Hey! Ho! Let's Go!! Let the speculation begin.
Apparently, it only takes two months of having a player on your team before you're able to accurately assuage his future career plans. Nashville Predators GM David Poile believes that Peter Forsberg will not return to the NHL next season. According to pieces on tsn.ca and espn.com, Poile gleaned this information from the physical beating Forsberg has taken over the years, not through any conversations the GM and player have had since his acquisition in February.
In a bit of dramatic irony, I'll bet the house that fans in Denver and Philadelphia must be humming The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" after reading the above paragraph.
How can this hockey lifer rush to judgment based on nothing, and fooled so easily as to take that information to the press? Poile can even cite precedent on the issue, as, back in 1986 when he was GM in Washington, longtime forward Bengt Gustafsson went home to Sweden on indefinite leave after a seven-year NHL career. That indefinite time period happened to be only the 1986-87 season, and Gustafsson played two more years before quitting the league for good.
Rule Number Two of the European Hockey Player's Ethos states that threatening to return to one's native country to either retire or to play a shorter international season is either 1) a bargaining tool during contract negotiations (as in Detroit's Niklas Lidstrom's repeated threats to take his kids back to Sweden to be educated in his native land), or 2) a way to deflect organizational or media pressure on the issue of returning to play in the NHL (see Forsberg with Flyers).
Poile even goes on to say that he was sure Forsberg would not come back, because he surely wouldn't exclude Nashville if he were thinking of a return. Gotcha!!
Forsberg did reveal to the Swedish press that he's opting out of playing for the Tre Kronor in the upcoming Worlds. No brainer there. Twenty years ago, it might have been a big deal for a superstar to duck any post-NHL tourney, but everyone, Forsberg included, takes a beating over the course of an 82-game schedule plus playoffs. Still, that refusal should merely be taken as a chance for Foppa to take a deserved rest, and not as a prelude to an impending retirement.
You've gotta figure that Our Hamlet will take every possible second he needs to make a proper decision. With God-given and practice-honed talents on his side in the prime of his career, it is a blessing that he can delay so long and then come back in full charge without a full off-season's worth of preparation.
The Flyers situation being what it is, it will drive a certain passionate and desperate portion of the fan base to distraction in the maniacal fantasy that Forsberg really will return to the team for One Last Shot at the Cup. I've stated here before that it won't really be in the club's best interest to woo him back with so many choice free agents who are younger and healthier.
Still, his final decision will have a definite ripple effect over a vast portion of the league. He's only been with three teams in his career - there's nothing set in stone that he won't seriously consider the other 27. Then again, there's nothing set in stone that he even considers anything but his own needs.
That's what makes the whole thing so beautiful and so frustrating at the same time.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Second Round Picks
In the first round, I gave a fairly detailed analysis of each series and got seven of eight correct. The only one I didn't pick correctly (Dallas-Vancouver) I did get the number of games to decide the series right, although it did manage to throw off the seedings in the one place I laid out all my playoff picks in order.
However, in this space, I do feel the need to regroup my picks and simply go with my gut for the Conference semifinals.
Eastern Conference
(1) Buffalo over (6) New York Rangers - The Sabres know now that everyone is gunning for them. This series will be exponentially tougher but there's no reason barring major injury that Buffalo won't win.
(2) New Jersey vs (4) Ottawa - Five million Ontarians and the other two-thirds of the New Jersey-New York fan base would love to think the Devils are ripe for the plucking, but merely wanting revenge for 2003 won't be enough. Witness the breakup of the Senators as the Jersey juggernaut moves on.
Western Conference
(1) Detroit vs (5) San Jose - The Sharks would be more of an appetizing pick save for one thing: A pathological inability to win in Detroit since the franchise's inception. They'll have to win all three games in Silicon Valley to have a shot. You'll start seeing Octopi again.
(2) Anaheim vs (4) Vancouver - A deathtrap series to analyze if there ever was one. The gut says Anaheim has more firepower than Vancouver, the regular season stats proved it, and since the gut right now craves leftover spaghetti and meatballs for lunch, how can I argue?
However, in this space, I do feel the need to regroup my picks and simply go with my gut for the Conference semifinals.
Eastern Conference
(1) Buffalo over (6) New York Rangers - The Sabres know now that everyone is gunning for them. This series will be exponentially tougher but there's no reason barring major injury that Buffalo won't win.
(2) New Jersey vs (4) Ottawa - Five million Ontarians and the other two-thirds of the New Jersey-New York fan base would love to think the Devils are ripe for the plucking, but merely wanting revenge for 2003 won't be enough. Witness the breakup of the Senators as the Jersey juggernaut moves on.
Western Conference
(1) Detroit vs (5) San Jose - The Sharks would be more of an appetizing pick save for one thing: A pathological inability to win in Detroit since the franchise's inception. They'll have to win all three games in Silicon Valley to have a shot. You'll start seeing Octopi again.
(2) Anaheim vs (4) Vancouver - A deathtrap series to analyze if there ever was one. The gut says Anaheim has more firepower than Vancouver, the regular season stats proved it, and since the gut right now craves leftover spaghetti and meatballs for lunch, how can I argue?
Monday, April 23, 2007
The Game of Their Lives
As is often the case in any postseason where two evenly matched teams face one another, the Dallas-Vancouver series comes down to one factor: goaltending.
For tonight's Game 7 in Vancouver, hockey's electron microscope will be focused solely on Marty Turco and Roberto Luongo.
Turco is arguably facing the single most important start to his brief career. Labelled as a netminder incapable fo strapping a team on his back and leading them to victory, he has never faced pressure like this before. Even when he won two NCAA championships with Michigan in 1996 and 1998, he had top-flight teams surrounding him. In 1998, it was more a crossbar and the other goaltender's mistake which reflected glory upon Turco's play. This time, the spotlight is trained totally on him, and after he pitched two consecutive shutouts to get his Dallas squad out from under a three games to one series deficit, he's got to do it one more time in front of a hostile crowd.
Talk about pressure - Pete Peeters would probably have lost his lunch into his mask at the mere mention of a Game 7, and yet Turco, on the surface, appears to be calm. Regardless, tonight's tilt is the most crucial for a number of Stars, including head coach Dave Tippett. How Turco performs, win or lose, will go a long way towards the path of the team and the arc of Turco's own future, beginning next season.
On the other hand, Luongo may be in the drivers' seat as the ultimate game of the quarterfinal series approaches. On Long Island and in South Florida, Luongo has borne the brunt of shoddy defense with spectacular goaltending for horrible teams. In his first season with the Canucks, he has been the key to the club's rise to the top of the Pacific Division and it's renewed commitment to team-wide two-way play. This is his first postseason experience, and although Vancouver is the higher seed and a division winner, I get the sense that everything he does is just icing on the cake. Hell, for years it was a monumental achievement just to beat Colorado once in a while, and now that the former Flying V's find themselves in a higher class, a loss for Luongo in Game 7 won't be seen as a crippling blow - instead it might be viewed as a valuable learning experience for a netminder in the prime of his career.
Still, nobody wants to be the one responsible for a Game 7 loss, at home, after your team held a near-cinch 3-1 series advantage. Luongo was a major factor in Vancouver's epic Game 1 quadruple-overtime win, and played a key role in their other two series wins. There's no reason to believe he can't go to the well one more time and help his team advance to the second round, and I can imagine that his chief motivating factor will be the accumulated memories of those 5-1 loss, 40-plus shot nights he endured as an Islander and Panther to adopt a sense of fearlessness as game time draws near.
Regardless of the realities which the camera eye will reveal on an endless loop once the game is finished, the greatest injustice either side can endure in an elimination game for both sides, is for one team to play so miserably that it renders all discussion moot. I would hate to see either Turco or Luongo make a critical mistake which leads to a winning goal, and I would hate to see either the Stars or Canucks wilt under the pressure and come up totally lame.
Speaking of totally lame, isn't Eric Lindros due to do something which will erase the bitter memories of his last Game 7 experience?
Ed/Author day-after note: It wasn't Turco's fault. On the first goal, the Stars left Sedin all alone in front and did not react at all to the play. On the second goal, you have to credit Ohlund and Linden. Every Stars player who played undisciplined hockey is to blame, putting Dallas in 11 shorthanded situations including a 5-on-3 and a 4-on-3. As usual, after Modano clanged one off the crossbar with Luongo prone in the crease, it was a death knell.
Dave Tippett should be removed as head coach after four years. His clubs have seen three first-round exits in a row despite high seeds and 40+ win seasons. Dallas is the prime example of how shootout wins are nothing more than record inflation. However, if possible, Turco should be given a contract extension while the team around him is gutted.
For tonight's Game 7 in Vancouver, hockey's electron microscope will be focused solely on Marty Turco and Roberto Luongo.
Turco is arguably facing the single most important start to his brief career. Labelled as a netminder incapable fo strapping a team on his back and leading them to victory, he has never faced pressure like this before. Even when he won two NCAA championships with Michigan in 1996 and 1998, he had top-flight teams surrounding him. In 1998, it was more a crossbar and the other goaltender's mistake which reflected glory upon Turco's play. This time, the spotlight is trained totally on him, and after he pitched two consecutive shutouts to get his Dallas squad out from under a three games to one series deficit, he's got to do it one more time in front of a hostile crowd.
Talk about pressure - Pete Peeters would probably have lost his lunch into his mask at the mere mention of a Game 7, and yet Turco, on the surface, appears to be calm. Regardless, tonight's tilt is the most crucial for a number of Stars, including head coach Dave Tippett. How Turco performs, win or lose, will go a long way towards the path of the team and the arc of Turco's own future, beginning next season.
On the other hand, Luongo may be in the drivers' seat as the ultimate game of the quarterfinal series approaches. On Long Island and in South Florida, Luongo has borne the brunt of shoddy defense with spectacular goaltending for horrible teams. In his first season with the Canucks, he has been the key to the club's rise to the top of the Pacific Division and it's renewed commitment to team-wide two-way play. This is his first postseason experience, and although Vancouver is the higher seed and a division winner, I get the sense that everything he does is just icing on the cake. Hell, for years it was a monumental achievement just to beat Colorado once in a while, and now that the former Flying V's find themselves in a higher class, a loss for Luongo in Game 7 won't be seen as a crippling blow - instead it might be viewed as a valuable learning experience for a netminder in the prime of his career.
Still, nobody wants to be the one responsible for a Game 7 loss, at home, after your team held a near-cinch 3-1 series advantage. Luongo was a major factor in Vancouver's epic Game 1 quadruple-overtime win, and played a key role in their other two series wins. There's no reason to believe he can't go to the well one more time and help his team advance to the second round, and I can imagine that his chief motivating factor will be the accumulated memories of those 5-1 loss, 40-plus shot nights he endured as an Islander and Panther to adopt a sense of fearlessness as game time draws near.
Regardless of the realities which the camera eye will reveal on an endless loop once the game is finished, the greatest injustice either side can endure in an elimination game for both sides, is for one team to play so miserably that it renders all discussion moot. I would hate to see either Turco or Luongo make a critical mistake which leads to a winning goal, and I would hate to see either the Stars or Canucks wilt under the pressure and come up totally lame.
Speaking of totally lame, isn't Eric Lindros due to do something which will erase the bitter memories of his last Game 7 experience?
Ed/Author day-after note: It wasn't Turco's fault. On the first goal, the Stars left Sedin all alone in front and did not react at all to the play. On the second goal, you have to credit Ohlund and Linden. Every Stars player who played undisciplined hockey is to blame, putting Dallas in 11 shorthanded situations including a 5-on-3 and a 4-on-3. As usual, after Modano clanged one off the crossbar with Luongo prone in the crease, it was a death knell.
Dave Tippett should be removed as head coach after four years. His clubs have seen three first-round exits in a row despite high seeds and 40+ win seasons. Dallas is the prime example of how shootout wins are nothing more than record inflation. However, if possible, Turco should be given a contract extension while the team around him is gutted.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Got The Trotz
San Jose held on last night for a 3-2 win, pushing their Western Conference quarterfinal series lead to three games to one.
And there's only one man to blame: Head coach Barry Trotz.
The overtly aggressive, borderline illegal forechecking style which made the first two games of the series in Nashville so entertaining was conspicuously absent in the last two contests in San Jose.
Why the switch was made, we might never know until the Sharks win that elusive fourth game and Trotz is left under the harsh truth of the camera eye to explain himself. Nonetheless, the Predators did not attack the puck as they had while garnering a split in the Music City. Instead, it appeared that Nashville tried to play a tentative, puck-control game, hoping to minimize turnovers and takeaways - ignoring the fact that San Jose is the bigger team, and can force turnovers and flip to a strong transition game themselves.
The ultimate result is only three goals scored in 120 minutes of hockey, contrasted with nine goals scored in 148 minutes in the comfort of home ice. The organization should thank its stars that Game 5 switches back to Nashville tomorrow night. The old rule from the 1990's in series with 2,000 miles between host cities used to be a 2-3-2 breakdown instead of a 2-2-1-1-1. If that were the case, Nashville would surely see a quick playoff exit in the Shark Tank. Still, winning that fifth game on the road is not outside the realm of possibility for the hungry Sharks.
Apparently, more than one Sharks player in the post-game noted that the Preds tried to make the game into a "track meet," hockey slang for a style of play which dictates the puck carriers try to freely move the puck up ice by quick passing through all three zones, instead of just clearing in the defensive zone or playing dump-and-chase in the offensive zone. It's a bit of a backhand slap at the opposition, because the accusation frames the Predators as a team less willing to pay the price in the corners and battle for puck possession.
There may be a grain of truth to that, and it speaks to the faults of the coaching game plan.
Coming into this series, my prediction was that Nashville would learn from its mistakes in last year's opening round five-game loss to San Jose, but only outlast the Sharks in a game seven in Nashville. The Preds also had home-ice for that series in a four-five pairing, won the first game, then were systematically separated from the puck in four straight losses. Trotz certainly had a deeper squad this time around with the additions of J.P. Dumont, Jason Arnott, and the trade-deadline deal for Peter Forsberg. However, even without the speedy Steve Sullivan at their disposal, the Sharks shouldn't have had such an easy time these last two games.
Fans in Tennessee's capital are on a steep learning curve, and the fact that a hockey lifer in David Poile is the general manager means that Trotz is on thin ice. Gone is the attachment of Trotz being an idenitifiable face for a brand new franchise. He has presided over the Predators since their first game in 1998, but he now has the albatross of a 4-11 playoff record across his shoulders.
That first series loss to Detroit in 2004 was a novelty, the city flush with the thrill of a "winner" in town, but these last two series with San Jose are doing more to expose Trotz as a mediocre coach than lifting the neutral zone trap from coaching plans ever could.
Yes, I am saying that the players Poile has brought in have done more to boost the team's fortunes than Trotz's coaching skills.
Think about it - where would he be if not for the fortuitous Steve Sullivan deal, Paul Kariya's two-year contract after the cancelled season, Philly's abysmal season which produced Forsberg, and Buffalo's cap problems which netted them J.P. Dumont? Now, from what I have observed over the last two postseasons, it is not the players' collective faults, and it is certainly not for lack of effort or leadership skills.
Every team which pulls itself from the dregs of expansion and hopes to become a contender hits a plateau, and needs something which spurs it to greater heights. For championship teams, it is usually That One Player, or a year in which they suffer a crushing playoff defeat to a bitter rival. Barry Trotz was a good keeper of the flame for the franchise's infancy and childhood.
A superstar like Paul Kariya showed tremendous faith in the new financial system and in the viability of small markets when he chose to step away from Anaheim and Colorado to get a deal done in Nashville two summers ago. The least management can do now is show the fans that they are serious about winning and hire a coach with a better pedigree.
The franchise needs new hands to guide them through the painful adolescent years into full maturity. Otherwise they may be stuck in a never-ending loop of consistent winning seasons without the satisfaction of postseason success - something which we in Philadelphia know all too well.
And there's only one man to blame: Head coach Barry Trotz.
The overtly aggressive, borderline illegal forechecking style which made the first two games of the series in Nashville so entertaining was conspicuously absent in the last two contests in San Jose.
Why the switch was made, we might never know until the Sharks win that elusive fourth game and Trotz is left under the harsh truth of the camera eye to explain himself. Nonetheless, the Predators did not attack the puck as they had while garnering a split in the Music City. Instead, it appeared that Nashville tried to play a tentative, puck-control game, hoping to minimize turnovers and takeaways - ignoring the fact that San Jose is the bigger team, and can force turnovers and flip to a strong transition game themselves.
The ultimate result is only three goals scored in 120 minutes of hockey, contrasted with nine goals scored in 148 minutes in the comfort of home ice. The organization should thank its stars that Game 5 switches back to Nashville tomorrow night. The old rule from the 1990's in series with 2,000 miles between host cities used to be a 2-3-2 breakdown instead of a 2-2-1-1-1. If that were the case, Nashville would surely see a quick playoff exit in the Shark Tank. Still, winning that fifth game on the road is not outside the realm of possibility for the hungry Sharks.
Apparently, more than one Sharks player in the post-game noted that the Preds tried to make the game into a "track meet," hockey slang for a style of play which dictates the puck carriers try to freely move the puck up ice by quick passing through all three zones, instead of just clearing in the defensive zone or playing dump-and-chase in the offensive zone. It's a bit of a backhand slap at the opposition, because the accusation frames the Predators as a team less willing to pay the price in the corners and battle for puck possession.
There may be a grain of truth to that, and it speaks to the faults of the coaching game plan.
Coming into this series, my prediction was that Nashville would learn from its mistakes in last year's opening round five-game loss to San Jose, but only outlast the Sharks in a game seven in Nashville. The Preds also had home-ice for that series in a four-five pairing, won the first game, then were systematically separated from the puck in four straight losses. Trotz certainly had a deeper squad this time around with the additions of J.P. Dumont, Jason Arnott, and the trade-deadline deal for Peter Forsberg. However, even without the speedy Steve Sullivan at their disposal, the Sharks shouldn't have had such an easy time these last two games.
Fans in Tennessee's capital are on a steep learning curve, and the fact that a hockey lifer in David Poile is the general manager means that Trotz is on thin ice. Gone is the attachment of Trotz being an idenitifiable face for a brand new franchise. He has presided over the Predators since their first game in 1998, but he now has the albatross of a 4-11 playoff record across his shoulders.
That first series loss to Detroit in 2004 was a novelty, the city flush with the thrill of a "winner" in town, but these last two series with San Jose are doing more to expose Trotz as a mediocre coach than lifting the neutral zone trap from coaching plans ever could.
Yes, I am saying that the players Poile has brought in have done more to boost the team's fortunes than Trotz's coaching skills.
Think about it - where would he be if not for the fortuitous Steve Sullivan deal, Paul Kariya's two-year contract after the cancelled season, Philly's abysmal season which produced Forsberg, and Buffalo's cap problems which netted them J.P. Dumont? Now, from what I have observed over the last two postseasons, it is not the players' collective faults, and it is certainly not for lack of effort or leadership skills.
Every team which pulls itself from the dregs of expansion and hopes to become a contender hits a plateau, and needs something which spurs it to greater heights. For championship teams, it is usually That One Player, or a year in which they suffer a crushing playoff defeat to a bitter rival. Barry Trotz was a good keeper of the flame for the franchise's infancy and childhood.
A superstar like Paul Kariya showed tremendous faith in the new financial system and in the viability of small markets when he chose to step away from Anaheim and Colorado to get a deal done in Nashville two summers ago. The least management can do now is show the fans that they are serious about winning and hire a coach with a better pedigree.
The franchise needs new hands to guide them through the painful adolescent years into full maturity. Otherwise they may be stuck in a never-ending loop of consistent winning seasons without the satisfaction of postseason success - something which we in Philadelphia know all too well.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Ten Questions for Der Komissar
10. Why was the original schedule cycle, put in place after the cancelled season, permitted to complete its turn next year when close to the 2/3s majority of owners found fault with it?
9. Why are the new Reebok-designed jerseys going to premier next year, after only a trial at the Turin Winter Olympics and the derision that the Buffalo Sabres jerseys endured this year?
8. Why couldn't you decree a return to home-whites and road-darks without eliminating third jerseys because the new Reebok design will debut next season?
7. Are there any more hair-brained schemes currently cooking in the AHL that you're going to bring into the NHL with little or feigned justification like the trapezoid or forcing every player to wear a face shield?
6a. Do you think nobody notices that everything you've done to enhance the league's profile in the USA, including this new draft lottery, is ripped off from the NBA handbook?
6. Can you really justify that it's working?
5. Are you even thinking at this point to find, or create, another network with a better imprint on cable service than Versus?
4. Will you maintain your hardline stance on the Chris Simon incident, and, after a review of his case, decide that he has to sit out some more games at the start of next season?
3. Now that the Penguins are going to remain in the Steel City, are there any more teams which may be relocating in the near future if certain conditions are not satisfied?
2. Are you seriously considering a 20-team playoff system when the league was constantly harangued in years past for letting 16 of 21 clubs into the postseason?
1. Don't you think that having a national network contract with NBC is harmed by the fact that, out of deference for football, games aren't broadcast until after the New Year, and that weekend afternoon games after the turn of the New Year don't have a regular time slot, or a regular day of broadcast, and are not broadcast on more than three consecutive weekends in the regular season?
9. Why are the new Reebok-designed jerseys going to premier next year, after only a trial at the Turin Winter Olympics and the derision that the Buffalo Sabres jerseys endured this year?
8. Why couldn't you decree a return to home-whites and road-darks without eliminating third jerseys because the new Reebok design will debut next season?
7. Are there any more hair-brained schemes currently cooking in the AHL that you're going to bring into the NHL with little or feigned justification like the trapezoid or forcing every player to wear a face shield?
6a. Do you think nobody notices that everything you've done to enhance the league's profile in the USA, including this new draft lottery, is ripped off from the NBA handbook?
6. Can you really justify that it's working?
5. Are you even thinking at this point to find, or create, another network with a better imprint on cable service than Versus?
4. Will you maintain your hardline stance on the Chris Simon incident, and, after a review of his case, decide that he has to sit out some more games at the start of next season?
3. Now that the Penguins are going to remain in the Steel City, are there any more teams which may be relocating in the near future if certain conditions are not satisfied?
2. Are you seriously considering a 20-team playoff system when the league was constantly harangued in years past for letting 16 of 21 clubs into the postseason?
1. Don't you think that having a national network contract with NBC is harmed by the fact that, out of deference for football, games aren't broadcast until after the New Year, and that weekend afternoon games after the turn of the New Year don't have a regular time slot, or a regular day of broadcast, and are not broadcast on more than three consecutive weekends in the regular season?
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Two Knees and Take a Left...
The Western Conference, like the Wu-Tang Clan, ain't nuthin ta F%$# wit.
San Jose-Nashville is turning out to be an ice-rink version of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Scott Hartnell was (unjustly) spared punishment for an obvious, nasty knee-to-knee hit on Jonathan Cheechoo on Wednesday night, then Alex Radulov sends an errant, well-placed elbow to the side of Steve Bernier's head last night.
In Anaheim last night, Wild goon Derek Boogaard and little-known defenseman whose name I can't recall now from the Ducks had a scary, full-speed knee-to-knee meeting. Thankfully, the dude on the Ducks was unharmed, yet Boogaard had to stand tall before the man and accept some punishment from Anaheim's more feisty skaters.
It must be the playoffs, because the amount of rancor over the television in the US and Canada paled in comparison to lesser incidents in the regular season. The tenets of "The Code" become a bit looser when 16 teams are vying for that once-in-a-lifetime chance to lift the Stanley Cup, and grown men would gladly hip-check their grandmothers to reach that goal.
Nonetheless, it is shocking to see how play in the conferences has switched in the last 10 years. The East is now the area of slick-skating, fast-moving play with sensational goaltending stops under heavy fire - while the West has become the territory of a gallery of assassins punctuating the odd scoring opportunity. Dare I say that the beasts are no longer with the East, and the West is the best. Too bad you still have to wait until 10:30 eastern time before the rogues are unleashed in these far superior games. If ony that Vancouver-Dallas Game 1 had started at 8 pm instead of 10:30, it would have garnered enough attention to be regarded as an instant classic.
Still, the level of violent play so early in the playoffs does concern me. If it's a knee in Game 1 and an elbow in Game 2, how far behind will a sucker punch be, or a flying elbow in open ice? At one time, nobody outside Western Canada cared much that Edmonton's Mark Messier once knocked Calgary's Jamie Macoun out of the playoffs with a vicious two-handed cross-check to the face which broke Macoun's jaw in two places. That was 20 years, and 25 average pounds-per-player ago. The stakes are just as high, but the breakneck pace of play in the present will cause some serious harm to come to somebody.
Someone will surely sate their appetite for violence, someone else will be disgusted, but everyone will have their eyes glued to the tube while it goes on.
San Jose-Nashville is turning out to be an ice-rink version of the Hatfields and the McCoys. Scott Hartnell was (unjustly) spared punishment for an obvious, nasty knee-to-knee hit on Jonathan Cheechoo on Wednesday night, then Alex Radulov sends an errant, well-placed elbow to the side of Steve Bernier's head last night.
In Anaheim last night, Wild goon Derek Boogaard and little-known defenseman whose name I can't recall now from the Ducks had a scary, full-speed knee-to-knee meeting. Thankfully, the dude on the Ducks was unharmed, yet Boogaard had to stand tall before the man and accept some punishment from Anaheim's more feisty skaters.
It must be the playoffs, because the amount of rancor over the television in the US and Canada paled in comparison to lesser incidents in the regular season. The tenets of "The Code" become a bit looser when 16 teams are vying for that once-in-a-lifetime chance to lift the Stanley Cup, and grown men would gladly hip-check their grandmothers to reach that goal.
Nonetheless, it is shocking to see how play in the conferences has switched in the last 10 years. The East is now the area of slick-skating, fast-moving play with sensational goaltending stops under heavy fire - while the West has become the territory of a gallery of assassins punctuating the odd scoring opportunity. Dare I say that the beasts are no longer with the East, and the West is the best. Too bad you still have to wait until 10:30 eastern time before the rogues are unleashed in these far superior games. If ony that Vancouver-Dallas Game 1 had started at 8 pm instead of 10:30, it would have garnered enough attention to be regarded as an instant classic.
Still, the level of violent play so early in the playoffs does concern me. If it's a knee in Game 1 and an elbow in Game 2, how far behind will a sucker punch be, or a flying elbow in open ice? At one time, nobody outside Western Canada cared much that Edmonton's Mark Messier once knocked Calgary's Jamie Macoun out of the playoffs with a vicious two-handed cross-check to the face which broke Macoun's jaw in two places. That was 20 years, and 25 average pounds-per-player ago. The stakes are just as high, but the breakneck pace of play in the present will cause some serious harm to come to somebody.
Someone will surely sate their appetite for violence, someone else will be disgusted, but everyone will have their eyes glued to the tube while it goes on.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Playoff Picks: Western Conference
(1) Detroit over (8) Calgary.
The Red Wings can outscore anybody, plus they have The Dominator back in goal. Calgary made significant improvements to their offense in the off-season, and their defense in-season, but it was barely enough to eke out the final playoff spot in the conference. There will be some thrilling low-scoring, OT games in this series because Hasek and Miikka Kiprusoff love to flop around and challenge shooters. However, since the Flames are horrible on the road and the Wings have home ice, they will be in an early series hole from which they cannot emerge. Red Wings in five.
(2) Anaheim over (7) Minnesota.
Each team can play smiliar styles, or contrasting styles, and match up line for line. If last night's game is any indication, each successive game in the series will be a never-ending cycle of line matching which makes the start of each game tentative, but building to a crescendo. This one might go the distance, but Anaheim has the power of the home-ice, plus they are playing with more emotion and a chip on their shoulder after losing to upstart Edmonton last season. Anaheim in seven.
(6) Dallas over (3) Vancouver.
I'm picking this as an upset because I flipped a coin and it came out heads, by which i mean Dallas. Both teams have stingy defenses and goaltenders who can go all night without giving up a crucial goal. This series looks to be more evenly matched than Anaheim-Minnesota, but where I fall on the side of the Stars is that I believe they can slightly outscore the Canucks, who have never really recovered from losing Todd Bertuzzi. Dallas in six.
(4) Nashville over (5) San Jose.
Both teams have depth and speed, but San Jose has the size and intimidation factor on their side. Still, the Predators were locked in battle with Detroit for top spot in the West for the second half of the regular season, and it has to put a burr in their saddle to know this is the prize for losing. I'm thinking Nashville also needs to remove the ugly memory of last year's five game exit to these same Sharks in the first round by outlasting and outscoring them this time around - because they can't possibly win by trying to check the bigger Sharks to death and wearing them out. Kariya, Sullivan, Forsberg, Dumont and Arnott must be the difference here, and it will be slight because the Preds have a game seven at home. Nashville in seven.
The Red Wings can outscore anybody, plus they have The Dominator back in goal. Calgary made significant improvements to their offense in the off-season, and their defense in-season, but it was barely enough to eke out the final playoff spot in the conference. There will be some thrilling low-scoring, OT games in this series because Hasek and Miikka Kiprusoff love to flop around and challenge shooters. However, since the Flames are horrible on the road and the Wings have home ice, they will be in an early series hole from which they cannot emerge. Red Wings in five.
(2) Anaheim over (7) Minnesota.
Each team can play smiliar styles, or contrasting styles, and match up line for line. If last night's game is any indication, each successive game in the series will be a never-ending cycle of line matching which makes the start of each game tentative, but building to a crescendo. This one might go the distance, but Anaheim has the power of the home-ice, plus they are playing with more emotion and a chip on their shoulder after losing to upstart Edmonton last season. Anaheim in seven.
(6) Dallas over (3) Vancouver.
I'm picking this as an upset because I flipped a coin and it came out heads, by which i mean Dallas. Both teams have stingy defenses and goaltenders who can go all night without giving up a crucial goal. This series looks to be more evenly matched than Anaheim-Minnesota, but where I fall on the side of the Stars is that I believe they can slightly outscore the Canucks, who have never really recovered from losing Todd Bertuzzi. Dallas in six.
(4) Nashville over (5) San Jose.
Both teams have depth and speed, but San Jose has the size and intimidation factor on their side. Still, the Predators were locked in battle with Detroit for top spot in the West for the second half of the regular season, and it has to put a burr in their saddle to know this is the prize for losing. I'm thinking Nashville also needs to remove the ugly memory of last year's five game exit to these same Sharks in the first round by outlasting and outscoring them this time around - because they can't possibly win by trying to check the bigger Sharks to death and wearing them out. Kariya, Sullivan, Forsberg, Dumont and Arnott must be the difference here, and it will be slight because the Preds have a game seven at home. Nashville in seven.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Playoff Picks: Eastern Conference
(1) Buffalo over (8) New York Islanders.
You don't think Ted Nolan is going to unleash 10 years worth of fury on the franchise which dumped him after a successful two year stint behind the bench? Think again. Too bad that telling your charges to play it rough with Buffalo's skilled, stocked roster won't produce anything but a ton of short-handed situations - which plays right into the Sabres' ability to drown any team with a deluge of goals. The Islanders might surprise Buffalo in one game at HSBC, but I'm seeing New York's only series win in Uniondale. That's not to say the Islanders won't be competitive in the series - they won't be blown out of any game - but Nolan can't squeeze enough out of his team to make a serious statement. Playing without Rick DiPietro in net is also a huge handicap. Sabres in five.
(2) New Jersey over (7) Tampa Bay.
True, the Lightning boast a slick, skilled attack, and Vinny Lecavalier is the Rocket Richard Trophy winner, but the Bolts come into the postseason with hockey's version of Barbaro's limp. Plus, even if Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis suffered a bizarre accident which fused them together, they still wouldn't have the impact in the net that Nikolai Khabibulin did. New Jersey can turn on the tap when they wish, and, as usual, it will just be enough to back up their Hall-of-Fame goaltender. The Devils and Martin Brodeur will wring every single second of the clock they can to win games in this series, but there will be at least one game where Tampa lets loose the offensive beast. It won't be enough, though, as Brodeur once again proves to be the difference maker. Devils in six.
(6) New York Rangers vs (3) Atlanta
This is the booby prize for winning the weakest division in your conference - a date with the Rangers, who now have some fighting spirit with Brendan Shanahan at the controls. Yes, Jaromir Jagr wears the "C" but Shanahan runs the locker room, has earned the respect of his teammates, and is the firebrand general Jagr could never be. Each of these clubs can play whatever style is needed - open, pond-hockey game, or a taut defensive, close-checking manner. Bob Hartley and Tom Renney will be locked into a chess match each game for sure, but every game will eventually rise to a crescendo as the best players take the initiative. I see the Rangers getting a split in Atlanta, which will allow them to take control of the series. The combined playoff savvy of Scott Mellanby, Bobby Holik, Steve Rucchin and Keith Tkachuk won't be enough to keep the Rangers from spreadin' the news that their loss to the Devils last season was an aberration. New York in six.
(4) Ottawa over (5) Pittsburgh.
This series is like a Disney movie as far as the Penguins are concerned. They've been saved from extinction in their home town, rose as high as first place, got a playoff berth, so why would anyone dare to pick against these lovable kids with hearts of gold? Because they've never had to deal with the pressure of a playoff series, that's why. Even though the Senators have the 200-pound albatross of previous postseason failures on their collective backs, at least their numerous playoff failures constitute so much more actual experience than Pittsburgh (Mark Recchi - one Cup). This is the most important series in the careers of a number of Senators, because losing to Buffalo, Toronto and New Jersey in the past is one thing, but to lose to a bunch of diaper dandies wearing a skating Penguin logo is another. Crosby, Malkin, Staal, et al., are facing baptism by fire, but they have absolutely nothing to lose. Is Michel Therrien going to let them try to recreate the 1981 Oilers? Heck no, but he's not going to crack the whip every shift. Bryan Murray will be, and it will be enough to get the Sens to another round. Ottawa in six.
You don't think Ted Nolan is going to unleash 10 years worth of fury on the franchise which dumped him after a successful two year stint behind the bench? Think again. Too bad that telling your charges to play it rough with Buffalo's skilled, stocked roster won't produce anything but a ton of short-handed situations - which plays right into the Sabres' ability to drown any team with a deluge of goals. The Islanders might surprise Buffalo in one game at HSBC, but I'm seeing New York's only series win in Uniondale. That's not to say the Islanders won't be competitive in the series - they won't be blown out of any game - but Nolan can't squeeze enough out of his team to make a serious statement. Playing without Rick DiPietro in net is also a huge handicap. Sabres in five.
(2) New Jersey over (7) Tampa Bay.
True, the Lightning boast a slick, skilled attack, and Vinny Lecavalier is the Rocket Richard Trophy winner, but the Bolts come into the postseason with hockey's version of Barbaro's limp. Plus, even if Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis suffered a bizarre accident which fused them together, they still wouldn't have the impact in the net that Nikolai Khabibulin did. New Jersey can turn on the tap when they wish, and, as usual, it will just be enough to back up their Hall-of-Fame goaltender. The Devils and Martin Brodeur will wring every single second of the clock they can to win games in this series, but there will be at least one game where Tampa lets loose the offensive beast. It won't be enough, though, as Brodeur once again proves to be the difference maker. Devils in six.
(6) New York Rangers vs (3) Atlanta
This is the booby prize for winning the weakest division in your conference - a date with the Rangers, who now have some fighting spirit with Brendan Shanahan at the controls. Yes, Jaromir Jagr wears the "C" but Shanahan runs the locker room, has earned the respect of his teammates, and is the firebrand general Jagr could never be. Each of these clubs can play whatever style is needed - open, pond-hockey game, or a taut defensive, close-checking manner. Bob Hartley and Tom Renney will be locked into a chess match each game for sure, but every game will eventually rise to a crescendo as the best players take the initiative. I see the Rangers getting a split in Atlanta, which will allow them to take control of the series. The combined playoff savvy of Scott Mellanby, Bobby Holik, Steve Rucchin and Keith Tkachuk won't be enough to keep the Rangers from spreadin' the news that their loss to the Devils last season was an aberration. New York in six.
(4) Ottawa over (5) Pittsburgh.
This series is like a Disney movie as far as the Penguins are concerned. They've been saved from extinction in their home town, rose as high as first place, got a playoff berth, so why would anyone dare to pick against these lovable kids with hearts of gold? Because they've never had to deal with the pressure of a playoff series, that's why. Even though the Senators have the 200-pound albatross of previous postseason failures on their collective backs, at least their numerous playoff failures constitute so much more actual experience than Pittsburgh (Mark Recchi - one Cup). This is the most important series in the careers of a number of Senators, because losing to Buffalo, Toronto and New Jersey in the past is one thing, but to lose to a bunch of diaper dandies wearing a skating Penguin logo is another. Crosby, Malkin, Staal, et al., are facing baptism by fire, but they have absolutely nothing to lose. Is Michel Therrien going to let them try to recreate the 1981 Oilers? Heck no, but he's not going to crack the whip every shift. Bryan Murray will be, and it will be enough to get the Sens to another round. Ottawa in six.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Flyers 2006-2007 Season in Review
Record: 22-48-12, 56 points
Place: 5th, Atlantic Division, 30th in NHL
Where it all went wrong: If you want to take the long view, back in Summer 2005, when Bob Clarke signed Peter Forsberg, Derian Hatcher, and Mike Rathje, and in October of that year when Keith Primeau was felled with an eventual career-ending concussion.
In all fairness, it began this past off-season where many huge missteps were made. Keeping Petr Nedved and Niko Dimitrakos, but releasing Donald Brashear. Trading Michal Handzus to Chicago for Kyle Calder. Signing Marty Murray, Nolan Baumgartner, Mark Cullen and the enigmatic Lars Jonsson. The disastrous offer sheet for Vancouver’s Ryan Kesler which drew the condemnation of the entire NHL. Follies continued in-season with the Randy Robitaille-Mike York and Freddy Meyer-Alexei Zhitnik trades.
Let’s not forget Bloody Sunday, the October 22nd “reorganization,” which blew out General Manager Bob Clarke and head coach Ken Hitchcock in favor of Paul Holmgren and John Stevens. The team began the season a franchise-worst 1-6-1, including an horrific 9-1 loss in Buffalo on October 17th which acted as catalyst for the upheaval. Revelations followed of Clarke’s lingering dispassion for the job and Hitch’s constant grating on and friction with the young talent.
New head coach John Stevens won his first game behind the bench, a 3-2 shootout victory at home over Atlanta, then promptly went 1-7 in his next eight games. Stevens also endured losing streaks of 10 games (12/2-28) and nine games (1/4-28) as injuries and plain disorganized play continued to pile up.
Once you talk about the on-ice product, things don’t get any better. Future stars Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Joni Pitkanen spent the majority of the season in arrested development. Nedved played like he wanted to cash his check and go home. Antero Niittymaki’s holes in his catching glove and Robert Esche’s inability to stop a shot beyond 25 feet created a quagmire in the crease. Mike York did his best imitation of the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man, Todd Fedoruk had both sides of his face caved in, and Mike Knuble looked like he was back at Michigan wearing a full cage after the collision in New York, and virtually the entire roster missed time with some sort of injury.
Telltale Signs: First-ever season sweeps at the hands of Washington and Florida, an eight-game sweep by division-rival Pittsburgh, seven losses to New Jersey, a franchise-worst ten home wins, 49 players used in one regular season, an 11-point differential between them and the second-worst team in the NHL (Phoenix).
Oddities: A four-game sweep over playoff-bound Atlanta, two wins at Madison Square Garden, two wins over defending Cup champion Carolina, more wins and better overall play on the road than at the Wachovia Center. Statistically, they scored 214 goals, which is three more than the 2002-2003 club did finishing second behind the Devils. Their 303 goals against were the most surrendered since giving up 314 in 1993-94, a non-playoff season. Scottie Upshall, a little used third-line player in Nashville, scores 13 points in 18 games after his acquisition.
Where it all went right: Simon Gagne battled through groin problems and Forsberg’s injuries and trade to top the 40-goal mark for the second consecutive season. Geoff Sanderson’s speed and skill at age 35. Upshall, Dmitri Afanasenkov, and Alex Picard all showed flashes of offensive brilliance and defensive ability. Despite a mediocre 6-8-2 record and a 3.01 GAA, Martin Biron made a strong case to be a long-term starting goaltender after coming over at the trade deadline. Big wins over the Ducks in Anaheim (7-4), and beating Detroit and Carolina by a combined 11-2 score.
Reasons to Believe: Even though the season could have gotten worse if it weren’t for the spark of several players acquired late in the season plus the injury situation clearing up – things can only get better.
There’s no reason to think Gagne can’t score 40 again with either Forsberg, Chris Drury, or another center at his disposal. If the Flyers are able to snag Drury, they get a durable winger/center in his prime and a potential captain to boot. An injury-free Mike Knuble will come close to 30 goals once more. R.J. Umberger, the most consistent of the Calder Cup-winning crop of former Phantoms, will emerge to create his own buzz like the ones that already surround Carter and Richards. With Hatcher’s departure and Rathje’s retirement, there will be at least one younger, healthier, and speedier veteran on the back line to foster Pitkanen, Lasse Kukkonen, Jussi Timmonen, Braydon Coburn, Randy Jones and Picard. Sami Kapanen’s contract extension gives the team a solid two-way veteran player.
Niittymaki will have a whole spring and summer to figure out how to improve his mechanics and his hand/eye coordination, and while he learns how to be an effective back-up, while Biron will have a whole season to justify the February trade which brought him here and the contract the team signed him to.
The NHL’s penalty-minutes leader, Ben Eager, took home the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy this season as the club’s most improved player.
Looking Forward: With any luck, the Flyers will be serious playoff contenders in 2007-2008, and another season beyond that away from Stanley Cup contention. On July 1st, a good chunk of the first-generation contracts signed after the cancelled season are complete, leading to a huge pool of potential free agents which the team would be wise to dip into for the reloading process.
Although it is very tempting to wildly predict an unprecedented worst-to-first script come October, this team has a completely green defensive corps and serious questions of production from a potential second line. Biron must also prove himself, and do it right from the drop of the puck in the postseason as a goaltender worthy of the starting job. A wiser man than I once said that patience is a virtue - so, be virtuous when sizing up the team heading into next season.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Wither Brodeur?
In this interminable season, lots of negative records have been set.
Still, it was a shock to know that this year alone, not one, but two goaltenders had a clear shot to break Bernie Parent's NHL mark for wins in one season - 47. Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo were the front runners, and Brodeur set the record first in the Devils' 3-2 win in Philly last night. Luongo, if he starts Vancouver's last two games, has a chance to at least tie since the Flying V's ended up losing to Colorado.
Yet again, another milestone the Flyers proudly called their own, has been cruelly overtaken by a member of their chief tormentors for well over a decade.
It's amazing that the Devils braintrust has let Brodeur increase his starts per season as he's getting older. Since 1997, the first time he eclipsed the 70-game mark, he's slowly increased his yearly work load, with the exception of last season's 73 starts as opposed to 2003-2004 (75) and this year (78) with one game remaining. Backups in New Jersey either have the easiest job in the hockey universe or the worst job in the universe - maybe simultaneously, because only Brodeur decides when he needs a night off, and that's only three or four times a season.
I still question the move as one where an athlete's ego and his past contributions to the club gets in the way of present reality and future health. For example - Pelle Lindbergh had a decision in 64 of the Flyers' 80 games in 1984-85. Mike Keenan could have easily left him in for 70 games (and at one point started him in 24 straight), but he recognized that Bob Froese needed work - 15 games' worth. Likewise, on those late 80's Canadiens clubs, Patrick Roy could have easily topped 70 games himself, but with Brian Hayward a fallen starter turned super sub, Roy was told he'd get 60 starts a year maximum to keep him sharp and rested.
Brodeur is approaching his 35th birthday. Luck was on his side in that he became the Devils Number One at the ripe young age of 21, and has not come close to relinquishing that status since. However, how long can the team continue to whip the horse until he lays down? Several games ago, Brodeur was run into and clearly injured his right leg, and still has problems of balance and blocking on his right side. It was noticeable enough in last night's game that several fans in and near our section kept screaming for the Flyers to crash the net and work the knees.
If the cornerstone of those three Stanley Cups has been the defense, but more than that, the goaltender, why didn't Scott Clemmensen get a start? Riiiight, the Devils are in a crucial race for a division title with the upstart Penguins, and the team needs Brodeur, even a limping one, to ensure a win over even the worst team in the league.
It's all going to catch up to the Devils at some point - probably in the opening round of the playoffs. With the two-seed, they will most likely play Tampa. Brodeur is going to have to plow through the pain and be sharp against the Bolts, which possess a potent offense when clicking. He played well enough to eek out a one-goal, division-clinching win over the Flyers, so he'll get two days of rest without playing, and Clem will probably get the start on Sunday against the Islanders before the playoff preparations begin.
If the Devils don't at least reach the Conference Finals this year, Lamoriello will have to bring in a more experienced back-up to spell Brodeur. It's only a wise choice, because once 35 is reached, all you can do as an athlete is be in as good shape as the year before - the grind begins to take a toll and even a goalie can't be in better shape than a season previous. Higher power help me, I could even see Robert Esche or David Aebischer as the relief, getting 15 or so starts.
Still, it was a shock to know that this year alone, not one, but two goaltenders had a clear shot to break Bernie Parent's NHL mark for wins in one season - 47. Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo were the front runners, and Brodeur set the record first in the Devils' 3-2 win in Philly last night. Luongo, if he starts Vancouver's last two games, has a chance to at least tie since the Flying V's ended up losing to Colorado.
Yet again, another milestone the Flyers proudly called their own, has been cruelly overtaken by a member of their chief tormentors for well over a decade.
It's amazing that the Devils braintrust has let Brodeur increase his starts per season as he's getting older. Since 1997, the first time he eclipsed the 70-game mark, he's slowly increased his yearly work load, with the exception of last season's 73 starts as opposed to 2003-2004 (75) and this year (78) with one game remaining. Backups in New Jersey either have the easiest job in the hockey universe or the worst job in the universe - maybe simultaneously, because only Brodeur decides when he needs a night off, and that's only three or four times a season.
I still question the move as one where an athlete's ego and his past contributions to the club gets in the way of present reality and future health. For example - Pelle Lindbergh had a decision in 64 of the Flyers' 80 games in 1984-85. Mike Keenan could have easily left him in for 70 games (and at one point started him in 24 straight), but he recognized that Bob Froese needed work - 15 games' worth. Likewise, on those late 80's Canadiens clubs, Patrick Roy could have easily topped 70 games himself, but with Brian Hayward a fallen starter turned super sub, Roy was told he'd get 60 starts a year maximum to keep him sharp and rested.
Brodeur is approaching his 35th birthday. Luck was on his side in that he became the Devils Number One at the ripe young age of 21, and has not come close to relinquishing that status since. However, how long can the team continue to whip the horse until he lays down? Several games ago, Brodeur was run into and clearly injured his right leg, and still has problems of balance and blocking on his right side. It was noticeable enough in last night's game that several fans in and near our section kept screaming for the Flyers to crash the net and work the knees.
If the cornerstone of those three Stanley Cups has been the defense, but more than that, the goaltender, why didn't Scott Clemmensen get a start? Riiiight, the Devils are in a crucial race for a division title with the upstart Penguins, and the team needs Brodeur, even a limping one, to ensure a win over even the worst team in the league.
It's all going to catch up to the Devils at some point - probably in the opening round of the playoffs. With the two-seed, they will most likely play Tampa. Brodeur is going to have to plow through the pain and be sharp against the Bolts, which possess a potent offense when clicking. He played well enough to eek out a one-goal, division-clinching win over the Flyers, so he'll get two days of rest without playing, and Clem will probably get the start on Sunday against the Islanders before the playoff preparations begin.
If the Devils don't at least reach the Conference Finals this year, Lamoriello will have to bring in a more experienced back-up to spell Brodeur. It's only a wise choice, because once 35 is reached, all you can do as an athlete is be in as good shape as the year before - the grind begins to take a toll and even a goalie can't be in better shape than a season previous. Higher power help me, I could even see Robert Esche or David Aebischer as the relief, getting 15 or so starts.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Banging the Drum Loudly
We're two regular seasons down post-cancelled season, and it's more than enough time to go over a few things about the new NHL that are worth discussing.
First, with the playoff situation still unresolved with most teams now with either two or three games remaining, it makes watching the games excruciatingly painful - and that's just at work. Things are so tense and so unexpected, and there is so much on the line for these teams, that the second you look away or switch to a baseball game or basketball game - something actually happens. Like I had feared/predicted, virtually every team is now playing one-goal differentials, and wringing every point they can out of these games. It's a sickening replay of all those games in Marches and Aprils from the late 90's.
Tomorrow night I'm actually going as a fan to the Devils-Flyers game at the Wachovia Center. The Devils are fighting for the Atlantic Division title, while the Flyers have officially locked up the worst record in the entire league. Do you think New Jersey is going to go full throttle and beat the pulp out of Philly because that's what you do to a team that's DFL in the NHL? Heeeeellll no. There's going to be so much fear that a team like the Flyers will play spoiler on the Horned Ones, that the Devils will score once and play 50 minutes of trap until the buzzer. Never mind the Flyers have less wins at home than on the road this year.
There are more teams than ever which have topped the 100-point plateau, because the NHL gives all clubs three opportunities to earn a point, while only one of them is for an actual win. Did Bettman and the GM's really think team's wouldn't abuse that privilege after they abused ties and overtime losses so much that they had to create shootout losses as well? In the space of two years, the number of games going to overtime and the shootout has exploded, and has increased exponentially from last year to this year. At this point, even more so than ever, I'm all for two points for a win, one point for a tie, and no points for an overtime or shootout loss. I can't stress this enough, people. I'd rather have ties back than go through the farce of having teams earn points for losing in not one, but two manners.
Which also means for the love of God, NO MORE SHOOTOUTS!!! KEEP THEM IN THE ECHL AND CHL WHERE THEY BELONG, IN MARKETS LIKE CORPUS CHRISTI WHERE FANS DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER!!
While you're at it, O Blessed Lawyers of Manhattan, let's stop using the American Hockey League as a guinea pig. You've ruined the league by trying to turn your farm teams into bland family-friendly entertainment, where it once was a place where you could see rock-em, sock-em, high-scoring hockey for a bunch of players literally fighting their way up to the NHL. Besides, just because something works well in Binghamton or Lowell, doesn't mean it will play well in St. Louis. You want to make sure the kids get to the NHL with the proper tools to succeed? Teach the kids how to deal with an 8-6 game and how to defend themselves, instead of instilling rote defensive and forecheck systems that end up choking the life out of the NHL...like in the midst of a playoff race.
Speaking of choking, the level of violence in the league has become a hot-button issue lately. In fact, the mode, level and seriousness of violence in the game is as proportionate as it ever was. Let's keep it where it is. Remember, the handshake line comes after a playoff series is over. Before then, it's every man for his team, and every team for the Cup - consequences be damned. The Chris Simon incident earlier this month was foul in so many ways, not the least of which was the fact that Simon has made a decade-plus-long career on knowing the rules of being a fighter. We can't take fighting out of the game, because it is essential to the sport in that it is the only mode of violence in any organized game which has its complex set of rules intended to keep the honor of the fight intact, while keeping collateral violence to a minimum.
This rule that a player gets an automatic one-game suspension for fighting in the final five minutes of the game is positively insane. Chaos and mayhem by an opposing player must be answered when it is answered - and to put an arbitrary lock on that answer means that bad attitudes fester and boil over into spearing, high-sticking, boarding, whatever - all because you face a stiffer penalty for dropping the gloves. It was clear from the moment the rule was put in place that Bettman and his charges blanched at the Philly-Ottawa brawl from March of 2004, all the while missing the point that it could have been worse for players on both clubs if they had not cleared out all the bad blood from Martin Havlat's careless stick and body work that night.
Anyway, how ridiculous is it that Ben Eager...Ben Eager??...leads the NHL in total penalty minutes, but not in fighting majors. All while Georges Laraque, Matthew Barnaby, Jarome Iginla, Simon, Cam Janssens, Travis Moen, Derek Boogard and Andrew Peters have solid careers. Once again, I'll call for any suspension for any number of instigation penalties to be abolished. An instigator should only be assessed in a situation where a player drops the gloves and his opponent turtles, or only in clear situations where one player throws down long before his opponent decides to engage.
Moving on to penalties, whatever happened to good old fashioned majors like high-sticking, boarding, and spearing? At least those were man-sized penalties you weren't supposed to take, instead of this grey area where nobody can determine if you hit someone's face with an elbow or a dropped shoulder. Ditto on this hitting players along the boards from the side. Unfortunately, with the proliferation of the video system, and the ability of head coaches to question virtually anything that doesn't go their way (thank you very much, Lindy Ruff), referees are pretty much impotent. It used to be, under the three-official system, it was a minor for a normal infraction, and a major for intent-to-injure (which didn't have to mean blood was drawn). Now, there's no room for a ref or a linesman to make an interpretation - because I think they're incapable of doing so. The two-referee system is a major culprit - because you'll have either one veteran and one young zebra with one constantly deferring to the other, or two youngsters who don't know what's going on. Therefore, appearances become the driving factor.
Ten, fifteen years ago, double minors were reserved for minor penalties with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty tacked on, now they are regular occurrences for the tiniest drop of blood drawn from a high-stick. Maybe the impotence of the officials are another affect of the need for parity with 30 teams in the league. Major penalties (where you can score as many times as you like in five minutes) are major momentum and game changers, where a team behind can jump ahead, and where a skilled team can just strafe their opponent. My view is: if more scoring and excitement are needed in the NHL, why not call more majors? Separation between the pretenders and contenders are needed more than ever, and if one team gets blown out 8-1 because they can't stay out of the box, then so be it.
The Flyers-Sharks game from November is a prime example. Alex Picard gets rammed from behind clearly into the glass, and is knocked unconscious. A two-minute minor is assessed on the play - which clearly called for a major and misconduct for intent to injure. The Flyers were three goals down at that point, and a major power play could have made things interesting at the Shark Tank. Instead, the non-call deflated the club, and they went on to lose 6-1.
Enough of what's IN the net. Let's talk about the net itself, or rather, what's behind it. As in the trapezoid. What was its purpose again? Who cares? It's gone. Let the goaltenders, who are the most protected players on the ice, go back and handle the puck at their own risk. Make it again where a goalie with the puck can be touched, but if he's checked, it's a penalty on the other side. Make it a minor again for contact with a goalie who doesn't have the puck. Make it so any goaltender who skates in front of the net is fair game once again.
As for the net, let's not go nuts with suggestions that it be widened, heightened, oblongated, ovalled, and whatnot. The only thing I'm looking for is for the nets to go back to being solid metal piping with a thick magnet to anchor it into the ice. I can't stand how many times the net gets knocked off during a game. The best way to avoid this, and to teach players how to use space more effectively, is to have heavier nets so collisions are discouraged. This game is fast enough, and because of the speed, lacks flow. No forward really shortens his stride anymore in the zone because he knows once the net comes off, play stops. Once he realizes the net won't budge, maybe they'll start developing a wrist shot instead of hoping to bulldoze into the crease and poke the puck through from two feet.
The problem of goals being scored, in order of current discussions is: 4) goaltender size comparable to other skaters, 3) nets too small, 2) goalie equipment still too big, and 1a) teams are starting again to exploit the room on the ice and adapt it to defensive systems, 1) goaltenders are more technically sound and stay-at-home than ever before. It's not the net's fault as if it's a living thing which contracts and expands on a whim. It's also not the fault of goaltenders who don't want to routinely come out to challenge a shooter from the bottom of the circles, or to dive across the crease when a player comes in tight. It used to happen all the time years ago when the spirit of adventure and pull of the wanderlust got many masked men in deep trouble with open nets.
My last rant in this space is regarding the current schedule. It needs to be overhauled - and at least a majority of league GM's agree with that fact. Too bad we have to endure one more season where each conference hardly sees the teams in the opposite one. Again, the only way steady interest can be built in the newer markets and maintained in the traditional ones, is if every team plays every other team at least once, and twice for the better. Now that every team, by necessity, has to have at least one marquee name attached to it, the league is doing itself a disservice by stacking so many games within one conference.
I know the players union moaned for years about travel issues, particularly the West Coast teams. However, now is the time for the union to take another step back, acknowledge the short-changing going on when Colorado visits Detroit twice every year, but Pittsburgh and New York once every three years, and take one for the good of the league. It will mean a San Jose might have to go on an epic 10-game road trip like the one they had in 1998 somewhere along the line, but I think most fans will gladly trade in a meaningless fourth game against a non-playoff team for a cross-conference game against one of the league's best.
The two possible scenarios I've found are:
1) Keep the eight divisional games(32), and play all other conference teams three times(30); play two opposite conference division teams once (one division home, one road), and the third division twice (once each home and road) and alternate home and road each season (20) - for a full 82-game schedule.
2) Play two division teams five times, two teams six times(22); play other 10 conference teams three times each(30); play all opposite conference teams once at home and once on the road(30) - for a full 82-game schedule.
Anything short of that, and thousands of fans miss out on some great skilled players and goaltenders every year. Of course, this whole scenario (and the idiotic suggestion that the league return to a four division format) could have been remedied if, say, four teams were contracted right off the bat in 2005. That's neither here nor there now, I'm just saying...
The recipe for further success is there, and I suppose alterations like these might be considered more seriously if the NHL were run more like a benevolent dictatorship than a democracy where a 2/3s majority is the key to enacting any change at all. In the interim, it's just fun to let the mind wander and postulate on the good things that might make something we love even better.
First, with the playoff situation still unresolved with most teams now with either two or three games remaining, it makes watching the games excruciatingly painful - and that's just at work. Things are so tense and so unexpected, and there is so much on the line for these teams, that the second you look away or switch to a baseball game or basketball game - something actually happens. Like I had feared/predicted, virtually every team is now playing one-goal differentials, and wringing every point they can out of these games. It's a sickening replay of all those games in Marches and Aprils from the late 90's.
Tomorrow night I'm actually going as a fan to the Devils-Flyers game at the Wachovia Center. The Devils are fighting for the Atlantic Division title, while the Flyers have officially locked up the worst record in the entire league. Do you think New Jersey is going to go full throttle and beat the pulp out of Philly because that's what you do to a team that's DFL in the NHL? Heeeeellll no. There's going to be so much fear that a team like the Flyers will play spoiler on the Horned Ones, that the Devils will score once and play 50 minutes of trap until the buzzer. Never mind the Flyers have less wins at home than on the road this year.
There are more teams than ever which have topped the 100-point plateau, because the NHL gives all clubs three opportunities to earn a point, while only one of them is for an actual win. Did Bettman and the GM's really think team's wouldn't abuse that privilege after they abused ties and overtime losses so much that they had to create shootout losses as well? In the space of two years, the number of games going to overtime and the shootout has exploded, and has increased exponentially from last year to this year. At this point, even more so than ever, I'm all for two points for a win, one point for a tie, and no points for an overtime or shootout loss. I can't stress this enough, people. I'd rather have ties back than go through the farce of having teams earn points for losing in not one, but two manners.
Which also means for the love of God, NO MORE SHOOTOUTS!!! KEEP THEM IN THE ECHL AND CHL WHERE THEY BELONG, IN MARKETS LIKE CORPUS CHRISTI WHERE FANS DON'T KNOW ANY BETTER!!
While you're at it, O Blessed Lawyers of Manhattan, let's stop using the American Hockey League as a guinea pig. You've ruined the league by trying to turn your farm teams into bland family-friendly entertainment, where it once was a place where you could see rock-em, sock-em, high-scoring hockey for a bunch of players literally fighting their way up to the NHL. Besides, just because something works well in Binghamton or Lowell, doesn't mean it will play well in St. Louis. You want to make sure the kids get to the NHL with the proper tools to succeed? Teach the kids how to deal with an 8-6 game and how to defend themselves, instead of instilling rote defensive and forecheck systems that end up choking the life out of the NHL...like in the midst of a playoff race.
Speaking of choking, the level of violence in the league has become a hot-button issue lately. In fact, the mode, level and seriousness of violence in the game is as proportionate as it ever was. Let's keep it where it is. Remember, the handshake line comes after a playoff series is over. Before then, it's every man for his team, and every team for the Cup - consequences be damned. The Chris Simon incident earlier this month was foul in so many ways, not the least of which was the fact that Simon has made a decade-plus-long career on knowing the rules of being a fighter. We can't take fighting out of the game, because it is essential to the sport in that it is the only mode of violence in any organized game which has its complex set of rules intended to keep the honor of the fight intact, while keeping collateral violence to a minimum.
This rule that a player gets an automatic one-game suspension for fighting in the final five minutes of the game is positively insane. Chaos and mayhem by an opposing player must be answered when it is answered - and to put an arbitrary lock on that answer means that bad attitudes fester and boil over into spearing, high-sticking, boarding, whatever - all because you face a stiffer penalty for dropping the gloves. It was clear from the moment the rule was put in place that Bettman and his charges blanched at the Philly-Ottawa brawl from March of 2004, all the while missing the point that it could have been worse for players on both clubs if they had not cleared out all the bad blood from Martin Havlat's careless stick and body work that night.
Anyway, how ridiculous is it that Ben Eager...Ben Eager??...leads the NHL in total penalty minutes, but not in fighting majors. All while Georges Laraque, Matthew Barnaby, Jarome Iginla, Simon, Cam Janssens, Travis Moen, Derek Boogard and Andrew Peters have solid careers. Once again, I'll call for any suspension for any number of instigation penalties to be abolished. An instigator should only be assessed in a situation where a player drops the gloves and his opponent turtles, or only in clear situations where one player throws down long before his opponent decides to engage.
Moving on to penalties, whatever happened to good old fashioned majors like high-sticking, boarding, and spearing? At least those were man-sized penalties you weren't supposed to take, instead of this grey area where nobody can determine if you hit someone's face with an elbow or a dropped shoulder. Ditto on this hitting players along the boards from the side. Unfortunately, with the proliferation of the video system, and the ability of head coaches to question virtually anything that doesn't go their way (thank you very much, Lindy Ruff), referees are pretty much impotent. It used to be, under the three-official system, it was a minor for a normal infraction, and a major for intent-to-injure (which didn't have to mean blood was drawn). Now, there's no room for a ref or a linesman to make an interpretation - because I think they're incapable of doing so. The two-referee system is a major culprit - because you'll have either one veteran and one young zebra with one constantly deferring to the other, or two youngsters who don't know what's going on. Therefore, appearances become the driving factor.
Ten, fifteen years ago, double minors were reserved for minor penalties with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty tacked on, now they are regular occurrences for the tiniest drop of blood drawn from a high-stick. Maybe the impotence of the officials are another affect of the need for parity with 30 teams in the league. Major penalties (where you can score as many times as you like in five minutes) are major momentum and game changers, where a team behind can jump ahead, and where a skilled team can just strafe their opponent. My view is: if more scoring and excitement are needed in the NHL, why not call more majors? Separation between the pretenders and contenders are needed more than ever, and if one team gets blown out 8-1 because they can't stay out of the box, then so be it.
The Flyers-Sharks game from November is a prime example. Alex Picard gets rammed from behind clearly into the glass, and is knocked unconscious. A two-minute minor is assessed on the play - which clearly called for a major and misconduct for intent to injure. The Flyers were three goals down at that point, and a major power play could have made things interesting at the Shark Tank. Instead, the non-call deflated the club, and they went on to lose 6-1.
Enough of what's IN the net. Let's talk about the net itself, or rather, what's behind it. As in the trapezoid. What was its purpose again? Who cares? It's gone. Let the goaltenders, who are the most protected players on the ice, go back and handle the puck at their own risk. Make it again where a goalie with the puck can be touched, but if he's checked, it's a penalty on the other side. Make it a minor again for contact with a goalie who doesn't have the puck. Make it so any goaltender who skates in front of the net is fair game once again.
As for the net, let's not go nuts with suggestions that it be widened, heightened, oblongated, ovalled, and whatnot. The only thing I'm looking for is for the nets to go back to being solid metal piping with a thick magnet to anchor it into the ice. I can't stand how many times the net gets knocked off during a game. The best way to avoid this, and to teach players how to use space more effectively, is to have heavier nets so collisions are discouraged. This game is fast enough, and because of the speed, lacks flow. No forward really shortens his stride anymore in the zone because he knows once the net comes off, play stops. Once he realizes the net won't budge, maybe they'll start developing a wrist shot instead of hoping to bulldoze into the crease and poke the puck through from two feet.
The problem of goals being scored, in order of current discussions is: 4) goaltender size comparable to other skaters, 3) nets too small, 2) goalie equipment still too big, and 1a) teams are starting again to exploit the room on the ice and adapt it to defensive systems, 1) goaltenders are more technically sound and stay-at-home than ever before. It's not the net's fault as if it's a living thing which contracts and expands on a whim. It's also not the fault of goaltenders who don't want to routinely come out to challenge a shooter from the bottom of the circles, or to dive across the crease when a player comes in tight. It used to happen all the time years ago when the spirit of adventure and pull of the wanderlust got many masked men in deep trouble with open nets.
My last rant in this space is regarding the current schedule. It needs to be overhauled - and at least a majority of league GM's agree with that fact. Too bad we have to endure one more season where each conference hardly sees the teams in the opposite one. Again, the only way steady interest can be built in the newer markets and maintained in the traditional ones, is if every team plays every other team at least once, and twice for the better. Now that every team, by necessity, has to have at least one marquee name attached to it, the league is doing itself a disservice by stacking so many games within one conference.
I know the players union moaned for years about travel issues, particularly the West Coast teams. However, now is the time for the union to take another step back, acknowledge the short-changing going on when Colorado visits Detroit twice every year, but Pittsburgh and New York once every three years, and take one for the good of the league. It will mean a San Jose might have to go on an epic 10-game road trip like the one they had in 1998 somewhere along the line, but I think most fans will gladly trade in a meaningless fourth game against a non-playoff team for a cross-conference game against one of the league's best.
The two possible scenarios I've found are:
1) Keep the eight divisional games(32), and play all other conference teams three times(30); play two opposite conference division teams once (one division home, one road), and the third division twice (once each home and road) and alternate home and road each season (20) - for a full 82-game schedule.
2) Play two division teams five times, two teams six times(22); play other 10 conference teams three times each(30); play all opposite conference teams once at home and once on the road(30) - for a full 82-game schedule.
Anything short of that, and thousands of fans miss out on some great skilled players and goaltenders every year. Of course, this whole scenario (and the idiotic suggestion that the league return to a four division format) could have been remedied if, say, four teams were contracted right off the bat in 2005. That's neither here nor there now, I'm just saying...
The recipe for further success is there, and I suppose alterations like these might be considered more seriously if the NHL were run more like a benevolent dictatorship than a democracy where a 2/3s majority is the key to enacting any change at all. In the interim, it's just fun to let the mind wander and postulate on the good things that might make something we love even better.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Farewell to Another Coach
Claude Julien suffered the most unkindest cut of all today, fired as head coach of the Devils after less than one season at the helm. No matter that the Devils performed their usual miracle of starting off slow, only to ascend the standings throughout the Winter and rising to the division lead come Spring - the fact that the naive but energetic Penguins caught Jersey coming into the last two weeks of the season was enough of a red flag. General Manager Lou Lamoriello returns to the ice for the second time in less than a year to complete the remainder of the regular season plus playoffs.
This is a common theme with the franchise. Precedent was set back in 1988, as Doug Carpenter got the heave in favor of the fire-and-brimstone approach of Jim Schoenfeld - and the Devils rallied from last place in the Patrick to make the playoffs and then shock the hockey world by advancing to the Wales Conference Finals.
Lamoriello axed Robbie Ftorek with weeks to go in 2000. Never mind that Jersey was a solid four seed in the East, competing with the Flyers for first place in the Atlantic - Ftorek did not have the confidence of his players due to his abrasive style. Larry Robinson came in and led the club to its second Stanley Cup that June. Robinson quote-unquote resigned in December 2005 after the Devils got off to another sluggish start, Lamoriello coached the remainder of last season, and the Devils won a division title and one playoff round.
Still, it's got to be a deeply uneasy feeling to play for the Devils. Knowing Lamoriello is one to keep the talent coming at a low price, and one to trade said talent for a better deal at the drop of a hat, it has to be unsettling now that the Sword of Damocles hangs above the heads of the on-ice product at all times. John McLean was the first to feel it, after 15 years of faithful service to the Devils (through some bad early years), he was unceremoniously dumped on San Jose early in 1998 after he dared speak out against the boring style of play then-head coach Jacques Lemaire employed.
Then came the coaching merry-go-round which began in speculation that Lemaire's resignation in 1998 wasn't really of his own free will, and ends here with Julien's dismissal. That separate soap opera included Ftorek, Robinson, Kevin Constantine, Pat Burns, and Pat Burns' cancerous prostate.
If these drastic and surprising measures are necessary to give the team the needed kick in the arse, how healthy is the Devils franchise really if the spurs need to be applied so often? How much longer can the players hold out under the pressure of maintaining success for a team that only achieved this lofty level after it wrung every bit of talent out of three Cup winners?
I understand that a winning atmosphere depends a great deal on psychology - keeping players off balance in order to maintain a focus on the ice which increases the number in the "W" column, but the current battle in the Atlantic is not the fault of those who manage or wear the horned NJ logo. It is more a result of the youthful exuberance of the Penguins team, who obviously don't know they're not supposed to be duking it out with one of the most successful franchises of the past decade.
In fact, I think psychologically, the Penguins might win this one. They have nothing to lose by watching the team they are fighting resort to drastic measures while they pursue their goal with reckless abandon. Whether they finish first or second in the division, or second, fourth or fifth in the conference is the source of no contention. Yet, if the Devils do survive the gauntlet and lock up a division title and a two-seed, they have to watch their heads once again as the Sword hovers over the club during the postseason.
You can only squeeze a piece of fruit so long. Eventually, the sweet hidden juices that flow freely will give way to ugly, tasteless and coagulated pulp. Lou Lamoriello must reevaluate and retool the organizational philosophy as well as his own personal style, or else once the Devils move into the Prudential Center, the team will look more like 1983 than 2008.
This is a common theme with the franchise. Precedent was set back in 1988, as Doug Carpenter got the heave in favor of the fire-and-brimstone approach of Jim Schoenfeld - and the Devils rallied from last place in the Patrick to make the playoffs and then shock the hockey world by advancing to the Wales Conference Finals.
Lamoriello axed Robbie Ftorek with weeks to go in 2000. Never mind that Jersey was a solid four seed in the East, competing with the Flyers for first place in the Atlantic - Ftorek did not have the confidence of his players due to his abrasive style. Larry Robinson came in and led the club to its second Stanley Cup that June. Robinson quote-unquote resigned in December 2005 after the Devils got off to another sluggish start, Lamoriello coached the remainder of last season, and the Devils won a division title and one playoff round.
Still, it's got to be a deeply uneasy feeling to play for the Devils. Knowing Lamoriello is one to keep the talent coming at a low price, and one to trade said talent for a better deal at the drop of a hat, it has to be unsettling now that the Sword of Damocles hangs above the heads of the on-ice product at all times. John McLean was the first to feel it, after 15 years of faithful service to the Devils (through some bad early years), he was unceremoniously dumped on San Jose early in 1998 after he dared speak out against the boring style of play then-head coach Jacques Lemaire employed.
Then came the coaching merry-go-round which began in speculation that Lemaire's resignation in 1998 wasn't really of his own free will, and ends here with Julien's dismissal. That separate soap opera included Ftorek, Robinson, Kevin Constantine, Pat Burns, and Pat Burns' cancerous prostate.
If these drastic and surprising measures are necessary to give the team the needed kick in the arse, how healthy is the Devils franchise really if the spurs need to be applied so often? How much longer can the players hold out under the pressure of maintaining success for a team that only achieved this lofty level after it wrung every bit of talent out of three Cup winners?
I understand that a winning atmosphere depends a great deal on psychology - keeping players off balance in order to maintain a focus on the ice which increases the number in the "W" column, but the current battle in the Atlantic is not the fault of those who manage or wear the horned NJ logo. It is more a result of the youthful exuberance of the Penguins team, who obviously don't know they're not supposed to be duking it out with one of the most successful franchises of the past decade.
In fact, I think psychologically, the Penguins might win this one. They have nothing to lose by watching the team they are fighting resort to drastic measures while they pursue their goal with reckless abandon. Whether they finish first or second in the division, or second, fourth or fifth in the conference is the source of no contention. Yet, if the Devils do survive the gauntlet and lock up a division title and a two-seed, they have to watch their heads once again as the Sword hovers over the club during the postseason.
You can only squeeze a piece of fruit so long. Eventually, the sweet hidden juices that flow freely will give way to ugly, tasteless and coagulated pulp. Lou Lamoriello must reevaluate and retool the organizational philosophy as well as his own personal style, or else once the Devils move into the Prudential Center, the team will look more like 1983 than 2008.
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