While we all enjoy reading about the brightest stars in the league, it's every now and then good to take a look at some of the heroes that don't get their names on the media coverage as much as they maybe deserve. I'll throw in some names that might appear on the name plates on silverware in the end of the season to surprise us all.
Let's start defence first to honor many coaches favorite clichés. Has anyone noticed that Minnesota Wild has been hovering on top of the NHL for some time now and doesn't look like going anywhere? The team is in bottom 5 of goals scored in the whole league but still manages somehow to stay on the winning end. This team really knows how to defend. They trap, block shots and have apparently three amazing goaltenders in the lineup. But who's leading the team to this workmanlike success? Wild captain Mikko Koivu leads the team in points and plus-minus. He plays almost the same minutes as the leading defensive pair in the team. He's in the rink on powerplay or while shorthanded. If Minnesota keeps up the rest of the season, this guy deserves the Selke trophy.
To the points race and Art Ross trophy. Now with Crosby out of the competition, there is actually a race for this. The Sedin twins are in the mix as always, newcomers like blossoming Claude Giroux and comeback-kid Phil Kessel are there to be followed. But there's also a Slovak threat in form of Marian Hossa, who seems to have found both his health and level of play after couple of sluggish years. The whole Chicago team is rocking and even on route for grabbing the Stanley Cup in the end. Hossa has taken over equally impressive Jonathan Toews and Patrik Sharp in the points race and is the hottest player on this massively talented squad at the moment. He's also leading his team in the plus-minus with +18 and has the perfect combination of offensive skills and experience to keep going steadily until the end of the season. Who knows if Hossa would end up on top of the points pile in springtime.
The new faces on NHL this season have been again really fun to watch. There seems to be no reason why 18 year old kids couldn't play with the older pro athletes. Take look at Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He's actually so good that there's no one to challenge him in the offencive end this season for the Calder trophy. There's other kids like New Jersey's Adam Henrique and Philly's Matt Reed, but they cannot keep up with the number one pick's pace this season. So, the challenger for the trophy has to come from the defence lineup. The number one candidate may be New Jersey's other rookie called Adam. Yound Swedish defender Adam Larsson has played entertaining hockey on a mediocre Devils lineup. He's connecting really well with the offensive artists in the team like Ilya Kovalchuck. Unfortunately that playful style, while sometimes productive, also leads to quite bad numbers in the plus-minus. If he can turn up the defence skills a notch while not steering away from courageous, imaginative plays, there might be a chance to challenge the RNH for the Calder title. If not, well the wunderkind from Edmonton will raise that cup in the end.
Then the masked men. In the Vezina talks there's one guy who seems to fly constantly under the radar while really establishing himself as the backbone of a famed franchise. Detroit's Jimmy Howard leads the pack on wins and has very impressive stats on GAA (1.91) and save percentage (0.929). Still, the Vezina race he seems to always go unnoticed. Maybe it's the legacy of unforgettable Red Wings goalies like Dominik Hasek that keep on casting a shade on Howard's heroics. Detroit has been doing incredibly well this season with the lineup combining Hall of fame bound veterans like Datsuyk and Lidström with some rather unknown grinders. Comparing Howard's position behind this team to the setup for e.g. Tim Thomas and Marc-Andre Fleury should shine some light on how well he's played this season. Hopefully he gets the recognition he deserves in the ceremonies too.
Finally the ever so thrilling goals race. Rocket Richard trophy is likely seen as a race between rebounding Phil Kessel and last years' top cannon Steven Stamkos. However, right behind these guys is currently injured Ottawa Senator, Milan Michalek with 19 goals already under his belt. Michalek has the best accuracy by far on the top scorers and so far this season he's been phenomenal in finding the spots where the goals can be shoveled in. Okay, his wrister is definitely a dangerous weapon, but there has been numerous game highlights displaying Michalek backhanding or tapping in goals from goal mouth scambles or just on the perimeter of the scrum in front. If he returns to the lineup soon and keeps this pace, who knows where he'll land on the goals race in the end. The fun statistic for Michalek is that he only has 6 assists to goal with his bucketfull of goals. I wonder if it tells more about his skills to finish the play or trust for his linemates abilities in the same task.
It'll be fun to watch these sleeper picks for the rest of the season and see if they really can challenge the obvious candidates for the personal spotlight.
2011/12/19
2011/12/09
Violent times
The hockey news have recently started to feel more and more like a police report of some serial abuser. Is this a sign of rising tempers on the ice or just a mere reflection of the current world and its increasing focus on peeking into nasty incidents and filth? If the first theory is true, we'll be seeing a lot of Mr. Shanahan on the video clips to come. If the latter, well I guess it's time to look in the mirror and ask what are we relly looking for in the coverage of our favorite sport.
I'll chip in by producing another article on the violent topic. I'll try to inject some sense within the gallery of gore.
I'll try to avoid the Sidney Crosby threshold here, otherwise I'd have to write about every bump that happens in the game. Instead, I'll focus on some of the recent serious incidents on the rinks around NHL.
Let's start with fellow Finn Ville Leino of the Buffalo Sabres. I knew the guy was extremely talented, but his nasty elbow on the head of Flyers rookie sensation Matt Read was in its viciousness a tribute to superhuman limb coordination. Leino used his left knee to knock Read's stick up, his right foot to kick the puck to himself and delivered a "no-look elbow" straight to the head of the unsuspecting rookie. All this in a fragment of a second, with perfect coordination. One game suspension is light and likely mostly so because Shanahan, regardless of his unquestionable merits on ice, couldn't have pulled that off himself and thus writes it off as an reckless accident. Hopefully Read didn't get any damage on the play and Leino vents his frustration of unproductiveness on other levels of play in the future.
Moving then to a distinguished bad boy Krys Barch. On his first game as a Florida Panther, he managed to destroy Boston's Daniel Paille on a thunderous hit near the boards. Paille spent four games on the press box after vicious headshot in February. Conspiracy theorists should all already connect the dots on the fact that the victim on Paille's check was Raymond Sawada, then a teammate of Krys Barch in Dallas. Barch hasn't yet received a suspension on the hit, but Paille is very likely out with a concussion. To make matters worse for Daniel Paille, he just returned from some time off the roster after stopping a slap shot with his nose. The ratio of buck for pain is definitely getting worse for him. Tough guys..
On the same night, Edmonton Oilers' Andy Sutton jumped off the ice to smash Carolina's Alexei Ponikarovsky's head on the boards. That's a 245lbs of mean meat aimed directly at someone's head. He's been suspended a few times in the past for irresponsible hits on ice and this is just getting ridiculous. Ponikarovsky is a big guy himself and there's no info on his status, but I find it very unlikely that he'll be able to play for a while. Sutton on the other hand is suspended indefinitely and will likely be looking at some extended time on the stationary bike and gym. Definitely not on the ice for a while.
And to cap the night of irresponsibility, Colorado's fourth liner Kevin Porter's knee-on-knee hit destroyed David Booth's dreams of starting to click in the Vancouver Canucks' lineup. Booth is out for at least a month with knee injury and Porter sits out the next four games as reminder.
On a week where we already saw Nashville Predators' Jordin Tootoo get suspended for trying to re-concuss Buffalo's star goalie Ryan Miller and Dallas Stars' Mark Fistric get three games ban for jumping off the ice to knock Islanders' Nino Niederreiter out with concussion, this recent burst of violent incidents just seems to underline the dangers of this game.
But in the end, has anything changed? Ice hockey is, and will always be, a rough sport. The players know it and the fans expect it. The players are professionals and practice every day to be able to navigate the hazards on ice. You can't take the physicality off the game without changing the whole sport. Everyone knows that.
The league is working hard on limiting the number of severe injuries, especially on the head area. But at the same time these get picked up to the headlines way easier than before and thus portray the picture of ice hockey as more violent than ever. I wonder will this new focus on injuries subconsciously also program some of the game's loose cannons to aim for the spotlight? There must be a sociopath or two out there who'd like to steal the headlines for a day or two on the sports coverage, right?
I'll chip in by producing another article on the violent topic. I'll try to inject some sense within the gallery of gore.
I'll try to avoid the Sidney Crosby threshold here, otherwise I'd have to write about every bump that happens in the game. Instead, I'll focus on some of the recent serious incidents on the rinks around NHL.
Let's start with fellow Finn Ville Leino of the Buffalo Sabres. I knew the guy was extremely talented, but his nasty elbow on the head of Flyers rookie sensation Matt Read was in its viciousness a tribute to superhuman limb coordination. Leino used his left knee to knock Read's stick up, his right foot to kick the puck to himself and delivered a "no-look elbow" straight to the head of the unsuspecting rookie. All this in a fragment of a second, with perfect coordination. One game suspension is light and likely mostly so because Shanahan, regardless of his unquestionable merits on ice, couldn't have pulled that off himself and thus writes it off as an reckless accident. Hopefully Read didn't get any damage on the play and Leino vents his frustration of unproductiveness on other levels of play in the future.
Moving then to a distinguished bad boy Krys Barch. On his first game as a Florida Panther, he managed to destroy Boston's Daniel Paille on a thunderous hit near the boards. Paille spent four games on the press box after vicious headshot in February. Conspiracy theorists should all already connect the dots on the fact that the victim on Paille's check was Raymond Sawada, then a teammate of Krys Barch in Dallas. Barch hasn't yet received a suspension on the hit, but Paille is very likely out with a concussion. To make matters worse for Daniel Paille, he just returned from some time off the roster after stopping a slap shot with his nose. The ratio of buck for pain is definitely getting worse for him. Tough guys..
On the same night, Edmonton Oilers' Andy Sutton jumped off the ice to smash Carolina's Alexei Ponikarovsky's head on the boards. That's a 245lbs of mean meat aimed directly at someone's head. He's been suspended a few times in the past for irresponsible hits on ice and this is just getting ridiculous. Ponikarovsky is a big guy himself and there's no info on his status, but I find it very unlikely that he'll be able to play for a while. Sutton on the other hand is suspended indefinitely and will likely be looking at some extended time on the stationary bike and gym. Definitely not on the ice for a while.
And to cap the night of irresponsibility, Colorado's fourth liner Kevin Porter's knee-on-knee hit destroyed David Booth's dreams of starting to click in the Vancouver Canucks' lineup. Booth is out for at least a month with knee injury and Porter sits out the next four games as reminder.
On a week where we already saw Nashville Predators' Jordin Tootoo get suspended for trying to re-concuss Buffalo's star goalie Ryan Miller and Dallas Stars' Mark Fistric get three games ban for jumping off the ice to knock Islanders' Nino Niederreiter out with concussion, this recent burst of violent incidents just seems to underline the dangers of this game.
But in the end, has anything changed? Ice hockey is, and will always be, a rough sport. The players know it and the fans expect it. The players are professionals and practice every day to be able to navigate the hazards on ice. You can't take the physicality off the game without changing the whole sport. Everyone knows that.
The league is working hard on limiting the number of severe injuries, especially on the head area. But at the same time these get picked up to the headlines way easier than before and thus portray the picture of ice hockey as more violent than ever. I wonder will this new focus on injuries subconsciously also program some of the game's loose cannons to aim for the spotlight? There must be a sociopath or two out there who'd like to steal the headlines for a day or two on the sports coverage, right?
2011/11/30
The short lifespan of an NHL coach
So, now it has started. The season is one quarter out and coaches are getting the boot. St. Louis Blues already got rid of their starting coach and went back to old timer Hitchcock. In retrospect that looks like a brilliant move. At the time, it seemed just a bit too trigger-happy. The Blues were doing ok, not great, but I believe what was expected from them by the general public.
Now it was time for a change in struggling Carolina. Well expected and maybe their last chance to turn this season around. I can't see them clawing back to playoffs anymore, but the ownership seems to.
On the same day the biggest bomb was dropped in Washington, where Bruce Boudreau was let go after taking the Capitals from bottom dwellers to the top of the league in just a few seasons. The modern day quarter economy equivalent in the game of hockey does not look at the past results or give much of a chance of failure. All over the media the explanations from Capitals' ownership were rather dodgy. And the sheer amount of interviews claiming that Boudreau had no bad blood with Ovechkin or vice versa, actually prove the opposite point. The team, lead by its celebrity captain, just couldn't work for this guy anymore. Some new system, huh?
It's a some sort of a miracle that Columbus Blue Jackets haven't fired their coach yet. They're actually already at the point where the ownership has given up on the season and seem to have decided to save some money instead of having to pay salaries for two coaches. If the fans start some sort of a mutiny, maybe they'll comply and claim that they're building for the next season with the move.
Anaheim Ducks have slipped down to the bottom of the league. They're running out of the seasons where they can keep their star lineup together and it must be just a matter of getting the papers out of their printer, before they have a new coach. They need to push for the Cup run now or face the return to rebuilding mode in the coming seasons.
After rather disappointing start of a season, coaching changes may arise in Tampa Bay or even Montreal. Colorado's brilliant start may have taken the expectations up a notch too to jeopardize the current leadership now that they've actually just fallen to the expected levels.
The rest of the struggling teams are either young and expected still to have growth pains, like Edmonton, Winnipeg and New York Islanders or just plain clueless like Calgary and New Jersey and cannot seem to see what good could another coaching change do.
The fun of getting fired from the NHL head coach position doesn't end in the heavy paychecks that usually follow through the original contract. It also seems to be a commonly agreed fact that failed coaches instantly regain the trust on their competence by all the teams in need of a new guy behind the bench. Fail as miserably as you can and it's still likely that you get hired before the season is over. Pick up two paychecks for the rest of the year as a bonus.
Now it's going to be very interesting to see how the chips fall with the teams with the most pressure to act. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mr. Boudreau moving down to sunny California before the end of this week..
Now it was time for a change in struggling Carolina. Well expected and maybe their last chance to turn this season around. I can't see them clawing back to playoffs anymore, but the ownership seems to.
On the same day the biggest bomb was dropped in Washington, where Bruce Boudreau was let go after taking the Capitals from bottom dwellers to the top of the league in just a few seasons. The modern day quarter economy equivalent in the game of hockey does not look at the past results or give much of a chance of failure. All over the media the explanations from Capitals' ownership were rather dodgy. And the sheer amount of interviews claiming that Boudreau had no bad blood with Ovechkin or vice versa, actually prove the opposite point. The team, lead by its celebrity captain, just couldn't work for this guy anymore. Some new system, huh?
It's a some sort of a miracle that Columbus Blue Jackets haven't fired their coach yet. They're actually already at the point where the ownership has given up on the season and seem to have decided to save some money instead of having to pay salaries for two coaches. If the fans start some sort of a mutiny, maybe they'll comply and claim that they're building for the next season with the move.
Anaheim Ducks have slipped down to the bottom of the league. They're running out of the seasons where they can keep their star lineup together and it must be just a matter of getting the papers out of their printer, before they have a new coach. They need to push for the Cup run now or face the return to rebuilding mode in the coming seasons.
After rather disappointing start of a season, coaching changes may arise in Tampa Bay or even Montreal. Colorado's brilliant start may have taken the expectations up a notch too to jeopardize the current leadership now that they've actually just fallen to the expected levels.
The rest of the struggling teams are either young and expected still to have growth pains, like Edmonton, Winnipeg and New York Islanders or just plain clueless like Calgary and New Jersey and cannot seem to see what good could another coaching change do.
The fun of getting fired from the NHL head coach position doesn't end in the heavy paychecks that usually follow through the original contract. It also seems to be a commonly agreed fact that failed coaches instantly regain the trust on their competence by all the teams in need of a new guy behind the bench. Fail as miserably as you can and it's still likely that you get hired before the season is over. Pick up two paychecks for the rest of the year as a bonus.
Now it's going to be very interesting to see how the chips fall with the teams with the most pressure to act. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mr. Boudreau moving down to sunny California before the end of this week..
2011/11/23
If I was a gambling man
Let's put the hockey hunch to grind in some money. The local betting office posts the ratios for win, loss and a regulation tie. And since it all seems so clear in the ways of the league, it's about time to do a reality check of sorts. I'll just pick up a few games that are sure, easy money and another bunch of a bit longer shots but bigger potential payout. Five bucks each. Short analysis for each pair and a remorseful recap in the morning to close up the post. Don't worry, I won't tamper my original estimates and try to appear smarter than I am. Let's face it, if it would be this easy, it wouldn't be available for the common audience. Let's go then!
Sure bets, absolutely cannot go wrong with these, right?
NYI-PHI: Well, Philly takes this easily. They're bigger, meaner, stronger and have loads of more talent throughout the roster. Islanders still wonder what hit them on Monday, something black and yellow and #87, and forget to play the game. Returns 1,95:1, ka-ching.
PIT-STL: Crosby honeymoon is on and St. Louis is not the team to challenge that. Sid the Kid will deposit a few more points and the supporting cast wants to prove they're right on par with the wonder boy. A night to forget for coach Hitchcock's band. Another multiplier of 1,75:1 for my bucks.
BUF-BOS: The Sabres are very similar to the Bruins, just worse on every aspect at the moment. The teams play similar style of hard working, evenly balanced lines. Thomas outduels Enroth easily and Boston's boys just walk over their counterparts for the victory #10 in the current hot streak. Finalizes my sure money bet with complimentary 2,20:1.
I'll bring home a sweet pot of €37,50 for an investment of $5,00. Like taking candy from a kid.
Then the trickier bet. Not that this is too difficult either, but there's a remote chance that someone somewhere along the line screws up my moneymaker.
WAS-WPG: Boudreau's big guns are soon all on the shelf with the new style of boring, non-scoring game plan. Today they give this style the final try and get crushed by the inconsistent, but capable-when-given-the-opportunity, Jets. For the next game Bruce gives up on the plan for the playoff grind and lets the two Alexes play like they like. Then it'll be very difficult to say what will happen on the ice. This sleeper starts my bigger cash-in with a whopper 3,55:1.
NJ-CLB: The Blue Jackets seem to have found some groove now that they can just play for fun for the rest of the season. The Devils are a perfect opponent for that kind of approach, being the gloomy, play-the-gameplan, uninnovative team that they are. Carter puts in a pair and Nash complements with two of his own. Curtis Sanford wants to prove he can be the long lost number one netminder and who would be better opposing goalie to take for the comparison than the best ever to stand between the pipes, Martin Brodeur. Jackets' third in a row multiplies my dough by 3,45:1.
MIN-NAS: These teams will play another very low scoring game. Minnesota finds itself on top of the league, but absolutely cannot score. Nashville had major difficulties against the young Oilers' squad and need to prove that they're actually way better. Pekka Rinne will shut the door after being benched after the first on Tuesday and the team will play much more solid game today. However, they're against the ultra defensive Wild who can throw either goalie out there and keep the score low. As much as I hate to bet on ties, this sure looks like one. Hell, we might be looking at a 0-0 in the end. The sleepy effort will not match the money invested in tickets, but will finish my triple with a sweet 3,65:1 cherry on top.
My second crumpled note of five euros will explode to a highly satisfying payout of €223,50 in the end of the day.
-- end of evening brag.
-- beginning of morning whine.
Okay, this got rather ridiculous. I was expecting that I can somehow explain myself out of a slight deviation from the original guess, but the reality requires a bit more. I outright busted on the bets in the end. No need to consider a new career here, yet.
Sure picks, right? Philly won the Islanders, but barely and only in overtime. So that ended in a tie on the betting results. Sid the Kid fell short and somehow the Blues ended up taking the game. Again in the overtime, so another tie. And Boston Bruins then? They got the victory, but only with the slightest of margins and after a third period rally. Another tie in regulation and the victory only in the overtime. Three out of three wrong on the sure picks. What a way to start.
Well, after that it's pretty obvious that the higher degree of analysis didn't go much better. The Capitals did eventually beat the Jets, again on the overtime. Not an easy victory, but not the result I picked either. The Blue Jackets did have the moral victory in totally dominating the game against the Devils. However, it was Martin Brodeur, who stole the show, not Curtis Sanford. A regulation tie again and shootout victory to New Jersey. Finally, I can end this disastrous recap of my prophetic abilities on a regulation victory. It was close as I predicted, but Minnesota Wild ended up scoring one more than the Nashville Predators. I need to point my finger at Pekka Rinne on this one, the third and decisive goal was rather embarassing. Solid three out of three wrong here too.
This was a fun excercise, even though the results were downright awful. Maybe I need to get another crystal ball and give it a try somewhere in the future. Can't really go much worse than this, right? With so many regulation ties this night, I'd bet (huh!?) that very few got their picks right. The betting offices were the big winners on this round.
Sure bets, absolutely cannot go wrong with these, right?
NYI-PHI: Well, Philly takes this easily. They're bigger, meaner, stronger and have loads of more talent throughout the roster. Islanders still wonder what hit them on Monday, something black and yellow and #87, and forget to play the game. Returns 1,95:1, ka-ching.
PIT-STL: Crosby honeymoon is on and St. Louis is not the team to challenge that. Sid the Kid will deposit a few more points and the supporting cast wants to prove they're right on par with the wonder boy. A night to forget for coach Hitchcock's band. Another multiplier of 1,75:1 for my bucks.
BUF-BOS: The Sabres are very similar to the Bruins, just worse on every aspect at the moment. The teams play similar style of hard working, evenly balanced lines. Thomas outduels Enroth easily and Boston's boys just walk over their counterparts for the victory #10 in the current hot streak. Finalizes my sure money bet with complimentary 2,20:1.
I'll bring home a sweet pot of €37,50 for an investment of $5,00. Like taking candy from a kid.
Then the trickier bet. Not that this is too difficult either, but there's a remote chance that someone somewhere along the line screws up my moneymaker.
WAS-WPG: Boudreau's big guns are soon all on the shelf with the new style of boring, non-scoring game plan. Today they give this style the final try and get crushed by the inconsistent, but capable-when-given-the-opportunity, Jets. For the next game Bruce gives up on the plan for the playoff grind and lets the two Alexes play like they like. Then it'll be very difficult to say what will happen on the ice. This sleeper starts my bigger cash-in with a whopper 3,55:1.
NJ-CLB: The Blue Jackets seem to have found some groove now that they can just play for fun for the rest of the season. The Devils are a perfect opponent for that kind of approach, being the gloomy, play-the-gameplan, uninnovative team that they are. Carter puts in a pair and Nash complements with two of his own. Curtis Sanford wants to prove he can be the long lost number one netminder and who would be better opposing goalie to take for the comparison than the best ever to stand between the pipes, Martin Brodeur. Jackets' third in a row multiplies my dough by 3,45:1.
MIN-NAS: These teams will play another very low scoring game. Minnesota finds itself on top of the league, but absolutely cannot score. Nashville had major difficulties against the young Oilers' squad and need to prove that they're actually way better. Pekka Rinne will shut the door after being benched after the first on Tuesday and the team will play much more solid game today. However, they're against the ultra defensive Wild who can throw either goalie out there and keep the score low. As much as I hate to bet on ties, this sure looks like one. Hell, we might be looking at a 0-0 in the end. The sleepy effort will not match the money invested in tickets, but will finish my triple with a sweet 3,65:1 cherry on top.
My second crumpled note of five euros will explode to a highly satisfying payout of €223,50 in the end of the day.
-- end of evening brag.
-- beginning of morning whine.
Okay, this got rather ridiculous. I was expecting that I can somehow explain myself out of a slight deviation from the original guess, but the reality requires a bit more. I outright busted on the bets in the end. No need to consider a new career here, yet.
Sure picks, right? Philly won the Islanders, but barely and only in overtime. So that ended in a tie on the betting results. Sid the Kid fell short and somehow the Blues ended up taking the game. Again in the overtime, so another tie. And Boston Bruins then? They got the victory, but only with the slightest of margins and after a third period rally. Another tie in regulation and the victory only in the overtime. Three out of three wrong on the sure picks. What a way to start.
Well, after that it's pretty obvious that the higher degree of analysis didn't go much better. The Capitals did eventually beat the Jets, again on the overtime. Not an easy victory, but not the result I picked either. The Blue Jackets did have the moral victory in totally dominating the game against the Devils. However, it was Martin Brodeur, who stole the show, not Curtis Sanford. A regulation tie again and shootout victory to New Jersey. Finally, I can end this disastrous recap of my prophetic abilities on a regulation victory. It was close as I predicted, but Minnesota Wild ended up scoring one more than the Nashville Predators. I need to point my finger at Pekka Rinne on this one, the third and decisive goal was rather embarassing. Solid three out of three wrong here too.
This was a fun excercise, even though the results were downright awful. Maybe I need to get another crystal ball and give it a try somewhere in the future. Can't really go much worse than this, right? With so many regulation ties this night, I'd bet (huh!?) that very few got their picks right. The betting offices were the big winners on this round.
2011/11/21
Funky stats
There's enough games under everyone's belt to take a deeper look on the statistics so far. Not looking at the obvious ones, everyone can see those, but trying to peek behind the scenes and point out some oddities. Somewhat random, but if you're in, strangely interesting.
Disappearance of Alex Ovechkin. The guy gets paid 100k a game, has proven to be one of the unique talents in the league, but now lingers somewhere in mediocrity. 14 points in 18 games is fine for most, but less than expected from Ovie. The troubling fact is his -6 rating. That's the worst in the whole team! And the team is way over .500 and +2 on goals. What has Alex been doing? Not shooting is one thing. In the previous seasons he's been blasting away on the top of the league stats. Now, barely in top20. Defending, like coach Boudreau claims? Half of the hits than the league's biggest bruisers, three blocked shots. Doesn't look like much. He's playing 3-5 minutes less than in the previous years, maybe due to less than expected production. The bottom line seems to be that mr. Ovechkin is either injured or just not motivated enough. Both are bad for Washington, but later might be harder to fix.
The curse of Eric Staal. Staal has been among the top forwards of this league for several years. He's proven to be a great captain and a hard worker. But now he and his team are in a slump to remember. Leading the league unchallenged in -18. Shooting second most in the league with 5% accuracy. 8 points in 20 games, half of them in powerplay. Talk about squeezing the stick. Big Eric must snap out of this and carry the Hurricanes on his back again, if they have any dreams of the playoffs.
Teen-aged and fearless. Have you noticed a kid called Gabriel Landeskog in Colorado Avalanche? Well, if not, please look for the number #92 in the future. This Swedish rookie is in top20 of the league in shots fired and hits delivered. And was just promoted to play in the top line. Must be hard to miss. It's great to see the rookies of today playing just like the big boys. No fear, no bowing, and ready to challenge. Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins just posted 5 assists the other day. Wonder how many rookies have had that many on a game in the history of this sport? Well a guy named Gretzky had 7 back in the day, but Nugent-Hopkins likely made it to the top 5. Coincidentally, that heroic effort also puts Ryan on par with slightly older, but yet ever promising forward from the Ducks, Teemu Selänne. It'll be a fun race between guys aged 18 and 41 for the rest of the season. Place your bets!
Grabbing the momentum in the circle. Chicago's Jonathan Toews leads the league in faceoffs taken and has the biggest win percentage of the active centers on the paint at whopping 62,4%. That sure brings an extra edge to the game when you can grab almost two out of three to your linemates. And the linemates in particular are called Kane and Hossa, which doesn't hurt either. On the other end of the spectrum we have the polite Czech, Patrik Elias, from the Devils, who takes only a modest share of 42,4% of the many faceoffs he faces. I wonder, could the wingers do much worse there?
The Suter-Weber wall. Among the Nashville Predators' hot topics is how to keep their top defencive pair of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. That might prove to be a bit tricky, but that shouldn't keep the team from enjoying the ride these two defensive monsters bring. They have the biggest plus minus ratings in the league, they stand in the top5 in d-man scoring and just seem to do everything right at the moment. I'd hate to play as a visiting forward in Nashville when paired agains these two. Tough and frustrating in the offensive zone, outright scary in the defensive zone diving in front of Weber's cannon.
Speaking of defensemen, Colorado's ever promising Erik Johnson must be hating the stats charts. He just hit 50 shots, leading the league in attempts in vain. Zero goals, one assist on even strength (8 more on powerplay though) and a miserable -12 rating. Can't really say that he's fulfilled the expectations yet. Maybe he should call up Detroit's colleagues Lidström and Kronwall for some consulting. They've both let go about as many shots and are looking at 6 goals apiece. Not to mention the positive ratings in plus minus column.
Well, that was the take today. I'll be drilling more some other time. Hope you enjoy!
Disappearance of Alex Ovechkin. The guy gets paid 100k a game, has proven to be one of the unique talents in the league, but now lingers somewhere in mediocrity. 14 points in 18 games is fine for most, but less than expected from Ovie. The troubling fact is his -6 rating. That's the worst in the whole team! And the team is way over .500 and +2 on goals. What has Alex been doing? Not shooting is one thing. In the previous seasons he's been blasting away on the top of the league stats. Now, barely in top20. Defending, like coach Boudreau claims? Half of the hits than the league's biggest bruisers, three blocked shots. Doesn't look like much. He's playing 3-5 minutes less than in the previous years, maybe due to less than expected production. The bottom line seems to be that mr. Ovechkin is either injured or just not motivated enough. Both are bad for Washington, but later might be harder to fix.
The curse of Eric Staal. Staal has been among the top forwards of this league for several years. He's proven to be a great captain and a hard worker. But now he and his team are in a slump to remember. Leading the league unchallenged in -18. Shooting second most in the league with 5% accuracy. 8 points in 20 games, half of them in powerplay. Talk about squeezing the stick. Big Eric must snap out of this and carry the Hurricanes on his back again, if they have any dreams of the playoffs.
Teen-aged and fearless. Have you noticed a kid called Gabriel Landeskog in Colorado Avalanche? Well, if not, please look for the number #92 in the future. This Swedish rookie is in top20 of the league in shots fired and hits delivered. And was just promoted to play in the top line. Must be hard to miss. It's great to see the rookies of today playing just like the big boys. No fear, no bowing, and ready to challenge. Edmonton's Ryan Nugent-Hopkins just posted 5 assists the other day. Wonder how many rookies have had that many on a game in the history of this sport? Well a guy named Gretzky had 7 back in the day, but Nugent-Hopkins likely made it to the top 5. Coincidentally, that heroic effort also puts Ryan on par with slightly older, but yet ever promising forward from the Ducks, Teemu Selänne. It'll be a fun race between guys aged 18 and 41 for the rest of the season. Place your bets!
Grabbing the momentum in the circle. Chicago's Jonathan Toews leads the league in faceoffs taken and has the biggest win percentage of the active centers on the paint at whopping 62,4%. That sure brings an extra edge to the game when you can grab almost two out of three to your linemates. And the linemates in particular are called Kane and Hossa, which doesn't hurt either. On the other end of the spectrum we have the polite Czech, Patrik Elias, from the Devils, who takes only a modest share of 42,4% of the many faceoffs he faces. I wonder, could the wingers do much worse there?
The Suter-Weber wall. Among the Nashville Predators' hot topics is how to keep their top defencive pair of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. That might prove to be a bit tricky, but that shouldn't keep the team from enjoying the ride these two defensive monsters bring. They have the biggest plus minus ratings in the league, they stand in the top5 in d-man scoring and just seem to do everything right at the moment. I'd hate to play as a visiting forward in Nashville when paired agains these two. Tough and frustrating in the offensive zone, outright scary in the defensive zone diving in front of Weber's cannon.
Speaking of defensemen, Colorado's ever promising Erik Johnson must be hating the stats charts. He just hit 50 shots, leading the league in attempts in vain. Zero goals, one assist on even strength (8 more on powerplay though) and a miserable -12 rating. Can't really say that he's fulfilled the expectations yet. Maybe he should call up Detroit's colleagues Lidström and Kronwall for some consulting. They've both let go about as many shots and are looking at 6 goals apiece. Not to mention the positive ratings in plus minus column.
Well, that was the take today. I'll be drilling more some other time. Hope you enjoy!
2011/11/18
Pulling off a Granlund
Hockey world, prepare for the newest trick in the bag! Originating likely from some other sports, like lacrosse or floorball, the so called airhook is emerging in the game of hockey. The talented younger kids on the game can sometimes playfully take the puck on top of the stick blade, spin it around and sling it off towards the target. This truly puts another angle in deceiving the goaltenders.
Mostly this kind of trickery seems to be reserved for skills competitions and other moments of showing off. However, leading the pack of taking this as one of the potential weapons in the live game action, are the Granlund brothers from Finland. Mikael basically introduced this trick to the wide world in the last hockey world championships by crushing the favorite Russian team's spirit in the semifinals. Yesterday, his younger brother Markus pulled the same stunt off in Finland's top hockey league.
These brothers will soon arrive to the NHL, Mikael Granlund was drafted on the first round in 2010 by Minnesota Wild and Markus Granlund on the second round in 2011 by Calgary Flames. Judging by their success on European and world level, they'll have a great chance for an interesting NHL career.
Just like that, it seems that goalies and defensemen need to take a while to plan for counter tactics before this trick starts really picking up among the forwards. Leave this unnoticed and soon you'll be seeing this kind of goals in every game. Some might say it doesn't belong in the game. Anyway, as long as the kids get more skillful every year, you can expect these kinds of minor changes emerging every once in a while.
I'll end this short post with a tribute to one of the originators of the airhook, form the great nordic game of floorball, Janne Tähkä. Check it out, even if you wouldn't know the game.
Mostly this kind of trickery seems to be reserved for skills competitions and other moments of showing off. However, leading the pack of taking this as one of the potential weapons in the live game action, are the Granlund brothers from Finland. Mikael basically introduced this trick to the wide world in the last hockey world championships by crushing the favorite Russian team's spirit in the semifinals. Yesterday, his younger brother Markus pulled the same stunt off in Finland's top hockey league.
These brothers will soon arrive to the NHL, Mikael Granlund was drafted on the first round in 2010 by Minnesota Wild and Markus Granlund on the second round in 2011 by Calgary Flames. Judging by their success on European and world level, they'll have a great chance for an interesting NHL career.
Just like that, it seems that goalies and defensemen need to take a while to plan for counter tactics before this trick starts really picking up among the forwards. Leave this unnoticed and soon you'll be seeing this kind of goals in every game. Some might say it doesn't belong in the game. Anyway, as long as the kids get more skillful every year, you can expect these kinds of minor changes emerging every once in a while.
I'll end this short post with a tribute to one of the originators of the airhook, form the great nordic game of floorball, Janne Tähkä. Check it out, even if you wouldn't know the game.
2011/10/31
One month milestone
October has found its end. NHL season has been running for about one month now, teams getting somewhere around ten games under their belt. We can say that the game is on full speed. No room for excuses anymore.
And what an interesting start it has been. Some teams have really had a hard time filling the expectations, others have cruised under the radar and find themselves on the top of the league. As early as this is, in the whole season's perspective, the first month has already contributed in setting up the stage for playoff hopes. Let's point out some of the obvious in the standings and try to analyze a bit on how we got here.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are standing on top of it all. Having played most games doesn't hurt, but the results so far are extremely impressing. Considering that Crosby is still out and Malkin has only one leg, this team is playing absolutely great. The secondary weapons are stepping up and making a statement. Guys like Neal, Letang and Staal may well have what it takes to take over the leadership for a cup candidate team.
Toronto Maple Leafs have surprised everyone, themselves included, by ending up this high on the standings. Phil Kessel has found his confidence after an off year and is the most dangerous player on the game now. Look at his supporting cast and compare it to other teams' top lines. Case closed. I'm still saying that Leafs are bound to fall in the autumn and we'll see them fighting for the 8th spot at the season's half way point. They just don't have the depth.
Who doesn't love Philadelphia Flyers? They must be one of the most entertaining teams now. If they would be half as disciplined as entertaining, they'd win all the games now. It's just such a talented roster that once they finally figure it out themselves, they'll climb on top of the conference in no time. Kudos to Jaromir Jagr, he's still strong as a bull and sees the game like the best of them.
Washington Capitals have been surprisingly quiet, considering that they've scored the most per game and have most points per game in the league. They've balanced the scoring a lot so far and the superstars get great support from the blue collar lines. It's going to be interesting to see how they do when real rivalries break out with Philly and Pittsburgh for the Eastern crown.
Ottawa and Florida are the flukes of the early season. Wait a while and they'll swap positions with better teams who've slept for the first month like Boston, Tampa and NY Rangers.
Edmonton Oilers are on top of the Western conference! Take some photos or screenshots or whatever. They seem to have the best groove going on in the whole league. Bunch of teenagers from first rounds of draft complement the veteran experience of Ryan Smyth & co. As long as the management lets the kids play fancy, there will be lots of people cheering in the stands. Who knows how far it'll fly this season. I'm sure that on the following couple, the Oil will return to the fight for the cup. Until they run into the free agency and salary cap issues.
Chicago, LA and San Jose are on the expected strong track, winning roughly two thirds of their games. They'll keep up the pace all the way to the playoffs if nothing dramatic happens on the rosters.
Dallas Stars have been terrific early, largely thanks to Kari Lehtonen's heroics in goal. He's on track for a career season after being the prospect with high expectations but loads of injuries for all of his NHL career so far. Hopefully he stays healthy for the season and can take the Stars to a spoler run in the playoffs.
Colorado has had a brilliant start for the season, but I expect their downfall start soon. It will be conveniently timed to match the rise of Vancouver Canucks to the fight for pole position in the West. Anaheim Ducks are also bound to take a stand and start climbing up to the playoff picture. They just have way too much firepower to not win more games than average teams.
A big old question mark lays on top of Detroit Red Wings. Will the aging squad be able to pull together another solid campaign leading to another playoff appearance or will they finally crack under pressure and fall out of competition while desperately trying to replace past decade's brightest stars with limited pool of newcomers.
And what an interesting start it has been. Some teams have really had a hard time filling the expectations, others have cruised under the radar and find themselves on the top of the league. As early as this is, in the whole season's perspective, the first month has already contributed in setting up the stage for playoff hopes. Let's point out some of the obvious in the standings and try to analyze a bit on how we got here.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are standing on top of it all. Having played most games doesn't hurt, but the results so far are extremely impressing. Considering that Crosby is still out and Malkin has only one leg, this team is playing absolutely great. The secondary weapons are stepping up and making a statement. Guys like Neal, Letang and Staal may well have what it takes to take over the leadership for a cup candidate team.
Toronto Maple Leafs have surprised everyone, themselves included, by ending up this high on the standings. Phil Kessel has found his confidence after an off year and is the most dangerous player on the game now. Look at his supporting cast and compare it to other teams' top lines. Case closed. I'm still saying that Leafs are bound to fall in the autumn and we'll see them fighting for the 8th spot at the season's half way point. They just don't have the depth.
Who doesn't love Philadelphia Flyers? They must be one of the most entertaining teams now. If they would be half as disciplined as entertaining, they'd win all the games now. It's just such a talented roster that once they finally figure it out themselves, they'll climb on top of the conference in no time. Kudos to Jaromir Jagr, he's still strong as a bull and sees the game like the best of them.
Washington Capitals have been surprisingly quiet, considering that they've scored the most per game and have most points per game in the league. They've balanced the scoring a lot so far and the superstars get great support from the blue collar lines. It's going to be interesting to see how they do when real rivalries break out with Philly and Pittsburgh for the Eastern crown.
Ottawa and Florida are the flukes of the early season. Wait a while and they'll swap positions with better teams who've slept for the first month like Boston, Tampa and NY Rangers.
Edmonton Oilers are on top of the Western conference! Take some photos or screenshots or whatever. They seem to have the best groove going on in the whole league. Bunch of teenagers from first rounds of draft complement the veteran experience of Ryan Smyth & co. As long as the management lets the kids play fancy, there will be lots of people cheering in the stands. Who knows how far it'll fly this season. I'm sure that on the following couple, the Oil will return to the fight for the cup. Until they run into the free agency and salary cap issues.
Chicago, LA and San Jose are on the expected strong track, winning roughly two thirds of their games. They'll keep up the pace all the way to the playoffs if nothing dramatic happens on the rosters.
Dallas Stars have been terrific early, largely thanks to Kari Lehtonen's heroics in goal. He's on track for a career season after being the prospect with high expectations but loads of injuries for all of his NHL career so far. Hopefully he stays healthy for the season and can take the Stars to a spoler run in the playoffs.
Colorado has had a brilliant start for the season, but I expect their downfall start soon. It will be conveniently timed to match the rise of Vancouver Canucks to the fight for pole position in the West. Anaheim Ducks are also bound to take a stand and start climbing up to the playoff picture. They just have way too much firepower to not win more games than average teams.
A big old question mark lays on top of Detroit Red Wings. Will the aging squad be able to pull together another solid campaign leading to another playoff appearance or will they finally crack under pressure and fall out of competition while desperately trying to replace past decade's brightest stars with limited pool of newcomers.
2011/10/20
Return of the King
Okay, "the King" might be pushing it, but Sidney Crosby is undeniably one of the most talented guys ever to lace up the skates. This is a short analysis on his comeback from a long absence due to concussion from last season.
The number of severe concussions in NHL seem to have increased in the past seasons. Maybe it's the fact that the game is now faster than ever and high-speed collisions have devastating effects. Maybe it's the instigator rule, that penalizes quite heavily on starting the brawls on the ice and thus making it less appealing to take matters in players' own hands after heavy hits on the most important players. Maybe it's just that the topic of concussions has become very popular in the gossipy sports journalism? Maybe we just have started to care more about player's health after some disturbing incidents and careers that have been cut off mid flight. Whatever the reason, concussion discussion is on, with high volume.
Sid the Kid has been cleared for contact practice. He must be torn apart with emotions. On the other hand he has to be afraid of the symptoms returning after receiving another hard hit. Then again, he was on top of the pedestal, the poster boy of hockey, the leading player in the league, and must hate having a white helmet for contact warning in practice and not being able to play the game he loves. The salary keeps rolling in even if he's not on the ice for games. The kid is a multimillionaire for the rest of his life. But that isn't the driving force. It is achieving immortality in the history of hockey by being the best of an era.
Well, young Mr. Crosby and his position among hockey's greatest is probably one of the most discussed topic in the hockey online boards. There's fans and haters, both equally emotional. But merely the fact that this much heated debate exists around him is a testament to the fact that he is a special talent. And everyone, who follows the game, should welcome Sidney Crosby back to the rinks with open arms.
But then, the prognosis. What will happen when he actually returns. The pressure is high now with the clearance from doctors, and Pittsburgh Penguins management has to eventually make the decision to let him loose. Will there be some unspoken league wide agreement to respect his return and let him accommodate to the game or will there be some loose cannons on the ice, aiming to crush him just to make a permanent dent in the Penguins' future. This way or that, given the time and avoiding further setback, Sidney Crosby will start to deliver in the offensive columns. Penguins will take a giant leap forwards and become the team to beat for the championship. After Crosby gets all cylinders pumping, he needs to be taken under special surveillance and constant harassment by the opposition. Hard hits will follow.
I'm eagerly waiting for Crosby's return, but also have a healthy dose of scepticism on his ability to remain healthy under the growing pressure. I hope he can avoid Marc Savard's destiny of losing the enge of his game due to constantly having to look over his shoulders and keep out of trouble, while at the same time diverting from the finely tuned optimal tracks in his game and perhaps opening the door for even bigger disasters in the form of physical contact. I hope he can return to his full potential and help the whole league take a step up in the competitive levels just to not let him dominate too much. Then it's up to the other star players in the league to overthrow the King from his throne. With talent, not with violence.
The number of severe concussions in NHL seem to have increased in the past seasons. Maybe it's the fact that the game is now faster than ever and high-speed collisions have devastating effects. Maybe it's the instigator rule, that penalizes quite heavily on starting the brawls on the ice and thus making it less appealing to take matters in players' own hands after heavy hits on the most important players. Maybe it's just that the topic of concussions has become very popular in the gossipy sports journalism? Maybe we just have started to care more about player's health after some disturbing incidents and careers that have been cut off mid flight. Whatever the reason, concussion discussion is on, with high volume.
Sid the Kid has been cleared for contact practice. He must be torn apart with emotions. On the other hand he has to be afraid of the symptoms returning after receiving another hard hit. Then again, he was on top of the pedestal, the poster boy of hockey, the leading player in the league, and must hate having a white helmet for contact warning in practice and not being able to play the game he loves. The salary keeps rolling in even if he's not on the ice for games. The kid is a multimillionaire for the rest of his life. But that isn't the driving force. It is achieving immortality in the history of hockey by being the best of an era.
Well, young Mr. Crosby and his position among hockey's greatest is probably one of the most discussed topic in the hockey online boards. There's fans and haters, both equally emotional. But merely the fact that this much heated debate exists around him is a testament to the fact that he is a special talent. And everyone, who follows the game, should welcome Sidney Crosby back to the rinks with open arms.
But then, the prognosis. What will happen when he actually returns. The pressure is high now with the clearance from doctors, and Pittsburgh Penguins management has to eventually make the decision to let him loose. Will there be some unspoken league wide agreement to respect his return and let him accommodate to the game or will there be some loose cannons on the ice, aiming to crush him just to make a permanent dent in the Penguins' future. This way or that, given the time and avoiding further setback, Sidney Crosby will start to deliver in the offensive columns. Penguins will take a giant leap forwards and become the team to beat for the championship. After Crosby gets all cylinders pumping, he needs to be taken under special surveillance and constant harassment by the opposition. Hard hits will follow.
I'm eagerly waiting for Crosby's return, but also have a healthy dose of scepticism on his ability to remain healthy under the growing pressure. I hope he can avoid Marc Savard's destiny of losing the enge of his game due to constantly having to look over his shoulders and keep out of trouble, while at the same time diverting from the finely tuned optimal tracks in his game and perhaps opening the door for even bigger disasters in the form of physical contact. I hope he can return to his full potential and help the whole league take a step up in the competitive levels just to not let him dominate too much. Then it's up to the other star players in the league to overthrow the King from his throne. With talent, not with violence.
2011/10/15
The Finnish line
Okay, season 2011-2012 is pumping on all cylinders. Some teams are taking a while to get their act together and some have come out of the gates flying. It's time to honor the reigning world champions and list the Finns involved in the NHL action. Highlighting the most interesting guys and throwing some guesses on how they'll do this year. Alphabetically, for practicality.
Sean Bergenheim, Florida. Sean had a tremendous playoff run in Tampa last year and ended up cashing in on the contract with Florida. He's still young, entering the prime of his career and has it all up for grabs. Bergenheim is a bull on skates, and can definitely spark up any team's second line with some speed and grind when needed.
Valtteri Filppula, Detroit. Filppula is a wizard. Extremely talented playmaker, looking at a bright future in the NHL for years to come. The fact he's locked a permanent position in Red Wings starting lineup tells a lot. And once Datsuyk and Zetterberg leave more time for the younger corps, it's going to be Filppula's time in the spotlight. Hopefully he stays healthy and can be one of the guys carrying this famed franchise forward.
Niklas Hagman, Calgary. Hagman has all the speed needed to make an impact in this league. However, he's been pretty streaky in the past seasons and I cannot see that changing. Calgary is just very boring team for creating anything magical. It would be about the last chance for Niklas to prove himself and maybe one more trade to some rising team would do the trick. Blue Jackets, Islanders, Avalanche, anyone?
Jussi Jokinen, Carolina. Jokinen ended up having another contract with Carolina in the end. He's a special player; seems to be way too slow and soft to make it, but has a tremendous ability of being in the right place at the right time. Hence Jokinen's productivity has been great for so long. Not to mention the cold as ice act on the shootouts. Jussi will carry on for couple more of these solid seasons before Carolina's new kids take over.
Olli Jokinen, Calgary. Former king of Florida has fallen deeper and deeper in the Flames. Given the optimal circumstances, Olli Jokinen could still dominate in this league. However, I can't see anyone risking the season just to give him the chance and ice time to make it happen. Maybe Olli should be packaged in a trade with Niklas Hagman for a team who would have the courage. Back to Florida for a all-Finnish line with Bergenheim? Boys might have some good time and create some production on the side.
Mikko Koivu, Minnesota. Well, the younger Koivu brother in the league is likely the best all around player that Finland has to offer. He took the team to the championship in the Worlds this spring and will continue making everyone around him world class players. I bet Mikko Koivu cannot wait for the next season when he'll be united with the new countryman superstar in the making, Mikael Granlund.
Saku Koivu, Anaheim. Older Koivu brother still keeps on producing. He's clearly enoying playing out his career with Teemu Selänne. Saku keeps on playing defensive center role and flashes some of the old time magic every now and then, especially on the power play. This guy would have broken into the ultimate top of all players in the league if he hadn't been injured in so many key moments of his career. Real class act.
Lauri Korpikoski, Phoenix. Korpikoski has sneaked out from being unknown to suddenly being seen as one of the cornerstones of young Coyotes' lineup. He is a grinder, tough to play against and has the speed and scoring ability to go with it. I see him getting a bigger role this season and proving that he belongs to this league for good.
Ville Leino, Buffalo. Leino got traded to Buffalo and had a massive deal under the new management. There's high expectations on his play, and I believe Leino has matured to pretty much fill those. He's an all around forward and easily covers with skills and hockey sense what he may lack in skate speed. Still relatively young, so he possesses all the tools to play an impressive career in the NHL.
Toni Lydman, Anaheim. Lydman keeps on playing solid defense and contributing to the quick turnaround game when needed. If he stays healthy, and locks a place in the powerplay unit with Lubomir Visnovsky on the blueline, there might be good numbers in his scoresheet at the end of the year. His best years may be behind, but there's still plenty of player left.
Joni Pitkänen, Carolina. Pitkänen has proven everyone that he's one of the league's leading offensive defencemen. When paired right and played behind talented forward units, he really provides extra punch for scoring. There's lots of rumors moving him away from Carolina, but that remains to be seen. At least the star of the season has shown that Joni is keeping up the pace just right. The issues come on the own defensive zone, where he really needs good support from the other d-man and the forward line.
Tuomo Ruutu, Carolina. Tuomo Ruutu is a player everyone must like. Well, maybe not the opposition, who needs to keep their heads up for this human wrecking ball. Fearless, competitive, talented and fair. His style of play has unfortunately taken a toll on several seasons, but let's hope he can dodge the injuries this season and keep on thrilling the fans with explosive moves on the ice.
Sami Salo, Vancouver. Salo has earned a permanent position on the Canucks' blue line. He may see fewer minutes every year, but will fill his spot perfectly. And there isn't a goaltender in the league who wouldn't know his slap shot. You can count a bunch of goals and a bucketful of bruises at the end of the season for opposition. And maybe some black and blue for Mikael Samuelsson and Ryan Kesler too for being in the line of fire..
Teemu Selänne, Anaheim. Well, who doesn't love mr. Selänne. The ageless Finnish Flash has returned and once he gets his game together, there will be another solid season of productive offence in the making. Most of Selänne's points will come from the power play this season, but who cares. He's got hall of fame written all over him.
Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia. Timonen has been on the top of the league defencemen for ages. Maybe it's about time to let the younger guys take over some of the responsibilities. Regardless of the Kimmo will carry on in being ultra reliable on the own zone and a weapon on the visitors end.
Teemu Laakso, Sami Lepistö, Lennart Petrell and Petteri Nokelainen close up the quick review on the Finns on ice. They still have to take some time to prove that they belong to the starting lineup. Let's take a look at their progress little later on the season. I hope all the best for them in the fight for the spotlight.
Sean Bergenheim, Florida. Sean had a tremendous playoff run in Tampa last year and ended up cashing in on the contract with Florida. He's still young, entering the prime of his career and has it all up for grabs. Bergenheim is a bull on skates, and can definitely spark up any team's second line with some speed and grind when needed.
Valtteri Filppula, Detroit. Filppula is a wizard. Extremely talented playmaker, looking at a bright future in the NHL for years to come. The fact he's locked a permanent position in Red Wings starting lineup tells a lot. And once Datsuyk and Zetterberg leave more time for the younger corps, it's going to be Filppula's time in the spotlight. Hopefully he stays healthy and can be one of the guys carrying this famed franchise forward.
Niklas Hagman, Calgary. Hagman has all the speed needed to make an impact in this league. However, he's been pretty streaky in the past seasons and I cannot see that changing. Calgary is just very boring team for creating anything magical. It would be about the last chance for Niklas to prove himself and maybe one more trade to some rising team would do the trick. Blue Jackets, Islanders, Avalanche, anyone?
Jussi Jokinen, Carolina. Jokinen ended up having another contract with Carolina in the end. He's a special player; seems to be way too slow and soft to make it, but has a tremendous ability of being in the right place at the right time. Hence Jokinen's productivity has been great for so long. Not to mention the cold as ice act on the shootouts. Jussi will carry on for couple more of these solid seasons before Carolina's new kids take over.
Olli Jokinen, Calgary. Former king of Florida has fallen deeper and deeper in the Flames. Given the optimal circumstances, Olli Jokinen could still dominate in this league. However, I can't see anyone risking the season just to give him the chance and ice time to make it happen. Maybe Olli should be packaged in a trade with Niklas Hagman for a team who would have the courage. Back to Florida for a all-Finnish line with Bergenheim? Boys might have some good time and create some production on the side.
Mikko Koivu, Minnesota. Well, the younger Koivu brother in the league is likely the best all around player that Finland has to offer. He took the team to the championship in the Worlds this spring and will continue making everyone around him world class players. I bet Mikko Koivu cannot wait for the next season when he'll be united with the new countryman superstar in the making, Mikael Granlund.
Saku Koivu, Anaheim. Older Koivu brother still keeps on producing. He's clearly enoying playing out his career with Teemu Selänne. Saku keeps on playing defensive center role and flashes some of the old time magic every now and then, especially on the power play. This guy would have broken into the ultimate top of all players in the league if he hadn't been injured in so many key moments of his career. Real class act.
Lauri Korpikoski, Phoenix. Korpikoski has sneaked out from being unknown to suddenly being seen as one of the cornerstones of young Coyotes' lineup. He is a grinder, tough to play against and has the speed and scoring ability to go with it. I see him getting a bigger role this season and proving that he belongs to this league for good.
Ville Leino, Buffalo. Leino got traded to Buffalo and had a massive deal under the new management. There's high expectations on his play, and I believe Leino has matured to pretty much fill those. He's an all around forward and easily covers with skills and hockey sense what he may lack in skate speed. Still relatively young, so he possesses all the tools to play an impressive career in the NHL.
Toni Lydman, Anaheim. Lydman keeps on playing solid defense and contributing to the quick turnaround game when needed. If he stays healthy, and locks a place in the powerplay unit with Lubomir Visnovsky on the blueline, there might be good numbers in his scoresheet at the end of the year. His best years may be behind, but there's still plenty of player left.
Joni Pitkänen, Carolina. Pitkänen has proven everyone that he's one of the league's leading offensive defencemen. When paired right and played behind talented forward units, he really provides extra punch for scoring. There's lots of rumors moving him away from Carolina, but that remains to be seen. At least the star of the season has shown that Joni is keeping up the pace just right. The issues come on the own defensive zone, where he really needs good support from the other d-man and the forward line.
Tuomo Ruutu, Carolina. Tuomo Ruutu is a player everyone must like. Well, maybe not the opposition, who needs to keep their heads up for this human wrecking ball. Fearless, competitive, talented and fair. His style of play has unfortunately taken a toll on several seasons, but let's hope he can dodge the injuries this season and keep on thrilling the fans with explosive moves on the ice.
Sami Salo, Vancouver. Salo has earned a permanent position on the Canucks' blue line. He may see fewer minutes every year, but will fill his spot perfectly. And there isn't a goaltender in the league who wouldn't know his slap shot. You can count a bunch of goals and a bucketful of bruises at the end of the season for opposition. And maybe some black and blue for Mikael Samuelsson and Ryan Kesler too for being in the line of fire..
Teemu Selänne, Anaheim. Well, who doesn't love mr. Selänne. The ageless Finnish Flash has returned and once he gets his game together, there will be another solid season of productive offence in the making. Most of Selänne's points will come from the power play this season, but who cares. He's got hall of fame written all over him.
Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia. Timonen has been on the top of the league defencemen for ages. Maybe it's about time to let the younger guys take over some of the responsibilities. Regardless of the Kimmo will carry on in being ultra reliable on the own zone and a weapon on the visitors end.
Teemu Laakso, Sami Lepistö, Lennart Petrell and Petteri Nokelainen close up the quick review on the Finns on ice. They still have to take some time to prove that they belong to the starting lineup. Let's take a look at their progress little later on the season. I hope all the best for them in the fight for the spotlight.
2011/10/12
From Russia with love
I happened to browse some news, posts and comments on Matt Bradley's alleged radio criticism towards former Washington Capitals teammate Alexander Semin. This study led to more comments on Semin's inconsistent performances, lack of commitment and so forth. This rung a bell in similarity on articles about so many other Russian players. Alexei Kovalev comes to my mind first. Is it really a national characteristic of Russians to pull this kind of spotlight for themselves or is this just some last remains of the good old cold war in the minds of US-centric media?
In regards of Bradley's comments after leaving the team, I believe that's part of being rather young and inexperienced and getting lured into this kind of talk by the interviewer. Stupid, against the players' code of honor and outright bad for karma and career for sure. But somewhat innocent in the end. He'll be hearing about this for a while and will learn to keep his mouth shut on topics like this. Players in general stand for each others like in any team sport, only highlighting the most outrageous behavior of certain individuals. Rest of the yapping remains in the rink and locker rooms.
What comes to Russian star players in the NHL. It seems like forever since the first guys jumped over to play in the States. Since that the Soviet Union has collapsed and borders have opened. KHL has come in to offer an local language alternative. The world has changed a lot. Still, some of the writers, many of the league elderly statesmen, owners, GMs etc. are old school and don't realize that nationality isn't very important these days. It's just a job and a business. Where wouldn't we be outsourcing tasks these days?
So, I'm leaning on the side of prejudice. Guys like Semin and Kovalev have proven to be world class players. You don't score almost a point per game in NHL without extreme talent. Of course these individuals are mostly offensive weapons and save themselves for those tasks instead of grinding out the pucks in the corners or finding lanes to deliver massive checks. They have the softest hands in the league and those skills will go out in a puff of smoke after few broken wrists or separated shoulders. Not to mention the flying speed that can't really take that many torn knee tendons before the career is over. There's different shaped guys for the hard work in all teams and it's hard to put these two types of players in comparison.
Stats tell that regular season favors the guys with offensive skill and speed, but playoffs turn the scales towards hard work and never-die attitude. That shouldn't really be much of a surprise to anyone in the business. It's a long season and everything is on the line in the end. It would be hard to not get the jitters on the final push towards the ultimate reward. Guys are also banged up and tired after 82 games of regular season. There might not be enough left in the tank to pull off some of the fastest spurts or finest moves in the postseason.
If you compare Semin and Kovalev to fellow countrymen Ovechkin and Malkin, what makes a difference in the public attitude? Ovechkin loves the spotlight, he's at home as a hockey celebrity. And he has a nasty edge, some Canadian blood perhaps? Malkin is a shy and silent guy too, but has won the public over with simple talent and undeniable productivity on the rink. Another bad season for him and he'll be in the same doghouse with Semin. Be it injuries or anything else, it's just going to be unfair.
The teams are paying millions to the coaching teams that seem to fail in getting everything out of these star players at times. I wonder how their professionalism is evaluated in those spots. They should be gutsy enough to tell who's going to jump in the box at what times and not whine about it later if they've played 25 minutes some guys who don't seem to have the energy. If it's grind time, don't throw in the artists.
I see another massively productive season for Semin, even playing on the second line behind Ovie and Backström. And Washington will make a big mistake if they let this guy leave instead of talking things through along the season. Get a freakin' interpreter if the kid doesn't speak English.
Kovalev already left when he had enough. He has nothing more to prove in his age and he'll be happy playing out his career in Russia.
I'd like to end this post with an opinion that the NHL would be way less entertaining as a league without the Russian (and other Eastern block) players. The media should realize that and embrace the differences in the playing style instead of judging without looking any deeper.
In regards of Bradley's comments after leaving the team, I believe that's part of being rather young and inexperienced and getting lured into this kind of talk by the interviewer. Stupid, against the players' code of honor and outright bad for karma and career for sure. But somewhat innocent in the end. He'll be hearing about this for a while and will learn to keep his mouth shut on topics like this. Players in general stand for each others like in any team sport, only highlighting the most outrageous behavior of certain individuals. Rest of the yapping remains in the rink and locker rooms.
What comes to Russian star players in the NHL. It seems like forever since the first guys jumped over to play in the States. Since that the Soviet Union has collapsed and borders have opened. KHL has come in to offer an local language alternative. The world has changed a lot. Still, some of the writers, many of the league elderly statesmen, owners, GMs etc. are old school and don't realize that nationality isn't very important these days. It's just a job and a business. Where wouldn't we be outsourcing tasks these days?
So, I'm leaning on the side of prejudice. Guys like Semin and Kovalev have proven to be world class players. You don't score almost a point per game in NHL without extreme talent. Of course these individuals are mostly offensive weapons and save themselves for those tasks instead of grinding out the pucks in the corners or finding lanes to deliver massive checks. They have the softest hands in the league and those skills will go out in a puff of smoke after few broken wrists or separated shoulders. Not to mention the flying speed that can't really take that many torn knee tendons before the career is over. There's different shaped guys for the hard work in all teams and it's hard to put these two types of players in comparison.
Stats tell that regular season favors the guys with offensive skill and speed, but playoffs turn the scales towards hard work and never-die attitude. That shouldn't really be much of a surprise to anyone in the business. It's a long season and everything is on the line in the end. It would be hard to not get the jitters on the final push towards the ultimate reward. Guys are also banged up and tired after 82 games of regular season. There might not be enough left in the tank to pull off some of the fastest spurts or finest moves in the postseason.
If you compare Semin and Kovalev to fellow countrymen Ovechkin and Malkin, what makes a difference in the public attitude? Ovechkin loves the spotlight, he's at home as a hockey celebrity. And he has a nasty edge, some Canadian blood perhaps? Malkin is a shy and silent guy too, but has won the public over with simple talent and undeniable productivity on the rink. Another bad season for him and he'll be in the same doghouse with Semin. Be it injuries or anything else, it's just going to be unfair.
The teams are paying millions to the coaching teams that seem to fail in getting everything out of these star players at times. I wonder how their professionalism is evaluated in those spots. They should be gutsy enough to tell who's going to jump in the box at what times and not whine about it later if they've played 25 minutes some guys who don't seem to have the energy. If it's grind time, don't throw in the artists.
I see another massively productive season for Semin, even playing on the second line behind Ovie and Backström. And Washington will make a big mistake if they let this guy leave instead of talking things through along the season. Get a freakin' interpreter if the kid doesn't speak English.
Kovalev already left when he had enough. He has nothing more to prove in his age and he'll be happy playing out his career in Russia.
I'd like to end this post with an opinion that the NHL would be way less entertaining as a league without the Russian (and other Eastern block) players. The media should realize that and embrace the differences in the playing style instead of judging without looking any deeper.
2011/09/29
Preseason predictions
Okay, a summer of misfortunate incidents in hockey circles is over. The tragedies involving suicides and the Yaroslavl KHL team plane crash will definitely leave their mark in the seasons to come and the whole international hockey community. Lots of questions, not too many answers. I wish all the strength to the closely affected people around the globe!
Now it's time to put in some prediction for the coming season. Preseason is nearing its end and in a week we'll be off with another thrilling season of world's best hockey. I hope again to catch as much of the action as possible. And to post some thoughts along the way over here.
I'll rush through all the teams and summarize their season in a few words. It'll be fun to return to these thoughts in midseason and the end of regular to see how much of it I got right.
Devils: Will follow their long-time worst season with similar results, now the streaks will be more mixed, but there's going to be more in the L-column.
Islanders: Rising as a challenger with rather young core. Way too inconsistent to break through as a playoff team.
Rangers: Spent again big bucks for premioum players. Maybe it's time to reap some dividends and push through to the playoffs. If duo Richards-Gaborik stays healthy, they'll do a lot of damage this season.
Flyers: Mixed their roster up a lot, but still keep going strong and easily in to the playoffs and further.
Penguins: Very strong preseason, and without Crosby. If Sid the Kid returns and stays healthy, the Pens have a strong grip on the cup in the springtime.
Blackhawks: Still weak from the post-cup roster collapse. However, getting stronger and likely in the playoffs later.
Blue Jackets: All time bottom dwellers might pull off a surprise this season. They have really strong first line and more experience and skill than ever. First playoff appearance in the air?
Red Wings: Getting older and older. Still able to pull off solid numbers throughout the season and get in the playoffs. Can't see them having the juice to go far though.
Predators: Very solid team and Rinne will have a massive year in goal. Not the most entertaining team, but definitely in the playoffs for at least couple of rounds.
Blues: Streaky, inconsistent, but hides some potential for upsets. Not likely going all the way to the playoffs anyway.
Bruins: The B's keep on steamrolling this season like the last. They are one of the sure playoff teams and might not want to let the cup go for another year.
Sabres: Threw a lot of money and got some solid players. No superstars, but definitely strong enough to return to the playoff picture this year.
Canadiens: Keep on being too fragile and are bound to collapse sooner or later and miss the playoffs. May pull off a good streak in the early season again, but will run out of steam.
Senators: If not dead last, then second to it. No chance this season either and will likely loose Jason Spezza along the way for someone with deeper pockets. Need a new ownership or something.
Maple Leafs: Continuing its sad march after seasons of bad decisions on the market. Not going to fight for a playoff spot with this team.
Flames: Dropping fast. Have fought through last seasons and fallen just before the playoffs. This season it's clear that they're out around Christmas. Kiprusoff will hate to see his stock value and start count drop along with the team. Would Iginla bail out seems to be the most interesting topic in Calgary this year.
Avalanche: Very young roster, still learning to play together. If everything clicks perfectly they may become a playoff contender. If not, they'll keep on practising for the seasons to come.
Oilers: Similar to Avalanche, but with a long stretch of bottom finishes, they've gathered a fantastic core of young superstars-to-be. They might be ready enough to make it to the playoffs this season already. A fact is that this team is going to be fun to watch day in and out.
Wild: The once boring Wild may return to the playoffs this season. They're very balanced and have one of the biggest offencive pairs in Koivu-Heatley. Look for 50 goals for Dany and 50 assists for Mikko.
Canucks: Still a bit shocked on the finals result, but will recover for another great season. Thay have all the weapons in the offence and very solid defence, finally locked by Roberto Luongo. Hard to beat, and sure to make the playoffs.
Hurricanes: Surpriser role at best. May fight for the last playoff spots again, especially if Eric Staal stays healthy and happy.
Panthers: Not getting any better this season. Some new bright spots here and there, but still far from becoming a playoff team.
Lightning: Lightning's offence will carry on beng in the top of the leaderboards. Stamkos and St.Louis will keep on conjuring the magic. And that all will carry the team to the playoffs again. Might need more toughness on the middle of the pack to make it any further.
Capitals: Lousy preseason results might lead to some pressure from the management. The team is just too talented to not be better. And they will respond by leading the Southeast again very soon. Time to bounce back mr. Ovechkin.
Jets: Supported by the most enthusiastic crowd in the league, the returning Jets will have the "sixth player" through the season. They will need it to make it to the playoffs. Slight chances exist though.
Ducks: Veteran Ducks will carry on for another year and take the team to the playoffs again. They will be too banged up at that point to make it any further though. Great to see Teemu Selänne bring in some more impressive numbers.
Stars: Excellent results in the preseason might not carry over to the regular season. However, they seem to be doing just fine without Brad Richards and might surprise everyone by making it to the playoffs.
Kings: Very strong team and will surely make it to the playoffs this season. Might even fight for the cup if key guys remain in good playing shape. Would be even better if they could settle the negotiations with Drew Doughty. Totally able to handle themselves without him as well.
Coyotes: Have been playing with the idea of making it to the playoffs last couple of seasons. Seem to have very good workmanlike attitude that might take them there. And might go far if they can keep the attitude. If not, they won't make the playoffs either. No skills for fancy stuff.
Sharks: Sure to make it to the playoffs. Very, very strong and talented team and always full of promise. Would this be the year when they make the run all the way to the finals? It's about time, or the team will start falling to pieces.
There, all teams covered. It's easy to pick some favorites but also thrilling to see the younger challengers rise to the new, faster game. It's also going to be very interesting how things get started on the checking department, since last season stirred off the whole headshot debate. It's hard for me to believe we won't have some serious incidents to review again pretty soon. In the preseason it's been all about political correctness and verbal behavior on the rink. Maybe it's time to let that go and let boys be boys without making any major statements out of what is yelled on the ice. Way better idea is to concentrate on keeping the game fair, clean and hard as it's always been.
Bring it on, gentlemen!
Now it's time to put in some prediction for the coming season. Preseason is nearing its end and in a week we'll be off with another thrilling season of world's best hockey. I hope again to catch as much of the action as possible. And to post some thoughts along the way over here.
I'll rush through all the teams and summarize their season in a few words. It'll be fun to return to these thoughts in midseason and the end of regular to see how much of it I got right.
Devils: Will follow their long-time worst season with similar results, now the streaks will be more mixed, but there's going to be more in the L-column.
Islanders: Rising as a challenger with rather young core. Way too inconsistent to break through as a playoff team.
Rangers: Spent again big bucks for premioum players. Maybe it's time to reap some dividends and push through to the playoffs. If duo Richards-Gaborik stays healthy, they'll do a lot of damage this season.
Flyers: Mixed their roster up a lot, but still keep going strong and easily in to the playoffs and further.
Penguins: Very strong preseason, and without Crosby. If Sid the Kid returns and stays healthy, the Pens have a strong grip on the cup in the springtime.
Blackhawks: Still weak from the post-cup roster collapse. However, getting stronger and likely in the playoffs later.
Blue Jackets: All time bottom dwellers might pull off a surprise this season. They have really strong first line and more experience and skill than ever. First playoff appearance in the air?
Red Wings: Getting older and older. Still able to pull off solid numbers throughout the season and get in the playoffs. Can't see them having the juice to go far though.
Predators: Very solid team and Rinne will have a massive year in goal. Not the most entertaining team, but definitely in the playoffs for at least couple of rounds.
Blues: Streaky, inconsistent, but hides some potential for upsets. Not likely going all the way to the playoffs anyway.
Bruins: The B's keep on steamrolling this season like the last. They are one of the sure playoff teams and might not want to let the cup go for another year.
Sabres: Threw a lot of money and got some solid players. No superstars, but definitely strong enough to return to the playoff picture this year.
Canadiens: Keep on being too fragile and are bound to collapse sooner or later and miss the playoffs. May pull off a good streak in the early season again, but will run out of steam.
Senators: If not dead last, then second to it. No chance this season either and will likely loose Jason Spezza along the way for someone with deeper pockets. Need a new ownership or something.
Maple Leafs: Continuing its sad march after seasons of bad decisions on the market. Not going to fight for a playoff spot with this team.
Flames: Dropping fast. Have fought through last seasons and fallen just before the playoffs. This season it's clear that they're out around Christmas. Kiprusoff will hate to see his stock value and start count drop along with the team. Would Iginla bail out seems to be the most interesting topic in Calgary this year.
Avalanche: Very young roster, still learning to play together. If everything clicks perfectly they may become a playoff contender. If not, they'll keep on practising for the seasons to come.
Oilers: Similar to Avalanche, but with a long stretch of bottom finishes, they've gathered a fantastic core of young superstars-to-be. They might be ready enough to make it to the playoffs this season already. A fact is that this team is going to be fun to watch day in and out.
Wild: The once boring Wild may return to the playoffs this season. They're very balanced and have one of the biggest offencive pairs in Koivu-Heatley. Look for 50 goals for Dany and 50 assists for Mikko.
Canucks: Still a bit shocked on the finals result, but will recover for another great season. Thay have all the weapons in the offence and very solid defence, finally locked by Roberto Luongo. Hard to beat, and sure to make the playoffs.
Hurricanes: Surpriser role at best. May fight for the last playoff spots again, especially if Eric Staal stays healthy and happy.
Panthers: Not getting any better this season. Some new bright spots here and there, but still far from becoming a playoff team.
Lightning: Lightning's offence will carry on beng in the top of the leaderboards. Stamkos and St.Louis will keep on conjuring the magic. And that all will carry the team to the playoffs again. Might need more toughness on the middle of the pack to make it any further.
Capitals: Lousy preseason results might lead to some pressure from the management. The team is just too talented to not be better. And they will respond by leading the Southeast again very soon. Time to bounce back mr. Ovechkin.
Jets: Supported by the most enthusiastic crowd in the league, the returning Jets will have the "sixth player" through the season. They will need it to make it to the playoffs. Slight chances exist though.
Ducks: Veteran Ducks will carry on for another year and take the team to the playoffs again. They will be too banged up at that point to make it any further though. Great to see Teemu Selänne bring in some more impressive numbers.
Stars: Excellent results in the preseason might not carry over to the regular season. However, they seem to be doing just fine without Brad Richards and might surprise everyone by making it to the playoffs.
Kings: Very strong team and will surely make it to the playoffs this season. Might even fight for the cup if key guys remain in good playing shape. Would be even better if they could settle the negotiations with Drew Doughty. Totally able to handle themselves without him as well.
Coyotes: Have been playing with the idea of making it to the playoffs last couple of seasons. Seem to have very good workmanlike attitude that might take them there. And might go far if they can keep the attitude. If not, they won't make the playoffs either. No skills for fancy stuff.
Sharks: Sure to make it to the playoffs. Very, very strong and talented team and always full of promise. Would this be the year when they make the run all the way to the finals? It's about time, or the team will start falling to pieces.
There, all teams covered. It's easy to pick some favorites but also thrilling to see the younger challengers rise to the new, faster game. It's also going to be very interesting how things get started on the checking department, since last season stirred off the whole headshot debate. It's hard for me to believe we won't have some serious incidents to review again pretty soon. In the preseason it's been all about political correctness and verbal behavior on the rink. Maybe it's time to let that go and let boys be boys without making any major statements out of what is yelled on the ice. Way better idea is to concentrate on keeping the game fair, clean and hard as it's always been.
Bring it on, gentlemen!
2011/08/15
The good, the bad, and the ugly - Trades of summer 2011
Philly got its share of attention on my last post. Now it's time to focus on the other big deals that have been pulled off this summer. Not in any particular order, I just dug those out from some listing in the net.
Zach Parise was tagged for one more year in the Devils uniform. Seems like after last season he's pretty much through with the team and just wanted to give one more year out of common courtesy before jumping to a more modern team. He's a brilliant young talent and will likely thrive in a more attach oriented and balanced team. New Jersey may bounce back with the big guns blazing, but will fall short of anything spectacular. Solid season in the pipeline for Parise, but if the Devils don't improve, he'll see a decline in his production too.
Brent Burns signed for five years in sunny San Jose. He'll be the backbone of the Sharks team for the coming years. A all star level defenceman with great playmaking skills and proper toughness around the net is definitely a good building block to carry on. San Jose will be even more dangerous with Burns on the defence and may even pull the best effort of the franchise history if the offense keeps on producing like in the past.
Keith Yandle took pretty similar approach as Burns before, agreeing on a five year contract on the Coyotes. The desert dogs will not be cup contenders in the coming years, if ever. It's actually more likely that Yandle will end this contract on a franchise with another name, or location, or both. If someone sorts out the financials, the hockey in Arizona will come to its end in the coming years. Yandle was phenomenal last season on the offensive end and finished close to the top of production rankings for defencemen. His skills on the own end are not as good as e.g. Burns', but he'll keep on improving and being the defensive leader of the young Coyotes' team.
New York Rangers managed to keep their heart and soul in Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky. On top of that they reeled in the big fish in Brad Richards to spark up the finesse of team's offense. Callahan and Dubinsky keep on pounding gritty goals and frustrating the opposition's top lines. Richards was brought in to create some magic. Admittedly, it was a fantastic sales position for Richards, and Rangers are taking somewhat of a risk with a massive contract, but it will be thrilling to see what he can bring the Big Apple. Given the proper supporting cast, Brad Richars can pump the Rangers back to being a playoff team.
Steven Stamkos got basically anything he asked after last season's efforts. This guy has potential to overtake even Crosby and Ovechkin in raw and powerful productivity. If he can carry on playing with Marty St. Louis, the duo will keep on embarassing opposing goalies throughout the coming season. Stamkos may have ran out of gas a bit in the end of last season, but he's gained massive experience from it and will surely return even more dangerous. A must keep for Tampa for numerous reasons, the least not being success and fanbase.
St. Louis Blues took an interesting angle in acquiring graybeards Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner for one more year. These two have had some ups and downs on the latter part of their careers, depending on the roles they've been put in the teams they've played for. Both of the men have very good seasons on their resume and certainly have proven themselves as high caliber NHLers. It only remains to be seen where will they land in the youthful, but highly inconsistent Blues. Given the right role and embracing it might prove this move to be brilliant in letting the veterans pull off another solid season while rubbing some experienced calmness and rationality to the younger corps. If not, these guys will not hit the headlines too often, just like the rest of the team in St. Louis.
One of the most exiting trades this offseason was San Jose and Minnesota swapping Dany Heatley and Martin Havlat. It's a swap of two incredibly talented, but a bit unbalanced players. Heatley just hasn't been the same since the unfortunate car accident in the past and Havlat's inconsistency is it the top of the league. With different weapons in Heatley's deadly shot and Havlat's incredible speed and moves it is more than just a swap of jerseys on the backs of guys. As highly paid top line forwards, both demand attention and adjustment of the rest of the line and team to extract maximum value on the palyers' talents. If done properly I can already see this being a really good trade for both. San Jose has some younger snipers following Heatley's footsteps and ready to fill up the gap in shots on goal. The obvious question is how many breakaways will Joe Thornton set up for Mr. Havlat this season? My guess is in the three digits. If Havlat stays healthy, he could well return in the top of the scoring race like few years back. On the Minnesota end of the rink I can easily see Heatley's linemates, led by Mikko Koivu, digging in the offensive end corners to just ship the puck for a one-timer for Dany-boy and personal notch on the assists column. Minnesota top line will be a threat to anyone. The question remains, who else is there in the team?
Finally, the most interesting goalie move of the offseason. Thomas Vokoun was given the final chance to take a shot at being a Stanley Cup winner in the high expectation Washington Capitals. He just has to take a firm grip on the number one goalie spot on the team, show why his career stats are simply brilliant after playing for low end team, and keep up the pace in the unfamiliar territory of playoffs. Not the easiest task in a team that is expected to keep on winning, but doable with Vokoun's undeniable talent. In the worst case it's still going to be good for Washington to have a veteran goaltender putting some pressure on the young keepers and keeping them sharp.
Very interesting summer indeed. I'm anxious to see how the games start and what tracks these biggest movers and shakers take. A fresh new NHL season up ahead!
Zach Parise was tagged for one more year in the Devils uniform. Seems like after last season he's pretty much through with the team and just wanted to give one more year out of common courtesy before jumping to a more modern team. He's a brilliant young talent and will likely thrive in a more attach oriented and balanced team. New Jersey may bounce back with the big guns blazing, but will fall short of anything spectacular. Solid season in the pipeline for Parise, but if the Devils don't improve, he'll see a decline in his production too.
Brent Burns signed for five years in sunny San Jose. He'll be the backbone of the Sharks team for the coming years. A all star level defenceman with great playmaking skills and proper toughness around the net is definitely a good building block to carry on. San Jose will be even more dangerous with Burns on the defence and may even pull the best effort of the franchise history if the offense keeps on producing like in the past.
Keith Yandle took pretty similar approach as Burns before, agreeing on a five year contract on the Coyotes. The desert dogs will not be cup contenders in the coming years, if ever. It's actually more likely that Yandle will end this contract on a franchise with another name, or location, or both. If someone sorts out the financials, the hockey in Arizona will come to its end in the coming years. Yandle was phenomenal last season on the offensive end and finished close to the top of production rankings for defencemen. His skills on the own end are not as good as e.g. Burns', but he'll keep on improving and being the defensive leader of the young Coyotes' team.
New York Rangers managed to keep their heart and soul in Ryan Callahan and Brandon Dubinsky. On top of that they reeled in the big fish in Brad Richards to spark up the finesse of team's offense. Callahan and Dubinsky keep on pounding gritty goals and frustrating the opposition's top lines. Richards was brought in to create some magic. Admittedly, it was a fantastic sales position for Richards, and Rangers are taking somewhat of a risk with a massive contract, but it will be thrilling to see what he can bring the Big Apple. Given the proper supporting cast, Brad Richars can pump the Rangers back to being a playoff team.
Steven Stamkos got basically anything he asked after last season's efforts. This guy has potential to overtake even Crosby and Ovechkin in raw and powerful productivity. If he can carry on playing with Marty St. Louis, the duo will keep on embarassing opposing goalies throughout the coming season. Stamkos may have ran out of gas a bit in the end of last season, but he's gained massive experience from it and will surely return even more dangerous. A must keep for Tampa for numerous reasons, the least not being success and fanbase.
St. Louis Blues took an interesting angle in acquiring graybeards Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbrunner for one more year. These two have had some ups and downs on the latter part of their careers, depending on the roles they've been put in the teams they've played for. Both of the men have very good seasons on their resume and certainly have proven themselves as high caliber NHLers. It only remains to be seen where will they land in the youthful, but highly inconsistent Blues. Given the right role and embracing it might prove this move to be brilliant in letting the veterans pull off another solid season while rubbing some experienced calmness and rationality to the younger corps. If not, these guys will not hit the headlines too often, just like the rest of the team in St. Louis.
One of the most exiting trades this offseason was San Jose and Minnesota swapping Dany Heatley and Martin Havlat. It's a swap of two incredibly talented, but a bit unbalanced players. Heatley just hasn't been the same since the unfortunate car accident in the past and Havlat's inconsistency is it the top of the league. With different weapons in Heatley's deadly shot and Havlat's incredible speed and moves it is more than just a swap of jerseys on the backs of guys. As highly paid top line forwards, both demand attention and adjustment of the rest of the line and team to extract maximum value on the palyers' talents. If done properly I can already see this being a really good trade for both. San Jose has some younger snipers following Heatley's footsteps and ready to fill up the gap in shots on goal. The obvious question is how many breakaways will Joe Thornton set up for Mr. Havlat this season? My guess is in the three digits. If Havlat stays healthy, he could well return in the top of the scoring race like few years back. On the Minnesota end of the rink I can easily see Heatley's linemates, led by Mikko Koivu, digging in the offensive end corners to just ship the puck for a one-timer for Dany-boy and personal notch on the assists column. Minnesota top line will be a threat to anyone. The question remains, who else is there in the team?
Finally, the most interesting goalie move of the offseason. Thomas Vokoun was given the final chance to take a shot at being a Stanley Cup winner in the high expectation Washington Capitals. He just has to take a firm grip on the number one goalie spot on the team, show why his career stats are simply brilliant after playing for low end team, and keep up the pace in the unfamiliar territory of playoffs. Not the easiest task in a team that is expected to keep on winning, but doable with Vokoun's undeniable talent. In the worst case it's still going to be good for Washington to have a veteran goaltender putting some pressure on the young keepers and keeping them sharp.
Very interesting summer indeed. I'm anxious to see how the games start and what tracks these biggest movers and shakers take. A fresh new NHL season up ahead!
2011/08/12
Shuffle up in Philly
Trade market is a topic that may result in rather long posts. I'll start with something that comes to my mind right away.
It sure has been a busy summer on the trade market. Lots of big names have landed on new teams, some surprisingly, some likely expecting or even wanting to get traded. Anyhow, this really injects some needed surprise factor on the team's overall success rate in the beginning of the next season. Gray hairs for owners, good fun for fans and gamblers.
Let's focus on the Philadelphia Flyers. They drew the biggest attention to themselves with a major decision in letting go many of their top guns from the last few seasons. Let's take a closer look on the guys who left and the ones that came in to fill in the gaps.
Mike Richards, for starters, was the team captain, fan favourite and the poster boy for the whole franchise, if not sometimes for the whole NHL. His style of hard nosed but efficient play was feared and followed alike. Sometimes it seemed even that he had some free passes on the NHL disciplinary actions for not getting punished for very hard hits with disturbing results. Well, he was one of the guys to start the discussion that ended up in the current blind side hits rule. Whatever that means in practice.. Anyway, teams don't often let these caliber guys go away. There's not many who could fill up his role in the whole sport. Beats me, maybe he was too greedy, unhappy or didn't get along with the management. Anyway, LA is the massive winner in this trade. It's going to be awesome to see how soon he finds a line in LA to deliver the goods.
Jeff Carter got shipped to Columbus. Well, not exactly what a guy with high and growing rating in the league wants to see. No matter what he says. Playing for half empty arenas in a non-competitive team is just bad PR. On the positive side, he'll get to play just as much as he wants as the ultimate superstar in the team. Winner again, Columbus, hands down. Carter's true skills will now be seen with mediocre linemates. I wouldn't expect 40 goals this season..
Ville Leino has hit the high wave on his career just on the right spot and that led Buffalo Sabres to lock him in for a long term, high salary contract. It's good to see Ville with a new chance to prove himself as a first line NHL forward. As a fellow Finn I hope he succeeds. Not too many high profile forwards from Finland anymore in the league. However, it's a gamble for the Sabres, like most of their moves this summer. Flyers should have tried to keep Leino, but likely couldn't match the offer he got.
The newcomers then. Bryzgalov, with a foolish contract for the eternity, forces the Flyers to commit to one goalie for bettor or worse. He did fantastic job in Phoenix, so it's not at all unlikely that he'd be able to plug the goals against column for good. Voracek, Simmonds and Talbot are work horses for second to fourth lines. Nothing spectacular, but likely worth their salary when played in right roles. Lilja is a lower minute defenceman in Philly, not a difference maker. The rookies, including Brayden Schenn, are the unknown. Maybe there's a new star in the making, maybe these guys will never secure a spot in the starting lineup, who knows.
Last but definitely not least is the grand old maestro, Jaromir Jagr. Currently gray bearded, but still extremely dangerous in the offensive zone. It's absolutely thrilling to see him get adjusted in today's NHL. With proper linemates he might well pull off another stellar season. The wildest predictions put him in the fight for the scoring title. That's a bit though to believe, but I could well believe in a bit less than a point per game season. Jagr, in his prime, has been one of the best to play the game ever. He's a no brainer to the Hall of Fame after he retires no matter how he does this season. I had a chance to follow his play in the last year's world championships and he didn't fall short to any of the younger stars in Czech lineup. In the Flyers he might be able to take the role of the living legend, leading younger guns to great things with his example. Obviously, I've always liked his style of play. Massive skills in one of the strongest packages in the game, combined with a world class eye for the play. I sincerely hope he still has the gas in the tank to compete on the ultimate top of this sport. Good catch form the Flyers indeed, if for nothing else than getting a truckload of interest directed in their games.
All in all, Philly really shook up its roster. On the first look it got way worse, but looking a bit further down the line, this may provide some stability to the franchise that likely expected to take it all with the lineup from the past couple of years. They ended up falling just short, but definitely showing that the "Rangers approach", of gathering the cream of players without paying too much attention to paychecks, can succeed with the right coordination.
I'll continue with another rambling post on some other trades this offseason later.
It sure has been a busy summer on the trade market. Lots of big names have landed on new teams, some surprisingly, some likely expecting or even wanting to get traded. Anyhow, this really injects some needed surprise factor on the team's overall success rate in the beginning of the next season. Gray hairs for owners, good fun for fans and gamblers.
Let's focus on the Philadelphia Flyers. They drew the biggest attention to themselves with a major decision in letting go many of their top guns from the last few seasons. Let's take a closer look on the guys who left and the ones that came in to fill in the gaps.
Mike Richards, for starters, was the team captain, fan favourite and the poster boy for the whole franchise, if not sometimes for the whole NHL. His style of hard nosed but efficient play was feared and followed alike. Sometimes it seemed even that he had some free passes on the NHL disciplinary actions for not getting punished for very hard hits with disturbing results. Well, he was one of the guys to start the discussion that ended up in the current blind side hits rule. Whatever that means in practice.. Anyway, teams don't often let these caliber guys go away. There's not many who could fill up his role in the whole sport. Beats me, maybe he was too greedy, unhappy or didn't get along with the management. Anyway, LA is the massive winner in this trade. It's going to be awesome to see how soon he finds a line in LA to deliver the goods.
Jeff Carter got shipped to Columbus. Well, not exactly what a guy with high and growing rating in the league wants to see. No matter what he says. Playing for half empty arenas in a non-competitive team is just bad PR. On the positive side, he'll get to play just as much as he wants as the ultimate superstar in the team. Winner again, Columbus, hands down. Carter's true skills will now be seen with mediocre linemates. I wouldn't expect 40 goals this season..
Ville Leino has hit the high wave on his career just on the right spot and that led Buffalo Sabres to lock him in for a long term, high salary contract. It's good to see Ville with a new chance to prove himself as a first line NHL forward. As a fellow Finn I hope he succeeds. Not too many high profile forwards from Finland anymore in the league. However, it's a gamble for the Sabres, like most of their moves this summer. Flyers should have tried to keep Leino, but likely couldn't match the offer he got.
The newcomers then. Bryzgalov, with a foolish contract for the eternity, forces the Flyers to commit to one goalie for bettor or worse. He did fantastic job in Phoenix, so it's not at all unlikely that he'd be able to plug the goals against column for good. Voracek, Simmonds and Talbot are work horses for second to fourth lines. Nothing spectacular, but likely worth their salary when played in right roles. Lilja is a lower minute defenceman in Philly, not a difference maker. The rookies, including Brayden Schenn, are the unknown. Maybe there's a new star in the making, maybe these guys will never secure a spot in the starting lineup, who knows.
Last but definitely not least is the grand old maestro, Jaromir Jagr. Currently gray bearded, but still extremely dangerous in the offensive zone. It's absolutely thrilling to see him get adjusted in today's NHL. With proper linemates he might well pull off another stellar season. The wildest predictions put him in the fight for the scoring title. That's a bit though to believe, but I could well believe in a bit less than a point per game season. Jagr, in his prime, has been one of the best to play the game ever. He's a no brainer to the Hall of Fame after he retires no matter how he does this season. I had a chance to follow his play in the last year's world championships and he didn't fall short to any of the younger stars in Czech lineup. In the Flyers he might be able to take the role of the living legend, leading younger guns to great things with his example. Obviously, I've always liked his style of play. Massive skills in one of the strongest packages in the game, combined with a world class eye for the play. I sincerely hope he still has the gas in the tank to compete on the ultimate top of this sport. Good catch form the Flyers indeed, if for nothing else than getting a truckload of interest directed in their games.
All in all, Philly really shook up its roster. On the first look it got way worse, but looking a bit further down the line, this may provide some stability to the franchise that likely expected to take it all with the lineup from the past couple of years. They ended up falling just short, but definitely showing that the "Rangers approach", of gathering the cream of players without paying too much attention to paychecks, can succeed with the right coordination.
I'll continue with another rambling post on some other trades this offseason later.
2011/08/11
Cup retrospective and setting the sight for the future
Okay, Boston took the cup, Vancouver was ablaze on the riots after disappointed fans vented their frustration on the streets. This just says something about the emotion tied to this fantastic game. Not that the rioting wouldn't have been completely and utterly stupid and the worst pr for the sport, though..
Boston just had a little something more. Thomas outplayed Luongo, especially on the mental side. Media did its best in shaking Luongo's balance. Sedins came up short while Boston's big guys just responded as expected. It took all seven games but in the end Boston put a big exclamation mark on the board next to the convincing 4-0 victory. Canada just has to wait some more for the next cup. Vancouver has had some great runs and has built a very solid team, maybe they're up for the challenge in the coming years.
It's a bit early for predictions on the next season, but let's give it a playful go. Lots of key players have changed teams, which makes the dynamics of the coming season very interesting. Who'll be able to rise to superstardom in their new teams and who will be just waste of money? What about the teams that have been able to build a solid foundation in the past years, improving year by year with more experience?
Just following the first thoughts here, I'd list Vancouver, Chicago, Boston, San Jose and Washington definitely in the mix of claiming the cup in the end. Pittsburgh's success lies on the shoulders of Sidney Crosby. If he's been able to recover from the nagging concussion and avoids further issues next season, th Penguins will be in there for the fight. Philly, LA, Tampa, Anaheim and Detroit are ready for a surpsise run, even all the way to the end. Philly was shaken up on the roster a lot, LA has grown up, Tampa might pull it off with "just one line", Anaheim has tons of talent up front and Detroit, as a graybearded gentleman, might just find some magic out of sheer experience.
Some new challengers may also rise for the fight. It'll be great to see how Winnipeg Jets come back to the NHL. Their supporters will definitely be the legendary "sixth man" out there, pushing the rather light team forward with undonctional love. NY Rangers have again put some money on the table and expect Brad Richards to be the man carrying them over to the playoffs and further. If it all clicks together, the consistent underachiever might live to its potential. Also Nashville, against all odds, might carry on being the thorn on the sides of the more flashy teams. Just playing their blue collar, no nonsense, defence first style and grinding away the needed victories.
It's hard to see the bottom of the pack of last seasons producing any massive improvements this season either. Edmonton Oilers are still too young, like Colorado Avalanche. Calgary Flames just keep on falling, Columbus hasn't got enough talent on any level, Florida stays confused and NY Islanders just can't get out of the shadow of the big brother on the Manhattan island.
Out of the unmentioned, the black horse is New Jersey Devils. Constantly on the top of the pack for the last decade, falling miserably on the bottom last season. How will they respond lies still a lot on the shoulders of Kovalchuk and Brodeur.
All in all, it's a great season to wait for. Let's analyze some more when the leaves turn yellow and red.
Boston just had a little something more. Thomas outplayed Luongo, especially on the mental side. Media did its best in shaking Luongo's balance. Sedins came up short while Boston's big guys just responded as expected. It took all seven games but in the end Boston put a big exclamation mark on the board next to the convincing 4-0 victory. Canada just has to wait some more for the next cup. Vancouver has had some great runs and has built a very solid team, maybe they're up for the challenge in the coming years.
It's a bit early for predictions on the next season, but let's give it a playful go. Lots of key players have changed teams, which makes the dynamics of the coming season very interesting. Who'll be able to rise to superstardom in their new teams and who will be just waste of money? What about the teams that have been able to build a solid foundation in the past years, improving year by year with more experience?
Just following the first thoughts here, I'd list Vancouver, Chicago, Boston, San Jose and Washington definitely in the mix of claiming the cup in the end. Pittsburgh's success lies on the shoulders of Sidney Crosby. If he's been able to recover from the nagging concussion and avoids further issues next season, th Penguins will be in there for the fight. Philly, LA, Tampa, Anaheim and Detroit are ready for a surpsise run, even all the way to the end. Philly was shaken up on the roster a lot, LA has grown up, Tampa might pull it off with "just one line", Anaheim has tons of talent up front and Detroit, as a graybearded gentleman, might just find some magic out of sheer experience.
Some new challengers may also rise for the fight. It'll be great to see how Winnipeg Jets come back to the NHL. Their supporters will definitely be the legendary "sixth man" out there, pushing the rather light team forward with undonctional love. NY Rangers have again put some money on the table and expect Brad Richards to be the man carrying them over to the playoffs and further. If it all clicks together, the consistent underachiever might live to its potential. Also Nashville, against all odds, might carry on being the thorn on the sides of the more flashy teams. Just playing their blue collar, no nonsense, defence first style and grinding away the needed victories.
It's hard to see the bottom of the pack of last seasons producing any massive improvements this season either. Edmonton Oilers are still too young, like Colorado Avalanche. Calgary Flames just keep on falling, Columbus hasn't got enough talent on any level, Florida stays confused and NY Islanders just can't get out of the shadow of the big brother on the Manhattan island.
Out of the unmentioned, the black horse is New Jersey Devils. Constantly on the top of the pack for the last decade, falling miserably on the bottom last season. How will they respond lies still a lot on the shoulders of Kovalchuk and Brodeur.
All in all, it's a great season to wait for. Let's analyze some more when the leaves turn yellow and red.
2011/06/08
Grande finale
This is it now! The two teams who've made it all the way to the finals are fighting for the ultimate prize in hockey, the Stanley Cup. I picked Vancouver to end up in the finals, but expected Boston to fall to Tampa Bay. They didn't, and after a very tight semifinal series, they deserve their place in the finals.
Vancouver got to the finals with a bit less effort, but still had to dig deep to beat San Jose in the semis.
Both teams are where they are with a great depth in the lineup. It all starts with tremendous goalies in Luongo and Thomas. Both fighting for the Vezina, Thomas taking it easily if Boston wins the cup, otherwise Luongo might have a chance. Tim Thomas has displayed a bunch of insane highlight reel saves in the playoffs too, just to back up his solid all round game between the pipes. Luongo has been fantastic, but maybe a little less spectacular behind a more dominant team.
Now the games are 2-2. Vancouver just edged Boston in the first two at home. Played maybe better than the results show, but still pretty evenly matched. The Bruins on the other hand simply crushed Vancouver in the next two in Boston. Have to say, that now it seems like there won't be a cup to show off in Canada this year either. Unless Vancouver really finds another gear back home, Boston is going to keep the momentum going and take this in six at home.
For the competition, I hope the Canucks will wake up and fight for the ultimate victory. That would really take this final series to the level it's supposed to be. Now there's been a bunch of bad blood spilled in the previous games and my gut tells me it isn't getting any sweeter from now on. So, total grind on and we'll see who has the deepest resources in the end of season.
Boston seems to fire on all cylinders, forwards are playing intense, scoring pretty and ugly, whatever it takes. Defence is solid as a rock, lead by Zdeno Chara's massive figure. Tim Thomas seems to have decided to not let anything past him. That's a tough combination to break for Vancouver.
The Canucks fell off the wagon on all aspects and really need to recover fast. Sedins need to find the spark and shake off the fact that Boston is really pressuring them. Ryan Kesler has to find that final reserve and really step up to take the playoff MVP role he was bound earlier on. Defence is great on paper but must find the attitude to match the nastiness of the Bruins. No more mr. nice guy. And Roberto Luongo really has to forget about thinking ahead about the possible hero or goat treatment he's going to have. He just needs to make the next stop and let the rest of the team worry about the rest.
It's still tough to pick who wins this all. Boston has the upper hand now, but the long trip over to Vancouver might make them lose the best edge. However, if they take game 5 in Vancouver, the cup will not leave Boston anymore this season.
No matter what, It's been a great season and will have a fresh new champion in the end too. I'm happy to be a hockey fan.
Vancouver got to the finals with a bit less effort, but still had to dig deep to beat San Jose in the semis.
Both teams are where they are with a great depth in the lineup. It all starts with tremendous goalies in Luongo and Thomas. Both fighting for the Vezina, Thomas taking it easily if Boston wins the cup, otherwise Luongo might have a chance. Tim Thomas has displayed a bunch of insane highlight reel saves in the playoffs too, just to back up his solid all round game between the pipes. Luongo has been fantastic, but maybe a little less spectacular behind a more dominant team.
Now the games are 2-2. Vancouver just edged Boston in the first two at home. Played maybe better than the results show, but still pretty evenly matched. The Bruins on the other hand simply crushed Vancouver in the next two in Boston. Have to say, that now it seems like there won't be a cup to show off in Canada this year either. Unless Vancouver really finds another gear back home, Boston is going to keep the momentum going and take this in six at home.
For the competition, I hope the Canucks will wake up and fight for the ultimate victory. That would really take this final series to the level it's supposed to be. Now there's been a bunch of bad blood spilled in the previous games and my gut tells me it isn't getting any sweeter from now on. So, total grind on and we'll see who has the deepest resources in the end of season.
Boston seems to fire on all cylinders, forwards are playing intense, scoring pretty and ugly, whatever it takes. Defence is solid as a rock, lead by Zdeno Chara's massive figure. Tim Thomas seems to have decided to not let anything past him. That's a tough combination to break for Vancouver.
The Canucks fell off the wagon on all aspects and really need to recover fast. Sedins need to find the spark and shake off the fact that Boston is really pressuring them. Ryan Kesler has to find that final reserve and really step up to take the playoff MVP role he was bound earlier on. Defence is great on paper but must find the attitude to match the nastiness of the Bruins. No more mr. nice guy. And Roberto Luongo really has to forget about thinking ahead about the possible hero or goat treatment he's going to have. He just needs to make the next stop and let the rest of the team worry about the rest.
It's still tough to pick who wins this all. Boston has the upper hand now, but the long trip over to Vancouver might make them lose the best edge. However, if they take game 5 in Vancouver, the cup will not leave Boston anymore this season.
No matter what, It's been a great season and will have a fresh new champion in the end too. I'm happy to be a hockey fan.
2011/05/19
Then there was four
Okay, been like this for a week now, but better late than never.
Just going to post some thoughts on the remaining teams in the hunt for the cup. The teams are good, all of them capable of winning it all, battle tested.. and bearded.
BOS-TB series is now even 1-1. However, Tampa pulled their victory somewhat effortlessly and made Boston look bad in the first game. The second game reminded of some exhibition games with high scoring and very sloppy defence. Boston ended up taking it by one goal, but only after letting Tampa back from a four goal deficit. Not really convincing there either.
My guess is that Tampa Bay Lightning is going to take this series and will go to the finals. They might do that even in five. The leadership is just so much wider and more talented in Tampa's team that Boston cannot compare. Tim Thomas seems to be even with Roloson, Chara rules above anyone else on defence, but the difference in the offensive talent is just too big. Lecavalier, St. Louis and Stamkos are going to rip the Bruins to pieces. It's fun to see Sean Bergenheim put in the effort of his career so far and making a big impact from a grinder line.
VAN-SJ slipped to 2-0 for Vancouver. Before the series I thought San Jose might actually have a better combination of experience and youth after previous rounds' challenges. Now I don't anymore. After seeing what the Canucs did on game 2, destroying the Sharks on every level, I can't imagine a comeback. Another performance like that and I might lift the Canucks to the final favorite too!
Now the Sedins seem to be back in the mood and there's a plenty of secondary scoring.. if one can call Ryan Kesler secondary after leading the whole league in scoring. Anyway, lots of people in the Vancouver team seem to be capable of carrying the weight and that really is a solid recipe for success.
So, Vancouver - Tampa Bay in the finals, well rested after finishing semis in five games. And the hockey fans are in it for a great show for the end of the stretch. I'd like to see cup ending up in Vancouver and Canada for a change.
Just going to post some thoughts on the remaining teams in the hunt for the cup. The teams are good, all of them capable of winning it all, battle tested.. and bearded.
BOS-TB series is now even 1-1. However, Tampa pulled their victory somewhat effortlessly and made Boston look bad in the first game. The second game reminded of some exhibition games with high scoring and very sloppy defence. Boston ended up taking it by one goal, but only after letting Tampa back from a four goal deficit. Not really convincing there either.
My guess is that Tampa Bay Lightning is going to take this series and will go to the finals. They might do that even in five. The leadership is just so much wider and more talented in Tampa's team that Boston cannot compare. Tim Thomas seems to be even with Roloson, Chara rules above anyone else on defence, but the difference in the offensive talent is just too big. Lecavalier, St. Louis and Stamkos are going to rip the Bruins to pieces. It's fun to see Sean Bergenheim put in the effort of his career so far and making a big impact from a grinder line.
VAN-SJ slipped to 2-0 for Vancouver. Before the series I thought San Jose might actually have a better combination of experience and youth after previous rounds' challenges. Now I don't anymore. After seeing what the Canucs did on game 2, destroying the Sharks on every level, I can't imagine a comeback. Another performance like that and I might lift the Canucks to the final favorite too!
Now the Sedins seem to be back in the mood and there's a plenty of secondary scoring.. if one can call Ryan Kesler secondary after leading the whole league in scoring. Anyway, lots of people in the Vancouver team seem to be capable of carrying the weight and that really is a solid recipe for success.
So, Vancouver - Tampa Bay in the finals, well rested after finishing semis in five games. And the hockey fans are in it for a great show for the end of the stretch. I'd like to see cup ending up in Vancouver and Canada for a change.
2011/05/17
The new Champions
Hey hey! Finland is the new World Champion in hockey. A proud moment indeed. Good for the nation's self esteem and all. Second time is for real, no more talks about fluke win in 1995. Finnish team really rocked this time.
The games were in general pretty high profile. Several teams had really strong names on paper and were really in there for the win. In the end it was Finnish team that found the groove within and took the gold as the most tightly woven team in the group.
The Slovaks failed miserably in their own games. Indeed an end to an era of great players. Demitra, Satan & co just couldn't keep up the pace with the younger generation. Unfortunate, but big thanks to the hosts!
The USA sent the least experienced team of the big countries and hit the wall in the first elimination game. Hopefully they'll gather a bit higher profile team from NHL bubble next year.
Norway and Germany exceeded all the expectations in the group phases and played great hockey. However, neither of them could pull off a surprise and were out in the quarters.
Canada bumped to Russian team already in the quarters and ended up on the losing side of that very entertaining, but somewhat undisciplined match.
Checks and Russians went to their semifinals both as a favorite. Each of the start-filled teams were beaten in the game by solid, basic, good-old teamplay. Finns and Swedes actually controlled the games quite effortlessly. Team over individual.
The final was a long awaited Nordic classic between Finland and Sweden. Swedes used to outplay Finland every time and became a horrifying opponent. During the last years, however, the next generation of Finnish hockey players have gotten over the history and really started to play their own game. And now, at least after the final, Swedes are more afraid of Finns than vice versa.
The final was a great game to watch; pretty tentative first period, Sweden taking over in the second, Finland scoring the most important goal of the tournament in the last seconds of second period and storming away to a massive victory.
Biggest reasons behind Finland's solid teamplay are still in the individuals. There's no team without those. Mikko Koivu and Tuomo Ruutu, as appreciated and battle tested NHL players in their prime, took the lead and everyone else followed. Koivu's personal battles for each puck, pacifying puck control and endless cool gave everyone the belief. Ruutu finished his checks, run through the enemy lines without fear and provided the golden touch of luck here and there to prove that anything can be done with a healty dose of effort. These guys will keep Finland as a contender as long as their fire burns.
And well, cannot post anything these days about the Worlds without a mention of a certain young gentleman's acts. Mikael Granlund is bound to have a fantastic career in hockey, wherever he ends up playing. All the best to the boy with the biggest bag of tricks. It'll take a while to top this highlight in the field of international hockey.
The games were in general pretty high profile. Several teams had really strong names on paper and were really in there for the win. In the end it was Finnish team that found the groove within and took the gold as the most tightly woven team in the group.
The Slovaks failed miserably in their own games. Indeed an end to an era of great players. Demitra, Satan & co just couldn't keep up the pace with the younger generation. Unfortunate, but big thanks to the hosts!
The USA sent the least experienced team of the big countries and hit the wall in the first elimination game. Hopefully they'll gather a bit higher profile team from NHL bubble next year.
Norway and Germany exceeded all the expectations in the group phases and played great hockey. However, neither of them could pull off a surprise and were out in the quarters.
Canada bumped to Russian team already in the quarters and ended up on the losing side of that very entertaining, but somewhat undisciplined match.
Checks and Russians went to their semifinals both as a favorite. Each of the start-filled teams were beaten in the game by solid, basic, good-old teamplay. Finns and Swedes actually controlled the games quite effortlessly. Team over individual.
The final was a long awaited Nordic classic between Finland and Sweden. Swedes used to outplay Finland every time and became a horrifying opponent. During the last years, however, the next generation of Finnish hockey players have gotten over the history and really started to play their own game. And now, at least after the final, Swedes are more afraid of Finns than vice versa.
The final was a great game to watch; pretty tentative first period, Sweden taking over in the second, Finland scoring the most important goal of the tournament in the last seconds of second period and storming away to a massive victory.
Biggest reasons behind Finland's solid teamplay are still in the individuals. There's no team without those. Mikko Koivu and Tuomo Ruutu, as appreciated and battle tested NHL players in their prime, took the lead and everyone else followed. Koivu's personal battles for each puck, pacifying puck control and endless cool gave everyone the belief. Ruutu finished his checks, run through the enemy lines without fear and provided the golden touch of luck here and there to prove that anything can be done with a healty dose of effort. These guys will keep Finland as a contender as long as their fire burns.
And well, cannot post anything these days about the Worlds without a mention of a certain young gentleman's acts. Mikael Granlund is bound to have a fantastic career in hockey, wherever he ends up playing. All the best to the boy with the biggest bag of tricks. It'll take a while to top this highlight in the field of international hockey.
2011/05/02
Second round, second thoughts
So, I missed the window to write before teams faced off for the second round starters. Apparently my crystal ball needs some polishing, since I have to admit I would have put my money on somewhat different results.
WAS-TB, even though Tampa has a pretty good team and an experienced and solid goaltender, I would have picked Washington to take this matchup. It's still possible after losing the first two, but the Capitals sure made it hard for themselves. Based on the games so far, it actually seems that the Lightning has better nerves and more will to fight. Now I can't see why Tampa Bay would let go of their spot on the third round. They're even starting to show signs of being able to take a shot at the Cup in the end.
PHI-BOS, I still believe Philly is up to the task of upending the Bruins. The teams are quite evenly matched on the ice, but the goaltending currently makes the difference. If the Flyers can settle down on one keeper and not bench him after a few soft goals, they'll be able to go for the comeback. They have way more firepower in the forwards and even Tim Thomas cannot stop the onslaught. If the Flyers get one goaltender's confidence back, they'll go far this year. Ih Philly can win the game two, they'll take over from there and go on to win the series.
VAN-NSH, It's hard to imagine any reason why Vancouver wouldn't take this one easily. Okay, Nashville has a great goalkeeper in Pekka Rinne and a very organized defence, but still.. Luongo is very good on Canucks' goal and the rest of the lineup is just the best in the league this season. Vancouver is just about to shake off the playoff jitters and will take off for the easy disposal of the Predators and go eventually all the way to Cup finals. The Sedin twins will also wake up and start lighting the lamp on regular basis.
SJ-DET, I would have given one of the games in San Jose to Detroit, but they didn't seem to agree. Now it's two to nothing and Detroit must win the next game or they're out. This is a very even series again, and I believe the Wings have enough experience to make one comeback. Thay'll take the next two behind Datsuyk and Zetterberg and whoever wins the fifth, will also advance to the conference finals. If I have to choose, it's going to be San Jose. They're pretty much on par in the experience now, but still younger and more fresh. Niemi won the cup in goal last season, so he can stay relaxed while Howard has all the pressure as a young goalie carrying the famed franchise.
WAS-TB, even though Tampa has a pretty good team and an experienced and solid goaltender, I would have picked Washington to take this matchup. It's still possible after losing the first two, but the Capitals sure made it hard for themselves. Based on the games so far, it actually seems that the Lightning has better nerves and more will to fight. Now I can't see why Tampa Bay would let go of their spot on the third round. They're even starting to show signs of being able to take a shot at the Cup in the end.
PHI-BOS, I still believe Philly is up to the task of upending the Bruins. The teams are quite evenly matched on the ice, but the goaltending currently makes the difference. If the Flyers can settle down on one keeper and not bench him after a few soft goals, they'll be able to go for the comeback. They have way more firepower in the forwards and even Tim Thomas cannot stop the onslaught. If the Flyers get one goaltender's confidence back, they'll go far this year. Ih Philly can win the game two, they'll take over from there and go on to win the series.
VAN-NSH, It's hard to imagine any reason why Vancouver wouldn't take this one easily. Okay, Nashville has a great goalkeeper in Pekka Rinne and a very organized defence, but still.. Luongo is very good on Canucks' goal and the rest of the lineup is just the best in the league this season. Vancouver is just about to shake off the playoff jitters and will take off for the easy disposal of the Predators and go eventually all the way to Cup finals. The Sedin twins will also wake up and start lighting the lamp on regular basis.
SJ-DET, I would have given one of the games in San Jose to Detroit, but they didn't seem to agree. Now it's two to nothing and Detroit must win the next game or they're out. This is a very even series again, and I believe the Wings have enough experience to make one comeback. Thay'll take the next two behind Datsuyk and Zetterberg and whoever wins the fifth, will also advance to the conference finals. If I have to choose, it's going to be San Jose. They're pretty much on par in the experience now, but still younger and more fresh. Niemi won the cup in goal last season, so he can stay relaxed while Howard has all the pressure as a young goalie carrying the famed franchise.
2011/04/27
A glimpse to World Championships
While the NHL playoffs are heating up for the second round, there will be another show played in Slovakia early May. The hockey world championships are about to start and it's definitely going to be a thrilling two weeks too.
I just checked out the rosters of some of the top candidates to win it all. Here's some random thoughts on the setup before the first puck drops.
Canada seems to be determined to get back on the throne after three years off. There's a very good team out there with young rising superstars supported by some solid success stories from the earlier internationals. Rick Nash is going to finish some breakaways again. Hopefully not against Finland.
Russia continues the trend to build most of the roster from KHL and let the smaller rink specialists rest for next NHL seasons. There's still the ever-so-dynamic Ilya Kovalchuk to keep an eye on in the scoring stats. Tough team and really at home on the larger rink.
Sweden seems to settle with mostly Swedish league players, still being supported by some really good NHL players, like Loui Eriksson. A hard team to beat as always, but slightly below Canada and Russia on my expectations.
Czechs and Slovaks have both pretty local rosters as well, with some bright superstars like Marian Gaborik aiming to end their seasons with a high note after swift exit from NHL playoffs. Not likely to fight for the gold, but you never know.
USA brings in the weakest team on paper for a long time. Maybe the NHL second-liners have gotten tired on travelling to Europe to be pushed over on first elimination round or something. Now there's a bunch of guys who just played in junior level championships. Not that these aren't really dangerous when in the right groove, but missing the experience is likely to leave them out of the medal games again.
Finland has been losing the foothold in NHL and it is shown in our roster too. There's a way too big gap between NHL heroes Tuomo Ruutu and Mikko Koivu and the average lineup gathered from Finnish and other European leagues and KHL. Solid goaltending and some surprise scoring punch might carry the resilient Finns all the way to the medal games, but that requires timing the best game for the quarter finals. The opponent there will likely be one of the tougher teams after another 2nd or 3rd place finnish in the group games. I'll love to see Tuomo Ruutu bring it all on the ice again like in the last Euro hockey tour match against Russia. Better to aim the crushing checks to the time when there's no giants like Artyuchin in the rink or prepare for a punchbag moment again..
The rest of the teams will remain in a surprise spoiler role with Denmark and Swizerland having the most punch. None of them will carry on to the semifinals this year. In general, this is again going to be the best hockey in the larger rink this year and definitely a tournament worth watching. With national pride to boost, naturally. Go Finland!
I just checked out the rosters of some of the top candidates to win it all. Here's some random thoughts on the setup before the first puck drops.
Canada seems to be determined to get back on the throne after three years off. There's a very good team out there with young rising superstars supported by some solid success stories from the earlier internationals. Rick Nash is going to finish some breakaways again. Hopefully not against Finland.
Russia continues the trend to build most of the roster from KHL and let the smaller rink specialists rest for next NHL seasons. There's still the ever-so-dynamic Ilya Kovalchuk to keep an eye on in the scoring stats. Tough team and really at home on the larger rink.
Sweden seems to settle with mostly Swedish league players, still being supported by some really good NHL players, like Loui Eriksson. A hard team to beat as always, but slightly below Canada and Russia on my expectations.
Czechs and Slovaks have both pretty local rosters as well, with some bright superstars like Marian Gaborik aiming to end their seasons with a high note after swift exit from NHL playoffs. Not likely to fight for the gold, but you never know.
USA brings in the weakest team on paper for a long time. Maybe the NHL second-liners have gotten tired on travelling to Europe to be pushed over on first elimination round or something. Now there's a bunch of guys who just played in junior level championships. Not that these aren't really dangerous when in the right groove, but missing the experience is likely to leave them out of the medal games again.
Finland has been losing the foothold in NHL and it is shown in our roster too. There's a way too big gap between NHL heroes Tuomo Ruutu and Mikko Koivu and the average lineup gathered from Finnish and other European leagues and KHL. Solid goaltending and some surprise scoring punch might carry the resilient Finns all the way to the medal games, but that requires timing the best game for the quarter finals. The opponent there will likely be one of the tougher teams after another 2nd or 3rd place finnish in the group games. I'll love to see Tuomo Ruutu bring it all on the ice again like in the last Euro hockey tour match against Russia. Better to aim the crushing checks to the time when there's no giants like Artyuchin in the rink or prepare for a punchbag moment again..
The rest of the teams will remain in a surprise spoiler role with Denmark and Swizerland having the most punch. None of them will carry on to the semifinals this year. In general, this is again going to be the best hockey in the larger rink this year and definitely a tournament worth watching. With national pride to boost, naturally. Go Finland!
2011/04/21
It's playoff time!
I planned to go on and analyze the playoff pairs before the big games started. Here I am, however, a week late and some reality adjustment wiser. Nevertheless, here I go. First round prognosis and some random comments as dressing.
Let's follow the sun and start from the East. WSH-NYR. Rangers have some guts and they've played playoff hockey since March. Grinding away to the last game, they managed to get lucky and get in. Exhausted, yes, but still have to be pretty pumped up too. Capitals knew they'd be in the playoffs for a long time already. They have started the preparations early and changed their style to more defencive minded. The big guns haven't gone anywhere and keep on blasting the opponents away when given the chance. Therefore, Rangers have to fall in this series. It's been even so far, but already 3-1 for Washington. Next game will be a blowout, 5-1 for Capitals, Ovechkin popping up a notch and scoring a couple.
Philly-Sabres, that's an interesting matchup. Based on early season it would have been murder, Flyers taking it easily 4-0. Now it's 2-2 after poor regular season finish for Philadelphia and a great one for Buffalo. Ryan Miller has stolen couple of games for Sabres already. Still, that's going to end. Flyers are just way too strong to contain by a average lineup and a great goalie. They'll add a notch on the nastiness too, now that Miller's been denying the conventional scoring. Philly takes the next two and advances to second round.
Boston-Montreal, a classic. These teams have played each other so much over the years that they have a pretty good scouting report each on how to play the opponent. Boston has been very solid all year, Montreal has improved from last seasons. In general this should still be much more biased for Boston. Somehow Montreal has been able to dominate early. However, after getting the crucial win on the game 3, Boston will discover its lost confidence and sweep the rest of the series. Carey Price will turn human again and won't be able to steal the show.
PIT-TBL was another very interesting setup. With Malkin and Crosby well and in the lineup, Penguins would have ended in the finals for sure. Now, it seems like a miracle that they finished so high in the standings on regular season and keep on playing great in the playoffs. Fleury gives the edge in goal for Pittsburgh every night, but the offence is based on sub-50 point players only. Hard working, grinding style seems to work well against the Lightning and Penguins are one win away from advancing. Tampa has had only Martin St. Louis deliver on expected, and extremely high, level. Other guys seem to have dropped the ball (puck?) somehow. Lecavalier and Stamkos have the last moment to pick up their game if they plan to continue this season. I would have picked Lightning to take this one earlier, but now I can't see it happening. If Crosby returns on the second round, he's going to be all over the sports news like never before.
Passing the middle and moving to the West. East may be more of a playoff experience, low scoring, tight, grinding games. West has the entertainment factor of less balanced, hollywood-like, goal scoring fests.
Vancouver-Chicago. What a nightmare reward for destroying the competition for the whole year in Vancouver. Defending champs sure are dangerous, no matter how they played the and of the season. Lucky to be in, nothing to lose -attitude just adds up in the pressure towards Canucks. My guess was, and still is, that Canucks can take this series and go really far this year. The team is just so solid on all positions. Chicago could have gone far, but not with this team agains them on the first round. From players, Luongo will take over and Sedin twins will find the groove and possibly take the playoff scoring 1-2 spots.
SJ-LA, the two non-traditional, Californian hockey teams facing each other. What a setup. And good for the environment, not much travelling. Here I'd have said that San Jose takes this easily 4-0 with LA losing its top two forwards on the last stretch of regular season. Kings have really fought back courageously, but can't stop the obvious. Sharks will rip them to pieces on the last two and surf to the next round. Veteran leaders Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will pick up their game and carry the younger Sharks to the next challenge.
Detroit-Phoenix, well this was the easiest to pick. Detroit has just been too good this year to even stumble with the Coyotes. Wouldn't have given them the sweep, but now that's the reality. Detroit sure has the team to go far this year, again. Datsuyk is just too good and if Zetterberg returns healthy, they'll have some serious added punch to beware.
Ducks-Predators is a matchup between offence and defence. I'm calling offence and Ducks going forward. They've become maybe the most entertaining team in the league on the second half of the season and I sure would like them to go far. Nashville just hasn't got the goods to match. Average scoring, great defence and goaltending, they may be enough, but won't carry over to the third round. Ducks might surprise everyone in the league with 7-5 wins. I just love to see Teemu Selänne shoving the pucks to the net like he's 20 again. Hopefully it's another good run for him too and a great motivation to keep on playing. Pretty big numbers on the backs of guys to be passed next on the all time scoring lists. Hall of famers all. Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan will regroup on the next games and start really spreading fear to all the rest of the West.
I'll end this long post here and try to return with more foresight before it's too late. That being in the beginning of the second round, at latest.
Let's follow the sun and start from the East. WSH-NYR. Rangers have some guts and they've played playoff hockey since March. Grinding away to the last game, they managed to get lucky and get in. Exhausted, yes, but still have to be pretty pumped up too. Capitals knew they'd be in the playoffs for a long time already. They have started the preparations early and changed their style to more defencive minded. The big guns haven't gone anywhere and keep on blasting the opponents away when given the chance. Therefore, Rangers have to fall in this series. It's been even so far, but already 3-1 for Washington. Next game will be a blowout, 5-1 for Capitals, Ovechkin popping up a notch and scoring a couple.
Philly-Sabres, that's an interesting matchup. Based on early season it would have been murder, Flyers taking it easily 4-0. Now it's 2-2 after poor regular season finish for Philadelphia and a great one for Buffalo. Ryan Miller has stolen couple of games for Sabres already. Still, that's going to end. Flyers are just way too strong to contain by a average lineup and a great goalie. They'll add a notch on the nastiness too, now that Miller's been denying the conventional scoring. Philly takes the next two and advances to second round.
Boston-Montreal, a classic. These teams have played each other so much over the years that they have a pretty good scouting report each on how to play the opponent. Boston has been very solid all year, Montreal has improved from last seasons. In general this should still be much more biased for Boston. Somehow Montreal has been able to dominate early. However, after getting the crucial win on the game 3, Boston will discover its lost confidence and sweep the rest of the series. Carey Price will turn human again and won't be able to steal the show.
PIT-TBL was another very interesting setup. With Malkin and Crosby well and in the lineup, Penguins would have ended in the finals for sure. Now, it seems like a miracle that they finished so high in the standings on regular season and keep on playing great in the playoffs. Fleury gives the edge in goal for Pittsburgh every night, but the offence is based on sub-50 point players only. Hard working, grinding style seems to work well against the Lightning and Penguins are one win away from advancing. Tampa has had only Martin St. Louis deliver on expected, and extremely high, level. Other guys seem to have dropped the ball (puck?) somehow. Lecavalier and Stamkos have the last moment to pick up their game if they plan to continue this season. I would have picked Lightning to take this one earlier, but now I can't see it happening. If Crosby returns on the second round, he's going to be all over the sports news like never before.
Passing the middle and moving to the West. East may be more of a playoff experience, low scoring, tight, grinding games. West has the entertainment factor of less balanced, hollywood-like, goal scoring fests.
Vancouver-Chicago. What a nightmare reward for destroying the competition for the whole year in Vancouver. Defending champs sure are dangerous, no matter how they played the and of the season. Lucky to be in, nothing to lose -attitude just adds up in the pressure towards Canucks. My guess was, and still is, that Canucks can take this series and go really far this year. The team is just so solid on all positions. Chicago could have gone far, but not with this team agains them on the first round. From players, Luongo will take over and Sedin twins will find the groove and possibly take the playoff scoring 1-2 spots.
SJ-LA, the two non-traditional, Californian hockey teams facing each other. What a setup. And good for the environment, not much travelling. Here I'd have said that San Jose takes this easily 4-0 with LA losing its top two forwards on the last stretch of regular season. Kings have really fought back courageously, but can't stop the obvious. Sharks will rip them to pieces on the last two and surf to the next round. Veteran leaders Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will pick up their game and carry the younger Sharks to the next challenge.
Detroit-Phoenix, well this was the easiest to pick. Detroit has just been too good this year to even stumble with the Coyotes. Wouldn't have given them the sweep, but now that's the reality. Detroit sure has the team to go far this year, again. Datsuyk is just too good and if Zetterberg returns healthy, they'll have some serious added punch to beware.
Ducks-Predators is a matchup between offence and defence. I'm calling offence and Ducks going forward. They've become maybe the most entertaining team in the league on the second half of the season and I sure would like them to go far. Nashville just hasn't got the goods to match. Average scoring, great defence and goaltending, they may be enough, but won't carry over to the third round. Ducks might surprise everyone in the league with 7-5 wins. I just love to see Teemu Selänne shoving the pucks to the net like he's 20 again. Hopefully it's another good run for him too and a great motivation to keep on playing. Pretty big numbers on the backs of guys to be passed next on the all time scoring lists. Hall of famers all. Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan will regroup on the next games and start really spreading fear to all the rest of the West.
I'll end this long post here and try to return with more foresight before it's too late. That being in the beginning of the second round, at latest.
2011/04/04
Regular season heroics, the MVP
Ended up thinking about the MVP honours and decided to share a few words on that too. There are quite a few angles to look at this, but eventually we're often seeing this trophy going to the biggest scorers in the league. Flashy, celebrated, easy to remember moments. Well, there's other trophies for just that. The Art Ross for scoring title and Rocket Richard for most goals. MVP should have deeper justification criteria. Some thoughts will follow..
Goalies, anyone? Hasek got the Hart twice, for significant heroics, Theodore once for maybe a little less. Some guys in the past decades too, but in general it's been a trophy for the players.
Defencemen then? Chris Pronger is the only one since Bobby Orr to get this. And Pronger at his best sure was a dominating player on the ice. One could argue for Ray Bourgue, Niklas Lidström and such greats. Eventually, were talking about the most important forward here.
Defensive forwards? Top plus-minus, most steals, blocks, checks, penalty killing? Naah, we're really talking about another scoring title here. Which is okay, but on the other hand, we could spread the criteria a bit more. Even Pavel Datsuyk hasn't won this and he's about as complete package as it gets on both offence and defence. All-time. Maybe if he'd still have some crushing checking ability, he would be loved all around.
Last years' hottest, Ovechkin and Crosby have already tasted this prize. Something tells me that these guys will have their names on the vase some more times in the years to come. The Sedin twins seem to be taking over the scoring department with speed, so that surname should appear on the trophy a few more times.
Ovien and Crosby are out this season. Ovie punised for playing more defence and Crosby for the unfortunate concussion. Sidney Crosby would have taken this honour this season without a question if he'd been able to play full season. He would have actually beaten last decade's records on the scoring categories too. Let's hope he comes back strong for the next season.
So, who's going to take it this year? My guess is Daniel Sedin. He'll win the Art Ross with ease and he's really been solid all year long. Doesn't matter that he's playing on the most complete team of the season and with a fantastic line with brother Hank and Ryan Kesler. All of the guys are having tremendous seasons.
Some might throw Martin St. Louis in the mix. And why not. He's definitely most points per pound and has really again showed it's a skill game today in NHL. He's benefitted of the awesome linemate Steven Stamkos, who has somehow dimmed down on the second half of the season. In comparison to the brightest stars, of course.. it's tough to get criticism for scoring "only" about a point per game.
Corey Perry has been mentioned. He'll win the Rocket, and has to give big thanks to great linemates Getzlaf and Ryan. Another impact player on an impact line.
Well, apart of these obvious candidates, some credit should go to the "lonely wolves" department. Not that these guys don't have great linemates, but maybe not in the same category as the aforementioned.
Anyway, Jarome Iginla, another solid year, scoring, checking, fighting, really leading by example. Calgary won't make it to the playoffs, so maybe his stock falls a notch on that. Not his fault, though..
What about Henrik Zetterberg? Another good year on points, but really digging deep to do everything on the ice to make the team win. If Datsuyk would have played healthy all year, They'd both be in the mix for Hart.
Young guns, Toews, Kopitar, Richards, leading their teams as captains, scoring massive amounts of points and really showing that they are today's premier players. Maybe in the following years these guys will find another gear and tear the place apart.
And finally, what about the "old gun", Teemu Selänne. There isn't that many 40-year-olds, playing in the second line of a mediocre team that score over point per game. There actually isn't anyone, nor hardly ever has been. One can just stand in amazement and hope for a sequel. Truly the best Finnish player ever and one of the greatest all time in the history of NHL. And one cannot undermine the effect of Selänne's heroics to the Anaheim team just sitting on the better side of playoff bubble. Go Teemu!
Hopefully the selecting writers will expand their horizon a bit and also consider the heros just outside the brightest spotlight!
Goalies, anyone? Hasek got the Hart twice, for significant heroics, Theodore once for maybe a little less. Some guys in the past decades too, but in general it's been a trophy for the players.
Defencemen then? Chris Pronger is the only one since Bobby Orr to get this. And Pronger at his best sure was a dominating player on the ice. One could argue for Ray Bourgue, Niklas Lidström and such greats. Eventually, were talking about the most important forward here.
Defensive forwards? Top plus-minus, most steals, blocks, checks, penalty killing? Naah, we're really talking about another scoring title here. Which is okay, but on the other hand, we could spread the criteria a bit more. Even Pavel Datsuyk hasn't won this and he's about as complete package as it gets on both offence and defence. All-time. Maybe if he'd still have some crushing checking ability, he would be loved all around.
Last years' hottest, Ovechkin and Crosby have already tasted this prize. Something tells me that these guys will have their names on the vase some more times in the years to come. The Sedin twins seem to be taking over the scoring department with speed, so that surname should appear on the trophy a few more times.
Ovien and Crosby are out this season. Ovie punised for playing more defence and Crosby for the unfortunate concussion. Sidney Crosby would have taken this honour this season without a question if he'd been able to play full season. He would have actually beaten last decade's records on the scoring categories too. Let's hope he comes back strong for the next season.
So, who's going to take it this year? My guess is Daniel Sedin. He'll win the Art Ross with ease and he's really been solid all year long. Doesn't matter that he's playing on the most complete team of the season and with a fantastic line with brother Hank and Ryan Kesler. All of the guys are having tremendous seasons.
Some might throw Martin St. Louis in the mix. And why not. He's definitely most points per pound and has really again showed it's a skill game today in NHL. He's benefitted of the awesome linemate Steven Stamkos, who has somehow dimmed down on the second half of the season. In comparison to the brightest stars, of course.. it's tough to get criticism for scoring "only" about a point per game.
Corey Perry has been mentioned. He'll win the Rocket, and has to give big thanks to great linemates Getzlaf and Ryan. Another impact player on an impact line.
Well, apart of these obvious candidates, some credit should go to the "lonely wolves" department. Not that these guys don't have great linemates, but maybe not in the same category as the aforementioned.
Anyway, Jarome Iginla, another solid year, scoring, checking, fighting, really leading by example. Calgary won't make it to the playoffs, so maybe his stock falls a notch on that. Not his fault, though..
What about Henrik Zetterberg? Another good year on points, but really digging deep to do everything on the ice to make the team win. If Datsuyk would have played healthy all year, They'd both be in the mix for Hart.
Young guns, Toews, Kopitar, Richards, leading their teams as captains, scoring massive amounts of points and really showing that they are today's premier players. Maybe in the following years these guys will find another gear and tear the place apart.
And finally, what about the "old gun", Teemu Selänne. There isn't that many 40-year-olds, playing in the second line of a mediocre team that score over point per game. There actually isn't anyone, nor hardly ever has been. One can just stand in amazement and hope for a sequel. Truly the best Finnish player ever and one of the greatest all time in the history of NHL. And one cannot undermine the effect of Selänne's heroics to the Anaheim team just sitting on the better side of playoff bubble. Go Teemu!
Hopefully the selecting writers will expand their horizon a bit and also consider the heros just outside the brightest spotlight!
The playoffs before playoffs
Back again, after a while of just observing the progress of the season. This time, few games remaining before the playoffs are set up, is probably the toughest stretch of the season for some. I'm naturally referring to the teams on the playoff bubble, fighting for their life for each victory, peeking at the scoreboards on other games while drawing deep breaths between shifts. Worn out, bruised, tired and scared of being left out of the playoffs after a long season. The finesse on these games may not be the best of the year, but the spirit definitely equals the actual playoffs. Sometimes even exceeds it. The difference of getting a short breather to regroup for the playoff battles and seeing 82 games played in vain, is massive.
We've seen already a few teams clearly destined for playoffs just deteriorate on the last stretch and fade out. Some have clawed their way back to the top eight. Three teams still have their hopes up for sneaking in with stellar finish and some stumbling by the teams ahead of them. Unfortunately for the spectators, these teams don't play the ones they're trying to catch anymore this regular season and thus the final playoff picture is settled in separated games.
Carolina Hurricanes are trying to catch the Rangers, Sabres or even Canadiens. However, they lose to all of those in tied points and remain a one win behind. Even with their strong push of late, making it seems unlikely. If they'd beaten Buffalo on last night's game, situation would be brighter. Prognosis: Jussi Jokinen and Joni Pitkänen will join Finnish national team for the World championships.
Calgary and Dallas are both chasing Chicago and Anaheim for West's last playoff spot. However, Calgary is one point behind, but has two games less to play. And this pretty much rules them out. Too bad, they really had a strong stretch just a short while ago. Run out of gas eventually, it seems.
Dallas has it only slightly better, trailing by three points and having as many games remaining as Chicago. Four must wins and hoping Chicago will stutter. Unlikely, I'd say. Last year's Stanley cup champions are not likely giving up on the chance for a repeat. Anaheim is pretty much tied in this mix, but has also played very good hockey of late. Big thanks of that goes to Finnish duo of Selänne and Koivu, who seem to really enjoy playing together late in their careers.
In the end, I believe the top eight is already set in both conferences. What remains to be battled is the final positioning within those. Some teams may still want to play for home ice advantage or more preferred first round opponent. In the East, the top spot is still up for grabs for at least a couple of teams.
And well, yes Toronto is still theoretically in the mix, but would need to win the last three and not have Rangers to have a single point or Carolina more than two out of their last three games. Not going to happen.
Anyway, this has definitely been one of the most equally matched seasons ever. For long stretches the teams went on par with each others. Only in the last ten games some teams kept on going while others finally gave up a bit. No last night drama this year, but a very long period of fiercely battled games. Will this play in the bag of some teams that have had the high note for the whole season, not having to worry about making it into the playoffs? Or vice versa, will the already playoff moded teams surprise on the first round by being ready for the grind? To be seen, soon enough.
Looking forward for the opportunity to analyze the actual first round matchups.
We've seen already a few teams clearly destined for playoffs just deteriorate on the last stretch and fade out. Some have clawed their way back to the top eight. Three teams still have their hopes up for sneaking in with stellar finish and some stumbling by the teams ahead of them. Unfortunately for the spectators, these teams don't play the ones they're trying to catch anymore this regular season and thus the final playoff picture is settled in separated games.
Carolina Hurricanes are trying to catch the Rangers, Sabres or even Canadiens. However, they lose to all of those in tied points and remain a one win behind. Even with their strong push of late, making it seems unlikely. If they'd beaten Buffalo on last night's game, situation would be brighter. Prognosis: Jussi Jokinen and Joni Pitkänen will join Finnish national team for the World championships.
Calgary and Dallas are both chasing Chicago and Anaheim for West's last playoff spot. However, Calgary is one point behind, but has two games less to play. And this pretty much rules them out. Too bad, they really had a strong stretch just a short while ago. Run out of gas eventually, it seems.
Dallas has it only slightly better, trailing by three points and having as many games remaining as Chicago. Four must wins and hoping Chicago will stutter. Unlikely, I'd say. Last year's Stanley cup champions are not likely giving up on the chance for a repeat. Anaheim is pretty much tied in this mix, but has also played very good hockey of late. Big thanks of that goes to Finnish duo of Selänne and Koivu, who seem to really enjoy playing together late in their careers.
In the end, I believe the top eight is already set in both conferences. What remains to be battled is the final positioning within those. Some teams may still want to play for home ice advantage or more preferred first round opponent. In the East, the top spot is still up for grabs for at least a couple of teams.
And well, yes Toronto is still theoretically in the mix, but would need to win the last three and not have Rangers to have a single point or Carolina more than two out of their last three games. Not going to happen.
Anyway, this has definitely been one of the most equally matched seasons ever. For long stretches the teams went on par with each others. Only in the last ten games some teams kept on going while others finally gave up a bit. No last night drama this year, but a very long period of fiercely battled games. Will this play in the bag of some teams that have had the high note for the whole season, not having to worry about making it into the playoffs? Or vice versa, will the already playoff moded teams surprise on the first round by being ready for the grind? To be seen, soon enough.
Looking forward for the opportunity to analyze the actual first round matchups.
2011/03/02
Another trade deadline
So, the end of February has passed and teams are set up for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Or are they? Judging by the lack of significant trades, the teams were pretty much complete already in the beginning of the regular season. Well, at least some trades made the news. I think LA's aquisition of Dustin Penner may be the best move here. Penner was great in Anaheim, got a deal way over his level in Edmonton, and ended up in the teeth of media and management. Recently he's gotten over it and actually has become an impact player in the lowly Oilers. In LA, he's bound to participate in a great cup contender. Maybe not this year, but in the ones to come.
Washington may actually have pulled off pretty good deals too to provide some secondary offence behind the obvious superstars. Arnott, Sturm and Wideman are definitely not the best of the breed, but still the top of what was available now. It'd be great to see Washington go far in the playoffs, but it seems that this season there's way better overall teams in Boston, Philly and maybe even Tampa.
Everyone has been asking why Dallas didn't deal Brad Richards. Only time will tell how committed he is in the end to this team, if and when the big offers start coming in next summer. Too bad for Dallas if they lose this guy. Richards has been the catalyst in a fantastic season for the new Stars. It would be fair for them to make the playoffs now and maybe pull an upset or two. Might even keep ol' Brad in the team for the future. It's not that he's running out of money anyway.
The biggest moves were pulled before the deadline by St. Louis and Colorado swapping some great young talent and by Boston reaching out and grabbing Tomas Kaberle to run the power play in the blueline. Biggest forwards stayed where they were, unless Alexei Kovalev drinks from the fountain of youth and carries the injury ridden Penguins far enough for Sid the Kid to take over and push for the cup. Might be a good chapter for the Crosby hockey fairytale that seems to have the ultimate momentum. Hopefully we get him back soon.
From Finnish perspective it was silent. It's good to see if Sami Lepistö gets even more role in Columbus. He seemed to start doing well in Phoenix already and there's definitely room for a offencive d-man in the Blue Jackets.
Washington may actually have pulled off pretty good deals too to provide some secondary offence behind the obvious superstars. Arnott, Sturm and Wideman are definitely not the best of the breed, but still the top of what was available now. It'd be great to see Washington go far in the playoffs, but it seems that this season there's way better overall teams in Boston, Philly and maybe even Tampa.
Everyone has been asking why Dallas didn't deal Brad Richards. Only time will tell how committed he is in the end to this team, if and when the big offers start coming in next summer. Too bad for Dallas if they lose this guy. Richards has been the catalyst in a fantastic season for the new Stars. It would be fair for them to make the playoffs now and maybe pull an upset or two. Might even keep ol' Brad in the team for the future. It's not that he's running out of money anyway.
The biggest moves were pulled before the deadline by St. Louis and Colorado swapping some great young talent and by Boston reaching out and grabbing Tomas Kaberle to run the power play in the blueline. Biggest forwards stayed where they were, unless Alexei Kovalev drinks from the fountain of youth and carries the injury ridden Penguins far enough for Sid the Kid to take over and push for the cup. Might be a good chapter for the Crosby hockey fairytale that seems to have the ultimate momentum. Hopefully we get him back soon.
From Finnish perspective it was silent. It's good to see if Sami Lepistö gets even more role in Columbus. He seemed to start doing well in Phoenix already and there's definitely room for a offencive d-man in the Blue Jackets.
2011/02/09
KHL angle
I got a chance to watch the KHL all stars game the other day. If the NHL's annual lazy Sunday skate looked to be a bit pointless, this made it look like a gruesome playoff grind in comparison. Russian league's stars practically let each others take breakaways while at the same time refusing to pull the trigger even on wrist shots and always looking for the tic-tac-toe to the empty net. The players seemed to enjoy the scoring fest. Goalies, on the other hand, had hard time summoning smiles to their faces. The game ended 17-16 and the hungriest guys scored 5 goals and up to 7 points.
The skills event before the game seemed to imitate NHL's just as well. Of course they managed to clock the all-time hardest shot by Denis Kulyash, beating Zdeno Chara's blast clearly. Not that either of them had much of use for that talent in the game itself.. I've always been a fan of the Russian skating and stickhandling skills, so the skills competition suits them just fine. Homecomer Maxim Afinogenov took the fastest skater's title. No news there, having seen him play in NHL and internationals several times. That guy sure can fly.
In general, it was fun to see the top talent in KHL. It's a good combination of some very good Russian talent, choosing to play in Russia rather than NHL, some elderly statesmen with great NHL pedigree, like Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Yashin and the cream of European players who haven't been able to lock a permanent NHL roster spot. Good players in general, definitely the second best level on the sport. It's going to be interesting to see how much these leagues will blend in the coming years with players moving back and forth between those.
While the all star game was just foolish, it's great to see this other major league for hockey. It may be extracting some talent from NHL but at the same time it keeps NHL as an organization alert and active in improving. From money perspective it may have the downside that all the rest of the world's leagues have to settle with third grade talent and local juniors on their way up. Well, can't please them all.
From my subjective viewer's point of view, however, the intensity of NHL games in a smaller rink keeps the NHL as the undisputed top of the sport. KHL may have speedier highlights here and there, but the whole package of NHL with heavy hitting, reaction decisions and seizing the moments simply cannot be beaten.
Honorable mention goes to Dominik Hasek. I thought this guy had already retired after winning it all. But there he was, at age of 45, between the pipes on among the KHL's best of the best. With the same weird style that brought back many memories from the past.
The skills event before the game seemed to imitate NHL's just as well. Of course they managed to clock the all-time hardest shot by Denis Kulyash, beating Zdeno Chara's blast clearly. Not that either of them had much of use for that talent in the game itself.. I've always been a fan of the Russian skating and stickhandling skills, so the skills competition suits them just fine. Homecomer Maxim Afinogenov took the fastest skater's title. No news there, having seen him play in NHL and internationals several times. That guy sure can fly.
In general, it was fun to see the top talent in KHL. It's a good combination of some very good Russian talent, choosing to play in Russia rather than NHL, some elderly statesmen with great NHL pedigree, like Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Yashin and the cream of European players who haven't been able to lock a permanent NHL roster spot. Good players in general, definitely the second best level on the sport. It's going to be interesting to see how much these leagues will blend in the coming years with players moving back and forth between those.
While the all star game was just foolish, it's great to see this other major league for hockey. It may be extracting some talent from NHL but at the same time it keeps NHL as an organization alert and active in improving. From money perspective it may have the downside that all the rest of the world's leagues have to settle with third grade talent and local juniors on their way up. Well, can't please them all.
From my subjective viewer's point of view, however, the intensity of NHL games in a smaller rink keeps the NHL as the undisputed top of the sport. KHL may have speedier highlights here and there, but the whole package of NHL with heavy hitting, reaction decisions and seizing the moments simply cannot be beaten.
Honorable mention goes to Dominik Hasek. I thought this guy had already retired after winning it all. But there he was, at age of 45, between the pipes on among the KHL's best of the best. With the same weird style that brought back many memories from the past.
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