Good Stuff Tonight...

I try not to be one of "those fans" - you know, the type who sulks and glooms and says the team is horrible after a loss, but they're the first one to chant "We Want the Cup" after a convincing win.

However, tonight was a good game. The difference between Edmonton and Vancouver, between 1,160 kilometers or 721 miles (thank you, Google Maps), was the offense. It was firing tonight. They took advantage of power plays. (The 0% on the power play was misleading in Vancouver, by the way. Chris Higgins scored a second after one expired.) They swarmed the net. They passed well. But more importantly, they took shots. Take a shot, you never know what will happen.

They had 23 shots in Vancouver - 14 in the second period and then 9 combined in periods 1 and 3. Tonight, they had 39. Phil Esposito always says - and I'm sure Alex Ovechkin will concur - you can't score if you don't shoot. Dan Girardi had a great pass/shot today that Sean Avery deflected. It didn't go in, but it was close. Get the puck to the net. If they don't get the puck to the net, Marian Gaborik doesn't one-hand that last goal home.

The effort was definitely there tonight...

Aaron Voros - Horrible 1st period, but he did play better in the 2nd and 3rd... saving his job for another day. Granted, he probably only had another 3 minutes all game, but they were better than his first minute, where he took 2 penalties. When he swung his stick at an Oilers' knees (can't remember which Oiler) and took a two-minute minor, did you see how *shocked* he was? How could he be surprised! It looked like he was cutting down a tree!

(By the way, I've never used the two asterisks on a word before in my life.)

Brian Boyle - Good ol' T-Bone. How many open nets can a man miss in one period? The answer, it seems, is two... twice. But he had a few good shots, a couple of good hits, and played like a 4th line player should: Good enough for the coach not to be nervous to put you out on the ice.

Chris Higgins - I won't profess him a great pickup yet, although we're all happy he is here instead of Scott Gomez. However, isn't it amazing how much better he is playing since he scored one goal? He has another goal already and played inspired, tough hockey tonight. If only he would do a move on a breakaway. Every time he gets one, he just shoots, and so far, it hasn't worked.

Ryan Callahan - "Gritty." Good word to describe his play tonight, as far as most nights.

Brandon Dubinsky - Was he even out there tonight? I noticed his play as much as I noticed Healthy Scratch Donald Brashear.

Wade Redden & Michal Rozsival - Weak games as well. Redden reminds me of myself, when I was 9. Any time I got the puck, I would get scared and pass it to the nearest teammate. That's what he does. Don't believe the hype in his "great pass to spring Higgins on a breakaway." It was lucky, he was just clearing it. And Rozsival? For a defender, he sure doesn't defend. I wouldn't want him on my team during an autumnal game of capture the flag, let alone near my crease in an NHL game.

Steve Valiquette - The team played good in front of him - especially Girardi and Marc Staal. It was huge for him to win this game, especially after the Sharks game where he got shellacked. Now, like Boyle, John Tortorella should feel safe putting him into a game.

Now, let's not be overly optimistic. Edmonton is a mediocre team. They were .500 going into tonight, and they were on a slide. Sheldon Souray is hurt, significantly impacting their power play. Mike Comrie was sick. A lot of other players got hit with the flu bug also the past 10 days.

So, what did the Rangers really do? They beat up on a weak team. And sometimes, that's just what you need to get back on track. Now, let's see if they can keep up the pace against the 9-4-1 Flames, who suddenly are an offensive team.

(By the way, I love these 9:30 games. I leave work at 8:20, clean up, eat, and I'm ready for pre-game and the opening faceoff.)

Tom Renney...

The last two times that the Edmonton Oilers faced the Rangers, the Rangers lost in a shootout. Last time, they fired 42 shots on net and scored on only 2 - on a backup goaltender. Ah, the Tom Renney era...

Well, tomorrow, the Rangers meet Tom Renney again, and while not many current players were there for a lot of his reign (Henrik Lundqvist and Michal Rozsival were the only ones there from his first full season in 2005-06), it should be an emotional night for him. Imagine if the game were at Madison Square Garden?

While I rip on Renney a lot here, I do think he was a very good coach, and I'm sure he will be sometime soon. There are a few coaches who will "always be a Ranger," no matter where they wind up coaching or working. Mike Keenan, though he only had 1 season, is one of them. Renney is another.

No coach could have done what he did after the lockout. He took a team destined to fail -at least according to the experts - and brought them into the playoffs, one point away from winning the division. He got 123 points out of Jaromir Jagr - a man who would have refused to return to the NHL if he wasn't playing for Renney in New York, he once said. He turned a team of veterans - Rucchin, Jagr, Straka, Rucinsky, Kasparaitis, Nylander - and young no-names - Jay Ward, Ortmeyer, Dom Moore, Hollweg, Orr, Prucha, Betts - into a contender.

I still say that if not for the Olympics, the Rangers could have gone far that year. Jagr and Lundqvist came back injured - Jagr with hip and groin problems, Hank with headaches from grinding his teeth. And then there was Sandis Ozolinsh, who seemed like a good trade at first until he came apart in the Devils' series and cost the team 2 games.

Still, Renney was a huge part of the rebuilding process. While they rebuilt, he brought them into the playoffs. He just wasn't a good fit for the team last year and going forward. His style had stopped working, and he continued to play people based on their paychecks rather than skill (see: Wade Redden on the power play while Petr Prucha sat in street clothes).

For all the good he did, he will be remembered for 2 things: being fired when the team couldn't score and for Game 5 in Buffalo, where Fedor Tyutin and rookie Dan Girardi were on the ice with 30 seconds left with a 1-0 lead. When they iced the puck, Tyutin and Girardi had to stay on, they couldn't clear the puck, and Chris Drury scored.

Besides that being the one game that still upsets my stomach (and the only time I ever lost sleep over a sports event), you know that if they won that game and went up 3-2 in the series, they would not have lost Game 6 at MSG. I'm not saying they would have won the Stanley Cup - hell, they might not even have beaten Ottawa in the Conference Finals - but they would have beaten Buffalo. And maybe Chris Drury never would've been signed the following summer, and maybe everything would've been different.

But this is how it's played out, and I wish Tom Renney the best in Edmonton - no matter how often I make fun of his healthy scratches or his power play.

Western Canada Road Trip...

Ah, the dreaded Western Canadian Road Trip. Remember last time, in January of 2008 when they got 1 points in 3 games?

They ran into a red-hot Calgary team featuring Kristian Huselius, who had 4 points in the 4-3 game, including a goal from behind the goal-line that somehow sneaked past Henrik Lundqvist.

Steve Valiquette had no offense in a 3-0 loss to Vancouver.

And if not for Chris Drury scoring with 7 seconds left to force overtime, they would've left with 0 points instead of 1 (Edmonton was monstrous in the shootout in '07-'08, partially because then-rookie Sam Gagner was unstoppable in the tiebreaker).

Last night against Vancouver felt like that trip all over again. The Rangers applied little pressure, even in the 2nd period when the shot-counter went in their favor. Sure, they fired 14 shots in that frame, but how many were legitimate scoring chances? Two? Maybe just one?

They ought to have pounced on Vancouver, especially in the 3rd. They had, what, 4 power plays in a row, including a double-minor to end the 2nd period? And they couldn't do anything with it. Vancouver was shorthanded for 8 minutes, had good players in the penalty box, had Henrik Sedin and Willie Mitchell playing at 40% because of injuries, and still, no good opportunities. Other than Chris Higgins, who worked hard for Goal #1, there were a handful of Rangers who actually showed up. Matt Gilroy was one of them; he looked fantastic. Mike Del Zotto wasn't a standout but played good. Ryan Callahan played hard, again, and couldn't score, again. And Brandon Dubinsky... is on the trading block?

You would have thought that the big brawl would have fired them up, but it really just jazzed up the Canucks as it seemed the Rangers were content bringing the game to overtime and settling for a point - or a shootout.

* * *

I love that Dane Byers is in the lineup. As opposed to Evgeny Grachev or Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau, Byers is never going to light it up in the NHL, so he doesn't need to "dominate the minors before becoming an NHLer," and the old "it's better to play 20 minutes a night in the AHL than 7 minutes in the NHL" adage doesn't apply to him.

I would rather have Byers in the lineup over Donald Brashear any night. Maybe Brashear of 2003 or 2006, but not the 2009 version, where he is slow, shows the same hockey sense as Colton Orr, and doesn't fight - and when he does, he loses. Byers showed fire last night. Sure, he didn't win the fight, but he was out there battling, starting stuff, and showing that he belongs in the NHL. Even John Tortorella gave him a "good game" en route to the locker room - although Tortorella's good game pat fell in an awkward spot.

Kings Ransom Review

Tonight, ESPN aired Kings Ransom, the first part of their "30 For 30" documentary series. As someone who loves documentaries and worships Wayne Gretzky, I was really excited about this, even though Puck Daddy didn't exactly gush over it. Thankfully, Kings Ransom wasn't what I was afraid it'd be and, in many ways, it exceeded my expectations.

Like I said, I tend to obsess over the Great One, so the story isn't exactly new to me. It isn't new to many people, either; just last year, the NHL Network did their own documentary about the trade. Kings Ransom covers similar ground, but in a different way. By including a great deal of footage from the events leading up to the trade, we get an almost voyeuristic view of Gretzky's life at that time. We've all seen clips of Gretzky breaking down at his press conference in Edmonton, but seeing his whole speech is a bit jarring. The same can be said for the footage of his limousine just after his marriage to Janet Jones. Through these clips, we see the human side of Wayne Gretzky, which is welcome, as these 21 years have taken away some of the emotion of the moment.

So much has been said about this trade that we almost forget that this was probably the biggest trade in sports history. Director Peter Berg tries to remind us of this fact by demonstrating how big hockey is in Edmonton and how special Gretzky's time with the Oilers truly was. Kings Ransom doesn't make much of an attempt to absolve Peter Pocklington of the blame for the trade, nor should it, especially since Glen Sather, Janet Jones, Bruce McNall and Jim Matheson all point their fingers at Pocklington. What's interesting is, Gretzky is the only person to defend Pocklington.

Puck Daddy's review criticized Gretzky for appearing unemotional about the trade in Kings Ransom, but the reason Gretzky is so composed is that he's discussed this trade a million times. He can't pretend to be as angry about it as, say, Sather was, simply because Sather has had less of a chance to vent in front of a camera. Gretzky has told his side of the story in his own autobiography and Ed Willes' Gretzky to Lemieux. By chance, I've read both over the past two weeks. The story doesn't change, but time (and constant discussion of the deal) has changed Gretzky's mindset. Gretzky's autobiography, written in 1990, reflects a bitter look at the trade. Today, Gretzky can calmly state that he understands why he was traded. That's great for avoiding trouble, but as Puck Daddy states, it takes away from the documentary.

That Kings Ransom barely touches on the successes of the Kings and Oilers is refreshing, as the impact of this trade had nothing to do with anything that happened on the ice. It would have been nice to hear about the 1989 Kings-Oilers playoff series, but I was glad that Kings Ransom was about the trade and not the 1993 Kings. Also, it was nice to show the real aftermath of what happened - while it was true that Pocklington sold Gretzky to raise cash, it is also stated that Bruce McNall bought Gretzky with dirty money.

Kings Ransom really excelled in the subtle areas. The montage of Gretzky highlights at the beginning of the documentary wasn't just any random highlights thrown together. Instead, they told the story of Gretzky's time in Edmonton. Among the goals shown were Gretzky's 50th goal in 39 games, Gretzky's goal to beat Mike Vernon in Game 2 of the 1988 Smythe Division final, Gretzky's 500th goal, and Gretzky's goal to open Game 5 of the 1984 Stanley Cup final. Berg showed his fandom and true understanding of Gretzky's career in this sequence. And I'd be remiss if I didn't tip my cap to ESPN for their handling of this documentary. We do more than our fair share of ESPN bashing in these parts, but they nailed this one. They kept the commercials to an absolute minimum and didn't run a score ticker at the bottom of the screen, even as the AL Central one-game playoff reached extra innings. Best of all, they didn't look down on hockey the way many of us accuse them of doing. Instead, they let Peter Berg tell his story. More than that, they chose Wayne Gretzky and the National Hockey League lead this much-hyped series of documentaries. That says something.

While Kings Ransom isn't a perfect documentary - in no small part because this is a story that we're all familiar with - it does succeed in presenting a familiar story in a different light. It's nice to see a hockey story on ESPN, in high definition, with a famous director using cutting-edge ideas and technology. The documentary does a great job of showing the conflicted nature of all parties involved with the trade; while all express regret on some level about the trade, all admit that the trade was for the best. Berg seems to agree, ending his documentary on the note that three NHL teams call California home. Though that's not all Gretzky's doing, Kings Ransom does an effective job of showing the trade's influence on the NHL and sports in general.

I Was Right; I Was Wrong...

Of course, no Ranger games will be played at the Coliseum next season. Got to save those for weeknights since they'll close-to-sell-out anyway. No need to waste a Saturday where you'll sell 14,000 tickets anyway, no matter who the opponent. I was right about that.

I was wrong, however, when I predicted that 80% of their last 10 games would be division rivals. In fact, only half are, and we get to see that always exciting "Florida road trip" in April. Whoa, Schedule Makers, I'll make sure I take my heart medicine, because that's one to get the blood pumping!

And of course, what season would be complete without a home & home versus Philadelphia?

When the Penguins won the Cup, an avid and eager reader of this website, Dan, sent a string of angry text messages. One of them predicted that the Rangers would be the opponent when the Penguins raise the Stanley Cup banner to the rafters. Indeed, a short month later, his Nostradamus-like prediction is in fact a reality. I'm not mad. First of all, it's a crappy thing to get mad about. Second of all, maybe watching it will light an illusionary fire under the arses of certain Rangers players and get them going.

When the Rangers were awful in 2002-03, I wanted to send a mail to MSG. Specifically, I wanted to mail it to Gord Dwyer. I figured he never got any fan mail, so he would atleast open it, as opposed to sending it to Mark Messier or Tom Poti (it would have been lost in Poti's hatemail). I wanted to send him the video tape of "Oh Baby!" which was the highlights of the 1993-94 season, from playing in Europe to winning the Cup in Game 7. I figured it would start a fire under him, and he would show it to everyone and they would then be inspired to reach for glory.

Alas, I never sent it, the Rangers missed the playoffs, and I've blamed myself ever since. So maybe the banner-raising ceremony in Steeltown will be the "Oh Baby!" that is still sitting on my desk upstairs in my room.

A few notes...

In 2005-06, the Rangers played a very short February also, due to the Olympics. They played 6 games and won all of them, 5 in regulation and 1 in overtime on a Jaromir Jagr goal (from Martin Rucinsky and Michal Rozsival... ah, to be Czech in America). This year, that's do-able as well. Six games, 4 at home, including the Lightning and Predators.

With 24 games vs. the Atlantic, 40 vs. the rest of the East, and 15 against the West, that leaves them playing 3 Western teams twice this year. If I remember from last year, they played Chicago twice, Dallas twice, and the Ducks twice. This year's repeat offenders are St. Louis, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

No "California Trip" this year, since their only game out there is against LA. That trip sees them in Phoenix, Colorado, then LA. The "Florida Trip" not only happens near the end of the season, but the Rangers also make the same trip during Thanksgiving week, as they do every year (Panthers on Thanksgiving Eve, Lightning on Black Friday).

They do have a Western Canada trip, though, as they play Calgary, Vancouver, and Edmonton in early November. Mark that down as a loss, as they normally do awful on that road trip. That will also be Tom Renney's first - and only - meeting with his old team. They also stop in Minnesota before hitting Canada.

Don't bank on any romantic Friday evenings at the Garden. The Rangers have 6 road games on a Friday (including the opener in Pittsburgh) but if you want to see them in the City on a Friday, you'll have to wait until the last home game of the year, 4/9/10 (looks weird to write!) against the Flyers.

Three home games that my girlfriend will kill me if I don't sell my tickets: 11/21 vs. Florida, her birthday; 2/14 vs. Tampa Bay, Valentine's Day; and 3/18 vs. St. Louis, our anniversary.

Possible road trips: October 24 & January 23, Montreal; December 9, Chicago; December 17, Philadelphia; January 9 & March 21, Boston; March 6, Washington; March 27, Toronto; December 21 & 31, Carolina. Sadly, no trip to Nashville is in the works, atleast not for a hockey game.

Ales Kotalik...

Well, he's no Alex Tanguay, but Ales Kotalik is now a New York Ranger. He comes fresh off a 43-point season (in 75 games), but he scored 11 in 19 after being sent to Edmonton from Buffalo. In fact, he's had 2 43-point seasons in a row and has only cracked 60 once, in 2005-06, where he had 25 goals. That was the only season of his career where he's had a full docket of 82 games also.

So another injured player for the Rangers, another 3rd liner for John Tortorella's "system," but I do like him. It's an upgrade over Aaron Voros, Donald Brashear, and Mark Bell.

The term is suspect though - 3 years, $9M. Are 43 points really worth $3M per year? (His Cap hit was $2.333M last season.) I hope this doesn't screw the team at the trade deadine, when they'll need to get a scorer on the market to make a push for the playoffs. I'm afraid they won't have any cap room to get a player they need, because they also need to make atleast one more medium-sized signing this offseason (a center or a defenseman, I would guess). To be honest, I was hoping for a 2 year, $4M contract (or maybe $5M for a Cap hit of $2.5M per).

He is 30, will be 31 in December, but he's a fast player and he's big. He's 6'1", 230 pounds. He also plays the power play - of his 43 points last year, 23 were on the power play. (For comparison, Scott Gomez had 17 of his 58 on the power play, and he played nearly every power play.)

I'm not upset about this at all. Nik Zherdev will be gone, a right winger who can pot 20-25 can be a positive move. Hey, there were worse options out there, right? And while he had a -5 on the 2006-07 Sabres, his +/- was better in 05-06 than Chris Drury's on the same team.

But now, the real rivalry begins. Who will wear #21, Kotalik or Chris Higgins?

In 13 Hours...

In less than 13 hours, free agency will start. Last year, on June 30, 2008, this web site probably had 10-15 posts.

In fact, I remember one that I wrote about the 4 big free agents for the Rangers: Sean Avery, Jaromir Jagr, Brendan Shanahan, and Martin Straka. I presumed Straka would leave if Jagr stayed, that Shanahan would not be back, and Avery wouldn't either. What I didn't predict was that Avery would sign elsewhere, get banished from the NHL, and return half-priced in February. But, really, I doubt many people guessed that. I remember I also put a good word in for Mark Streit in hopes he would be a Ranger. And I said that Wade Redden was awful and no team, especially the Rangers, should overpay for him. Well.

Anyway, this year, not as many posts. The Rangers, up until about 6 hours ago, were up near the Cap, and the Islanders appear to be growing from the inside, or at least attempting to. Besides some fillers and 4th line players, the big news would be which players wouldn't be returning.

Well, with Scott Gomez gone, $5M is freed up. The 3 players I would love to see don Rangers blue next season are, in order...

Mike Cammalleri, Mike Komisarek, Rob Scuderi

Cammalleri adds instant offense at a reasonable price. He scored 39 last year and had his 2nd 80+ point season (out of 4 career seasons). Plus, he's only 27, so a 5-year deal for $24-25M wouldn't be insane.

Remember how well Komisarek would shut down Jagr? He isn't going to give you many points, but he will crush opponents, clear the crease, kill penalties, and he would go a lot way to shutting down Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin 6 times a year. Ah, but would he and Avery get along?

Scuderi will probably come cheap, maybe $1.5-2M. I think he grew up an Islanders fan, but even so, he can be enticed to playing in Manhattan. He did great in the Stanley Cup Finals, and gives his best every single shift. He would make a great 4th defenseman.

The only problem with signing D is there are so many of them. Redden, Girardi, Staal, Gilroy (according to reports, he is looking good), and Rozsival will all be on the team next season. That leaves just one or two spots and not much money to spend, since most of the Cap space should be used for scoring help (with some saved for emergencies and the trade deadline).

Should be an interesting day. Even though nothing happens until about 1:30, I'll be tuning in at noon to see how awkward it gets when nothing happens. Can't wait to see Bob McKenzie text messaging people on-air to see what's going on.

(I was happy that Dany Heatley was being sent to Edmonton, not because I want him in the West, but because I don't want the Rangers to trade a lot for him. The Rangers don't need a different $7+M deal for 5 years, especially one who requests trades from everywhere he has played. If they wanted a headcase with talent that he sometimes uses, hey, Alex Kovalev is a free agent tomorrow, too.)

NHL Live Gets Rick-Rolled

This has very little to do with hockey, but I found it funny nonetheless. I'm watching the replay of NHL Live on the NHL Network and a "Rick in Texas" called in with a question about Brenden Morrow. Suddenly, he stops talking and starts playing "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Both Don and Billy took it in stride and got a good laugh out of it, as they should - it was pretty damn funny.

There are a couple of things I need to disclose. First, in one of those things that only happen in a job you absolutely despise, Rick Astley became an obsession in our office over the past year, to the point that I received a copy of Rick Astley's Greatest Hits for my birthday this year. Secondly, and more importantly, my first ever Islanders game was an Islanders-Oilers game in March 1988. While the Islanders were warming up, they played "Never Gonna Give You Up" over the Coliseum PA. The Islanders won that game by a score of 5-4; it would be the first and last time I'd watch my idol Wayne Gretzky play live. Sadly, aside from the score, I don't remember a thing about the game. The only thing I remember about the game is Rick Astley.

Life is Filled With Regrets...

Life is often filled with regrets. Maybe I should've asked a different girl to my junior prom. Maybe I shouldn't have intentionally beaned a girl in co-ed slow-pitch softball. Maybe I should've had decaf coffee before bed last night and I wouldn't have stayed up playing NHL 09 on XBox 360 until 4:15 in the morning. Maybe I shouldn't have written a college paper on a Jane Austen book and compared it to making marinara and alfredo sauces.

Last night, while not scoring any goals in my video game, I had a great idea to make a bet online about tonight's Ranger-Oiler affair at MSG. See, since the economy went down and I stopped making a lot of money at work, I have been (trying to) supplement my income with online betting. Overall, I'm up about $200 from the $100 I bought in for. Not huge money, but it's nice to know it's there if I don't blow it.

So the bet I wanted to make was called a "prop bet." A prop bet is when you bet on stuff, like "Who Will Have More Points, Chris Drury or Shawn Horcoff?" "Will Either Team Score in the First 10 Minutes?" The one I wanted to do was "Will the Game Go Into Overtime?" For a $10 bet, you would profit around $38. I was probably going to bet $5. I don't like losing a lot, so if I bet $5 I'm fine if I lose it.

My basis was the last 2 games. One was Messier Night in 2006 when the Rangers came back from a 3-1 deficit to force overtime, and Jaromir Jagr scored in the extra frame on a great shot to win. Last year, Chris Drury scored with seconds left to force overtime, and the Rangers became one of the many teams to lose in a shootout to the Oilers last year.

It seemed natural that this game would then go into overtime.

Yet, I forgot to bet it. I did make other bets. I bet that the Rangers would win tonight while the Penguins, Islanders, and Maple Leafs would all win tomorrow. That bet became null and void when Markus Naslund was entered into the shootout.

Anyway, I haven't seen the whole game yet, since I was at work. And to be honest, I won't write a review. NHL.com does that better than me. I'm not delusional. I know why you really come here: to hear about my budding small-money gambling addiction.

* * *

While on the topic of the Oilers, I had XM Home Ice 204 on in my car and heard part of Glenn Anderson's "acceptance" speech. Very good speaker and an emotional speech. Good to see him finally get into the Hall of Fame, he deserves it and he was very grateful for it.

Finally, Something Good to Happen in Jersey...

Traditionally, the loneliest jobs in the NHL are backup goalies to Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur. Kevin Weekes took the job in Jersey, and probably never saw himself as the Devils' starting goaltender. Since 1995, the least amount of games Brodeur has played is 67, and in every other season he has played in atleast 70. 

Yes, it was curious when Weekes signed on in New Jersey, considering he still saw himself as a starting goalie. Well, now he has the chance to prove himself.

A lot of outlets are predicting the Devils make a trade, and they are saying they should get Dwayne Roloson from Edmonton. Two problems with this...

1) They are guessing. They have no clue. Lou Lamoriello runs a tight-lipped ship in Newark and there are historically very few leaks and rumors to come out of there. People are estimating, and since Edmonton has 3 goalies, they are attaching Roloson's name there in hopes of being right.

2) Roloson is on a roll and is the starting goalie in Edmonton. Nearly traded last year at the trade deadline, he is now higher than Mathieu Garon on the depth chart in Oilerland. 

Anyway, personally, I think the Devils should run with Weekes, but when they falter, they shouldn't blame him. The team there has been living on "the system" and Brodeur for the past three seasons. This year, the system isn't all there, and Brodeur is now gone. They don't have the forwards to put 4 goals in every night, and now they won't have those 2-1, 1-0, 3-1 games anymore.

However, I won't go further right now. There are more pressing issues at hand: a national election, and more importantly, a Ranger-Islander game at the Garden, where the Islanders always come out flying.

Zach's 2008-09 Predictions...

Much like my counterpart Bryan (and every fan with a computer and a knowledge of the game), I present to you my 2008-09 NHL predictions... exactly 67 minutes before the puck drops on the season.

EAST

1. Montreal

2. Pittsburgh

3. Tampa Bay

4. NY Rangers

5. Washington

6. Boston

7. Flyers

8. Buffalo

9. Ottawa

10. NJ Devils

11. Carolina

12. Florida

13. Toronto

14. NY Islanders

15. Atlanta

1) Montreal still has the best power play in the game. Remember how they lost Sheldon Souray and were still the best one? Losing Mark Streit is nothing to them. Someone else will step up. 2) It takes a lot for me to not pick my Rangers as 1st in the division, but for the first year in 3 seasons I'm taking the high road and going with my head and picking the Penguins. 3) Tampa Bay is the best team in that division. Steven Stamkos will score 40 goals. 4) Vastly improved defense should keep the Rangers in games while the offense scores 2.5 goals per game. 5) Theodore is a weaker goalie than Huet, Federov is a year older, and their one solid d-man is a kid who has had one good year. Yes, Ovechkin is the best player in the world, but Washington will win and lose 6-5, 5-4 games all year. 6) Don't know why I picked Boston over Ottawa. I love Tim Thomas. This is probably a mistake, I admit it. Maybe a trade deadline pick-up of a defenseman will help. 7) Flyers are a solid team with questionable goaltending (Marty Biron) who play in a tough division. 8) Buffalo is fast, has good goaltending, and manageable defense. I think they'll sneak in.

9/10) I think this might be the year Ottawa and the Devils miss the playoffs. The East is very tough to pick this year (as it was last year). If Ottawa doesn't shore up their goaltending, they have 2 backups leading them this year. Brodeur, on the other hand, is a year older and still have weak defense in front of him. The Devils always pull out wins, but they didn't improve in the offseason and I see them missing the playoffs. 11) Carolina is stuck with a small budget, making acquisitions hard. Cam Ward hasn't proven anything since the Cup run in '06. Erik Cole is gone. Eric Staal is fantastic. Brind'Amour is hurt. Pitkanen is a step up on the PP though. 12) Florida is one of the worst organizations in sports history. While Cory Stillman is a great acquisition and Tomas Vokoun is a Top 5 goalie in the NHL, Bryan McCabe has nothing left besides a big contract, and the rest of the team (except Bouwmeester and Horton) are busts. 13) Besides Antropov and Blake, who's going to score in Toronto? Ryan Hollweg? Jeff Finger? Their saving grace is Vesa Toskala (no pun intended). 14) The Islanders won't be as bad as everyone thinks. Okay, they might. Doug Weight can no longer carry the weight of a team on his shoulders (pun sort of intended). Okposo, Comeau, and and Tambellini should have good starter years. Maybe Josh Bailey sees action. Atleast they won't be as bad as 15) Atlanta. A question mark in goal, two good defenseman (one of whom even the Kings didn't want to trade for), and a skilled forward do not a playoff team make.

WEST

1. Detroit

2. Anaheim

3. Colorado

4. Dallas

5. Chicago

6. San Jose

7. Edmonton

8. Phoenix

9. Minnesota

10. Vancouver

11. Calgary

12. Nashville

13. St. Louis

14. Columbus

15. Los Angeles

1) Let's face it: Detroit never gets bad. When a Federov or Shanahan leaves, a Zetterberg and Datsyuk steps up. When they're gone, Filppula and Helm are ready. Adding Hossa is huge for the offense. 2) Anaheim has improved over last year and should win a dogfight in the Pacific. They had a great regular season last year, just started slow. 3) If healthy, Colorado has a dynamic offense. Sakic, Svatos, Wolski, Stastny, Smith, Guite, even Darcy Tucker. They have 7 serviceable defensemen, although no studs. Maybe with Raycroft and Budaj splitting time, their goaltending holes won't shine as brightly. 4) A great goaltending, 3 stud d-men, and a great offense are going to lead Dallas. 5) Years of horrendous hockey has finally paid of for Chicago. Pat Kane, Jon Toews, and a strong D will help this team beat up on the weakened Central division. If Huet fails in goal, Antti Niemi is ready to go in his stead. 6) San Jose is again good, and with a much better, Dan Boyle-Rob Blake duo on the blueline. Nabokov might wear out at the end from too many games, but they'll easily make the playoffs. 7) Edmonton plays in a weak division, and did improve greatly. Sam Gagner and Andrew Cogliano should be great, as should Ales Hemsky, Cole, and a returning Shawn Horcoff. What? Souray is back? Pick him up on your fantasy team since everyone else forgot about him. Dustin Penner is an overpaid bum, but he has a supporting cast that overshadows him. 8) I'll go out on a limb and say the Coyotes, led by Olli Jokinen, Peter Mueller and Shane Doan will have a great offense. Dan Carcillo is not just a fighter, he can score. Marty Hanzal and Daniel Winnik also should have breakout years. And with rookies Mueller, Kyle Turris, Viktor Tikhonov, and Mikkel Boedker (who I don't know if he made the team or not... I know Tikhonov did), I get overwhelmed thinking of the young guns on this team. Their D isn't that good (Jovanoski is one of the most overpaid players since Penner. Sauer, Hale, and Morris are good but not stars). However, Ilya Bryzgalov is a gem in net for them. Oh, and you can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas at their home opener for $79 total.

9) I hate Minnesota. I hate their ugly, Christmas-inspired uniforms. I hate their coach and I hate his trapping system. I hate Marion Gaborik. I do love Brent Burns though. And I think these guys might sneak into the playoffs due to the insane parity in the Northwest division. They have a few good forwards (Mikko Koivu, P.M. Bouchard, and don't forget Owen Nolan), and decent D led by Burns, and 2 overrated but alright goaltenders. However, I see them on the outside looking in this year. Originally I had them as 8th, but am moving them down. 10) Vancouver has an amazing goaltender, a good D, and no forwards. Unless they win every game 1-0 or 2-1, I don't see them making the playoffs. 11) Nashville has nosedived. Yes, Dan Ellis is good in goal, but they really put all their eggs into one inexperienced basket when they traded Chris Mason to St. Louis. Radulov was their star playmaker, and he will be scoring tons of goals in Russia this year. 12) When will St. Louis make the jump? Maybe next year, guys, maybe next year. Chock full of 1st round picks, including Erik Johnson and his torn ACL. Legace/Mason make a good team, but I'm afraid that while they will be competitive, it won't be the year for them. 13) Trust me, Blue Jacket fans, Fedor Tyutin and Christian Backman are not great players. While Pascal Leclaire is a fantastic goalie (as is waiting-in-the-wings Steve Mason), the team only has a few good forwards (Nash, Husselius) and a very porous backline. 14) A star goalie, a star D, and a star forward. Didn't the Rangers have that every year they missed the playoffs in the 1990's and 2000's? Sorry, Flames. Your ship sailed in 2004. 15) The LA Kings might not even have enough salary on the books to be able to field a team in 2008-09. Their goaltending fleet is led by Jason LaBarberra, and their best D (Jack Johnson) is a year away from being great. Frolov, Kopitar, and Dustin Brown are excellent, but one line won't win you that many games in the new NHL.

Playoffs

In the East, I see the Rangers or Canadiens escaping. The Rangers have a better goalie (although Carey Price might have the Patrick Roy-like season everyone up in Quebec wants him to have), but they Habs have a great offense. Montreal has also one a Stanley Cup in every decade except this one. So as not to seem like a homer, I'll pick the Montreal Canadiens to win the Eastern Conference, although if the Rangers make the Finals I'll give myself credit as well.

It doesn't matter though, because no one is beating the Sean Avery's Dallas Stars en route to the Stanley Cup. Avery is a great addition to the team. He is like Steve Ott, except he scores. Avery, Brendan Morrow, Mike Modano, Brad Richard, Lou Erikkson, Fabian Brunnstrom, Jere Lehtinen, Joel Lundqvist, Mike Ribeiro. That's 9 awesome forwards. Imagine what a deadline pick up can do for them? Phillipe Boucher, Sergei Zubov, and Stephane Robidas get the job done on D, and they have 4 to 5 other guys who are solid NHL players ready if anything happens to one of them. Marty Turco is vastly underrated, and while Tobias Stephan (one NHL game) is an inexperienced backup, Turco should carry the weight of the team.

Stars over Canadiens/Rangers in 6. Mark it down!

Review: Ultimate Gretzky DVD Set

Gretzky Week continues with a look at the re-release of "Ultimate Gretzky". Initially issued as a documentary, this four-disc DVD set comes loaded with extras, not to mention five of The Great One's finest games.

Release Date: Initial release in 2003; re-released in 2006

Availability: Amazon, Best Buy, etc.

Price: Approximately $25


In the NHL's perpetual struggle to remain relevant, we've seen other sports pass hockey by in many areas. One of those areas is the availability of older games and old footage. NFL Films does a tremendous job with its footage library; not only is their older coverage well-presented, but it looks great. Major League Baseball has offered broadcasts of classic games on its website for years. The NBA is just about the only sport seen on ESPN Classic. And while the NHL Network has done a great job bridging this gap, perhaps even eliminating it, the network just isn't in the amount of homes necessary for people to take notice.

The other sports have all branched out into the DVD world, something the NHL hasn't exactly done well. While baseball gives us entire World Series on DVD and the NFL and NBA have given very detailed DVDs on most teams, the NHL has given us crap like "NHL's Greatest Goals" and other hour-long fluff pieces that don't really do anything for hardcore fans. We want something more. We want something that does more than remind us of the game's past; instead, we want to relive the past.

Ultimate Gretzky is a significant step forward in this regard. The re-issue contains five classic games from Gretzky's career, but that's only the start. There's an entire side of a disc devoted to extras. And the documentary portion, the crux of the DVD, is extremely well-done.

Let's start with the documentary; after all, this comprises the entirety of the original Ultimate Gretzky. Our "host" is Kiefer Sutherland, the NHL's hired gun when it comes to cross-promotion. The program itself is an interview done with Gretzky (and sometimes his dad) by John Davidson. I'm supposed to hate JD because I'm an Islander fan, but I've always loved his work, and he does a great job here. He lets Gretzky tell the story, and it's clear Gretzky did his homework, which makes for a very compelling tale.

We get a ton of great footage in this documentary portion. Clips of Gretzky playing for the Oilers of the WHA. His greatest and most famous goals. His first time hoisting the Stanley Cup. The reactions of Edmontonians as he was traded to Los Angeles. Gretzky himself says that the footage itself is what he looks to most as he remembers his playing career, and we're very fortunate that so much is available.

But the documentary is so much more than a series of clips. Gretzky has some gems in store for us. He's not as candid as he was in his autobiography, but he says a lot of really interesting things, most of which make a ton of sense. At one point, he's given a chance to trash the state of hockey today, but instead, he diplomatically points out that it's a different game and it's just not as offense-driven as it used to be. He also becomes among the first to state that the only way to increase scoring is to decrease the size of the goaltending equipment. This is one of those moments where you see exactly why Gretzky has been such a great ambassador for the game of hockey.

One of the best parts about this DVD is how balanced it is. It might seem like the DVD starts to crap out after Gretzky scores his 802nd goal, but that's not really the case. Instead, we get to see the things that meant a lot to Gretzky, but don't get a lot of coverage, like the 1999 All-Star Game. There's also extensive coverage of his retirement, the 2002 Olympics, and Gretzky's progression into ownership with Phoenix. How ironic it is that Gretzky becomes part-owner (and later, coach) of a team that wouldn't be anywhere near Phoenix without his influence.

Then, we get to the bonus disc, which is kind of a mish-mash of stuff that didn't make the final cut. We get to see a ton of really cool clips, including ceremonies related to his retirement, his jersey retirement ceremonies in Edmonton and Los Angeles, his wedding, so on and so forth. My personal favorite would have to be the "Pond Of Dreams" short that was shown before the 2000 All-Star Game. It gets me every time. This was so good that ABC actually ran it twice. Can you imagine a network actually going on the air and saying, "Our open was so awesome that we're going to show it to you again."? I don't think so. Anyway, it's on the DVD, along with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the short.

So with all that said, let's get to the games. We'll go in chronological order, just as the DVD does.

- 12.30.81 - Flyers at Oilers. This is the game where Gretzky scores five goals to hit 50 in 39 games. It's your typical 80's affair - tons of scoring and some pretty awful defense - but it's actually a close game that's fun to watch. Also, it's worth noting that the Flyers are wearing Cooperalls - and it's also worth noting that they actually look pretty cool. I'm still trying to figure out how they didn't catch on league-wide.

- 2.8.83 - NHL All-Star Game. Remember back when the Nassau Coliseum was worthy of hosting an All-Star Game? Me neither. I was a whopping sixteen months old when this one aired. It's most well-known for Gretzky's four-goal performance in the third period to win the game for the Campbell Conference. To be honest, it's not all that enjoyable to watch. If you insist on checking it out, just skip to the third period.

- 5.19.84 - Islanders at Oilers. The torch is passed. I'm supposed to hate watching this, but it's a very interesting game. You can tell the Islanders are done and the Oilers have surpassed them in every way. It's also clear how much respect the Oilers had for that Islander team. Islander fans might no love watching the Oilers blow their team out in this one, but it's worth watching for the emergence of Pat LaFontaine, called up after the 1984 Olympics and immediately given valuable minutes.

- 5.29.93 - Kings at Maple Leafs. Here's the famous Game 7 hat trick game. This is one seriously awesome game. Both teams were pretty much stacked at this point in time, but Gretzky carries his team on his back to get the win. One thing Gretzky says about this game in the documentary - the final minute represents the only time in his career he had to beg off from playing because he was too spent. It's also fun to hear the blatantly biased CBC announcers bash Gretzky after his third goal.

- 3.23.94 - Canucks at Kings. Gretzky scores #802 in front of the Kings faithful. It's a great moment, but the entire game was a trifle unnecessary. The ball is dropped even further when it's noted that the ESPN telecast of this game - complete with Gary Thorne's awesome call -isn't used. Instead, it's someone different; apparently, it's the Canucks' feed. How appropriate. Oh, and the Kings don't even win this game, which isn't a surprise, as they only won 27 games that year.

The games, obviously are nice to have, but they certainly could have found some better choices. For example, Game 2 of the 1987 Canada Cup would have been exceptional. Not only have many of us never seen the game, but it's not available elsewhere on DVD. I also would have taken the game when Gretzky breaks the all-time points record; not only does he do it in Edmonton, not only does he break the record with a game-tying goal in the final minute, but he scores the game-winner in overtime as well. Oh well. I guess you can't have it all.

The other thing that drives me crazy about this set? None of the discs have disc numbers on them. So if you're a slob and leave DVDs lying around without putting them away (not that I know anything about this), you end up putting the wrong disc in all the time. Hell, even if you do put the discs back into the case, it's hard to tell which is which. This is one of those stupid things that should have been spotted long before the set's release, but it never happened. Also, the dual-sided discs tend to get dirty and scratched, but it sure beats paying more for extra one-sided discs.

Ultimately, these are minor complaints. The important thing is that we not only have a definitive document of Wayne Gretzky's career, but we have the standard by which all other NHL DVDs should be judged. There's no reason why we can't see similar productions for Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, or anyone the NHL wishes to commemorate. Now that we've seen what a hockey DVD can be, let's see the NHL take the initiative and satisfy its fans.

Review - Gretzky: An Autobiography

As part of our Gretzky Week celebration, we take a look at Bryan's all-time favorite book - Wayne Gretzky's autobiography.

Gretzky: An Autobiography

- Author: Wayne Gretzky with Rick Reilly

- Publisher: HarperCollins

- Release Date: Late 1990/Early 1991

- Availability: Amazon.com Personal Sellers



When I was in fifth grade, I didn't read much. Come to think of it, I didn't read at all. My life revolved around hockey, wrestling, and Super Nintendo. Clearly, there wasn't much room for literary pursuits. That's when my mom stepped in. She thought to herself that if she got me a book about my favorite hockey player, maybe I'd actually read it. And that's how Gretzky: An Autobiography came into my life.

So I read it. A couple hundred times, to be precise. And when I moved out of my house three years ago, I was dismayed because I couldn't find parts of the book. I read it so much the spine cracked, separating this classic tome into a random assortment of pages. Thanks to the wonder of the Internet, though, The Great One is back on my bookshelf where he belongs.

What makes this book so great? I really couldn't tell you. It's hardly a literary masterpiece, though it was ghostwritten by Rick Reilly. There are contradictions and tangents galore, and some things just don't make sense. But there's a certain charm to the book, a casual style I must have picked up on at the ripe age of ten and never relinquished. After all, for all I knew, this is how everyone wrote.

Gretzky is funny and sarcastic when he wants to be - two things most people don't associate with our game's leading scorer. One other thing that I didn't really get the first time around - he was quite bitter about being traded from Edmonton.

Today's autobiographies are controversial, but are done so intentionally. Tiki Barber trashed Tom Coughlin in his book at least partially to give himself credibility heading into his journalistic career. Many of the pro wrestling autobiographies that come out include shots at other wrestlers just to generate a buzz. But Gretzky shoots from the hip. His hatred of Peter Pocklington can barely be concealed. Gretzky tells us that Pocklington gave other teams permission to call The Great One while he was on his honeymoon, that Pocklington's agent threatened to sue Gretzky for $50 million if he didn't re-sign with Edmonton, and that Pocklington's gifts often came with unpaid tax bills that became the responsibility of the recipients. Gretzky also says he will refuse to come back to Edmonton for his jersey retirement or any other special events. Well, he didn't keep that promise, but as they say, time heals all wounds.

Time, however, doesn't stop this book from being a classic. It's an extremely balanced book, one that focuses just as much on the dynasty in Edmonton as it does on Gretzky's first two years in Los Angeles (the book was released around the close of 1990). We hear a lot about Gretzky's self-doubt as he entered into the deal with the Kings and how it was erased by little things, like seeing kids playing roller hockey on the street. Gretzky's take on the future generation is rather interesting, and is most certainly colored by his own experiences as a prodigy who was booed in his own building at age ten.

If you thought you knew everything about Gretzky, you were wrong. Aside from his troubled youth, there are some bits in here that will blow you away. For example, he almost retired after the 1986-87 season and came even closer to skipping that year's Canada Cup. Also, he didn't want to break Gordie Howe's record total of 1,850 points, feeling that the best player ever should have the most points ever. He also tells the story of the time Johnny Carson wanted Gretzky to appear, but it never happened because the NHL refused to pay for his flight out to New York. This is The Great One revealed, or at least as revealing as a book around the turn of the '90s could possibly get.

There are a lot of funny stories in this book, but there's nothing too risque. Which is good, because I think we all want to view Gretzky as a larger-than-life figure. This book does nothing to hurt that mindset. If anything, it enhances it. Gretzky lets us in on his personal life and what was going on behind the scenes, and his honesty is so frank that it reminds us that he's a regular guy. He bashes the NHL's owners regularly, stating that "they have no idea what they're doing," and that they only care about making money. His ten-point guide to saving the NHL is particularly interesting, if only because so many of those things have actually happened. And, in an eerie bit of foreshadowing, he trashes the NHL for bailing on ESPN for SporsChannel America because of the larger payday for the owners. Little did he know how important that would be fifteen years later.

It's hard to find the words to express what makes Gretzky: An Autobiography such a hit in my mind. Sure, part of it is nostalgia, and the fact that I can recite entire chapters doesn't hurt. But I think there's something more. It's Wayne Gretzky as we want him to be - obviously very skilled, but humble and charming. Reading the pages he wrote eighteen years ago, it's easy to see why he helped sell the sport so well.

Clear Out Your DVRs...

It's Gretzky Week on the NHL Network. Hooray!

Folks, this is as good as it gets. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Great One's trade to Los Angeles, the NHL Network has an entire slate of Gretzky-related items for our perusal. It's going to be a fun week.

You can find the schedule here, but here are the highlights...

- Wednesday @ 9 PM - 8.9.88: A Day That Changed The Game. A documentary on the trade. It should be interesting to see how they play this one, given the time that's passed and how much more we know now. I also doubt it can possibly be as candid as Gretzky's own take in his autobiography.

- Wednesday @ 10 PM - Red Wings at Kings, 10.6.88. Gretzky's first game as a King. Kind of a big deal in LA. Fun fact: He scores on his first shot.

- Thursday @ 10 PM - Kings at Oilers, 10.19.88. Gretzky's first game in his old arena. This is still during the time when people believed Gretzky requested the trade. Don't be surprised if the fans don't fawn over him.

- Friday @ 9:30 PM - NHL Cool Shots: Wayne Gretzky. This is an interview that was done to promote his "Ultimate Gretzky" DVD. He reveals some pretty neat stuff about his career and his decision to retire.

- Friday @ 10 PM - Kings at Oilers, 10.15.89. Gretzky breaks the all-time point record... in Edmonton, of all places. Imagine that?

- Saturday @ 7 PM - Kings at Maple Leafs, 5.29.93. Gretzky scores a hat trick in Game 7 of the Campbell Conference Finals to lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final. Gretzky calls this the best game he played in the NHL. Hard to argue.

- Saturday @ 10 PM - Canucks at Kings, 3.23.94. Gretzky scores #802. Pray to God that they have the ESPN feed so you get to hear Gary Thorne's amazing call. Also, notice how many ex-Oilers are on the ice when Gretzky scores the goal.

We here at The Rivalry will have our own Gretzky Week celebration, as we'll have reviews of his aforementioned autobiography and DVD set. Both are excellent, as we've come to expect from The Great One. Take a break from the Islanders' endless search for a coach, take a break from the Rangers' fruitless pursuit of Mats Sundin, and enjoy Wayne Gretzky at his finest. Who knows where this great game of ours would be without him and his trade to the Kings?

The Top Stanley Cup Celebrations

You might have seen the NHL's latest attempt at marketing its product via a television commercial. If so, you're probably just as in awe of it as I am. If you haven't seen it, you'll be surprised to see that it's actually effective. In fact, it might be the best ad the NHL has ever produced. Given the days of the "My NHL" promotional campaign, that's not saying much. But I'd put it up there with the "Pond Of Dreams" from the 2000 All-Star Game - and that's saying something.

Anyway. With the Stanley Cup Finals starting on Saturday, I thought this might be a good time to look at the great Stanley Cup celebrations of our time. It's one thing to win the Cup; it's an entirely different thing to celebrate the win in style. A good celebration can put the whole thing over the top and make it that much more memorable. There are a few characteristics that make for a great Cup celebration...

- A superstar or veteran winning his first Cup. Seeing a player with the Stanley Cup held proudly above his head completely changes his perception. Whereas before he might have been a good player, he's now a winner. His name is going to be on that Cup forever. His fans will never forget that he helped bring the Cup to their city. And, as they say, the first Cup is always the best.

- The home team wins. Sure, winning a Stanley Cup is always special. But on the road, it sort of loses some of its luster. The crowd might give a polite round of applause, but it's a far cry from the boisterous scene of a hometown victory. There's nothing like watching the captain raising the Cup for the first time in front of a raucous crowd. You will never hear a louder roar in an arena than when the Stanley Cup is awarded.

- The deciding game is close. Ideally, the game would end on an overtime goal to win the Cup, but that's far from likely. Instead, the closest you'd get is a game that goes down to the final minute, where an empty-net goal sets thae celebration off. A blowout win takes away from the spontaneity of the celebration, which many times is the best part.

With these rules in mind, let's look at the top five Cup celebrations of the past twenty-five years.

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5: 1987 Edmonton Oilers/1998 Detroit Red Wings





These ones are special for what happens immediately after the Cup is given to the captain. Usually, the Cup goes from the captain to one of the alternate captains or one of the big stars. In these cases, though, the second recipient meant a little bit more. In 1987, Gretzky received the Stanley Cup for the third time and gave it right to Steve Smith, whom most blamed for the Oilers' loss to the Flames the previous year. Eleven years later, Steve Yzerman gave the Cup to Vladimir Konstantinov, who was involved in a serious car accident just days after the Red Wings' Cup win in 1997. Kudos to the Washington fans for recognizing this and applauding appropriately.

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4: 1995 New Jersey Devils


You probably didn't think you'd be seeing the Devils on here, did you? And it's not just to show that once upon a time, people actually did attend games in New Jersey. At this point in time, the crowd was absolutely rocking - the camera shook non-stop during the game itself. Also, they were a great story, upsetting the heavily favored Red Wings. My favorite part is not the Cup presentation to Scott Stevens, but the Conn Smythe being awarded to Claude Lemieux. Not only is it imperative to recognize one of the greatest playoff performers of all-time, but to see the emotion on his face is powerful stuff. People love to say he doesn't respect the game, but it's clear from this scene that he truly appreciated the honor.

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3: 2006 Carolina Hurricanes


There's just something about this one that gets me. Maybe it's because it had been two years since the Cup was awarded. Maybe it's because it was so nice to see hockey succeed in a non-traditional market. But it's probably because so many veterans that had never won a Stanley Cup were winners here. Rod Brind'Amour, Glen Wesley, Doug Weight, Bret Hedican... the list goes on and on. Not to mention the heroics of Cam Ward and Erik Cole, who was supposed to be out for the season months prior. Seeing the crowd go nuts after Justin Williams' empty-netter still gives me chills.

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2: 1994 New York Rangers


Sorry, Ranger fans, but you just barely got nudged out of the top spot. This was the last Stanley Cup Final to be broadcast on regional TV, which means we get the call of Sam Rosen and John Davidson (yes, this is the one time when Gary Thorne takes a back seat to anybody else). To hear Rosen, a lifelong Ranger fan, and the former Ranger Davidson cherish the moment is something special. Obviously, the rest of the celebration is just beyond compare; even us Islander fans can't help but appreciate it. Sure enough, on WFAN's list of the top twenty moments of their twenty-year history, New York - a baseball town at heart - picked the Rangers' Stanley Cup win in 1994 as their most cherished memory.

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1: 2001 Colorado Avalanche


Now you see why the Rangers didn't take the top spot. As we all know, the 2001 Cup will always be remembered as the moment Ray Bourque finally got to hoist the Cup. Joe Sakic can't wait to dump the Cup off on Bourque so he can finally experience what he's dreamed about for his entire career. Good luck keeping your composure as you watch this - especially around the 2:12 mark. It's getting dusty in here just thinking about it.

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So there you have it - some of the finest moments in Stanley Cup Playoffs history. Here's hoping for another wonderful memory or two to add to the list in the next two weeks.

An Uncrowned King Among Us...

And for the 9th time in the last 9 seasons, we will have a new Stanley Cup Champion this year, with Dallas's 6-game victory over Anaheim and their "unstoppable defense." Someone should check their penalty killers for porous body parts, as they gave up 10 power play goals this series.

I love when we have new champs in any sport (not that I really like any other sport). A changing of the guard is good for the game. Dynasties like the Lakers, Celtics, Canadiens, and Patriots are great when looking back at the record books, but they are pretty freakin' boring while they are going on. (Plus, I hate Tom Brady for being better looking and more athletic than me. He also dates hotter girls.)

Detroit, of course, was the last team to repeat as champs. Their bid to 3-peat ended to the Avalanche in the 2nd round in 1999. Dallas made 2 straight Finals appearances, winning in '99 and losing in '00 to Jersey. The Devils were the last team to make 2 straight appearances in the Finals as they lost to Colorado in 2001. 

The Avalanche lost in the 3rd round to Detroit in 2002. Then it gets dicey.

The year after the Red Wings won the Cup, they got swept by Anaheim in the first round. The Devils won the Cup in 2003 then lost to Philadelphia the next year in the first round. However, the teams they beat, Carolina and Anaheim, didn't even make the playoffs after making the Finals the season before.

Stats are skewed with the Tampa Bay Lightning because of the lockout, but they did make the playoffs in the first two seasons after winning the Cup, bouncing in the first round each. 

Carolina and Edmonton both made the Finals in 05-06, and both haven't seen the postseason since. Last season, Anaheim and Ottawa battled into June. Both teams might battle this year (cliche alert!) for tee times in May.

What is my point? None, really. I was just excited to have a new champion this year and decided to write about how the teams who have made the Finals (and won the Cup, as well) have been doing poorly the next season. On the radio, they make it out to be because they are drained from the long journey to the Finals, which may be true. I think it's not so much the journey, it's the fact that there are only 70-some-odd days to rest up before training camp and the next season as opposed to an extra month or two that some other teams enjoy having. 

Could just be random events conspiring. With the Ducks, they had a magical run. J.S. Giguere wasn't as incredible the next season as he was in the '03 playoffs. Paul Kariya left for Colorado (failed). They needed time, but they eventually got their prize. So did Carolina.  Maybe Ottawa will next year (probably not). New Jersey lost their core. Scott Stevens played less than half the next season, including no playoff games. Ken Daneyko retired after listing the Cup a 3rd time, Joe Nieuwendy left, Jeff Friesen realized he was awful, Fatso was human, and Jamie Langenbrunner got hurt. They, however, haven't been the same since that season.

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In any event, let's hope you all are rooting for Boston to win tomorrow night over Montreal, in the first Game 7 since Dallas beat Vancouver in last year's first round. I'm actually shocked that this is the game Versus is featuring since they have an apparent love affair with the Capitals. 

We should also hope Philadelphia loses Game 6 to Washington then wins in Game 7, thus giving Jagr, Shanahan, and Straka more time to heal (as well as Gomez, Staal, Mara, Orr, Rozsival, and Lundqvist), all while cementing me eating cheesesteaks next week.

It's 3:30 a.m., give me a break!

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The Rangers portion of The Rivalry wholeheartedly endorses Forgetting Sarah Marshall, gratuitous penis scenes and all.