tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60102167231864537852023-06-20T23:41:59.469-05:00The Hole in the DoorA Red Wings Blog about the Red WingsGrahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-60933070201568550812010-09-25T14:52:00.006-05:002010-09-27T09:02:41.916-05:00Movin' OnIt's announcement time! I started THITD to have an outlet for my thoughts and opinions about the greatest franchise in sports, the Detroit Red Wings. Despite the fact that I started Red Wing blog number 486, everyone I've met has been amazing and supportive, and I really feel like I have been welcomed into the Red Wing Community with open arms. I've been a part of some wonderful debates and conversations regarding our team, and while I have not always agreed with everybody, the debates have confirmed to me that we all have one thing in common: we all adore the Red Wings. But, all good things must come to an end, so as of this writing, I am closing up shop here at THITD.<br /><br />Now, now. Dry your eyes, gentle reader. I'm not going anywhere. Well, I guess technically, I am. I have been approached to join Winging it in Motown as a writer, and they made me an offer I could not refuse (free Tim Horton's coffee for a year). So, I will be taking my fists of fury over there. I have seen many people join up with other sites, and in their "farewell" post on their original blog they always say something to the effect of "I'll still be here, but I may not post as much". I'm not going to bullshit you: I've heard from others and learned first hand that maintaining 2 blogs is ridiculously hard, and it's just not going to happen, not when I already have a full time job I neglect, a wife who will ask me 82 times "the Red Wings are on again?"* <span style="font-style: italic;"></span>, and 2 daughters who will be very sick of their father telling them "That's Pavel Datsyuk. He just made that other guy look very stupid". So, I'm boarding up the windows, locking the doors, pouring out a can of gasoline and burning this motherfucker to the ground.<br /><br />To those that have read and commented on my ramblings, a sincere thank you. I've enjoyed having a place to rant about my love of the Red Wings (both past and present), my hatred for the Blackhawks, and anything else that has occurred in the NHL universe in the past 5 months. My only real goal was to entertain you, and I hope I have succeeded. A blog is just an inner monologue typed out if there are no readers, and I've enjoyed interacting with you, hearing your thoughts and sharing your stories. I hope that you'll check me out over at WIM, as we hope to bring you a lot of cool things over the course of this season. I'll still be around twitter, because that damn thing has taken over my life (ironic considering 6 months ago I swore it was the dumbest thing ever invented).<br /><br />* <span style="font-style: italic;">(Editors note: My wife read this and said that she will only say this 50 times, not 82)</span>Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-69696220740960776982010-09-23T14:59:00.005-05:002010-09-23T18:49:15.703-05:00Know Thy Enemy - San Jose Sharks<div>Before we get into today's preview, a quick note. I had fully intended to do every single team in the NHL for this series. However, as I have gone through and looked at the West, I realized something very important: I hate the Eastern Conference, and could give two shits who finishes where or which team wins their crappy division. I have thought for some time that the Eastern Conference is the ECHL to the West's NHL, and I just don't have it in me to break down teams that a) I don't care about; b) I don't like; and c) that will only play the Wings at most twice this season. So today's entry will mark the last one in this series. I also firmly believe (and you can take this to the bank or mark it as a prediction or whatever you want) that the team that comes out of the West in the playoffs - whoever that is - will win the Cup. If the Columbus Blue Jackets somehow make it through the playoffs and emerge victorious in the conference and represent the West, then get ready to see Gary present Rick Nash with the Cup in June. The East plays boring, uninspired hockey, and they have teams that are more focused on superstars than actual honest-to-God teams. The only reason I used to watch games between two Eastern teams was because the Wing games didn't start until 6:30 Central, and I had a half hour before that to kill. Since the Wing games are now starting at 6, I no longer have this problem. So that's that. Today's the last one, and I'll be a giant tease by saying that something big is in the works. But that's something else for another day. </div><br /><div>A quick word about the game last night. I'm not going to do some full breakdown of it because I couldn't see it, and because halfway through I had to make a Wendy's trip (I love Frostys). I know we're all incensed still with the Orpik-on-Franzen hit, and I believe there was definitely something wrong with the hit since he was given a major and game misconduct. Is it suspendable? Hard to know. I didn't see it. Given the fact that the NHL doesn't like to, you know, discipline people for stuff, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that this is the last we'll hear of this hit. I was extremely pleased to hear that Bertuzzi immediately dropped the gloves with Orpik and laid a pretty good beating on him; that's the kind of thing that will endear him to Wing fans. However, there was no truth to the rumour that he did a spin-o-rama on his last punch. Overall, it sounded like the Pens controlled the play pretty much throughout the game, but I can't say I'm surprised since we only dressed 3 of our NHL defensemen against Crosby and Malkin. Tomorrow night will mark the first live preseason action on TV when the Wings take on Little Brother. I probably won't be able to see it since I am attending an end-of-summer BBQ, but I will be checking in from time to time. </div><br /><div>On to today's preview, and today we're going to take a look at the team that ended the Wings' season and crushed our spirits last year.</div><br /><div> </div><span style="font-weight: bold;">San Jose Sharks<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Antero Nittymaki; Antti Niemi; Jamal Meyers<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Evgeni Nabokov; Rob Blake; Manny Malhotra<br /><br />Like the Red Wings of the mid-90s, the Sharks have enjoyed immense regular season success, but they have been unable to parlay that into anything resembling playoff success. After getting upset in the first round in 2009 as the President's Trophy winners, the Sharks got all the way to the Conference Finals last year, ultimately getting swept by eventual-champs Chicago in a fairly one-sided series. The Sharks are one of a handful of teams that have never been in the Stanley Cup Finals, and this year the expectations are no different: Cup or bust.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>The Sharks are essentially returning the same offensive lineup that finished 4th in the NHL last year in goals for. Once again, the Sharks are expecting big things out of their top line of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau. Last year all 3 of them eclipsed 80 points, Heatley really shone in his first year in San Jose with 39 goals, and Marleau showed that his 2007-08 poor showing was a fluke as he popped in 44 goals. As the Wings discovered, shutting down the top line doesn't help that much, as the Sharks saw the emergence of their 1A line in Joe Pavelski, Devin Setoguchi and Ryan Clowe. Pavelski would have set a career high in points had he not missed 15 games due to injury in the season. He still managed 51 points in 67 games, and then played out of his mind in the playoffs. After that, the talent level drops off a little, but both of those lines have enough talent to keep up offensively with just about any other top line in the NHL. The Sharks do well in getting offense from their defensemen, led by Dan Boyle. When he's not scoring own-goals in the playoffs, he's a guy who is easily capable of 50 points per year. Even with the retirement of captain Rob Blake, the Sharks had 3 defensemen who had at least 20 points. This is a team that you do not want to get into an offensive shootout with, because they have the guys that can put the puck in the net. The question will be whether they can do it with any regularity in the playoffs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>This is a little bit of an underrated area on the Sharks. Blake was their best defensive defenseman and overall leader, but he's had enough of shoving his giant ass in people's faces and will not be around. The torch has been passed to Dan Boyle, a guy known more for his offense, but who is solid in his own end (think Brian Rafalski-esque). Other than that, there's not a real superstar on there like some of the other teams, but the rest of the roster is pretty good. Kent Huskins and Douglas Murray are both guys who are more defensive, and both like to play the body. Marc-Edouard Vlasic is a power play guy who can chip in points, but he doesn't play like he's 6'1" and 200 lbs. The Sharks are banking on Jason Demers stepping into a 6th defenseman role this year, but overall this group will remain relatively the same. The Sharks finished 8th in the NHL in goals against, and they finished 5th in penalty killing. For as good as they are offensively, they are almost as good defensively.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>And now we get to the question marks. After years of failing to lead them to any playoff success, the Sharks said goodbye to longtime goalie Evgeni Nabokov and brought in Antero Nittymaki from Tampa. Nittymaki has never really enjoyed any sustained success at the NHL level, but he did win a Calder Cup with the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2005 (I remember that because they played the local AHL team in the Finals and Nittymaki stood on his head). While his numbers have never been horrid, they also have never been that great. Part of that was he never had a ton of talent in front of him, but that is not the case here. However, in the "if you can't beat 'em, pick him up" department, the Sharks signed themselves a nice little insurance policy in Antti Niemi, the goalie that dominated them in the Conference Finals last year. All signs point to a goaltending battle in camp, but my guess would be that who starts for the Sharks will be whoever is playing better. Niemi may have won a Cup, but he was a rookie last year and he was behind a great team. It remains to be seen how he will fare in a new town.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>The Sharks are led by former Red Wing assistant Todd McClellan. He brought the exact same system the Wings use to San Jose; one predicated on speed, skill and puck possession. However, he also emphasizes size, which makes the Sharks a very difficult team to play against. He did do what Ron Wilson couldn't in leading the Sharks past the second round, but he's going to have to get them even further. He's got the talent on paper; the question will be whether he can get his players to perform in the playoffs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player To Watch: </span>After a stellar playoffs last season, Joe Pavelski seems to be ready to take the next step to superstar. He has steadily increases his point totals every year, and would have probably ended up with 60-70 points had he not gotten injured. He's a guy that has 40 goal potential, and he is just now entering his prime. He's not a big guy, but he's got a crapload of speed and skill, and playing with Setoguchi and Clowe, I think he is poised to really break out this year and score 70-80 points. I expect Pavelski to pick up where he left off last year and earn his first All-Star Game berth.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>I'd love to put Thornton here, but frankly, he's had more than enough chances and I think he's never going to elevate his game enough to be considered a playoff performer. For me, I'm putting in 2 players: Nittymaki and Niemi, with emphasis on Niemi. Nittymaki was lured away from Tampa, and he was brought in to replace Nabokov, a great regular season goalie who faltered in the playoffs. Nittymaki could win 50 games this year, but if he struggles in the post-season, then he'll be considered a bust. Niemi was picked up after the Hawks walked away from his arbitration award, and he was brought to San Jose to provide some depth in case Nittymaki doesn't work out. However, Niemi's experience is limited to being a rookie behind a stacked team, and his numbers from the Finals show that he didn't exactly bring the Cup home in the end. In truth, the entire team, from the goalies and defensemen to the forwards and coaches, are all under the gun.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>Except for Nabokov and Blake, the only real loss was Malhotra, their third line center. This is pretty much the same team that finished first in the West last year, and while the Kings got a little better and the Coyotes stayed the same, the Sharks were better than both last year and this year seems no different. I think between Nittymaki and Niemi, they will have more than enough goaltending to earn them yet another Pacific Division title.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>Beyond the first two lines, there is little scoring there. If any of their top forwards struggle, that will limit their offensive effectiveness. Their defense is good but not great, and their goaltending is unproven. The Kings will be hot on their heels, and if the Sharks do not play their usual regular season way, they could be in for a race this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>So, this team fell short of the Finals last year, and their big move is to replace the goalie with 2 relatively inexperienced and unproven guys. I have no doubts that this team will make the playoffs again, probably as the #1 or 2 seed. But if they do not make the Finals, the season is a failure. I just don't see where the Sharks necessarily improved last year, and it's not like their top players are young guys still developing. I think the Sharks are going to end up as the NHL's version of the Buffalo Bills: they will enjoy a lot of success and be a really good team, but they will not have what it takes to climb that final mountain and end up as world champions.<br /><div> </div>Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-56815814784055563042010-09-22T07:29:00.004-05:002010-09-22T15:40:31.655-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Phoenix CoyotesThe Red Wings begin their official pre-season schedule this evening against the Bettman Penguins, and the Pens are going to be rocking a pretty decent lineup considering this is their first game in the new arena. Here's hoping that the Wings can get in there, mix it up, and beat the Pens down, ultimately not allowing them to ever say they were undefeated in their home barn. I love that preseason has started, because one of the things I love most about hockey is the rivalries and bad blood that exists between the teams and the fans. I get amped when I argue with other fans about the Wings or their teams, and take great pride when they stop arguing with me, because that signifies that I won. Being the competitive person that I am, it pleases me to win, and I'll admit to sometimes not being the greatest "winner". But, I am what I am, and if that bothers other people, they are free not to interact with me.<br /><br />The Red-White game was yesterday, and for those fortunate to be able to either attend the game live or stream it, they were treated to a show. The two best write ups that I have seen about the game were from Hollis over at TPL where he <a href="http://theproductionline.us/2010/09/red-beats-white-5-3-questions-linger-before-preseason/">talked about Ericsson's struggles</a> and of course, George Malik's recap was on par with the rest of his work from training camp, as he provided an <a href="http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y/comments/heading_back_to_hockeytown_shortly_and_a_scattershot_recap_of_the_red_vs_wh/">in-person account of the game</a>. I'll be honest in saying that in past years, I had not paid much attention to training camp or pre-season; George's awesome coverage has turned me into someone who is interested in the small battles for positions and where the cut players end up. Kudos to him for an amazing job, and here's hoping he gets home so he can sleep for the next 2 days.<br /><br />We turn our attention today to the ultimate surprise team of last year, and the Wings' first round opponent. Not much was expected of them last year, but what a difference a year makes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phoenix Coyotes<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Ray Whitney, Andrew Ebbett<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Matthew Lombardi; Zbynek Michalak; James VanderMeer; Mathieu Schneider<br /><br />The Coyotes were supposed to be an afterthought last year, and heading into the season, there was little room for optimism. The team was bankrupt and being run by the NHL; Wayne Gretzky had abruptly resigned as head coach; and the team was made up of a number of also-rans and cast-offs. However, Dave Tippett came in and implemented a system based on smart positional play and discipline, and the Coyotes ripped off a 107 point season, good for 4th in the Western Conference. They were "upset" in the first round by the Wings, but I use the word upset in the sense that the Coyotes had home ice for Game 7. While the Coyotes lost some key players this summer, expectations are considerably higher headed into this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>If there was a weak link to the Coyotes last season, it was their offense. As a team, they scored only 211 goals, 24th in the NHL. One of their key contributors, Matthew Lombardi, bolted the team for Nashville, and that left a pretty big hole to fill. Their captain and last original Coyote is Shane Doan, and despite allegations of racial slurs and a penchant for making ridiculous faces, he's also their offensive catalyst. Now that he's got some talent around him, Doan should be able to put up 60-70 points. The Yotes brought in Ray Whitney to see if he's got any "pop" left in him, but the rest of the team is made up of a lot of question marks and unknowns. The team is heavily banking on Wojtek Wolski and Lee Stempniak picking up where they left off at the end of last season when the scorched the desert with their scoring pace. The return of Scottie Upshall should also bolster the offense, as he had 32 points in only 49 games before going down with a season-ending injury. Beyond that, there's not a ton of offensive talent on the team. Petr Prucha was able to score 30 goals for the Rangers a few years ago, Martin Hanzal and Radim Vrbata are another year older and will look to continue their development, and they are hoping that Mikkel Boedker can finally live up to the potential he displayed as a rookie. And who can forget The Enigma, Robert Lang, who could either put up 100 points or disappear entirely. The Coyotes do well in getting offense from their blueline, but the loss of Michalak will hurt them a little. While he did not put up a lot of points, he was adept at handling the puck and is a smooth-skater who makes smart decisions. Keith Yandle and Ed Jovanovski are both guys who can put up 20-40 points and play on the PP, although if you watched any of the Wings-Yotes series, you know that their PP isn't exactly the most potent. In fact, the Coyotes had the worst PP in the Western Conference, converting less than 15% of the man advantages they received last year. Ultimately, their inability to score on the PP really hindered their chances of beating the Wings in the playoffs. While Whitney was a nice pick up, there's no one else that really stands out as a superstar, so the Coyotes could once again find themselves having trouble scoring.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense</span>: This was an area of strength for the Coyotes last year, which was a bit surprising considering that at the beginning of the season, the players comprising the blueline for the Yotes were re-treads (Derek Morris, Adrian Aucoin) or fairly unknowns (Michalak, Keith Yandle). The only true "superstar" the Coyotes had was Ed Jovanovski, and I think a strong argument could be made that his best days are behind him. However, Tippett did a fantastic job of maximizing the talent of each of his defensemen, to the point that only Jovo was a minus player among the regular defensemen. The Yotes were able to rotate in Sami Lepisto and Mathieu Schneider, and Lepisto is back to take on an increased role. Overall, the defense is solid if unspectacular, and if Aucoin can continue his resurgence and Yandle continues to develop into a good two-way defenseman, the Coyotes look to be in good shape. However, one thing to consider is that many of the blueliners are getting up there, with Morris, Jovo and Aucoin all on the wrong side of 30. Injuries can be a concern, especially for Morris and Jovanovski, two guys who play a physical game. The Coyotes finished 3rd overall in team defense last year, giving up less than 200 goals over the course of the season. They were a tough team to score against last year, and this year should prove no different.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>One area that was not a concern for the Yotes was in net. The Coyotes boast Vezina-candidate Ilya Bryzgalov, and he provides a stability between the pipes not seen in the desert since Khabibulin drunk-drove his ass out of town. After being stuck behind Giguere in Anaheim for years, Breezy got his chance to prove he's a number 1 goalie in Phoenix, and he has not disappointed. Despite a perceived lack of talent in front of him, he's been able to put good-to-great numbers, but last year his 2.29 GAA and .920 SV% were enough to get him nominated for the Vezina at the end of the year, and some people had him as their winner. He's a very good goalie who has the ability to get white-hot, and the fact that he struggled during the series against the Wings left a lot of Yotes' fans scratching their heads, as they thought that in net was one of the real advantages they had going into that series. Regardless of his play against an offensive dynamo team like the Wings, Bryzgalov is the type of goalie that will give the Coyotes a shot at points in every single game he plays in. Another Vezina nomination is not out of the question.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>I'll be honest in saying I was never impressed with Dave Tippett when he was coaching the Stars. I thought he was handed a fairly talented team and didn't get a whole lot out of them. Yes, he took them to the Conference Finals in 2008, but other than that, his teams were not very successful. I found him to be a similar coach as he was a player: non-descript and boring. However, there's no denying that he did a hell of a job with the Coyotes last year, getting them through all of the off-season distractions and off-ice issues and leading them to their best season ever in Phoenix. He brought in his system (essentially the trap, if you ever watch a Coyotes game) and implemented it to perfection. It helped that he had the players to succeed (i.e., grinders and role players who had more work ethic than talent), but there's no question that without his leadership and teaching, the Coyotes don't sniff the playoffs. He was the well-deserved winner of the Jack Adams Award for Coach of the Year, and I'm very interested to see what he can do with the team now that expectations have been significantly raised.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>It's hard to pick one guy on the team that I will really be paying attention to this year on the Coyotes. I thought it could be Doan or Yandle, but I keep coming back to Bryzgalov. Last year behind a good defense, he put up some great numbers. I think the important part of last year for him was that he had finally gotten himself used to playing an entire season as the starter. Now that the talent in front of him is another year older and more experienced, he should thrive and could put up some absolutely ridiculous numbers. I firmly believe that he is going to be the main reason why the Coyotes either build on what they did last year or not. If he falters, I don't see the talent there to keep up with the other teams in the West.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>Wojtek Wolski was traded to the Coyotes late in the year last year, and he responded to the change in scenery by putting up 18 points in 18 games. To reward him for his efforts, the Yotes signed him to a 2 year, $7.6M contract that makes him a pretty rich guy (except for that pesky 18%.....nevermind). Anyway, Wolski was re-signed because the Coyotes believe that he is the player that can be their offensive leader, a role that he never fulfilled in Colorado due to pressure, lack of talent, etc. He never quite lived up to his potential with the Avs, and I'm interested to see whether his late season surge was indicative of what he can actually do or was just a guy getting a fresh start and playing for a contract.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>This is a team that finished just a few points off of the Sharks in the Pacific and 4th overall in the NHL. At the beginning of the season they were a cute story; by the end, they were a force to be reckoned with. They have got a legitimate shot at the division if Bryzgalov plays the way he did last year and the younger guys up front continue their development. However, they are going to have to get more scoring to keep up with the Sharks and Kings. It's a competitive division, but the Coyotes have the defense and goaltending to match anyone.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>An injury to any of their key players will really hurt their chances of duplicating what they did last year. I think they lost one of their better offensive players from last year in Matthew Lombardi, and I don't see a suitable replacement right now. Aucoin enjoyed a resurgence last year, but will that be the norm? Plus, the Kings got better and the Sharks didn't regress that much, and the Pacific is one of the best divisions in the NHL. It will be tough sledding.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>I can't shake the feeling that last year was a giant fluke for the Coyotes, and that this year their talent level will shine through and bring them back to Earth. The one thing the Coyotes do not have going for them is the element of surprise: they're not going to sneak up on anyone early in the year, and a lot is expected of them. I see them like the Blues of last year: following up a really good year with a stinker, but one that will be good for the team overall. I like their goaltending, but there's little scoring there, and any team that signs Ray Whitney to be an offensive spark at this stage in his career is grasping at straws. I'll go out on a limb and say that they will miss the playoffs by a slim margin. Keep in mind that I have not even mentioned the off-ice stuff with Ice Edge and all of that, which I think is going to present another season of distractions.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-64923389353959379692010-09-20T20:47:00.004-05:002010-09-21T09:15:55.321-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Los Angeles KingsTuesday morning, and we are a day away from the start of the NHL preseason. The Wings kick off their preseason schedule with a trip to Pittsburgh to open up their new arena, and it sounds like the Penguins are going to treat this as a regular season game and suit up all their stars, while the Wings will likely send some of their big guys and a host of other players to see what they can do. Word is that Osgood is going to get the start in goal, and this makes me a little sad, because I was hoping that Jimmy could show Sid how he cleaned his glove over the summer, and get Sid's opinion on whether it smelled better. Head on over to <a href="http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/a2y">KK</a> to check out George Malik's awesome coverage of training camp. However, some good news came down the pipe today. I was over at NOHS and saw that FoxDetroit.com is going to stream the <a href="http://www.nightmareonhelmstreet.com/2010-articles/september/watchredwhitegame.html">Red/White Game</a> today. This is the annual scrimmage between two halves of camp, and is always a good time. If you have access to a computer at noon EDT today, check it out.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Los Angeles Kings<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Alexei Ponikarovsky; Willie Mitchell<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Departures: </span>Alexander Frolov<br /><br />The Kings took a major step forward last year, making the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-02 season, and while they bowed out in the first round to the Canucks, there's no question that last year was a huge success for the Kings. They had been one of the sad-sack franchises for the last few years, but the front office has shown a lot of patience in trying to rebuild the team, and the Kings look to be one of the big up-and-coming teams in the league right now.<br /><br /><strong>Offense: </strong>The Kings are led on offense by Anze Kopitar, a guy who would be a superstar if he played anywhere except LA. He absolutely burst out of the gate last year, but as the season wore on, fatigue and the grind started to wear him down a little. He ended the season with 81 points, including 34 goals, and this year could be a breakout year for him. Behind Kopitar, there aren't any real offensive superstars, but there are a lot of 40-60 point guys sprinkled throughout the lineup. Ryan Smyth is looking to bounce back from an injury-filled season, as is Dustin Brown. If both of those guys can stay healthy, then the Kings will have a very formidable first line. Michal Handzus stepped up last year with 20 goals, and it's hoped that Ponikarovsky can finally live up to the potential now that he is out of the spotlight in Toronto and has no pressure to perform next to Sidney Crosby. If you take a look at the Kings' lineup, there are names there that won't be known by anyone, but are capable of chipping in offense: Jarret Stoll, Wayne Simmonds, Brad Richardson and Oscar Moller. There's talk that their number 1 pick in the 2009 draft, Brayden Schenn, is going to get a very long look in camp, and could make the team. On the blueline, the Kings have Norris candidate Drew Doughty, the team's second-leading scorer last year. I believe that once Lidstrom retires, Doughty could make a push for the title of "best defenseman in the NHL", as he's got all the tools. He's only in his third season, but even bigger things are expected of him. Jack Johnson is also a young player that can chip in points, as he ended up with 28 assists last year. The Kings finished 10th in the NHL last year, and with a team that young and very little turnover, they could rise depending on how their younger players progress. Their power play finished 7th in the league last year, and if Smyth can stay healthy, then they should either stay consistent or even see some improvement.<br /><br /><strong>Defense: </strong>After the 2008-09 season, the Kings knew they had a solid young defense with Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson and Matt Greene; however, they knew they needed a good shut-down guy, so they went out and signed Wing-stopper Rob Scuderi. This year, sensing the need for someone else on the blueline, they went out and got Willie Mitchell. I'll put this out there: if Mitchell can stay healthy and the young guys don't regress, we could potentially be looking at the best defensive corps in the Western Conference. Doughty is an absolute stud who can do everytihng; he's the Lidstrom of the Kings. Johnson is still honing his defensive skills, but he's only 23 and has a lot of maturing to do, and he's very good. Greene is a stay-at-home, physical defenseman who can pop in the very occasional goal. Scuderi showed in the Finals in 2009 that he can stop the other team's top line. Add Mitchell to that mix, a guy who can play both ends of the rink but is particularly effective in his own end, and there's not a weak link there. It looks as if Thomas Hickey, their top pick in the 2007 draft, is going to get a long look in camp, and the notes I read said that he's another good puck-mover who is under-sized, but plays with intelligence, like Brian Rafalski. The Kings finished 9th in the NHL in goals against, but their penalty killing can improve, finishing 20th.<br /><br /><strong>Goaltending: </strong>Yet another area where the Kings are young. The plan last year was for Jonathan Quick to hold on to the starting job until Jonathan Bernier was ready to ascend to that spot. However, Quick was fantastic last year, winning 39 games while posting a 2.54 GAA and .907 SV%. He nearly out-dueled Jimmy Howard in the January game where Howard had 51 saves, but by the end of the season, playing 72 games had worn Quick out. Despite his solid play last year, the Kings' goalie of the future is Bernier, and there appears to be a competition headed into camp to claim the numer one spot. Bernier is a hot prospect who has destroyed the competition in the AHL, and it's only a matter of time before he gets his shot with the Kings. If one of them steps up and really puts their mark on the team, the other could be used as trade bait to bring in a piece that may launch the Kings up to legitimate contender status.<br /><br /><strong>Coaching: </strong>The Kings are led by Terry Murray, a guy who has never done a ton in his time as a coach but who's teams are generally solid. He got the Flyers to the Finals in 1997, but he could not decide on a goalie and got swept. Under his guidance, the Kings have gotten much stronger defensively, and their special teams have improved. Murray has always reminded me of Ron Wilson: he's a guy that can teach young players and get them to develop into really good hockey players, but he's not able to get that team over the hump to a championship. In a strong Pacific Division, the Kings will be competing for points every night.<br /><br /><strong>Player to Watch: </strong>I was torn between Kopitar and Doughty for this, but I'm going to be keeping my eye on Doughty all year. He's entering his third year, and he's only 20 years old. He's already been nominated for a Norris, he's won an Olympic Gold Medal. This year, he will very likely play in his first NHL All-Star game, and he could crack the 60 point mark. He's no slouch defensively, either; he was a +20 last year, and typically plays against the other team's second line. This year he should improve defensively, and he may be given more opportunities to play against the best. If his numbers stay the same in an increased role, he will easily be nominated for another Norris, but unfortunately will fall 3 votes shy of Lidstrom.<br /><br /><strong>Player With Something to Prove: </strong>On a young team like the Kings, there are always guys that need to show what they can do at the NHL level. However, for me, the player facing the most pressure this season is Jonathan Quick. He was brilliant through the first half of the season last year, but playing that many games can get to anyone, and by the end of the year, he was significantly struggling. With Jonathan Bernier hot on his heels, Quick is going to have to have a strong start to the season, or else he will be relegated to the bench and/or traded.<br /><br /><strong>Why They Can Win the Division: </strong>Their division is a tough one, but there are no real glaring weaknesses on this team. They can score with almost anyone, they've got an extremely solid defense corps, and their goaltending is good. If they can continue their development and get scoring up and down the lineup, they will give the Sharks a run for their money, and could pull the upset in the division. This situation reminds me of the Blackhawks gunning for the Wings for many years; this year could see a changing of the guard in the Pacific.<br /><br /><strong>Why They Won't Win the Division: </strong>As solid as the lineup is, there are still question marks. Jonathan Quick fell off the map at the end of last year, and if he does not show his early-season form, then the job could be handed over to Jonathan Bernier, and a goalie switch mid-season does not always work out. While the team is developing nicely, and there are some very good players in place, outside of Kopitar and Doughty the team lacks a legitimate superstar. They tried to get Kovalchuk, but he decided that he would much rather drag out his contract negotiations with the Devils than sign a monster deal with the Kings. In a division that has the Sharks and Coyotes, points are going to be hard to come by, and the strain put on Kopitar to be the number one offensive threat every single night could wear on him like it did last year.<br /><br /><strong>My Prediction: </strong>Look, I actually like the Kings. I find myself rooting for them as long as they do not play the Wings. Normally, after a team has knocked the Wings out of the playoffs, they are forever on my shit list (hence my irrational hatred of the Devils); not so with the Kings. Maybe it because was the Wings had a ton of injuries in that series, or maybe it was because a part of me sensed that the Kings were going to be garbage for the rest of the decade and I figured the fans needed some happiness. Either way, I'm pulling for the Kings to take out the Sharks and win the Pacific. I like Doughty a lot, I think Kopitar should be more well-known than he is, and I like the fact that Ryan Smyth (who has as much skating ability as I do) can make it in the NHL, leaving me with hopes that one day I too can earn a spot on a team. The Kings are the new-Blackhawks, in that they are a young team on the rise, and everyone is picking them to do big things this year. I think they are still a year away, and while they will finish close to the Sharks, they just won't have enough to get to that elite level. But watch out: this team is going to be a big deal in a year or two, and as a Wing fan, I'm nervous about playing them.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-31746029967988439252010-09-20T13:40:00.005-05:002010-09-20T15:27:34.287-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Anaheim DucksI'm back after a weekend of golf and beer, and while the beer sure tasted good, the golf left a bitter taste in my mouth. That could be from all of the grass that I was hacking up all over the course, but it was not a pretty round. But, I'm back in the States and ready to move on with the previews. There's not a ton of news coming out training camp for the Wings at the moment, but there is word that Kris Draper is dealing with a groin issue, and he's been sent back to Detroit for evaluation. This is mildly concerning, but not overly distressing.<br /><br />Today we look at one of the Wings' bigger rivals over the past 10 years, but like the Avs, one that has seen a number of the key players from that rivalry move on to retirement or new teams.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anaheim Ducks<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Tony Lydman; Aaron Voros; Andy Sutton; Aaron Voros<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Scott Neidermayer; James Wisniewski; Mike Brown; Steve Eminger<br /><br />The Ducks were one of the better teams of the 2000s, making it to two Stanley Cup Finals; winning in 2007 and losing in seven games as an upstart-8th seed in 2003. The Ducks also took the Wings to seven games in an absolutely brutal series in 2009, a series that I believe really hampered the Wings' ability to repeat because of the physicality involved. However, while most of the Pacific got better last year, the Ducks regressed significantly, earning only 89 points and missing the playoffs for the first time since before the lockout. The off-season only got worse with the retirement of their captain Neidermayer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>The Ducks are pretty thin up front, but do have one of the better top lines in the league with Ryan Getzlaf (the inspiration for my fantasy hockey name), Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan. While I loathe each and every single one of these players with a white-hot passion (particularly Getzlaf and Perry), there's no denying that all three of them have a lot of talent and can carry a team offensively. Beyond that, the talent falls off a bit. The Ducks avoided a major hit when Teemu Selanne decided to stick around for one more year. He bolsters a power play that finished 5th in the NHL last season. Selanne's presence gives the Ducks a legitimate sniper on the second PP unit, but Neidermayer's retirement leaves a gaping hole on the blueline. The Ducks will be looking to Lubomir Visnovsky to step in and help fill that hole, but the Ducks knew that would not be enough, so they went out and signed former Sabre Toni Lydman. Unfortunately, Lydman is dealing with an eye injury and it's unclear if he is going to miss any time. The Ducks will be hoping that some of their players can return to form, including Jason Blake, Joffrey Lupul and Todd Marchant. Saku Koivu teamed up with Selanne to provide a good second line presence, and his 52 points were good for fourth on the team. However, beyond the first 2 lines, the talent level really drops off, and the Ducks could have issues with putting the puck in the net. They finished 7th overall in the NHL last year in goals for, so a slip won't hurt them that badly.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>Neidermayer's retirement from the Ducks will hurt the Ducks in a huge way, much more than Pronger's defection did. There is not a legitimate superstar on the defense any more, and for a team that struggled to keep the puck out of their own net last year, this is going to make life much more difficult for the Ducks' goalies. Visnovsky becomes the de facto number 1 defenseman on the team, but the Ducks were hoping that Lydman will step in and help fill the void left by Neidermayer's elbows....I mean, absence. The Ducks signed Andy Sutton in the hopes that he can provide some stability to the second pairing and making up for the loss of Wisniewski. Overall, the Ducks' defense is their main weakness, and the one area of the team that can really be exploited by opponents. The Ducks are hoping that Cam Fowler, their #1 draft pick this year, can step in and contribute immediately as an 18 year old, similar to what Drew Doughty in LA and Viktor Hedman in Tampa Bay did the past couple of years. Shockingly, with the exception of Visnovsky, every defenseman on the Ducks is either at least 6' tall or over 200 lbs. But this is not Neidermayer-Pronger-Beauchemin any more. The Ducks finished 22nd in the NHL in goals against last year, and a chunk of that can be attributed to their 24th place penalty killing. The Ducks must improve on defense if they want to get back to the playoffs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>Last year, Jonas Hiller took the starting job away from JS Giguere, paving the way for the latter's trade to the Maple Leafs and forever getting the man who stole the first round of the 2003 playoffs out of the Western Conference. Hiller responded with good, but not great, numbers. He ended the year with a GAA of 2.73 and a save percentage of .918, and a lot of his struggles last year can be attributed to the changes on defense in front of him. I personally believe that Hiller is one the more underrated goalies in the NHL, and if he gets the team in front of him to play any semblance of defense, he will keep the Ducks in most games. He is backed up former Flames goalie Curtis Mcelhinney, who should not be fatigued this late in his career since he's been behind Mikka Kiprusoff forever.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>The Ducks have been led by Randy Carlyle ever since the lockout, and subsequently they have been one of the dirtiest, most physical teams in the NHL. Carlyle coaches the way he played: he stresses physicality and size, and is not afraid to take liberties with opponents from time to time. Carlyle was never a flashy player, but he was a solid NHL defenseman for the Jets, and he has enjoyed a lot of success as a coach. He guided the Ducks to their only Cup in 2007, but being able to throw out a bunch of big guys that can push around the other team certainly helped. I think Carlyle even looks like a dick, and it will be interesting to see how he does with a team that is not loaded with stars. I'm thinking that if the Ducks struggle again, Carlyle's leash is going to get awfully short.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>Seeing as how this is probably Teemu Selanne's last season, it only seems right that we pay attention to how he goes out. Of course, if Modano last year is any indication, then Selanne will not be brought back after this season even though he wants to continue playing, and he'll sign with the Kings next year. He scored his 600th goal last season, the most of any Finnish player ever, and there's no question that he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. With the Ducks seemingly headed towards a youth movement, it's extremely likely that this year will be his last, and for a guy that has scored 600 goals and over 1200 points, it only seems fitting that we pay attention. Maybe in his last tame, he'll recreate one of the better goal-scoring celebrations <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtk6yVqDy3Q">ever</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>There's a lot of question marks surrounding the team this season, so I decided to go with something short and sweet: Corey Perry. He's a very good hockey player, but here's hoping that this year he proves he's not a giant douchebag by not stepping on someone's leg, running them from behind, or hacking at them with his stick and then running away like a coward when confronted by someone bigger. I hope he proves that he's matured, but I think my chances of making the Wings this year are greater.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>My sister-in-law is a Ducks fan, and if Mrs THITD had any other sisters, this fact alone would push her down the "my favourite of my wife's sisters" list; but there's only the two of them, so she gets the title by default. In her defense, she is not an obnoxious Ducks fan; she realizes that getting uppity about them will only result in her eviction from my house and numerous taunts that may or may not make her cry. However, it does mean that I need to keep my comments at least somewhat censored since she doesn't really say anything negative about the Wings, even during the 2009 playoffs. However, just because I keep my shit to a minimum around her does not mean that I don't still hate the Ducks. As I was researching them, I realized that outside of Selanne, there's not a player on the Ducks I can even pretend to like, although I respect and admire Koivu for overcoming cancer and coming back to play at a high level. Outside of those two, the rest of the team is comprised of thugs and idiots. I think the Ducks will be in the mix for a playoff spot, but at the end of the year, they'll be on the outside looking in again. This will make me smile, knowing that the Ducks' penchant for brute force and lack of talent will once again not allow them to succeed. I'm just glad that this year is not an Olympic year, and I don't have to swallow my pride and sense of decency to cheer for Getzlaf, Perry and Neidermayer again.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-65256847084649253722010-09-15T08:30:00.003-05:002010-09-15T10:06:55.204-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Dallas StarsI'm t-minus 2 days before I leave for my hometown of Brampton, Ontario for a golf tournament, and while I'm excited for that, it also means I have to cram 5 days of work into 4, all while bringing you previews of the rest of the NHL. But, I'll admit it's been eye-opening checking out the other teams the Red Wings will be competing against this year, and today we move out West to take a look at the Pacific Division. We'll be checking out a team that just a couple of years ago took the Wings to six games in the Conference Finals, but hasn't sniffed the playoffs since.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dallas Stars<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Adam Burish; Andrew Raycroft; Brad Lukowich<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Mike Modano; Marty Turco<br /><br />This season will be one about rebuilding as the Stars said goodbye to the best goalie they've had in the last 10 years in Marty Turco. They also allowed the best player in their franchise's history to leave as a free agent, and to Mike Modano, I say "welcome to Detroit". The Stars went on a surprising run in 2008 when Turco finally appeared to shake off the "can't win in the playoffs" moniker, only to be ousted by the Wings. The Stars have failed to make the playoffs since then, and new GM Joe Nieuwendyk is going with a youth movement to move the Stars up in the Western Conference.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>With Modano no longer on the team, the team's offense centers around 2004 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards, who popped in 91 points on a bad team last year. This is now his team, and he will be expected to duplicate those efforts again this year. The Stars have a solid cast of forwards, including Loui Eriksson (71 points last year), goalie-spearer Mike Ribeiro, James Neal and Jamie Benn. All of those players are going to be counted on heavily to provide consistent offense, because it appears the Stars are going to be bringing in a few rookies and younger players in an effort to start their rebuilding process. The Stars have a couple of agitators on the team that can put the puck in the net; captain Brendan Morrow is hoping to continue his rebound after missing a large chunk of 2008-09 due to injury, and he is more than capable of scoring 20-30 goals. Steve Ott also is in the 20-goal club, and if he would spend more time concentrating on scoring than on running the opposition, he might score more goals. The Stars finished a surprising 11th in the NHL in team offense last year, a stat that shocked me because I did not think of the Stars as an offensive team (I did think of them as a team that needed help from the refs to win a couple of games against the Wings last season, but that's another conversation for another day). Their power play finished a respectable 12th in the NHL, converting over 18% of their chances. One area where the Stars do look to improve is getting offense from the blueline; their leading scorer on the defense was Stephane Robidas with 41 points, but no one else got over 25 points. If the Stars can get similar contributions from their younger players, and can get some offense from the back, they will once again be one of the better scoring teams in the NHL.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>To me, this is the real Achilles' heel of the Stars. They are led on defense by Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas, but the rest of the corps is very young. In 2008, the Stars received a lot of unexpected good play from guys like Mark Fistric and Matt Niskanen, and if they want to get back to contender status in the West, they will need those guys to step up and stop the regression they have shown over the last two seasons. The Stars have traditionally been one of the stingier teams in the NHL, but last year they finished 23rd in goals against, and that was what kept them out of the playoffs. Their penalty killing was especially atrocious, killing off only 77% of their penalties, good for 27th in the NHL. The Stars brought in Brad Lukowich to try and provide some stability to the blueline, but ultimately it's up to the younger players like Fistric and Niskanen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>For the first time in a very long time, the Stars are starting a season without Marty Turco as their starting goaltender. Last year at the trade deadline, the Stars picked up Kari Lehtonen, a goalie I am personally familiar with from his days here with the Thrashers' farm team, the Chicago Wolves. I saw what Lehtonen was capable of when he was with the Wolves, getting them to the Calder Cup Finals in 2005 only to be outshone by Antero Nittymaki. The Thrashers had high hopes for him, but unfortunately injuries have been a major factor in his career, and he has been unable to stay healthy enough to establish himself as a true number one goalie that was deserving of how high he was drafted. However, when he was traded to the Stars, he seemed to be re-born, putting up decent numbers (2.81 GAA, .911 SV%), and the hope is that he can keep that up over the course of the entire season. The Stars brought in Andrew Raycroft to back up Lehtonen, another goalie who had high expectations after winning the Calder Trophy in 2004 but has done diddly since.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>What can I say about Marc Crawford. All Red Wing fans know Crawford well from his days with the Avs, and who can forget the screaming match between him and Scotty in 1997. Besides having the worst hair in coaching now that Barry Melrose has been fired again, Crawford has been a guy who rode a great Avs team to a Cup in 1996, so everyone thinks he's some sort of coaching stud. However, since then, he's done jack with some good teams (including running this team into the ground and failing to do anything with Vancouver). The interesting thing is that this year, there will be little expectations surrounding the Stars, so if the team blows, it won't be a big surprise, and Crawford will be able to keep his job. Personally, I've never thought much of Crawford as a coach; I think he can manage superstars well, but doesn't have what it takes to lead a young team up to the ranks of contenders.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>Loui Eriksson's goal total slipped a little last year after potting 36 in 2008-09, but playing with Brad Richards night in and night out will certainly guarantee that he is capable of putting up at least 30 goals, and 40 is not out of the question. He is only 25 years old, and is just now rounding into form as one of the better left wingers in the West, although not many people know about him. I think this year we could easily see him set new career highs in goals and points, and he is very quickly becoming the Stars number one goal scorer. Look for him to have a big year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>On a young team like this, there's always someone who needs to step up. For me, that guys is Kari Lehtonen. He played well in his brief stint in Dallas last year, but he had Marty Turco behind him to bail him out if he played poorly. This year, Lehtonen is "the guy", and he not only needs to stay healthy, he needs to show that he was worthy of being the number 2 overall pick by the Thrashers in 2002. He's a big guy (6'4") who moves well laterally, but that has resulted in various injuries throughout his career. If he can get it together and play consistently for this season, then the Stars could surprise a few people.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>Truthfully, I don't believe they have a hope of that, but they've got a top line with Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson that is capable of scoring on just about anyone, and if Lehtonen suddenly becomes the goalie everyone thinks he is, they could sneak up on some people. But that defense is going to have to play like they did in 2008, and there will have to be some truly unexpected contributors among the rookies for that to happen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>Between the Sharks, Kings and Coyotes, the Pacific is one of the deeper divisions, and the Stars just don't have the talent throughout the lineup to compete with those teams over the course of an entire 82-game season. The defense is not very good in the grand scheme, and beyond the first 2 lines, there's no real scoring threat. Lehtonen could very easily end up on IR once again this season, and I just don't think that Andrew Raycroft is the answer if that happens (ask a Leaf fan how they feel about Raycroft - only Toskala gets more scorn in Toronto).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>As the NHL's "30-in-30" preview notes, this will be a season of transition in Dallas. Modano and Turco are both gone, so it's up to a new cast of players to lead the team. I think the Stars are really going to struggle this season, and will be among the bottom-dwellers in the conference. I don't think Crawford is going to do what Tippet did in Phoenix last year. While they did bring in "Stanley Cup winning forward" Adam Burish (I'm wondering if he will regale the dressing room with stories about thrilling it was to watch the Hawks win from the press box), there's not a lot of talent up and down this lineup. I also believe that if Brad Watson is refereeing a Stars-Wings game, I'm not going to watch because I can guarantee the Wings are going to be jobbed out of 2 points anyway, and I've got a blog to update.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-65921661614191227342010-09-13T20:37:00.007-05:002010-09-14T10:48:09.695-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Vancouver CanucksWeek 1 of the NFL season is in the books, and for those who don't know, I am a San Diego Chargers fan. If you are unfamiliar with football, cheering for the Chargers probably feels like cheering for the Sharks: you'll enjoy regular season success, then watch your immensely talented team get knocked off in the playoffs because they are missing....something. It's horribly frustrating, and in my 18 years as a Chargers fan, I've seen them get to the Super Bowl and get destroyed, and seen them go 1-15 only to have the guy they wanted to draft the next year say he will never play for them (hey, Eli - I'm still bitter). Anyway, it was a very disappointing game last night, and I'm very tired this morning.<br /><br />Ironic that today we check out a team that, if they don't do sometihng in the playoffs soon, could end up in the same category as the Sharks and pre-1997 Red Wings: teams that can't get far in the playoffs despite boatloads of talent.<br /><strong></strong><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Vancouver Canucks<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Keith Ballard; Dan Hamhuis; Manny Malhotra; Jeff Tambellini; Raffi Torres; Cory Schneider<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Departures: </span>Willie Mitchell; Brad Lukowich; Andrew Raycroft; Pavol Demitra; Steve Bernier; Michael Grabner<br /><br />The Canucks were one of the big contenders for the Stanley Cup last season, as they have been for the past few years. However, for the second straight year, the Canucks ran into the Blackhawks in the second round and were unable to advance to the Western Conference Finals. The Canucks have a ton of talent in place, but made some moves that they believe will put them over the top and finally get them to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Offense: </span>The Canucks are led by the red-headed twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Daniel has always been known as the better goal scorer, while Henrik was known as the play-maker. Neither player, however, had done anything really special until last season, when Henrik picked up 112 points to win the Art Ross and Hart Trophy. Unfortunately, neither one of them was unable to lead their team past the Blackhawks. Beyond the Sedins, the Canucks received 35 goals from referee-target Alexandre Burrows, who has shown steady improvement throughout his first four years in the NHL. The Canucks also got 30 goals out of former Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson, who showed that he was worth the money the Red Wings were unable to give him due to the salary cap. The Canucks are expecting good things from Ryan Kesler, their possible future captain (more on that in a moment), who potted 25 goals last year while being nominated for a Selke Trophy as one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL. The Canucks also have 2 good offensive defensemen in Alex Edler and Christian Ehrhoff, who both exceeded the 40 point mark last season. The Canucks finished 2nd in the NHL in total offense, and can score with anyone in the league. Their PP finished a respectable 6th in the NHL, and one thing that you do not want to do is get in to a shootout with them, because they can go toe to toe with anyone offensively.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Defense: </span>Last season, the Canucks defense was good, but not great. Like the Red Wings of the mid-'90s, there was a little too much finesse back there, although the absence of Willie Mitchell for half of the season certainly did not help. The Canucks looked to remedy that problem by bringing in Dan Hamhuis from Nashville/Pittsburgh/Philadelphia, a physical defenseman with an offensive upside. In a sign that the Canucks are not concerned about Roberto Luongo's health, they brought in goalie-wacker Keith Ballard, who hopes to lay some lumber on the opponents instead of his teammates. They still have Sami Salo and Kevin Bieksa, and the Canucks have 7 bonafide NHL defensemen on their roster. The Nucks are going to have to figure out who is going to sit, but it's not a bad problem to have. Up front, the Canucks have Selke-candidate (and possible future winner) Ryan Kesler, and they added Manny Malhotra to bolster their third line and upgrade their face-off skills. The Canucks finished 13th in the NHL in team defense, and the additions of Hamhuis and Ballard should improve that. Their penalty killing finished 18th, an area where the Canucks can vastly improve.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Goaltending: </span>The Canucks thought they were getting their stud goalie in Roberto Luongo when they traded for him a few years ago, but his play since then has been inconsistent at best. The team believed in him so much they named him the captain, a move that was as curious as it was stupid. However, Luongo recently relinquished the "C", and hopefully it will go to a leader on the team. It was thought that Luongo was going to give the Canucks the presence in net they had lacked throughout their entire history, but so far he has not lived up to the hype. Personally, I think that Luongo is the most over-rated player in the entire NHL, and I say that knowing full well that he "won" a gold medal for the Canada in the Olympics. However, I just do not believe that he has made the Canucks that much better in the grand scheme of things. Don't get me wrong; he's a pretty good goalie. But nothing he has done in his career has defined him as "elite". Until he can show that he can carry the team and advance them in the playoffs against a good team, I just don't buy the hype surrounding him.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Coaching: </span>Alain Vigneault has been the coach of the Canucks since the 2006-07 season, and has compiled a very good regular season record, winning 3 Northwest Division championships in 4 years. He won the Jack Adams award with the Canucks in 2006-07, the first time he had won and his second nomination (the other was with Montreal in 1999-2000). However, for all of the regular season success he has enjoyed with the Canucks, he has failed to get them to the Western Conference Finals in any of his 4 seasons, and this season he has been handed all of the tools he presumably will need to get the Canucks to the next level. He will be under an enormous amount of pressure this year, and if Vancouver struggles for any extended length of time, I believe a change could be made. I also believe that if the Canucks do not get out of the second round, this will be Vigneault's last year in Vancouver.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Player to Watch: </span>Ryan Kesler is one of the leading candidates to be named captain of the Canucks (ironic since he's American - Captain Canuck, anyone?), and if his play from last season improves, he could have his first 30-goal season while taking home his first Selke Trophy at the end of the year. Kesler is one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL, and there were many (myself included) who thought he would win the Selke last year. He's a brash guy, unafraid to voice an opinion or mix things up on the ice. He was one of the best players for Team USA at the Olympics, and he has really stepped up to become a true leader on the Canucks. I think this could be a breakout year for him, but it will be interesting to see how he handles becoming captain if that comes to fruition.<br /><br /><strong>Player With Something to Prove: </strong>Look, the Canucks aren't going anywhere until Roberto Luongo finally delivers in the playoffs. His GAA has risen each of his past 3 years in the playoffs, while at the same time his SV% has gone down. Last year, he posted a 3.22 GAA and an .895 SV%, both stats that would get him cut or traded had they been regular season stats. If Luongo can't get it together and play the way he is capable in the playoffs, the Canucks will be known as the new Sharks; tons of talent that gets them regular season success, but nothing to show for it in the playoffs. As the Red Wings can attest, all the talent in the world won't win a Cup if the goalie is not up to the task. Luongo is the highest-visible player on an extremely good team, and consequently he needs to be their best player night in and night out.<br /><br /><strong>Why They Can Win the Division: </strong>They are the most talented and best team top to bottom in the Northwest, and this division is theirs to lose. Like Detroit throughout most of the last decade, the Canucks appear to be head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in the division, and should have little competition for the division crown over the course of the season.<br /><br /><strong>Why They Won't Win the Division: </strong>It's going to take a collapse of pretty big proportions coupled with one of the other teams coming out of nowhwere for the Canucks not to earn one of the top-3 seeds in the West heading into the playoffs. A long-term injury to one of their key players could certainly hurt their chances, but overall this is a very deep team that should navigate the regular season with few issues.<br /><br /><strong>My Prediction: </strong>The Canucks are entering the 2010-11 season as the favourite to win the West and get to the Stanley Cup Finals. I'll believe that when I see it. I have no doubts the Canucks are a talented team, and on paper they have to be considered one of the top contenders in the NHL. However, as long as they have Luongo on the team, I will always question whether they have the ability to get beyond the second round, let alone win the Stanley Cup. I'm not sold on Vigneault as a coach, and I'm curious to see whether Henrik Sedin's great season last year was indicative of what he is capable of or was just a fluke. I see the Canucks winning the Northwest, but only because I don't see a major threat to them within the division. Like the Red Wings for most of the past 10 years, the regular season isn't going to mean anything to the Canucks; they could win the President's Trophy and still have this season considered a failure. For the Canucks, it's Stanley Cup or bust, and what they do in the playoffs will determine whether this year is a success or not. I only hope that if the Wings play the Canucks in the playoffs, it's in the third round so I don't have to deal with 9 pm start times. I'm an old man and that's way past my bedtime.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-10045111829703036522010-09-13T09:55:00.003-05:002010-09-13T11:14:24.931-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Colorado AvalancheThe Red Wings are less than a week away from training camp, and this weekend the rookies participated in the rookie tournament. Pretty soon battles will start for positions, new players will be formally introduced to the Red Wing-way, and pre-season games (real, honest-to-God hockey games) will be played. We're really going to start cranking these previews out, and today we look at an old rival who recently fell on hard times, but seems to be coming back to life. Maybe this will make the rivalry exciting again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colorado Avalanche<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Daniel Winnik<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Brett Clark; Darcy Tucker<br /><br />The Dive. Even now, years later, I still loathe them. I realize that the Avs had fallen on hard times and that took some of the spice out of the rivalry between the two teams. However, last season the Avs, in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, surprised the hell out of everyone (including their own fans) and finished 8th in the West, earning a spot in the ultra-competitive playoffs. Their inexperience showed in their first-round matchup against the Sharks, but the Avs definitely seem to be a team on the rise.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>The Avs are led on offense by Paul Statsny, who is quickly turning into their leader both on offense and on the team as a whole. He finished with 79 points in 81 games, and was their leading scorer. He is helped out by Calder-finalist Matt Duchene, who put forth an impressive rookie season with 24 goals and 55 points, enough to make him the leading rookie-scorer in the NHL, and give the Avs a solid second-line center. Mostly the Avs have a lot of young talent at forward, including Brandon Yip, TJ Galiardi and Ryan O'Reilly, all players who had good seasons last year which the team is hoping they will build on. Milan Hejduk is returning for another season, and if he can stay healthy for the entire season, then the Avs will have their best pure goal scorer available to contribute. The Avs are also hoping that Peter Mueller can continue his torrid pace that he set after his trade from the Coyotes late last year. The Avs don't get a ton of offense from their blueline, with John-Michael Liles and Kyle Quincey (man, it would be nice to have him back) being their leading defensemen scorers. The Avs finished 6th overall in goals for last year, so you can't sleep on them, as they can score with just about anyone on the team. Their PP is average, finishing 15th with a success rate of just over 18%. Overall, the Avs are a good offensive team, but given their youth, I question whether that can be sustained.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>The Dive has a very underrated defensive corps, led by Liles and Quincey. They still have a holdover from the Fight Night days in Adam Foote, their captain and on-ice leader. His offensive skills are pretty much non-existent at this point of his career (not that he ever was a high-scoring guy), but he's a smart player who still has a physical side to his game. He may be a dirty idiot, but he's the best they've got. Like the offense, the defense is also fairly young, with only Scott Hannan being considered true "veterans". The defense finished 17th in goals against last season, but their team defense really trailed off towards the end of the season when the youth of the team showed. The Avs will be looking to improve a penalty kill that finished 21st in the NHL, although they were successful in killing off 80% of the penalties against them. The defense is good but not great, and would be the weak link on the team from my perspective.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>Craig Anderson was signed as a free agent from Florida, and promptly set the NHL on it's ear with his October, where he was scorching hot. However, over the course of the season, his numbers really came back to Earth, and I think that was due to a combination of teams scouting him and seeing him more than once, and fatigue on his part due to the fact this was his first season as a full-time starter. He played in 71 games, and faced the most shots in the NHL while making the most saves. Considering his status as a first-time starter, his numbers were good, especially given the young team in front of him. From everything I remember about last season combined with what I've read about him from their fans, he was clearly the team's MVP and the Avs probably would not have made the playoffs without him. Backing him up is Peter Budaj, the Avs "goalie-of-the-future" who never played up to his potential, leading the Avs to seek out Anderson's services.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>Joe Sacco is a young coach who took over a young team, and he squeezed every last ounce of talent out of his team last year. He definitely is a coach that stresses offense, as the Avs went from being a lousy offensive team to a high-scoring one. The team allowed the most shots in the NHL last season, and team defense does not seem to be stressed nearly as much as the offense is. I did notice in the few games that I watched that the Avs are an extremely fast team (owing partially to their youth), and they use that speed to gain an advantage on their opponents. They are not a very physical team, preferring to use their speed and skill over size. He had a free pass last year since it was supposed to be a re-building year, but this year the team will be expected to take another step forward.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>Matt Duchene burst onto the scene last year as a rookie, leading all rookies in points with 55 and tying for the rookie lead in goals with John Tavares at 24. What's impressive is that he finished +1 on a mediocre defensive team, and he saw some PK time. Duchene seems to be the real deal, and with some experience, he's going to become a dynamic player in the league. Don't ask me why, but I feel like that there will no sophomore slump from him, and he will build on these numbers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>Craig Anderson entered the season last year as a relative unknown, but after his October, there were some who considered him an early candidate for the Vezina. As the season progressed, however, he really came down to Earth, and his solid stats don't really tell the tale of how remarkedly different his season was between the first half and second half. As I said earlier, he was the main reason why the Avs made the playoffs last year, and if he takes a step backwards this season, the Avs could find themselves on the outside looking in once again. I think that Anderson needs to show the team and the NHL that he is a legitimate #1 goalie who can carry a team year-in and year-out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>The Avs only finished 8 points behind the Canucks last season in the division, although they were in the mix for most of the season. The team seemed to have hit the collective wall towards the end of the season, although that was not unexpected due to how young the team is. The Avs pretty much kept their team intact, only losing Brett Clark and Darcy Tucker, 2 players who did not really contribute much to the team. In fact, with Tucker leaving, the Avs' "idiot-ness" has decreased significantly. If the young players on the team continue to develop in a positive fashion, and the veterans like Hejduk and Foote can stay healthy, the Avs could conceivably give the Canucks a run for their money in the division.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>A lot of what the Avs do this season is going to hinge on whether Anderson can stay at the level he was at for most of the year last year, and whether their young players can continue their positive development with no setbacks. If either one of these things don't happen, the Avs will find themselves looking up at the Canucks once again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>I think the Avs are going to take a step back this season. I think there are too many "ifs" surrounding the team, especially around their young forwards and their development. I believe that some of them (especially Duchene) will be better, but to expect each and every one of their players to play as good or better as they did last year is a little too much to expect. Between the overall lack of elite talent on the Avs and the hyper-competitiveness of the West, the Avs have no margin for error, and I just don't see them getting better this year. I think they'll narrowly miss the playoffs, but the experience will be good for them. I will also guarantee that I will froth at the mouth if the Wings lose to them, because even though 90% of the players that made up the rivalry are gone, I still hate them. I want the Wings to beat the Avs every time, and beat them badly. Anything less than 4-0 against them makes me very upset.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-88917156320614597412010-09-10T10:04:00.005-05:002010-09-10T14:44:58.942-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Calgary FlamesWe're a week away from Training Camp, and I'm getting giddy. Giddy in the sense that I will finally have something to watch on TV besides The Office reruns and baseball teams I don't care about. While the NFL season is fun for me (mostly because I gamble on it), nothing compares to the start of the NHL season; when every team believes they have a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup (except the Leafs, who will never win again).<br /><br />We are moving on to a team that has had high aspirations but not lived up to them the past few years. We head north into Alberta for today's preview.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Calgary Flames<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Alex Tanguay; Olli Jokinen; Tim Jackman<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Eric Nystrom; Christopher Higgins; David Van Der Gulik<br /><br />The Flames were a team expected to really contend in the Western Conference last year, but after hanging around in the playoff race for most of the season, they fell apart late in the year and finished a disappointing 9th, tied with the Blues 5 points out of a playoff spot. The Flames went through an interesting transition last year, trading away Dion Phaneuf in the middle of the season, but overall they really struggled under new coach Brent Sutter. The Flames are hoping that some old faces will be able to re-energize a moribund offense from last year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>This is the area the Flames really struggled with last year, finishing second last in the NHL in total offense. The team is led by former Rocket Richard Trophy-winner Jarome Iginla, their captain and team leader, but once again the Flames are hoping that they can find a center that can properly maximize Iginla's talents. I've always liked Iginla, minus the series in 2007 against the Wings when he went super-stupid a la Shane Doan. The Flames are hoping they found that center in Olli Jokinen, a stud in Florida who has failed to live up to expectations in both his first go-round with Calgary and a stint in New York with the Rangers. The Flames are hoping that Jokinen will not have as much pressure on him this season, and that he and Iginla can form some sort of dynamic duo. The Flames also brought in another re-tread, Alex Tanguay, who had an awful season last year in Tampa. He will be united with Matt Stajan, a former Toronto prospect (get ready for this theme throughout this preview) who never lived up to his potential and was included in the Phaneuf deal last year. The Flames are hoping that the bad years these guys have had are in the past, and that they will finally get to where they are capable of in terms of scoring. A pleasant surprise for the Flames last year was Rene Bourque, who put up career highs in goals (27) and points last year (58), and the hope is that he will team up with Jokinen and Iginla to form a very dangerous first line. Outside of that top line, the Flames will be leaning on Daymond Langkow, Craig Conroy and Alex Kotalik to chip in with scoring. On the blueline, Ian White (another former Leaf) came over and immediately became a contributor, but the Flames will be looking for Jay Bouwmeester to justify the trade and sign deal they made with him last year. It was hoped that once Bouwmeester was surrounded by some real talent, he would shine, but he really disappointed a lot of people, including Steve Yzerman, who left him off the Team Canada Olympic Team. Ultimately, if the Flames are going to do anything in the Western Conference, their offense needs to get immensely better.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>Despite the loss of Dion Phaneuf, the Flames still have one of the better, albeit underrated, defensive corps in the conference. They are led by Bouwmeester, one of the best skaters in the NHL and a big body back there. He's more like Lidstrom in that he is not a very physical defenseman, but he's smart and rarely makes killer mistakes. If his offense picks up, he could be an All-Star this year. Also contributing is Ian White, who is more of an offensive defenseman and will be looked to pick up and improve the power play. Mark Giordano is a physical defenseman with good puck skills, and he has steadily gained playing time and an increased role on the team. Cory Sarich and Steve Staios are the veterans on the blue line, and while neither contributes much offensively, they are both steady defensemen who can play against the other team's 3rd and 4th lines. The Flames currently have Robyn Regehr as well, but I've heard rumours that he may be on his way out. If he does stay on the team, he immediately makes the second pairing better, as he is a very physical guy who plays with an edge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>The Flames live and die with Mikka Kiprusoff. All Kipper did last year was play in his customary 70+ games, in which he put up a 2.31 GAA and a .920 SV% while winning 35 games. Whatever problems the Flames have, it's not in goal, as Kiprusoff has always been among the best goalies in the NHL. If he ever sustains a serious injury, the Flames are going to be in some serious trouble. You'll notice that I am not mentioning their backup goalie; 1, I don't know exactly who it is, and 2, it doesn't matter because he's going to play less than 10 games anyway.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>Brent Sutter, brother to GM Darryl Sutter, is in his second season with the Flames after he had walked away from the Devils. Sutter coaches the way he played: tough, hard, and with little finesse. He has been successful at all levels, especially in junior where he won a Memorial Cup (just as hard to win as a Stanley Cup given that there is a very small window and far more teams) and 2 World Junior Championship Gold medals for Canada. Last year was an aberration for him in terms of his team's success, and with an influx of talent coming to camp this year, Sutter should have more to work with.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>Jarome Iginla<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>has been one of the premier power forwards in the NHL, capable of scoring 50 goals or pounding the crap out of just about anyone in the league. However, he has not had a consistent center that can feed him the puck, so his goal totals have been up and down for the past couple of seasons. With Olli Jokinen back in town, the potential is there that Iginla could get back to the 40-50 goal range, and again establish himself as one of the pre-eminent right wingers in the league. If he gets back to where he was 3-4 years ago, it will go a long way to getting the Flames back to contender status in the West.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove</span>: Jay Bouwmeester was always known as a guy who was a great player on a bad Panthers team. It was long thought that once he was surrounded by talent, his skills would really be showcased and he would become one of the top teams in the league. The Flames traded for his rights before last season and signed him to a big deal, and he promptly went out and had probably his worst season as a pro. With Dion Phaneuf gone and Bouwmeester entering his prime, it's time for him to step up and show the league that his hype was deserved. He's got the physical abilities necessary to be a top defenseman; now it's about showing it on the ice.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>They've got the goaltending to go toe-to-toe with anyone in that division (Luongo definitely included). Their defensive corps is solid if unspectacular, and the Flames have traditionally been one of the more physical teams. If they can turn around that awful offense and score some goals, they could easily contend for the division with the Canucks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>My brain keeps telling me that at some point Kiprusoff's body is going to rebel against the team for playing him over 70 times per year, and this could be that year. If he gets hurt, forget about it; they're done. I also am not sold on the fact that Jokinen and Tanguay are somehow going to resurrect their careers in Calgary after having terrible seasons last year. If the offense doesn't improve, the Flames will once again be looking up at everyone else in the conference.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>I think the Flames really underachieved last year, as they should have been a playoff team given the talent they had. However, they removed a big locker room distraction when Dion Phaneuf was traded to the Leafs, and this year the theme of the Flames is going to be "Fresh Starts". I don't believe the Flames are Stanley Cup contenders, but I also don't believe they are as bad as they showed last year. I see them as a playoff team this year, and with Kipper leading the way, they could make some noise in the early rounds. However, I don't see a huge future for this team the way they are currently constituted, and it seems like they are floundering. I will say this: the Sea of Red is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I just hope I don't have to see it because the Wings are playing them in the playoffs: I hate the late games.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-8088513934463017972010-09-08T19:54:00.009-05:002010-09-09T20:48:09.468-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Minnesota WildWe got some good news and some completely unsurprising news yesterday. The good news is that Kirk Maltby signed a two-way contract, which will see him paid $525K if he stays with the Wings of $105K if he ends up in Grand Rapids. Being a two-way contract, he will be able to be sent down to the AHL without having to clear waivers. I dig this signing, and not just because Malts is one of the few remaining throwbacks to the first Cup team in 1997. The chances of him making the Wings as a full time player are between "slim" and "no chance", which is a bummer. But, he will be able to go down to Grand Rapids and teach the young guys down there what it takes to be a successful NHLer. Plus, once the playoffs roll around, the Wings can call him up to play if necessary, or just be a positive locker room presence. Either way, it looks like Malts is going to end his career as a Wing, which means that all is right with the world.<br /><br />In the "unsurprising" move, Derek Meech cleared waivers, cleleared waivers, meaning that if he does not earn a spot on the team after training camp, he'll likely be sent down to Grand Rapids without having to clear waivers again. This was "unsurprising" because the Wings have their top-7 defensemen set, which is his natural position, and there's already too many forwards, so there's just nowhere for him to play. I can't say that I'll miss Meech, because his contributions to the team over the years have been extremely minimal.<br /><br />We continue our look at the Northwest Division with a team that flies under the radar for a lot of us (at least me, anyway). I don't watch this team often, so I'm going strictly off of my impressions of the roster. Without further ado, let's check out the opponents for the first H2H game.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Minnesota Wild<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Matt Cullen; John Madden; Eric Nystrom<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Derek Boogaard<br /><br />The Wild have really flown under the radar for the past few years. According to NHL.com's 30 in 30 preview, the Wild have missed the playoffs 3 out of the last 5 years, and didn't do much in either of their 2 appearances since the lockout. The Wild have been known as a defensive team for many years due to Jacques Lemaire being their head coach, but last year saw a change in philosophy as they tried to inject some offense. The Wild have been one of those "you know they're in the NHL but don't really know anything about them" teams for me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>Like a lot of these middle-of-the-road teams, the Wild don't boast a true offensive "superstar". They have a few good players, led by their new captain, Mikko Koivu, a bigger version of his brother. Koivu has decent skills, but isn't an offensive dynamo just yet. He will be expected to lead the team both in the dressing room and on the ice. A quick check of their roster tells me that their best offensive player is probably Martin Havlat, but he had a really disappointing season last year and will be looking to bounce back. The Wild got great contributions from Guillaume Latendresse after his trade from the Canadiens, and he will be expected to keep up close to that production over the course of the entire season. The Wild are also hoping that Matt Cullen and Eric Nystrom will be able to step in the lineup and produce some offense, especially Cullen who is expected to center the second line between Havlat and Latendresse. The Wild are also hoping for some decent contributions from Andrew Burnette, who kicked in 61 points last year and was a thorn in the Red Wings' side. One player to keep an eye on is Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who only played 1 game last year due to a concussion but should kick in some depth scoring. The big blow to their offensive hopes was the loss of Derek Boogaard, but hopefully someone can step up and fill the void in the offense that his departure left. The Wild are not particularly big up front, and will be relying more on skill and speed than at any other time in their history to date. They also don't get a lot of offense from their blueline, with their biggest threat being Marek Zidlicky, who quarterbacks their power play. The Wild finished 22nd in the NHL last year in team offense, and that number will have to get higher if they want to compete in the Western Conference. One area that doesn't need a lot of work is their power play, which finished 10th in the NHL, a tenth of a point behind the Wings at 19.1%. Any time you can be top 10 in one area of special teams, you're doing well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>Even though there has been a change in coaching, the Wild still boast a strong defensive unit that doesn't have a real "stalwart", but is solid 1 through 6. The defense is led by Zidlicky and Greg Zanon, a former Predator who most Red Wing fans know as the idiot that yelled "five hole!" at Hasek during the Wings-Preds series in 2008 (by the way, how did that series turn out for you, Zanon? Dick). As much as I dislike him, he's a good defensive defensman who tends to be a smart player. Their second pairing consists of Cam Barker, who never lived up to his potential in Chicago, and Brent Burns, who always makes me thing of that Seinfeld episode where they talk about Alec Burns. Again, a solid if unspectacular pairing. The third pairing has Nick Schultz, a guy who likes to throw his body around, and Clayton Stoner (insert your own joke here). Up front, the Wild signed John Madden, a guy who has been one of the better two-way centers in the last 10 years, and who will contribute defensively. The Wild are not a particularly big team, but do have one of the NHL's big hitters in Cal Clutterbuck, another guy with a great name. The Wild finished 21st in the NHL last year in team defense, a position that is not normal for them. They finished 14th in penalty killing, a decent place but not great. The Wild will definitely be looking to get back to "old-time Wild hockey" next year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>The Wild boast one of the better 1-2 punches in net in the NHL with Nicklas Backstrom (the goalie) and Josh Harding. Backstrom is another of the Finnish goalies that have taken the NHL by storm, and he has consistently put up decent numbers. Last year saw his GAA go up and his save percentage go down, but both stats were good. However, for a team that struggles to score, the goalies need to be better than other teams, and last year both Harding and Backstrom struggled at times. In fact, both of them had their worst year statistically last season, which greatly contributed to the Wild's plunge down the defensive ranks. Both Backstrom and Harding have the potential to be strong contributors, and the Wild will be hoping that last year was a fluke for both of them. If they can get back to where they normally are, the Wild will be vastly improved.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>After years of boring the shit out of the entire NHL, Jacques Lemaire left the Wild before last season and made way for Todd Richards. Richards came in and attempted to remove the shackles from the team, and it's obvious they were less successful defensively, but there was no real improvement offensively, either. However, everything I've read about him suggests that he is interested in making the team better on offense while maintaining discipline on defense. I think now that he's had an infusion of talent into the team, we'll really see what he is capable of. He has enjoyed success at both the AHL and NHL level, getting the W-B/Scranton Penguins to the AHL Finals in 2008 (where they lost to the local Chicago Wolves), and as an assistant coach for the Sharks when they won the President's Trophy in 2009. He seems to be a good young coach and they are expecting him to lead them up the standings.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>It's really hard to say since I don't know the team that well. But the little bit that I have seen and read about tells me that Mikko Koivu is one of the real underrated stars in the league, and this could be a breakout season for him. His offense has steadily gotten better the past 3 years, and at 27, he's entering his prime. I know from the little I have seen of him that he is a big body with good hands, and he uses his size to his advantage to get to areas where he can score. He also seems to be developing a defensive side to his game, and as the first official permanent captain of the Wild, he's going to be looked to as their leader. This could be a real breakout year for him, and we could be talking about him as one of the better players in the NHL by the time this season is over.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>Martin Havlat was brought in last year to be boost an offense, but he really fared poorly, only going for 54 points a year after getting 77 with the Blackhawks. He said some pretty harsh things about the Hawks organization when he left (who can blame him), but if you're going to badmouth your former employer, it's probably a good idea that you, you know, produce. On the upshot, he did manage to stay healthy for the second straight year, but if the Wild want to do anything this year, he needs to be their primary goal scorer and pick up where he left off after he came over from the Hawks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>They don't have a ton of offense, but those goalies (especially Backstrom) are enough to keep the Wild in games this year. If their new arrivals can kick in some scoring and the defense plays up to their potential, the Wild could be competitive in a fairly weak division.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>Even if the goalies improve and the defense plays the way they can, there's just not a ton of scoring there, and with teams like Colorado getting a year older and more experienced and Vancouver still appearing to be the class of the division, it will probably be tough sledding once again for the Wild.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>The Wild still don't have the horses to make them a playoff team in the Western Conference. I think Mikko Koivu is going to have a big year (and I might just draft him in my fantasy hockey league), but outside of that, I don't think the Wild are going to be able to score with the top teams in the conference. I think Backstrom will bounce back and have a good year, and I think their defense is going to be good. Overall, however, I just don't see the Wild being able to compete over the course of the entire season, and they are going to finish in the bottom half of the conference again.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-12967823782159354802010-09-08T09:07:00.003-05:002010-09-08T10:37:11.537-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Edmonton OilersI hope that everyone had a wonderful Labour Day. I used the last long weekend of summer to work on my golf game and play a little pick-up baseball, and my body responded by essentially seizing up. It's hard to believe that such a small amount of physical exertion could cause this much stiffness, but there you go. I guess I'm getting older, and while I'm not in pro-athlete shape, I still like to think I'm not in Kyle Wellwood territory yet.<br /><br />Once again, there's not a ton going on in the NHL right now. I won't get into the Dan Ellis thing, because it's stupid and not news at all. Kovy's contract saga is over (thank the maker for that), and it looks like Kirk Maltby might be getting an offer from the Red Wings soon. Training camp is less than 2 weeks away, and pretty soon we'll be watching pre-season games wondering who's going to get the coveted last forward spot.<br /><br />We finished up the Central Division last week, and today we will be heading north and west to the...Northwest Division. In case you're wondering the order of these, I am looking at each team in reverse order of where they finished in the standings last year. Without further ado, let's move to the last place team from the Northwest last year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Edmonton Oilers<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Kurtis Foster; Colin Fraser; Alexandre Giroux; Jim Vandermeer<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Ethan Moreau; Riley Nash; Robert Nilsson; Patrick O'Sullivan<br /><br />Last year is a year the Oilers would like to forget. After the past few seasons when the Oilers were at least competitive, they went in the tank last year, finishing last overall in the NHL. The Oilers were not particularly adept at anything beyond getting injured and having their "stars" dramatically underachieve. This year does not promise to be pretty for the Oilers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>Taking a look at the Oilers' offense, there are very few names that jump out at you as legitimate offensive stars. The offense revolves around Ales Hemsky, probably their best player. Unfortunately, injuries limited him to 22 games last year, although he did score 22 points in those 22 games. The big surprise was Dustin Penner's breakout season where he led the Oilers in scoring with 63 points, making Kevin Lowe look a little smart for signing him to that monster contract as an RFA a few years ago. Besides Penner and Sam Gagner, no player on the Oil ended up with more than 40 points, and there will be a lot expected of the younger players this season. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano are going to both be expected to step up this season, but the Oil are going to be looking for contributions from some rookies, most notably Team Canada WJC hero Jordan Eberle and Number 1 Overall pick Taylor Hall. Hall is going to very likely make the team this season, and being the first pick in the draft automatically carries a lot of pressure. It will be interesting to see how he responds, but everything I've read about him indicates he is a very confident player who should be able to adjust to the demands of playing in the NHL. For me, my eyes will be on Eberle, a guy who scored big goal after big goal for Canada at the WJC the last couple of years, and who has very quickly developed a reputation as being clutch. Those 2 guys should inject some much needed energy and life into an offense that finished 27th in the NHL last year. However, one area where Edmonton could expect to see a boost is offense from their defensemen. Ryan Whitney played well in his first full season, scoring 39 points for a bad offensive team. Sheldon Souray will be expected to stay healthy for the whole season and will be a boon to the power play. The signing of Kurtis Foster is also designed to infuse some scoring into the lineup, as he will be another pivotal player on the power play should Souray not be able to stay off IR this season. Overall, there might be some improvement in the Oil's offense, but not a lot.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>As I said, the defense of the Oilers is not that bad at first glance. They are led by former Penguin Ryan Whitney, who was never seen as a great player in Pittsburgh but seems to be doing well in Edmonton. He's more of an offensive defenseman, but he was a plus player on a bad team last year, and that means something. Souray will be looking to play more than 37 games last year, and if he can do that, he brings a lot of experience to a young team. Tom Gilbert is a relatively unknown blueliner, but he's got some offensive upside. The signing of Foster and the trade for Vandermeer will add some more experience and talent to the defense. Overall, the defense is probably the strongest area of the team, and the team is hoping that this will prevent them from becoming the worst defensive team in the NHL for the second year in a row. They gave up 15 more goals than the #29 team (the Leafs), and if the Oilers want to be even remotely competitive, they are going to have to get better in this area.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>Now if there's an area the Oilers need help in, it's in net. The Oil have been and continue to hope that Nikolai Khabibulin can become a legitimate #1 goalie again, but unfortunately his drinking and driving seem to have gotten in the way of his training. If this were the last year of Khabi's contract, I would pencil him in as a Vezina candidate, but since he's safe for a few more years, all bets are off. If Khabibulin is unable to be the guy the Oilers thought he was, then they are in big trouble. Martin Gerber, Jeff Deslauriers, and Devan Dubnyk are all on the roster, but none of them have any enjoyed any real sustained success in the NHL to this point in their careers. The Oil had 3 goalies play significant minutes last year, and none of them did very well. The Oilers are going to have to get decent play from their goalies.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>Tom Renney took over as coach of the Oilers this past off-season, and he inherits a young team. Renney is a good coach who enjoyed some success with the Rangers for a number of years before being ousted. He's a former junior coach who also enjoyed some significant success on the international stage, winning multiple medals in the World Championships and a silver medal at the 1994 Olympics. His teams have always been characterized as being solid defensively, but there is little flash there. He will be expected to continue the development of the team into making them respectable in the next few years, but there is little pressure on him this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>I think it's a safe bet that all eyes are going to be on Taylor Hall this year. He's coming into camp with a spot on the team pretty much locked up, and he's expected to really challenge for the Calder Trophy this year. He's a dynamic offensive player who put up big numbers in junior (106 points in 57 games last year), and he also showed that he can perform in the playoffs, scoring 35 points in 19 games as the Spitfires won the OHL Championship. He's going to be expected to score big points for the Oil this year, with 50 being a benchmark that seems reachable. However, when you check out his <a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftprospectdetail.htm?dpid=2249"> Prospect Profile</a> you'll see that his favourite player is Sidney, so my respect for him just went down a notch. Either way, Hall should be an exciting player to watch this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>This year has to be the year that Khabibulin proves he belongs in the discussion of better goalies in the NHL. A lot of people forget that he was a huge reason why the Lightning won the Cup in 2004, and he had a big hand in the Blackhawks' turnaround the last few seasons. However, last year was very forgettable for him personally, and with his back problems seemingly behind him, things were looking up. However, there was that pesky "convicted of a DUI and sentenced to 30 days in jail" thing that he has decided to appeal, so the question will be how much of a distraction that is over the course of a season. The Oilers are a young team overall, and Khabi is one of the main veterans on the team and someone the younger guys will be looking up to. This year could go a long way to restoring a lot of people's opinions about him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>Not a chance in hell. None. Zero. Nil. If the Oilers win the Northwest, I will personally fly to Edmonton and have my picture taken with the Gretzky statue. Naked.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>This is still a pretty bad team. They are definitely in transition right now, and the process of restoring respectability to the franchise of the '80s begins this year. Unfortunately, even in a weak division like the Northwest, there's no hope for them. I think if they can stay out of the basement in the Western Conference, the season will be considered a success.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>This team is years away from being mediocre, although they are moving in the right direction. Unfortunately for their fans, they can expect another long season resulting in a lottery pick. However, if history tells us anything, in 3-4 years, the Oilers will parlay those picks into a Stanley Cup championship, and will then have to sell off the depth players that got them there. Either way, the only highlight for me regarding the Oilers is the H2H2 game on March 11, when I hope to witness my first ever Wings victory at Joe Louis Arena (don't ask me about the only other game I've seen at the Joe - I still have nightmares about it - ok, ask me if you want). Ultimately, this team will be finishing towards the bottom of the NHL standings, but for some reason, the Wings will have problems with them.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-78637866369185254982010-09-03T10:06:00.005-05:002010-09-03T11:29:33.214-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Chicago BlackhawksI think we're all aware of the issues the Blackhawks have faced this summer. We've all laughed at their misfortunes as they stripped away half of the roster that won the Cup in June. Let's take a look at what we can expect from the Hawks this season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chicago Blackhawks<br /><br />Arrivals: </span>Marty Turco; Jeremy Morin; Jeff Taffe; Viktor Stalberg; Phillipe Paradis; Christopher DiDomenico<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Have you got a while? Dustin Byfuglien; Ben Eager; Brent Sopel; Akim Aliu; Andrew Ladd; Kris Versteeg; Colin Fraser; John Madden; Adam Burish; Antti Niemi; Nick Boynton; Kim Johnsson<br /><br />The Chicago Blackhawks. Little Brother. To the horror of Red Wing fans and decent people everywhere, Patrick Kane's ugly goal in OT in Game 6 gave the Hawks their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years. The Hawks had been a team on the rise the last few years, and they really went for broke last year. It paid off with the ultimate prize, but they were forced to get rid of over half of the roster that was responsible for their win, including their starting goalie, a strong presence in Byfuglien, and 2/3 of their checking line (one of the best third lines in the NHL last year) in Ladd and Madden. Heading into this year, the Hawks are going to have to deal with not only a completely overhauled roster but also the dreaded "Stanley Cup hangover". Let's break them down.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>Yes, the Hawks lost a lot of forwards. But if you check out their roster, there's still quite a bit of talent there. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane will once again lead the offensive output from the Hawks, but they are also counting on Marian Hossa being healthy for the entire season and really contributing some goals this year. They will also be counting on Dave Bolland being healthy for the entire season, as he is slated to take the #2 center spot. Patrick Sharp is one of the more underrated players in the league (except by the ladies, who seem to think he is some sort of good-looking guy), and he was one of the players I was hoping the Hawks would lose. Where the Hawks are going to be in trouble this year is in their depth scoring. Of the players they lost, only Versteeg had over 40 points last year. However, depth scoring is what gets a team through the playoffs; witness Byfuglien's unbelieveable run last year in the playoffs. Ben Eager and Tomas Kopecky both contributed key goals in the Finals last year, and if a team wants to go far in the post-season, they are going to need key contributions from unlikely sources. The Hawks are counting on some of their prospects to step in and make at least a decent impact, including Jack Skille, Kyle Beach and Jake Dowell. If any of those guys can come in and put up 30-40 points, the Hawks will be pretty happy. One area where the Hawks excel is getting offense from the blueline. Duncan Keith, Brian Campbell and Brent Seabrook accounted for 3 of the top 11 scorers on the Hawks last season, and Keith finished second on the team with 69 points. They have to be accounted for when game-planning, especially Campbell who is very adept at joining the rush, and Keith who seems to be everywhere. The Hawks finished third overall in team offense last year with 262 goals, but I fully expect that number to come down since they have lost a lot of their scorers from their third line. One area where the Hawks can improve is on the power play, which had a success rate of under 18% for the season, hard to believe when they have 2 of the better PP quarterbacks in Keith and Campbell, and good talent up front with Kane, Toews and Sharp. Look for the Hawks to take a step backwards on offense this season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>For all of the people the Hawks lost on offense, their defense remained relatively unscathed for the most part. They have one of the best 1-2 combinations in Keith and Brent Seabrook. Keith is coming off a season where he won the Norris Trophy (deservedly so, in my opinion), and I expect him to be a perennial finalist. He does everything and can play in any situation, and once Lidstrom does decide to retire, he will have a legitimate shot at the title of "Best Defenseman in the NHL". Like Ryan Suter in Nashville, Seabrook is content to play Robin to Keith's Batman. On almost any other team in the NHL, Seabrook would be a bonafide #1 defenseman, but he works with Keith so well that he has found his home. The Hawks also have a very good second pair with the highest-paid #3 defenseman in the NHL in Brian Campbell and $4M-a-year-man Niklas Hjalmarsson. I know that Hawks fans are pretty pissed at Doug Wilson for signing Hjalmarsson to the offer sheet, but he's an important piece of the Hawks' defense that they just had to lock up. Hjalmarsson is still young and prone to some mental mistakes, but he's got good vision and can handle the puck well. The Hawks will be going with a young duo for their third pairing, having lost Brent Sopel in the trade to Atlanta. Still, their top-4 can match up with anyone in the NHL. One area where the Hawks might have issues is up front. They lost Ladd and Madden, 2 of the key players on their checking line. Madden in particular was a very good faceoff man and has been one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL for a long time. He will really be missed by the team. Toews is responsible in his own zone, but Kane needs a map to find his own blue line. It will be interesting to see how that affects their penalty killing, which ranked fourth in the NHL at over 85%. The Hawks also gave up the least amount of shots in the NHL last year, taking a page from the Red Wings' book on how to defend. Like the Wings, the Hawks play a strong puck possession game, and that will not change going forward, making them a difficult team to score against once again this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span></span>Antti Niemi was the hero of the playoffs for the Hawks, especially in the Conference Finals where he really stood on his head against the Sharks. However, the cap monster reared his ugly head once again, and with the Hawks already on the hook for Cristobal Huet's contract, they could not afford Niemi's $2.75M award from the arbitrator, allowing him to walk away. In his place, they signed Marty Turco. Now, we Red Wing fans all smiled and high-fived each other when we heard the news, and from a matchup perspective, I still like the signing; however, Turco is still a good goalie, and his issues against the Wings notwithstanding, he was a good signing. He had a down year last year in Dallas, but that was behind a depleted team. Expect him to bounce back in a big way as he will be playing behind a very good defense that will protect him, and he will also be looking to prove that he is still one of the better goalies in the NHL. Sure the Wings are going to beat him 5 times this year (write that down - 5 times), but against the rest of the league, he is going to help the Hawks win a lot of games and rack up points. Huet is very likely to be shipped to Europe, so he's gone, and Corey Crawford will be called up from Rockford to assume the backup position. Ultimately, Crawford is the Hawks' goalie of the future, and he might as well start his learning process now when he's cheap. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><br />Coaching: </span>Joel Quenneville has always been known as a good coach, even if he can't beat the Red Wings in a seven-game playoff series. All of his teams have been competitive, and depending on the talent level, mediocre to good. Last year he made all the right moves to get his team a championship, including rolling the dice with a rookie goalie in the playoffs, a bold move under any circumstances. Like Mike Babcock, he has never met a line combination that he couldn't tinker with, but he knows who his horses are and will ride them for maximum impact. His style is predicated on puck possession and smart decisions. His teams are not that big, but emphasize skill over brawn. This year will be interesting to see what he can do with a team that has reached the top of the mountain, as he's going to have to keep them motivated throughout the year. I think he's been around long enough to know what he's going to have to do to keep the Hawks contending and sharp throughout the season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>Jonathan Toews is poised to have a very big breakout year this year. Last year was amazing for him: he was one point away from his career high despite playing in 6 less games; he cracked the 20-goal mark for the third straight year; he was named the Top Forward at the Olympics while winning gold for Canada; he won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs; and he captained the Stanley Cup champion. That's a lot for a kid that is only 22 years old. This year, look for him to build on that, as he will be expected to take an even bigger role in the team's offense while playing solid two-way play. I think this could be the year that he cracks the 80 point mark, and if his defensive work keeps up, he could be nominated for a Selke as well. He's just as vanilla as Crosby, but there's something about Toews that I like; I won't make the Yzerman comparison just yet, but I will admit there are similarities there, not only in style of play but also in personality, that are hard to ignore. I could see Toews being a lot like Sakic was for me; hate the team, but respect the player.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>I went a little outside the box on this one. I'm going to say that it's Jack Skille. He was drafted 7th overall in 2005, but has yet to have made the team on a regular basis. He was very highly touted coming off his NCAA career, but while guys like Toews and Kane have stepped in to the lineup right away and made an impact, Skille has been toiling in the minors, unable to crack the team. I've been told by Hawks fans that this was a salary thing, but why not bring Skille up (at a decent price) instead of signing Kopecky? This year is his make-or-break year. He's going to have a real shot at not only making the team but playing on the third line. He's also going to be expected to contribute at the NHL level, something that he has not shown he can do in his limited action. If this were the Red Wings, I would say that the Hawks had been waiting for Skille's development to be more complete, but when the Hawks drafted him, they were awful and going with a youth movement. Like Mattias Ritola in Detroit, Skille's time is now, and it's up to him to show that he belongs at this level.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>Regardless of the people they have lost, the talent is still there for the Hawks to be very good in the regular season. The guys that they lost were not key contributors during the regular season, with only Kris Versteeg cracking the 40 point mark last year of the guys who left. Their top-6 forwards are still intact, and their defense is just about as good as anyone in the NHL. They added a good (if not great) goalie, and given that Niemi was a rookie last year, this could be seen as an upgrade in net. This team can not be overlooked, and if they stay healthy, they will contend for the division crown this year. They will also be looking to prove that last year was no fluke.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>Their losses combined with the Red Wings upgrades puts them back in familiar territory: second-fiddle to Detroit. The loss of depth scoring is going to hurt them, because the grind of the regular season will get to their top players. If the Hawks sustain any injuries to a key contributor (Hossa missed half the season last year, and Toews got nicked up at one point), they could be in serious trouble. Turco is going to have to prove that last year's poor play was an aberration, and that he can bounce back and give them solid goaltending. The defense is also going to have to be very good once again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>The Hawks are going to learn what it's like to be the hunted rather than the hunter. I don't believe in the "Stanley Cup hangover", but I really question whether the entire team (Kane, I'm looking in your direction) can maintain the focus necessary to defend their title. The losses on offense are going to show during the regular season, and the top players are going to be relied on much more than they were last year. The team figures to be more top-heavy this year, and this will result in a tired team by the time the playoffs roll around. Ultimately, the lack of depth will be their downfall, and the Hawks will fail to make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals. There's a reason that it's been over 10 years since an NHL team went back-to-back, and I fully expect this trend to continue this year. However, do not underestimate the Hawks: they are still a very good team, and if the Wings don't show any improvement over last year, they could easily find themselves looking up at the Hawks in the division for the second year in a row. I expect the Central to be a two-horse race this year between the Hawks and Wings, but ultimately the Wings will prevail in mid-March when the Hawks run out of gas. I also predict that the first time I hear "Chelsea Dagger", I am going to stab myself in the ear.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-29040765776603801742010-09-01T16:49:00.007-05:002010-09-02T11:39:37.469-05:00Know Thy Enemy - Nashville Predators<span>There was some great debate last night and this morning on Twitter and around the blogs about the NHL's supposed <a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/devils/nhl_gives_players_assn_ultimatum_UEbYgwfB6I4E4y7xGbE1OP">"ultimatum"</a> issued to the PA with regards to the Kovalchuk contract. It was good stuff, and Michael Petrella over at The Production Line really <a href="http://theproductionline.us/2010/09/nhlultimatum/">sounded off on his thoughts about the whole situation</a>. JJ from Kansas wondered aloud whether this was <a href="http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2010/9/2/1665106/tin-foil-hat-time-crazy-conspiracy">a conspiracy by the league to gauge the fans' reaction</a>. Personally, I like the idea of there being a clearer line as to what constitutes a "valid" contract and what is going to be considered circumvention of the salary cap. If the "requests" made by the NHL are indeed real, I also have no problems with them. However, like Petrella, I have a real issue with the method the NHL may be undertaking to effect this change. I do not believe that a heavy-handed approach was either necessary or warranted in this situation, especially considering they have the Arbitrator's ruling in their back pocket as a trump card to play at any time. The NHL had an independent person tell them that the Kovalchuk deal was no good, and while I don't doubt that they are in a position of strength, that does not mean they need to play the "bad guy" with threats. I think that with this ruling, the issue will be fixed going forward, and the NHL can close this loophole when they sit down to actually negotiate the CBA in the future. I do not believe that a full amendment of the current CBA is warranted, because both sides negotiated and agreed to that contract in good faith. It's not the PA's fault now that some agents and GMs figured out this loophole and exploited it, and it would be unfair to punish the players now based on the actions of some ingenious people. The NHL will have their chance when the current CBA is up for renewal/renegotiation, and I would love to see something in writing about these long-term contracts so that we never have to go through this debacle again. I think the key thing to remember here is that these types of contracts are relatively rare, so it's not like we are talking about the majority of the players being affected.<br /><br />Perhaps this is what bothers me the most: these type of contracts amount to less than 10% of the total number of contracts currently in force, yet it's the rank-and-file that are going to feel the brunt of the NHL's "wrath" when the next CBA is put in force. There's only so much money and salary to go around, and as we've seen this off-season, some pretty talented people are still without jobs. Thankfully I am not in charge of figuring out how to resolve this issue, but I will be watching closely to see how this all shakes out. I will say this: to the Devils and Kovalchuk, thanks for being giant dickwads and potentially fucking this whole thing up. That first contract was an absolute joke, and even someone with only a rudimentary understanding of the salary cap and circumvention knew what you were both trying to do. I don't know if it was by design or not, but I blame the Devils for being so blatant in trying to get around the cap, and Kovalchuk for not taking less so that this is over. I understand he wants to maximize his income; but there's a bigger issue here, and he could easily have sacrificed some years and/or dollars in order to get a contract in place and avoid all this.<br /><br />Now that my little rant is over (and thanks to Petrella for the inspiration), let's move on with our season preview. Today we take a look at our favourite "southern" team, Bubba.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Nashville Predators</span><br /></span><span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arrivals: </span>Matthew Lombardi; Ryan Parent; Sergei Kostitsyn; Jonas Andersson<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Jason Arnott; Dan Hamhuis; Dan Ellis; Dustin Boyd<br /><br /></span><span><span>For a time during the mid-2000's, the Predators were the Wings' only real divisional rivals. Last season saw the Preds reach the 100 point mark, but they finished seventh in the Western Conference and were ousted in the first round by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Blac.....kha....wks (yikes that hurt to type). While it was a disappointing exit for the Preds, they did reach for the playoffs after missing them altogether in 2008-09. The Preds will be looking to build on a season that saw some improvements and their first road playoff win in franchise history.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>For years, the biggest challenge facing the Predators has been finding consistent scoring, and last year was no different. Their leading scorer was Steve Sullivan, and he only had 51 points, tied with Patric Hornqvist, who was the team's only 30-goal scorer. The Preds are hoping that the acquisitions of Lombardi and Kostitsyn will help turn around a team that finished 17th in the NHL in offense with only 217 goals. Unfortunately for the Predators, players like Martin Erat and David Legwand have never developed into legitimate offensive superstars the team thought they were. JP Dumont has long been a guy who could be counted on for 40-60 points, but he does not have the talent to be the number 1 guy in an offensive role. Perhaps Kostitsyn can benefit from the change of scenery; there's no questioning his talent is there, but he has long been known as a guy who needed the proper motivation. The loss of their captain, Jason Arnott, also will leave a hole in the lineup that needs to be filled, and I know the team is hoping that Lombardi can flourish in the Nashville the lineup the way he did for Phoenix. The Preds do have 2 of the better young offensive defensemen in Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, and both of them are going to be expected to chip in with some offense from the blueline. In what I believe is a theme throughout most of the Central Division, the Preds are going to be looking for their young players like Colin Wilson, Cal O'Reilly and Blake Geoffrion to break through and have solid seasons. The Preds could benefit from improvement on the power play, where they ranked 24th in the NHL.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>The Predators are fortunate to have a great 1-2 combination in Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Weber was just named captain of the team, and figures to take an even more prominent role both on offense and defense. Weber is one of those guys who can do it all; he's big, strong, talented and mean. Personally, I believe that he will be nominated for, if not win, a Norris Trophy in the next 2-3 years. Suter often gets overshawdowed on the team by Weber, but he is also an ultra-talented defenseman who can contribute offensively while playing shut-down minutes against the top line of the opponent. Beyond those two, the Preds have a number of young blueliners they are hoping to see some positive contributions from, including Kevin Klein and Cody Franson. They employ Francis Bouillon on the second pair, and although he is not big in stature, he plays a big man's game, using his body while playing solid minutes. The team has a quietly effective checking line consisting of Joel Ward and Jerrod Smithson. The one thing that all Predator teams have in common with each other is that they all play sound team defense, and this year's team looks to be no exception. They finished last year 14th in goals against, and any time you can be in the top half of the league of a major statistic like that, you're doing something right. However, one area where they can show a lot of improvement is on their penalty kill, which finished a dreadful 28th in the league at under 78%. In a division boasting the Wings and Hawks, both teams with potent power plays, the Predators are going to have to shore up their penalty killing if they want to stay in the division race.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>I guess if you want to know who the Predators' goalie is going to be by the end of the year, you first need to figure out who their backup goalie is going to be this year. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the Predators did not have a backup on their roster, so it looks like Pekka Rinne's job is safe for now. Just as Chris Mason lost his job to Dan Ellis, Ellis in turn lost his job to Rinne last year. Once Rinne took over the starter's job midway through the season, he proceeded to put up good numbers: a 2.53 GAA with a .911 SV% in 58 games. What was most impressive, however, was the 7 shutouts he pitched in that short amount of time. Like Mason in Columbus, Halak in St Louis and Howard in Detroit, Rinne is going to be under pressure this season to prove that he can be consistent and provide his team with quality goaltending over the course of an entire season. One thing about Rinne is that he is a big guy, standing 6'5" and 207 lbs, yet he is extremely agile. The Predators are known for having solid goaltending, and Rinne is no exception. He should keep the Preds in a lot of games and expect to see them in a lot of 2-1 and 3-2 games.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span><span>Barry Trotz is not only the current longest-tenured coach in the NHL, he is also the only coach the Predators organization has ever known, and given what he does year in and year out for this team, that will probably not change. Besides looking like someone who would be providing muscle for the mob, he's a hell of a coach who seems to be able to extract every last ounce of talent out of each player on his team. Trotz' teams have the same qualities: they believe in a strong work ethic and solid positional play. They are never flashy, and they do not like to get into offensive-shootouts with their opposition. They are very comfortable slowing the game down and turning it into a defensive slug-fest. Trotz has the uncanny ability to keep his team competitive despite who is on the roster, and I shudder to think what he could do with a team of legitimate superstars.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>I think this is the year that Shea Weber takes his rightful place as one of the top defensemen in the NHL today. He has been given the "C" and will be expected to lead this team on the ice and off. He plays a lot of minutes against the other team's best players, and is used in all situations. He also has one of the hardest shots in the NHL, and is deadly from the point on the power play. Like Rick Nash, he is a guy that I would not hesitate to trade for if I had a chance as an NHL GM. I think that if things go his way this year, he will be a finalist for the Norris Trophy at the end of the season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player With Something to Prove: </span>Honestly, I wasn't sure who to put here. My gut reaction was to go with Kostitsyn, but that's a given. For me, if I'm a Predators fan, I'm watching Matthew Lombardi very closely. He was brought in to give the Preds a legitimate scoring threat at center beyond Steve Sullivan, and he will be replacing former captain and longer-term Predator Jason Arnott. Arnott was let go because he could not deliver when it counted, and Lombardi will be expected to provide consistent offense and chip in at key times. He fits more in the system that the Preds employ, which is based more on speed than size up front. However, last year saw him put up a career high in points with 53, and he will be expected to at least duplicate that, if not surpass it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>A lot of people tend to overlook the Predators year in and year out, and I think they enjoy the underdog label. However, this is a team that finished with 100 points last year, including 47 wins. They only finished 2 points behind the Wings last year, and this young team should only get better. It would be a mistake to underestimate them, as they have the goaltending and defense to keep them in games. Plus, you can never count out a Barry Trotz-coached team.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>For the improvements the Preds made up front, this is still a young team that does not have a ton of offensive depth. The acquisitions of Lombardi and Kostitsyn should help them in this regard, but beyond that there is not a lot of proven talent there. Rinne could be subject to a sophomore slump as well, and if he falters the Preds are in trouble. Overall I just don't see them having the horses to compete with the Wings and Hawks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>This team is going to be good; perhaps better than people expect. I know we make fun of Bubba a lot, but they are returning a lot of their younger players that didn't tear up the league last year, but who performed adequately. If they can get any improvement out of those guys, they will be in good shape. I like the arrival of Lombardi, but Kostitsyn is going to have to show a commitment level that was not displayed in Montreal. I think the departure of Dan Ellis is going to hurt them at times, as there is not a dependable backup on the team right now that the Preds could count on should Rinne falter. However, given their previous history, that backup will end up being next year's starter anyway. The defense is very good, and as I said, look for Shea Weber to make a big impact not only on the Predators but also on the NHL as a whole. I think another 100 point season is not out of the question, and they will once again finish in the middle of the conference. I also predict that at some point in the season, I will yell "shut the fuck up with those damn whistles!" at the TV.<br /></span></span></span>Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-6720928340955625392010-09-01T07:31:00.004-05:002010-09-01T13:24:01.450-05:00Know Thy Enemy - St Louis BluesIt's September today, which means that school is either starting or has already begun; the leaves will start to change soon; the weather will be getting a little cooler; and training camps open in just a couple of weeks. We are so close to the beginning of the season, but there are still rosters to set and lines to tweak. Today we will be checking out another division rival, but first a few notes on some developments yesterday.<br /><br />I think we all heard that Niklas Kronwall had some surgery on his knee. Now, reports of surgery are normally never good, but this seems to have been just a scope of the knee, which in the grand scheme of things is very minor. I know some people were concerned he waited this long, but if the pain was more of a nuisance than a hindrance, then he was probably just trying to continue with conservative treatment before going under the knife. I have no doubts the team was not only aware of his issues but sanctioned the treatment prior to his actually having surgery. It sounds like the recovery won't be that bad, and he should be good to go soon.<br /><br />The other big news from yesterday is that Chris Chelios (finally) announced his official retirement to accept a front office position as the Advisor to Hockey Operations. I know that I have spoken about Chelios' impact on the team <a href="http://theholeinthedoor.blogspot.com/2010/08/greatest-red-wings-of-my-time-12.html">before</a>, and that is still true today. I find it a little funny that a guy who was born in Chicago and played for the Hawks is so beloved in Detroit. But, he had a lot to do with the Wings winning 2 Cups in his time here, and even if his on-ice contributions had waned in the last couple of years, he was still an important role model and teacher in the dressing room. I'm glad we were able to corral him into his new position, as I think he will do wonders in helping some of the young defensemen develop and grow.<br /><br />We continue our look at the other 29 teams in the NHL, and today we head south on I-55 to check out a rivalry that has been fairly one-sided for the last 15 years.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">St Louis Blues<br /><br />Additions: </span>Jaroslav Halak; Vladimir Sobotka; Dave Scatchard; Stefan Della Rovere; Dean Aresene; Brennan Evans<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Keith Tkachuk; Darryl Sydor; Paul Kariya; Lars Eller; Ian Schultz; Chris Mason; Mike Weaver; DJ King<br /><br />Much like the Blue Jackets, the Blues followed up a playoff appearance in 2008-09 with a very disappointing 2009-10 season. The Blues had a poor start to the season (minus the two wins against the Wings in Sweden), and fared very poorly on home ice throughout most of the season. A late push (similar to 2008-09) was not enough to get the Blues back into the playoffs, but did leave the team with at least a sense of optimism headed into this season. Let's take a look at the team.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense: </span>The Blues don't boast a true "superstar" like some of the other teams in the division, but they do have a number of guys capable of putting up decent totals. Their offense relies a lot on Brad Boyes, who is a 40-goal scorer in the NHL. However, Boyes (a former teammate of my brother) has seen his goal totals decline over the past couple of seasons, and he will be looking to bounce back in a big way this season. The Blues do have a number of other players who will be looking to boost their offensive numbers this season. David Backes is a centerman who is a big presence and can score goals in the tough areas. David Perron is a very talented winger with some good hands, although he is still learning the NHL game. TJ Oshie and Patrick Berglund will both be looking to get back to their rookie seasons where they really excelled. Andy McDonald is the old man of the group, and it is hoped that he will be able to get Boyes going. The Blues lost Tkachuk and Kariya, so some of their offense has left them, and it will be up to the young players to step and up and fill their shoes. The Blues also lost one of their top prospects (Lars Eller) in the trade for Jaroslav Halak, but his impact probably would have been minimal this season. Overall, this was a team that scored 218 goals last season, 17th in the NHL. One area where the Blues are going to look to improve is on the power play, where they were under 17% for the season. The Blues are going to look to get some added offense from the blueline as well. Right now, Erik Johnson is their quarterback on the defense, but he only had 39 points last year. The Blues are hoping that their top prospect, Alex Pietrangelo, will make the team and contribute some offense during his rookie season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense: </span>The Blues have a good stable of defensemen led by Johnson, the former #1 overall pick. He missed 2008-09 after a freak accident with a golf cart (insert "golfing because the team sucks" joke here), and had a nice season last year. He will be looking to continue his development on the top pair. The Blues have resident dickhead Barret Jackman, who is a mean, physical defenseman who tends to cross the line legally. He's also the idiot that beat out Zetterberg for the Calder in 2006, but I think it's very obvious who has had the better career to this point. Roman Polak is also another steady defenseman, and logged a lot of important minutes for the Blues last year in a shut-down role. The captain of the team is Eric Brewer, but he has really struggled with injuries the last few years, and his play seems to have really taken a nosedive. Pietrangelo is expected to make the team and start his career with the Blues this season, and it will be interesting to see what type of impact he has on the team. Up front, the Blues use Jay McClement in a checking role, and he has BJ Crombeen on his line to add some grit. This is a good group, and should not be overlooked. The Blues finished 12th overall in team defense, so they are not far off from being seen as one of the real strong defensive teams in the league. A large part of that was due to their #1 ranked penalty killing unit, which had an 86% success rate. If the Blues can get even close to that number again, they will once again be a very hard team to score against.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending: </span>The Blues really upgraded when they traded for Jaroslav Halak earlier this summer. I think we are all aware of the stellar run he went on with the Canadiens last spring, and while I don't think it's possible for him to keep up that pace of play for an 82 game season, the Blues are banking on him giving them 50-60 quality starts this season. Goaltending was a bit of a problem last year, not in terms of the numbers, but in terms of situational play. I heard more than one Blues fan last year comment on the fact that Mason would be prone to giving up a bad goal at a real inopportune time, and this cost them some much needed points. Halak gives the Blues a little stability and a huge upside for the future. If he can replicate the numbers that Mason put up last year, I think Blues fans will be happy. However, I know that they are expecting bigger things from him, and with good reason. Should Halak have a tough stretch, the Blues can turn to Ty Conklin, a man that all Wing fans are very familiar with. Conks is one of the better backup goalies in the NHL, as evidenced by the fact he kept the Wings in the race during 2008-09 when Osgood was having his issues. He's a solid goalie that the Blues can count on should they need to switch things up or if Halak is struggling. Combined with their strong team defense, the Blues should not be giving up a lot of goals next season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching: </span>Like the Blue Jackets, the Blues fired their coach midway through last season, and brought up the coach of their AHL affiliate, Davis Payne. He really helped turn the Blues around, and his record was 23-15-4 after he took over, including a very strong finish to the season. Given the youth of the Blues, he seems like the perfect coach to be in charge, as he is used to working with younger, developing players. Given the Blues accomplishments on defense last year, it's very obvious that he stresses accountability and hard work. Like Scott Arniel, I am not overly familiar with Payne, but looking at their record before and after he took over, it sure looks like they responded positively to him. Whether that carries over to this season remains to be seen, but the Blues obviously believe he is the guy who will lead them back to the playoffs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch: </span>It has to be Halak. The Blues believe that he is the goalie that will get them back into the playoffs since they traded away their best prospect. I think he's going to be good this season, but if Blues fans are expecting the torrid pace that he set in April/May during the Habs' run, I think they will be disappointed. I don't think that Halak is the "make-or-break" player for the Blues, because they have offensive issues to work out. But if he falters during the season and is unable to play well, the Blues could once again find themselves on the outside looking in.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player with Something to Prove: </span>I like Brad Boyes a lot, especially since I kind of know him from playing with my brother (and by "kind of know him" I mean that I said hi to him once and he nodded at me). He is 2 years removed from a 40 goal season, and a lot was expected of him last year. Unfortunately for him, his goal total fell off a cliff, and he needs to get back to his pace from a couple of years ago since the Blues have lost Tkachuk and Kariya. This is a very young team, and at 28, Boyes is one of the veterans on the team. If the Blues want any chance of getting back to the playoffs, Boyes is going to have to become a consistent scoring threat again.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>They have a very good defense and now should have consistent goaltending. With these facets of their game being solid, the Blues can focus on improving their offense. Defense and goaltending will keep the Blues in a lot of games, and should allow them to rack up points. However, I just don't see them as true contenders - yet.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>While I believe the Blues have upgraded in net, they still have something to prove on offense. Losing Tkachuk and Kariya are going to be big blows, especially since Tkachuk had a good season last year. Their defense and goaltending may be pretty good, but I don't think they have the offense to keep up with the Wings and Hawks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>The Blues are still a few years away from being true contenders. However, this season, they are going to be very hard to play against. They have one of the better defensive corps in the division, and Halak gives them a legitimate #1 goalie. They will continue to have problems scoring goals, but the potential is there for an offensive outburst. If the young forwards can get back to playing the way they did in 2008-09, a playoff appearance is not entirely out of the question. This is also a very young team, and under a new coach, this could be the start of their ascension in the division and the conference. They are going to be one of the most competitive teams in the conference this year, but I am just not sure that they have the talent to really contend for anything beyond a playoff spot and first round exit.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-60906549684455889742010-08-30T20:29:00.009-05:002010-08-31T09:20:06.952-05:00Know Thy Enemy - A Season Preview SeriesWelcome back everybody. Some big changes have occurred in the Wings' blogosphere, and if you're not aware of them, shame on you.<br /><br />First, Kyle over at Babcock's Death Stare got an internship with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and he has decided that between work there and school, he won't have time to devote to his blog, so he's shutting it down for the season. I only recently discovered Kyle, but his work was incredible, especially his knowledge of the prospects. That familiarity will serve him well in his new gig, and we wish him well in his endeavours with the Baby Wings (not sure if anyone calls them that or not, but I'm going to).<br /><br />Next, there are a few new additions to some of the Wing blogs out there. Drew and Chris over at Nightmare on Helm Street have added Sullyosis, a Wing fan who lives out in the desert of Arizona. He's going to be doing a weekly article on Saturdays, but that may expand, and he's going to be talking about a wide variety of topics. Head on over and say hello and welcome him.<br /><br />Finally, the big news occurred over at The Production Line, where they got some fancy new digs and welcomed a new member, Chris Hollis, formerly of Motown Wings. Chris is one of the best writers out there, and his addition makes a very good blog even better. They are going to be churning out some great stuff this season (as will everyone else), and I am really looking forward to being around for the whole year.<br /><br />So it appears that all of the big Wing blogs have multiple writers (multiple good writers, I should add). I get it. I really do. So, since I have an overwhelming desire to fit in and be part of the "in" crowd, I guess I need to get a co-writer. Who's it going to be? Hell if I know. Like I said, I just need to fit in. I guess you'll need to stay tuned.<br /><br />We're going to move forward today, as it's preview season. Rather than focus on the Wings right now, I thought it might be a little fun to scope out the opposition. Normally when I am watching NHL Preview shows, I fast forward until the panel gets to the Wings, and after enduring the inevitable "the Wings are getting old" and "this is the year the Wings come down to Earth" comments, I turn it off, not bothering to worry myself about the rest of the league. However, for some reason, this year is different. There are many different teams who can say they have a legitimate shot at winning their conference, and even more teams who believe they are bona fide playoff teams, and as the Flyers and Canadiens showed us last year, all you have to do is get in and you've got a shot at making some noise. So, 30 teams, 1 goal. We'll get to the Wings later, but let's start with a division rival. A few notes first: I looked at their roster as of the date of the writing, so if there are subsequent moves, I will have to update the post. I am going to use the TSN Off-season game plan as the bulk of my research, because they really detailed what each team needed to do, but I will use other sources such as blogs and team websites for additional information. Obviously, I will be more familiar with some teams over others, but I figured if I can understand each of the teams the Wings will be playing this year, it will be that much more meaningful when the Wings beat them all and end up on top. Let's get this ball rolling.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Columbus Blue Jackets<br /><br />Additions: </span>Ethan Moreau; Nikita Filatov<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Departures: </span>Nathan Paetsch<br /><br />A year after making the playoffs for the first time in their history, the Blue Jackets promptly came crashing back to Earth in 2009-10, finishing 14th in the Western Conference and once again falling to dead last in the Central Division. Some might have thought that would mean the BJs would clean house, but they are staying the course with their youth movement. The off-season did not see a lot of changes in Columbus, with only 1 player of note leaving (Nathan Paetsch, who only played 10 games last year), and 2 players coming in. Let's take a look at the Jackets.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Offense - </span>The Blue Jackets' offense revolves around Rick Nash, my current favourite non-Red Wing player in the NHL. Seriously, I have a bit of a man-crush on him, and it's not just because he and I are from the same hometown. He can do it all; he can score one of the prettiest goals you'll ever see, or he could just use his big frame to barrel to the net and score an ugly goal, then beat you up after for complaining about its lack of beauty. Beyond that, the BJs are going to have to get some contributions from guys that really underachieved last season. Guys like Derek Dorsett and Derrick Broussard are going to be expected to pick up the load, as they both had extremely disappointing 2009-10 seasons. The BJs will also be looking for RJ Umberger and Antoine Vermette to follow up decent years last year with comparable or better numbers this year. The BJs brought in Ethan Moreau from the Oilers, who had really fallen apart after being a catalyst in the 2006 upset of the Wings. He's being brought in to try and jumpstart his career and add a little veteran presence to a forward corps whose oldest player is 34. However, the big move for the Jackets this season was bringing back Nikita Filatov. Filatov is a bit of an enigma, but he is known to have some great offensive talent. However, last year he fell into disfavour with Ken Hitchcock, and only played 13 games for the BJs before bolting the team to play in the KHL. There's no question that he's got the talent to play in the NHL, but it still remains to be seen whether he has the desire to learn the nuances of the game to keep his job. His return should bolster an offense that scored only 214 goals last season, 21st in the NHL. Ultimately, the Jackets need someone other than Nash to provide consistent offense, because without a legitimate secondary scoring presence, other teams can just key on the first line.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Defense - </span>Absolutely nothing changed on defense for the Blue Jackets from last season, minus the departure of little-used Nathan Paetsch. The Jackets are led on defense by Mike Commodore and Rusty Klesla, but are looking for big things from Anton Stralman and Fedor Tyutin this season. The BJs' defense is pretty no-name and non-descript, and truthfully, I didn't see much there. However, they have one player with one of the great unintentionally-sounding dirty names in Grant Clitsome, and together with Marc Methot they form a pair of 25 year old defensemen that the Jackets are hoping can step up. Team defense was definitely an issue, as they finished 24th in the NHL in goals against. Much like the forwards, this is a young group, and this should be another year of development for the young d-men. The checking line is led by none other than Red Wing nemesis Sammy Pahlsson. He provides a legitimate third line center/penalty killing presence that has been missed since Manny Malhotra left the Jackets. Antoine Vermette is another center known to be at least capable defensively, and Rick Nash has shown that he is willing to help out in his own end. Overall, the Jackets look to be better with regards to their overall team defense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Goaltending - </span>Steve Mason really hit the wall last year, with all of his numbers falling from his Calder-trophy winning season of 2008-09. Mason will be looking to rebound from last year's sophomore slump, and for Red Wing fans, his fall last season might cause one or two of you to really examine Jimmy Howard and his performance this season. However, unlike Howard, Mason did not have a lot of help in front of him last year, and some of his numbers can be explained by the inexperience and lack of talent that was playing defense. This year is going to be crucial for Mason's development, as it will really show whether his stellar rookie season was a fluke (Jim Carey) or whether he is the real deal. Personally, I think that with the stability of the team remaining strong in front of him and a summer to analyze his issues, he will bounce back and have a very good year. His backup is Mathieu Garon, a very capable goalie who can step in when needed, but who can also assume a starter role for a short period of time to give Mason some rest.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coaching - </span>The BJs fired Ken Hitchcock midway through the season last year, and his interim replacement, Claude Noel, was not brought back. Instead, the BJs looked to the AHL and hired Scott Arniel, the former coach of the Manitoba Moose. I will be honest in that I know nothing about him, but a quick glance at his resume indicates that he was a very successful coach down there, with a winning percentage of .617 in 4 years as coach of the Moose. I don't know what his coaching style is or what type of guy he will be, but from what I've been able to gather he stresses team-defense and hard work (although really, who doesn't besides Bruce Boudreau?), 2 things that can make a young team successful. From reviewing the BJ blogs, there's an excitement surrounding Arniel's hiring, but I wonder whether that's due to the guy they hired or just the general good feelings of having someone new take the reins.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player to Watch</span>: This is Steve Mason's bounce back year, and if he can even get close to the form he showed in his rookie season, the BJs could be a pest in the Central Division. I think we all saw in 2008-09 how he was able to almost single-handedly carry the Jackets to the playoffs, where they ran into the juggernaut Wings in the first round. If he can figure out what went wrong last year and turn things around, the Jackets will be a tough team to play this year.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Player with Something to Prove: </span>Nikita Filatov must show that he has put his past issues behind him and that he's ready, willing and able to do whatever it takes to succeed at the NHL level. There's no questioning his talent, but the work ethic and commitment to all facets of the game need to be there. From what I've read about Arniel, he believes in some of the same core values as Hitchcock, so if Filatov doesn't show that he's going to buy in to the team's philosophy, then this could be another rough year. However, if he shows up ready to play, he can really help a team that has very few legitimate offensive superstars.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Can Win the Division: </span>You're joking, right? Wait, you're not? Ok. I guess if every single player on the other 4 teams in the Central all sustain season-ending injuries, the Blue Jackets might have a shot at the Division title. Otherwise, I'm not banking on it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Why They Won't Win the Division: </span>The Red Wings. The Blackhawks. The Predators. There is not enough talent to compete with the top teams in the division, which is quickly becoming one of the strongest divisions in the NHL. I liken the Blue Jackets to the Blue Jays - they have realized that they are going to constantly be competing with one of the top teams in the league (the Wings) and that to potentially catch them they must develop from within, slowly. They are still years away from competing at this level.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Prediction: </span>I'm not going to do records or anything like that, but I will give my general impression of the team. The Blue Jackets took a tremendous step backwards last season after finally making the playoffs. Their biggest off-season move was hiring a new coach, and combined with the return of Nikita Filatov, the Blue Jackets will be looking to start fresh this season and put last year behind them. Personally, I just don't see a real ton of talent on this team outside of Nash, Filatov and Mason, and while I think they will be more competitive and a tougher team to play against this season, I don't think that's going to equate to much of a jump in the standings overall. There's been improvement, but not enough for this team to make the playoffs. The Blue Jackets are unfortunately going to spend another year being taken advantage of by the top teams in the division and the conference. However, I do think the Jackets are headed in the right direction, so this year should be about staying the course with their youth and ensuring their key guys are gaining experience and confidence.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-50828264861255078582010-08-26T11:13:00.009-05:002010-08-26T11:59:16.053-05:00Red Wings Release ScheduleA day or two ago, the Red Wings released their 2010-11 regular season schedule, and like everyone else I immediately looked it over so I could figure out when I absolutely needed to watch the game (unfortunately real-life dictates things so that I can't see them play every night). So with that, I present, in order, the 10 games I am looking forward to the most this season:<br /><br /><strong>1. March 11 - vs Minnesota Wild - </strong>H2H2. Enough said.<br /><br /><strong>2. October 9 - at Chicago Blackhaws - </strong>We're all aware of the firesale that occurred in the Windy City this year. What no one knows is how good this team is actually going to be now that half of the players are gone. I think this game sets the tone for the season, as the Wings can really make a statement that they are determined to take back the division crown after being usurped last year. The fact that it's the banner-raising ceremony for the Hawks will certainly add to the atmosphere, as the Wings will be looking to spoil the party while the Hawks will want to prove last year was no fluke. I expect a great game, and although it will the 2nd game of a back-to-back set for the Wings, it's so early in the season I am hoping that fatigue won't be much of a factor, if at all. And let's be honest with ourselves: did anyone really believe that the Hawks wouldn't raise the banner with the Wings in the building?<br /><br /><strong>3. April 10 - at Chicago Blackhawks - </strong>2 Hawks games in the first 3 I'm looking forward to? Absolutely, but this one is because I am planning on attending with a number of fans in the Chicago area and beyond. I think the plan is to take over a small section of the UC and really let all 12,000 Hawk fans there know that we enjoyed their attempt at staying with us all season, but the Wings are division champs (having clinched in late-March) and the Hawks are just trying to stay in the playoff race. My ultimate hope is that this game is meaningless for the Wings but is crucial to the Hawks, and the Wings are able to deal the Hawks' hopes a blow.<br /><br /><strong>4. January 18 - at Pittsburgh Penguins - </strong>Even though they didn't get a chance to three-peat their Stanley Cup Finals rematch, the game at the Joe last year went a long way to continuing the burgeoning rivalry that exists between these two teams. I think it's extremely clear that there is no love lost between the Wings and Pens, as Henrik Zetterberg really seems to get under Sidney Crosby's skin. Add to that simmering dislike the fact that they are both going to be contenders again, and this could be yet another Stanley Cup Finals-preview. Personally, I'm hoping that Jimmy gets a chance to show Crosby up close his new goaltending equipment - especially his catching glove.<br /><br /><strong>5. October 8 - vs Anaheim Ducks - </strong>I know it's weird that Opening Night is #5 on the list, and I'm certainly excited for this game because it marks the beginning of the season and the start of the quest for Number 12. However, the Ducks are a shell of the team they used to be, and most of the key guys that we hated from a few years ago (both Niedermayers, Pronger, Giguere) are gone. However, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are still around, so it's not like the rivalry is completely dead. It just doesn't feel the same. This game is going to be awesome because it's a chance for the Wings to get started on the right foot; Opening Night in the past has not been kind to them, but I just love the idea of them being potentially undefeated at some point after the season has begun.<br /><br /><strong>6. November 30 - at San Jose Sharks - </strong>Revenge time, bitches. That's all this game is about for me. I know that winning a regular season game in December does not make up for losing a playoff series in May; but it still feels pretty damn good. Like the first game against the Hawks, this is a statement game for the Wings; it's a chance for them to show a potential contender in the West that they are back and ready to claim their throne atop the conference. I can't wait to see Nittymaki's face when he realizes what he is facing when he gets to the playoffs. The Wings will get the Sharks less than a week later at the Joe, so they can really do a number to the Sharks' psyche early in the season.<br /><br /><strong>7. October 14 - at Dallas Stars - </strong>Mike Modano's return to Dallas. While the game itself doesn't present that great a matchup, as a hockey fan, I am interested to see how Stars fans respond to Modano coming back in a Red Wings sweater. I think it's going to be positive, given that it was not his choice to leave the team, but rather the team's decision not to bring him back for another year. I think it's going to be a very emotional game for Modano, and<em> </em>I believe it will be good for him to get this out of the way early in the season so that he doesn't have to worry about it going forward. I can only imagine what's going through his mind considering he's going back to the place where he spent the majority of his career (and the only franchise he's ever known). I'm going on record early predicting that this is his first multi-point game as a Red Wing.<br /><br /><strong>8. December 31 - vs New York Islanders - </strong>I again picked a game that I don't really care about from a matchup perspective, but the NYE game is always fun. I've never been to one, and that won't change this year; but we usually have a small get-together to celebrate, and before people come over or we leave to go out, I watch the game. Without doing any research I think the Wings have been fairly successful in these games, which means that I'm usually ending my year on a positive note and beginning the new year on an upswing.<br /><br /><strong>9. March 16 - vs Washington Capitals - </strong>Another potential Stanley Cup Finals preview. The Capitals are one of the most exciting teams in the NHL because their offense-first approach is just really fun to watch. Ovechkin, love him or hate him, is dynamic, and last year the Wings did a really good job containing him in the 2 games they faced him last year, including holding him to no shots in one of the games. Even though the Caps were the NHL's best regular season team last year, the Wings won the first matchup with them and would have won the second one had it not been for some brilliant goaltending by Theodore. This should be a really exciting game to watch, especially if you're a fan of offensive hockey.<br /><br /><strong>10. March 26 - vs Toronto Maple Leafs - </strong>This one's personal. I hate the Leafs. They rank very closely behind the Hawks, Ducks and Avs on my list, and that stems solely from the fact that I have had to endure their idiot fans for my entire life. Wings-Leafs games in the past would always involve a lot of heated trash talk from me to my friends and vice versa, and inevitably someone's feelings would get hurt. There was nothing better than seeing the Wings beat the Leafs, and then watching every single local sportscaster deliver the highlights with the same sad-sack face for the rest of the night. Plus, the next day I would strut around wherever I was with a jersey or shirt on, rubbing it in the faces of every single Leaf fan I encountered. Was it mature? Hell no, and believe me when I say that I got as good as I gave. The Wings have had some real problems with the Leafs lately, losing to them in 2 important games in the last 2 years (the banner raising game in 2009 and the Hall of Fame Game last year). I don't just want the Wings to beat the Leafs: I want the Leafs humiliated. If I were the coach, I would purposefully run up the score, and would probably be sobbing while my players did it, all the while yelling at unseen faces from my past who had given me a hard time.<br /><br />Those are the games I'm most looking forward to. How about you? Any on here that you think will be great? Are there any that you're waiting to see that didn't make my list? Could I ask any more questions? Let me know.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-69370989583890454132010-08-24T20:07:00.004-05:002010-08-24T20:57:59.775-05:00The AftermathYes, yes, I know I took a couple of days off: sue me. Some bloggers have taken the entire month off (although they are awesome writers and I miss seeing their daily takes on the Wings). However, I wanted to wrap up the series that I just finished and talk a bit about guys that came close to making the list and address some of the comments that were left on the last post. If you're like me, then you are really wondering what this Abdelkader-Hudler-Delvecchio thing is over at TPL. 2 more days and then we can see what the fuss has all been about. Any guesses?<br /><br />Before we get into that, some great news yesterday came down the pipe with the re-signing of Justin Abdelkader to a 2 year, $1.57M contract. For those of you that live in Detroit, please let me know if Kenny Holland ever gives a course on how to sign contracts. Part of my professional life involves negotiating, and I would kill to learn how he gets these guys to sign these contracts. Think about what he did this summer:<br /><ul><li>He re-signed every single FA he said he was going to, even if we didn't want them all back (Bertuzzi)</li><li>He got Mike Modano to sign for $1.25M to play on the third line.</li><li>He got Tomas Holmstrom - the best net presence player in the NHL - to take a pay cut</li><li>He got the best defenseman in the NHL today to take a pay cut. Not just any pay cut - a 17% pay cut. Would you take 17% less money in your job, no matter how much you loved it? Me either.<br /></li></ul>Basically, the man is a negotiating genius. I don't know what he does. Maybe he has incriminating photos of some of them; maybe he hypnotizes them; maybe he is the world's most boring speaker and guys sign just so they can get out of the room. Either way, I don't care how he does it, because he is damn effective. This is a great signing for the team, because he is slated to get some decent minutes on the 4th line. It also means that the Wings are 2 guys over the 23-man roster limit. It was nice seeing you, Derek Meech. At forward, it gets a little tricky. The smart money seems to be on Mattias Ritola getting placed on waivers in the hopes that he clears and gets sent down to Grand Rapids; me, I think the forward that gets released/cut/sent down will be decided after training camp. If Ritola has a good camp, I could see him making the team.<br /><br />I want to thank everyone for the nice comments about the site, both on here, on Twitter and via email. I can say that I had a ton of fun doing each post, with some being more enjoyable than others. I loved going on to Youtube to find one specific video only to spend an hour there just watching all the great moments. It was a nice way for me to spend a summer re-living the glory days, especially after a disappointing end to this latest season.<br /><br />I wanted to talk about the list. I'm hoping that the top-6 were no-brainers, and I understand that some of you still hold a grudge against Fedorov. As wingsluver4ever pointed out in the comments, I focused exclusively on players. Had I included coaches and management, I would have had an extremely hard time placing the Illitches, Kenny Holland, Jimmy D, Jim Nill, Scotty Bowman and Hakan Andersson on the list; would they go above guys like Datsyuk and Zetterberg? What about Jacques Demers and Bryan Murray, 2 coaches who were able to make the Wings great in the regular season but could not translate that to playoff success? I just couldn't reconcile their place on the list because their contributions were different from the players. Perhaps I will do another list, although to try and come up with 19 off-ice people will be pretty tough. We'll save that for next year.<br /><br />I didn't receive a lot of criticism in the guys that made the list. However, one player was mentioned more than anyone: Darren McCarty. Truthfully, he was #20. He scored the prettiest Stanley Cup-winning goal I have ever seen; his hat trick against Colorado was a nice way to deal with a hangover (that's an interesting story - ask me if you want to hear it); and his beat-down of Clau....de.....Le..... (nope, can't type his full name) coupled with scoring the OT winner on March 26 made him an instant fan favourite. Unfortunately, his contributions were too scattered, and he left the team for a time. He did not have great numbers overall, an I just couldn't justify putting him ahead of some of the other players that I got to see, even though I recognize that he was a big part of all of the Cup-winning teams.<br /><br />Now, on to the comments. I was going to do this in the post itself, but to address everyone would just take too long in one giant comment.<br /><br />Brandon - thank you for the kind words. While I never did get to meet him, there's still a chance - even if that means cornering him in a men's room at O'Hare.<br /><br />dorfarm - your story really resonated with me. I could probably have written your story and just substituted "Gordie Howe" for "Steve Yzerman". Thankfully we were able to escape the evil clutches of the Maple Leafs and their fans. As one of the few Wing fans that endured the entire Dead Wings era of the '70s and '80s, I can only imagine how sweet it was for you to experience winning Stanley Cups again.<br /><br />wingsluver4ever - again, thanks for the kind words. I agree that the Illitches have been and will continue to be instrumental in the Wings' success, and had they been on the list, they would have come in around #3. Like you said, I was only listing players.<br /><br />Norm - I've read a couple of Yzerman books, and I can't get enough of the man. I think because he's such a private person, our curiosity just expands. That would make a great job: traveling the country talking to Wing fans about their favourite Stevie moment or memory. The different stories that would come out from fans young and old would be really interesting.<br /><br />Crater - Like I've said before, the Wings have been as important to me as most of the people in my life outside of my family and closest friends. These guys were my heroes growing up and I still continue to look up to them.<br /><br />Smitty - Awesome story. I am supremely jealous of any person who has had the pleasure of meeting him, even if it was fleeting. Given what I've heard about him and cars, he may very well remember that. I'm a history guy (as you might have guessed) so any time I can talk to someone who saw games at the Olympia and got to see Howe, Abel, Lindsay and Delvecchio play, I consider that a real treat. You seem to have been destined to meet and marry your wife, both for the birthday and for the fact that she yells at idiot Blues fans. I enjoyed all of the personal stories you told. I hope you enjoyed the same.<br /><br /><br />Well, that's it. We are less than 30 days from training camp, and the start of the season will soon be upon us. We're going to start with some previews soon, both for the team and for the league. Here's a hint: I think the Wings are going to do well this year.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-68208594996774186672010-08-20T10:45:00.003-05:002010-08-20T10:59:54.580-05:00The Greatest Red Wings of MY Time - #1Look, let's be completely honest with each other; we all knew who #1 was going to be. So instead of some drawn out introduction, let's just get to it. The Greatest Red Wing of My Time.<br /><br /><strong>Steve Yzerman</strong><br /><br /><strong>Pertinent Stats: </strong>1514 GP, 692 G, 1063 A, 1755 P, +202<br /><strong>Awards:</strong> Lester Pearson Award - 1989; Selke Trophy - 2000; Conn Smythe - 1998; Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy - 2003; Lester Patrick Trophy (for contributions to hockey in the US) - 2006<br /><strong>Stanley Cups: </strong>4- 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008 (as an executive)<br /><br />Was there ever a doubt?<br /><br />I was going to do what I did with everyone else: trace his career and then talk about what he meant to the team. But so many people have done that in the past few months, especially after he took the Lightning job. Plus, let's face facts: we all know the Steve Yzerman story.<br /><br />It's extremely ironic to me that the man that was the most important on-ice reason for the turnaround of the franchise wasn't even the Wings' first choice when he was drafted. The Wings wanted American-born Pat LaFontaine, but the Islanders swooped in and picked him up, so the Wings had to settle for Yzerman. He had a fantastic rookie season, and (surprise, surprise) he finished second in Calder voting to Tom Barrasso. He bounced back to be the offensive superstar for the Wings in the '80s, but after repeated regular season success followed by playoff failures, he transformed his game to become one of the best defensive forwards in the league, ultimately leading the Wings to 3 Stanley Cups. But I'm not here to rehash his career; I'm here to talk about what Yzerman was to me.<br /><br />Like many people around my age, especially those of us that never lived in Detroit or Michigan, Yzerman was THE reason why I became a Red Wing fan. My Steve Yzerman story began in 1986 when I saw him play for the first time. I was 8 years old, and I was mesmerized. As a young lad in Toronto, I was bombarded with Maple Leaf fans and coverage; in hockey school, most of the guys I was with said that they were the player on the Leafs that corresponded with their uniform number. I got #24, which was Dan Daoust (and if anyone remembers Dan Daoust, you know that's not that big a deal). As I say in my "About" section, I never felt a real connection to the Leafs or any of their players. However, when I saw Yzerman, I knew that this was someone I wanted to know more about. So, over the next 2 years, I followed him; I would check the boxscores to see if he had any goals or assists in the previous night's game; I would read The Hockey News and any other magazine I could get my hands on for news about him. That season saw the Leafs play the Wings in the 2nd round of the playoffs, and it was my first time seeing Yzerman play on a regular basis. And after 2 years of doing this, I started to learn about the other players and the team in general, and realized they were pretty darn good, so in 1988 I officially declared myself a Red Wing fan.<br /><br />I have so many memories of Yzerman, especially as a young kid. When I was 12 years old the Wings were playing the Leafs on HNIC, and Stevie scored the first 3 goals of the game in the first period. In what is my favourite saying by an announcer, Bob Cole enthusiastically announced the score as being "3-0 Yzerman!" Back in those days, we didn't have TSN or Sportsnet, so the only time I could see him play was when it was against the Leafs, which was pretty good because the Wings usually won. Once the playoffs would start I would get more coverage, but it was never enough. The worst year was 1993, when the Wings lost to the Leafs in the first round. 1994 wasn't much better because the Wings once again lost in the first round, this time to the Sharks. It was during that summer that the unheard-of happened; there was talk of trading Yzerman, and the big rumour was to Ottawa, who were absolutely horrid at the time. It's funny to think about now, but there was a very good chance that Yzerman was not going to be a Wing forever. Thank God the trade never materialized, because I don't think that I could have become a Senators fan; although since they are the Leafs' biggest rivals, I'm probably a pseudo-Sens fan anyway.<br /><br />God, just writing this is bringing all sorts of good memories back; the run in ’95 that, while it didn’t end the way I wanted it to, was still a lot of fun. The double OT goal in 1996 against the Blues. That game was a roller-coaster of emotions; at one point I was literally in the fetal position on the floor, and when Yzerman scored, I jumped so high that I nearly hit my head on the ceiling. I then did my “Yzerman Dance” – I ran up and down the hallway screaming “Stevie! Stevie!” at the top of my lungs. When I watched a game, I would hoot and holler when the Wings scored, but I would go absolutely insane if Yzerman was the one who got the goal. Winning the Cup in ’98 and immediately turning and placing it in Konstantinov’s lap, touching off the greatest Stanley Cup celebration ever. I remember every single shift of his in 2002, from the Olympics on, especially in the playoffs when he had to use his stick to just stand up. Every time he went down, I (like I’m sure a lot of you) winced as I watched him get up. After that season he had knee surgery, and the stories that were circulated were that this was a surgery normally reserved for the elderly. Mortal men would have had their careers ended by it; Yzerman played 16 games the next season. I cringed when he was struck in the face with a puck in 2004 against the Flames, especially after seeing the pictures in the following days showing just how bloodied and bruised the eye was. I was afraid that the injury, combined with the upcoming labor stoppage, might have ended his career. Thankfully he came back for one more year in 2005-06, but it was just not to be. I found out about Stevie’s retirement in a very unusual way: I was watching Around the Horn on ESPN, and Jay Mariotti “won” that day. If you’re not familiar with the show, they have 4 national sportswriters talking about anything and everything in sports, although hockey is rarely discussed. The “winner” is judged by the host, and he gets 30 seconds at the end of the show to talk about whatever he wanted. Mariotti used his time to talk about how classy and great Yzerman was, and ended it by stating that he had announced his retirement. I immediately hopped online and read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I choked up as I watched his retirement press conference, and when he stood up and walked out of the room, I realized that a big chapter of my life had just closed. It was really tough to deal with, knowing that my hero would no longer be doing what I had come to love about him the most: making the Red Wings a great team.<br /><br />However, any memory I had of Yzerman that I considered to be the best is trumped by the night he picked up the Stanley Cup and took it for the solo lap around the Joe. I cried that night, and some of that were tears of relief because no more would I have to hear shit like “Yzerman is a choker” or that he “couldn’t win the big one”. Every negative thing that I had to endure as a Wing fan in enemy territory was wiped away in one second. But what I remember from that celebration was something that might have been missed by a lot of people. Being Canadian, I only had access to CBC to watch the games. 1997 were the days before Don Cherry completely lost his mind, and I wanted to see how he would react to the Wings being in the Finals and ultimately winning. Unfortunately, this was around the time that his wife passed away, so he was not on any of the broadcasts. The reason for his absence was not given, but after the Wings had won and were giving on-ice interviews, Ron Maclean got a hold of Yzerman and was talking to him. Once the interview was over, Stevie looked at Ron and said that he wanted Don Cherry to know that he was thinking of him and his prayers were with him. This man had just reached the pinnacle of his professional career, a place that only a select few men have ever been to, and he has the presence of mind to give his sympathy to Don Cherry on the loss of his wife.<br /><br />And that’s why Yzerman was amazing. Besides my father, this was the man I looked up to the most. I wanted to be like him on the ice as a player; I always fancied myself as the quiet, hard-working type, although I didn’t have nearly the amount of talent that he did. But I also wanted to be like him off the ice. To this day, I have never heard a negative story about Yzerman. I’ve never met him in person (as evidenced by the fact I have never peed myself in public), but if I did, I would expect him to be gracious, soft-spoken and….nice, just like he appears to be. Maybe I’m naïve about that, but I don’t care. The man not only took the Red Wings to great heights on the ice, but he represented the Wings with class, grace and dignity off of it. When he was named as the GM for the Canadian Olympic team, I wanted him to succeed with every fiber of my being, because I knew that non-Wing fans would not appreciate him if they lost. When Canada won gold, I didn’t care about the players; I only cared about Yzerman being known forever as the architect of the team that won a gold medal on home ice.<br /><br />I always used to joke that I had a non-sexual crush on Stevie. I would be ok with going out with him and talking, maybe even with a little hand-holding; but that’s as far as it would go. My sister used to tell me that he was “cute”, and more than once I told her that I didn’t care, and deep down I didn’t, but the fact that women found him attractive only added to his awesomeness.<br /><br />Stevie’s importance for me went well beyond just being a great hockey player. As a kid, I wasn’t the most out-going person, and I had few really close friends that I could count on; I guess you could say I was a bit of a loner. Yzerman, and the Wings, were one of the first real “connections” I ever made to something beyond my family. When they disappointed me, I would be hurt, but I had pledged my undying loyalty to them, and it was all due to Stevie. I defended them against anyone who dared to question their greatness, and took particular offense if anyone derided Yzerman in particular. Even now, 22 years later, that connection is as strong as it ever was, and might even be getting stronger thanks to my connection to all of you. You see, for most of my life, I was the only Red Wing fan I knew: I didn’t have anyone to share my experiences with. When they won, I laughed and cheered alone; when they lost, I would wallow in my depression for days with no outlet except my friends (who usually laughed) or my parents (who told me to get over it). I yelled at refs, trash-talked opponents and celebrated victories, and when I used to see all the fans at the Joe cheering, I felt like I was there with them.<br /><br />There’s no questioning Yzerman’s place in the history of his team: only Gordie Howe had as great an impact on the franchise as Stevie did. Yzerman ranks second in every single offensive statistic in team history except assists (in which he is first), and owns almost every single-season offensive record for the team as well. In 1988-89 he became one of three players to score 150 points in one year (talk about a good year to hop on the bandwagon, eh?) He is third in games played, and holds the unbreakable record of being the longest serving captain of 1 team (19 consecutive years). He was the face of the franchise for his entire career, and his retirement left a gaping hole in the team and in our hearts. He played the game the right way: with style and grace, but with a competitive edge. He was never a dirty player, and was universally respected by his peers. That respect carried over to off the ice as well, where he was known as a gentleman and team player. He was not just an amazing Red Wing, but one of the greatest players of all time. He could easily have stayed an offensive superstar and racked up other-wordly numbers; instead he chose to develop every facet of his game so he could make the team better. It's no fluke that half of the players in the NHL today (including bitch Crosby and Toews) consider Yzerman to be their hero growing up; they obviously have some taste. I could go on and on, but this is long enough as it is, and I’ve got to wrap it up sometime. Stevie Y, Stevie Wonder, The Captain; whatever you want to call him, Steve Yzerman was and always will be the Greatest Red Wing of My Time.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-88168761729130982482010-08-19T11:07:00.006-05:002010-08-19T12:52:10.622-05:00The Greatest Red Wings of MY Time - #2Well, we are down to the top 2, and if you're like me, then there should be absolutely no doubt who is going to fill these final spots. So, without further ado, let's get to #2.<br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Nicklas Lidstrom</strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><br /><div><strong>Pertinent Stats: </strong>1412 GP, 237 G, 809 A, 1046 P, +431</div><div><strong>Awards: </strong>Norris Trophy (6) - 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008; Conn Smythe - 2002</div><div><strong>Stanley Cups: </strong>4 - 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008</div><div></div><br /><div>Nicklas Lidstrom is not merely the best defenseman I have ever seen play for the Red Wings; he is the best defenseman I have ever seen play, and no one is a close second. </div><div></div><br /><div>Lidstrom was yet another pickup in the 1989 draft, and to illustrate how great that draft was for the Wings, consider that 3 of them made it to this illustrious list, 2 are guaranteed Hall of Famers, and Konstantinov was headed there before his accident. What's scary for me is that every single team in the NHL had a shot at Lidstrom before the Wings got him; in fact, every single team passed on him <em>twice. </em>It's a fair bet that had scouts back then known how good Lidstrom was, he would not have lasted to the 53rd pick. </div><br /><div></div><div>Lidstrom broke into the NHL in 1991-92 and was an immediate success, scoring 60 points as a defenseman while playing important minutes. He finished second in the Calder voting to some guy named Pavel Bure that year (yet another example of a Red Wing finishing 2nd in voting but going on to have a better career than the guy who won; bodes well for Jimmy Howard if you ask me). Over the early part of his career, Lidstrom could be counted on for 10-20 goals and 40-50 points. However, given that the Wings had Paul Coffey for 4 of those years, Lidstrom was not counted on to be the primary offensive threat on the blue line. This allowed him to do what he has done for his entire career: develop into the complete defenseman he is today. I would talk more about his career, but we've all seen what he has done and how he has mattered to the team. Plus, read Malik's Mt Puckmore piece; that pretty much echoes what I feel about him. What I want to do today is talk about my own impressions of the man, and how I feel he has benefitted the team. </div><br /><div></div><div>Lidstrom's career has been marked by absolute consistency more than anything else. In a full 82 game season, his lowest point total was 38, and his highest is 80; he has scored between 7 and 20 goals; he has never had more than 50 PIM in any single season. I wish I could talk about him being flashy or bring up those "make you hold your breath" moments, but those are so few and far between with him. The only thing I can really say is that he does it all, and he does it better than anyone else, and has done so for his entire career. He's the type of defenseman that you want out on the ice in all situations: down a goal late in the game trying to tie it up; up a goal late in the game trying to preserve a victory; on the power play or killing a penalty; against the other team's top line or against a specific player. And the best part about it is that as long as he is on the ice, I feel a sense of comfort and relief knowing that he will not make a mistake that will hurt the team. He may not always make the best play, and he can occasionally get beat, but those instances are so few and far between that I'm more shocked than angry that he might have caused a goal against. </div><div></div><br /><div>What says a lot about Lidstrom is that as far back as his 3rd and 4th seasons, Lidstrom was the anchor of the defense. On a team that was as star-studded and full of experience as the Wings were, for a young defenseman to come in and take control of the defense through his play and not due to his reputation or his outspokenness was impressive. And his play has been the same throughout his career; steady. The only other word or phrase that I can think of that would describe him would be "rock solid". He has maintained this level of play due to his style of play; he's not the biggest nor the toughest defenseman in the league, but there's no one smarter than he is. He has never been the type to throw his body around or try and make a big hit; but I imagine there is absolutely very little chance you are going to cause him to be out of position. His on-ice intelligence is what has separated him from the rest of the defensemen in the NHL and has allowed him to stay as good as he is at an age when many defensemen are starting to break down. </div><br /><div></div><div>There are so many stats that illustrate his greatness: the 1000 points scored in a time of the NHL's history where defensive schemes were more complex and effective (the trap); most games played by any player born in Europe; most games played by a defenseman with only 1 team; first European-born defenseman to score 1000 points; to say that he was a trailblazer for European-born players would be an understatement. However, the stat that always gets me is the fact that he has never been a minus player; not once in his entire career has he been on the ice for more goals against than goals for. This is not due to his offensive prowess making up for his defensive deficiencies (Mike Green); as noted earlier, Lidstrom has spent almost his entire career being matched up against his opponent's best players. It's this stat that in my opinion shows just how good Lidstrom really is, especially when you consider the many great players that he has been facing. The other remarkable stat about Lidstrom is his durability: in an age with bigger, stronger players and relaxed rules making defenseman more targeted, he has missed 28 out of a possible 1,440 regular season games, and 1 was due to a ridiculous suspension for not attending the pre-All-Star Game festivities in 2009. </div><br /><div></div><div>Even noting his steady play, there have been some impressive moments in his career. One of the goals that I will always remember is the one he scored on Ron Hextall in Game 4 in 1997; a harmless looking shot that gave the Wings the lead and really settled them down in that game. The other goal that I remember is the long shot on Dan Cloutier in Game 3 in 2002 against Vancouver; pure luck or planned shot? I'm going to say it was planned, just because he is that awesome. But like I said earlier, those moments are few and far between. What I remember most about him is his lifting of the Conn Smythe in 2002, the first time a European-born player had done that; any one of his six Norris Trophies; being presented with the "C" after Stevie retired. But the image that I have in my head whenever I think of Lidstrom is the one from 2008 when he was lifting that beautiful silver trophy over his head. For me, it was so amazing to see that because it cemented his status as the greatest defenseman of his time, and maybe ever (I'm not going to get in to that debate, because it's just too much). More importantly, from a Wing perspective, it showed how much of a leader he was in that he was able to get the Wings to a Cup when all of the mainstays from the previous winners had left. After Yzerman retired and Shanahan left as a free agent, Lidstrom remained on the team as both a link to the glory days and the leader of the future. When the Wings won the Cup that year, it showed me that regardless of who is on the team, the Wings will always do what they can to contend; I've seen other franchises fall into mediocrity after a player of Yzerman's talent and importance retires or moves on. In a sense, I feel that Lidstrom retiring will be harder on the franchise than Yzerman was, although I can't pinpoint why that is.</div><div> </div><div>I feel like I have so much more to say about Lidstrom but not enough time or space to say it in. I can't begin to describe just how freaking amazing he has been time and again throughout his entire career. Like I said at the beginning of this post, he's the best defenseman I've ever seen, Red Wing or otherwise. Whenever I watch him play, I just sit back and count my blessings that I was fortunate enough to have witnessed the entire career of one of the greatest defensemen in the history of the NHL, and that he spent that career playing for the team that I love. There's only one player that I feel was better and meant more to me than Lidstrom (any guesses on who that might be?), and if I do this list in 10 years, Lidstrom's spot won't change. There was never any question that when I made this list, Nicklas Lidstrom was going to be the second Greatest Red Wing of My Time. </div>Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-69680459084314633092010-08-18T12:10:00.006-05:002010-08-18T13:06:04.164-05:00The Greatest Red Wings of MY Time - #3Welcome back to the series, which is quickly making its way to #1. Since there is absolutely nothing else happening in the NHL or with the Wings, let's get right to it and discuss #3. However, before we do that, a correction from yesterday: when I initially did the post, I stated that Shanny was the last "lifer" to be on the list. Well, as you'll see in a second, that was just plain wrong, as there was one more to come. I just wanted to apologize for the error yesterday.<br /><br /><strong>Sergei Fedorov</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Pertinent Stats: </strong>908 GP, 400 G, 554 A, 954 P, +276<br /><strong>Awards: </strong>1994 - Hart Trophy, Selke Trophy, Lester Pearson Award; 1996 - Selke Trophy<br /><strong>Stanley Cups: </strong>3 - 1997, 1998, 2002<br /><br />So, as you can see, I had another non-lifer on the list. I guess I just choose to block out his post-Wings career because it didn't really amount to much. For whatever the reason, when I made the post yesterday, I considered Fedorov to be a lifelong Red Wing.<br /><br />Fedorov was part of the epic 1989 draft that produced Lidstrom and Konstantinov. That he was picked in the 4th round shows how little the rest of the NHL believed in him, including the Wings. However, when he made his debut in 1990-91, it was pretty obvious the Wings had a special player on their hands, as he scored 79 points in 77 games as a rookie, losing the Calder to Ed Belfour. During his tenure with the Wings, he was probably the best pure-offensive talent they had, but his 1994 season was amazing by anyone's standards. That year he scored 56 goals and 64 assists, and won the Selke as the league's best defensive forward. He also added a Pearson as the MVP as chosen by the NHLPA and the Hart as the league MVP. Ironically, he did all this in a year that the Wings were upset by the Sharks in the first round of the playoffs, a series in which Fedorov scored exactly 1 goal in 7 games.<br /><br />As the '90s progressed, Fedorov got better. The man was a machine that could do anything on the ice. Be the #1 scorer on the team? Check. Play against the other team's top line and shut them down? Check. Play as a defenseman when the team was short on blueliners? Check. Not only could he do all of these things, but he did them all well. For a good portion of the 1990s, Fedorov was seen as one of the best players in the NHL, and with good reason. There were some epic games and plays during his career: I'll never forget the game against the Capitals in 1996-97 when he scored all 5 goals, including the OT winner, in a 5-4 Wing victory. When the Wings won the Cup in 1996-97, Fedorov was outstanding in the playoffs, totalling 20 points in 20 games. It's weird to think about now, but this was at a time when the stereotype surrounding Russian players was that they were soft and could not handle the rigours of a long playoff run. Fedorov was the leader of the "Russian Five" and helped put the notion that Russian players could not win in the NHL to rest once and for all.<br /><br />However, his relationship with the team (and the fans) took a sour turn at the start of the next year when he held out from the team. He signed a huge offer sheet from the Hurricances which the Wings matched, and he was back in the lineup in time to help the Wings win their second straight Cup. Over the next few seasons, his point production dipped a little as he started to deal with injuries, but it should be noted that every single year that Fedorov played a full season, he scored at least 25 goals for the Wings.<br /><br />After the Wings were eliminated by the Ducks in 2003, Fedorov became an unrestricted free agent, but the Wings offered him a 5 year/$50M deal and a 4 year/$40M deal to try and keep him on the team. In a move that shocked the team and fans, he signed a 5 year deal in Anaheim for $40M, less than what the Wings offered. The move was a slap in the face to the fans of Detroit, and he was booed mercilessly every time he touched the puck at the Joe. To me, this shows the loyal nature of Wing fans; hurt them and they will never forgive you. Contrast Fedorov leaving to Shanahan leaving; Wing fans still love Shanny and understood it was just time for he and the team to part ways. But with Fedorov, the nucleus was still intact for another run or two.<br /><br />I've stated in the past the Todd Bertuzzi is easily the most polarizing player on the team today. However, before Bertuzzi came along, that title would easily have belonged to Sergei, but for vastly different reasons. We all loved Fedorov's talent and abilities, but his demeanour and attitude towards the team soured us. With players like Yzerman and Lidstrom on the team, guys that would do anything to make the Wings successful (like take paycuts), Fedorov's behaviour was seen as very selfish. After 1997-98, a lot of fans were peeved at him for holding out; however, all was forgiven when he was skating around the ice with the Cup in his hands. Once he left for Anaheim, it was a whole other ballgame: he was deserting the team, and he was going to the team that had just knocked out the Wings. I said earlier that I considered him to be a "lifer"; however, his actions show that he was just looking out for himself.<br /><br />Regardless of the way he left the Wings or the holdout, no one can deny that the man had an incredible amount of talent. To this day, he remains the only player to win the Hart and Selke in the same season, and unless Datysuk wins a Hart someday, that's not going to change. He was the third-highest scorer in the postseason in the 1990s. He transformed the image of the Russian player, showing that they want to win as badly as North American players do and can handle a long playoff run. For the majority of the 1990s, he was their best player, and together with Yzerman formed a 1-2 punch at center that was unmatched by most of the league. He could pair up with Larry Murphy and form an effective defensive duo, and he could rush end-to-end and score one of the prettiest goals you would ever see. I know we all love Datsyuk, but in my humble opinion, Fedorov was even better, especially in his prime. Where Ciccarelli formed the mold for a guy like Holmstrom to be an effective player on the team, Fedorov did the same for Datsyuk.<br /><br />As I made this list, I thought of what was going to determine a guy's place on the list. His abilities were obviously going to be considered, but so was his place on the team; if he left, how did he leave? I struggled with Fedorov being up this high initially, for the same reasons that a lot of Wing fans still resent him today. However, I had to look past all that and recognize that his skills were second to none on the team during the 1990s (Yzerman was close, but I don't think he could do what Fedorov did on the ice on a consistent basis). If Yzerman was the heart and Bowman was the brain of the team, Fedorov was the hands and legs. I have no doubts that without his contributions, the Wings would not have had the success they did, and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong on that. Love him or hate him, there's no denying that in terms of his abilities on the ice, he was a superstar. He is still the only Red Wing I've ever seen win the Hart, and more than once I saw him will the team to victory. I may not have liked the way he departed the team, but there's no question that Sergei Fedorov #3 on the list of the Greatest Red Wings of My Time.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-57866794297312392572010-08-17T08:54:00.007-05:002010-08-17T11:27:07.888-05:00The Greatest Red Wings of MY Time - #4For anyone that hasn't seen it, George Malik's contribution to Yahoo's Mount Puckmore series <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Mount-Puckmore-The-four-faces-of-the-Detroit-Re?urn=nhl-261602">is up</a>, and as we've come to expect from George, this did not disappoint. The 4 names listed were:<br /><br />Gordie Howe<br />Ted Lindsay<br />Steve Yzerman<br />Nicklas Lidstrom<br /><br />I can't disagree with any of those choices, because that was my final 4 when I was discussing it with some of the other bloggers. As usual, George has represented the Red Wings fanbase well, and if there were ever some sort of United Nations of Bloggers, I would recommend that George be the ambassador for the Wings.<br /><br />We turn our attention back to our series, and today we present the next-to-last of the non-lifers on the list. #4 of the Greatest Red Wings of My Time.<br /><br /><strong>Brendan Shanahan</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Pertinent Stats: </strong>716 GP, 309 G, 324 A, 633 P, +144, 1043 PIM<br /><strong>Awards:</strong> King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Humanitarian Efforts) - 2003<br /><strong>Stanley Cups: </strong>3 - 1997, 1998, 2002<br /><br />Brendan Shanahan was born in Etobicoke, and I only mention that because (a) he was just inducted into the Etobicoke Hall of Fame and (b) I was also born in Etobicoke. In case you were wondering, Etobicoke (the "-ke" is silent, BTW) used to be its own municipality, but was absorbed into the City of Toronto in the mid-'90s. Just a little Canadian history for you. It's also a bit of a joke with Drew from NOHS. Moving on.<br /><br />Shanny had already forged himself a good career with the Devils, Blues and Whalers when he requested a trade from Hartford. The Wings, realizing they needed a legitimate power forward, immediately put together a package that included Paul Coffey, Keith Primeau and a 1st round draft pick to obtain him. Right from the start, Shanahan fit in with the team and became an instant fan favourite. He scored 46 goals in his first season with the Wings, but his greatest moment for me from that season was his flying takedown of Roy on March 26. This act solidified his place as a true member of the Red Wings and not some gun-for-hire brought in to score goals *cough*Hossa*cough*. In the playoffs that season, Shanny was amazing, scoring 9 goals and 17 points as the Wings captured their first Cup in 42 years. Along the way, he scored the series-clinching goal against the Ducks, and he added a couple of big goals in the Finals (the insurance marker in Game 2 and the shot-from-behind-the-net in Game 3). The next season was a bit of an off year for him, but the Wings were able to repeat as champs.<br /><br />Over the course of his Red Wing career, Shanahan became on of the team's most consistent scorers. In 9 seasons, he never scored less than 25 goals, and he hit the 40-goal mark 3 times. He also exhibited a mean streak, as evidenced by his 1000+ PIM in 9 seasons. In 2001-2002, he returned to playoff form, racking up 19 points in 23 games as the Wings won their 3rd Cup in 6 years. Shanny was the one who potted the empty-netter that season, ensuring the Wings would be victorious. Unfortunately, he would be unable to replicate his playoff scoring over the next 3 postseasons, tallying only 10 points in 22 playoff games. His inability to score was one of the main reasons why the Wings were not successful in the playoffs, and after the 2005-06 season, he and the team parted ways as the Wings were ready to move forward with a different nucleus.<br /><br />In terms of my lifetime, Shanahan is without question the best power forward the Wings have had. He could score and he could hit; his hands were soft enough that he could score a pretty goal, or he could turn them into fists and pummel an opponent. Essentially, he was what Keith Primeau should have been when the Wings drafted him. I've always found it ironic that the Wings had to get the player they wanted all along by trading the very guy they had drafted to fill that role. That Shanahan was not only a better scorer than Primeau was but also tougher says a lot about how good Shanny was, because Primeau turned out to be a pretty decent hockey player.<br /><br />While Shanahan never had any real postseason success to speak of prior to the trade, his presence on the team seemed to legitimize the Wings in a way that no outsider could. They were suddenly tougher, but with a lot of skill to go with that toughness. He also gave the Wings a bonafide scorer to give them 2 real offensive lines that could match anyone in the league. Having Shanahan on the team allowed Yzerman to concentrate more on his defensive play and not worry about having to pick up the slack offensively. He just seemed to be the kind of guy whose game was suited for the playoffs. That he was able to contribute immediately and win a Cup in that first season speaks volumes to how important he really was to the team.<br /><br />For me, Shanahan represents the "Golden Age" of the Wings in my lifetime. As an integral part of the '97 team, he will always hold a special place in my heart, because that was my favourite year to be a Wing fan. There was always something different about them winning the first one, especially after having to watch them fail again and again and again prior that. But it wasn't just what he did in the playoffs that made him special to me; he was the Wings' best goal scorer for 9 years, but he was also one of their toughest player. He was the prototypical "power forward", and without him I don't know how successful the Wings would have been. The trade for him put the Wings on a level they had never previously been on, and allowed them to become the dominant franchise they are today. When he left, it signalled the end of an era, as he (with Yzerman) were the last of the "Old Guard" of forwards to still be on the team. Unlike other free agents that leave, Shanny was not ridiculed or thought less of because he left; instead, we recognized him for what he did for the team and wished him well in his future endeavours. He is on record as saying that if (come on, we all know it is "when") he enters the Hall of Fame, he will do so as a Red Wing; if that doesn't speak volumes about what his time in Detroit meant to him, I don't know what would. So today we celebrate Brendan Shanahan, the best power forward I've ever seen, and the 4th Greatest Red Wing of My Time.<br /><br />*<em>Thanks to Anonymous who pointed out there is still one more non-lifer to come. A big mistake on my part. </em>Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-3577596567306955362010-08-16T10:12:00.005-05:002010-08-16T13:50:58.161-05:00The Greatest Red Wings of MY Time - #5Before we get in to today's post, some congratulations are in order. We have received word that <a href="http://twitter.com/georgemalik">George Malik</a> has joined <a href="http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php">Kukla's Korner</a> as another blogger. If you're not familiar with George, shame on you; long before I discovered all of the different Wing blogs, I was reading George for updates on MLive.com. He will be a welcome addition to KK, and we look forward to his frequent posts about everything that's happening in the Red Wing universe.<br /><br />Having said that, man am I getting tired of the lack of news. What is a blogger to do? It's too early for season previews, and I just don't care where Tomas Kaberle ends up, as long as it is somewhere where they have eyebrow tweezers on sale for cheap. Luckily for me, I am continuing my series, and this week will mark numbers 5 through 1. I'm going to bet there will be absolutely no surprises this week, but it will be fun to talk about them anyway. So let's start with #5.<br /><br /><strong>Henrik Zetterberg</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Pertinent Stats: </strong>506 GP, 206 G, 269 A, 475 P, +131<br /><strong>Awards: </strong>Conn Smythe - 2008<br /><strong>Stanley Cups: </strong>1 - 2008<br /><br />I really considered doing a "5A" and "5B" for Datsyuk and Zetterberg, because they are so close together in terms of their abilities and achievements. However, I put Hank at #5 because I think he's done just a tiny bit more than Datsyuk. He's also my current favourite player on the team, so that helps as well.<br /><br />Zetterberg was yet another of the late-round draft picks that turned into a superstar. In his case, he was picked 210th overall in 1999 in what was deemed to be a throwaway pick. He joined the team in 2002-03 as a rookie the year after the Wings won the Cup, and enjoyed immediate success. He tallied 22 goals and 44 points that year, impressive totals for a rookie, but had the Calder stolen from him by Barret Jackman (as an aside, what is it with impressive Wing rookies losing the Calder? Yzerman to Barrasso; Zetterberg to Jackman and Howard to Myers? Seems to be a bit of a conspiracy if you ask me). The next season saw him miss time due to a broken leg, but after the lockout Zetterberg seemed poised to make the jump to become one of the leaders of the team. Since the lockout, he and Datsyuk have been the go-to guys in terms of scoring, and together form one of the most dynamic and dangerous lines in hockey.<br /><br />There is no question in mine or anyone else's mind that Zetterberg is the next captain of the Red Wings. A lot of people thought he might get named after Stevie retired, but I think Hank was still a little young, and he needed time to grow into his role. However, once Lidstrom does end up hanging up the skates, I don't think it will be long before there's a press conference announcing the passing on of the "C" to Zetterberg. Really, who else on the team would be a good fit for captain? The only other person I could think of would be Datsyuk, but it seems to me that Zetterberg is more of a "leader" of the team than Dats is; perhaps that is due to Pavel's quiet nature or the fact he is not as media friendly as Hank is; either way, Zetterberg as captain seems right and natural, and I think he'll be a good ambassador and representative of the franchise, as every captain has been in the past.<br /><br />Where Zetterberg is slightly ahead of Datsyuk is in his playoff performances. In 2005-06, through the tears, it was obvious to me that Hank was probably the best forward on the ice for the Wings that year, racking up 6 goals in 6 games and being the only Wing that could score with any regularity. Since then, he's been a better-than-a-point-per-game player for the Wings, including 15 points in 12 games last year. However, by far his best performance was in 2007-8 when he racked up 27 points in 22 games, including the Cup-winning goal off Fleury's butt in Game 6. His point totals combined with his strong two-way play got him the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. However, his defining moment wasn't any of his goals or assists; it was the excellent work he did on the 5-on-3 in Game 4 with the Wings clinging to a one-goal lead. That kill was the turning point of the series, as it kept the Pens from tying the game (and possibly the series) headed back to the Joe for Game 5. Want to relive that shift? I know I did:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/05YS1DAnAMo?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/05YS1DAnAMo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Like Datsyuk, Zetterberg is known throughout the league for his two-way play. I've often told people that Hank and Pavel are essentially the same player, but Pavel is just a little "flashier" in terms of the things he can do. But I've asked myself the question of who is more "important" to the team between the two of them and my brain keeps telling me that it is Zetterberg. I just feel that if the team lost Datsyuk for an extended period of time, the Wings would be in deep trouble, but if they lost Zetterberg for the same amount of time, it would be even worse. Am I wrong in thinking that? I still believe that Lidstrom is more important to the team than either one, but I just get the sense that the team has a better chance of competing if they have Zetterberg instead of Datsyuk. I look no further than the Finals in 2009: Zetterberg's dominance of Crosby should have led to a repeat championship except for Max F------ Talbot. While he was assigned the duty to cover Crosby and Malkin when possible, he was able to keep them relatively in check while kicking in 3 points. After Game 4, it was quite obvious that he was probably exhausted, yet he never let that on and never complained.<br /><br />I guess Zetterberg gets this high on the list not only for what he has done in his relatively short career with the Wings, but also for the potential greatness that has yet to occur. I can't think of another player on the Wings right now that seems like he is going to impact the franchise as much as Hank will. I have no doubts that when his career is over, we will speak of him with the same reverence that we do for Yzerman and Lidstrom; as one of the true "greats" of the franchise. He continues to be not only one of the best players on the team, but in the NHL itself. Like I said earlier, he's my current favourite player, so that bumps him up on the list. I love what he brings to the team, and the fact that he is a guy that the Wings can count on to produce in the playoffs. Sure, his wedding photo was a little weird; but any guy who can frustrate The Face of the NHL so much that he does the following is ok in my books.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0PfDVU0goR4?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0PfDVU0goR4?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />The 4 guys ahead of him were all amazing, and if I update this in 5 or 10 years, he might end up higher. But for now, he will have to be happy knowing he is #5 on the list of the Greatest Red Wings of My Time.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-4351526567728192492010-08-12T15:26:00.005-05:002010-08-13T10:42:46.638-05:00The Greatest Red Wings of MY Time - #6Wow. Talk about nothing going on today. I guess the NHL, like the rest of us, has decided to take the day off in anticipation of one of the last weekends of the summer. So let's just dive right in to #6 on the list of Greatest Red Wings of My Time.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Pavel Datsyuk</strong><br /><br /><strong>Pertinent Stats: </strong>606 GP, 198 G, 394 A, 592 P, +176<br /><strong>Awards: </strong>Lady Byng - 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009; Selke Trophy - 2008, 2009, 2010<br /><strong>Stanley Cups: </strong>2 - 2002, 2008<br /><br />Instead of talking about Datsyuk, I honestly just considered putting up a bunch of Youtube videos displaying his sick moves. However, that's kind of lazy, so I guess I'll write about why he gets the #6 spot.<br /><br />Pavel Datsyuk was drafted in the 6th round of the 1998 NHL draft after being passed over the previous 2 years. When the Wings picked him, I'm guessing they didn't realize exactly how good he was, or else they would have picked him earlier. He joined the team in 2001-02 and immediately found some chemistry with Boyd Devereaux and Brett Hull. His rookie year was good but not great, and he chipped in 35 points in the regular season, and 6 in the playoffs, helping the Wings win the Cup. I remember that even then he had some amazing hands, although the flashes of that brilliance were not as prevalent as they are today.<br /><br />The next year saw the arrival of Henrik Zetterberg, and together with Brett Hull they formed the "Two Kids and an Old Goat" line, which I think is the longest line name in NHL history. It seemed pretty obvious that Datsyuk and Zetterberg had chemistry together, but in the playoffs Datsyuk was a bit of a no-show, resulting in the Wings' exit at the hands of the Ducks (although the rest of the team was just as bad). Over the next few years, Pavel saw his role on the team grow as more veterans left; he moved up to become the predominant passer on the team when Federov left, and after Yzerman and Shanahan moved on, he found himself as one of the leaders on the team. He didn't disappoint, putting up consecutive seasons of 87 points in 2005-06 and 2006-07. However, until the spring of 2006-07, his playoff performance left something to be desired.<br /><br />It was well-documented going into that postseason that Datsyuk had not scored a goal since being a rookie, a total of 3 playoff seasons. With the rest of the old guard gone, it was up to him and Zetterberg to pick up the team offensively and lead the way. He responded to his role as leader by racking up 8 goals and 16 points in 18 games, losing to the Ducks in the Conference Finals. It seemed like he had rid himself of his playoff demons, and the next year he was even better, scoring 10 goals and adding 13 assists on the Wings' way to the Cup. There was no question that he was one of the main leaders on the team now, and in 2008-09 he racked up 97 points and was nominated for a Hart Trophy. In the playoffs, he missed the first 4 games of the Finals and was unable to get the Wings to a second straight championship. I know I've often wondered whether the Wings would have won had he been healthy. Yes, I understand that argument that they were up 3-2 without him, but I just feel that had he been in the lineup, the burden would have shifted off Zetterberg and they would have been more energetic in Game 6 (and 7, had it come to that). Oh well. He had an off year last year, but I'm not going to dwell on that.<br /><br />There's not much I can say about Datsyuk that hasn't been said before. The man is easily one of the most offensively-gifted players in the NHL today. Some of the moves he has made in his career have made me stop what I was doing and stare at the TV, mouth open with a handful of nachos halfway to my lips (I like to eat nachos during the game). Yet, for every move that I've seen, he pulls out another one that is better. I wonder where he learns this stuff, and how often he practices it. I'm waiting for him to be on a breakaway, drop the puck back between his legs, sweep kick the puck back up to his stick and then deke the goalie (a move I have made many times alone, but never had the guts to try in a game). I think I would literally pee myself if I ever saw that.<br /><br />But it's not just the offense. He's also one of the best two-way players in the game, as evidenced by the three straight Selke Trophies he has won as the best defensive forward in hockey. While there are those that argue that he should not have won this past year, my completely biased opinion is that it was well-deserved. I know we tend to think about defensive forwards as the checking line guys and penalty killers, but Datsyuk has taken his role and embraced it at all times when he is on the ice. Countless times we have seen him catch up to a player from behind, steal the puck, and then immediately turn back up ice and create an offensive chance. He's a tireless checker, and can be found behind his own goal line looking for the puck. And, despite his smaller frame, he can throw the body around a little bit. I would imagine that trying to check Datsyuk would be like trying to hit a skinny but solid tree; there's just no way you're going to move it. Of course, you'll have to catch him first.<br /><br />I'm not sure what else I can say to illustrate just how ridiculously good Datsyuk is. In terms of stickhandling ability, I'd say he's on par with Federov and just ahead of Yzerman (when Stevie was in his prime). His speed is still there even though he's on the wrong side of 30 (he's a few months older than I am). He seems to have an almost endless supply of energy every night. And in an era when defense is stressed and offense is down, he's almost at a point-per-game pace. I shudder to think what Datsyuk would have done in the early 90s or the 80s with the open ice and less clutching and grabbing. He's been a perennial All-Star, a Hart Trophy finalist and a 3-time winner as the best defensive forward in hockey. Not bad for a guy that was available for 2 years as an undrafted player, and then for 5 rounds in the draft he was taken in.<br /><br />And now, for your enjoyment, let's get to those Youtube videos:<br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XdioAO_XXZQ?fs=" hl="en_US" width="640" height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/12-95HTaCmE?fs=" hl="en_US" width="640" height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ul6mKT5hz2U?fs=" hl="en_US" width="640" height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FHhmGkGhf8w?fs=" hl="en_US" width="480" height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xH08Kvwu9Og?fs=" hl="en_US" width="480" height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />There are no words to accurately describe just how pretty those are.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-23346917667527281462010-08-12T09:12:00.007-05:002010-08-12T10:54:45.336-05:00The Greatest Red Wings of MY Time - #7I watched bits and pieces of Game 5 of the 2002 Finals between the Wings and Canes, and I was reminded by just how stacked that team was. The talent on the first 3 lines was enough to score almost at will, and the 4th line had a ton of speed and grit that could shut down anyone. Crazy. I honestly believe that the 2002 Red Wings are probably one of the greatest one-season teams of all time, and certainly the best I have ever seen.<br /><br />We return to our series, and if you've been paying attention, then you realize that there have been certain players not mentioned so far. I don't think anyone is going to be surprised by 6 of the next 7 players, but I'm curious to see how this next guy is received. Here's #7:<br /><br /><strong>Chris Osgood</strong><br /><br /><strong>Pertinent Stats: </strong>554 GP, W-L-T-OTL/SOL 312-146-46-27, 39 SO, 2.48 GAA, .905 SV%<br /><strong>Awards: </strong>William Jennings Award (lowest GAA) - 1996, 2008<br /><strong>Stanley Cups: </strong>3 - 1997, 1998, 2008<br /><br />Has there ever been a player more derided and unappreciated than Chris Osgood? I swear, the number of non-Red Wing fans that believe that he is one of the luckiest players ever born never ceases to amaze me. Even some Red Wing fans have long maintained that the Wings would be better off without him. But what these fans fail to realize is just how good Ozzie is, and how the Red Wings are lucky to have him.<br /><br />Osgood was drafted by the Wings in '91 (I still have a hockey card set with all the draft picks from the first few rounds that year, including Lindros and Osgood). If you weren't a fan of the Red Wings back in the late '80s/early '90s, then it's hard to understand just how long the Wings searched for the goalie that would lead them to success. It seemed like Tim Cheveldae was going to be that guy, but....well, it just didn't work out. Osgood came in as a rookie in 1993-94 and played ok. However, when the playoffs started, he was given the starter's job. I guess Scotty figured that no one else was going to get the job done, so why not give the rookie some much-needed experience. Plus, the Wings were playing the Sharks, who were going to get destroyed, right? Boy were they wrong. The Sharks upset the Wings, and the series winning goal was scored after a giveaway by Osgood behind the net. I can still remember him crying in the lockerroom after the game, knowing that his mistake was a big reason why the Wings were not able to get past an overmatched opponent. It wasn't all his fault, though.<br /><br />The Wings picked up Mike Vernon the next year, and he and Osgood formed a nice 1-2 duo in the nets for the Detroit. In 1996 they combined to post the lowest GAA in the NHL, earning them a split of the Jennings Trophy. Osgood also led the league in wins that year with 39 and was a Vezina finalist, but once again neither he nor Vernon was enough to get the Wings to the Finals. In 1997 he was the backup for the playoffs as Vernon's Conn Smythe-winning goaltending helped carry the Wings to the Cup they had been sorely trying to win. Vernon departed after that season, and Osgood became the #1 guy. He didn't disappoint, leading the Wings to a second straight Stanley Cup.<br /><br />The Wings were unable to advance past the second round for the next couple of seasons, and the Wings acquired Dominik Hasek in the summer of 2001. Osgood was left unprotected in the waiver draft and was picked up by the Islanders. He split the next 3 seasons between the Islanders and Blues, and helped both secure playoff spots during his stints there, a feat that should be considered Godly considering how garbage both of those teams have been since. In 2005, after the lockout was over, Ozzie came back home to Detroit and served as the backup to Manny Legace. When the Wings re-signed Hasek, Osgood stayed on as backup, but when Hasek was unable to beat the Predators in 2008, Ozzie stepped in as the starter and proceeded to only lose 4 of the next 18 games he played, posting a ridiculous 1.55 GAA and .930 SV%. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to recapture that level of play consistently, although he was one of the main reasons why the Wings were able to get back to the Finals in 2009, and certainly could not be blamed for the loss to the Penguins.<br /><br />I picked Osgood for the list because I had to have a goalie, and he's the one who has made the biggest impact on the franchise in my lifetime. I don't think he's the "best" goalie the Wings have had: that honour would likely go to Hasek. But Osgood has been more important to the team given his tenure and the fact that he has backstopped (as the starter) 2 Cup winners. I picked him this high because I feel that he deserves the recognition for his contributions to the team.<br /><br />Ah yes, the recognition. I would dare someone to show me a player that is universally disrespected by NHL fans as a whole like Osgood has been throughout his career. The argument has always been the same: he's not that good, it's the team in front of him. If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that phrase or some variation of it, I would have enough money to buy an Osgood jersey. I have 2 counterarguments to this line of thinking:<br /><br />First, no goalie in NHL history has not benefitted from having a good team in front of him, specifically a good defense corps. The 3 best goalies I have seen in my lifetime are Brodeur, Roy and Hasek; for anyone to suggest that they won Cups in spite of their teammates instead of because of them is patently absurd. If a goalie could do it on their own, then Hasek would have had 2 Cups with the Sabres long before he became a Red Wing; Brodeur would have more than the 3 he's got, and Roy would have more than 4. While I have no doubts that those guys made their teams better, the reverse is also true: they won Cups because they had good players in front of them. Second, and more specific to the Red Wings, if the team was so good, why haven't more goalies won Cups while they were a Wing? Guys like Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace were good goalies, but neither one of them even got close to winning. Was it their fault? In Legace's case, absolutely it was. But it wasn't Joseph's; he simply ran into a scorching hot opponent in Giguere.<br /><br />I won't dispute that Osgood has had his fair share of "oops" moments; in 1998, he gave up a long goal in each of the first 3 rounds (Roenick's shot against Phoenix, Macinnis' shot against St Louis and Langenbruner's shot against Dallas). But what non-Wing fans fail to remember is that he followed up those bad goals with stellar games (he pitched a shutout the game after giving up the long OT goal against the Stars). While I don't believe that Osgood has ever been the type of guy that can steal a series, he hasn't had to be on the Wings; he just has to be as good as the other goalie. This is where having a good team in front of him can be a great benefit. However, what Osgood has always done is make the big save at the right time; when the Wings needed a big stop to slow the other team's momentum or keep the Wings in the game, more often than not he was able to make the stop and give the Wings a chance. Not many goalies in the last 20 years for the Wings have been able to do that *cough*Legace*cough*. Yet no one seems to understand this. I just don't think it's fair to heap all the blame for the Wings' failures on Osgood, but then turn around and not give him any credit when they succeed. 2008 is a perfect example of this. Were it not for Ozzie coming in to rescue arguably the best goalie of the last 10 years, the Wings might not survive the first round. Instead, he takes over and the Wings win yet another Cup. Hell, in 2009, had the Wings won Game 7, I believe he'd have a Conn Smythe on his mantle.<br /><br />Out of all of the goalies I have seen wearing the Red and White, I can't think of a better one the Wings have had than Ozzie. While he struggled last year and in the regular season of 2008-09, his role has now changed. No longer is he the go-to guy the team relies on to get them through a playoff run; he's now the wily veteran who serves as mentor and friend to the goalie of the future, a Mr Jimmy Howard. More than once last year Howard commented on how good Osgood was to have as someone to teach and watch over him during his rookie season. It's clear that Osgood has embraced his role with open arms, as he has done anytime the Wings have asked him to do something. While he spent time with the Islanders and Blues, it's clear that Osgood will always be remembered as a Wing, and a good one at that. I look forward to the day when I can watch his Hall of Fame induction speech and see him drop the puck at the Leaf game that weekend.<br /><br />I leave you with my favourite Chris Osgood memory. Keep in mind only 2 other goalies in NHL history has done this. A thing of beauty (sorry for the poor quality):<br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/q2nHWAKouas?fs=" hl="en_US" width="480" height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />Simply amazing. Let's see Roy do that.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6010216723186453785.post-89027068696650533122010-08-11T08:43:00.007-05:002010-08-11T10:00:56.123-05:00The Greatest Red Wings of MY Time - #8There's not much happening in Red Wing Nation today, nor in the NHL as a whole. The fallout from the Kovalchuk decision is still happening, with columnists and fans all weighing in with their opinions on everything from who he will sign with to how this will affect labour negotiations in the future. But today I want to get right into it, so I present #8 on my list.<br /><br /><strong>Vladimir Konstantinov</strong><br /><br /><strong>Pertinent Stats: </strong>446 GP, 47 G, 128 A, 175 P, +185, 838 PIM<br /><strong>Awards: </strong>None<br /><strong>Stanley Cups: </strong>2 - 1997, 1998<br /><br />I won't lie to you: this one is going to be tough for me, because Vlad was one of my favourite players on the team. There was always something about him that was different from the rest of the Wings. Most of the players were "good" guys who, from time to time, played with varying degrees of an edge. Vlad had no edge. If the Wings were a tool box, Vlad was the sledge hammer. I loved the way he played. There was no real "style" to his game, as he was all about substance, that substance being his bulky frame, which he threw around with impunity.<br /><br />Konstaninov was selected in the 11th round of the epic 1989 draft (the same draft that yielded Lidstrom, Federov and Drake). He cracked the lineup for the 1991-92 season, and after an impressive rookie year, he was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team. He was never a particularly gifted scorer, but the Wings got him for his defense, not for his offense. His best season offensively was 96-97, when he tallied 38 points, but only 5 goals. However, his +/- was off the charts, including a ridiculous +60 in 95-96, the highest in the league. This was the year the "Russian Five" was put together, with Vlad playing the part of the muscle on the line. His nicknames were "Vlad the Impaler" and the "Vladinator", and they fit his style of play perfectly. He was easily the most feared hitter on the team, and by '96-97, was being recognized as one of the best open-ice hitters in the entire league.<br /><br />I loved Vlad. I loved the fact he couldn't really speak English, yet he would hit guys so hard they could forget how to speak it themselves. I loved that he threw one of my favourite hits of all time (the first one, although the second one was pretty awesome as well): <br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/clbyBCA4Tbs&hl=" fs="1" width="480" height="385" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />I loved that, despite his physicality, he still had some decent hands. I loved that he was a Norris Trophy candidate before Lidstrom ever was (and that's not a knock on Lidstrom - that just shows how good Konstantinov was, especially considering he wasn't great offensively). I loved that he was one of the toughest pound-for-pound players in the NHL, which completely flew in the face of the stereotype of the soft Russian. I loved that he looked evil and mean, like the bad guy in any Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. Mostly, I loved that, together with Lidstrom, they formed the best 1-2 punch of defensemen in the NHL. Think about it: after facing Lidstrom for 30-40 seconds, opponents would then have to face Vlad. The Wings won the Cup in 1997, and Konstantinov played a pivotal role.<br /><br />Then it all went to shit.<br /><br />We all know the story: the team is out celebrating and does the responsible thing by hiring limousines for the players. Vlad, Slava Fetisov and Sergei Mnatsakanov get into a limo driven by Richard Gnida, who had no business being behind the wheel of his own car, let alone being responsible for driving other people (but I won't get into that, because to talk about him will result in my fist being driven through my computer screen - I should probably see someone about my rage issues). It's strange to think that getting into a car drastically altered the lives of 2 people, but that's exactly what happened. Gnida lost control of the limo and it struck a tree. Suddenly Vlad's carrier is over, and more importantly, his life is in jeopardy.<br /><br />I'm sure every Red Wing fan knows where they were when they heard the news about the accident. I was at a pool hall with my friends, sporting my brand new Stanley Cup Champions hat and shirt. What made this particularly awesome is that I was among many bitter Maple Leaf fans; those same fans that had tortured and taunted me over the Wings' many failures in the past 10 years. I finally had my revenge, and boy did I let everyone in that place know that I cheered for a winner. I glanced over at the TV and saw the Sportscenter anchor talking. There was no sound, but they had Vlad's picture up in the corner, and the look on the anchor's face was serious. I got an uneasy feeling, but that was nothing compared to what I felt after the next image popped up on the screen: the mangled limo. Suddenly it all become clear. I only caught a few words and phrases of what the anchor said: limo crash....Vlad seriously hurt....critical. They broke away to commercial, and then I did something.<br /><br />I cried.<br /><br />This wasn't the "full-on, sobbing uncontrollably" kind of cry. It was only a few tears, but for me, this was huge. I've cried very few times in the last 15 years: my wedding (there's a joke in there, but I'll save that for another day), the days my daughters were born, and when my grandmother recently passed away. Besides those instances, there were 3 other times, 2 within a week of each other: Vlad's accident and the night they won a week before that. I cried because I knew his career was done; I realized that it was selfish of me to think that, because I was looking at it from the perspective of a Wing fan, knowing that we just lost one of the most important members of the team. But as I learned more about him and his family, I realized that while I will be sad for a while, it will pass and we will all move on, but for Vlad and his family, the struggle back to normalcy was just beginning.<br /><br />The 1997-98 season could have been the script of a movie: a team overcomes decades of frustration and wins a championship; during the celebration of that championship, a team member is critically injured through no fault of his own; the team dedicates the following season to the player and repeats as champions. There were even the required emotional scenes: the return of Vladdy to the Joe during the Conference Finals against Dallas was one and the presenting of the Cup to him while he was in his wheelchair at center ice, with the entire team gathering around him to celebrate. Remember when I said there were 3 non-family related times I cried? Guess when number 3 happened. The series between the Wings and Caps, overall, was a snoozefest. But that Cup presentation was one of the best I've ever seen, and solidified the fact that these guys were a team, not just a bunch of players trying to win.<br /><br />I realize that Vlad was a little high on this list, and most of that is just my sentimentality coming through. But what gets lost in the discussion about him was just how damn good he was. From a Red Wing perspective, it's such a shame that his career ended the way it did, because he was just coming into form as a dominant defenseman in the NHL, and I have no doubts he would have helped the Wings win a few more Cups down the line. He could hit with the best of them, and wasn't afraid to drop his gloves and take a guy on, which was impressive considering that he wasn't a big guy himself (5'11", 190 lbs). While I always was impressed by what he brought to the team, he also contributed after the accident, becoming something the team could rally around in their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. The '98 Wings were the last team to repeat (a trend that will continue this year: suck it Blackhawks), and Vlad's injuries were a large part of that, giving the team a reason (beyond all the obvious ones) to do their best and win it all. As the years have passed, stories have come out that show that Vlad is not all the way back, and probably never will get to the place he was at before the accident. But he has persevered through all the rehab and treatment to get to a point where he can function day to day, and after what happened, that's pretty inspirational. The Wings have not had a player since Vlad that was as tough as he was in terms of hitting: while Kronwall may dish out some big checks, he's not as ferocious as Vlad was. He's easily the best pure hitter I've ever seen in a Red Wing uniform. Maybe this was my heart talking more than my head, but there are not many players I would consider better than Vlad in my lifetime. Therefore, he gets the #8 spot on the Greatest Red Wings of My Time.Grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00697794555787610013noreply@blogger.com8