He lead the team and went 5 of 6 on shootouts during the regular season for 83.3%.

Martin Brodeur, the Vezina Trophy, and the Shots-Against Myth

David Heere — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:10:49 -0400

The end of the season is upon hockey fans once again, and that means playoffs and awards.

Let us talk about the Vezina Trophy and two of its candidates, Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo.

All season long, most fans are bombarded with the opinions of so called “experts” at ESPN, USA Today, TSN, etc. All of them think they have some wonderful and unique insight into who deserves what award. With the exception perhaps of TSN, none of these guys really know anything about hockey.

Just watch ESPN’s coverage of hockey if you do not believe me. Does it remind you of the conversation of the couple who are attending their first hockey game that are sitting behind you? It should.

That was just part of the overall rant on the subject of how bad ESPN’s knowledge is on hockey, but it needed to be done to set the ground work for my main argument. Every year I have to be victim to these claims by “experts” that Roberto Luongo is a better goalie than Martin Brodeur, and deserves the Vezina Trophy for the league’s top goaltender.

They claim that Martin Brodeur has the added benefit of not facing that many shots, and having what is portrayed as the entire defense squad from the All-Star game. Roberto Luongo, on the other hand, apparently is the only player on the ice for the Canucks and faces 40+ shots a game.

Those are the claims and these are the facts.

In the '06-'07 season Martin Brodeur faced 2,182 shots against him in 78 games during the regular season, giving him an average of 27.97 shots against per game. Roberto Luongo in the same season faced 2,169 shots against in 76 games giving him 28.53 average shots against per game. That is less than 1 shot per game difference between the two goaltenders.

Similar numbers from the current '07-'08 regular season can be found. With 1 game left to play before the playoffs, Brodeur has 76 games played, 2,070 shots against, and an average of 27.24 shots faced a game. Luongo had 2,020 shots against in 72 games for a 28.06 average. Once again, less than 1 shot per game difference.

Having presented the facts, you can now see that both goaltenders are given nearly equal work loads, with Martin Brodeur ending up with the better stats and more wins. The more wins is impressive because it takes into account not only how good a team is at defense, but also how much offense their team produces. In both the '06-'07 and '07-'08 seasons, the Canucks have scored more goals than the Devils, but the Devils have a better record.

There you have it, the real story. Brodeur faces more than 5 shots a game and Luongo does not face 40+. Martin Brodeur is just a better goalie and deserves the Vezina more than Luongo.

Who will actually win the Vezina this year? To me, it comes down to either Evgeni Nabokov or Martin Brodeur. The other two deserving finalists should be Henrik Lundqvist and Pascal Leclaire (two guys who were shafted from the All-Star game).