Okay, I'll do them. I'll do some predictions for next year, if only so I can do my yearly look back at preseason predictions to see how good everyone did. For the record, out of 6 last year, I came in 6th, and Isles' Writer Bryan came in 2nd place.
So.
East
1. Washington
2. Boston
3. Pittsburgh
4. Carolina
5. Rangers
6. Philly
7. Devils
8. Atlanta
9. Montreal
10. Ottawa
11. Islanders
12. Toronto
13. Tampa Bay
14. Buffalo
15. Florida
Notes: Let's start with the hometown boys - Why the Rangers over the Flyers? Simple: goaltending. Who would you rather have, 3-time Vezina finalist Henrik Lundqvist or NHL-castaway Ray Emery and career-backup Brian Boucher? Plus, I think Matt Gilroy and Mike Del Zotto can add a lot while limited Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden on the power play can only help. I also think Ales Kotalik and Vinny Prospal are nice compliments to Marian Gaborik, one of the best in the league when healthy (13-10-23 in 17 games last year).
The Islanders? Either way you slice it, Dwayne Roloson and Marty Biron are a solid 1-1A combo. Johnny Tavares is better than people are letting on. Rob Schremp was almost traded to the Isles for a 2nd round pick at the draft and they just got him for nothing. Mark Streit is excellent. Going to be a good team. Playoffs are a stretch, but I had them bordering at 10th or 11th.
Other Teams: NJ can never be counted out; Montreal improved but not that much. Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta were magical one season. Only one season; Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara can lead you to the top of the conference when you're in a weak division, but then what?; Eric Staal is going to be a monster this year in Carolina; Atlanta! Bryan Little centering Ilya Kovalchuk and Nik Antropov is going to be a sick line; and Florida in 15th because their best player hates the team (Nathan Horton) and the 4,000 fans at every game can't put them in good spirits.
West
1. San Jose
2. Calgary
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. Anaheim
6. Minnesota
7. Columbus
8. Dallas
9. Vancouver
10. St. Louis
11. Phoenix
12. Nashville
13. Edmonton
14. LA
15. Colorado
Notes: What has Colorado done to improve themselves from being a lottery pick? David Koci and Craig Anderson? No way. Anderson is good but can't carry a team on his shoulders; I see nothing in Vancouver while others are predicting them to win the Cup. Roberto Luongo gave up SEVEN GOALS with the season on the line last year. And when your 2 biggest acquistions are a player once part of a 4-player package for Alex Kovalev (Mikael Samuelsson) and a goalie even Colorado didn't want (Andrew Raycroft), you aren't going far; Phoenix might be a mess, but they made a few good moves and have a great goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov to fall back on. Plus, Kyle Turris should come into his own this year; Detroit is setting up for a 1st round exit this year but again will dominate in the regular season; LA should actually be good and could surprise, if Dustin Brown bounces back from an awful year and if Jack Johnson plays as good as he could, but they have no goaltending, do they?; Anaheim and San Jose should beat each other senseless in the regular season and if they meet in the Conference Finals, we're in for a treat (the way I have it worked out, they'll meet in the 2nd round and it will be brutal); Minnesota's new system and new coach should help them into the playoffs. Plus, Brent Burns, Marek Zidlicky, and Martin Havlat are in for huge years without the trap to hold them down.
If it all shakes down as it should, I have the Sharks over the Penguins for the 2010 Stanley Cup. Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley are going to be unstoppable together. Danny Boyle and Rob Blake are going to be a great tandem, and Evgeni Nabokov will slam the door shut in goal.
Two friends. Two bitter enemies. Two obsessed fans. One Rivalry.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Your 2009-10 New York Islanders Drinking Game, Version 1.0
When we first started this blog, one of our first posts was an Islanders drinking game. At the time we posted the game, the Islanders were a below-average team, but they were a far cry from the 30th overall team we saw last year. When your team is really bad, sometimes it can get tough watching the team play.
That's where we come in.
The 2009-10 New York Islanders should be a significant improvement over last year's team, but it doesn't necessarily mean they'll get better results. With this in mind, here's something to keep you interested. If nothing else, we hope it'll keep you laughing (and drinking), something much easier said than done with this team. We'll update this as it becomes necessary.
And away we go!
ANNOUNCERS
Drink every time...
- Billy Jaffe stares into the camera with a creepy half-smile while Howie is talking
- Howie Rose or Billy Jaffe reference their listeners on the radio. Chug if they use the phrase "Out In Radio Land".
- A sponsored segment is introduced. Chug if it's a Panasonic Digital Replay.
- Howie or Billy makes a bad pun
- Howie states that coincidental minors "will not affect on-ice manpower"
- Howie dismisses a late-game penalty as "just bookkeeping"
- Billy says something that could be construed as homer-ish. Chug if Billy precedes it with something like "Not to sound like a homer, but..."
- Stan Fischler appears on the intermission report. Chug if he's the best-dressed member of the crew. Take an additional drink every time he says something that would best be described as "crotchety". Kill a beer if he goes out of his way to bash Sidney Crosby.
- Howie praises the Islanders' third uniforms
- Howie complains about the difficulty of the night's trivia question
- Howie or Billy mention crew members (i.e. statistician Eric Hornick, producer Larry Roth, etc.) during the middle of a game
- Billy begins a point by saying "Here's a guy..."
- Billy gives orders to the production truck during a replay (i.e. "Hold it right there", "OK, roll it")
- Billy or Howie compliments the camera crew for getting a particularly good shot
- Butch Goring wears a hideous suit
- Howie or Billy mentions Egg Levine
COMMERCIALS
Drink every time the following commercials air...
- Emblem Health
- Anything owned by Cablevision
- Two Brothers Scrap Metal (PLEASE add this to your rotation, MSG Plus!)
- Coin Galleries of Oyster Bay
IN-GAME
Drink every time...
- Scott Gordon is wearing a tie that incorporates the Islanders' color scheme. Chug if his entire wardrobe is blue, white and orange.
- The crowd does a two-syllable chant in honor of a goalie (i.e. "D-P", "Roll-E", "Bee-Ron")
- Kyle Okposo takes a shot with one of his knees on the ice
- Jeff Tambellini does something that makes you curse aloud
- An opposing player dishes out a borderline hit. Chug if the Islanders don't bother to respond.
- An Islanders player is injured
- A Bridgeport Sound Tigers regular is called into duty to replace an injured player. Jeff Tambellini does NOT count as a Sound Tigers regular.
- The Islanders let up a goal while leading in the third period
- The camera gets a shot of a player taking a sip of water
- An Islanders goalie leaves the net to play the puck. Chug if it leaves him horribly out of position.
- A former Islander scores a goal against the Islanders
- The Islanders have more shots on goal than their opponents, but lose the game anyway
- The game goes to a shootout. Kill a beer if Brendan Witt is one of the Islanders' shooters.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Bryan's 2009-10 NHL Predictions
Generally speaking, most hockey pundits follow the same formula when it comes to doing season previews. Usually, they give you a bunch of crap you don't really care about as the season nears, then release their picks for the playoffs, the Stanley Cup and the post-season awards on the day of the first game. Of course, they don't do this for your benefit. They do it because that's the day everyone else puts out their predictions.
See, the earlier someone releases his or her predictions, the more that person or publication gets scrutinized and bashed, and nobody really wants that. Because in the end, predictions are just more mindless blather from people who don't really know anything. They're entertainment at best, and the sooner you forget about them, the happier major publications are. When ESPN did its NFL predictions, 75 percent of their "experts" had the same exact playoff teams in the AFC, five of which made the playoffs last year, and that's in a sport where at least three teams from each conference come from out of nowhere to make the playoffs. So you can only imagine what they, and everyone else, have in store for us on October 1.
Personally, I'd love to blend in with the rest of the opining masses and put out my picks with everyone else. Unfortunately, I can't do that. My wife is due to give birth on October 10 and I sort of need to be ready for that, so I can't just submit my picks at the last minute. Besides, I genuinely enjoy making predictions, even if they're horribly wrong. Remember, I'm the same person who had Barry Melrose winning the Adams last year.
See, the earlier someone releases his or her predictions, the more that person or publication gets scrutinized and bashed, and nobody really wants that. Because in the end, predictions are just more mindless blather from people who don't really know anything. They're entertainment at best, and the sooner you forget about them, the happier major publications are. When ESPN did its NFL predictions, 75 percent of their "experts" had the same exact playoff teams in the AFC, five of which made the playoffs last year, and that's in a sport where at least three teams from each conference come from out of nowhere to make the playoffs. So you can only imagine what they, and everyone else, have in store for us on October 1.
Personally, I'd love to blend in with the rest of the opining masses and put out my picks with everyone else. Unfortunately, I can't do that. My wife is due to give birth on October 10 and I sort of need to be ready for that, so I can't just submit my picks at the last minute. Besides, I genuinely enjoy making predictions, even if they're horribly wrong. Remember, I'm the same person who had Barry Melrose winning the Adams last year.
Last year, I stumbled onto what I thought was a winning formula. I took last year's standings and simply figured out who would be better or worse than they were a year ago. This year, I'm taking it one step further by giving point totals for how much better or worse I think each team will be. While these revised point totals are not meant to be taken very literally, they're a decent guide for how much teams have improved (or gotten worse) without worrying about playoff positioning.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Boston (116): Same. The Bruins' loss to Carolina in Game 7 will end up being a blessing in disguise. The pain of defeat will help the Bruins to maintain their focus throughout this season.
2) Washington (108): +5. Not unlike the Bruins, the Capitals have plenty to prove. The Southeast division crown is a given, but the Caps should really be aiming for the President's Trophy.
3) New Jersey (106): Same. Every year, everyone writes the Devils off. Every year, the Devils make the playoffs. Until they falter, I have no reason to doubt they'll be great once again.
4) Pittsburgh (99): +6. The Penguins played like crap until it mattered last year, then proceeded to win the Cup. They might have a bit of a Cup hangover, but they should still hit 100 points.
5) Philadelphia (99): -4. Yes, the Flyers have Chris Pronger. No, they do not have a reliable goaltender for the playoffs. AGAIN.
6) Carolina (97): -10. Carolina went on an insane run to get into last year's playoffs and had a tremendous run once they got in. I can't see them doing it again, though.
7) NY Rangers (95): Same. Many are picking an off year for the Rangers, which can only mean that they will be very good. At any rate, it's hard to say this Rangers team is worse than it was a year ago. Even if they are, Henrik Lundqvist will keep them afloat.
8) Montreal (93): +4. Last year was a disaster. I blame the hoopla over the Habs' 100th anniversary. They should be improved, if only because there will be slightly less chaos surrounding the Canadiens.
9) Florida (93): -6. Last year was their chance. They just barely missed it. Now they have to work on getting Florida to care about hockey again, only they have to do it without Jay Bouwmeester. Good luck with that.
10) Buffalo (91): Same. It's hard to get excited about a team that considers giving Tim Connolly a lucrative extension a step in the right direction. They seem destined to be a bubble team for the forseeable future.
11) Ottawa (83): +10. The Senators will surely improve now that the Dany Heatley fiasco is over. Besides, they're not that bad. Lastly, for all Heatley did to villify Cory Clouston, the Sens managed 42 points in the 34 games Clouston coached. That's a 101-point pace.
12) Toronto (81): +5. This might come as a shock to Maple Leafs fans, but Mike Komisarek and his two goals in 2008-09 are not the answer. Nor is Colton Orr's 4-year contract or any of the other moves Brian Burke made in the name of toughness.
13) Atlanta (76): Same. The Thrashers will try to make something happen this year, if only because it's their only shot at getting Ilya Kovalchuk to re-sign. Look for him to be dumped at the trade deadline for about 70 cents on the dollar.
14) Tampa Bay (66): +9. It's hard to have a worse season than the Lightning did last year. They should be much improved this year now that Steven Stamkos knows the NHL. Matt Lashoff and Victor Hedman should significantly improve the Lightning's defense.
15) NY Islanders (61): +16. The Isles make the biggest jump for a number of reasons. They have actual NHL goalies, they can't possibly have as many injuries as they had last year, and their young players will improve.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) San Jose (117): -5. Does San Jose finally understand that the regular season is merely a dress rehearsal for what's really important? Probably not. But 117 points is a lot of points. I don't see them getting quite that many.
2) Detroit (112): -14. Detroit takes a big step back in terms of points, but they'll still be a factor in the playoffs. They've got too tough of a division to put up 112 points again.
3) Vancouver (100): -4. Now that the Canucks have tied up their future in the Sedin twins, they have a long future ahead of being above-average, but never truly great. Did you know that their sweep of the Blues in April was their first sweep in franchise history? Wow.
4) Chicago (104): +4. Chicago finishes the job after a dream season last year. There's a chance the team has a bout of complacency during the season, but they should be able to win the Central.
5) Calgary (98): -6. Calgary over-achieved last year. Brent Sutter is an upgrade behind the bench over Mike Keenan, but that doesn't change the fact that Miikaa Kiprusoff is the most overrated player in the NHL.
6) St. Louis (92): Same. It was tempting to give the Blues a significant bump in points, but they won't sneak up on anyone this year. That said, they'll be even better than they were last year, so at worst these two factors will cancel each other out.
7) Columbus (92): +3. The Blue Jackets are for real. They held their own last year in a very tough division. They'll only improve with a full season from Derick Brassard.
8) Anaheim (91) +9: The Ducks proved how much the regular season means when they whooped San jose in the first round last year. This year, they should be a lot more focused. They won't be stuck with the eighth seed next April.
9) Minnesota (89): -5. Everyone's all excited that the Wild isn't going to be playing the trap anymore. However, the change from all-defense to all-offense isn't going to happen overnight. This looks to be a transitional year for the Wild.
10) Nashville (88): Same. I keep waiting for the year where Nashville puts it all together. Still waiting. Will still be waiting after this year. The Predators' big acquisition this off-season was Francis Bouillon. Poor Ryan Suter, Shea Weber and Pekka Rinne.
11) Edmonton (85): +10. Last year, I predicted an off year for Edmonton because they wouldn't pick up a ton of points in shootouts two years in a row. This year, though, the young players are ready to put it all together.
12) Dallas (83): +7. Dallas improved significantly last year after dumping Sean Avery. Problem is, a lot of other teams improved too. I'll take up-and-coming young teams like LA and Edmonton over this Dallas team.
13) Phoenix (79): +9. People forget that the Coyotes were as high as fifth in the West last January before totally crapping out in the second half. The drama with the team's move may actually serve to bring the team together. And you can't deny their young talent, which might be the best group of prospects in the NHL.
14) Los Angeles (79): +11. Speaking of enviable pools of talent, the Kings should be a team to watch now that they have a legitimate franchise goalie in Jonathan Quick. They might not be a playoff team, but they'll be close.
15) Colorado (69): Same. The rebuild begins in Colorado without Joe Sakic. It's not going to be pretty.
****
So, if we do the math, here's how my vision of the NHL shakes out for 2009-10...
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) Boston (116)
2) Washington (111)
3) New Jersey (106)
4) Pittsburgh (105)
5) Montreal (97)
6) NY Rangers (95)
7) Philadelphia (95)
8) Ottawa (93)
9) Buffalo (91)
10) Carolina (87)
11) Florida (87)
12) Toronto (86)
13) NY Islanders (77)
14) Atlanta (76)
15) Tampa Bay (75)
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1) San Jose (112)
2) Chicago (108)
3) Vancouver (96)
4) Anaheim (100)
5) Detroit (98)
6) Columbus (95)
7) Edmonton (95)
8) St. Louis (92)
9) Calgary (92)
10) Los Angeles (90)
11) Dallas (90)
12) Phoenix (88)
13) Nashville (88)
14) Minnesota (84)
15) Colorado (69)
PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Boston def. (8) Ottawa 4-2
(2) Washington def. (7) Philadelphia 4-0
(6) NY Rangers def. (3) New Jersey 4-3
(4) Pittsburgh def. (5) Montreal 4-1
(1) Boston def. (6) NY Rangers 4-2
(2) Washington def. (4) Pittsburgh 4-3
(2) Washington def. (1) Boston 4-1
WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) San Jose def. (8) St. Louis 4-3
(2) Chicago def. (7) Edmonton 4-0
(6) Columbus def. (3) Vancouver 4-2
(5) Detroit def. (4) Anaheim 4-3
(1) San Jose def. (6) Columbus 4-3
(2) Chicago def. (5) Detroit 4-1
(2) Chicago def. (1) San Jose 4-2
STANLEY CUP FINAL
(2) Washington def. (2) Chicago 4-2
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Hart Trophy: Zach Parise, New Jersey
Art Ross Trophy: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
Richard Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin, Washington
Vezina Trophy: Henrik Lundqvist, NY Rangers
Norris Trophy: Dan Boyle, San Jose
Calder Trophy: Nikita Filatov, Columbus
Adams Trophy: Dave Tippett, Phoenix
Selke Trophy: Mike Richards, Philadelphia
Conn Smythe Trophy: Alexander Semin, Washington
Please Pardon Our Appearance While We Remodel
If you've visited this site over the past few days, you might notice a new layout. If you've come here multiple times over the past few days, you might have seen multiple new layouts. We're trying to find a new layout because we were both tired of looking at the old one. Zach might have found one that works. We'll see how it goes. But, in case you were wondering about the ever-changing look of The Rivalry... it's a work in progress.
Rangers-Capitals is on MSG tonight. Enjoy the game. I'll be posting my season preview tonight or tomorrow. No, I will not predict a Rangers-Sharks final for the third straight year.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Isles Are On TV Tonight!!!!
Everyone probably knows this by now, but tonight's Isles-Devils game will be televised on MSG Plus! This is the first Isles-produced preseason game I can recall since a post-lockout game between the Islanders and Rangers, where every announcer for both teams piled into one big booth and said "You can't do that anymore!" about 50 times after penalties.
Anyway, while tonight's telecast is big news, it's not the purpose of this blog. We're in the process of updating the Islanders drinking game, which was one of our first ever posts and is in desperate need of a overhaul. If you find anything worth including, please leave a comment. Unfortunately, we won't have Howie Rose and his bad puns tonight, but Jiggs McDonald should be by to butcher a name or two.
Enjoy tonight's game! And don't forget to give us your most drink-worthy observations.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Colin Campbell's Double Standard Strikes Again
Before we get to the latest BS suspension from Colin Campbell, there's some important Lighthouse stuff going on at Hofstra today. Read up on the importance of today's meeting here and here; follow along with the proceedings here.
***
The news that Pascal Morency was suspended for ten games (five preseason, five regular season) comes as no surprise to the writers of this blog. No, it's not because we believe, as many do, that ex-Rangers coach Colin Campbell has a secret vendetta against the Islanders. Instead, it's because we're well aware of the double standard that exists in the NHL when it comes to suspensions.
The NHL has no problem throwing its weight around when it comes to suspending a fringe player. However, when a superstar is involved, things become very shady. For instance, Chris Pronger still having a very well-paying job in the NHL despite his lengthy rap she
et. Of course, that rap sheet was significantly lessened by the the likes of Campbell, who just can't seem to pull the trigger when superstars are under review.
You may recall Chris Simon's stomp of Jarko Ruutu from December of 2007. You know, the incident that netted Simon a 30-game suspension. You may also recall that Pronger did the exact same thing to Ryan Kesler three months later and got nothing. Until, of course, everybody flipped out, and then Pronger got an 8-game ban that conveniently ended when the playoffs started.
By giving Morency ten games, Campbell is essentially saying that what Morency did is worse than what Pronger did - and that's something that got a lesser player 30 games. And what exactly did Morency do? Yes, he jumped the boards to start a fight, but he was about to come onto the ice for his shift anyway. He then attempted to defend a teammate that was knocked unconscious, which is what an enforcer is supposed to do. So, if you think about it that way, he was suspended for ten games for doing his job. And yet, if he didn't do his job, he would have been cut immediately by the Islanders for not standing up for his fallen teammate.
Now, let's go back in time once again, this time to the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. You may recall Evgeni Malkin receiving a fight instigator penalty in the final minutes of Game 2. NHL rules clearly stipulate that any player receiving an instigator penalty in the final five minutes of a game also gets a one-game suspension. But do you really think the NHL was going to suspend Malkin in its big TV-ratings showcase? Of course not!
If you really want to get picky about it, you can argue that Malkin's instigator was far more egregous than Morency's. At least Morency had a reason to start a fight. Malkin's fight came at the end of a game as the result of a scrum caused by his own teammate (Max Talbot), which could be interpreted as "sending a message" - the very thing the NHL legislated against before the playoffs. Yet, Morency's the one who gets the big suspension. Go figure.
But we all know that the NHL kowtows to its superstars. Every league does it; most don't stoop to the levels of the NHL. So the NHL bullies its lesser-known players just to prove a point. Donald Brashear deserved something for his attack on Blair Betts in last year's playoffs. But there was no way he'd get six games if he wasn't playing roughly five minutes a game. Morency's suspension falls into the category of the NHL abusing its power. Unfortunately, Colin Campbell's ruling has all but killed any chance of Morency playing for the Islanders in 2009-10. True, he wasn't going to make the team. But now, if the Islanders want to call him up, they must take into account his five-game regular season suspension. The Islanders don't have the roster room to keep someone on their NHL roster just to clear a suspension. So, not only does this screw over the Islanders, but it potentially costs Morency a ton of money, as two-way deals are exponentially more lucrative in the NHL than they are anywhere else.
One last note about this suspension. If you really want someone to blame for all of this, blame the NHL itself. The NHL is the organization that allows preseason games to become endless fight-fests in the first place. The NHL charges full price for preseason games, then turns a blind eye when games devolve into mindless line brawls just so aspiring goons can fight established goons for no reason. The NHL does this for as long as it can, then suspends the crap out of someone who dares to touch a superstar. The shame of it is, a guy like Chris Pronger would never be in this situation, largely because no team would give its biggest stars serious minutes in a game where players go out of their way to hurt each other just to stand out. So, while Colin Campbell screwed up by handing Pascal Morency a ridiculous suspension, it's really the NHL's fault for allowing this violence to occur.
***
The news that Pascal Morency was suspended for ten games (five preseason, five regular season) comes as no surprise to the writers of this blog. No, it's not because we believe, as many do, that ex-Rangers coach Colin Campbell has a secret vendetta against the Islanders. Instead, it's because we're well aware of the double standard that exists in the NHL when it comes to suspensions.
The NHL has no problem throwing its weight around when it comes to suspending a fringe player. However, when a superstar is involved, things become very shady. For instance, Chris Pronger still having a very well-paying job in the NHL despite his lengthy rap she
et. Of course, that rap sheet was significantly lessened by the the likes of Campbell, who just can't seem to pull the trigger when superstars are under review.You may recall Chris Simon's stomp of Jarko Ruutu from December of 2007. You know, the incident that netted Simon a 30-game suspension. You may also recall that Pronger did the exact same thing to Ryan Kesler three months later and got nothing. Until, of course, everybody flipped out, and then Pronger got an 8-game ban that conveniently ended when the playoffs started.
By giving Morency ten games, Campbell is essentially saying that what Morency did is worse than what Pronger did - and that's something that got a lesser player 30 games. And what exactly did Morency do? Yes, he jumped the boards to start a fight, but he was about to come onto the ice for his shift anyway. He then attempted to defend a teammate that was knocked unconscious, which is what an enforcer is supposed to do. So, if you think about it that way, he was suspended for ten games for doing his job. And yet, if he didn't do his job, he would have been cut immediately by the Islanders for not standing up for his fallen teammate.
Now, let's go back in time once again, this time to the 2009 Stanley Cup Final. You may recall Evgeni Malkin receiving a fight instigator penalty in the final minutes of Game 2. NHL rules clearly stipulate that any player receiving an instigator penalty in the final five minutes of a game also gets a one-game suspension. But do you really think the NHL was going to suspend Malkin in its big TV-ratings showcase? Of course not!
If you really want to get picky about it, you can argue that Malkin's instigator was far more egregous than Morency's. At least Morency had a reason to start a fight. Malkin's fight came at the end of a game as the result of a scrum caused by his own teammate (Max Talbot), which could be interpreted as "sending a message" - the very thing the NHL legislated against before the playoffs. Yet, Morency's the one who gets the big suspension. Go figure.
But we all know that the NHL kowtows to its superstars. Every league does it; most don't stoop to the levels of the NHL. So the NHL bullies its lesser-known players just to prove a point. Donald Brashear deserved something for his attack on Blair Betts in last year's playoffs. But there was no way he'd get six games if he wasn't playing roughly five minutes a game. Morency's suspension falls into the category of the NHL abusing its power. Unfortunately, Colin Campbell's ruling has all but killed any chance of Morency playing for the Islanders in 2009-10. True, he wasn't going to make the team. But now, if the Islanders want to call him up, they must take into account his five-game regular season suspension. The Islanders don't have the roster room to keep someone on their NHL roster just to clear a suspension. So, not only does this screw over the Islanders, but it potentially costs Morency a ton of money, as two-way deals are exponentially more lucrative in the NHL than they are anywhere else.
One last note about this suspension. If you really want someone to blame for all of this, blame the NHL itself. The NHL is the organization that allows preseason games to become endless fight-fests in the first place. The NHL charges full price for preseason games, then turns a blind eye when games devolve into mindless line brawls just so aspiring goons can fight established goons for no reason. The NHL does this for as long as it can, then suspends the crap out of someone who dares to touch a superstar. The shame of it is, a guy like Chris Pronger would never be in this situation, largely because no team would give its biggest stars serious minutes in a game where players go out of their way to hurt each other just to stand out. So, while Colin Campbell screwed up by handing Pascal Morency a ridiculous suspension, it's really the NHL's fault for allowing this violence to occur.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Just Brainstorming Here...
I'm back from Las Vegas (mid-September and still 100 degrees!) and I received a 2-for-1 in the week I was gone. Not only was Dany Heatley traded, but Phil Kessel was as well, leaving September only for training camp, and no drama.
I'm just brainstorming, but let's say for argument's sake, the 6 defensemen who make the Rangers roster for opening night are: Michal Rozsival, Wade Redden, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Mike del Zotto, and Matt Gilroy. Not a huge stretch, right? Sure, you could possibly sub Bobby Sanguinetti in for del Zotto, but that has no effect on my point today.
The newspaper today said that Rozsival and Redden would be top pairing, like they were together for most of last season. My question is: Why?
Now, it's well-documented that I am against having Redden and Rozsival on the team simply because this is a Salary Cap Era. If there was no Cap, then having a waste of space like Wade Redden on the team would simply be par for the course. They'd demote him to 3rd-line pairing or send him to Hartford, and spend big money on someone better than him.
Of course, since his $6.5M/year is looming large for the next 5 years, he has no choice but to play. And of course, it ultimately cost Tom Renney his job, as Renney's over-reliance on him led to his downfall.
Same for Rozsival. While I may personally like Rozsival and think he is a decent defenseman, he in no way warrants $5M/year, Salary Cap Era or not.
So why pair them together? They were horrendous separately and together last year. Plus, by doing that, you are putting 2 pairs of "kids" on the blueline.
Girardi and Staal should be a tandem. They were last year often, they play well together, one is a lefty, one is a righty. Both broke into the league near the same time and both a
re equally as good as the other.
So that leaves Del Zotto and Gilroy, two rookies together, no?
I say John Tortorella should put Gilroy with either Redden or Rozsival, and Del Zotto with the other one. That way the future top-pairing could learn from the veterans, who could (hopefully) cover the mistakes the rookies make.
Couldn't hurt, right?
My ideal pairings...
Redden - Gilroy (Redden is a left-handed shot, Gilroy a right-handed shot)
Staal - Girardi (Staal, lefty; Girardi, righty)
Del Zotto - Rozsival (Del Zotto, lefty; Rozsival, righty)
I mean, it's not like Redden and Rozsival were so dominant last season that breaking them up would be disastrous. They aren't MacInnis-Suter, Leetch-Beukeboom, or Stevens-Neidermayer. Hell, they aren't even Staal-Girardi. They're one step better than the pre-lockout pairing of Vladimir Malakhov and Boris Mironov.
It worked 2 years ago when Staal paired with Paul Mara. Why not let the rookies learn from the veterans? At the very least, they could learn what not to do.
I'm just brainstorming, but let's say for argument's sake, the 6 defensemen who make the Rangers roster for opening night are: Michal Rozsival, Wade Redden, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Mike del Zotto, and Matt Gilroy. Not a huge stretch, right? Sure, you could possibly sub Bobby Sanguinetti in for del Zotto, but that has no effect on my point today.
The newspaper today said that Rozsival and Redden would be top pairing, like they were together for most of last season. My question is: Why?
Now, it's well-documented that I am against having Redden and Rozsival on the team simply because this is a Salary Cap Era. If there was no Cap, then having a waste of space like Wade Redden on the team would simply be par for the course. They'd demote him to 3rd-line pairing or send him to Hartford, and spend big money on someone better than him.
Of course, since his $6.5M/year is looming large for the next 5 years, he has no choice but to play. And of course, it ultimately cost Tom Renney his job, as Renney's over-reliance on him led to his downfall.
Same for Rozsival. While I may personally like Rozsival and think he is a decent defenseman, he in no way warrants $5M/year, Salary Cap Era or not.
So why pair them together? They were horrendous separately and together last year. Plus, by doing that, you are putting 2 pairs of "kids" on the blueline.
Girardi and Staal should be a tandem. They were last year often, they play well together, one is a lefty, one is a righty. Both broke into the league near the same time and both a
re equally as good as the other.So that leaves Del Zotto and Gilroy, two rookies together, no?
I say John Tortorella should put Gilroy with either Redden or Rozsival, and Del Zotto with the other one. That way the future top-pairing could learn from the veterans, who could (hopefully) cover the mistakes the rookies make.
Couldn't hurt, right?
My ideal pairings...
Redden - Gilroy (Redden is a left-handed shot, Gilroy a right-handed shot)
Staal - Girardi (Staal, lefty; Girardi, righty)
Del Zotto - Rozsival (Del Zotto, lefty; Rozsival, righty)
I mean, it's not like Redden and Rozsival were so dominant last season that breaking them up would be disastrous. They aren't MacInnis-Suter, Leetch-Beukeboom, or Stevens-Neidermayer. Hell, they aren't even Staal-Girardi. They're one step better than the pre-lockout pairing of Vladimir Malakhov and Boris Mironov.
It worked 2 years ago when Staal paired with Paul Mara. Why not let the rookies learn from the veterans? At the very least, they could learn what not to do.
Friday, September 18, 2009
It Is What It Is
For the past twelve or so hours, the Internet has been on fire with people talking about the Dion Phaneuf hit on Kyle Okposo. As we all know, Okposo was stretchered off the ice last night; he was later diagnosed with a mild concussion and was cleared to travel home with the team. Botta put it best - Islanders fans will see this as a dirty hit, while Flames fans will see it as a clean hit.
There's no sense in pointing fingers. What happened last night is over. Phaneuf won't dress Saturday, there will be a ton of fights between fringe players, and nothing will be solved. The fact remains that Kyle Okposo is still injured and the Islanders now have to live without the services of their best forward.
We can argue forever about whose fault it was (nobody's), whether the hit was clean (it was), whether this kind of hit has any place in the pre-season (again, clean hit), or any of the other things that people are worrying about. Instead, let's look at the two facts we can draw from this.
- We have to worry about Kyle Okposo suffering from more concussions. After you have your first concussion, you're that much more likely to suffer from another one.
- After the hit, Okposo's teammates went out of their way to stand up for their fallen comrade.
As scary of a thought as the first point is, the second is far more significant. Think back to the night Mike Mottau shredded Frans Nielsen's knee. After Trent Hunter fought Mottau, nobody went after Mottau that night, nor did they do so in any of the other four times the Islanders and Devils played. Howie Rose must have mentioned it a million times down the stretch. Nobody cared. Compare that to what you saw last night. The Islanders tried to engage Phaneuf multiple times. Even though Phaneuf wouldn't take the bait - he sent in his underlings to fight those battles - it says a lot that the Islanders, even those with no chance of making the team, would try to take care of business. It shows how important Kyle Okposo is to the team and it shows how much these players truly care for one another. Most of all, it shows the progress made since last November.
All in all, it's a horrible situation, but at least Okposo is relatively okay. There's no need to dwell on it or demand revenge on March 25, 2010, which is when the Flames head to the Nassau Coliseum. And hey, we got visual proof that we have a true team this year. That's a good sign.
One last point about the hit. A few people have compared this hit to the one Doug Weight laid on Brandon Sutter last year - you know, the one that had Brent Sutter apoplectic and demanding Weight's banishment from the NHL. OK, he didn't really go that far, but he wasn't happy. Last night, when it was Okposo getting laid out, the elder Sutter was again involved, this time as the Flames' coach. Sutter's take?
There's no sense in pointing fingers. What happened last night is over. Phaneuf won't dress Saturday, there will be a ton of fights between fringe players, and nothing will be solved. The fact remains that Kyle Okposo is still injured and the Islanders now have to live without the services of their best forward.
We can argue forever about whose fault it was (nobody's), whether the hit was clean (it was), whether this kind of hit has any place in the pre-season (again, clean hit), or any of the other things that people are worrying about. Instead, let's look at the two facts we can draw from this.
- We have to worry about Kyle Okposo suffering from more concussions. After you have your first concussion, you're that much more likely to suffer from another one.
- After the hit, Okposo's teammates went out of their way to stand up for their fallen comrade.
As scary of a thought as the first point is, the second is far more significant. Think back to the night Mike Mottau shredded Frans Nielsen's knee. After Trent Hunter fought Mottau, nobody went after Mottau that night, nor did they do so in any of the other four times the Islanders and Devils played. Howie Rose must have mentioned it a million times down the stretch. Nobody cared. Compare that to what you saw last night. The Islanders tried to engage Phaneuf multiple times. Even though Phaneuf wouldn't take the bait - he sent in his underlings to fight those battles - it says a lot that the Islanders, even those with no chance of making the team, would try to take care of business. It shows how important Kyle Okposo is to the team and it shows how much these players truly care for one another. Most of all, it shows the progress made since last November.
All in all, it's a horrible situation, but at least Okposo is relatively okay. There's no need to dwell on it or demand revenge on March 25, 2010, which is when the Flames head to the Nassau Coliseum. And hey, we got visual proof that we have a true team this year. That's a good sign.
One last point about the hit. A few people have compared this hit to the one Doug Weight laid on Brandon Sutter last year - you know, the one that had Brent Sutter apoplectic and demanding Weight's banishment from the NHL. OK, he didn't really go that far, but he wasn't happy. Last night, when it was Okposo getting laid out, the elder Sutter was again involved, this time as the Flames' coach. Sutter's take?
"That's part of Dion's game. When he sees that open ice, Dion has to use it. It's one part of his game that makes him a unique player," said Sutter. "You never like to see anybody get hurt obviously, and it's too bad that happened, and hopefully we've been told, he's going to be okay. But Dion still can't pass up that hit".
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Recap: Rangers Preseason Opener
At 4:03 AM, the sound of my cell phone woke me up. Immediately, I knew it was Zach.
At least once a week, I wake up to a late-night text from this site's co-conspirator. It's fun, mostly because I usually sleep through them and they're often humorous. One time, Zach texted me at 3 AM to ask me how to change lines in NHL 09. Zach's off in Vegas, so I wasn't expecting to hear from him, but he said he had his buddy Dan do a write-up of last night's Rangers-Bruins pre-season game for our site. I turned on the game with about a minute left, just in time to hear the entire broadcast crew gush over Matt Gilroy, so I'll take Dan's word for what happened.
And here, my friends, is (I think) the first guest post we've ever done on this site - a look at the Rangers' first pre-season game, completely unedited, courtesy of Dan.
***
Pre-season game 1 summary: Bos. 2 – NY 1
-Valliquette started and already looked in mid-season form, stopped 18 of 19 including some pretty tough shots (Torts plans on him getting about 15-20 starts this year)
-Brian Boyle (even with his 6’7" frame) did not impress, took two dumb penalties in the 1st period, one lead to the B’s first goal
-Brashear was booed heavily the first time he touched the puck, but it lessened as the game went on, esp. after he flattened a Bruin and got some cheers
-Dane Byers hustled, had some good forechecks and didn’t take any stupid penalties like his linemate Boyle, but that was about it
-Alexei Semenov (the kid from San Jose getting a tryout) looked ok, he is massive which means he’s not the quickest guy in the world (Scotty Hockey called him a "traffic cone" on ice), but he cruched a few B’s and got an assist on the only goal by wristing a shot from the point, so there’s maybe some 7th D-man potential
-the Brighton Beach line of Lisin-Anisimov-Grachev looked comfortable together, fast, and aggressive to the net (especially Grachev, Sam & Joe feel he’ll be on the roster), during one hard forecheck in the 2nd they drew a penalty
-Gilroy and DelZotto got the most of my attention, especially on the PP, they both love to jump in the play (with the encouragement of Torts), and don’t hesitate to unload a shot if they have it (Gilroy had about 3-4 shots, DelZotto hit the post on the PP)
-Kotalik will be a point-man on the PP this year, has a rocket shot and fires at will, his pairing on the PP was DelZotto
-Matt Zaba took over in net for Vally around half-way through the 2nd period, made some very good saves also, and wasn’t at fault for the 2nd goal, (defense vacated the crease to go to the corner and hung him out to dry vs. an open man)
-Matt Maccarone (another bruiser) hustled and such, but I had to laugh at the retro 1970’s pornstar mustache he was sporting
-Higgins got our only goal by camping out at the crease and banging in the rebound of Semenov’s shot, he was on a line with Drury and Kotalik for most of the game
-the Rangers came out and controlled play early in the 1st, but then they took 4 penalties which killed their momentum for the rest of the period, they took 6 total in the game (which led to both goals allowed), the B’s were only called for 2 penalties
-MSG showed a taped interview with Sather addressing the Dubi situation, and he basically said that Dubi has no leverage and will have to either give in and accept whatever offer he gets by the RFA deadline or he won’t be playing at all this year, (they also had Boston’s GM live in the studio at intermission talking about Kessel, pretty much the same thing going on up in Beantown)
-Rangers play the Devils wed. night at the Rock, Lundqvist will play half of the game, no mention of who gets the other half (Wiikman? OchoCinco?)
-players who sat out against the B’s and most likely playing against the Devs:
Prospal, Redden, Rosy, Voros, Avery, Potter, Heikkenen, Kundratek
-Gaborik already has a sore groin (go figure), so not sure yet if he’s going to play
At least once a week, I wake up to a late-night text from this site's co-conspirator. It's fun, mostly because I usually sleep through them and they're often humorous. One time, Zach texted me at 3 AM to ask me how to change lines in NHL 09. Zach's off in Vegas, so I wasn't expecting to hear from him, but he said he had his buddy Dan do a write-up of last night's Rangers-Bruins pre-season game for our site. I turned on the game with about a minute left, just in time to hear the entire broadcast crew gush over Matt Gilroy, so I'll take Dan's word for what happened.
And here, my friends, is (I think) the first guest post we've ever done on this site - a look at the Rangers' first pre-season game, completely unedited, courtesy of Dan.
***
Pre-season game 1 summary: Bos. 2 – NY 1
-Valliquette started and already looked in mid-season form, stopped 18 of 19 including some pretty tough shots (Torts plans on him getting about 15-20 starts this year)
-Brian Boyle (even with his 6’7" frame) did not impress, took two dumb penalties in the 1st period, one lead to the B’s first goal
-Brashear was booed heavily the first time he touched the puck, but it lessened as the game went on, esp. after he flattened a Bruin and got some cheers
-Dane Byers hustled, had some good forechecks and didn’t take any stupid penalties like his linemate Boyle, but that was about it
-Alexei Semenov (the kid from San Jose getting a tryout) looked ok, he is massive which means he’s not the quickest guy in the world (Scotty Hockey called him a "traffic cone" on ice), but he cruched a few B’s and got an assist on the only goal by wristing a shot from the point, so there’s maybe some 7th D-man potential
-the Brighton Beach line of Lisin-Anisimov-Grachev looked comfortable together, fast, and aggressive to the net (especially Grachev, Sam & Joe feel he’ll be on the roster), during one hard forecheck in the 2nd they drew a penalty
-Gilroy and DelZotto got the most of my attention, especially on the PP, they both love to jump in the play (with the encouragement of Torts), and don’t hesitate to unload a shot if they have it (Gilroy had about 3-4 shots, DelZotto hit the post on the PP)
-Kotalik will be a point-man on the PP this year, has a rocket shot and fires at will, his pairing on the PP was DelZotto
-Matt Zaba took over in net for Vally around half-way through the 2nd period, made some very good saves also, and wasn’t at fault for the 2nd goal, (defense vacated the crease to go to the corner and hung him out to dry vs. an open man)
-Matt Maccarone (another bruiser) hustled and such, but I had to laugh at the retro 1970’s pornstar mustache he was sporting
-Higgins got our only goal by camping out at the crease and banging in the rebound of Semenov’s shot, he was on a line with Drury and Kotalik for most of the game
-the Rangers came out and controlled play early in the 1st, but then they took 4 penalties which killed their momentum for the rest of the period, they took 6 total in the game (which led to both goals allowed), the B’s were only called for 2 penalties
-MSG showed a taped interview with Sather addressing the Dubi situation, and he basically said that Dubi has no leverage and will have to either give in and accept whatever offer he gets by the RFA deadline or he won’t be playing at all this year, (they also had Boston’s GM live in the studio at intermission talking about Kessel, pretty much the same thing going on up in Beantown)
-Rangers play the Devils wed. night at the Rock, Lundqvist will play half of the game, no mention of who gets the other half (Wiikman? OchoCinco?)
-players who sat out against the B’s and most likely playing against the Devs:
Prospal, Redden, Rosy, Voros, Avery, Potter, Heikkenen, Kundratek
-Gaborik already has a sore groin (go figure), so not sure yet if he’s going to play
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Off to Vegas Again...
It's been a big week for me. New car, new job, and now, much like injured training camp invitee Kyle McLaren, I will not be around for Rangers training camp, either. While he will be failing physicals, I'll be in lovely Las Vegas for the 2nd year in a row. Got a great deal too. Last year, we paid $120/night for the MGM Grand. This year, we got a nicer hotel for $90/night. Last year, if we wanted the hotel I'm staying at this year, it would've been $180/night. Thank you, Internet.
Here's what I'm hoping for to happen while I'm gone...
- Dany Heatley to finally be traded - and not to the Rangers, unless it's for Wade Redden, which I think we all know the odds of that happening are less than 1%.
- The Rangers roster to be finalized. Probably not going to happen, but we should have a good picture of it by Friday.
- Blair Betts to have a job in the NHL. Has no GM watched him the past 3 years to see how good he is on faceoffs and on the penalty kill?
- This Phoenix Coyotes situation to be resolved. My ideal resolution: Have them play this year in the same spot since it's too late to move an entire franchise, but have them play next year in Hamilton, Ontario. Sure, it would kill their attendance this year, but, be honest, who is going to see a bad hockey team play in the desert, anyway?
- Brandon Dubinsky to be signed - and not for $2M. Remember how often he didn't score last year? I'm sure he'll have a good year, he'll be a heart and soul player, and he'll grow leaps and bounds, but he still has trouble scoring, he isn't a first-line center, and since the Rangers are tight on Cap room as is, giving him a lot of money would make things very rough come trade deadline day.
- One of the two discount hockey jersey sites I visit gets a Marian Gaborik jersey in so I can buy a new one for under $50.
- My SUV to arrive. (Probably won't for another month though.)
- Bryan to text me updates if any of the above happen.
Have a good week. See you Saturday.
Here's what I'm hoping for to happen while I'm gone...
- Dany Heatley to finally be traded - and not to the Rangers, unless it's for Wade Redden, which I think we all know the odds of that happening are less than 1%.
- The Rangers roster to be finalized. Probably not going to happen, but we should have a good picture of it by Friday.
- Blair Betts to have a job in the NHL. Has no GM watched him the past 3 years to see how good he is on faceoffs and on the penalty kill?
- This Phoenix Coyotes situation to be resolved. My ideal resolution: Have them play this year in the same spot since it's too late to move an entire franchise, but have them play next year in Hamilton, Ontario. Sure, it would kill their attendance this year, but, be honest, who is going to see a bad hockey team play in the desert, anyway?
- Brandon Dubinsky to be signed - and not for $2M. Remember how often he didn't score last year? I'm sure he'll have a good year, he'll be a heart and soul player, and he'll grow leaps and bounds, but he still has trouble scoring, he isn't a first-line center, and since the Rangers are tight on Cap room as is, giving him a lot of money would make things very rough come trade deadline day.
- One of the two discount hockey jersey sites I visit gets a Marian Gaborik jersey in so I can buy a new one for under $50.
- My SUV to arrive. (Probably won't for another month though.)
- Bryan to text me updates if any of the above happen.
Have a good week. See you Saturday.
Friday, September 11, 2009
So This Is How It's Going To Be
The Islanders are about to head to training camp. John Tavares is about to take the ice in OUR colors for the first time. We're about to get hockey back after six long months.
And yet, we can't enjoy any of it.
We're not going to get into the politics of the Lighthouse Project here. There are plenty of other places to follow that saga if you're so inclined. Yes, it's important. It's EXTREMELY important. But it's not hockey, and we're here to talk about hockey. And, to be honest, the Lighthouse stuff is getting in the way of what should be a very exciting time for Islanders fans.
Look, we're not downplaying the significance of any of this. But it's almost like people are ready to write the Islanders a one-way ticket to Queens, or Hamilton, or Las Vegas, or Kansas City, or wherever. We're not going to do that. Everytime I go out in Islanders gear, someone asks me what I'm going to do when the Islanders leave, and I'm f***ing sick of it. We should be discussing the on-ice future of the Islanders, not preparing the Islanders' eulogy.
On September 22, the Lighthouse re-zoning meeting will take place at Hofstra. That night, the Islanders will play the Los Angeles Kings at the Sprint Center in Kansas City. I, for one, will be solely focused on the Islanders, and not just to scout out the team's future building. I want to see John Tavares and Kyle Okposo and get a glimpse of this wonderful future we have all earned. Call me a bad Islanders fan or an irresponsible writer if you want. But I'm not letting bulls**t politics ruin what could be a special season. After all, who knows how many seasons we have left?
I'm not saying the Lighthouse doesn't matter. I'm not saying I don't think the team will move. I'm just saying I refuse to take the New York Islanders for granted. And damn the Town of Hempstead for daring to ruin this season for me.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Injuries
I've been thinking a lot about injuries lately. Namely, the paradox that exists in sports today. Players are in better shape than ever. They train harder in the off-season than they do during the regular season. Teams employ nutritionists to help players stay on specific diets. The players of today are not only bigger than ever, but faster than ever. And yet, despite all of this, players get hurt today more than ever before.
There are a number of theories attempting to explain this, the obvious one being steroids. That explains why a 38-year-old slugger breaks down in record time, but it doesn't explain why both the Islanders and Mets have had literally more than half their team on the DL at any given point in 2009. A more plausible theory states that the collisions caused when two large, fast athletes run into each other creates a far more severe impact than in the past. We'll come back to this in a little bit. Another theory would be that doctors know more about the after-effects of injuries and prevent athletes from returning from injuries too soon. And, of course, the final theory is that modern players are pampered babies who only care about their paychecks. What's the answer? I don't know.
In the end, it would seem that a lot of this is luck. The Mets were relatively healthy, Pedro Martinez notwithstanding, for much of the past three seasons. This season, they more than made up for their good fortune. While the Mets put $90 million of their payroll on the DL, the Yankees have had virtually no injury troubles this year outside of Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady. That's life, especially in baseball, where injuries are almost always incurred outside of person-to-person contact.
But what about hockey? Can you really separate the fact that the Islanders lost over 500 man games to injury in 2008-09 from the fact that they had zero toughness in the lineup on most nights? And can we ignore the fact that the Anaheim Ducks, who routinely lead the league in fighting majors, are the NHL's third-least injured team since the lockout? Yes, luck does play a role, and the top teams usually do a good job of avoiding injuries. But that doesn't mean a team shouldn't use any and all means available to them to avoid injuries. And if avoiding injuries means dressing a goon that actually plays more than two minutes a night, then that's a chance Scott Gordon should consider taking.
Here's the other thing. If we can agree that injuries are getting more frequent, and we can agree that injuries are getting more serious, and we can also agree that injuries in the NHL are preventable on some level, then we can go so far as to state that teams who don't do everything possible to avoid serious injuries are being negligent in protecting their players. Let's face it, hockey is a violent game. Always has been, always will be. And if you watch a game from fifteen or so years ago, you'll see a lot of open ice. That open ice hasn't been taken up by huge pads, it's been taken up by huge players who move a lot faster than they used to and hit a lot harder than they used to. The team that doesn't protect itself takes a serious chance, not only of injury, but of something far more serious than that.
***
If you saw last year's AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, odds are good you remember the hit Willis McGahee took at the end of that game. We had people over that day, and some of us were convinced that he actually died after that hit. Turns out he's fine. But he's been demoted to Baltimore's second string and it doesn't even bother him - he's just glad to be healthy. That's not the point. Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer was quoted as saying he believes someone will die as the result of a hit during an NFL game. This is a conclusion I have come to myself, and an on-ice fatality in the NHL isn't as far off as people think.
Over the past five years, we've had the Steve Moore incident and the Richard Zednik incident. We've also had Don Sanderson, who died during a fight, but not in the NHL. Despite all this, NHL players refuse to take even the simplest measures to protect themselves. Players wear their helmet chin straps as loose as possible, don't bother to wear face shields, and choose not to wear neck guards, all in the name of masculinity and "The Code", whatever that means. And that's a shame. We all know the NHL will turn a blind eye to all of this until it's too late. And it'd be nice if the Player's Association could get its head out of its ass long enough to ensure the safety of its players, but that won't happen either. Of course, the one player who takes a stand will be mocked for doing so, just as baseball players, writers and fans alike mocked David Wright for wearing a large, but safe, batting helmet last week.
***
The point is, this injury epidemic is manifesting itself with random injuries that might seem insignificant, but seem to be building toward larger problems. These are problems nobody seems interested in solving right now. And it seems hypocritical to say that the solution to injuries is to bring in goons, but if that stops even one opposing player from taking a run at your star player, then that's one less injury you have to worry about. Those who argue against the instigator rule are on the right track. More fighting certainly isn't the answer, but at least then the violence is limited to the willing. We don't need tough guys injuring skill players anymore. Hockey has made great strides since the lockout. Let's ensure that the next time the NHL makes big news, it isn't because someone got blindsided and is seriously injured - or worse.
The Blueline...
For next season, which begins October 2nd in Pittsburgh, the Rangers currently have 4 defenseman with "guaranteed" spots. I put that in quotes because you never know who might get traded - let's hope - or injured - let's hope not - before then.
We have: Wade Redden, Marc Staal, Dan Girardi, and Michal Rozsival.
Matt Gilroy is probably going to play in the NHL also. Everyone is very impressed by him, and you don't pay $1.75M/year to keep a player in the minor leagues.
So that leaves one spot. Corey Potter? Mike Sauer? Possible on both fronts, but more likely they will be in Hartford until their contracts end out, then bounce around the AHL (with some rare NHL appearances). Their career-paths will probably look more like Bryce Lampman's and Lawrence Nycholat's than Brian Leetch's.
I figure it comes down to two players. Granted, I don't know a ton. I don't go to training camp, I don't travel to Traverse City. I just read about the Rangers online, a lot, and I know a certain bit about the NHL from watching it for years.
Those two players: 2006 1st round draft pick (21st overall) Bobby Sanguinetti and 2008 1st round draft pick (20th overall) Mike Del Zotto.
And the early edge goes to Del Zotto. He looks real sharp from all accounts in nearly every aspect, and a lot of people think he can push for a spot. Even if he is bound for the OHL this year (he is too young to play in the AHL), the Rangers can still have him in the NHL for 10 games before they decide to send him there. That's good experience as a 7th d-man, and a great chance to make the Rangers think they should keep him up here - much like Josh Bailey and the Islanders last season.
So where does that leave Sanguinetti? This kid grew up in Trenton, NJ, and was a Rangers fan even when the Devils were winning Stanley Cups when he was 7, 12, and 15. He had a great 2007-08 season in Brampton (OHL) and didn't play particularly bad last year in Hartford, either.
But is he improving? Has Del Zotto out-performed him? And this is the year that Sanguinetti's contract is up. Sure, he'll only be a restricted free agent and he is still only 21, but Del Zotto is two years younger and seems to have surpassed him.
This isn't an attack on Sanguinetti at all. It just seems that there aren't very many roster spots available for the taking - 2, possibly, but probably only 1 - due to a few heavy-handed contracts (as well as the fact that you need veterans on the blueline). Maybe if Gilroy wasn't signed last year, or maybe if Del Zotto didn't emerge, Sanguinetti would be the 6th.
What are the options? No doubt they'll keep him around in Hartford if he doesn't make the team, but he could be Al Montoya-ed during the trade deadline to get a real nice veteran for a playoff run.
At any rate, Del Zotto vs. Sanguinetti should be one of the best "fights" at training camp. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope both show incredible talent.
* * *
Oh, and if anyone wants half-priced tickets to the Rangers/Bruins pre-season game on Tuesday, September 15, please let me know. I'll be in Las Vegas (lobbying for an NHL team there) and can't make it. Each seat is $60 and I'll sell the pair for $60. Email: arson83@aim.com
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sporcle...
Anyone ever heard of Sporcle? It's a site that gives you blank slates and tells you to name stuff. For instance, it gives you a blank table with years listed and you have to name Pixar movies. You type them in, they go next to the year, and when you give up, you click "Give Up" and it tells you the answers.
Since I'm a stats nerd, the best part for me is seeing what percentage were picked.
There are also some cool NHL-related games. Check out...
http://www.sporcle.com/games/caldertrophy.php
Try to name every single Calder Trophy winner in NHL history. Well, since that is VERY tough, try doing the right column, which starts with 1984-85/Pittsburgh Penguins and ends with 2008-09/Columbus Blue Jackets. See if you can beat my score - 7 wrong from '84-'09. Kind of embarrassing when you realize which ones you got wrong.
Also a good one: http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlteamptleaders.php - career points leaders for each team. Very cool, but good luck guessing who leads Columbus in lifetime points.
Also try: http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlarenas.php - the name of every team's arena. As long as I stared at the page, I would NOT have guessed where the Flames play.
And my personal favorite: http://www.sporcle.com/games/sportscities.php - Name the 13 cities in America that have teams in all 4 pro sports. Sorry Bryan, MLS doesn't count. (I got 11 of 13. One of them was my fault; the other I blame the game.)
Let me know how you do and which you get wrong.
Since I'm a stats nerd, the best part for me is seeing what percentage were picked.
There are also some cool NHL-related games. Check out...
http://www.sporcle.com/games/caldertrophy.php
Try to name every single Calder Trophy winner in NHL history. Well, since that is VERY tough, try doing the right column, which starts with 1984-85/Pittsburgh Penguins and ends with 2008-09/Columbus Blue Jackets. See if you can beat my score - 7 wrong from '84-'09. Kind of embarrassing when you realize which ones you got wrong.
Also a good one: http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlteamptleaders.php - career points leaders for each team. Very cool, but good luck guessing who leads Columbus in lifetime points.
Also try: http://www.sporcle.com/games/nhlarenas.php - the name of every team's arena. As long as I stared at the page, I would NOT have guessed where the Flames play.
And my personal favorite: http://www.sporcle.com/games/sportscities.php - Name the 13 cities in America that have teams in all 4 pro sports. Sorry Bryan, MLS doesn't count. (I got 11 of 13. One of them was my fault; the other I blame the game.)
Let me know how you do and which you get wrong.
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