Who can object to old time hockey?

by Brandt Corbin

  

        While some may frown upon it, who’s kidding who, we all love old time hockey. I think there are several terms for “Old time hockey” mainly rivalries that mean something. The players go to the rink with a nervousness but some excitement, the fans go to those games with knowing its not if but when something will happen. I’ve played the odd game like that. Back 15 years ago my team had a bench clearing brawl against our arch rival. Five days later we went into their barn, without our 2 tough guys, they on the other hand all of their enforcers dressed. I was sick to my stomach going into the game, but some how some way, there was little if not any rough stuff that night.

Addicted to Old time hockey

        You can call me the mayor of old time hockey. In my hockey central (my basement) I’ve got a loaded library of VHS tapes (200 or more). I started recording games in 1993, and thanks to NHL Classics (NHL Network & ESPN Classics) you can PVR games the early 80’s, 90’s etc. You can even call me addicted to Old time hockey. There have been some days, I cannot think of anything but the game that night. Use February 11th, Penguins-Isles this year, especially when the Islanders recalled Michael Haley, that game lived up to its billing. 

        Some of the best guarantees of old time hockey nowadays are the Habs-Bruins, Ducks-Kings, Penguins vs Caps, and Flyers vs Rangers just to name a few. One of the main reasons for this is the closeness in proximity, plus it helps that some of these teams have had heated battles going back 30 years or more. Then you have the characters involved. Use the Flyers and Rangers as an example, you’ve got Daniel Carcillo fighting Marian Gaborik then every year Brandon Dubinsky and Mike Richards have a set to.

Started with Rangers-Isles in 1994

        I’ll try and explain to you as best as I can. I got 100% addicted to hockey and old time hockey in 1994. The Rangers-Isles, first round series in 1994, Rangers best team throughout regular season, the Isles limped into the playoffs. It was game 3 at Nassau Coliseums, the Islanders had gone over 145 minutes without a goal in the series. Isles Ray Ferraro got a breakaway but did not score, for the next 85 seconds the Isles hemmed the Rangers in their own zone. Rangers goaltender Mike Richter and defenseman Kevin Lowe both had broken their sticks, the Isles had five “grade a” scoring chances. Finally after a failed clearing attempt, Ferraro finally buried it to give the Islanders their first goal of the series, “Woo ha the boys are alive,” declared TSN play by play announcer Jim Hughson.

        In the late 90’s the Battle of New York got more and more intense hitting the powder keg April 4, 1998. Seven fights in all, including a five on five line brawl, seeing Dan Cloutier pounded on Islander goaltender Tommy Salo. In 2002 Islander great Bryan Trottier became Rangers coach, to Islanders fans that was betrayal, they became happy half way through that season when Trottier was subsequently fired. Still to do this day, despite the Islanders struggles, that rivalry still remains one of the best.

Av’s vs Red Wings

        Has there ever been a more classic rivalry ever in the NHL? Two great teams, both loaded with skill, grit, size and great goaltending. The best thing is they hated each others guts and then some. Claude Lemieux’s hit from behind on Kris Draper started it all, then there was March 26, 1997. That game remains likely the most classic regular season game in decades. Early in the contest Darren McCarty beat up Lemieux blooding him up, he only received a double minor for roughing. Over the course of the game 10 fights broke out during the first half of the game, McCarty then scored the overtime winner beating the Av’s 6-5.

Go back with old schedule

        Just my opinion but I prefer the schedule of three-four years ago, the schedule where divisional rivals play eight times a season. By the last three games of the eight game series, it was back to old school hockey. Compare that to where a team like Florida, Carolina or the Islanders go into Vancouver, Nashville or Columbus once every second season, compared to every third season.

        My preference for the schedule is to play divisional rivals eight times a year, keep it the way east plays west, then as an example Central Division teams would play one game less per season against the Pacific. As a Flyers fan would you not rather see the Rangers, or Penguins one more time compared to Minnesota or Edmonton? 

Towel Power comes back to Winnipeg

by Brandt Corbin

            The real white towel power is coming back. In 1996 the Winnipeg Jets picked up and moved their franchise to Phoenix. Now 15 years later, the Atlanta Thrashers are packing up and moving back to Winnipeg. Will the results of the Thrashers team be different compared to the old Jets or the team based in Atlanta. One would have to lean towards nothing but success.

            Over the past few years, the players when going to play at Phillips Arena (Atlanta) had not much to be excited about. More often than not they played in front of a half empty building; and it would get tiresome after awhile to hear the PA announcer say offside, icing... pointing out what’s happening on the ice for beginner fans. Instead now the team will be going to the MTS center, playing in front a full building of fans who craved NHL hockey for over a decade and a half.

New team in Winnipeg much different than 1996 Jets

            In 1996, the Jets exhausted all of their resources, regarding players. In total then Jet coach Terry Simpson dressed 41 players (including five goalies), during the 1996 season, 33 of those players played 15 or more games. Back then the Jets had one of the best lines in hockey with Teemu Selanne (only played 51 games), Keith Thachuk and Alexei Zhamnov (58 games played). After that it was a big drop off from lines two to four. The number one line accounted for 34% of the Jets offense; despite missing a combined 61 games due to injury.

                Now the 2010-11 Thrashers are not overly loaded up front, allot less potent than the Jets old top line, but have a much better second line than the 96 Jets. Another advantage going into next season, the team only has seven forwards guaranteed of a spot next year. The team defense in 1996 scored 32 goals all season, the 2011 Thrashers scored 45 goals from the back end. Their top two de-men, Dustin Byfuglien and Tobias Enstrom had 31 goals between the two, totalling up 104 points.

                  The goaltending is very similiar compared to the old days. Nikolai Khabibulin was a young netminder which back then didn’t reach his potential. Nowadays Ondrej Pavelic the current goalie has had loads of international success with the Czech Republic, but has been inconsistent with Atlanta. The backups are almost the same now compared to then. Then it was Tim Cheveldae, now its Chris Mason.

                       The old Jets had a few promising back then. When it was all said and done, Jason Doig and Chad Kilger never panned out as good NHLers. Without question Shane Doan has gone onto the most promising career. Fot the new Jets, Evander Kane is showing the most promise, followed up by Bryan Little, Alexander Burminstrov, the future looks somewhat promising.

Off ice staff

                Sounds pretty safe that general manager Rick Dudley will be leading the team into Winnipeg. The main reason why he’s returning is because he had four years remaining on his current contract. Same goes with head coach Craig Ramsey, he as well is under contract. One possible change is Craig Heisinger the current general manager of the Manitoba Moose, appears to be staying on as Assistant General manager of the team based in Winnipeg.

Are the Canucks the prohibited favourites?

                Is it just me are do the off-days seem stupidly boring. Some of the “so call experts” were claiming the Western Conference Final was the actual Stanley Cup Final, making those believers think that the Eastern Conference weaker. One would hope and assume the Vancouver Canucks are thinking the opposite, knowing they are only four wins away from winning Lord Stanley.

                Are the Canucks the favourites going into the finals? Yes, mainly because they are the President’s Trophy winners, plus they have home ice. But would I put money down in Vegas on this series, no chance in Hell. This series is going minimum to six games, at this points it’s a coin toss.

Who wil come up big

                Some of these “experts” are calling into question Tim Thomas and if he going to be on his game, after somewhat struggling versus Tampa. I think he made a statement come game seven, in his shutout performance. Same could have been said for Roberto Luongo who struggled during the Chicago series, to the point where he was pulled once, and his backup started a game instead of Luongo. These two wash each other out, they’ll let in a weak goal or two, but they have not gotten to the finals this year by accident.

                If I were Claude Julien, I’d be showing Milan Lucic the video’s of Dustin Byfuglien. We all know at times Byfuglien had Luongo’s numbers, mainly because he got in his kitchen. It’s not farfetched to say Lucic couldn’t do the same type of job, the Bruins philosophy should be, do whatever they have to do to get Luongo off his game. The Canucks likely would do the same, with Burrows and Kesler. So without question look allot net-drive in this series.

                With the Sedin’s going head to head with Chara and Seidenberg, Kesler versus the Bruins top line, it could come down to the bottom two lines and who’s better at the right time. The Canucks third line of Larpierre, Torres and Hansen , can change the momentum of a game with their speed and physicality. The Bruins third line against Tampa at times was dominant offensively, as an example Tyler Seguin had 6 points in the first two games of that series. That too could be a coin-toss, but could change from game to game.

                Absolutely no disrespect to Canucks Manny Maholtra, but am I the only one getting tired of him coming back for the finals. If you think he can come back, play on the third line and pick up where he left off, you’re kidding yourself. If anything he can help a bad fourth line, a fourth line that changes each and every game.

Numbers that matter the most

                Key things people have to remember, the Canucks of course play out of the Northwest Division, by far hands down the worst division, some would make the argument the weakest ever.  That benefited the Canucks, because it helped them clinch home ice.

                The numbers do not lie. If this becomes a specialty team series, it will be all Vancouver. The Canucks have 17 power play goals compared to Boston’s 5. If the majority of this series is played at even strength,  it will be all Boston who’ve outscored the Canucks 48-31. Those numbers are pretty damming either way, and folks these numbers are after three rounds of action not one. One other number in Boston’s favour is they are scoring 3.22 goals per games, compared to Vancouver’s 2.78.

                When its all said and done, it’s up the league and the officials with how the series will end up. Near the end of each of the last series, anything and everything was let go, that favours the Bruins. If they clamp down and

Various Staney Cup Notes

Canucks Manny Maholtra has been cleared to practice, after suffering a severe eye injury. On March 16^th, the veteran center got struck in the eye with a puck, had to have 2 surgeries to save his vision. If he returns for the finals, he’d wear a full shield. He would likely start off with the 4^th line, with getting key ice time on the penalty kill and key face off situations.

The team whose players win’s the Conn Smythe this year has a smaller price to pay. The winner of the award gets a 1.3 million dollar bonus, because each team is up against the cap this year, that bonus would count against next year’s salary cap. That occurred that year to the Chicago Blackhawks when Duncan Keith won playoff MVP.

After winning game seven on Friday night and advancing to the Stanley Cup finals, the Boston Bruins 2^nd round 2011 draft pick now belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs. A clause in the Tomas Kaberle trade had the Bruins sending the pick to the Leafs if the Bruins got to the finals, or re-signed Kaberle. This now gives Toronto 12 draft picks this year, four in the first 2 rounds.

Bruins-Canucks; Stanley Cup Preview

by Brandt Corbin

           

            Before the puck was dropped for the 2011 playoffs, it was painfully obvious there were a few coaches looking for work if they did not get out of the first round. Two of those coaches were Boston’s Claude Julien and Vancouver’s Alain Vigneault. We all know by know they’ve made it past that first round, and are on their way to fight for the Stanley Cup. Think about how close both Vancouver and Boston were in the first round... both teams had to win in overtime to advance, now arguably the two best teams during the regular season for the past two years, finally go head to head.

Up front

            Both teams throughout the playoffs have had three lines of offense. The Canucks have the statistically the better top line during the regular season, but during the post season, the Bruins top line has been better consistently game in game out. The second and third lines have been coming up timely offense, when the either team’s needed a goal, it been the secondary scoring getting it. The fourth lines have been absent offensively. The Bruins on a regular basis plays 7-10 mins, Canucks 4th line has maybe been averaging 4-6 mins at the most, so look for this trend to continue in the finals.

Bruins power play needs to start firing

            Eventually one would assume the Bruins will start clicking on their power play, they have not done so thus far and it has not cost them yet. Both teams even in the conference finals had patches on being very undisciplined, both teams have some hot headed players, the team that can be nasty but not cross the line will do themselves a favour. The main reason why the Canucks advanced past San Jose was their incredible power play, while the Bruins have been completely dominant 5 on 5 in the playoffs.

No edge in net

            This will be the best goaltending matchup in many years, Vezina Nominee vs Vezina Nominee, Tim Thomas vs Roberto Luongo. Both veterans have had there struggles during the playoffs, but when it mattered most they came up huge for their team. Neither goalie will have the edge in this series, the one that can fight through the traffic without losing his composure should prevail the champion.

Home ice not a big advantage

            The Bruins for the most part are a veteran laden team, you think about this years playoffs, they’ve played in the most intimidating buildings, the Bell Center and the Wells Fargo Center (Montreal and Philly). Same can be said for Ryan Kesler, and the Sedin’s they are calm cooled and always collected. The only time I see anyone being really nervous is the night the Cup could be awarded, both for the team who could win it, or lose it. You do not want to go this far and then lose it in finals.

Head to head matchups

            The key matchups will be the following, Zdeno Chara vs the Sedins and Kesler, Bieksa versus the Bruins top line of Krejci-Horton and Lucic. Physically the Sedin’s will be hit every chance Chara can legal or not legal. I look forward to Lucic vs Bieksa, it will be a reminder of Lucic vs Komisarek 3 years ago.... which can be compared to Samuelson vs Neely. 

When its all said and done

            A Bruins fan not a Canuck fan will ever admit it, but realistically neither team is the favourite going into this series. Its to close to call, its not far fetched to say Chara will shutdown the Sedins, and for Kesler to shutdown the Bruins top line. When its all said and done, it will come down to who’s second and third lines play better and that as well is a toss up. This series will likely come down to a 7th game, with it maybe going to overtime, if it does I will predict either Nathan Horton or Alex Burrows to score the Cup clincher.

 

Sharks need to move into another direction, coach included

 by Brandt Corbin

 

            Some teams in pro sports just cannot get over that hump. A team considered the perennial favourites according to the experts because of what appears to be the endless amount of talent. In the National Hockey League, that team is the San Jose Sharks. For the past four or five season they’ve been called the Stanley Cup contenders, I’ve tried to point our for at least the past two seasons its nothing more than a mirage.

            This is the second time in two years they’ve beaten the Detroit Red Wings to advance to the conference finals, their only problem is they’ve gone 1-8 in the third round. How many times can you go back with the same core group, one would have thought you’d want to shake things up. It’s become to apparent that San Jose’s star players are great during the regular season but below par come the playoffs, when going gets tough and one is forced to play hurt.

Virtually impossible to move the big three

            The Sharks major problem and it’s a big one, their big three players (salary wise) Danny Heatley, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau make a combined 21.7 million per year, for the next three seasons. Each and every single one of them has either a no movement or no trade clause. So unless the Sharks are willing to take Wade Redden from the Rangers, they’ve got no chance to trade Heatley.

            The Sharks supporting cast is strong, but are they built for the playoffs? Ryane Clowe is more than made for the playoffs; one could say the same regarding Joe Pavelski who was strong in the 2010 playoffs.  But part of San Jose’s problem is they need more than two or three guys showing up for one playoff series.

            The main reason why the Sharks went down in five games to the Canucks was there pathetic penalty kill. In the series, San Jose allowed nine power play goals while shorthanded only 20 times. In all 50% of Vancouver’s production was on the man advantage.

What changes can and should be made

            Because the core group cannot be traded, and it’s unlikely Clowe or Pavelski would be moved, what changes can be made? Are the Sharks content with making the conference finals, because it’s clear they’re not good enough to get out of the west.

            I personally would start with head coach Todd McClennan, he’s had three kicks at the can, and he’s gotten them no further than his predecessor Ron Wilson. One can say this, come playoff time his message is not getting through to those difference makers. Is he had a bad coach, absolutely not, will he get rehired, within weeks. Another reason why I feel McClennan should be held accountable is his player management. In game three the Canucks went 2-5 on the power play. But the penalty kill was worse than number suggests. The coach stayed status quo in game 4; keeping Andrew Desjardins in the line-up instead of Scott Nichol, whose main responsibility is penalty killing, subsequently the Canucks power play went 3-4 in game four. ALl year Nichol was the teams primary penalty killer, for some reason when it mattered most the coach lost confidence in him.

I personally would bring one of two coaches in; give them only a two year contract with an option. Ken Hitchcock and Andy Murray are not task masters, but they’re anything but a player’s coach. It’s got to be there way or the highway, or you’ll be sitting at the end of the bench. McClennan is not a players coach, but you rarely hear about him laying down the law, especially against his star players, for that there needs to be  change.

            The team’s bottom half of forwards needs to be re-worked. They need more muckers and grinders, whose speciality is penalty killing, think about how big a Manny Maholtra would have been against the Canucks, that’s the type of player they do not have.

            When its all said and done, if thinks are not changed up, they come back with the same coach, no changes to the top two lines, we’ll again be making this same point this time next year.

Kesler a shoe in for Conn Smythe

          I was sitting back trying to think of the last player to do absolutely everything then on top of that win the Stanley Cup. Couple of names right off the bat, Pavel Datsyuk and defenseman Scott Niedermayer. The new name on the block is Vancouver Canucks center Ryan Kesler. 

          Despite going goalless in the first round versus the Chicago Blackhawks, Kesler kept Jonathan Toews off of the scoreboard, a feat not to be done easily. Come the second round, Kesler was the main and maybe only reason why they defeated the Nashville Predators. The 26-year-old American, had 11 points, while the Canucks only managed to score 14 goals versus the Preds. In the conference finals, Kesler did a mixture of both, stopping big Joe Thornton practically the entire round, while managing to produce offensively including game tying goal in game five with only 14 seconds left.

          But if anything its the price that Kesler is willing to pay, in the fifth game it appeared evident he had hurt his groin, he hobbled off but was back out for the next shift. Its a price he wanted to pay, something that cannot be said for the likes of a Joe Thornton.

If you wanted to start a team

          Aside from maybe Sidney Crosby, there are not to many other players that one would choose to start a team. Kesler’s obviously the best two center in the league, his 41 goals this year is not to shabby, then you enter in his 5 million dollar salary. There are 30 teams in the NHL that would love someone of his ilk and if the Canucks do win the Cup, there could be some general managers that would prefer him over Crosby.

Shoe in for the Conn Smythe?

          Win or lose, it will take a miracle for Kesler not to win the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP. The only way that does not occur is if the Canucks go down in four or five games, or if Canuck goalie Roberto Luongo has two or three repeat performances (like he had in game 5). In the past 24 years, only Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Ron Hextall have won the playoff MVP without winning the Cup the very same season. Again it will take a miracle for Kesler not to become the third player.

Could the NHL relocate to Seattle?

by Brandt Corbin

 

           When one thinks of locations that an NHL team can relocate to, Winnipeg, Quebec, Kansas City and Toronto are at the top of lot of lists. But one city that nobody would think of has a local group of wealthy investors inquiring into an NHL hockey team. But what city you ask? Of all places but Seattle Washington. Now is Seattle a hot bed for hockey, probably not but in fact the city can boast a Stanley Cup victory, the 1917 Seattle Metropolitans.

            Lord knows there are plenty of teams that lack steady ownership, the Atlanta Thrashers and Phoenix Coyotes just to name a few. This tonight went one step further when Deputy NHL Commissioner Bill Daly acknowledged that the NHL in fact has been in contact with the group to bring the team to the Pacific Northwest.

Natural Rivalry

            If this were to every happen, the good news for the team would be its natural rivalry with the Vancouver Canucks, which for both teams and its fan would be a three hour drive. You know when teams like Pittsburgh, Washington or NY Rangers come to Seattle that fans from British Columbia would take the drive down to what those teams. It would almost be cheaper for those folks on Vancouver Island to go to Seattle for a weekend than go to Vancouver overnight with a hotel.

Seattle hockey past

            Since 1915 Seattle has had nine hockey teams, most of which were minor-pro teams. From 1915 to 1985 the city only went six seasons without having a minor league team. Since 1985 the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League has resided in the city. On January 31, 2011 the Thunderbirds had franchise high 6,158 fans against the Portland Winter Hawks. The average attendance is around 3,100 per game, still not bad for a 26 year old team in a non-traditional hockey market.

 Arena or lack there of could be an issue

            More than anything, the one issue preventing Seattle from getting an NHL team is Key Arena. One would assume that it would play host to the team until a new arena would be built. The problematic thing is the area was built in 1962, for basketball its capacity was 17, 072. Quite possibly the only way Seattle gets a hockey team is if they would promise to build a new rink.

            Something that could occur, and would make more sense, is if the Canucks moved their AHL team to Seattle. The AHL team could then lay in Keys Arena or at the Showare Center were the Thunderbirds play out of.

 

 

NHL coaching vacancies to be filled within a month?

          As the playoffs move onto a conclusion and as we head into the off-season, head coaching vacancies should soon be addressed. The one question that will soon be asked is how many rookie coaches will be hired and how many veteran coaches will be given one more chance. In total there is five openings, and all five teams are seeking a coach to take them to that next level, for most of those teams it would be the playoffs.

Dark horses emerging?

          When experts mention the names up for the head coaching jobs, the same names are always mentioned. With the Vancouver Canucks making a deep run into the playoffs, their two assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Newell Brown might garner more attention than more would think. Bowness last coached in 2002-03 when he was behind Phoenix’s bench for 20 games. Brown has been an assistant for 14 years, including one Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. Brown would likely get the nod before Bowness, because of his lack of success in the past.

Ottawa front runner?

          It was said immediately after the Sens fired Corey Clouston that the front runner would Dave Cameron. Cameron currently coaching St Mike’s Majors of the OHL and coach of the 2011 World Junior Championships for Canada. Another tie is current Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melynk is the owner of the Majors as well. Would Ottawa really want to go back to Junior Hockey for another head coach, their past two coaches Craig Hartsburg and Clouston had more experience in the Junior ranks than pro hockey.

          Other potential candidates could be former Detroit assistant Brad McCrimmon, then there is Guy Carbonneau or Craig MacTavish.

Two front runners in Florida

          Two names keep getting mentioned in regards to the Florida Panthers head coaching job. Both of those coaching candidates have ties to current Florida general manager Dale Tallon. Both Mike Haviland and John Torchetti won Stanley Cups with Tallon in Chicago serving as assistant coaches to Joel Quenville. When one of the two gets hired it makes sense, simply because Tallon knows what he’d be getting in either one. The only way he learns to another coach is if he gets blown away during the final interviews.

Will Minnesota hire within the organization

          My personal opinion is the Wild will hire within their organization. Current Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher was the assistant general manager in Pittsburgh when Michel Therrien was the Pens head coach. Fletcher was responsible in bringing Therrien into the Wild staff as a pro scout for the past few seasons. After Fletcher terminated Todd Richards of his coaching duties, he started the search for his new head coach. Its unlikely the Wild would hire a rookie head coach like Richards, some veteran coaches will not be hired. Ken Hitchcock as an example would not be hired, because he’d want to much input on player personal, Fletcher wants to maintain that power. It comes back to Therrien, he’s the opposite of Richards, more of demanding coach, he also has past head coaching jobs with the Pens and the Habs.

Devil of a coach

         Hitchcock’s best chance at becoming a head coach again could be in the Swamp in New Jersey. Both Hitch and Devils GM Lou Lamierello enjoy success when playing a defensive style of game, Hitch also can be a task master, which doesn’t mind. But it could come back to how much control does Hitchcock want and require? If the Devils take a crack at someone else, it could former team captain Kirk Muller, current Canadiens assistant. But, after last years coaching debacle with rookie coach John Maclean, Muller might need to sell himself as the man for the job.

Dallas coaching job wide open

         The only thing that jumps out about the Dallas head coaching vacancy is Hitchcock likely would not be considered because he's been there and done that. But from there its anyone's guess on who could be hired. With the exception of Rick Wilson in 2002, the Stars have never had a rookie coach, then again that was the old Stars management. Current Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk could likely turn to a rookie coach, Muller, McCrimmion or Kevin Dineen.

 

When Winnipeg's moves what to do Bogosian?

            Could it happen twice in less than a calendar year, could we see the second young stud defenseman traded? In February St. Louis dealt former first overall pick Erik Johnson in a four player blockbuster trade, that moved shocked the hockey world, mainly because it was not well known he was available. The first decision for Winnipeg when the team relocated is what do with former third overall 2008 draft pick Zach Bogosian.

The Young 21-year-old struggled most of last year with Atlanta, having a career low -27, with a career low 17 points all of this came in 71 games. Part of his regression has been a new coaching philosophy with first year head coach Craig Ramsay, and assistant coach John Torchetti who handles the team’s defence. Bogasian and Torchetti at times had conflicts over the philosophy, which at some point has to affect his play overall.

Now the question is this, what if the American re-guard does not come around the way the coaching staff wants him to? One would assume he’d continue to struggle. That then leaves them with two options, change the coaching staff (which is unlikely) or look into moving Bogosian. That or General Manager Rick Dudley would need the coaching staff to modify their coaching style.

Move Bogosian while stock is high?

            Hypothetically let’s say Bogosian struggles during the month of October. One would assume his trade value would somewhat plummet, especially as the season would continue on. It’s like the stock market, trade him while the value is high or wait and hope the value does not go down.

            Comparisons are bound between Bogosian and Chris Pronger, both had played in the NHL the year after they were drafted, both had some struggles early in their career as well. Now it’s very likely Dudley see’s uncapped potential and for that reason they might not trade Zach and if he made that decision no one could blame him for that. Look at the Hartford Whalers, if they had a time machine, they’d go back to July 27, 1995.  They would decide against trading Pronger to the Blues for Brendan Shanahan.

When and where this could happen

            If Bogosian is to be moved when and where would this occur? It could likely occur at the 2011 NHL entry draft in Minnesota. The Toronto Maple Leafs have two first rounder’s plus a plethora of young prospects (Kadri, Schenn and D’Amigo) then the Sens have two high first rounder’s, and have been said to covet Bogoasian.

            The other likelihood would be middle of August once all the dust settles from the free-agency period. Teams that miss out of the big free agent fish, might be willing to over spend on a young defenseman just getting into his prime.

            But yet again, Dudley might roll the dice and say he’ll stick it out with Bogosian, either way it will be a win-win for Winnipeg.

Brian Rafalski retires, next stop Hall of Fame?

        Undersized and overlooked, it never stopped American born de-man Brian Rafalski. Undrafted, he to this day was one of the greatest finds; one of the main reasons a team employs pro scouts are in hopes of turning it into a goldmine. 

Always played second fiddle

        Rafalski was originally signed by the New Jersey Devils after he dominated the Finnish Elite League. Throughout his entire career, Rafalski never was the number one defenseman per say but only because of who he was playing in front of. In his first five years in New Jersey with the Devils, his defensive partner was the great Scott Stevens. His last four years with the Red Wings, he played with arguably the best defenseman of all time Nicklas Lindstorm. The 5’10, 197 pound re-guard was a shifty puck mover, quarterbacking the number one power play. His defensive game was under appreciated, but people started to take notice of that when he got to Detroit.

Hall of Fame career?

        During his 11 year career, no one can argue that he was the best American born defenseman. He represented the US in the last three Olympics (2002, 2006, 2010), in 02 & 10, he led them a silver medal. In the Vancouver Olympic games, Rafalski was 3rd in tournament scoring with 4 goals and 4 assists. He also participated in the 2004 World Cup.

        His offensive numbers are impressive, in 833 NHL regular season games he accumulated 515 points, including 436 assists. During the playoffs he played in 165 playoff games getting 100 points in the post season. Only twice in his time in  the NHL did he get less than 40 points, four times he had over 53 points, on top of that he was never a minus player his 11 years. But the most convincing statistic is that he played in five Stanley Cup finals, winning three Stanley Cups.

        You put all of the points, Olympic games, Stanley Cup rings and final appearances, how is Dearborn Michigan’s Brian Rafalski not a Hall of Famer?

Do the Leafs stay the course or go for it?

by Brandt Corbin

                When people talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs, they often mention how the team has missed the playoffs the previous six seasons. What those folks do not realize is this year’s Leafs were the second youngest team in the NHL. Arguably they are now where they should have been four  years ago. The oldest Toronto Maple Leaf this season was Jean-Sebastien Giguere at 34, the next oldest Leaf is Colton Orr and Mike Komisarek at 29. It’s safe to say now, the rebuild has officially begun.               

Do we stick with rebuilding or go for it come July 1?

                It would likely be 50/50 in Leaf Nation, some would say stick with the rebuild, while others say go for it all on July 1. But, the lack of center man on July 1 is concerning for the Leafs. What if the Rangers sign Brad Richards, all that would be left is Jason Arnott and Tim Connelly. No one could agree with giving either one of those players more than a 3 year deal, both would want north of 3.5 million. Arnott’s play has fallen off, to where he cannot be considered a number one center. Connelly is a soft, injury prone center and he’s the opposite of what Burke wants.

Outside chance is that Rick Nash could be had from Columbus. The only problem with this is the price tag would be sky high, do you part with both Kadri and Schenn? I say absolutely not, only because there is no center to play with Nash and the rebuild would need to start over.

Because of this I say the Leafs should stay the course, hope Joe Colbourne and Kessel get some chemistry early in the season, if they do that drops Tyler Bozak to the third line center. The Leafs can also see what’s available on the trade market. Would Florida part with Stephen Weiss? Would they be interested in one of the 1rst rounder’s, what else would it take to get him? But, he’s allot like Connelly but his consistency would also need to be called into question. Nazim Kadri is also going to be better next year as well, he showed progress late in the year when playing on the third line.

Could Kaberle come back next year?

With Tomas Kaberle struggling in Boston, the question at some time during the off-season will be asked will the Leafs take him back, and/or would he want to come back? Leafs general manager Brian Burke would likely not take Kaberle back at his 4.25 salary, but would Kaberle take a hometown discount? No one can argue that the Leafs power play was not the same without him, same thing can be said with the Leafs transition game. If the Leafs did bring back Kaberle, the “experts” would have to agree about the Leafs fleecing the Bruins.  Colbourne, 1rst round pick (possible 2^nd round pick) all for a guy that could be back in the Blue & White.

Bring back the soliders

                Not since the Leafs had Bill Berg, Mark Osbourne and Kent Mandrerville have the Leafs had the soldiers who come to play night in night out. Late last season, you did not have to worry about our third and fourth liners bringing their lunch buckets to play. We’re talking about the Darryl Boyce, Tim Brent, Joey Crabb and Mike Brown. Now do they have room for all four, that remains to be seen. But when Burke’s Duck won the Cup, his third and fourth liners were those type of players.  They’re dirt cheap as well, none of the four will make more than 700,000 that then frees up money for the top six forwards and top four defenseman.

Fall out from Thrashers select-a-seat-event

by Brandt Corbin

            One last ditch to save the team or one last money grab? With the team on the verge of moving to Winnipeg, the Atlanta Thrashers decided still to go ahead with their annual select-a-seat-event. Attempting to sell more season tickets for next year, but at the same time selling merchandise like Thrasher jersey’s for 50% off, to many fans and season ticket holders it didn’t leave a good taste in their mouth.

            “If (ownership) they know something they should have cancelled the event,” said a Thrasher season ticket hold. “It was like the last jab from ownership. People were crying in their seats, if they weren’t crying they were angry.”

            One Thrasher supporter held up a sign stating “Deport The Atlanta Spirit for murdering hockey in Atlanta.”

            Another sign that something is up, no Thrasher players nor management attended the event, even the team Mascot was absent. There were unconfirmed reports, that the season tickets purchased at this event were non-refundable.

            Shocking to some, despite being out of the playoff picture, the Thrashers attendance spiked at the end of the season. In the last seven home games, six of them had over 15,750 fans. Compare that to the first seven home games of 2010-11, they had two crowds over 15,000, five crowds under 11,000 including two games that had 8,820 and 8,461 fans attend. But , unless a complete miracle occurs the NHL Hockey in Atlanta is on life support and if it leaves it will never return.

Games 4 notes for Vancouver-San Jose

Puck drop is less than two hours for game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. One of the intriguing notes going into the game is what kind of officiating we’ll see. Will it be a tightly managed game like game 3, or could it be anything goes like in game one?  Both teams do not want the parade to the penalty box, because neither team can kill a penalty this series.

Going into game four, it appears as though the Vancouver Canucks have to make some lineup changes due to injury. Defenseman as Aaron Rome and Christian Erhoff were both injured on hits from San Jose’s Jamie McGinn in game 3. Logic would say veterans Andrew Alberts and Keith Ballard would be inserted into the lineup, but an outside chance is rookie Chris Tanev could play instead. Tanev more so than Ballard and Alberts can make the tape to tape passes, but Tanev’s size is a concern.

Will the Canucks re-insert Jeff Tambellini or Cody Hodgson in place of Tanner Glass or Alex Bolduc? I can see Bolduc coming out; his impact was minimal in game 4. For the Sharks, I can see Scott Nichol coming in and Andrew Desjardins coming back out. Nichol is a good faceoff guy and can kill penalties, sometime Desjardins cannot do. Despite his 2^nd boarding major of the playoffs, Jamie McGinn would likely remain in the line-up.

Overall it would be interesting to see if the coaches would alter their line-up based on who’d be refs for the game. As an example if Tim Peel was officiating today I would not expect to see Ben Eager, Peel was the ref in game 2 where Eager was called for five minors and a misconduct.

Is Columbus the next Atlanta Thrashers

by Brandt Corbin

            How soon do the Columbus Blue Jackets have before they run into the fate of the Atlanta Thrashers. Bad year after bad year and eventually the fan base eroded each and every year to where the ownership looked for local investors then looked to relocate. Similiar to Thrashers, the Blue Jackets have made the playoffs one time, in which they were swept. Both teams since have not been close to the playoff picture.
            Columbus in 2009-10 attendance average was 15,417 over the teams 41 home games. That included 5 crowds over 18,000, one of which was 19,136 (5th game of the season). In 2010-11 the average crowd was 13,602 (-1,800) difference over one season. The biggest crowd of the year was 19,103, three crowds under 10,000, the smallest being 9,128 the smallest in franchise history on October 28, 2010 against the Edmonton Oilers.
            Payroll last season for the Blue Jackets was 52 million, for a team that draws under 14,000 its almost a guarantee they are losing 10 million per year if not more. If veteran defenseman Mike Commodore’s 3.5 million salary is buried in the minors, the CBJ would have 36 million committed to 13 players next year. Could the Jackets throw in a 3 round pick with Commodore, to get him off the books?
But the financial issues are not the only problems going forward for the team as on the ice its not looking much better.
Do the Jackets have a strength
            Goaltending has been average at best for two years. Each and every other week whether it was former coaches Ken Hitchcock, Claude Noel or current coach Scott Arniel, they’d question themselves on who’d be their best goalie. Its safe to say 80% of the time over the past two years, Steve Mason has been the go to guy. Only problem is he’d be great for two games, then absolutely rotten for the next two, and its been like that none stop. Backup Mathieu Garon was no better with his consistency, earlier in the year he was named the teams #1 goalie. When the next game came around, he as pulled during the first half of the game.
            The teams solution, is clear. Despite investing 2.35 million for the next two years on Mason, they need to get an established veteran to at least split the duties. The two guys I’d focus on would be Dwayne Rolloson or Jose Thedore, or see how much Tomas Vokoun would request on a 2 year deal. The team has no chance to make the playoffs if the goaltending tandem stays the same, they’ve been there and done that.
           Part of the Blue Jackets issues is they have an average top six forwards. Rick Nash is the captain and the only true goal scorer. After Nash they’ve got youngsters Jakub Voracek and Derick Brassard, these two have to get their s**t together, its on/off every other game hell every other period. Two other up and coming prospects have given the some hope. This year Matt Calvert came out of no-where and provide them some much needed secondary scoring. Look for former 4th overall pick Ryan Johannson to be given a long look to make the team as a fourth liner. The team has to walk away from veterans Chris Clark, Ethan Moreau, Andrew Murray and Scottie Upshall all of which are UFA’s. Upshall I’d consider but only if he’s willing to sign for under 1.8 million. The others are old and/or not quick enough to keep up with the pace of play.
          They’ve got two defenseman Kris Russell and Fedor Tyutin under contract for next year, that’s assuming veteran Commodore stays in the minors. Tyutin and Russell would be at best number four de-man. Third year reguard Marc Methot will be resigned, same likely for Grant Clitsome, both are #4-5 de-man. They should walk away from Jan Hejda, Anton Stralman and Sami Lepisto, but Hejda could be re-signed if they’d bring back any of the three.
           It’s obvious they need two or three defenseman, and they need number one, two kind of guys, with the only problem being no one will find Columbus attractive. They of course then would need to over pay to get a top defenseman plus making it a multi year deal.
How long before Nash wants out
            How long before Nash says he’s had enough of the mediocrity and says he wants out? Or do the Blue Jackets look into shopping him to see if they can improve themselves.  What could the Jackets fetch for their franchise player, he is undoubtedly the face of the franchise. Would the Leafs part with Luke Schenn or Nazim Kadri, they would not part with both but what about one of them? The LA Kings would be a possible match, they’ve got loads of prospects and some parts they’d part with. What about Dustin Penner, Vyacheslav Voynov and Jonathan Bernier and draft picks? Or Bernier, Voynov and Dustin Brown. How about this for a blockbuster, Jordan Staal + for Rick Nash? You’d have to think they’d get a load of offers, and eventually they’d have look at moving on, Nash might have 3-4 more years of 35+ goals. Its like a stock market philosophy sell high or hope the asset holds its value. Nash’s 7.8 million is a big cap hit to a smaller market hockey club.
                     

Canucks seek new farm team if Jets move to Winnipeg

 by Brandt Corbin  

              If the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers goes through to Winnipeg, the Manitoba Moose will be moving to St. John’s Newfoundland this according to St. John’s Telegram. If this pans out St. John’s  would make its return after being without an AHL team for the past six years. The other key if the Jets move back to Winnipeg, the Moose franchise remains property of True North (the eventual owner of the Jets).

                So when its all said and done, the Vancouver Canucks will be forced to seek a new affillate. Now one interesting sub note is this, the Chilliwack Bruins (WHL) were relocated Victoria, might the Canucks move an AHL franchise to Chilliwack? Other options could be Saskatoon or maybe even Kelowna. One would think this is their chance to get a farm team closer to home, which could save them a million or so per year. Victoria would likely be out of the question only because of the WHL & ECHL team playing out of the same arena.

Winnipeg Jets are Finally coming home

by Brandt Corbin

            It all started in 1972, the Winnipeg Jets were born. While they originally started in the World Hockey Association, in 1979 they were moved to the National Hockey League. They never enjoyed a lot of success come the playoffs that combined with a weak Canadian dollar, the Jets in 1996 moved to Phoenix. The hope to get the Jets back home started in 2004 when the MTS Center was built in place of the old Winnipeg Arena. After about three years of talk and negotiating, its 98% certainty that the Jets are coming home.           

            And absolutely no disrespect to Dale Hawerchuk, Thomas Steen, Teemu Selanne or Phil Housley but the City of Winnipeg is soon to getting their most compelling teams ever. Now like years all the years with the Jets, there will be some work to be done. But they are set in every key position and are only 3-4 players away from being a contender.

Young Nucleus already in place

            Finally after many years of struggling, the “Thrashers” are starting to build a young solid nucleus only some teams would envy to have. Up front they have former first rounders Bryan Little, Evander Kane, Patrice Cormier and Alexander Burmistrov, three young speedy and ever improving prospects. Then they have captain and two time Cup winner Andrew Ladd, coming off a career high 29 goals plus no one can argue that Ladd is a very solid two way player. Then they have secondary scoring plus size with Antony Stewart, Nik Antropov and Blake Wheeler. They have one of the most complete fourth lines with Jim Slater, Eric Boulton and Chris Thornburn.

            But the top three on the back end is no better than they’ve ever had in the teams history. Dustin Byufulien, Tobias Enstrom and Zach Boogasion, are mainly offensive minded defenseman, but also play a strong defensive game when need be. The bottom three are solid with Johnny Oduya, Mark Stuart and Ron Hainsey, and again this is the best their defense has ever looked in the franchises existence.

            Goaltending wise, they are very solid with prospect Ondrej Pavelic, but they need a bounce back season from veteran Chris Mason.

Details of the relocation

            Reports indicate the purchase of the Thrashers is 110 million, then the new ownership is paying a 60 million relocation fee.

Who coming and who’s going?

            Another question that has to be asked is the job security of general manager Rick Dudley, head coach Craig Ramsay and their supportive staffs. Do Mark Chipman and David Thompson (True North) want to bring in their own management and coaching staff? If they do wish to make these changes, look for the change to come very soon mainly before the middle of June. If they need to be careful of costs they would likely keep them around, just to avoid extra unnecessary costs.

            One thing to keep in mind, if the management and coaching staff stays in tact its a distinct possibility that Boogasion could be moved in the off-season, if they elect to upgrade in different areas. That move would be iniciated by Boogasian who had some minor run-ins with Ramsey. But, the new owners True-North would likely have some input on him being moved or not, simply because he has such untapped potential.

            One can only assume that former coach, general manager and current Thrashers president Don Waddell would not be joining the team in Winnipeg. He’s hugely responsible for the teams struggling to make the playoffs since the team started in Atlanta, some find it amazing that he still has a job to this day.

Winnipeg to stay in South East for 1 more year?

            Sources closest to the situation say Winnipeg can stay in the South East one more season. This could be both positive and negative at the same time. The ownership would rather be in the North West where they would like to start their natural rivalry with Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Minnesota. The fans of Winnipeg on the other hand wouldn’t mind seeing Alexander Ovechkin, Eric Staal and Steven Stamkos three times in their first year.

            If the Jets do move to the Northwest, Nashville or Columbus would move to the South East, Dallas to the Central and Colorado to the Pacific, but again this is likely one year away.

Winnipeg Jets TV?

            It's a good thing for the Jets that Rogers Sportsnet introduced Sportsnet One last season. Only reason being you've got Edmonton (Oilers) and Calgary (Flames) in the same region (Sportsnet West) as the Jets. Currently Sportsnet has committed 10 years to Flames & Oilers (58 games per year, per team). A key to the Jets success is a good television deal, one that would see all games being televised. In the original Jet days, they often had Sunday afternoon games, as the Manitoba Moose this year in the AHL they only had two Sunday games. One tradition that is guaranteed to continue is the 4pm New Years Eve’s games, personally I’ve attended five of those games in the late 80’s early 90’s. How will Hockey Day in Canada work? Will it be a quadruple header? I can see Boston playing the Habs, then we’ve got the Battle of Ontario, Battle of Alberta, then the Jets and Canucks.

Final Review

            No one sane is going to be complaining about the Thrashers moving to Winnipeg. Like smaller market teams, the Jets will have a budget of 45-50 million, they currently have 33-34 million committed to next year, not including Ladd, Boogasian or Wheeler who are RFA’s. Do not be surprised if Oduya and/or Hainsey are moved to free up some salary for next year. I can say I hope nothing but success for the Jets, and will be cheering for them, when not playing my two favourite teams.

News & Notes, Chris Higgins stock rising

            One of the more underrated unrestricted free agents available on July 1, will be Vancouver Canucks forward Chris Higgins. One could have made the argument his time was done in the NHL, but since being traded to the Canucks at the deadline, he has played his since played best hockey in three seasons. More surprising than anything is Higgins willingness to go to the dirty areas something that he has not been known for. In 15 playoff games, he has 4 goals, 3 assist, and 7 points, he is best known during the playoffs for his willingness to block shots.

            One change has already taken place in Detroit after their second straight playoff loss to San Jose. Assistant coach Brad McCrimmon has stepped down after three years in Detroit, many are speculating his desire to become a head coach, and with five vacancies its a distinct possibility that he could be given his first chance. Other potential first year coaches would be Kirk Muller, Kevin Dineen and Randy Cunneyworth.

            Despite not getting as far as last year, the Chicago Blackhawks are not allowing rookie goaltender Corey Crawford to walk like Anti Niemi did last year. Today they re-signed the 26-year-old Montreal goalie, to a three year deal worth 8 million over that time. Crawford had an outstanding season going 34-21-12 with a 2.33 goal against average.

            Former Washington Capitals head coach today was fired by Team Slovakia, after a subpar performance at the 2011 World Hockey Championships.

Who's the greatest unsung hero in Stanley Cup history?

 

                Over the past few seasons we've been exposed to a couple of playoff performances for the ages, and when we see this it takes us back 20+ years where it was a common occurrence.

                Today you’ll learn of a few names and you’ll be asking yourself who and the hell is that, other players we’ll look at you’ll say to yourself its to be expected.

                This discussion comes about after Tuesday night ‘s effort by Boston Bruins rookie Tyler Seguin, who had two goals and two assists in the second period of game two conference finals. It’s a NHL record for a rookie to get 4 points in one period, the last rookie to get four points in one game was Vancouver Canucks great Trevor Linden in the 1989 season. To say this is Seguin’s coming out party is an understatement, he struggled during  the regular season but has six points in his first two playoff games.

                The best overall performance by a rookie was in 1971 when little known Ken Dryden took control of the Montreal Canadiens crease, leading them to a Stanley Cup victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

                In the 2010 playoffs, Johan Franzen’s Detroit Red Wings backs were against the wall, being down 3-0 going into game for versus the San Jose Sharks.  “The Mule” took the bull by the horns, in the first period along Franzen had three goals and one assist, the hat trick (goals 3 mins 26 secs apart)  was two seconds shy of an NHL record. When it was all said and done he got his four goal early in the second period leading the Wings to a 7-1 win.

                Sweden’s Patrick Sundstrom was an unappreciated talent during the 1980’s. Surprising to some Sundstrom had 588 points in 679 NHL games, played with the New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks. Sundstrom made a name for himself in the Devils improbable run to the conference finals in 1988. It was April 22, 1988 game three between the Devils and the Washington Capitals, Sundstrom was a one man wrecking crew, scoring three goals and five assists in a 10-4 win. Sundstrom’s limelight  was stolen by  Jim Schonfeld (Caps coach) and referee Don Koharski who had an historic confrontation after the game.  That effort by Sundstrom is the single most points in one game in the playoffs, tied with Mario Lemieux.

                In 1985 the Edmonton Oilers were in the middle of their hay-days. Shockingly the Oilers were not overly loaded unlike teams nowadays. What I mean by that is their third and fourth lines were not gifted with speed and skill. Their first two lines however were the deepest in NHL history. In the 85 playoff run, they put up some utterly insane numbers. As a team Edmonton went 15-3 in the playoffs, on their way to a Stanley Cup Championship.   During the 85 playoffs, they had six players that averaged more than a point a game, led of course by Wayne Gretzky and his 17 goals and 47 assists. Then there was Paul Coffey 12 goals 37 points and Jari Kurri had 19 goals and 31 points.

                Arguably best individual ever performance ever was Patrick Roy in 1993. The Habs were the underdogs versus the Quebec Nordiques in round one, but when the finals came around featuring the Habs and Kings, Montreal was a big time favorites, because of Roy’s outstanding performance 16-4 with a 2.16 GAA, .929 SP%.

                The 1994 New York Rangers had everything, they had the ultimate core captain Mark Messier, power forward Adam Graves, the defense led by Brian Leetch and Jeff Beukeboom, and the goaltending from Mike Richter. Then on top of that they had an unreal supporting cast in Steve Larmer, Craig Mactavish, Stephane Matteau, Brian Noonan and Esa Tikkanen. They to this day could be considered one of the most complete teams ever in history. 

Unsung Hero’s

                After Gretzky was traded to the LA Kings, I became a Kings fan. I remember fondly the 1989 playoff run for them, and 1 specific player. Chris Kontos during the regular season had one goal in seven games, in 11 playoff games he managed to score nine goals. Kontos was the third leading point getter that year, topping Steve Dushene and Luc Robatille. Kontos went onto play 5 more playoff games in his career scoring one goal.

               This year Sean Bergenheim has been an unsung hero thus far for the Tampa Bay Lightning, as he currently leads the playoffs in goals scored. In 13 playoff games this year, the former NY Islander has eight goals and 2 assists, compared to his 14 regular season goals in 80 games this year.

            In 2007 the Anaheim Ducks had one of the best ever checking lines in Stanley Cup Playoff History. Samuel Pahlsson centered Travis Moen and Rob Nidermayer, that line often outscored the number one lines that they checked against. They were the key component to the Ducks winning the Cup.

            Same can be said for the 1995 New Jersey Devils, you cannot find a more complete fourth line than Bobby Holik, Randy Mckay and Mike Peluso. That line scored 13 goals in the Stanley Cup win, eight of those goals coming from Randy Mckay. That stat of 13 goals by a fourth line can never and will never be matched again.

                Did we go over everyone? Of course not, but every team that wins the Cup needs an unsung hero.

Biggest First round busts in NHL history

           Every year, there are different teams that have a bad year, whether its because of a full blown rebuild or a year where a team did not live up to expectations.  Then you have expansion teams that have a completely bare cupboard no assets in any which way. Either way these teams are desperate like no other when it’s comes to the draft. Today we’re going to go over the biggest busts in NHL history.  Keep in mind it’s both the teams fault for rushing the player and partly the players fault as well for not developing.

NY Islanders, Scott Scissons & Dave Czyzowski

                In the 1990 the New York Islanders drafted Scott Scissons 4^th overall. This one here is more of Islanders lack of preparation, Scissons over the next five years went onto to play 2 games with the Isles. The only problem is, after he was drafted so was Derain Hatcher, Keith Tkachuk and Martin Broduer.

                To prove my point the year before the Islanders took Dave Czyzowski  2^nd overall in the 1989 entry draft. This selection I put more on the player himself, was he a tad overrated of course, but Cyz had allot more opportunities than Scissons, he just did not make them count.

Our first ever pick is

                When you are an expansion team, your first rounders are just that much more important. Well we’ve got a few teams that muffed up their first ever draft pick, and that misstep cost them down the road big time.

Washington Capitals & Greg Joly

                Greg Joly was chosen first overall by the Caps in the 1974 NHL entry draft. To say he was a big time bust is an understatement, it’s not like he was taken 5^th overall, he was taken first. Joly was a bust right out of the gate, in the 74-74 season with the Caps he scored 1 goal and eight points in 44 games. He went onto play the 75-76 season before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings the rest of his lacklustre career. Players drafted after Joly were, Clarke Gilles 4^th overall by the Islanders, Pierre Larouche 8^th overall by the Penguins, then Bryan Trottier 22^nd overall.  Just an idea with how badly he Caps were in their first four years, 60 wins in their first 240 games.

Atlanta Thrashers & Patrick Stefan

                Stefan like a boat load of other young Europeans showed a how lot of promise, especially in the IHL where he had 50 points in 58 games but never panned out. Stefan did not crave the limelight and lacked a work ethic because of those two attributes, he was an average NHLer throughout his time in Atlanta. Stefan never scored 15 goals or more, his career high was 14 goals and 40 points in 2003-04. Like Washington Atlanta’s poor choice of a first overall selection, stopped them from going to respectability, and it still hurts them to this day.

Brian Lawton

                Arguably the biggest bust of all time is Brian Lawton, he was to be the next great American superstar, instead he turned out to be your average undersized skilled player. In his nine year career he played for six teams, (four team in two years) including three teams Boston, Quebec and Hartford in the 1989-90 season. He scored 20+ goals once, had a career high 44 points in 86-87. The toughest question to answer is was he a worse player or general manager? As bad as he was some seasons, he was 100 times worse as a general manger (two years ago in Tampa).

               

Conference Finals going into game 2

Game two of the Eastern Conference finals will get underway tonight in Boston as the Bruins will look to even up the series with the Tampa Bay. Tampa is expecting more of physical Bruins bunch, but if they are too aggressive the Lightning powerplay could make them pay exactly like it did in the third period of game one.

If Boston wants to go back to the sunshine state with a split, they have to be attentive the entire 60 minutes, which  means limiting turnovers and not falling asleep in their own end. The Lightning made the Bruins pay in game one with three goals in 88 seconds, after that it was game set match. Neither team will make a line-up change, unless Patrice Bergeron makes an unexpected comeback tonight.

Many experts are calling the Western conference finals the Stanley Cup final, but when will they learn that Tampa is a powerhouse? You do not win eight straight games beating the East’s best, in Washington, Pittsburgh and Boston and be an average team. If anyone including the Bruins, Canucks or Sharks take them for granted, Tampa will become Stanley Cup Champions.

Head Snapping Part 2

Whether or not the Vancouver Canuck fans want to acknowledge it, the head snapping continued in game one. Three times during the game, the Canucks made things look better than what it actually was. One of which was Raffi Torres snapping is head back after being hit by Danny Heatley, the referee 60 feet away see’s this and call the Sharks for elbowing, the Canuck score the game winner. This question needs to be asked, when it starts to affect the outcome of a game when does it cross the line? Both Nashville and San Jose have brought this to the leagues attention but nothing has been done, despite the warning of cracking down on dives.

When will some Sharks wake up

                Sharks captain Patrick Marleau took his fair share of blame for letting Detroit back in the series in round 2, but when do the fingers not get pointed at Joe Pavelski or Heatley.  All three of  those Sharks have been known to have a passive side to them, but dude you are eight wins away from winning Lord Stanley. Henrik Sedin showed up for game one, or the third period atleast, if the Sharks don’t get that soon from the three, Vancouver will be on its way to the finals.

               

RIP Derek Boogaard

                The toughest player in the National Hockey League since Bob Probert has passed away at the age of 28. Regina’s Derek  Boogaard was 28 years old, and he a major difference on and off the ice.

                At one point Boogaard went 100+ games without scoring, but he wasn’t in the lineup to score goals, his role was to protect his star players such as Marian Gaborik. If and when he needed to he fought other enforcers becoming the undisputed heavyweight champ.

                If you look up the word intimidation you’d see a picture of the6’7 270 pound Boogey man. Iintimidation is it's not necessary to prove that the behavior was so violent as to cause terror or that the victim was actually frightened. In the 2007 playoffs he was playing for the Wild,  the previous shift Anaheim’s Brad May and a few more Ducks, beat up on some of the Wild. Then Minnesota coach  Jauque Lemaire put Boogaard out the next shift, he was stairing at Teemu Selanne and Corey Perry, but did no physical harm to them. The message was sent, there was no more shenanigans the rest of the series after that shift.

                To say players were scared of Boogaard is an understatment. In 2007 he fought landed a punch so hard onto Todd Fedoruk’s face, Fedoruk needed to undergo surgery to reconstruct his cheek using titanium plates.  In all Boogaard played 593 hockey games in the WHL, ECHL, AHL and NHL he fought 2006 times and according to dropyourgloves.com he went 108-36-25 in this those scraps. In his first NHL season he went 9-4-4, six wins via TKO 1 via KO.

Off the ice

                Boogaard was both controversial and giving at the same time. In the offseason, Derek and his brother fellow enforcer Aaron held a fight camp in Regina for kids the age of 12-18 years old. The purpose of the camp was to teach the kids how to fight without getting hurt, the position of the Boogaard camp was encourages children to fight.

                But he had a gentler side off the ice as well. Boogaard was a supporter of Defending the Blue Line Foundation, which is a non-profit chartiable foundation which gives children of military familes a chance to play hockey. Then he created Boogaard’s Booguardians” which brought in military familes to NY Ranger games.

                He played his first five years with the Wild and was so loved they are holding a memorial service open to the public at the Excel Energy Center. Boogard’s family is donating his brain to Boston University Medical School that studys the brains of athletes in contact sports exspecially with degentraive brain trauma.

                RIP Boogey Man I and other will miss you greatly.