The Greatest Text Message I've Ever Received

October 5, 2006 was a pretty big night in my life. It was a hectic time - my wife and I had just been married for five months and were getting ready to move into a new apartment - but that night stands out. My mom came through with a quality birthday present (a brand new X-Box 360) and my brother came over to our box-filled place to watch Game 2 of the Mets-Dodgers NLDS, which the Mets won. At that moment, all was well.

However, unbeknownst to me, all was *NOT* well. Because Fox airs their baseball games ridiculously late even on weeknights, I was forced to miss the start of the Islanders' first game of the season. Since it was in Phoenix, I was able to join the game in progress. When I turned the game on, my jaw dropped. 5-1 Coyotes in the second. Phoenix would go on to win 6-3. Saddest of all, in the first game of his 15-year contract, Rick DiPietro was pulled after two periods.

I thought that was the end of it until the next day, when I received a text from Zach, the esteemed Rangers writer of this great site. His paraphrased text:

"6 goals per game… for 82 games… for 15 years… equals 7380 goals… that's DP!"

Zach's number-crunching made me cringe, but made me laugh even more. Unfortunately, Zach made one erroneous assumption - that DiPietro would even come close to playing in every game of his contract.

Welcome back, DP.

The Good...

It's been a slow week here at The Rivalry, due to Bryan having a new baby to take care of (poor excuse) and me having work and a marathon 24 session the other night (better excuse).

I wanted to write something Saturday night after the Rangers overtime loss to Montreal about how, even though they lost, there was still some good to take from the game. Mainly, I wanted to write about the good surrounding the goals they scored.

For example...

Rangers fan favorite Michal Rozsival had a nice shot on Jaroslav Halak moments before Artem Anisimov scored to make it 1-1. It was good to see Rozy shooting - I guess he finally realized there's no Jaromir Jagr to pass to and he decided he better shoot. And Anisimov? That goal was beautiful - patient and surgeon-like in accuracy.

While Ales Kotalik had a great shot on his goal that made it 2-1 and Sean Avery had a nice pass from behind the net (which he does quite often), the real credit lies with Dan Girardi. If not for him quickly catching the puck from midair and passing it behind the net from the point, the puck would've been cleared and play would've gone down to Henrik Lundqvist's side of the ice.

On the 3-1 goal, all 3 players who got points had excellent plays. Marian Gaborik fought off a defender and passed to Vinny Prospal, who saw danger coming and softly hit the puck off the boards to Matt Gilroy, who had an absolute bomb from the point. He also was patient and followed it up with a booming shot. Very good to see that.

Gaborik made it 4-2 on nice passes from Mike Del Zotto and Enver Lisin. In two quick, long passes, they sprung him for a breakaway, and of course, he scored.

Sure, there were some defensive breakdowns. I guess Gaborik's back-checking could be a little stronger. And yes, they blew two 2-goal leads before losing the game. And yes, they gave up a hat trick. And they even made Scott Gomez look good in the game. But they did have a few good plays that shone through - most notably Gaborik's offensive skills and Girardi's great play on the Kotalik goal.

* * *

I want to talk about two things now, both related to last night's win against Phoenix.

1) Chris Drury - He hasn't been playing incredibly well, and he definitely hasn't been lighting it up on the stats sheet, but I think that's okay this year. Last season, the pressure was on him to score, and he came up with 56 points in 81 games, just under his career average of 59.53 points per game. (You could even say he had a lot of pressure to score in 2007-08 when Brendan Shanahan was hurt, Jagr was hurt and slower, and Rozsival and Marty Straka wouldn't fire a puck to the net to save their lives.)

However, everyone expected more from his. Add up his giganticly inflated contract, his first year as Captain, and the departure of the other veterans (including Avery), and people expected numbers that he put up under Lindy Ruff in Buffalo (his 2 seasons in Buffalo post-lockout: 67 and 69 points... still not huge numbers).

This year, with Gaborik, Kotalik, Prospal, and Avery here, he can stop trying to score and just be a good defensive forward, which he has been. He is killing penalties and blocking a ton of shots and being a behind-the-scenes player. That's what his role always was, and that's what it should be.

Of course, Blair Betts did all that for 11 times less money.

2) Enver Lisin - The season is still young, but I would call trading Lauri Korpikoski for Lisin a good trade. Korpikoski scored 14 points in 68 games last year and looked lost for most of the season. Not very good for the guy drafted 10 spots ahead of Mike Green in 2004.

Lisin is fast as hell, and what's even more surprising is that he's keeping up with Prospal and Gaborik on the 1st line. That gives John Tortorella so many more options, including putting a struggling player - say, Chris Higgings - on the 4th line.

He's been an exciting surprise, and I'm curious to see where he goes from here. Now let's just hope Tortorella keeps him on the 1st line for a while, and doesn't "Tom Renney" him back to 7 minutes a game.

Dave Tippett Is The Greatest Coach In The History Of The 2009-10 Phoenix Coyotes

As soon as the Coyotes started out 2-0, you knew the media - the same media who has all but forfeited the team's games - would come out gushing over the Coyotes' "surprise start", right?

The Phoenix Coyotes could play their last home opener ever this weekend, what with the team in bankruptcy, the ownership situation unsettled and the possibility of relocation never all that far from the conversation about their future.

Relocation that, if you recall, requires a $750 million payment to the city of Glendale. Nice try, though.

If that wasn't bad enough, chances are the Coyotes -- a mix of minimally experienced young players, castoffs and a sprinkling of talented veterans -- will miss the playoffs for a seventh straight season while bringing up the rear in the Pacific Division, if not the entire league when all is said and done.

That's right, folks. The entire 2009-10 NHL season has already been played, and the Coyotes finished 30th out of 30 teams. But, like participants in a reality show, everyone has to act like it's all happening at the same time we see it on TV.

To call this a mess would be to understate the situation and how much it has consumed the organization at every level for the last five months. But for the time being at least, the off-ice problems seem to be on the back burner with Phoenix becoming one of the NHL's early pleasant surprises thanks to an impressive start that includes a well-earned road win against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Phoenix is 2-0. They've played exactly 2.439% of their schedule. Settle down.

Dave Tippett took over the job when Wayne Gretzky resigned a few days before the season opened. He replaced the game's greatest icon and stepped into circumstances where failure seemed more likely than not. Yet in the space of a couple of weeks, Tippett has managed to instill a level of structure and discipline that has made Phoenix's game virtually unrecognizable from last season, and certainly a lot more effective than anyone realistically could have imagined.

Let's try this again. THE COYOTES WEREN'T THAT BAD LAST YEAR. They were fifth in the West at the All-Star break. They probably would have made the playoffs if not for their horrible late January and February where they netted a total of six points from fifteen games. They were 23-15-3 at home - you know, the place everyone is trying to move the Coyotes from.

Oh, and at least someone realistically imagined the Coyotes playing well this year.

More so when you consider Tippett really didn't have to be there. A veteran coach widely respected for his teaching ability and no-nonsense approach to things, Tippett was fired unceremoniously by Dallas' new management in June after averaging more than 45 wins in six seasons and with two more seasons remaining on his contract. Someone with Tippett's pedigree could have waited for another opening, but instead he took what might be described as a leap of faith and has become a steadying force for a team that was in disarray.

A leap of faith is taking, say, the Devils job, knowing that Lou Lamoriello fires coaches like every week. But taking a job in a place with really nice weather, with absolutely no expectations, and when everyone has already written your team off as a horrible failure? That's a win-win situation. It's even better than taking a cushy TV analyst job.

[Tippett:] "I think the players have done a phenomenal job blocking out all the distractions and stuff that was in the media. Now it's up to us, and the big thing now is that we're playing and we can control things on the ice."

No, you can't. According to Wes Goldstein, you already missed the playoffs. If you already forgot, scroll up a few paragraphs.

"I had a feeling we were going to need a coach, and it was clear there was one guy for us," Maloney said. "Back then, Wayne also thought Dave would be right for this. He's got a quiet strength to him, and knowing what our team looked like, we thought he was a perfect fit."

This is bullcrap. If Gretzky or Ulf Samuelsson was coaching this team and they won their first two games, Don "We Got The Better Lindros" Maloney would be singing their praises ad nauseum. In addition, I have no idea what "quiet strength" has to do with anything.

So far, he has been.

Perhaps we should wait until Dave Tippett hits the 2.440% mark on this season before calling him a "perfect fit" for anything.

Prucha Scores on His Back...

"It's a power play goal! Petr Prucha!"

Last night, the Phoenix Coyotes went into Pittsburgh and took on the Penguins, and they won 3-0. What's more impressive is that it was a power play goal. What's more impressive is that he scored it while on his back, laying on a Penguin.

Check out the video of Prucha scoring while lying on Mark Eaton.

Happy Thursday to everyone.

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.

1988 NHL Entry Draft...

With Jeremy Roenick retiring today, let's look back at the 1988 NHL Entry Draft and just marvel at how amazing it has turned out.

As per usual, the New York teams did nothing exciting. The Rangers didn't have a 1st round pick (trying to track down what happened to it with no avail) but chose Troy Mallette and Murray Duval (no NHL games) with picks 22 and 26 in the 2nd round. Keep in mind, only 21 teams in the league at the time meant only 21 picks in the 1st round. The Islanders took Kevin Cheveldayoff 16th overall. He was one of only 2 players in the 1st round to not ever play a game in the NHL (Joey's cousin, Kory Kocur, went 17th to Detroit).

So, how great was the first round? Look at this top 10...

1) Mike Modano
2) Trevor Linden
3) Curtis Leschyshyn
7) Martin Gelinas
8) Jeremy Roenick
9) Rod Brind'Amour
10) Teemu Selanne

So, who would you rather have? The greatest American-born player of all-time? A born-leader who played with heart and soul? A solid defenseman? A winger who played until he was 38 and made the finals with 4 different teams (Gelinas won 1 Cup and lost 3 times in the Finals, including 2 times in Game 7)? A 500-plus goal scorer who drew fans to every building he was in, including remote locations like Phoenix and Los Angeles? The best faceoff man in league history who also is great on the power play and is still playing 21 years later? Or a guy who scored 76 goals in his rookie year, scored 48 three seasons ago, and is going to suit up one more time at age 39?

Also that year...

2nd Round
Tie Domi, 27th, Toronto
Tim Taylor, 36th, Washington

4th Round
Mark Recchi, 67th, Pittsburgh
Tony Amonte, 68th, Rangers
Rob Blake, 70th, Los Angeles
(Can you imagine how different the history of the NHL - and the Rangers - would be had they drafted Blake or had Recchi fallen to them? Maybe no '91 & '92 Cups for the Penguins. And definitely no "Matteau, Matteau, Matteau!" as he came over with Brian Noonan in '94 in a trade for Amonte.)
Keith Carney, 76th, Buffalo
Joe Juneau, 81st, Boston

5th Round
Alex Mogilny, 89th, Buffalo

6th Round
Dmitri Khristich, 120th, Washington

7th Round
Val Kamensky, 129th, Quebec

8th Round
Sean Hill, 167th, Montreal

9th Round
Tony Twist, 177th, St. Louis

10th Round
Bret Hedican, 198th, St. Louis

12th Round
Claude Lapointe, 234th, Quebec

Not a bad group of Stanley Cup winners and Olympic Gold medalists in that draft class, eh? That's got to rank up there with the best drafts of all-time, along with 1990 (Nolan, Nedved, Primeau, Ricci, Jagr, Sydor, D. Hatcher, Brodeur, Tkachuk, Smolinski all in the 1st round) and possibly, when all is said and done, 2003 (1st rounders include M.A. Fleury, Eric Staal, Horton, Zherdev, Vanek, Michalek, Suter, Coburn, Phaneuf, Jeff Carter, A. Kostitsyn, D. Brown, Seabrook, Bernier, Parise, Getzlaf, Perry, Mike Richards, and Hugh Jessiman).

And a great career by Roenick, as well. He broke 100 points 3 straight years, and was dominant until the year before the lockout, when he dropped heavily down from his status as a point-per-game player. His year in L.A. was laughable, and his return to Phoenix was horrendous as well. But he was re-energized as a Shark the last 2 years, and in the playoffs last year against Anaheim, he was one of the 3 best Sharks out there.

Should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but his lack of a Cup might be the one hinderance. It shouldn't be a real issue though; he has the numbers and the international experience to merit being in there.

(Plus, he was incredible in NHL '93 for Sega Genesis. Him, Chris Chelios, and Ed Belfour made the Chicago Blackhawks nearly unstoppable in the game!)

Tanguay; Phoenix...

Yes, we are still alive. However, with temperatures in the mid 80s and rain escaping us (save for the lightning storms we are currently having), nothing has been going on in the hockey world, and we've been on mini-hiatus.

Two things of note though. With the money saved on Nik Zherdev, who is probably 90% not returning after the Rangers low-balled him (the arbitration process is simply going through the motions, I would think, to sever ties with him), the Rangers got Ales Kotalik. Wouldn't it also be nice to sign Alex Tanguay to a 1- or 2-year deal in the $3M range? Don't you think he'd rather play with Marian Gaborik in Manhattan than with Kyle Turris in the desert?

And about Phoenix: Why is the NHL so intent on making this mistake work? I wrote about it two months ago, and it still stands. This team has lost $60M over the past season. It won't get better, no matter who is running the show. It's hockey. It's a desert. The only desert city I can see with hockey is Las Vegas. Not Phoenix (or Glendale, or Scottsdale, or Sedona). Time to move.

Yet the NHL doesn't accept Jim Balsillie's bid again, even though he offered over $200M, $40M more than the guy whose bid was accepted (Jerry Reinsdorf, who owns the Bulls and White Sox).

Something's going on behind the scenes that we don't know about. Think about it: Let's say you have a broken car 2,000 miles away, and 2 people wanted to buy it. One person was going to keep it in the same crappy lot and pay you $1,600 for it; one person was going to move it to an area where he could fix the car AND he'd pay you $2,100 for it. No-brainer, no?

No.

Odd.

Phoenix; Penguins; Sutter...

Three things on the docket today, a day when I'm off from work and it appears my softball game will be rained out. What is that old expression? June showers bring July flowers?

1) NHLPA head Paul Kelly agrees with me that Phoenix should no longer have an NHL team. He questions how much money a team should have to lose before people question that maybe they shouldn't have a team.

My point was that it should be marked as a failed experiment, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should admit it, and the league should move on. Kelly's point is that he doesn't care who gets the team - Hamilton, Toronto, anyone - but that Phoenix should not have it.

I personally think Jim Balsillie should be allowed to have the team. He has a passion for the game, the desire to own a team, and certainly the deep pockets necessary to launch and nurture an expansion team.

Links: My post on it. TSN's article on Kelly's comments.

2) Is it wrong that I'm rooting for Pittsburgh tonight? And not just so we see a Game 7 (although they are always great, especially in the Finals), but to win the Stanley Cup.

I always like to see new teams win. I loved Anaheim and Ottawa in the Finals in '07, and I liked Carolina/Edmonton in '06. This year, not only is it a rematch of the last two teams in the Finals, but the same team is poised to win in the same exact amount of games. The only difference is that last year's Game 5 had Detroit up 3-1 and one probably the greatest non-Rangers game I have ever watched. Maxime Talbot scoring with 35 seconds left to send the game to overtime, then a triple OT, and Petr Sykora scoring to keep the series alive.

While I can't stand the Penguins, I'm rooting for them solely to see a new team win the Cup, and once again, maybe if they do win, the NHL can go back to refereeing their games fairly.

3) It's going to come out today that Brent Sutter has left the Devils. This was a move everyone saw coming last month when Darryl Sutter hinted it was going to happen. Darryl fired Mike Keenan in Calgary, then at his 20-minute long press conference, said the 3 best men for the job were currently under contract. Someone said, "Brent?" and he said he was under contract and couldn't talk about it.

Ah, Brent Sutter, once a scumbag, always a scumbag. The man who gave his word that he would never leave the Red Deer Rebels (which he owns and managed) and then up-and-left for New Jersey. Now, an opportunity to work with his brother comes knockin', and he is on the next plane back to Alberta.

Brent Sutter, we won't miss you. Maybe you can take your intent-to-injure son back with you also.

Why Stay?...

For the past few months, I have been mulling around a question in my head...

Why Stay?

Why would the NHL even want to stay in Phoenix? The team averages under 15,000 fans per game, yet Gary Bettman keeps saying how committed the NHL is to hockey in Phoenix. In Hamilton, Ontario, 12,000 signed up for season tickets a few years ago without even having a team. They didn't just put their name on a list, they gave Jim Balsillie a deposit for them, hoping he would bring them a team.

But this isn't about Hamilton. You could easily replace Hamilton with Seattle, Toronto, Winnipeg, Kansas City, Quebec City, or (my personal choice) Las Vegas.

Why stay in Phoenix? The team is a drag to the owners of the teams who actually make money because of revenue sharing. It is an embarrassment to the league to have a team file bankruptcy.

Are the 14,632 fans they averaged last year really that important to the rest of the league? (By the way, their attendance is dwindling, the year before they averaged 14,820.)

Other cities are begging for teams. Balsillie is intent on moving them to Hamilton, which has been hockey-ready for years. Seattle just lost its basketball team, its football team is garbage, and its baseball team lost over 100 games last year. Las Vegas has said it wants a team, regardless of league. Same for Kansas City, who offered up their Sprint Center for free. Winnipeg wants their team back; Quebec is such a good market that it houses entire leagues in the city. A 2nd team in Toronto would do so good that the Maple Leafs actually had to nix the idea out of greed, not necessity.

Is Gary Bettman really that stubborn to admit his decision to grant a franchise to Phoenix was a mistake? I've made mistakes, and I admit them. Mine don't cost people millions of dollars.

Hockey in Arizona is a joke. For that matter, hockey in Miami and Atlanta is ridiculous also, but that's for another day.

Is it about expanding the game within the U.S.A.? There are better ways to do that then with a 25% empty building, and the four letters for that are E, S, P, and N.

There are probably 13,000 people who would actually care if a young-and-coming team left the desert. A ton more would care if Canada got another team.

Come on, Gary. Admit your mistake. Eat your crow. Stop backing the Coyotes. Sometimes, you have to kill your weakest link. Or at least move them to a place where people want them.

Coyotes File For Bankruptcy - And How It Affects The Islanders

Interesting news out of Phoenix today, as the Coyotes have apparently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and are awaiting a sale. Before the ink dried on the bankruptcy filing, Blackberry billionaire Jim Balsillie made an offer for $215 million - provided the Coyotes leave Phoenix and take up residence in Hamilton, Ontario. And the craziest part is, all of this could be happening before next season. The bankruptcy filing indicates that the Coyotes need to either be moved or be assured of staying by June 30, 2009 for purposes of next season's scheduling.

Most hockey fans know Balsillie has been in the business of buying NHL teams in the past. In 2006, he attempted to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins, a deal that fell through when it became known he intended to move the team. Undeterred, he made a deal to purchase the Nashville Predators a year later. Balsillie went as far as to procure deposits from 12,000 fans in Hamilton who would buy season tickets if the team moved. Again, plans to move the team became Balsillie's undoing, and the deal didn't work out. Now, he's at it again, this time with Phoenix.

Personally, I'd love to see this deal go through. Hockey is a Canadian game and there should be more than six NHL teams in Canada. The Copps Coliseum in Hamilton holds some significant history, as the greatest hockey ever played took place inside the building during the 1987 Canada Cup. In fact, Hamilton has been clamoring for an NHL team for decades; it'd be nice to see the city achieve its goal. Now, this isn't to say hockey can't work in Phoenix. But the truth is, the team is awful, the fanbase has become jaded and, while their arena might be new, Coyotes fans say it's in the middle of nowhere and is hard to get to. Clearly, this is not the best formula to develop a loyal fanbase.

So, what does all of this have to do with the Islanders? Quite a bit, actually. 

 - First and foremost, this is going to be a test of Gary Bettman's "I like all 30 clubs where they are" proclamation. If a team is going to move, it's the Coyotes. Conversely, if they stay put, odds are good the Islanders will remain on Long Island as well. 

 - Second, this will determine the going rate for a team with a ton of young stars, but has struggled on the ice and in the stands over the past decade. In addition, Balsillie's $215 bid doesn't take into account the 30-year lease the Coyotes have with the city of Glendale, who owns the Jobing.com Arena; the lease is said to include a $750 million payout to the city if the Coyotes leave town.

 

 - Lastly, speaking of arenas, it shows that new arenas don't mean much if the team under-performs and fans don't show up. Remember, the Jobing.com Arena is the centerpiece of the developing Westgate City Center, which features malls, restaurants, office space, and housing. Sound familiar?

Islanders fans, pay attention to how this unfolds. The Coyotes are hemorrhaging money. They are a historically bad team with a bad lease and a dwindling fanbase. They have no stars to lure in casual fans (aside from their coach/owner, Wayne Gretzky), but have plenty of top prospects that will blossom sooner rather than later. Their arena is part of a developmental project, albeit one that was already approved, but even the surrounding area hasn't been able to draw fans. There's a lot to be learned from the story of the Phoenix Coyotes. If anything, Islanders fans should be ecstatic that this is happening so that they know what to expect if Charles Wang is forced to move or sell the team. And again, if the Coyotes end up staying in Phoenix, it stands to reason that the Islanders will be sticking around as well.

Trade Recap via Zach...

Now we know why Petr Prucha has been in the lineup for the past few games. A showcase. But does Don Maloney really need to know what Prucha brings? He was a big proponent of him in NY. Did Tom Renney pull the strings on this deal?

The Rangers effectively sold the heart and soul of their team (along with sporadically-gifted Nigel Dawes and always-horrendous Dmitri Kalinin) for Derek Morris.

They tell me Morris is going to QB the PP. For those who actually watch hockey, Morris has 12 points in 57 games this year. Not one of those is on the power play. He has 35 career power play points. Petr Prucha had 16 power play goals in 2005-06 alone, as a rookie.

The one bright spot is that now atleast Prucha will get ice time.

* * *

My computer were haywire before. I was typing letters and they would end up in random spots on the screen. Not fun. So I closed the laptop, shut it down like Vesa Toskala this season, and so I couldn't post.

I do indeed like the Nik Antropov deal. I think he is going to be good in NY. Maybe he can play with Zherdev. He is a UFA next year as well and if he re-signs (I realize we are talking about this before he even plays a game in NY) he will come around $3M.

Best deal of the day? I don't know. Seems like Boston stole Mark Recchi along with a 2nd round pick. Then again, Buffalo got a 2nd round pick for former Ranger Dom Moore? Uh... 12 goals (a career high), 41 points (same), and a shutdown center for a 2nd round pick in a deep draft? Get real. I'd rather have Antropov, for sure. (Granted, Buffalo basically sent the 2nd round pick they received for Ales Kotalik.)

Worst deal? Why would LA trade Patty O'Sullivan? Boston receiving Steve Montador for someone who couldn't stick on the Islanders roster? A win for the Bruins. In fact, Anaheim made a lot of bad trades today, trading Travis Moen, Montador, Sam Pahlsson, and others for a bunch of nobodies. The only one that might stick is Nick Bonino, a late-round pick from 2007. They did also receive Erik Christensen.

This Toronto/Tampa Bay deal sending Jamie Heward, Olie Kolzig, and others for some guy seems ridiculous, and I have to check on this one.

Favorite trade? Antoine Vermette for Pascal LeClaire. Helps everyone, and I am rooting for Columbus whole-heartedly.

Someone should re-name the Hurricanes to the Carolina Rentals. (Bad joke, I know.) In 2006, they traded for Doug Weight and Mark Recchi. Both players won the Cup with them, then re-signed in their respective cities (St. Louis; Pittsburgh). Then, Matt Cullen signs in NY. He later gets traded back. Over the summer, Erik Cole went to Edmonton. Today, he came back to Carolina. What, was Aaron Ward not available today?

Calgary and Phoenix definitely won today, though. Calgary got Jordan Leopold, Olli Jokinen, and a 3rd round pick, automatically strengthening them this year. Phoenix nailed Prucha, Dawes, Scott Upshall, Matthew Lombardi, and a slew of picks including a 1st round pick, helping them now and in the future.

Teams that stood still in the past few weeks: Vancouver (although they did get Glen Metropolit off waivers; they considered Mats Sundin their trade deadline deal); Nashville (no improvment and no fire-sale means they will probably miss the playoffs and not get a good draft pick); Washington (I guess that they wanted Bill Guerin but couldn't trade Michael Nylander's $5M contract). Am I missing anyone? A few teams, like the Devils and Canadiens, made moves in the past 2 weeks so I didn't count them.

* * *

I know it's wishful dreaming, but how sweet would a Wade Redden for upcoming UFA Jay Bouwmeester be?

Regulation Wins...

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, the Rangers beat the Coyotes 4-1. Since then, they have had one regulation win, and that was against Anaheim on December 16.

Since Thanksgiving, there have been 3 shootout wins, 3 overtime wins, 6 losses, and 1 overtime loss (Capitals game last week where they blew the 4-0 lead to Alexandre Ovechkin).

And their power play has fallen to 25-11. That's 25 goals while on the PP, and 11 shorthanded goals against.

Yes, they are in first place. That 5-0 start was fantastic and it's the reason they are still kind of in first place (they are first in points but have played 2 more games than Philadelphia and 4 more than New Jersey, both of whom are nipping at their heels). Besides that fast start, the two reasons that they are in a decent position are Henrik Lundqvist and the fact that Gary Bettman hates games that end in a tie. Don't worry, Mr. Bettman, I do too. I enjoy the shootouts and what they've done to my team.

Let's hope a game against the Islanders breaks them out of their stupor, although the Islanders always, always play the Rangers tight, even with nothing on the line. 

* * * 

Don't forget to vote for us at The NHL Arena.

Two Thoughts

1) Ah, the joys of watching a young team. For those of you keeping count at home, that's three games out of four in which the Islanders have blown leads of two goals or more. In two of those games, they lost in regulation. In a third game, they ended up winning in overtime; thankfully, it was against a Western Conference opponent (Columbus), so the point they gave away can't come back to haunt them. But this is starting to get ridiculous.

It's about time for Howie and Billy to dust off the old cliche we've heard so many times on Long Island: "The Islanders need to play to win instead of playing not to lose." And it's true. The Islanders have a problem keeping the pressure on in the third period, something that happens to just about every team at some point. Truth be told, you'd rather it happen earlier in the season instead of later, not just so you can learn from the whole thing, but so that these things aren't fresh in people's minds when you miss out on the playoffs. But it's a process for this team, even if it probably shouldn't be since like half the team is over 30.

If you're an Islander fan, you have to try your best to forget the egregious choke job you just saw in the third period and focus on the positives. And there were quite a few of those. You saw a number of breakaways, the defense getting in on the offense and getting back in time, and you saw Frans Nielsen have a hand in two goals on the same shift. The record doesn't show it, but things are starting to come around on Long Island. You wish the big names would start scoring goals, but it'll come. For now, even though the Islanders should have at least four more points than they actually do, there's a decent amount to be excited about.

2) Watching this Thrashers team tonight, I thought about the whole "non-traditional hockey market" thing, as I often do when watching teams like Atlanta. What can I say, I'm a dork. Anyway, the arena looked pretty desolate in the early going and, though it filled up pretty well as the night progressed (the same cannot be said for last night's Devils home game), I got a little bummed. Here, you have one of the game's best young stars in Ilya Kovalchuk, the coolest blue scansions in the entire NHL, and nobody really cares. Now, usually when people bring these things up, it's because of the area and because nobody cares about hockey in the South.

I disagree.

Look at Dallas. Is Dallas a "traditional hockey market"? No way. And yet so far this season, the American Airlines Center is playing to 96% capacity. Last year, it was 97% full. The difference between Dallas and Atlanta? Talent.

Think about all of the struggling teams in these markets that are so often ridiculed. Florida hasn't won a playoff series since their run to the Cup finals in 1996. Columbus hasn't even cracked 80 points in a season yet. Phoenix hasn't made the playoffs this century. Nashville might be better off had they not run into Detroit and San Jose every time they made the playoffs. Can you really blame the people in these cities for staying away? What do they have to cheer for?

And consider this. How many of just happened upon a hockey team? I know I'm an Islander fan because my parents were Islander fans. These teams that are playing in "non-traditional hockey markets" are teams that have been implemented over the past fifteen years. In other words, the tradition, the passing down of sport between generations, hasn't happened yet. So it stands to reason that the problem isn't the game of hockey, it's that fans just don't have a reason to get all worked up about these teams with no playoff history and no familial ties.

What does all this mean? Pretty much nothing. People are still going to dump all over the Phoenixes and Nashvilles of the world, just because they're easy targets. However, nobody gives the same treatment to the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats or the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, even though both of those teams are young and aren't top priorities in their respective cities. But as we saw in Tampa Bay just a month ago in the MLB playoffs, all it takes is one playoff run for fans to get excited. There's still hope for fans in Atlanta - even if tonight's announced attendance of 14,122 doesn't seem all that accurate.

On Voros, Renney, Being Undefeated, and Cherepanov...

1) When the Rangers didn't re-sign Sean Avery, I never imagined that his replacement would be Aaron Voros. His celebrating the goal right in front of Colin White was awesome. By the way, Voros had 3 points in only 13 minutes of ice time.

2) This Dubinsky-Zherdev-Voros line (the "PlayStation" line) is pretty good. Based on prior seasons, the over-under on how many games until coach Tom Renney breaks them apart is 6 games. Dawes-Callahan-Prucha, anyone?

3) Being undefeated is nice, but it's still early. Last year, the Rangers were down 2-1 after the 2nd period of the opening game of the season against Florida. They scored 4 goals in the 3rd, won the first game of 2007-08 by a score of 5-2, and fans chanted "We Want the Cup". A nice touch, but too early. And much like Marek Malik's 3 assist performance in that first game, this streak will come to an end. But it's a good 10 points to have when fighting for a playoff spot in March.

4) It's very sad about Alexei Cherepanov. He was going to be a great talent in Ranger blue, I believe. I had been salivating at the thought of him and Artem Anisimov on the same line. The Rangers basically stole him at the 2007 Entry Draft. The rumors were that Washington was going to take him with the 5th selection so he could one day play with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The Rangers then tried to move up to 3rd in a trade with Phoenix so they could take him there. The price was too high, Phoenix took Kyle Turris, Washington grabbed Karl Alzner, and Cherepanov fell to 17th because teams were afraid he was never going to come to America to play. Turns out they were sadly correct, although he was planning on coming over after his 2-year deal was up in Russia. 

I won't bore anyone with lessons on life. I'm sure everyone reading this already knows life is fragile and I hope everyone is happy with their life.

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!

Al Montoya...

The Rangers made two deadline deals this year. One of them recently turned into either Nikolai Zherdev or Dan Fritsche (depending on how you look at it) and the other now is this...

Marcel Hossa + Al Montoya = Fred Sjostrom

The night before the deadline, GM Glen Sather and Coyotes GM Don Maloney had a player-for-player deal on the table, Hossa for Sjostrom. It would have been a steal for the Rangers. Hossa was an underachiever who fans expected more from because of his last name (See: Fedorov, Fedor). Along with his 8 points, he had 24 penalty minutes, most probably from hooking. Sjostrom had 19 points (he played 15 more games than Hossa) and 14 penalty minutes. On top of the stats (Sjostrom had 2 points in the regular season as a Ranger), Sjostrom is a much more complete player who is actually going to be in the NHL this upcoming season, while Hossa skates against Ray Emery and Jaromir Jagr in Russia. 

However, the deal was delayed for some reason, and when it got faxed to NHL headquarters, Al Montoya was sent with Hossa for Sjostrom, goalie David LeNeveu and enforcer Josh Gratton.  

On Monday, LeNeveu was signed as a free agent by Anaheim, and yesterday, the Predators signed Gratton, presumably to replace Darcy Hordichuk. 

Now, LeNeveu and Gratton were never, ever in the Rangers plans, as if the signings of Steve Valiquette and Aaron Voros didn't tell you that already.

My beef here is with Sather throwing in Montoya to get these people with expiring contracts to play in Hartford for three months before they sign elsewhere.

Montoya was a first round pick, 6th overall, in 2004. This isn't one of those blogs like when I write about Hugh Jessiman and tell you that they could have drafted 30 other proven NHL players instead of him. But, for the record, just so you know, Drew Stafford, Alex Radulov (a future Hall of Famer, I called it here first!), Wojtek Wolski, Andrej Meszaros, Mike Green, Johan Franzen, Mark Streit (he of the $4.1M/year deal), and Daniel Winnick were all chosen after him. A weak draft, yes, but still.

Montoya was supposed to be incredible. He went 30-10-3 one year in college, 30-7-3 another year. However, he was a bust and deemed expendable when Henrik Lundqvist burst onto the scene after the lock-out. He never quite developed like he was supposed to (See: Tyutin, Fedor). No longer was he the Future. Instead, he was Money in the Bank, albeit money with a bad back.

Personally, I think Sather held onto him too long. He did do well in the AHL, so he wasn't a total bust. He went 66-34-4, completely respectable (although his save % was very poor sometimes). This past season, he lost his starting job, and other GMs knew this. Sather should have traded him at the 2007 deadline when he was a developing goaltender with a solid record who started for his AHL team. As a former first round pick, he could have fetched atleast a 2nd round pick.

Now, he seems like he was just thrown in the deal to get him out of Sather's hair, like he was a nuisance and he would take anything to get rid of him.

He might in fact go the way of Jessiman and never see action in an NHL game. He could be a late bloomer (ran out of people whose first names are "Fedor," so I can't give an example) and become starting goaltender of the Las Vegas Panthers in the 2012-13 season.

My point is that he seems like a throw in. Sather knew LeNeveu and Gratton would never, ever put a Rangers jersey on. He knew Maloney just wanted more for Sjostrom so it didn't look like a fix, and so he offered up someone Maloney wanted to draft in the first place.

Rick Tocchet and Sean Avery...

Today, I will be using simplified examples that never actually happened in my life to describe why Rick Tocchet is a backstabber and how Glen Sather might be insane.

* * * 

Let's say I was accused of something in a legal manner. For argument's sake, maybe I ran a gambling ring at my job (for the record, I work at a restaurant as a bartender). Okay, so I'm running this multi-million dollar gambling ring and I get accused, and it comes crashing down on me.

I don't face jail time, but I do get suspended for 2 years from my job. 

While gone, my bar manager supports me fully. I don't receive a paycheck, but he holds my job open while I'm suspended. Imagine that!

Two years to the day later, I return to my job as a bartender.

Four months later, an old friend calls me and tells me he just got put in charge of a new bar, and would like me to be a bartender there. Forsaking my old boss, who treated me very well and stood up for me while the media and the federal court system were against me, I join this new bar.

- - - 

 Tocchet gets suspended for running a gambling ring. Wayne Gretzky holds his position as assistant coach of the Phoenix Coyotes open for 2 full years, maybe as a "Thank you for not having my wife sent to jail," maybe out of the goodness of the Great One's heart. Who knows. Tocchet returns in February of 2008, only to join Barry Melrose (and Wes Walz) in Tampa Bay when the opportunity arose.

No, I don't know the whole situation. Maybe Gretzky or Coyotes' GM Don Maloney didn't want Tocchet to return. But the way I see it, it is a slap in the face of Gretzky and the whole Phoenix organization the way he handled this. When I first heard Melrose's press conference where he announced Tocchet and Walz as assistant coaches, I thought it was a joke.

And no, that picture isn't of Howie Mandel.

* * * 

Let's say that since the feds shut down my gambling operation, I now own a small, small business. Last year, I was given $50 in which to run this business. This year, however, I am given $56 in which to run it, due to a rise in profits last year.

Now, my seat-filler, my enforcer, my agitator, the guy who helped me so much last year and the year before, wants a raise. Last year, he made $1.90. Paltry, I know. This year, I offered him $2.75 and he wanted a whole $4. I could probably talk him down to around $3.75 or maybe $3.80. 

Once again, he is a seat-filler. He got my business national attention during a competition we had with a New Jersey store. Two years ago, we competed against an Atlanta-based store, and he closed down their best salesman, even goaded him into a fight. That's what I pay him for. Shouldn't I pay him?

- - - 

I like Glen Sather, I do. I think he has done a great job post-lockout, even starting with the "fire sale" of March 2004 (regardless of where Maxim Kondratiev, Josef Balej, and R.J. Umberger are playing now). 

However, he would be terribly remiss to not re-sign Sean Avery. When all is said and done, the NY Rangers are a business. Avery gets butts in seats (yes, they would still sell out without him there... probably), he creates excitement. The Rangers were plastered on TV sets all across the country when he danced in front of Martin "The Whiner" Brodeur in the playoffs this year and when Brodeur wouldn't shake his hand after the series.

He made headlines this week with his article in Men's Vogue. He is constant media fodder.

On top of that, he gets under the skin of every player who plays against him, from Brodeur to Jarkko Ruutu to Jaromir Jagr to Marian "Soon to be Overpaid" Hossa. 

On top of that, he scores. Sather compares him to Chris Kelly of the Senators. Kelly had 30 points in 75 games. Avery had 33 in 57. In 2007, he had 20 points in 29 games and was a +11 with the Rangers. This year in the playoffs, he stepped it up, scoring 7 points in 8 games with only 3 penalties. He has a wicked wrist shot, brings excitement to the team, and as a winger who can play center, has playmaking abilities.

I know you don't come to this blog for breaking news or inside information. Of that, we have little. You probably read elsewhere that the Rangers are 50-20-10 with him and 9-13-3 without him. I don't have to tell you that they went 8-1-1 with him to reach the playoffs in 2007, and 10-0-3 to rally when he was healthy in 2008. You come here because my first word was "Wangers" and because Bryan (my Islander fan friend) was named after a Hall of Fame Islander. We eat and breathe hockey. We've been watching since we were 3 years old. I believe we know more about hockey than any other person we know. 

With that said, I know talent when I see it. Chris Kelly is a marginal player. Ruutu is a pest at best. Ville Nieminen got under people's skin but he couldn't deliver in the points department. 

Avery's closest comparison is probably to Esa Tikkanen. An agitator who can fight and score. A player like him doesn't come along often. Remember when he danced in front of Brodeur? He scored about 15 seconds later.

A player like him doesn't come along often.

If I had a store, and my budget went up 6 dollars, I would gladly spend the 125 cents to bring back my moneymaker. And I would do it before July 1, when other teams can (and would) throw money at him.

Because a player like him doesn't come along very often at all.