Bleacher Report - Articles by Mary Mimi

Hockey Enforcers and the CODE

Mary Mimi — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:26:44 -0400

Well, this one thing I really enjoy about hockey, some of the people will agree, and some will argue. Some of you guys hate it, and some of you love it. For me, um, I kind of like love-it hate-it. Yup, the hockey fights, you guessed it.

If you're a hockey fan and now you want to know why, hmm...duh, you've seen a lot of fights in the hockey games, haven't you?

And you heard these crazy fans’ cheers for their team's enforcers, right? Well, maybe you yourself are one of the crazy fans I'm talking about.

I love the fights because of their hockey spirits, because of that braveness, and responsibility.

Wonder what the heck am I talking about eh? Responsibility...? But you'll get what I mean in awhile.

The enforcers of the team might be the nicest guys you'll ever seen off the ice, but on it, that is their job.

I know their job is hockey players, but they know that they couldn't score a natural hat-tricks all of the sudden, and they know themselves well, their talent, and they know their forces could help the team a lot, that's their job, their role.

Have you ever heard that the team's enforcers are usually the most favorable guys if the MOST popular guy is the captain? Well, why not, the enforcers are the ones who got the fans all excited, the ones who cheer the bench up, most importantly, the ones who bring a team momentum, hope, and energy.

The thing that's important is to protect the other players on your team, especially the best players and, of course, the captain.

Sometimes the fight started with just a little shove from a enforcer to the best player on the other team.

Sometimes the retaliation could bring to a really ugly ending.

You all know the Bertuzzi incident, so we don't really have to talk it all over. The victim was the rookie, Moore.

Surely enough, Moore thought he paid enough responsibility for hurting the Canucks' captain. And surely enough, Bertuzzi think the other way, so Bertuzzi goes up and asked the kid.

Moore, on the other side, doesn't want to fight anymore. Indeed, he's not a fighter, and what does he know, he's just a rookie, so he refused Bertuzzi again and again. And Bertuzzi finally decided to shove at him, so, "slam," Moore's down...

Okay, the uglies, first of all, Bertuzzi shouldn't take a shot at Moore at his back. That's against the CODE. You just don't face a guy that's not ready, and you don't face a guy who refused to fight.

Onto Moore's side, I think he should be able to turn and face Bertuzzi and just do whatever he could. He shouldn't be avoiding him anyways. Maybe if he had fought Bertuzzi, it wouldn't hurt him that bad.

And most of all, everybody would respect him for doing that, and the whole thing is over.

Okay...Here's a unreal one...

Say it's Boston versus Pittsburgh.

If the Boston Bruins' big guy Zdeno Chara decided to take a shot at Pittsburgh's young captain Sidney Crosby, then he'll have to face one of the Pittsburgh's enforcers.

Chara KNEW it was coming, and he KNEW it's probably going to be tough guy Georges Laraque who said he'll hold Crosby's back.

So Laraque goes up to Chara and goes, "wanna go, pretty boy?" Chara will HAVE to square off with him no matter how tough Laraque is, else he'll be a guy who broke the CODE. A part of the CODE is about respect the opponent's retaliation.

Speaking of the CODE, the responsibility I had mentioned previously is a big part of it.

A PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY PLAYER HAS TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO HIS ACTIONS AND RESPECT THE OTHER PLAYERS. That's what the CODE is basically about.

Jonathan Roy Faces Assult Charge

Mary Mimi — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:01:17 -0400

The son of goaltending legend Patrick Roy has been charged with assault after pummeling the goaltender of a rival team during a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoff game on March 22.

Jonathan Roy, 19, faces one count of assault against Bobby Nadeau, a goalie with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. The charge was filed on Thursday in a court in Saguenay, Que., where the brawl occurred.

The highly publicized incident saw Roy, a goaltender with the Quebec Ramparts, skate to the opposite end of the ice during the second-period brawl and pound Nadeau, who was unwilling to fight and covered up.

Roy then gave the middle finger with both hands to fans at the Georges-Vézina Centre.

As a result, Patrick Roy, who serves as the team's head coach and general manager, received a five-game suspension. Jonathan Roy received seven games for his role in the melee and issued an apology on March 24.

"I acted in a way that is not acceptable for an athlete," he told reporters. "I gave the finger to the crowd and then, after the game, I made unacceptable comments in front of the cameras. I acted out of adrenaline and frustration."

The incident was the latest and most notable between the two teams, who have a longstanding rivalry in the Quebec league.

Hall Of Famer Scotty Bowman Joins Chicago Blackhawks

Mary Mimi — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:48:57 -0400

Scotty Bowman was signed to a three-year contract as Senior Advisor by the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Hockey Hall Of Famer had his name on the Stanley Cup 11 times, and with 1,224 victories, he is the NHL's all-time winningest coach. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 and is the only coach to lead three different teams to the Stanley Cup.

The main reason for Bowman's arrival in the Windy City is simple. He wants to work alongside his son, Stan Bowman, who is the team's assistant general manager.

"When I went to Detroit as the coach 15 years ago, the team was really on the upswing," Bowman said during a press conference Thursday.

"Looking at what's here for me and for the Hawks, it's a challenge again. I would say the biggest reason is to work with my son. It doesn't happen often in sports, but it is happening here. It's certainly an exciting day for myself and for the family."

Stan Bowman is excited, as well. The 2008-09 season will be his eighth with the club, and eight years after first hoping he could one day work with his father, the dream has come true.

"It's a dream come true for me, When I first started it was in the back of my mind, but I kind of set it aside. I wanted to get my career in motion. Over the last nine months, here there's been a lot of changes. Everybody here senses a different atmosphere. Our team performed better. That idea I had a long time ago kind of popped into my head again. It's a great day for everybody," Stan Bowman told reporters.

Scotty Bowman also praised the Detroit Red Wings for their willingness and understanding in letting him join the Blackhawks.

"It's always a tough decision when you leave an organization like Detroit. They understand the situation. It's an opportunity to come to Chicago and be with Stan. The Hawks think so much of him, and so do I. This is an exciting time for our family. The timing could not be any better than it is today. I'm thankful this came along at the right time. I'm really looking forward to getting this thing to where it should be. It's really on its way."

Dale Tallon, who is entering his fourth season as the Hawks' GM, has been working hard this summer to build on the team's success last season. The Blackhawks (40-34-8) missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, but they've got talented youngsters such as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

Along with Brian Campbell, the Blackhawks also signed goaltender Christobal Huet to a four-year deal. Combine that with the arrival of Bowman, and Chicago could be back in the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Antoine Vermette Finally Gets Re-signed

Mary Mimi — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:21:56 -0400

After Antoine Vermette's phenomenal season, he signed a $5.25 million, two-year contract extension with the Senators.

Last season, the Quebec-born Canadian earned nearly $1.1 million.

The young skilled player had his career highs in goals and points last season. He notched 24 goals and 53 points, played in 81 games, and maintained a 56.7 percent faceoff win rate.

The 26-year-old's first hat-trick came last season on April 3, 2008, as the Sens romped the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-2.

In 297 career games with Ottawa, Vermette has 71 goals and 139 points.

Pascal Leclaire Resigned to the Blue Jackets in Three-Year Deal

Mary Mimi — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:05:08 -0400

Pascal Leclaire was re-signed by the only NHL club he had played with, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Quebec borned Canadian, who had played for Team Canada as the back-up to Cam Ward last spring, and won a silver medal in the IIHF, received a 11.4M, three-year deal from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last season was his best season so far. He posted a 2.25 GAA and .919 save percentage in 54 games with the Blue Jackets, 24-17-6.

"We're very happy to have signed Pascal to a new contract that will keep him with the Blue Jackets for the next three seasons, he is an important part of our team and we think he will continue to improve and play a significant role in helping us reach our goals." said GM Scott Howson.

The 25-year-old was drafted eighth overall by Columbus in 2001. In 113 career games he has a record of 41-49-11 record with a 2.71 GAA, and a .911 save percentage and 10 shutouts, which nine of them in the last season.

The Colubus Blue Jackets are surely looking forward to his play next season.

Mats Sundin: "It's Not At All True That I've Signed for Vancouver"

Mary Mimi — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:16:33 -0400

Mats Sundin has denied rumors that he will join the Vancouver Canucks with a two-year, $20M offer, saying that he will make a decision within a few weeks.

The longtime Leafs' captain told the reporters that other options remain on the table.

"It's not at all true that I've signed for Vancouver. I haven't even decided whether I should keep playing hockey yet," Sundin said during an interview. "If I play it's going to be for the entire season. That means I would be there at the start, when the training camp begins."

"If you're are a professional hockey player then the money is part of the picture ahead of making a decision, but there are other things that matter. If it was just the money I would have already signed for Vancouver."

He didn't say that he's going to stay with the Leafs either.

"Nothing has been ruled out. I got a very good offer from them, too," Sundin said. "And also from Montreal, but Vancouver's contract was in a class of its own if you look at the money."

Also, after 13 phenomenal seasons at Toronto, Sundin said he feels strongly for Toronto.

"It feels like home. But let's see. I haven't gotten as far as thinking about clubs yet," he said.

The Swedish veteran won an Olympic gold medal with Team Sweden in the 2006 Turin Olympics, but doesn't expect to play at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

"It's very doubtful that I would play another Olympic tournament, you should never say never, but it feels like a very remote idea."

The 37-year-old managed to score 32 goals and 46 assists (78 points) to give himself a total of 1,276 points in his NHL career.

Dallas Drake Announces Retirement

Mary Mimi — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:35:15 -0400

After 1,009 career games and one Stanley Cup championship, Dallas Drake announced his retirement as a player on July 12.

"I love the game as much as I ever have," Drake said, "Mentally, I think I really want to play, but my body has just gotten to the point where I just don't recover very well anymore and I don't play up to a level that you become used to playing, a physical level that I was used to playing.

"I think the years kind of wore me out a little bit. You keep telling yourself to play as long as you can, and I think I've done that," Drake told reporters in a teleconference.

"There was a lot of speculation on whether I would play anymore, and I just wanted to formally announce my retirement. I've played a long time and had a lot of fun.

"I just feel that after winning the Stanley Cup this year, there's not a better way for me to go out, and a lot of thanks goes out to the Detroit organization for giving me another chance."

Dallas Drake was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft in the sixth round, 116th overall. During his junior year at Northern Michigan, he was a key factor in the team winning the 1991 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship.

Drake's rookie season in 1992-93 saw him post 44 points on 18 goals and 26 assists. The next season, he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets along with goaltender Tim Cheveldae.

The Red Wings received Sergei Bautin and goaltender Bob Essensa in return. This trade wasn't good for the Wings. Essensa appeared in just 13 games. While Drake went to have a successful role on the checking lines and penalty kill units of the of the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes.

Although as a professional player he's never been the goal scorer he was in college, his knowledge of the game, leadership and competitiveness allowed him to play in 1,009 NHL games.

Drake signed with St. Louis Blues for the 2000-01 season, and remained there for six seasons. He achieved his career high in goals with 20 during the 2002-03 season, and was named as the team's captain for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

Drake was placed on waivers by the Blues on June 26, 2007, trying to buy out his contract. Two weeks later, he was signed as an UFA by the Detroit Red Wings to a one-year, $550,000 contract.

He chose to return to Detroit in hopes of winning a Stanley Cup with the club that had drafted him over 16 years ago. One year later, those dreams were realized when the Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins to win their 11th Stanley Cup Championship.

During the on-ice celebrations the team's captain Nicklas Lidström passed the Stanley Cup to Dallas Drake first.

Drake said he'll spend a lot of time with his family in Traverse City, Mich.

NHLPA Takes Issue with IIHF Suspensions

Mary Mimi — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:19:59 -0400

The NHL Players Association isn't happy about the suspensions of the contracts of six players.

The IIHF announced that the transfers of Alex Radulov and five others are officially under investigation.

All six players are looking to transfer between the NHL and Russia's new Continental Hockey League (KHL). There's currently no formal transfer agreement in place between the two leagues, but both sides are committed to honoring each other's contracts.

The NHLPA said the IIHF has no right to suspend the six players.

NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly said on Saturday of the suspensions:

"Yesterday's announcement by the IIHF that they have suspended certain players from international competition has no basis in fact or law, and constitutes a violation of the rights of these players, the affected players are being unfairly singled out in a dispute between the NHL and the KHL over whether to respect each others' contracts.

"The NHLPA's strong objection to this unilateral action by the IIHF has been registered, and unless this action is reversed, the NHLPA will consider all legal option available."

The six players having their deals reviewed are Radulov, Nikita Filatov, Vikton Tikhonov, Jason Krog, Tomas Mojzis and Fedor Fedorov. All parties have until July 31 to submit documentation to the IIHF.

Dominik Hasek: "The Dominator's" Story

Mary Mimi — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:43:19 -0400

JUNE 9th, Dominik Hasek announced his retirement short after the Detroit Red Wings won another Stanley Cup—again, like what he once did before, but returned to play for the Ottawa Senators. The difference is, this time he is serious.

He forever will be known around the NHL as "The Dominator," but Dominik Hasek no longer will dominate the NHL, as the future Hall of Famer officially retired after winning his second Stanley Cup ring with the Detroit Red Wings.

Here's a look at Hasek's incredible career by the numbers.

1—Olympic gold medal won by Hasek, who led the Czech Republic to victory in the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan. Hasek put on one of the greatest goal-tending exhibitions in history, allowing only six goals in six games, posting a 5-1 record, a 0.97 goals-against average, and two shutouts.

2—Hart Trophies won by Hasek. He was named the NHL's most valuable player in 1996-97 and 1997-98. He was the first goalie to win the award since Montreal's Jacques Plante in 1961-62, and remains the only net-minder to win it twice.

2.20—Hasek's career goals-against average, including 2.14 in 41 appearances this season. After 1995-96, when he posted a 2.83 GAA, Hasek never had a goals-against average higher than 2.27.

3—Teams that Hasek never shut out in the regular season. He never blanked the Red Wings, Phoenix Coyotes, or Vancouver Canucks.

5—Seasons in which Hasek had a save percentage of .930 or better. His best season came in 1998-99, when he had a .937 percentage to go along with a 1.87 goals-against average.

6—Times Hasek won the Vezina Trophy, presented to the NHL's best goaltender, and was named to the First All-Star Team. Five of those came in a six-year span from 1994-99; the only miss came in 1996.

7—Career shutouts against the Montreal Canadiens, Hasek's highest total against any team. He had six against Ottawa and Colorado, including a pair against the Avalanche this season.

8—Career losses for Hasek against the Red Wings, against only two victories. The 2-8-0 mark is by far his worst against any team.

10—Round in which Hasek was taken by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft. The Blackhawks selected him with the 199th overall pick, but he didn't come to North America until the 1990-91 season.

12—Career decisions for Hasek against the Minnesota Wild without a regulation loss. He was 10-0-2 with three shutouts against the Wild, the only team to whom he never lost.

13—Shutouts by Hasek in 1997-98, his highest single-season total. He also reached double figures in 2000-01, his last season with Buffalo, when he had 11.

14—Playoff shutouts by Hasek in 119 postseason games. Six of those came in 2002, when he led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup with a 1.86 goals-against average.

15—Hasek's longest unbeaten streak. He went 13-0-2, including a career-best 10 consecutive victories, from Jan. 18, 2002, through March 9, 2002. The Sabres snapped the streak against their former teammate with a 5-1 win March 10th.

19—Career assists for Hasek, including one this season. His season high was three—in 1993-94, 1996-97 and 2000-01. He also had three career assists in the Playoffs.

24—Victories by Hasek against Ottawa and Montreal, the most Hasek had against any team. He was 24-9-5 against the Senators, for whom he played in 2005-06 before returning to Detroit for his last two seasons, and 24-10-5 against the Canadiens. Hasek and the Wings won at Montreal and lost at Ottawa this season.

25—Games played by Hasek with Chicago in two seasons before he was traded to Buffalo for Stephane Beauregard and a 1992 fourth-round draft pick. He had a 13-4-2 record with the Hawks.

58—Most shots faced by Hasek in a game. On March 1st, 1996, the New York Rangers took 58 shots at Hasek at Madison Square Garden; he stopped 55, also a career high, to enable the Sabres to skate away with a 3-3 tie.

81—Career shutouts for Hasek, tying him with Tiny Thompson and Alex Connell for sixth on the all-time list. Hasek had one shutout for Chicago, 55 for Buffalo, five for Ottawa and 20 for Detroit, including five this season. When he retired, Hasek was second only to New Jersey's Martin Brodeur among active goaltenders.

389—NHL victories by Hasek, putting him 10th on the all-time list. He won 27 games for Detroit in 2007-08, moving him past Mike Vernon into the top 10. He got those wins in 735 career appearances, while losing 223 games in regulation and 13 in overtime or shootouts, and tying 82 others.

European Games, Winter Classic, and the All-Star Game: 2008-09 NHL Highlights

Mary Mimi — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:59:04 -0400

Sidney Crosby (PIT), Vincent Lecavalier (TB), Daniel Alfredsson (OTT), and Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) will lead their teams to the games overseas.

The Hawks will host the Detroit Red Wings on New Year's Day in the NHL Winter Classic 2009. And the Habs, of course, will host the Entry Draft and the NHL All-Star Game.

Young superstar Sidney Crosby and the Penguins will take on veteran Daniel Alfredsson's Senators in Stockholm, Sweden, a two-game regular-season series set for Oct. 4 and 5. Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers will face Vincent Lecavalier and the Lightning, also on Oct.4 and Oct.5.

This season will be the second consecutive season with the NHL clubs opening the schedule in Europe. Last season opened with the Ducks and the Kings playing at London, England.

The Cup-winner Detroit Red Wings will participate in the NHL Winter Classic 2009 on New Year's Day at Chicago.

Okay, onto the Habs.

Yes, the Montreal Canadiens will host the NHL All-Star Weekend, which is scheduled for Jan. 24-25, 2009. They also will host the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, which will be conducted at the Bell Centre June 26-27.

Each team will play six times against each team in its division (24 games), four games against the non-division teams within its conference (40 games), and 18 non-conference games—at least one game against each club in the other conference and three home-and-home series against non-conference teams.

The season will starts Oct. 4, concludes April 12, and the Stanley Cup playoffs will begin April 15.

The Three-Way Deal:Sens, Hawks, Kings In Talk

Mary Mimi — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:26:27 -0400

Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray might make his biggest move as the Sens GM as soon as this week. A hot rumour has him discussing a three-way deal with the Chicago Blackhawks and the L.A. Kings.

Ottawa would trade goalie Martin Gerber and defenceman Andrej Meszaros to L.A, the Kings would send young centre Anze Kopitar to Chicago and the Senators would get goalie Nikolai Khabibulin and one of the two young blue-liners, Cam Barker and Brent Seabrook, to the capital of Canada.

Looks like it might be a situation that's pretty rare—that everybody win.

Andrej Meszaros, the 22-year-old Czech defenceman, a restricted free agent, is looking for a raise of salary in the $3.5M range, was the team's top scoring defenceman last season. But his play slipped down after his great rookie season.

Martin Gerber, entering the last year of the three-year $3.7M deal in 2008-2009. GM Bryan Murray would like to move him now before lose him next July as an unrestricted free agent, if he could get a No.1 goalie back in return.

Nikolai Khabibulin is a veteran goalie who played 12 seasons and earned himself a Stanley Cup ring with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, will earn $6.75M next season, also stated to become a unrestricted free agent. Last season, he posted a 23-20-6 record, a 2.63 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. The Blackhawks had signed G Christobal Huet to a four-year, $22.5M free agent contract earlier this month.

Cam Barker was the 3rd overall pick of the 2004 draft. He has played only 81 games in the past two seasons, had 6 goals, 12 assists and 52 PIMs in the last season. The 6-foot-3, 22-year-old is scheduled to make $2,768,587 for the '08-'09 season.

Brent Seabrook carries a three-year $3.5M contract. As a 23-year-old, he had his career high with nine goals and 23 assists (32 points) last season and probably will attract the Sens.

We'll all see if the deal is going to be made, and we'll see who get the most of it.