Bleacher Report - NHL

Battered Blue Line to Blame for Montreal Canadiens Power Play Woes

Felix Sicard — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:01:56 -0500

It's unlikely that Jacques Martin and Bob Gainey wanted to see what their team looked like without power play quarterback Andrei Markov. Unfortunately for Martin and Gainey, Markov has been out since the first game of the season in Toronto.

Although it has been a roller coaster ride for the Canadiens since, Gainey and Martin now have a much clearer picture of their team, particularly at the blue line, without Markov.

Simply put, that picture is not a pretty one.

The Canadiens sit 24th in the league in power play efficiency, with a 15.9% success rate. This stat is in large part due to the absence of Andrei Markov, a lock for 55 plus points when healthy.

The rest of the defensive squad has been unable to to step up to the plate on the offensive side of the puck, with the exception of Marc-Andre Bergeron, who has infused some offense into the power play.

Besides Bergeron, the Canadiens possess no true offensive defenseman, at least not on the big league club.

Jaroslav Spacek was advertised as Markov's new partner before the season, but has provided virtually no offense at all throughout the first quarter of the schedule.

Spacek seems reluctant to jump up in the play and create an odd man situation. In the rare occasions that he has done so, the result has often been a good scoring chance or a goal.

Roman Hamrlik has been perhaps the Canadiens' most valuable defenseman, and even though he has provided some offense, Hamrlik simply isn't the guy you'd want to lean on to be quarterbacking the man-advantage.

There remains the option of calling up Yannick Weber or P.K. Subban. These two provide interesting possibilities, but it was apparent that Weber would need some more grooming defensively following his stint with the Habs, while Gainey has made it clear that Subban will spend the season in Hamilton.

Bob Gainey needs to somehow bring in an offensive defenseman who can revive the power play. Currently, there is no power play quarterback on the Canadiens' roster, and the ones that are on the farm will remain on the farm.

Looking at his players' performances, it is unlikely that Gainey has many general managers calling him about trades.

If Gainey is unable to bring in an offensive defenseman, there remains only one option to infuse offense into the dormant power play.

That would be to put a forward at the point, such as what Guy Carbonneau did last year, when he juggled Alex Kovalev and Sergei Kostitsyn at the blue line.

Calling up Sergei Kostitsyn could do the trick. The disgruntled winger has been contributing in Hamilton, and he might be the team's only hope in reviving the power play.

If nothing is done, the Canadiens will continue to struggle until Andrei Markov returns, because as of right now, Montreal's battered blue line can't get it done.

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Detroit Red Wings Dilemma : Should this be Nicklas Lidstrom's Last Season?

Matt Hutter — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:49:24 -0500

Nov. 12, 2000. Anaheim, CA.

On our way to a (then, Mighty) Ducks-Red Wings game, my friend and I engage in a discussion about who the best players on either team are.

Halfway into the conversation, he mentions "Lidstrom" and "overrated" in the same sentence.

After threatening him with physical violence should he ever string these two words together again, we move on to other subjects.

We had good seats that day.

Just this side of home ice, about six rows back from the glass.

During the second period, Paul Kariya builds up a head of steam in his own end and starts busting down the right side with the puck.

He ditches a poke check from Sergei Fedorov at the red line.

He makes a move to the middle in the neutral zone.

He's now flying towards Detroit's zone.

Lidstrom skates laterally across the blue-line.

In one motion, he bends his knees, moves his hips slightly, extends his stick, and sweeps the puck away from Paul Kariya, who's going about 25 MPH.

Kariya puts on the breaks and tries to recover.

Lidstrom is already out of the zone.

He passes the puck through Ruslan Salei's legs, up to Fedorov...goal.

We saw this happen from about 30 feet away. I asked my friend, "Is he overrated now ?"

He threatened to beat himself up should he ever suggest this again.

The point to telling this story is simply to emphasize how much I have appreciated and enjoyed the play of Nicklas Lidstrom over the past 17 years.

In terms of Red Wing greatness, I believe only Gordie Howe and Steve Yzerman surpass him.

All that being said, I'm wondering if 2009-10 should be his final season.

I'll explain my thinking here.

Lidstrom's contract is in its final year.

His salary and cap hit (which isn't always one in the same nowadays) is $7.45 million.

This is a steal for someone of his calibre, but, this is primarily what I am concerned about.

Detroit currently has nine players (including Lidstrom) with expiring contracts for a total of $16.55 million.

Considering the fact that Lidstrom is in total control of his destiny in Detroit, thus the league, if he decides to re-up for say, two years at his current salary, it would happen.

But this may not exactly be a fair prediction considering Lidstrom's history of deferring salary and taking less to stay for the benefit of the team.

So, perhaps he'd stay for $5 million for two years. The scenario plays out a little better, but is still problematic.

Were this to happen, Detroit would have $11.55 million left to spend on free agents and for contract extensions for current players.

That's not much, considering the fact they would either have to re-sign or replace Tomas Holmstrom, Todd Bertuzzi, Jason Williams, and Kirk Maltby, and would most likely be seeking a goalie and one more defenseman (Brett Lebda is also a UFA, but I'm making the very safe bet he's played his last season in Detroit).

Detroit is looking forward to being back in the free agent mix next year and would like to be players for potential UFA's like Patrick Marleau, Marc Savard, Marty Turco, Joe Corvo, and Paul Martin.

$11.55 million isn't going to get you that far or that much if these are the types of players you'd like to bring in.

Detroit has several young players ready to become full time NHLers, but there is no way they can (or would want to) fill all of their impending holes with just kids.

The point is, they need as much cap space as they can get over the summer.

Just how much of it will go to Lidstrom, if he decides to return, remains to be seen. But suffice to say, he's not going to be playing for the league minimum.

Understand this, I wouldn't hang myself if Lidstrom came back.

As far as I'm concerned, he's one of very few players you allow to write their own ticket.

Still, if Lidstrom does what he always has, and thinks about the team first, would he feel that keeping himself in Detroit outweighs the good that could come from allowing them to put his salary to other use?

Nicklas Lidstrom has lost a step or two since that November evening in 2000, but on most nights, he's still the best player on the ice.

Although, his offense has stalled a bit this season (he's on pace for 38 points).

This may be the halo effect from Detroit's all around slow start, or could be a sign that, unlike previous years, he's not quite able to contribute on both ends with the same efficacy.

It's a tough call to make.

However, if age has caught up to him (he'll be 40 in late April) and he's now simply a very good defenseman and no longer simply the best, Lidstrom may indeed decide that this is his stopping point.

For no one has ever had higher expectations for excellence from Nicklas Lidstrom than Nicklas Lidstrom.

Whatever the case turns out to be, one can rest assured knowing that if Nick Lidstrom is skating in Traverse City, MI in Sept. 2010, it will be his choice and one made for the good of the team.

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Canadiens and Wild Suffer the Same Problem: Farm Team Development.

Sebastien Tremblay — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:43:29 -0500

A lot of teams in the NHL still have a hard time finding and drafting the right prospect. Or maybe it’s simply because they don’t have the tools to make them grow into stars? There is a plethora of talented prospects that never make a real impact at the NHL level for some reason. Reasons can range from lack of effort, disgruntled youth, overrated player, size, competitiveness.

Sometimes the assessment of a junior player is just completely off the mark. And other times, the development system is to blame.

There have been many first round busts through the years regardless of what spot they are drafted. But I noticed a familiar pattern between two teams. Both teams have had prospects over the years coming up the ranks, only to crumble at the NHL level, stay stuck in the minor leagues, or provide only marginal contributions once at the NHL level.

I’m talking about the similarities between the Montreal Canadiens and the Minnesota Wild. For some reason, many experts thought for many years that Montreal had a awesome prospect pool just waiting to explode into NHL stardom.

In fact, Montreal was ranked No. 2 on the prospect depth chart by Hockey’s Future for years…until this season. They recently realized all that talent and «depth» has apparently vanished, and Montreal dropped to No. 14.

Montreal is, in my opinion, in much better shape than the Wild where there is a dearth of depth. It’s simple really, for those two teams, the rank in the draft does not matter, whatever hot prospect they will get will only provide marginal contribution to their respective teams.

At some point, for a head scout and general manager, you want those «talented prospects» to take over the team and steal the veterans spot and ice time. And for most teams, that's exactly what happens. Chicago, Colorado, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Washington, Anaheim...I could keep going on and on. But the fact is on almost every roster in the NHL, the core is made up of young players in their early 20’s, drafted and developed by their respective teams.

For the sake of this comparison, I’ll say right now that out of the bunch, Mikko Koivu and Tomas Plekanec are probably the best two. And both are still on the team that drafted them. And both provide about the same offensive numbers. So I’m not going to mention them further.

Now, look at Montreal. The inability to develop young players has forced Bob Gainey’s hand over the years to sign veterans to fill a hole. And not only Gainey, it’s been the same story for years, this is what has plagues the Canadiens since the mid 90’s.

First round draft picks should, at this point, be at the top or near the top of their teams scoring chart. But the reality is very different. Were they all bad choices? Doubtful. Because if you follow junior players and the drafts year after year, you hear about those prospects and scouts are often unanimous. Pro scouts use the same tools and criteria for their analysis and when the scouting reports come out, not always, but often the reports say about the same thing.

So where does it go wrong? Why is Montreal forced to sign established players for their top line? Why is the Wild in the same position? As I mentioned, it’s an inability to develop their talented prospects. I’m not saying these players are bad, just that they never reached expectations and especially, they never show the potential that a first or second round pick should.

Chris Higgins was a big disappointment for Montreal’s management and was shipped away to New York where he continues to struggle. Mike Komisarek showed lot of promise, but decided to leave after a horrible year. Andrei Kostitsyn is lost in translation and seems to be regressing. Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse make an interesting and dynamic duo but are not scaring any defence out there. Kyle Chipchura feels like a career minor league player.

You probably already all forgot about David Fischer, the first choice in 2006 and Cory Urquhart, second round of 2003, picked 21 spots before Maxim Lapierre. Same goes for Duncan Milroy. And as time passes, I feel Matt D’Agostini is fading away as well.

We’ll never know if Ryan McDonagh could eventually replace Komisarek. Max Pacioretty is struggling badly and is not showing much signs of becoming a dominating power forward so far. Mikhail Grabovski, Alexander Perezoghin and Marcel Hossa all left after disappointing seasons.

All those prospects were regarded as «top line talent», «potential stars», «40 goals scorers» or, «defensive stud». So…what happened? Their development was botched. That’s what. By being unable to develop their talent in the AHL or juniors, we’ve lost those «potential stars» in the making.

The result? An average team with average players who need to fill holes with more talented players through trades or free agency.

Now look at the Wild. Have you seen James Sheppard? The Wild have been waiting for him to progress and break out but he’s been going the opposite direction. To his defence, Sheppard is an offensive minded player and has been forced into a defensive system for years. I’m afraid this has effectively slowed if not stopped his development.

Maybe he was brought to the NHL too quickly? The 9th overall pick is 2006 has managed only 44 points in 180 NHL games. He had 225 points in 187 games in the juniors.

And how about Benoit Pouliot? The fourth overall pick in 2005, just one spot before Carey Price. The Wild thought they had a real sniper there. I remember Trevor Timmins talking about him and saying if Pouliot had been available at the number five spot, he was to become the new Montreal Canadiens top prospect. Thank the hockey god he was picked fourth overall. Pouliot is an effortless skater but again, is not developing into an NHL caliber player. He’s struggling even worse than Sheppard with only 65 games in the NHL so far for a weak 18 points.

Patrick O’Sullivan was thought to be a first round pick but dropped quickly thanks to family problems. So scouts thought the Wild could have a real steal drafting him in the second round…only to trade him away for Pavol Demitra before his first NHL game.

AJ Thelen anyone? What? Don’t remember him? Can’t blame you. The 12th overall pick in 2004 has been playing in the East Coast league for the last three seasons. He’s not even fit for AHL duty, that says a lot.

And what about Pierre-Marc Bouchard who, like James Sheppard, tore up the junior league with 235 points in just 136 games!? He’s managed 267 points in over 400 NHL games so far. After draft day, scouts said the Wild drafted a potential star and point per game player, maybe the best forward available in the draft after Rick Nash.

But when Bouchard reached the NHL, scouts suddenly said he was too small and would’ve benefited from at least another year in the juniors and maybe one in the American league. Pierre-Marc Bouchard unfortunately never reached the same level of excellence. And I have to agree with those scouts. He was brought up to the NHL too soon.

It’s easy to look at scouting reports and the ISS ranking and determine who will be the top 10 picks next year. But even getting the first overall draft spot is no guarantee that player will eventually lead your team in any way (see Alexandre Daigle in 1993 as reference, or Patrik Stefan in 1999)

Earlier this summer, general manager Bob Gainey decided not to renew Don Lever’s contract. Everybody was shocked. Lever had been coaching Montreal’s farm club, the Hamilton Bulldogs, for since 2005 and was said to be a genius at developing young players. The Bulldogs even won the Calder cup in 2006-07 after an incredible year.

But after a quick assessment of his younger players, Gainey probably noticed that none of the players Lever developed were actually good enough to build the team around, so he was forced to get those players elsewhere.

And the fact that, in Montreal, coaches have to speak some french to talk to the media, and Lever doesn’t, probably weighted a lot and he was replaced with Guy Boucher who should be, in a few years, the Montreal Canadiens new coach and again, is said to be a magician with developing young players.

So getting a high draft pick is no guarantee of success. Even the best player available can become a bust if not developed properly. Confidence, skill, size, experience and also a feeling of urgency is important.

Skill, you either have it or don’t. Size comes with time. Confidence and experience comes from playing in all situations. And as for that feeling of «urgency» will come once the prospect feels he’s good enough to steal a roster spot from a veteran.

All that comes from developing at lower levels before reaching the NHL. It takes time and a good system in which to develop those prospects. And my feeling is that both Montreal and Minnesota have been in the same boat for years. The prospect pool is there, the talent is there, now all they need to do is find a way to get those guys from minor leaguers to NHL stars.

And it all starts with the farm team system…

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Living The Hockey Dream Captures The Magic Of The Game

Gann Matsuda — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:38:38 -0500

MONTEREY PARK, CA — Whether you played the game at any level or are just a spectator, if you truck the kids to hockey practice very early in the morning or just lie on the living room couch and watch games on television, just about everyone touched by the game has a hockey dream or two.

In Living The Hockey Dream, author Brian Kennedy, Ph.D., a native of Montreal, an Associate Professor of English at Pasadena City College and a freelance hockey writer who covers the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks for Inside Hockey, explores the hockey dreams—realized or not—of people involved with the game at all levels and all walks of life.

To be sure, this is not a book focusing on National Hockey League superstars and their glory days in the NHL—if that’s what you are looking for, prepare to be disappointed.

“What I was trying to do was get them to tell similar stories,” Kennedy explained. “Take a guy like [former Kings superstar] Marcel Dionne. It wasn’t just ‘tell me about your hockey career,’ because I can find that out from books, from the Internet, whatever. But tell me about you growing up in the game. What was your corner rink like? What was your neighborhood like? Then, of course, it extends into their career.”

“What I was trying to do was get, not just an inside story, but a story that had the theme of the young person and the way the game appeared or had meaning to him or her and then how that extended into the present,” Kennedy elaborated.

Like his previous book, Growing Up Hockey: The Life and Times of Everyone Who Ever Loved The Game (see Recommended Reading For the “Lull:” Growing Up Hockey), this is not your typical hockey book about NHL stars, past and present. In fact, even when dealing with a former NHL player, Kennedy’s approach was unique and refreshing.

“What I tried to do was, instead of looking at their lives starting from their careers, I went from the opposite way,” said Kennedy. “Start with you as a kid. Tell me who you are and what your dreams were. How were they lived out as a child and in your younger days? What happened later was a product of that.”

“The focus is on stuff that maybe most readers wouldn’t know and that I certainly didn’t know, and, in some cases, stuff that these guys hadn’t even thought about in years,” added Kennedy. “Some of them, I would ask them a question about their corner rink, or when they got their first hockey stick. They would look at me strangely because they hadn’t thought about that forever because they get the same questions over and over. I was trying to get at some different aspects of their lives in the game.”

Of course, what NHL players did in their careers remains significant. Nevertheless, Kennedy was looking deeper into the souls of those who are profiled in the book.

“I talk about their numbers and the number of goals guys scored or the Stanley Cups they won,” he said. “But all that can be found on the Internet. But that stuff isn’t a narrative. What I was trying to do was create a narrative about what the magic of the game is for these guys.”

“Ian Turnbull, who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and also for the Kings, told me exactly what he was like when he was a boy and the things that happened to him, including one time when he got in trouble,” he added. “When you get to know him now, and he’s in his fifties, I guess, you realize that he’s the same person and that’s the magic. So if people want that glimpse into the personality behind the player or what generates that spark of passion, that’s what I was trying to bring out.”

Some of the former players profiled in the book are among the all-time greats, including the legendary Bobby Hull, the great Chicago Blackhawks left wing who, along with teammate Stan Mikita, brought the curved stick blade to hockey. To be sure, Hull is one of the few players who revolutionized the game.

But when the time came to interview him, Kennedy got a rather severe case of cold feet.

“It was funny...his son, Bobby Jr., told me his story and then he told me, ‘here’s my Dad’s cell phone number, but you’ll never get ahold of him because he never answers his phone,’ said Kennedy. “I had that number for two or three months and never could work up the courage to call him.”

“But I finally dialed the number, even though I was terrified to call him,” added Kennedy. “I had done my research and had my questions ready. But with all of these stories, you don’t know the direction they’re going to take until you start chatting with them where that story is until you start talking to the guy.”

Kennedy then described his exchange with the great Bobby Hull.

“He answered in his gruff, somewhat raspy voice, ‘Hello?’ I introduced myself. ‘Mr. Hull. This is Brian Kennedy and I’m writing this book...’”

At that point, Hull cut Kennedy off.

“Oh, OK,” Hull told Kennedy. “Let me tell you what happened when I was a little boy. You just listen.”

“He started to tell me the story and I said, ‘Oh...that’s very interesting,’” said Kennedy.

“No, no. Don’t interrupt me, just let me tell the story,” Hull said to Kennedy. “You just listen and then after, you can ask any questions you want to.”

“He talked for about five or six minutes and gave me some great details about his childhood and he let me ask all the questions I wanted,” Kennedy noted. “I guess we talked for about thirty or forty minutes. The first few minutes was almost surreal because I couldn’t believe I had this guy on the phone.”

Kennedy was totally in awe of the legend on the other end of the line.

“While I was interviewing him, I was seeing that famous picture of him with the curved stick that we all saw when we were kids,” Kennedy beamed. “I was seeing video of him scoring certain goals and I was thinking of everything I’ve ever read about the slap shot and when he first started launching those missiles.”

“So I’ve got all that going on in my head at the same time, so I’m not fully grasping the fact that I’m having a conversation with the great Bobby Hull.”

Another player from days gone by who is profiled in the book was former Kings and Montreal Canadiens superstar goaltender Rogie Vachon.

“[Vachon] is the kindest person, the most warm and honest,” said Kennedy. “I talked to him in person at a game and I called him to do the interview, but I felt like I was sitting in his living room. He’s just that open.”

“He is from way far north in Quebec,” added Kennedy. “The chances of him ever making it to the NHL, based on the remoteness of where he was and the time he was playing his minor hockey, was extremely unlikely, and especially to make the Montreal Canadiens, given the depth of talent they had in goal over the years. So in a way, he set up his own success, and that’s what makes it so nice to tell his stories. You just get the feeling that he thinks of his career as a gift, even though it’s not—it’s something he deserved because he was so talented and courageous as goalie back in those days.”

“While talking to him, you get a sense of reverence for the game in the era when he played. Talk about the icon of a goalie of his time. For me, that’s Vachon.”

Kennedy also noted the black mark on the history of the Hockey Hall of Fame in that Vachon has not been inducted as an honored member.

“I asked him about that and people who read the book can see the reaction...again, very gracious,” said Kennedy. “But if there was anyone who deserves to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame who is not—if you look at his numbers, a Vezina Trophy, three Stanley Cups, and the fact is, he wasn't just the second fiddle on that team.”

“[Vachon] shared the goaltending duties with Gump Worsley in that Vezina season and they won the Cup that same season, let alone everything he did for the Kings in the mid-Seventies,” added Kennedy. “There is no way we can keep that guy out of the Hockey Hall of Fame.”

Kennedy also looked at the lives of some of the current players in the NHL, including Carolina Hurricanes forward Eric Staal.

“When you look at a game, you don’t read the depth of these guys’ pasts,” Kennedy stressed. “I love the history part of the game, including the recent history. Look at Eric Staal. He’s one of four brothers and we know a little bit about his parents and they have that commercial on the NHL Network, so we’ve seen them. But you don’t think about who he is really and what he sacrificed as the oldest brother who leaves home early to play the game, and that’s an experience that most of these guys have.”

“Especially for an American fan who isn’t in a city where you have a junior team—I went to high school in Ontario [Canada] and we had the Peterborough Petes in our school, so we knew these guys were hockey players and came from somewhere else,” Kennedy explained. “I think a lot of people don’t think about that. For a guy like Eric Staal, that’s a dimension of his life that comes out in his story. I think that gives fans more of a glimpse into the human side of it or the depth of these guys as people.”

“We think of hockey players like our elementary school teachers. When you go home, they either don’t exist anymore or they live in the classroom. After all, you don’t see them anymore. What these guys are doing is showing me facets of their lives from before they played in the NHL, and, in the case of the retired guys, afterwards. That’s something you don’t see when you watch them on the ice and that you don’t read in game coverage.”

In the past, Kennedy has talked about the love Canadians have for the Stanley Cup, and in covering the Ducks during their 2007 run to the Stanley Cup Championship, Kennedy got to touch that most revered of all sports trophies.

“To me, [former Canadiens legend] Maurice Richard is still alive,” said Kennedy. “Howie Morenz, the great Montreal Canadiens player from the Thirties. All those guys are there in that trophy. So when I touched it—and I could feel it—I really could, under my fingertips, feel the surface of it, I still have that exact feeling in my mind. It was like I was part of something huge and eternal, in a way.”

“I had seen it before and I had touched it before, but in another context, when the Los Angeles Kings hosted the 2002 NHL All-Star Game,” added Kennedy. “You could get your picture taken with it and everything. But that’s out of context. The night I touched it on the ice [when the Ducks won it] was a totally different thing. I felt like all the moments that all the great players had ever touched it were distilled in that moment when I touched it. I know that I was never much of a hockey player and that there’s no way I would’ve won the Stanley Cup by myself. But I think everyone wins it in their own way and that’s my way of winning it.”

Kennedy’s love for the Stanley Cup gave him the idea to profile the “Keeper of the Cup,” Phil Pritchard.

“Here’s a guy who takes the Stanley Cup with him to his hotel room every night,” said Kennedy. “He could dance around with it. Take it into the shower if he felt like it. What’s that like? What would you do?”

“I managed to get ahold of him and it turns out that he’s the most regular guy on the planet,” added Kennedy. “But he takes his role almost as a sacred obligation. He understands what that trophy means.”

Indeed, Kennedy looked way beyond NHL players in writing the book.

“It’s not just about hockey players,” he emphasized. “It’s about other people in and around the game. [USA women’s hockey great] Cammi Granato. [Television reporter] Chris Simpson. The paralympic captain, who lost his leg to cancer, even the minor league players. They’re all in there for different reasons.”

Another chapter went in yet another direction, looking at Kennedy’s nephew, who is playing youth hockey. But even though the chapter does not come right out and hit you in the face with it, there is an unmistakable message here.

“This generation is probably asking too much of kids,” Kennedy stressed. “I know I never was a great hockey player. But when I look at my nephew Daniel’s games, I think ‘wow. You don’t really have to be that much better to be the best kid out there.’ So you think, ‘c’mon boy. Why can’t you be the one?’”

“But what you’re really saying is, ‘why couldn’t I have done that back then,’” Kennedy added. “So I guess if there’s an underlying message it’s to parents to say ‘look, let the kid play the way he wants to play. Don’t try to make your lack of having fulfilled the dream come true in the child.’”

“Daniel, if he makes the NHL, that would be great. I know we’ll all be very proud of him. But I don’t think he has to do that for hockey to have meaning in his life or to give him something.”

After reading and seeing all the news reports about parents pressuring their children to be better in their respective sports, not to mention reports about how that pressure has often led to altercations at games, Kennedy’s message is one that should resonate with all parents with children in athletics, not just hockey.

One chapter really brought out Kennedy’s love for the game. And before anyone thinks something is fishy here, let me state for the record that this reporter was involved in this particular story, as Kennedy is a colleague of mine who has sat next to me in the Staples Center press box the last handful of seasons as we’ve covered the Kings. Nevertheless, the story ends up really having absolutely nothing to do with me at all.

A couple of seasons ago, after former Kings goaltender Jason LaBarbera was injured during a game, Kennedy wondered what would happen if the backup goalie was injured as well?

So what did Kennedy do? He asked Kings head coach Terry Murray during the media scrum interview after the game.

Murray told him, jokingly, but as deadpanned as he could, that someone from the press corps would probably have to put on the pads.

At that moment, knowing that Kennedy had spent some time in goal during his youth hockey days, I pointed to him and said to Murray, ‘he’s played in goal.’”

Murray then said that the duty would have to fall to Kennedy.

Of course, I am not telling the story as well as Kennedy does in the book, and I am doing that intentionally. Nevertheless, this chapter might be the one that, not only captures the magic of the game for himself, but also shines a light on how the book captured the magic of the game for all the other people profiled within its pages.

“I’m a person who has an imagination,” said Kennedy. “With that incident, you and I both know that I’m not the official Kings press box backup goalie. But in my imagination I am, and in some kind of funny way that the chapter lives out, I actually am.”

“Of course, I don’t really believe some of these things, but it’s fun to play with these ideas and sometimes, what you imagine kinda comes true,” added Kennedy. “If I thought, when I had a ticket to a Kings playoff game—I saw two playoff games in 2002—if I had thought then that I would walk into Staples Center’s Team LA store that I would see a book about this team or about hockey that I had written—if I had imagined that, there was no possible way this could’ve been true. But like Growing Up Hockey, this book is a product of that same energy and imagination.”

Kennedy, Brian. Living The Hockey Dream. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Folklore Publishing, 2009. ISBN (10-digit): 1-894864-82-4. ISBN (13-digit): 978-1-894864-82-4.

Cover photo courtesy Folklore Publishing.

This story was originally published on Frozen Royalty, where you can find more in-depth coverage of the Los Angeles Kings and the NHL.

Read more NHL news on BleacherReport.com

Devils Giving The Kids a Chance

levinakl — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:48:05 -0500

This past July, many Devils fans (or people who watch the Devils) were alarmed when the Devils didn't really make much of an effort to re-sign John Madden or Brian Gionta. Two long-time guys were let go, and even though it isn't all that uncommon of an occurrence in New Jersey, people were predicting doom and gloom for the Devils.

After all, the only free agents brought in during the summer were Yann Danis, Cory Murphy and Ilka Pikkarainen (during training camp and the season, the Devils did bring in Rob Niedermayer, Andrew Peters,and Dean McAmmond).

It has been somewhat clear that the Devils have not been pleased with the overall defensive skills and performance of Cory Murphy, or at least at a minimum, they feel Murphy has some things to work on. Murphy was previously sent down to the minors upon the return from injury by rookie Mark Fraser (pictured above on right) by the Devils earlier this season, but got a reprieve when both Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya went down with injury.

Despite scoring two goals, the Devils still were not covinced by Murphy's play, and rightfully so in my opinion, that he could be trusted, and that was made apparent to anyone watching closely, as Murphy barely averaged over ten minutes a game.

Even Fraser has been getting steadily over twelve minutes a game as Head Coach Jacques Lemaire becomes more and more trusting of the rookie.

The Devils had been hoping that Johnny Oduya would return from an alleged groin injury to replace Murphy in the lineup. When Oduya's health issues did not clear up, they then tried to bring back Jay Leach from the AHL through re-entry waivers to also replace Murphy. Unfortunately, Leach was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens, leaving the Devils on the hook for half of his $487,500 salary against their salary cap.

The next option was to bring up both Matt Corrente and Tyler Eckford to give the kids a shot at replacing Murphy. It worked earlier this year when they inserted Mark Fraser into the lineup, so they are probably at least curious as to what both Corrente and Eckford might add to the puzzle. Eckford played in his first game last night and from all accounts, didn't look that greatly out of place, all be it in limited ice time.

Corrente has yet to crack the lineup, but I'd expect that to happen sooner rather then later.

Add to this that the Devils put Nicklas Bergfors into a key forward spot at the beginning of the year and have inserted the likes of Rod Pelley, Tim Sestito, and Matt Halischuk into the lineup on a somewhat regular basis (some by necessity due to injuries to Niedermayer, Jay Pandolfo) and it is becoming quite clear as to why the Devils decided to open up the spots in the regular lineup with the departures of both Gionta and Madden.

Then again, this isn't really anything new for the New Jersey Devils.

They are known for being able to have the sum of its parts being greater then the parts themselves. In past years, the likes of Scott Gomez, Doug Gilmour, Brian Rafalaski, Scott Niedermayer and Bobby Holik all left the team via the free agent route, and the Devils didn't lose much of a beat.

That is mostly because it is the idea GM Lou Lamoriello has always preached, that no team is bigger then any of its parts. Don't also overlook the teaching ability of Head coach Jacques Lemaire, who always puts his players in a position to succeed.

This year has been just another example of the creed that Lamoriello, Lemaire and the Devils have and will continue to live by and continue to succeed.

It's worked for this long, it doesn't look like it's about to change anytime soon.

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Philadelphia Flyers: Flying High and Set to Harpoon Sharks

Mark Ritter — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:23:57 -0500

Written by Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Tonight’s tilt versus the San Jose Sharks, the NHL’s so-called “best team,” should be one for the ages. For the Philadelphia Flyers, tonight’s match is yet another litmus test—an opportunity to serve notice that this Flyers team is not only for real, but also a force, a force to be reckoned with.

With a record of 14-5-4 through 23 games, the Sharks sit atop the NHL standings with 32 points and it’s no accident as to how the Sharks got there. Averaging 3.22 goals per game, the Sharks own the NHL’s fifth-best offense. Dany Heatley leads the Sharks with 14 goals, followed by Patrick Marleau, who has lit the lamp a total of 13 times.

Make no mistake about it, the Sharks' offense is as potent as they come. Anytime you have a player of Joe Thornton’s ilk distributing the puck, the wingers have the potential to be 50-goal-scorers, which Heatley is on pace to be.

Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle is having an All-Star calibre season (too bad there is no All-Star game this season) and has been an integral part of the Sharks' power play. His steady play, leadership, and ability to play in all situations has made him a candidate for Team Canada’s Olympic team, something few thought possible at the beginning of the season.

Defensively, the Sharks are averaging a total of 2.35 goals per game, good enough for third-best in the league. That said, this is a team that gives up an average of just over 30 shots per game, which is high by NHL standards.

Anchored by the strong goaltending of Evgeni Nabokov, who, despite a weak showing in last year's playoffs, has bounced back to have a tremendous season thus far; this Sharks team gets it done, despite the high shots against.

But, let’s face it: without Nabby in net, the Sharks would not be where they are in the standings. Nabokov has a record of 12-3-4 with two shutouts. Nabokov’s 12 wins ties him for a share of the league lead, while his 2.12 GAA and .939 ranks him fourth amongst all NHL goalies in those categories.

Coming into tonight’s match with the Flyers, the Sharks have posted an impressive 6-1-3 record in their last ten games, including a 4-3 overtime win over the ultra-tough to beat Chicago Blackhawks, a 2-1 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings, and a 5-0 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

To sum everything up, the Sharks are for real...

The Flyers are on a hot streak of their own, posting a 7-3-0 record over the past 10 games, including a 6-2 win over Tampa Bay, a 5-2 win over Buffalo, and a 3-2 win over the highly-touted Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.

Tonight’s game represents game two of a five-game road trip for the Flyers, but more importantly, a victory against the Sharks would go a long way in reminding every team in the NHL that, much like the Sharks, this Flyers team means business and can beat any team on any given night.

The match will see four of Canada’s top centermen do battle. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter vs. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau...it doesn’t get any better than that, folks!

Chris Pronger and Matt Carle, the Flyers' top defensive pairing, will need to be at their very best if they intend to shut down the likes of Heatley, Thornton, Marleau, and Devin Setoguchi—the Sharks' top forwards.

Look for the Flyers' defense to take the body early and often, with an emphasis of causing havoc in the neutral zone and irritating Heatley and Thornton whenever possible. It’s well documented that Thornton performs poorly when shadowed, just ask the Anaheim Ducks about that!

Even though this game has a late start of 10 p.m., rest assured this will be an action-packed one, with plenty of storylines; a “can’t miss” if I've ever seen one.

Until next time,

Peace!

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Atlanta's Russian Express

Warren Shaw — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:25:07 -0500

The National Hockey League has built a solid foundation on great teams and greater players. In past years the game has seen legendary performers and marvelous forward combinations. In the old six team NHL forwards lines that could work in concert and produce goals on the ice were watched and admired. In Atlanta the Thrashers may have hit on a just such a forward combination that could catapult them to the Stanley Cup playoffs after finishing out of playoff contention the last several years. Russian born Ilya Kovalchuk, Nik Antropov, and Maxim Afinogenov have stirred up considerable excitement with their speed and exceptional skating, shooting and passing skills drawing comparisons with other great forward combinations. In the 1940’s there was the Punch line in Montreal featuring Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Elmer Lach, and Toe Blake. The Boston Bruins had the Kraut line showcasing German descendants Woody Dumart, Milt Schmidt, and Bobby Bauer. In the 1950’s Detroit had the formidable Production line starring Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Sid Abel. In later years The NHL got a chance to enjoy the Goal- A- Game line (GAG) with Rod Gilbert, Jean Ratelle, and Vic Hadfield of the New York Rangers. One of the most exciting forward line combinations was the French Connection line made up of French Canadiens Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin and Rene Robert. Another combo that caught the public’s attention was the Los Angeles King’s Triple Crown line with Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor, and Charlie Simmer. Team USA produced the Coneheads featuring Mark Pavelich, John Harrington and Buzz Schneider. In each case the catchy name of the line along with a flair for scoring goals made it easy to focus on the players and enjoy their electricity, pinpoint passing skills and skating. The opposition for purposes of survival designed defensive strategies to slow down or impede the productivity of these units. As far as the Thrashers are concerned, competing teams have now started to take notice and do just that. The attribute all of these great forward combinations share was their uncanny ability to understand individual responsibilities and unselfishly contribute to the good of the line. Most also had a knack for knowing exactly where their line mates were on the ice at all times. Typically there is a passer, a shooter and a checker on the unit. The Thrashers are no exception; Kovalchuk is the shooter, Antropov is the Passer and Afinogenov has been an effective checker. Each player is also capable of electrifying the crowd with their exceptional skating and puck handling skills while handling their individual duties. Kovalchuk, who is in the last year of his contract, is the catalyst. Now Captain of the team he is scoring goals at over a goal a game pace and is a early contender for the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal scorer despite missing several games due to a injury. Barring anymore unforeseen injuries Kovalchuk is on track to score 70 plus goals this season. Kovalchuk got his hockey training playing for Moscow Spartak, a highly rated junior team in Russia before being drafted by the Thrashers. Kovalchuk wears number 17 just like his idol Russian Red Army superstar Valeri Kharlamov (deceased). Nik Andropov played for the Moscow Dynamo’s as a junior before being drafted in the NHL by The Toronto Maple Leafs. In three seasons with them he scored 18, 24, and 21 goals. He displayed National Hockey League skills but never reached the plateau expected of him in Toronto. He played in New York for 7 games scoring 2 goals prior to being picked up by the Thrashers. So far this season Nik has is averaging an assist per game. “I’m just starting to get back in the groove [of playing center],” Antropov said in a recent interview. “It took me 12, 14 games just to get the feeling back, being on face-offs and stuff like that. It was quite an adjustment. I haven’t played center in the last six or seven years. But I’ve started to feel more comfortable and the team is winning. That’s most important.” Even though Andropov has not scored any goals yet this season his line mates are confident things will come around. “He’s a great player,” Kovalchuk said. “He’s going to get his goals too. If everybody keeps playing well, we’ll all get goals. ... He can play center and right wing. That’s why we are blessed.” Maxim Afinogenov, the third member of the line has produced 141 goals and 210 assists in 586 games playing for the Buffalo Sabre’s since being drafted from the Moscow Dynamo’s like Andropov. He has scored consistently registering a point per game with Atlanta. At 6’6 Afinogenov represents a formidable presence that causes defenseman problems trying to keep him out of the goal crease while also trying to keep an eye on his line mates. One thing is without question; Ilya Kovalchuk, Nik Andropov and Maxim Afinogenov have provided the crowds at Phillips Arena a lot of excitement and hope of things to come. Now all they need is a catchy name! So whether they become the Russian Roulette Line, The Russian Express, or another name that describes, Thrasher fans will be looking for them to play and celebrate goals together.

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Ducks-Lightning: Power Play Fuels Anaheim to Victory

SK — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:06:47 -0500

Thursday night's 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning meant more to the Ducks than most will realize.

Typically, moral victories don't mean a thing. They don't win games and they mean squat in terms of standings.

However, when you're the team bringing up the rear in the Western Conference, moral victories can often mean just as much as real ones.

For the first time in what seems like an eternity, the Ducks were able to take advantage of the power play, physical play, and big-named superstars on the roster.

Finally.

Scoring three of their four goals, the first by Teemu Selanne coming just as the man advantage expired, was a huge boost for the Ducks looking to turn any negatives into positives. In fact, just watching the Ducks get more than one shot off during a power play seemed like a small victory.

The Ducks are still struggling in many areas, like playing during the second period, for example, but the fact of the matter is they've shown improvement.

Most importantly we saw key players Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, and Selanne...playing defense. I know, it seemed unreal to me too, but there they were, moving their feet, finishing their hits, pressuring the puck. It was a pleasant surprise, and it paid off for them.

This is definitely progress, and two points that no one can complain about, but now comes the real test.

The Ducks have a huge opponent on Saturday. We're talking about an outstanding San Jose Sharks team (once again). They're not going to sit back and allow Anaheim to walk over them. The Sharks have no reason to do Anaheim any favors, and they won’t. Expect a sharp puck-moving team with the ability to make you look stupid if you're caught standing around.

But here's something to remember. Anaheim has the ability to do that to teams too, and we saw that for the first time against Tampa Bay. The Ducks definitely started the game with some solid puck movement and quality chances. Breakaways were looking fantastic, and who would have thought that maybe Evgeny Artyukhin might be a good match for Selanne?

Most importantly, the Ducks showed what they can do when they playing a tough physical game. Above all, the best players on the ice for the Ducks were just that—their best players. That needs to continue if the Ducks want to pull out of the hole they're in.

Unfortunately, with this positive spin comes a negative one.

Midway through the first period, James Wisniewski hobbled off of the ice and into the locker room, where he would remain for the rest of the game. X-rays were negative, but there is a strong likelihood his foot will need some rest. Expect a call-up soon.

This is just one solid game...

Hopefully there are many more to come.

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Chicago Blackhawks: Are The Senators Barking to Make a Deal?

TAB BAMFORD — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:20:49 -0500

As the tagging situation appears to be an issue the Chicago Blackhawks must address before putting the pen to paper with Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane , the rumors surrounding the team will undoubtedly start picking up.

Friday, the latest trade rumor appears to have the Hawks dealing Cam Barker to the Ottawa Senators. The alleged players coming back are, you guessed it, a couple of guys with expiring contracts. This deal intrigues me more than a Barker-for-Matt Cullen deal, though.

In the rumored scenario where the Hawks would move Barker to Carolina for veteran center Cullen, the Hawks would get an older center to anchor the second line in Dave Bolland’s absence. There is very little chance Cullen would be brought back, even though his brother is presently playing in the Blackhawks organization in Rockford.

In the proposed Ottawa deal, the Hawks would receive defenseman Alexandre Picard, 23, center Ryan Shannon, 26, and even potentially a draft pick. Both Picard and Shannon have the required expiring contracts, but both are also young and making small enough money that their retention could be considered in 2010-11 if they perform while in Chicago.

Picard is especially intriguing. He’s averaging 19:58 in ice time per night and has nine points (one goal, eight assists) with three of his assists coming on the power play. He handles the puck well enough, and has enough of a shot, that he could be considered a good shot to be brought back next year. When you factor in that he’ll be a restricted free agent, and is only making $850,000 dollars this season, he could be seen as a legitimate replacement for Barker on the Hawks blue line next season.

Compared to Picard, Barker is only averaging 13:59 in ice time per night and has 11 points (four goals, seven assists). Barker has cooled off in the scoring column, though; he has only scored five points in his last ten games, and has only scored in three of those ten games.

Adding a player like Picard would also help the Hawks take their time developing young defensemen Dylan Olsen and Shawn LaLonde, not forcing them to be ready by Opening Day next year because the organization has only five defensemen under contract.

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Toronto Maple Leafs: A Look Ahead to the 2010 Season

Eric Warren — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:27:52 -0500

With any hope of making the playoffs this year fading faster than a three-goal lead, let's take a look ahead at what could be on the horizon for our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs have some "cornerstones" in place with Phil Kessel locked up for the foreseeable future, along with Nazim Kadri, Viktor Stalberg, Jiri Tlusty, and Nikolai Kulemin. The next couple of years could see remarkable changes in Leaf Land.

Overall, the game is moving both backward and forward at the same time. With the elimination of clutching and grabbing and more open ice, small "power" forwards, will once again be the mainstay of most teams.

With that being said, we should also see the re-emergence of the "stay at home" type of defenseman to a degree. With the speed and quickness of opposing forwards, the Leafs, as it stands right now, are ill equipped.

The Leafs' future on defense doesn't hold as much potential as the forward core. With the emergence of Luke Schenn and Carl Gunnarsson on the horizon, as well as stalwarts like Tomas Kaberle, Ian White, and Mike Van Ryn, the Leafs' defense will have a good solid base.

The biggest question mark for the team going forward is still goal tending. Jonas Gustavsson may well be the long-term solution, but Vesa Toskala cannot guide him there. The Leafs have got to sign a top tier goaltender and there is simply no other way around it.

I have said this before, and I will say it again: A young team building towards the future cannot develop without the ability to have confidence in the fact that they have someone behind them that can bail them out on occasion.

Toskala is most certainly not that person, but Gustavsson may well be two to four years down the road.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have to address a group of 13 or 14 free agents at various stages at the end of this season and while I don't see many of them returning, only time will tell.

In the meantime, keep in mind that the future Toronto Maple Leafs will in no way resemble the same team we are watching this year, so take some solace in that.

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Hey Mr. Wilson, Show Us Less Poise, More Passion

Mike Taylor — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:11:57 -0500

Watching the Leafs fall to the Carolina Hurricanes last night was painful. Gut-wrenching. Agonizing. Excruciating. Okay, I think you get my point.

However, more disturbing than watching Brian Burke’s foot soldiers blow an early three-goal lead and allowing the tying goal with only seconds remaining on the clock, was the indifferent composure displayed by coach Ron Wilson, who continues to show a noticeable lack of emotion behind the bench.

I realize all leaders, be it sports, business, or other lifestyle pursuits, have their own distinct management styles and approaches and that no one method is ever the solution. However, when your team finds itself in last place in the league and shows no signs of improvement, channeling another style may be in order.

While I feel a roster shake-up is needed to make this team more competitive, I also think Wilson needs to step outside his comfort zone and fervently exhibit his pent up irritation (anger, ire, wrath—however you want to label it is fine by me) with how his players are executing night in and night out.

Shaking your head, deploying the evil eye, and sitting a guy down on the bench for the third period are fine and dandy, but these tactics obviously aren’t working with this group of players.

Now I’m not saying Wilson has to transform himself into Bobby Knight; the highly successful former NCAA basketball coach that was well known for his expressive and sometimes controversial outbursts, but a little more passion certainly couldn’t hurt.

If he’s not sure where to start, here are a few suggestions. Throw a water bottle, launch into a mini verbal tirade, or give the ref an earful. There’s certainly much more that could be done on this front, but you have to learn to walk before you can run.

Perhaps, and this is a big perhaps (remember, this is the Leafs we’re talking about here, so all logical thought must be set aside), a little more passion from the coach could elicit an increase in positive performances from the players.

Mr. Wilson might see things differently and could argue that this is not the way he does things, but I honestly can’t envision him getting worked up enough to have a heated debate with anyone on this subject.

That said, I’ve love to be proven wrong on this topic and hope there comes a day when he reaches out and grabs that bottle to throw some cold water on this argument.

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The New York Week That Was (11/20/09)

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:57:56 -0500

The Knicks won a game this week!

And The Answer may be coming to New York (so the question must be: Will a desperate team do anything to keep their fans interested?). But with last Friday’s loss, the Knicks established the worst 10-game start in franchise history. Things could be a lot worse, though; here are some other bad starts throughout history that may help them feel better about themselves:

The Hindenburg blew up over New Jersey on the first of its 10 scheduled round-trips between Europe and the United States, killing 36 people; the Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk four days into its maiden voyage; William Henry Harrison died of a cold one month into his presidency in 1841; Wally Backman lasted four days as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks before he was unceremoniously shown the door; Gilligan’s three-hour tour got off to an inauspicious start, getting stranded on a deserted island for 15 years, until the castaways were miraculously rescued, followed by them buying the island but almost losing it in an evil scam until they we re helped out of the jam by the Harlem Globetrotters; Richie Cunningham’s brother Chuck on Happy Days appeared in only two episodes in the first season and was never heard from again; the Seattle Pilots existed for one measly year before moving to Milwaukee; and my career selling rodeo tickets over the phone lasted two days before I woke up and came to my senses.

The lesson in all this for the Knicks is that they could explode in a fireball over New Jersey at any moment, sink to the bottom of the ocean taking Leonardo DiCaprio with them or be written out of the NBA altogether like Chuck Cunningham was. The best case scenario for the team: The Harlem Globetrotters come to the Garden and save their ass.

That takes care of the Knicks; now let’s look at the other local teams and we’ll put fun, convenient labels on them to boot:

An Efficient Machine

Devils : Their nine-game road winning streak (one short of tying the NHL record) and eight-game overall winning streak both ended on Monday night in Philly on Dave Schultz (Slap Shot as an opposing player.) Night, as he was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Is there any significance or special meaning to that? Schultz was the personification of the brawling 1970s, and holds the all-time single-season record for penalty minutes, with 472 in 1974-’75. Isn’t it about time that somebody started a Hockey Goon Hall of Fame?

Jacques Lemaire and the Devils are the epitome of defensive hockey. They rank 21^st in goals per game, at 2.56, but their league-leading 2.07 goals against average has them in first place in the Atlantic Division (despite two losses in a row). Lemaire spent much of his playing days learning how to play defense by centering a line with Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt, as he had to backcheck his way through many a game, while those two sharp shooters poured in goal after goal.

Surprise Team

Islanders : After getting off to a rocky start, the Islanders are one of the surprise teams of the NHL. That’s what hard work will do for you. John Tavares is living up to his billing (19 points), while Matt Moulson is turning into the find of the century (18 points). They’re going in the opposite direction than the Rangers, who they’ve caught in the standings, both totaling 23 points.

Sinking (But it’s a Long Season)

Rangers : The good times (7-1 start) are over (4-8-1 since). They can’t score, they’re not tough enough, they’re too easy to play against, they take too many penalties, they have too many defensive breakdowns and they’re shorthanded at center with no replacements in sight. Can they recover or is the makeup of the roster too much to overcome? Maybe John Tortorella should start crying. That seems to be the coaching technique du jour.

Sinking (But There’s Still Hope)

Giants: They had their best week in over a month, with Dallas, Philly and even Atlanta (if you’re starting to keep track of the wild card race) all losing. The Giants haven’t looked this good since they defeated Oakland. The key to their success, of course, was not actually playing a game. Their best strategy from here on out may be to not take the field at all. Can you decline the rest of your schedule the way you can decline a penalty and take your chances on your present record?

Sinking (And They’re Running Out of Time)

Jets: The Jets players are making their coach cry. But poor clock management, wasted timeouts, a plethora of turnovers and a defense that can’t make the big stop are making Jets fans cry. The team has the swagger part down; it’s just the beating the opponent part that’s troubling them. Mark Sanchez has a prepared statement all set to go for his next postgame press conference on why he entered a hot dog eating contest at halftime of their game up in New England on Sunday.

Disaster

Nets: The Nets are doing even worse than the Knicks and are planning to jump back to the ABA before they have a chance to go 0-82. They’re hoping to put a schedule together and play against the Spirits of St, Louis, San Diego Conquistadors, Virginia Squires, Memphis Tams, and Kentucky Colonels once again and regain their dominance in that defunct league. They play the Knicks on Saturday (if they can scrounge up enough players). Will the world explode if one of those teams actually wins the game?

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Minnesota Wild: Drastic Times Call for Drastic Measures

Blake Benzel — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:18:42 -0500

Hockey sticks beware: The Minnesota Wild are on the prowl.

At least, that’s what yesterday’s practice showed, according to Mike Russo of the Star-Tribune.

At the X yesterday, the Wild underwent an extremely physical practice that caused tempers to run high. Sticks were broken, slammed against the glass, and, in the case of Mikko Koivu, airmailed to the fourth row.

Richards told reporters afterwards that he’s decided to change his tone after a sleepless night following the team’s loss to Phoenix. Apparently someone has finally realized that coaxing this team to be better just doesn’t work.

Let’s be honest here. Jacques Lemaire was 10 times the coach that Richards is at this point in his career. Lemaire couldn’t do it last year, so why would Richards be able to do it this year?

Just as Brent Sutter awakened the Calgary Flames with a physical series of practices, Richards hopes to do the same to the Wild, and if there’s any team that needs it, it’s Minnesota.

On paper, this team isn’t much different from the team that was mere points from making the playoffs last season. Its lines are even looking very similar to last year’s team at this point. The most auspicious change was supposed to be the coach, who would take off the reins.

So far, the reins are off, but the results are much the same—only this time, the defense isn’t playing airtight like it has in the past.

For a team that wanted to play a fast, physical style coming into this season (much like the Anaheim Ducks team that won the Stanley Cup), it has spent much of the season losing battles on a regular basis. It has been very rare for a Wild player to come up with a puck that is contested in the corner.

But this “new” Richards might spark something in the team. To my knowledge, the players have been coddled for most of their careers. Just look at Brent Burns and Mikko Koivu. When anyone talks about them, all you hear is how much potential these two young superstars have.

You always hear about how great of a leader Koivu is, or how dynamic a talent Burns is.

But you never hear that Koivu may not have been the best pick for the captain of the team this season, or how Burns tries to do so much on the ice that he is frequently not ready when the game starts going back towards his own end.

The Wild need a change, and the change needs to start at the coaching level right now. The staff needs to stop coddling its golden boys.

Just look at James Sheppard. His confidence is obviously very, very fragile right now. He’s playing soft and he’s playing tentative—in other words, he’s not really playing.

But why not drive home the point with him in practice? Why wouldn’t you send him into a puck battle drill with John Scott or Derek Boogaard, or even Owen Nolan? Why wouldn’t you send him into a puck battle and tell him that he’s not stopping until he gets the puck?

Why wouldn’t you take a stick, tape it to Benoit Pouliot’s hands, and tell him that you’re not taking it off until he starts focusing on his shot and shooting like he’s capable of? Why wouldn’t you do that with Martin Havlat?

All that has been talked about this season by the media is how bad this team is, but all that has been talked about by the team is how bad it's been playing. There’s an obvious disconnect there. This team doesn’t think that it's not good and, honestly, neither do I.

But what needs to happen on a player level is that players need to begin taking accountability for their actions on the ice.

Yes, the coaching staff needs to give these guys a swift kick in the backside, but once that has been done the players need to step up and be accountable.

There is no better example than that of Brent Burns.

Mysteriously, Burns simply disappears after a poor performance. He doesn’t talk to the media or even address them—he just disappears.

To be quite honest, running and hiding isn’t a trait you’d want in your worst player, let alone one who is supposed to be one of your superstars.

The team needs to stand up and be accountable for its actions. This isn’t a mandate that needs to come from the coaching staff, however. This is one that needs to come from within.

Owen Nolan and Andrew Brunette. These are the players this needs to come from. Koivu and Havlat. These are the players this needs to come from.

A locker room-wide mandate that, no matter what the outcome of the game is, you’re sitting at your stall after the game facing the music. It doesn’t matter if you win 6-1 or if you lose 6-1, you’re sitting at your stall, answering questions.

But that’s not going to happen. At least not yet.

For that to happen, the main offenders would have to have some modicum of mental toughness.

But the mental toughness won’t start coming until the team begins to show some physical toughness.

Maybe that’s what Richards wants to start stressing in his practices. Physical, beat down, drag out wars. I, for one, certainly hope so because I, for one, am sick of watching this team underperform on a nightly basis.

Hopefully the Wild will eventually get to the point where they are too.

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Would a Single European League Challenge the NHL?

Jeff Ferris — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:29:44 -0500

This morning, I ventured to ESPN.com to check out last night's scores. As I scrolled down the page I noticed a poll in progress that hasn't yet received a lot of response.

This was the question: Would a single pro league in Europe challenge the NHL?

Now, I'm not much of an authority on European hockey, but the possibility intrigued me. Would a single European professional hockey league provide direct competition for the National Hockey League?

Would European players be torn between staying on their own continent, relatively close to home, or would the NHL still provide the same appeal as it always has?

I think it's inevitable that there will be an attempt to lure more teams and NHL players into one single league [see KHL]. Take a look at this next article . It may be just the beginning.

I think a major problem could be attendance.

I'd really like to know what you guys think.

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Dallas Stars Trend of Failure on Home Ice Becoming Expected

Ken Armer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:34:50 -0500

After a well put together win in Detroit on Wednesday night, the Stars flew home to do battle with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but appears that they left a bag in the Motor City; the bag containing the Stars' ability to play on home ice.

In one of the more one-sided games this season, the Stars were downed by the Jackets 4-1. Even more impressive, the Stars have generally always been able to count the Jackets as a win since Columbus joined the league, yet no watchful eye could tell that from Thursday's performance.

What's even more insulting is the fact that three of the four Columbus goals came on the man advantage, and the other came short-handed. Can anyone else find an issue here?

If that doesn't make a good, loyal Stars fan sweat a bit then I have information that will. To anyone who has witnessed a game at the American Airlines Center, you know it's a great venue, always a great crowd, and always die-hard supportive. Yet the Stars post a better record outside of Dallas.

At home, the Stars post a 3-3-3, and a record of 6-3-3 on the road. It is true the Stars have been on the road a lot, but the road trip is supposed to be when the wheels fall off, not in front of the home fans.

Even more concerning is the fact that the Stars now play seven of their next nine at home, four of which will be in a row. Anyone else not liking the way the evidence points here?

Sure, the Stars simplify things on the road, that much is clear. Possibly, their focus is better after the long trip, or the team even finds relaxation in the luxury suites they enjoy. Problem is this is a team that's supposed to win in front of their fans, not the other guy's.

The Stars need to learn what is working on the road can work at home. Simplify, don't take stupid penalties, and above all, keep it simple. These tried and true parts of their game have been successful on the road, and for their three wins on home ice.

The Stars consistently put a great product on the ice, and this team is one of the most talent-packed I have seen in years, yet they struggle every other game.

All I know is, after this seven of nine if the Stars don't have their mind together and play like they should I'll pay attention to the baby stars. Not only are AHL tickets cheaper, the Texas Stars also actually win games in Cedar Park (north of Austin)!

The Stars face the New Jersey Devils at 7 PM at American Airlines Center. For those interested in Texas Stars' product they face the Milwaukee Admirals Friday night at Ceder Park Center at 7:30 PM.

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Your Toronto Maple Leafs: A Pictorial.

Eric Warren — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:45:10 -0500

Our Toronto Maple Leafs, Be Proud! Including My Take on the Potentials of Everyone from Colton Orr, to Phil Kessel and everyone In Between! Love 'em or hate 'em, watching the Leafs is the only thing aside from my Wife that can make me laugh, cry, curse, sweat, cheer, and curl up in the fetal position while I suck my thumb. All in the span of about sixty minutes!

Begin Slideshow

Chicago-Calgary: Blackhawks Blow Out Flames, 7-1

TAB BAMFORD — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:27:34 -0500

Ah, the Circus Trip.

Not only are the Chicago Blackhawks gone until December, but they get to start their annual Thanksgiving road trip against one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League, the Calgary Flames.

Coming into Thursday night's game, the Flames had only allowed more than two goals once in November, and had a 5-1-1 record to show for it. During that stretch, Calgary goaltender Mikka Kipprusoff has been exceptional; he had saved at least 95 percent in each of his starts until Tuesday, when he allowed three goals on 24 shots to Colorado.

Kipprusoff was emerging as one of the better netminders in the Western Conference during this stretch as well. Despite the infamous 6-5 overtime loss in Chicago in October, he ranked 10th in the NHL in save percentage, 12th in goals against average, and his 11 wins was just one behind the league leaders.

Also red hot for the Flames was their senior leader, Jerome Iginla. His 12 goals were good for the top 10 in the NHL coming as well.

Not only were the Flames playing well, and at home, but they undoubtedly wanted to get the bad taste of the October game out of their mouths coming into Thursday's game.

Now that we've put all that on the table, forget it all. The Blackhawks blew out the Flames as though they were candles on Patrick Kane's birthday cake.

How bad did it get for Calgary? With four minutes left, the house organist busted out "Always look at the bright side of life."

While the scoring will undoubtedly steal the headlines from most of the media, and rightly so, it would be a mistake to ignore a magnificent effort from Cristobal Huet. Against a very good offensive team, Huet made the average saves, the special saves, and the clutch saves to back up another great defensive effort.

On Kane's 21st birthday, he notched the first goal he can legally celebrate with a cocktail and also had an incredible assist on Kris Versteeg's second goal of the night as the Blackhawks absolutely dumped on the Flames from the middle of the first period until the final horn.

Troy Brouwer continued his stretch of perhaps the best hockey of his professional career, scoring his sixth goal in a flurry of putbacks in the first period to give the Hawks the lead. After Olli Jokinen tied the game with a power play goal less than a minute into the second period, the game ended for Calgary.

Less than 40 seconds after Jokinen's goal, Niklas Hjalmarsson lit up former Hawks Renee Bourque like a Christmas tree. He drew a minor penalty on Nigel Dawes, which opened the flood gates. Versteeg scored his first goal on that power play, and the downward slide became fast and pathetic for the Flames.

Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd both scored on breakaways before Kane and Versteeg scored to finish off a second period in which the Hawks outscored the Flames by a 5-1 margin.

Oh, and Ben Eager scored his first goal of the season in the third to make the final score 7-1.

Thursday night's performance should go a long way to give the Hawks a lot of confidence as they continue on this long trip. Their power play had been struggling (one of the few aspects of their game that had been subpar), but they fixed that fairly well on Thursday; the Hawks scored on each of their first four power plays.

Also important coming away from Thursday is that, in a physical game that wasn't very competitive on the scoreboard, the Hawks appeared to leave the ice healthy. The Flames didn't finish any cheapshots on Hjalmarsson or any other Hawks despite their frustration from being embarrassed again.

Huet stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced in the game, the Blackhawks successfully killed four of five penalties, and spread the wealth in the scoring again. Only Brent Sopel, Jonathan Toews, John Madden, Brian Bickell, and Colin Fraser didn't score at least one point in the game, with Duncan Keith leading the way with three assists to earn Number One Star honors.

Toews might not have scored, but he continued to be an elite player in the circle. The Blackhawks young captain won 11 of 15 faceoffs to lead the Blackhawks. Madden won 13 of 25 faceoffs on the night. Fraser lost another fight, his fourth in his last four games.

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Toronto Maple Leafs Take Bullet to the Head in Shoot Out

Mark Ritter — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:49:31 -0500

Blessed with a 3-0 lead after one period of play, the Toronto Maple Leafs looked poised to avoid having the Carolina Hurricanes leap frog them in the standings for the “coveted” 29th overall spot in the NHL, the position the Leafs occupied before tonight’s “epic” battle against the ‘Canes.

Well, Leaf fans, apparently your beloved Maple Leafs didn’t get the memo from environment Canada about the impending Hurricane, forgot to batten down the hatches and, as a result, got blown away by a potent offensive attack in the form of Hurricanes Brandan Sutter, Tim Gleason, Tuomo Ruutu and others.

The improbable storm that was the Carolina Hurricanes on this evening was yet another reminder of just how far off the Leafs are from being considered a legitimate threat to any NHL opponent.

Brandon Sutter, who played a helluva game tonight, single-handily willed the Hurricanes back into the game with his unrelenting checking and tremendous work in the neutral zone, which helped his teammates gain valuable space on the ice.

On the score sheet, the Hurricanes' Tim Gleason and Tuomo Ruutu were the heroes on the night. Gleason, who had two goals in 16 games heading into tonight’s tilt, scored two goals in the second period, while Ruutu had four assists on the night.

The Leafs' penchant for horrific defense, poor goaltending, terrible turnovers, inability to stop a shot in the shoot-out, and mental lapses that would give a 100-year-old retiree a run for his money, all conspired to hand the Leafs their fifth straight loss, bringing their overall record to 3-11-6 on the season.

In case you didn’t catch on earlier, the loss means the Leafs are now the sole occupants of last place in the NHL standings, a place where many prognosticators are becoming more and more comfortable penciling in the Leafs to finish the season.

For Leafs head coach Ron Wilson, tonight serves as yet another reminder that his squad is glaringly unprepared on a nightly basis and conceivably unable to muster up enough confidence to kick an opponent when it is down.

Simply put, the Leafs gave this game away and, while the Hurricanes deserved some props for their hard work in the second and third periods, there is no excuse for the Leafs' disinterested, undisciplined, effortless play.

Veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin, who is playing with a broken finger, played as if it was his first NHL game. Throwing pucks into the slot area, forcing pucks up the middle, and causing countless turnovers, simply put, he was brutal.

Luke Schenn, the Leafs' poster boy of the 2008-09 season, continued to play a very tentative game and looked very slow out on the ice. His decision making has been questionable for most of the season, as has his hockey sense, which seems to have regressed horribly.

After fighting back from 3-0 and and 4-2 deficits to tie the game at four goals apiece, the Hurricanes fell behind yet again when Leafs defenseman Ian White snapped one past Hurricanes goaltender Manny Legace, making it 5-4 Maple Leafs.

With only 30 seconds left in the third period, the Leafs looked to have dodged a bullet...and then it happened...the Leafs gave up the tying goal with just three seconds left.

Nothing was solved in overtime, which led to the teams to decide the game in a shoot-out.

Carolina’s Tuomo Ruutu made a fool of rookie goaltender Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson, scoring a beauty of a goal to start the shoot-out. Next up, Toronto’s Phil Kessel, who tried to go high and missed.

Jussi Jokinen took the next shot for the ‘Canes and, as Rutuu did before him, made Gustavsson look silly with another crafty goal. Next up, the ever-intimidating Lee Stempniak, who, despite his “exceptional” offensive prowess, neglected to take much of a shot, if any at all.

The Hurricanes won 6-5, handing the Maple Leafs another loss.

Looking ahead, the NHL schedule will not get any easier for the Leafs. Saturday night, Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals visit the ACC, followed by a matchup against the New York Islanders led by rookie sensation John Tavares.

Let’s face it: If the Leafs can’t keep an injury-plagued Hurricanes squad off the score sheet, they are likely going to get slaughtered by the Capitals, who, through 21 games, are averaging 3.67 goals per game, tops in the NHL.

To say the Leafs “pooped the bed” tonight would be an understatement. Why is it I feel the storm has just begun???

Until next time,

Peace!

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Solid Coaching Often Not Sexy Enough for Young NHL Players

Steven Ovadia — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:13:16 -0500

Columbus forward Nikita Filatov left the Blue Jackets, choosing to finish the season playing in Russia.

According to Puck Daddy , a huge part of the issue was coach Ken Hitchcock's defensive system, which apparently felt too constricting to the free-skating, offense-minded Filatov.

Meanwhile, under Hitchcock, the Blue Jackets are off to their best start ever.

Over in New York, coach John Tortorella, who gives his players free reign to take as many offensive risks as they want. The Rangers are 4-6 in their last 10, with the only real offense coming from Marian Gaborik. Rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who started the season brilliantly, has just three points in November and is -5 for the month.

It raises an interesting point: Offensive-minded players like offensive-minded coaches, but it doesn't always translate into wins and/or success. Especially with younger players.

Scott Gordon is pushing a high-risk offensive system on a very young Islanders team, and so far, it's only translated into a lot of ties. It could be years before we see the impact his system is having on the development of his players. He could be producing future offensive giants, but he could just as easily be producing talented skaters who have no idea how to play defense; in essence, human pylons.

The NHL is finally transitioning out of its defense-oriented period. More and more coaches are trying to win with stretch passes. Less and less coaches want battles fought in the neutral zone. But still, we're seeing the value of system-oriented hockey.

Over in Phoenix, Dave Tippett has revived the Coyotes simply by instituting a system that lets his young players know where they need to be and when they need to be there—something the team lacked under previous coach Wayne Gretzky.

And out in New Jersey, Jacques Lemaire has found considerable success, especially out on the road, coaching an interesting defensive system that relies on offense, smart passing, and puck-control, almost like a trap that takes place in the offensive zone.

Younger players, like Filatov, don't seem to appreciate the value of systems and schemes, which is a shame, since a lot of times, system-oriented hockey is what takes a career to the next level. Say what you will about the Devils and their style of play, but their system-driven hockey has produced an awful lot of NHL studs over the years.

There's no guarantee Filatov would have ever played his way into Hitchcock's good graces in Columbus, and perhaps he was right in bailing out of the situation, but it would have been great if he had seen fit to stick it out. What if Filatov had learned more of a two-way game? What if he had learned the comfort that often comes from playing in a system? Hitchcock really could have elevated Filatov's game, giving it more dimensions.

Any young players watching the evolution of their equally young cohort in New York will also have to think about the value of a strong coaching style — especially if the Rangers rookie defensive corps continues its stagnation.

Hitchcock might not be the most fun coach in the NHL, but his coaching style prepares players to survive in the NHL. Filatov might not find that same benefit in Europe.

Filatov will certainly put up more goals in Russia this year, but odds are, his game won't improve by simply embracing a style he already knows.

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Contenders or Pretenders: Will the Real Calgary Flames Please Step Up?

Daniel Sallows — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:57:16 -0500

They have shown they can beat Montreal.

They have shown they can beat St.Louis.

They have shown they can beat Edmonton.

But now it is time that the 12-5-2 Calgary Flames showed they can beat a good hockey club.

One who is above them in the standings; which is something they have not done all year.

Otherwise all this Stanley Cup contenders, and top team in Canada talk is just the regular premature hype that has surrounded the Flames since their 2004 playoff run.

Tuesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche should have produced better results, considering the Av's came into the game division leaders and had already beaten the Flames at home this season.

Now factor into the equation that Calgary was the only Canadian club not to beat the Avalanche on their western swing and you may need to ask the question.

Did the Flames fall victim to believing their own hype?

Now they face a Chicago Blackhawks club with an identical record at 12-5-2, a team that put them out in the first-round of the playoffs last season, and more recently overcame a 5-0 deficit to Calgary only to win 6-5, in what may have been one of the biggest collapses in franchise history.

It seems to this point that the Flames season has all the makings of a Wayans brothers flic, in that there is nothing funny about it at all.

The problem?

Well I'm not a genius, I just play one on the Bleacher Report, but since Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff caught fire the rest of the team has gone into a funk worse than Lipps Inc.

In the month of November so far Jarome Iginla has 8 goals in seven games, while the rest of the team has chipped in nine. Take Iggy outta the line-up and the Flames have averaged a measly 1.28 goals per game.

It is a wonder they still boast the fifth best record in the Western Conference, and aren't in the Taylor Hall lottery instead.

For the Flames to be a genuine contender they need to simply want it more, otherwise it will just be one more season of disappointment and questions.

And I gotta tell ya as a Calgary fan, I'm looking forward to one more first-round exit about as much as I'm looking forward to my girlfriend making me sit through another episode of Cougar Town.

The NHL season started way back on October 1st, but as for the Flames their season starts tonight against Chicago.

So would the real Calgary Flames please step up sooner than later, because in the tight Western Conference another two points could be the difference between hitting the ice in late April or hitting the links.

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Know the Opposition: The School Up North

David Thurman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:48:58 -0500

Dave and Drew Thurman (11:45 am)

Mascot: Wolverine (AKA "Skunk Bear")
Stadium: Michigan Stadium (106,201)
Coach: Rich Rodriguez (2nd year at Michigan, 8-15; overall D-1, 68-41)
2008 Record: 3-9
2009 Record: 5-6
Base Offense: Spread
Base Defense: 3-4
Letterman: Returning - 50; Lost - 20
Returning Starters: Offense - 10, Defense - 5, Specialists - 1
Returning Stars: RB Brandon Minor, DE Brandon Graham (pictured)

Notable Alumni:

- Mike Wallace: Host of 60 Minutes
- Barry Larkin: former Cincinnati Red shortstop, 1995 NL MVP
- Branch Rickey: former owner of Dodgers who signed Jackie Robinson
- Larry Paige: co-founder of Google
- Tom Brady: former QB and two-time Superbowl MVP
- Edward Wright: Astronaut; first American to walk in space
- Michael Phelps: Olympic swimmer with 14 career gold medals
- Gerald Ford: 38th President of the United States
- Theodore Kaczynski: The Unabomber

Cheerleading Scouting Report:

For the sake of all parties involved we will skip this section this week, because the sight is too gruesome!

Michigan Overview:

After a 4-0 start, including an upset of Notre Dame, everyone in Ann Arbor was drinking the Rich Rodriguez Kool-Aid. Things haven't been pretty since the early surge though, as the Wolverines have only one win against Delaware State (and no Big Ten victories since a win against IU 36-33 in week four).

Their troubles haven't been because of a lack of offensive output though. They average 31.3 points per game to go along with 391 yards a game. When was the last you heard of a 5-6 team with those sorts of numbers?

Part of the reason the Wolverines are improved offensively this year is because of freshman quarterback Tate Forcier (AKA "Tater Tot"). Though he has had his struggles at times, as any freshman does, Forcier as come up with a lot of big plays this year. On the season he has thrown for 1,824 yards to go along with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, and also has 230 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

What the Buckeyes will have to watch the most is the innovation of Forcier, who often extends plays in unique ways as things are breaking down. Rodriguez will also use freshman Denard Robinson at QB, who is much more likely to use his legs than his arm.

He has only completed 12 passes all year long, and has 185 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. He is the third leading rusher on the team, with 320 yards and five touchdowns.

There are about a thousand different receivers who could catch the ball for the Wolverines come Saturday. The guy that has emerged in recent week is Roy Roundtree. He only had two catches on the year going into the Illinois game three weeks ago, and now has 318 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

The Wolverines are also expecting Martavious Odoms (272 yards, one TD) to return this weekend, who was the most consistent receiver on the roster before battling a knee injury the last three weeks.

Also look for Greg Mathews (285 yards, one TD) and Junior Hemingway (263 yards, two TD) to play a role at wideout. At tight end the Buckeyes will have to watch for former Ohio talent Kevin Koger, who has 220 yards and two touchdowns.

At running back, Rodriguez and company will take a huge blow this weekend as top runner Brandon Minor will be out with a shoulder injury (502 yards, 8 TD). That will leave the carries to Carlos Brown who has 480 yards and four touchdowns on the season. He is also banged up though, so also watch for Vincent Smith (244 yards, 1 TD) to take some snaps at running back.

The Wolverine defense, coached by new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, has been abysmal at best this season. At this rate Robsinson is probably looking at a job with the Big Ten Network, so he can blast successful coaches. His defense is giving up 28.1 points per game and a amazing 400.2 yards per game. Pretty ugly stuff!

The one guy of major note on the defensive side of the ball is Brandon Graham, who has dominated people from the defensive end spot. He has 57 tackles on the season, to go along with 21 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.

The rest of the front seven has not been been stellar, but the 164 yards a game rushing they are giving up isn't terrible. Linebackers Stevie Brown, Obi Ezeh, and Jonas Mouton have been active, especially Brown who leads the team in tackles with 73.

Now the secondary on the other hand, has been exposed by about every team they have played. Last week they made Scott Tolzien look like a Heisman candidate as he picked them apart for four touchdowns. Outside of Donovan Warren, they are undersized and outmanned, especially at safety with Mike Williams (5'11'' 188) and Jordan Kovacs (5'10'' 194).

Game Outlook:

When Michigan has the ball a lot will rest on the offensive line and Tate Forcier. Opponents are only averaging 2.7 yards a carry against the Buckeye defense, and with Minor out, that puts a lot of pressure on Forcier to air it out. No doubt Rodriguez will have some things up his sleeve, but the Wolverines will most likely not be able to run the ball with consistency.

So David Moosman and the boys better come prepared to back up their talk this week. The big question will be what defensive line fans will see this Saturday. Will it be the dominating unit that took over the Penn State game or the unit that looked like they had cement cleats against Iowa (*cough* and Purdue *cough*)?

Look for the defense to come out and resemble the Penn State game, especially in scheme. Heacock will show little respect to the Michigan wideouts, jamming them at the line, and forcing Forcier to throw the ball into situations that favor the Buckeyes.

On the other side of the ball, when Ohio State is on offense, expect Tressel to try to pound the ball yet again. Michigan is very undersized, and with Boom and Zoom dominating the last two weeks he will want to wear down their defense. Tressel will probably use Pryor in a larger way this week though.

He always pulls out all the stops in this game, and he knows he has lots of time to get Pryor healthy before the Rose Bowl. The weather should be good enough in Ann Arbor for Pryor to air it out, and a undersized (and slow) UM secondary could mean big plays for guys like Posey, Sanzenbacher, and Small.

Overall, its hard to predict exactly what to expect, especially since Michigan has so many reasons to be motivated for this game. Tressel has obviously been incredible against Michigan, but over most of his tenure winning this game was vital for postseason success.

This year the Buckeyes already have the Rose Bowl clinched, and coming off of two highly emotional games, they will have to overcome the temptation to be flat. With that said, Tressel and the players seem focused on the goal, and Rodriguez has not proven he can win a big game. New jerseys and all, the Buckeyes continue the streak...

Father vs. Son Prediction Battle:

Dave: OSU 35-20
Drew: OSU 31-14

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Filatov Fiasco: The Departure of Hockey's Top Prospect

Ed Cmar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:45:12 -0500

Well, I guess we all received the answer to the question of whether Nikita Filatov was going to log more Time On Ice—TOI.

Oh, there will be ice time logged, but, it won't be here in Columbus—heck, it won't be in North America, in the National Hockey League—NHL.

I don't know about you, but, after something this stunning occurs, my mind tends to reel—I need a little time to process what just happened.

In a startling development, Nikita Filatov opted to leavethe Columbus Blue Jackets to return to his native Russia and play in the Kontinental Hockey League—KHL—for CSKA Moscow, 19 games into his rookie campaign.

Wait, wasn't this the same player who was rated the No. 2 prospect in the draft, behind Steven Stamkos, by the International Scouting Service (ISS)? Wasn't it also the same player who was rated the top prospect—in the later instance, prospect in the sense of not yet playing full-time in the NHL—in all of hockey by every major publication, Hockey's Future, The Hockey News, et al?

Wasn't this also the same player who coach Ken Hitchcock compared to a young Pavel Bure? It just didn't work out, and he's leaving, under a one-year "loan agreement"

(what, are we buying a house?), to "develop his game" and will return for training camp?

Something stinks here, and there's plenty of blame to go around. Spin this "return" though you may, but, I'm not buying it—there are two chances he returns: no chance and no chance.

I think it's safe to say that there are three, and only three, parties to this catastrophe: Nikita Filatov, Ken Hitchcock and Scott Howson.

So, let me address each party: where they errored and where they're coming from - on the later, where they have a valid defense/position.

Nikita Filatov—talent? Undeniable; Baggage/Character Issues?

Undeniable. His perception of waltzing in—reputation/upside, alone, and not earning his way into the NHL and on one of the first lines—won't cut it, especially in playing for a future Hall of Fame coach, one who is known for being "demanding" on players, particularly young players.

Filatov, in an interview, acknowledged that he was considering leaving the Blue Jackets after the fourth game of the season, the first game in which he was benched—in NHL jargon, healthy scratched. Hey, let's not quit too soon, eh? And, it leads to those character

issues/questions: Was he really working on those aspects of the game that are necessary for success in the NHL? Rick Nash changed his game, as did prior Hitch stalwarts Mike Modano, Brett Hull and Eric Lindross.

While each may not have liked the tough love and being thrust into inglorious duty—the dirty work—each transformed themselves from being one-dimensional to being elite, two-way, multi-dimensional stars.

I also recall Filatov making a somewhat snide inference regarding the upside he has against Steven Stamkos, while Stamkos was going through the growing pains of full-time duty in the NHL, last season.

Well, in Stamkos' case, while he indeed struggled, a bit, he also worked to become as complete a player as he could, and, during the later part of the season and into this season, he's elevated his game to being one of the Tampa Bay Lightning's best, most complete, players.

So, right now, given a choice of Stamkos' NHL prospects and Filatov's, does anyone want to take on that bet as to who will be the better professional? I didn't think so.

However, is he solely to blame for this mess? Not entirely—Filatov did put in his time in the AHL, last year. He also was understanding and patient in being assigned to the AHL, for the remainder of the season, a few games after he scored his hat trick against the Minnesota Wild.

Some wondered if he perhaps should have stayed with the parent club, that it was a movebased on mitigating the shortening of his initial option (UFA) year. He quietly watched the double standard of a long leash for the veteran players, even some younger players, and an extremely short leash for himself.

He's told, and knows, that he has world-class talent, yet he sees all those players drafted before him logging significant, first line/pairing shifts in the NHL. He sees veterans who were essentially turnover machines, doing so, without any repercussions, as he was subject to.

He's told that he's in "survival mode"—Ken Hitchcock's words to describe his playing prospects—essentially wrecking any confidence that he had and leading him to try not make a mistake.

Much like Marty Schotenheimer and John Cooper in football (coaching), when you try not to make a mistake, you make several mistakes. Finally, and not to make an excuse, the last I looked, Filatov's an 18-year-old, being asked to come to another part of the world, alone. Think that might be a life-altering change?

Scott Howson—this one really hurts to even infer or question him.

During his tenure, you'd be hard-pressed to find even the slightest blemish—thus, the phrase, "In Howson we trust." On this draft move, however, enter blemish. Since the discontinuation of the transfer agreements between the NHL and Russian players, two seasons ago, has made NHL GMsquite apprehensive towards possibly wasting a draft pick on someone who's essentially a flight risk.

Case in point: Maxim Mayorov, a consensus 10th-15th, overall, draft pick, being drafted by the Blue Jackets in the fourth round, in the 2007 entry draft. If you need further evidence, just ask the Nashville Preds of their comfort level in drafting Russian players, after Alexander Radulov left, two seasons ago, never to return to the NHL and the Preds.

Now that Filatov has returned to Russia, and is now playing in the KHL—not a league I'd put much faith in honoring the loan agreement—the Blue Jackets have lost their no. 1 pick for nothing in return.

In Howson's defense, however, he being an extremely bright, methodical person, he did his due diligence, interviewing him several times, in the scouting/draft process. All signs seemed "a go"—Filatovwasn't under any contract with any Russian league or other impeding promulgating bodies, Filatov expressed a lifelong desire to play in the NHL, he learned English at a relatively young age; basically, he said and did all the right things.

There was also the opposing risk that, had they not drafted Filatov with the No. 6, overall, pick, that the drop-off in talent was quite large. I will also say that Scott Howson never deflects blame, much unlike his predecessor, Doug MacLean - he was aware of the risks.

Ken Hitchcock—much like my previous article, in which I admitted to a Steve Mason vanity plate—before that, I possessed a Ken Hitchcock vanity plate, being an ardent follower of his coaching greatness, and a great fan of his "old time hockey" style.

To this end, however, much as I hate to admit it, I believe the most blame, in this mess, should be placed on him. Hitch does not get off, scott-free—there is a clear double-standard that exists between his younger and older players—see turnover machine Kristian Huselius, during the period in which Filatov was lucky to draw seven minutes of TOI, while Huselius was unscathed, continuing to draw major minutes of TOI, on the first line.

Did Hitch really give Filatov any chance to succeed? That his leash wasn't unfairly short, particularly towards him, versus the veterans? Does the tough love approach really work for everyone, particularly for someone so young, and for someone you've compared to Pavel Bure? Any chance you might have went a bit overboard in trying to prove a point?

Any chance that you might have considered the approach you used towards Nikolai Zherdev, at the beginning of his last season in Columbus?

Even in comparing the handling of last season's rookies, Derrick Brassard and Jake Voracek, it didn't appear they were subjected to the same level of tough love—then again, and that's a by-product of an improved organization, Ken Hitchcock didn't have the same level of talent, at this time, last season.

Again, however, there was enough evidence of veterans who played far worse, and few, if any, repercussions were imposed upon those who were not adhering to Hitchcock's disciplined system.

In defense of Hitch—like he cares that I or anyone defend him—his results speak louder than I or any armchair QB could even dream of—it's pretty simple. He's not in the coddling or patience business, he's in the winning championships business.

He is going to play (both) the players he thinks gives him the best chance to win, those players who sacrifice their individual talents for those of the team, and those who adhere and follow his system. He lives in the day to day—that approach was attempted during the prior regime, and it was a cataclysmic failure. It's about the team and not individuals. This team is a rising power in the NHL—he need no further proof than the team's

An 11-6-2 record and its first-ever playoff appearance—you fail to perform? There's plenty of organizational depth and players who will do all the things necessary to produce victories and, ultimately, Stanley Cup championships.

Oh, and not that it matters to the argument, but, Hitch is a sure fire, Hall of Fame coach. He has a legacy and a track record, Scotty Bowman and Jack Adams, aside, second to none.

He has demonstrated, if you follow his methods and system, players do transform their careers, for the better; teams do succeed—at the Junior level, at the NHL level, the Olympic level, at the international level—Hitch has the hardware to prove it and the game to back it up.

The end result of all of this is Nikita Filatov is KHL-bound on a "one year loan." If you say so...and last year, Filatov was called up from the AHL to "experience" the NHL playoffs. Yeah, I'll drink the Kool Aid.

I sure hope I'm proven wrong—it wouldn't be the first time, more like the 258th time, for those of you scoring, at home—but, I firmly believe Filatov has played his last game as a Jacket.

In a follow up article, I will address what options the Blue Jacket organization, particularly Scott Howson, have to possibly recoup this potential lost investment.

In the meantime, the work goes on—next objective? Defeating the Dallas Stars and working towards a successful, five-game, road trip.

But, one can't help but wonder how all of this could have been avoided.

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Colorado Avalanche: David Jones Proving To Be Late-Round Gem

James Crider — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:24:47 -0500

Not many players drafted in the ninth round end up becoming top line forwards, but David Jones of the Avalanche is a rare exception.

In fact, Jones was almost never drafted; he was taken 288th overall out of 292 drafted players in the 2003 Entry Draft. But Avalanche brass saw something in him, and decided to use their late round Hail Mary pick on him.

Right now, he's making them look like geniuses.

Originally an injury call up late in the 2008 season, the 25-year-old Jones has managed to stick in the Avalanche line-up due to his large frame and straight away speed.

But he's beginning to show he also has some scoring touch, compiling seven goals (two short-handed) and 11 points through 18 games this season. He's recently been bumped up to the top line with Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski as a result of his strong play.

He's also been one of the Avalanche's biggest hitters, second most among Avalanche forwards. Even though he throws his body around, he's only racked up two penalty minutes all season, and only 18 in his 85 career games.

This is the kind of player you rebuild with.

Too often in recent memory the Avalanche have gone after one dimensional forwards; players who might score you 20 goals, but will cost you 30 because they don't back check (hello, Tyler Arnason).

Players like Jones, T.J. Galiardi, and Ryan O'Reilly now fill that role, and the Avalanche are first in the division largely due to their willingness to hustle in all three zones of the ice.

If there's one complaint to be made about Jones, it's that he's not being fully utilized.

His 17:09 average ice time per game ranks him fourth among Avalanche forwards, but he's only averaging a measly 15 seconds of power play time per game.

Despite leading the Avalanche with a 25 percent shooting percentage, Joe Sacco has chosen to give Jones less average power play ice time than both Scott Hannan and Adam Foote, even though 21st ranked Avalanche power play continues to be unsuccessful.

I'll never understand what Sacco's thought process is, but that's why I'm not the coach.

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Is Mike Richards Getting It Done in Philadelphia?

Mark Ritter — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:53:42 -0500

Having scored five goals in his first six games, Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike Richards was off to the hottest start of his short NHL career. However, over the next 12 games, Richards would score just three times, leaving some Flyers fans wanting more.

To be fair, those that are scoffing at Richards’ efforts, are not paying close enough attention. The fact is, Richards is having one heck of a season for the Orange and Black, and from all accounts, looks to be on course for a career year.

Through 18 games, Richards has scored nine goals, has 18 points, and has a plus/minus rating of plus three. His 61 shots and 51.5 face off percentage wins ranks him second amongst all Flyers and, like many elite players, he makes everyone around him better.

Stats are nice, but in order to get a true sense of what Richards brings to the rink every night, you need to look at all the intangibles. Leadership, toughness, grit, determination, and a passion for being a member of the Flyers, are just a few of the attributes that help Richards stand out as an elite NHL player.

Like many of his Flyers’ teammates, Richards has a purpose with the club. Jeff Carter scores goals, James Van Riemsdyk brings energy, Chris Pronger brings leadership and intimidation, and Ray Emery keeps the opposition at bay with his timely saves. Richards brings it all.

Arguably the best two-way forward in the game, Richards brings an attitude that has not been seen since the days of Bobby Clarke.

Richards has no problem getting in an opponents grill and, as witnessed by Florida Panthers forward David Booth, he will not hesitate to take you out.

Richards’ game is built in the mold of an “old school” hockey player, those who played with tremendous pride for their teammates, fans, and most of all, for the jersey on the front of their chests. No question about it, Richards bleeds Orange and Black and he would go through a wall to prove his loyalty.

Without a doubt, Richards will be on Team Canada’s roster when the 2010 Olympic’s roll around and he will likely be given the challenge of checking the oppositions most lethal NHL offensive lines.

Russia’s Alex Ovechkin, USA’s Paul Stastny, Sweden’s Henrik Sedin, Slovenian Anze Kopitar, Czech Vinny Prospal, Finland’s Mikko Koivu, and others will get a steady diet of Mike Richards in Vancouver, something none of them is looking forward to.

So to anyone out that is daring enough to say, “Richards isn’t getting it done in Philly”..."y'all need to check yourself", ‘cause by all accounts, Richards is getting it done and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, thank you very much!

Until next time,

Peace!

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Wanna Bet-Daily Hockey Picks-November 19th

Louis Pisano — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:44:38 -0500

The NHL definitely has parity, and on any given night any team can win. But there are indeed trends and stats and other variables that make picking a winner less of a gamble.

I will try and give you a few of the reasons in a short analysis on the games that I feel are worth looking at. This is the first article of its kind because I like to get a feel for what is going on in the NHL over the first quarter or so before I start riding teams, and get a feel for which direction a team is going and which teams they can beat while finding some value out there.

Toronto -115 @ Carolina -105

Carolina and Toronto are both basement dwellers at this point, but Carolina is one of the teams Toronto has beaten this year. Jonas Gustavsson is starting tonight for the Leafs, and with the battle between the two goalies for the starting job, will bring his best game.

The teams have split the last four games. In the last five games, Toronto has given up 16 goals while the Canes have given up 19. After the injury to Cam Ward, The Canes went out and picked up veteran net-minder Manny Legace who should get the start tonight.

Toronto’s power play has been one of the only high points for this team, and as Carolina has the worst goals against in the league and gives up the most power play opportunities, I would expect Toronto to be able to capitalize in this situation. Carolina also scores the fewest goals per game averaging a mere 2.2.

Take Toronto -115

New Jersey -120 @ Nashville +100

New Jersey has been outstanding on the road this year, losing only once, and holds a record of 9-1; one game short of tying the best road record to start a season. This record is held by Buffalo, having lost their first road game at Philly on Monday and is 8-2 over their last ten games.

Martin Brodeur is tied for the league lead in wins with 12, has a 2.21 goals against average, and .920 save percentage, making his case for his place as the starting goalie for team Canada’s Olympic team. Predator's goalie Pekka Rinne has a 2.40 goals against average, a 9.14 save percentage, and is the reason Nashville is 7-3 in their last ten.

These teams meet quite infrequently, so really the only meeting that is relevant is the last one, being that it was last year in which New Jersey won 3-1.

New Jersey gives up the league best 2.1 goals, the fewest power plays of 3.2 per game, and allows only 0.5 power play goals. Nashville is the second lowest scoring team in the league, scoring on average 2.3 goals per game along with being third last in the league on the power play scoring 0.5 per game at 13.7 percent. I have to lean towards New Jersey in this game.

Take New Jersey -120

Tampa Bay +120 @ Anaheim -140

Tampa Bay is on the rise and the Ducks seem to be drowning, two teams going in opposite directions. Mike Smith will get the start for the Bolts as he had a good showing in his last game in a 4-1 win in Phoenix.

Jonus Hiller should get the start for the Ducks, unless they decide to put in Pogge due to the all around poor play of this team, which I doubt. Tampa is second in the league in power play chances at 4.6 per game, and young sniper Steven Stamkos with the new coaching staff in Tampa has blossomed as most thought he would and leads the team in power play goals.

Anaheim gives up the most power plays in the league at 4.9 per game on average and allows the most power play goals per game at 1.3, ranking them third worst in the league percentage wise in penalty killing at 74.2 percent.

This is the first game back at home for the Ducks after dropping four straight on the road, and the first game back home after a road trip has been a good spot to bet on the visiting team. There is some value here with the Lightening at plus odds.

Take Tampa +120

Ship it, send it, chalk it, and lock it, from The King of Roncesvalles to your sports books good luck boys. All the Best!

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Minnesota Wild Must Rebuild

Austin Lindberg — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:51:24 -0500

There is a long way to go until this year's trade deadline of March 3, 2010.

But with the Winter Olympics, general managers around the league are going to have to do their homework earlier than usual to work around the Olympic break from Feb. 15-28.

The Minnesota Wild are amongst a handful of teams who look to be major players in that deadline. If the Wild are serious about moving forward with new head coach Todd Richards and new general manager Chuck Fletcher, they will be sellers come deadline day.

The Wild are ending their adjustment period to the new, open system of Richards. Wednesday's game was nearly error-free with regards to operating in the system. However, the team still could not generate any sort of bite or strike fear into Phoenix.

The Wild are sleepwalking through the 2009-10 NHL season because this is a team very much in transition. Gone are the days of the Jacques Lemaire defensive lockdown; his replacement implements a much more aggressive approach.

Although Lemaire is gone, the players that former GM Doug Risebrough pieced together to function in Lemaire's system remain—and they don't fit the new system.

In July, the Wild front office wanted to push for the playoffs.

Fletcher was eager to put his stamp on the Wild and signed Martin Havlat to a six-year, $30 million contract to replace the departed Marian Gaborik. Just before the season, Fletcher signed veteran scorer Petr Sykora to add even more offensive support.

Nine games into the season, Fletcher sent the Wild's 2011 second-round draft pick and 2009 fourth-round pick Alexander Fallstrom to Boston for gritty goal scorer Chuck Kobasew.

Fletcher has done a lot of work to keep this team from having to start all over. However, his work has been for naught. The Wild sit second from the bottom in the Western Conference. Three weeks ago they showed signs of hope by winning four of five. They haven't won since.

It's admirable of Fletcher to try to make this team a contender right away. His waste-no-time attitude is a welcomed change of pace to Risebrough's. But continuing to mortgage the future in order to improve a poor team to mediocrity is what cost Risebrough his job.

The Wild in transition is a failing project; blowing the team up and starting over couldn't be that much worse. If the team wins 35 games in a transitional year and misses the playoffs by 12 points, is it any worse to trade assets, amass draft choices and prospects, win 25 games, and miss the playoffs by 22 points?

Owen Nolan, Eric Belanger, Kim Johnsson, and Marek Zidlicky will all be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season, and all four would be valuable assets to teams looking to make a push in the playoffs.

It's possible that the Wild could receive a first-round pick for Nolan or Johnsson depending on how the market plays out, but a realistic return for all four players should be a draft choice between the second and fourth rounds or respectable prospects.

If the Wild are going to get better anytime soon, they need to make wholesale changes as fast as possible. That means shedding payroll, trading assets, and amassing draft choices and prospects. This team lacks the talent and prospects to do much of anything in the next three to four years as it stands.

The sooner the Wild fall, the faster they will rise. They've experimented with mediocrity for the better part of a decade. If Fletcher fails to rebuild, he will follow that path of mediocrity for the foreseeable future.

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The Boston Bruins Have a Plan: Patience

Benjamin Altsher — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:28:45 -0500

First, let me be clear about one thing. This article is in direct response to Ryan Pickard's recent postings about the Bruins' lack of offense.

Certainly as a fan of the team, the lack of scoring throughout the season has been extremely disappointing. However, the injuries to Marc Savard and Milan Lucic cannot be overstated in this regard. Also, let's not forget about David Krejci.

He returned to the ice a month earlier than expected to make it in time for the regular season opener, meaning his first month has been like training camp. Now that he's finally got his game sharpened, we've seen the dynamic Krejci we're used to, creating scoring chances on nearly every shift.

Of course, the instant reaction would be to look at the position the team is in with respect to the salary cap and the large stock of draft picks and say that they need to make a move now. Indeed, the Bruins will make a move, but not until they feel the time is right.

As Pickard barely touched on in one of his articles, the Bruins' high cap number is a road block to picking up a player right now. That's exactly the reason a move won't be made until near the trade deadline at the earliest. There's no one on the roster that the team would be willing to deal, with picks, for a player like an Ilya Kovalchuk that another team would want.

Blake Wheeler's the biggest trading chip currently on the team, and there's no way Peter Chiarelli's letting him go without a fight. In all likelihood, Boston will make its move for a rental player, purely for picks.

In the meantime, Milan Lucic will be back Thursday night against Atlanta and Savard should return before Thanksgiving. This will bring the B's back to 100 percent, and hopefully back to their winning ways.

Let's not forget the Penguins stumbled through the early part of last season before going on a run to finish fifth in the East and eventually capture the Stanley Cup. This is not to say that the same thing will happen to the Bruins, but a slow start does not necessarily mean a poor finish.

Watch exactly what Milan Lucic brings to the Bruins in his return

Lucic to Savard

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Is Ron Wilson's Line Shuffling Stacking the Deck Against the Maple Leafs?

Louis Pisano — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:10:15 -0500

By Louis "King of Roncesvalles" Pisano

Given that not much seems to be going the Leafs' way, changing up the lines and defensive pairings would usually be an acceptable solution as a coaching decision.

But have the Leafs really had any time this season to form some chemistry with a set lineup over a period of time?

Not that I’ve seen.

The lack of success early in the season led to many line changes as some of the young players, who in the preseason gave Leaf fans hopes for a playoff berth, were watching from the press box and eventually sent down to the Marlies.

Then, with Phil Kessel being cleared to play and inserted into the lineup, the juggling continued while the coaching staff tried to find complementary players for this young sniper.

With that in mind, how difficult is it to change your thoughts on the fly going down the ice on a nightly basis?

For example: when playing with Mikhail Grabovski, who will straddle the line and try to gain the zone carrying the puck, as opposed to playing with Matt Stajan, who you know is going to dump the puck immediately after crossing centre ice.

The same can be said for the defensive pairings for the Leafs, which have changed nightly due to injury or poor play as a unit.

Without that split-second knowledge of who’s with you or who you are with on the rush, mistakes are going to be more frequent.

More often than not, this will result in either being late on the forecheck or an offside without that consistency and knowledge of your linemates.

This applies to the defence as well: not knowing who is taking the man when the puck is dumped in, and in other situations, it creates hesitation, which could lead to turnovers along the boards and in their own zone.

Another side effect of this lack of regularity in respect to set lines is the dreaded neutral zone turnover, which has been detrimental to this Leafs team all season. These turnovers at the opposing team's blue line or while breaking out of their own zone creates those odd man rushes going the other way, leading to quality scoring chances, which teams have been capitalizing on frequently.

This is all a coaching nightmare, but in this case does the responsibility for this lack of cohesiveness fall squarely on the one having the nightmare, namely Ron Wilson?

The Toronto Maple Leafs' staff and players, along with Leafs Nation, are all looking for answers to what ails this team. Perhaps if they just would stick with some lines through thick and thin and let them gain all of that mighty chemistry, this team could begin to see some success.

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Enough Is Enough: NHL Officiating Is a Bad Joke, Requires Total Overhaul

Matt Hutter — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:02:59 -0500

The NHL has been in existence for over 80 years.

In that time, the game has changed tremendously.

From the number of players on a team to the equipment they use to play it, hockey today is vastly different than it was decades ago.

Save for one aspect.

Officiating.

As it was in 1926, the on ice official has the final call, the ultimate say, the total authority to call the game as he sees fit.

This must change.

The league has used video review for years, but it is slightly less useless in aiding officiating than the fans in the stands.

True, it has been used to determine if a goal was scored or not.

But what many don't realize is that the referees still have ultimate authority to determine when a goal is scored, regardless of what the video review reveals.

Additionally, in cases where a goal is clearly scored, the referee can waive it off if he determines it was scored illegally.

Again, regardless of whether or not his assertion is proved to be wrong.

Like last Saturday in Tampa Bay.

With the Lightning in a 1-1 tie with the Los Angeles Kings, the game goes into overtime.

At 1:40 of the overtime period, defense man Andrej Meszaros lets a shot go from the blue-line that beats Kings goal tender Jonathan Quick.

Tampa Bay celebrates and begins making their way back to the dressing room.

However, referee Frederick L'Ecuyer decided that there was no goal because Lightning forward Paul Szczechura had interfered with the Kings' net minder.

Video replay clearly showed that Szczechura was pushed into Quick by Kings' defenseman Sean O'Donnell.

However, any call made by a referee is not allowed to be reviewed, even if video replay shows he made the wrong call.

The league reinforced this idiocy after the game.

Referee Supervisor Don Koharski stated, "In the eyes of the referee, the goaltender was clearly interfered with by the attacking player."

The game goes to a shootout, which Tampa Bay loses.

That same night, the San Jose Sharks are in Chicago taking on the Blackhawks.

Late in the third period, the Sharks lead 3-2.

They appear to make it 4-2 as a Sharks' shot trickles past the goal line.

The video review shows Chicago goalie Christobal Huet's glove reach completely beyond the goal line and then sweep the puck out.

San Jose's color commentator summed up the no-goal call perfectly, "you are not allowed to use logic" when reviewing a goal.

Just last night in Detroit, the Red Wings are down 2-1 to the visiting Dallas Stars midway through the third period.

Detroit forward Brad May throws a spin-around, backhand shot on Dallas goalie Alex Auld.

The puck squeaks in over the goal line and is pinned against the net by Auld's left pad.

No one sees it at first, but then Detroit starts to celebrate.

However, referees Stephane Auger and Denis LaRue say it is no goal because the whistle had blown.

They made this ruling after a video review.

Now, you be the judge here.

Take a look at the play.

The video shows the puck clearly in the net.

Now count, one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two, then the whistle blows.

The puck is in the net for a full two seconds before the play is called dead.

Surely, the video review has done its job and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Wings had tied the game 2-2.

Nope.

The ruling of the officials is that the play was stopped at the time the puck entered the net.

Because, after all, it isn't the whistle being blown that stops play, it is the ref's intention to blow the whistle.

The Wings lose, 3-1.

NHL referees have been granted omnipotence by the league.

Whether or not their ruling corresponds with objective reality is immaterial.

Man, how fun it would be to have that type of set-up in your job?

"Sorry boss, I know the deadline was 5 PM and I gave you the report at 6 PM, but I intended to submit it at 4:55 PM."

Or maybe you could use it to beat one of those red light camera tickets.

"Your honor, the photographic evidence does appear to show me blowing through that red light, but, to my eyes, the light was green."

A ref being "sold" on a hooking penalty is one thing.

But bad officiating is costing goals and losing games for many teams in the NHL.

This cannot continue if the league has any hope of not degenerating into a farce on the level of WWE Wrestling.

The game is simply too fast and too quick to be accurately monitored by on-ice officials.

Referees are human, and therefore, will inevitably make mistakes.

But the current system denies this assertion.

NHL referees are, essentially, infallible.

Here are my suggestions on how to fix this, and I encourage your comments:

Get rid of this "intent" crap. You either blow the whistle or you don't.
Make any call which can potentially "call back" a goal reviewable/ reversible by video review.
Mandate that the referee closest to the play has the authority to overrule a call made by the center ice official (this would eliminate those phantom hooking or slashing calls made by a ref 60 feet away while the ref six feet away, with a clear view of the play sees nothing).

Take a page out of the NFL's playbook and allow NHL coaches to challenge the referee when they've waived off a goal. If the video refutes the ref's call, it's a goal. If it shows the ref to be right, assess the challenging team a two-minute delay of game penalty.

Referees are not gods, they are fallible men.

The NHL needs to realize this soon, or our game, like the officiating that monitors it, will too become a bad joke.

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Road No Longer Unkind for the Tampa Bay Lightning

JC De La Torre — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:52:03 -0500

As the 2009-10 season began for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the road was not kind to the Bolts.

In their first five road games, the Lightning managed no victories and only one point.

Since the horrid start, the Lightning have turned it around on the road and are now on a 3-0-1 string, garnering seven of a possible eight points in their last four away from the St. Pete Times Forum.

Improved goaltending on the road has certainly helped. Antero Niittymaki and Mike Smith have combined for 1.5 goals against in the last four road games, after giving up an abysmal 5.0 goals per game in the first five.

The Lightning have also begun to light the lamp much more consistently, raising their road goals total to 2.75 per game from 1.58.

Antero Niittymaki has been a major force behind the turn around. Niitty has been between the pipes for three of the Lightning's four game streak while Mike Smith started the four of the five in the first set.

That's not to put it all on Smith. While he did struggle quite a bit, the team really didn't give him much offensive support and at times, the Bolts young defense looked confused.

With the Lightning's quirky schedule, there's been some extended periods of practice time between some games and it's benefited the younger players like Victor Hedman.

It also helped Smith find his game, at least for one outing. Smith returned triumphantly on Monday Night in the Lightning's 4-1 at Phoenix.

"I was really focused in practice," said Smith, who was benched after allowing five goals on 18 shots in a 6-2 loss to the Flyers. "In the past I've been more loose in practice and maybe not focused on every puck. The last couple of weeks have been a battle for me in practice to just get everything out of it that I can."

Phoenix out shot the Lightning 31-19 in that game, but Smith kept his hockey team in it, making 30 saves and earning the first star.

"His temperament before the game, there was a good coolness and confidence from him," Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said. "We're getting some pretty good goal tending on this hockey club. Good goal tending makes anything look better."

Indeed it does, and it definitely has made the Lightning's performance on the road that much better.

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