SB Nation - Patrick Marleau

Team Canada Watch: Centre

Chemmy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:20:26 -0000

Maybe the deepest position for Team Canada, what five cent(re/er)s do you take to Vancouver this year? Invitees include guys like Vincent Lecavalier and Eric Staal who haven't impressed this season but ignore players like Steven Stamkos (30pts in 30GP).

In my mind there are two stone cold locks to play Center on Team Canada: Joe Thornton and Sidney Crosby. That leaves us two full time spots and an alternate.

So who are the big candidates left?

Ryan Getzlaf

#15 / Center / Anaheim Ducks

Height: 6-4

Weight: 221

Born: May 10, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Ryan Getzlaf	6	30	36	4	29

3rd in scoring amongst Canadian NHL centers, Getzlaf also has the benefit of playing with Corey Perry. Bringing along good winger-center combos should increase Canada's chances of scoring more than ten goals a game which is why I'm going to leave Patrick Marleau off this list. Capable of playing both center and wing he's feasted on the power play with Heatley and Thornton. I'd bring all three because they're comfortable with each other.

Brad Richards

#91 / Center / Dallas Stars

Height: 6-0

Weight: 192

Born: May 02, 1980

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Brad Richards	9	26	35	1	2

I haven't heard anything about Brad Richards this year but he's playing dominant hockey right now. A slick passer without an Olympian winger, I think B. Richards should be able to be plugged in with almost anybody (Iginla?) and make it work.

Mike Richards

#18 / Center / Philadelphia Flyers

Height: 5-11

Weight: 195

Born: Feb 11, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Mike Richards	13	12	25	5	38

Despite claims he was having a bad season, Mike Richards' numbers look solid to me. M. Richards' is a good two way player and comes bundled with Jeff Carter (also a Center I'd move to wing) which gives Canada an amazing penalty killing duo up front. Philly leads the league in shorthanded goals perenially for a reason.

Steven Stamkos

#91 / Center / Tampa Bay Lightning

Height: 6-1

Weight: 196

Born: Feb 07, 1990

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Steven Stamkos	17	13	30	-2	16

Stamkos wasn't invited to camp. Huge numbers though; sixth in the NHL in goals, 4th in power play goals. Probably gets left home this year but if he keeps developing he'll be a lock to play in Sochi barring an NHL ban.

Paul Stastny

#26 / Center / Colorado Avalanche

Height: 6-0

Weight: 205

Born: Dec 27, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Paul Stastny	8	24	32	6	20

Paul Stastny wasn't invited to Team Canada's camp either, but along with Stamkos represents a much stronger candidate than either Eric Staal or Vincent Lecavalier. Stastny's performance this year has helped Colorado get past the loss of Burnaby Joe and is a large reason Avalanche fans forgot the word "rebuild" in a hurry. Edit: Stastny was born in Quebec and is listed as a Canadian by NHL.com, but apparently plays for Team USA in the Olympics. Good for Kessel I suppose. I'll make it up to you with two more options:

Marc Savard

#91 / Center / Boston Bruins

Height: 5-10

Weight: 191

Born: Jul 17, 1977

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Marc Savard	8	6	14	1	8

No invite for Savard, he's firing on all cylinders after missing a bunch of time to start the year. It seems Hockey Canada isn't enamored with Savard and his injuries this year make him even more of a long shot.

Patrice Bergeron

#37 / Center / Boston Bruins

Height: 6-2

Weight: 194

Born: Jul 24, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Patrice Bergeron	8	16	24	2	10

Now that his fragile head hasn't been smashed in years Patrice Bergeron is quietly putting up some solid numbers.

So which five guys do I bring? Thornton, Crosby, M. Richards, Getzlaf and B. Richards is my fill in guy. How about you, who are you bringing and why?

Gameday Preview: Dallas Stars @ San Jose Sharks (9:00pm CST)

Art_M — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:00:20 -0000

Next Game

Dallas Stars (13-8-9, 8th in West)
@ San Jose Sharks (19-7-6, 1st in West)

Friday, Dec 11, 2009, 9:00 PM CST
HP Pavilion

TV: KDFI
Radio: KTCK 1310 The Ticket

Opponent's Blogs: Fear The Fin / Battle Of California

Complete Coverage >

The Dallas Stars look to shake off some of the struggles they've had lately in finishing games by continuing on the five game road swing with a stop in San Jose tonight to face the Western conference leading Sharks who are also on a bit of a demoralizing skid of their own having lost their last three games - all at home. Tonight's game against Dallas is San Jose's last chance to salvage what has been an unusually bad five game home stand for a team that before the stretch had only lost one game in regulation in the Shark Tank out of their first ten.

The Stars can at least draw some inspiration for tonight from the last time these two teams met up back on November 12th when Dallas rallied in the third period from a two goal deficit to draw even, force a shootout and then actually win it with an unlikely goal from Stephane Robidas.

Over the last few games for both teams it's been proven that no lead is truly safe no matter who you are. The Stars issues have been well documented here the past week, but last Friday San Jose had the St. Louis Blues come back very late in the third period to tie up a game and then win it in a shootout. Saturday they managed to get a 1-0 lead in the second period before giving back two goals to the Calgary Flames in a regulation loss. And then two days ago against the Los Angeles Kings the Sharks needed to claw back from two goals down with over half the game gone to force overtime, only to see a win taken away from them a little over a minute in.

So yes it's a late start tonight, but it's a Friday night and really you can just sleep in tomorrow. Given the unpredictable nature of these two teams lately, this game could be a last shot wins situation!

Follow the jump for a closer look at both teams and the medical reports...

The Dallas Stars:

So now that we've had a few days since the Ducks debacle to calm down and back off the ledge a little bit, we've come to realize that maybe things aren't quite as bad in Big D hockey wise as we think. We as fans have to realize that the young players on this roster are going to make mistakes, but it's not only something we should endure with in hopes that they have bright futures ahead of them, but that the Stars are not the first team to go through growing pains like this.

Isn't that right Mike Heika?

Strangely enough, NHL teams wait out kids every year. They have done it in Pittsburgh and Chicago and LA, and are seeing results. They have done it in Florida and Atlanta and Columbus, and you wonder if they will ever see results. It's a gamble, but it goes on all of the time in this league. It just hasn't happened in Dallas a lot.

Karlis Skrastins will be back tonight after missing a game with a lacerated finger and will be back paired with Trevor Daley. Bryan Sutherby practiced on the fourth line, but coach Crawford has stated he'll still be a game time decision. Outside of that don't expect too many lineup changes in San Jose. Marty Turco is expected to get the start. [Link to Heika's Thursday practice report]

Oh, and in case you needed a "real" hockey authority to truly explain what's been wrong with the Dallas Stars, you're in luck because Barry 'The Mullet' Melrose is here to break it down for you in video form complete with moving pictures n stuff! Ya know, with such a keen grasp of the obvious like that, it's hard to imagine how that guy isn't coaching again in the... ohhhh wait... right.

The San Jose Sharks:

Meanwhile in the Bay Area, the Sharks home woes as of late can be most likely pinned on their poor special teams - especially the team's dreadful powerplay which has not onlt gone 1 for 17 over the last four games, but in the last three games has given up four short handed goals!

While the players themselves may downplay a lack of confidence in the defensive abilities of the power play unit, coach Todd McLellan thinks that could easily be one of the main issues:

We're still going out there with the mentality that we can score goals," Patrick Marleau said. "Obviously knowing that we've given up some goals just means you come back a little bit harder."

But McLellan said there can be a connection."The correlation is called confidence," McLellan said. "I think your confidence gets rattled a little bit when you get scored on."knowing that we've given up some goals just means you come back a little bit harder."

Meanwhile, Sharks play-by-play guy Randy Hahn called his 1,000th NHL game on Saturday night and recalled his favorite and least favorite memories in that span of time. As you can imagine, a somewhat recent game that ranks as one of the best ever for Stars fans isn't as high up on Hahn's list:

"Game 6 in overtime, triple overtime, quadruple overtime — how many was it? — in Dallas," said Hahn of the 4OT loss to the Stars that ended San Jose's Stanley Cup dream in 2008. "To see it end that way, everybody spilling their guts out on the ice and still coming up empty, that one was a really bitter one to swallow."

Key Injuries:

Dallas: Brian Sutherby (C) - Game time decision due to groin injury

San Jose: Brad Staubitz (RW) - Out due to facial laceration, Jody Shelley (LW) - Out due to general soreness

Kings Gameday: I'm Going to Poll You

RudyKelly — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:31:44 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

What's more amazing: this goal or the lady's expression in the background? (AP Photo/Lori Shepler)

Browse more photos »

Next Game

Phoenix Coyotes
@ Los Angeles Kings

Thursday, Dec 10, 2009, 7:30 PM PST
Staples Center

Complete Coverage >

So I was texting my brother during the game on Monday (the one against Calgary) and I described Simmonds as a "train made of meat." He texted back, "You're retarded, that doesn't make any sense; Simmonds is obviously a train that carries meat" I told him that wasn't intimidating at all, unlike a train physically made of meat. He said, "Who the fuck would that scare?" and I replied, "I don't know... vegetarians?" The point is, if we're going full bore with this Meat Train thing, we need to decide this: is he a Train of Meat (stupid), or is he a Meat Train (awesome)? This is very important.

***

Also important: tonight's game. The Kings are only 3 points out of first in their division, but Phoenix is only 4 points behind LA. The Kings are coming off a pretty emotional game but it's important for them to buckle down tonight and play tight defensive hockey. Most importantly, they need to make sure they're making crisp passes out of their own zone because Phoenix likes to jump in on mistakes any chance they can get.

***

If Sharks fans were mad last night, how mad are they going to be when Patrick Marleau signs with Los Angeles in the off-season?

Prediction: Kings win, 3-2. Goals by Meat Train, Frolov and Kopitar.

Poll

Is Wayne Simmonds an actual train that carries meat, or is he a train made out of meat?

Off the Post - December 7th

Conico do Mayo Miracle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:37:44 -0000

1941 - Never forget. And don't forget what happened on Dec. 8th, 1980, while you're at it.
[NEW UPDATE] - Manny Malhotra will be signing autographs for free at the Sharks Store, Tuesday Dec. 15th, from 4:30 - 6pm. Be sure to slip a few greenbacks in the change jar - homeboy's only pulling in 6 figures.
[UPDATE] - McGinn and Vesce get reassigned... place yer bets on whether or not they'll be back by Wednesday.
TCY examines Patrick Marleau's potential price tag after this season, while Ivano27 investigates what Igor Larionov (and his hottie daughter) has been up to lately.
Devin Setoguchi answers questions from the masses, including the perrenial "Whose kitchen are you raiding this season?"
Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle, and Patrick Marleau (plus a 4th Shark TBD) will be signing autographs for a cool $169 per 2 persons @ Dave & Buster's, on January 31st. Reservations required.
A look at former Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as an Olympic hopeful.
Is Peter Laviolette the right replacement for John Stevens in Philadelphia?
The city of Edmonton begins preparations for the end of Rexall Place.
Size does matter for Gary Bettman - and he likes 'em small and boisterous.
For those that missed the Habs' 100th anniversary celebration, please consult Habs Eyes on the Prize (recommended).
Die by the Blade believes Andrej Sekera is the Sabres' Dan Boyle.
Signs your teammate is trying to kill you (big chuckle on the first one, huge groan on the last one).
Kris Versteeg gets an eyeful.

Scott Reynolds at Copper & Blue has been producing tweaked Bible verses for game day, and his latest for the Oilers victory over the Stars is a gem.
Speaking of the Stars (whom we play on Friday), Defending Big D examines the current state of the Dallas fanbase.
Buddha at Hockey Wilderness, on "He Who Shall No Longer Be Mentioned" (and no, it's not Gaborik).
With Cam Ward returning, the Canes have a goaltending decision to make.
Behind the Net debunks the argument that goalies need to see action in order to stop shots.
St. Louis Game Time has utterly corrupted Bart Simpson.
Hockey bigamy, as Vince Vaughn (a Blackhawks / J.R. fan) invades the Phoenix locker room.
On the off chance you haven't seen it in detail, Miikka Kiprusoff's save on Scott Nichol is (tragic? heart-breaking? nauseating?) destined for highlight reels for years to come.

BOV: Patrick Marleau

That'll Cheech You — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 11:00:15 -0000

In my line of work, we do these things called BOV's. For those of you who aren't "in the know", that stands for Broker's Opinion of Value. Now, I'm not about to say that I'm Patrick Marleau's "broker". I have very little knowledge of the in's and out's of his daily life besides what I can deduce by digging through his trash can (That bin is riddled wirh empty containers of Nutella and moustache wax. No idea what's going on there). But I can give a Bloggers Opinion of Value, and that's something I'm going to do... now.

Now, when you're preforming a BOV, it's best to pull recent "comps" (or, market comparables). This gives you a bench mark of your asset's value. If we were to apply this same approach to contracts and players in the hockey world, the most recent comparable would be Marc Savard, who just signed a seven year contract extension with the Boston Bruins. The 2009 stats for both players are listed below.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Patrick Marleau	31	19	14	33	8	4	4	2	3	0	97	19.6

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Marc Savard	14	8	6	14	1	8	4	0	1	0	36	22.2

By every metric listed, Marleau has had a far superior 2009. However, Savard's year has been hampered by an injury sustained early in the season. So, when performing this "BOV", let's look at the players' career statistics as a whole, shall we?

Marleau (age 30), has been with the San Jose Sharks his entire career. Over the course of that career, he's averaged 79 GP, 25 G, 30 A, and 55 P. In the last three years, those numbers jump to 30 G, 36 A, and 66P in two fewer games played on average. He's scored more than 30 goals twice in his career, but has only topped the 80 point plateau once.

Savard (32), bounced around the NHL before finding his seemingly permanent home in Boston. Over the course of that 11 season NHL career, he's posted an average of 18 G, 42 A, and 60 P in 67 GP. The difference between that number and his three year average is more significant than Patrick's, as he's averaged 21 G, 66 A, and 87 P in those seasons (79 GP). Savard also has three seasons on his resume where he topped 80 points (two of those seasons over 90 P).

Although the numbers don't match up exactly, we shouldn't expect them to or wish that they would. When performing a BOV, it's expected that the comp will differ slightly from the target. In my expert (roll of eyes is expected here) opinion, Marleau and Savard have enough in common to make them apt comparables for each other.

Both are "Class A" NHL players. Both are centers (although Marleau has recently found his position switch to off wing). Both score within reasonable amounts of each other, albeit Savard is more of a playmaker while Marleau has become a sniper as his career has progressed (especially after being moved to Joe Thornton's wing). They are both over 30, and are likely (Savard is no longer) looking for their last big pay day.

Let's get down to brass tacks (I thought the expression was "Brass Tax", but my girlfriend quickly informed me that I am, indeed, an idiot). Savard recently signed a seven year deal to stay in Boston, coming at a very reasonable cap hit of $4.2 MM per season. It's a heavily front-loaded deal, with $14 MM being earned in the first two years and the other $14 distributed over the next 5. With other centers around the league making much more (including Marleau, who's cap hit sits at a hefty $6.3 MM), how did the Bruins get Savard so cheap?

It might have something to do with the current economic situation (I, myself, haven't gotten my usual annual salary increase for two years now... boo hoo), or it might be the fact that Savard really wanted to stay with Boston. Even still, $4.2 MM annually is a bargain for a player who has eclipsed the elusive 90 point marker twice.

Savard must know the current dilemma that the Bruins are in... he lost former linemate Phil Kessel over the offseason because Boston simply couldn't afford to keep the budding star. However, you have to believe that Savard still wanted to "get his", and thus the contract must have worked for both sides. No one is that nice.

In relating the situation to Patrick Marleau, one would think that #12 still wants to be in San Jose, even with the loss of the captaincy in the offseason and the swirling trade rumors he has been subjected to for much of his tenure. He still seems like he loves the team, the city, and the fans. His family his here, his life is here. He's grown up with the city, bleeding teal since he was a wee lad of 18. This is his home, and I would assume he wants to stay.

Problem is, San Jose is also in dire straights when it comes to the salary cap. They're losing players and cutting payroll as a result next year, but most likely cannot resign Marleau for anywhere close to the $6.3 MM average salary he's currently making if they have any intention of resigning both Devin Setoguchi and Joe Pavelski (who will be RFA's this coming summer). Marleau will likely have to take a pay cut, but who's to say that cut can't be part of a backloaded contract akin to Savard's?

If we compare the two players, and use Savard's deal as a bench mark for Marleau, it seems unlikely that Patrick should be making any thing exceeding $4.2 MM per year. In fact, based upon Savard's recent numbers, Marleau should probably sign for less than that. However, considering that Marleau is three years younger, is better defensively, and is such a big part of this team even as he has been stripped of his letter... it could be argued that he should probably be paid about the same as Savard.

Long, frontloaded contacts are all the rage in the current NHL, and I'm a proponent for one in this case. On a seven year deal, Marleau should be making around $4 MM a year. If any longer than that, the average salary should decrease.

I love Marleau, and I hope he loves it in San Jose as much as I think he does. If Doug Wilson is smart (as I assume he is), he should be considering a contract extension for Marleau as I finish typing this story. Although I want Marleau to have as much success as possible, 50 goal scorers (he's on pace for 50 G, 37 A, and 87 P) don't come cheap.

Go Sharks.

Poll

What should Marleau's cap hit be on a seven year contract?

More than Savard's (>$4.2MM)

135 votes

Equal to Savard's ($4.2MM)

138 votes

Less than Savard's (<$4.2MM)

29 votes

302 votes | Poll has closed

San Jose Sharks 2010 Olympic Hockey Preview: Part One

Mr. Plank — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:00:30 -0000

Canada's rumored top line-- Sumi the playmaker, Quatchi the power forward, Miga the sniper. Should be a force to be reckoned with.

View full size photo »

The 2010 Games in Vancouver are fast approaching, with final rosters set to be announced in late December. SB Nation has been running a network wide preview series chronicling the likelihood of individual players making their respective country's roster, and pocket aces dropped today-- it's Fear The Fin's turn to make our grand entrance onto the big stage.

As I see it, the San Jose Sharks have a couple locks and a smorgasbord of remaining hopefuls that boast a myriad of different skills; these hopefuls will either need to elevate or hold their current level of play in order to make their inclusion later this month the right choice for their country.

Make the jump for evaluations of Nabokov, Marleau, Thornton, and Heatley.

PACK YOUR BAGS, JACK

Evgeni Nabokov, Team Russia

#20 / Goalie / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200

Born: Jul 25, 1975

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Evgeni Nabokov	25	1479	16	4			58	2.35	734	676	.921	2

Evgeni Nabokov is a no-brainer for the Russian team this winter, and will likely be starting between the pipes as he did during their fourth place outing in Turin where he went 5-2 with a 1.34 GAA. His recent success at the 2008 World Championships where Russia won gold, along with his stellar play during the first two months of the 2009-2010 NHL season, also add to his credentials. Competing for his job will be Illya Bryzgalov and Semyon Varlamov, with Nikolai Khabilbulin looking to be on the fringe as of this moment considering he is dealing with back trouble and has not played as well as the aforementioned three. Two veteran netminders should be able to shoulder the immense load on a Russian team expected to play for the gold medal in what stands to be a boisterous Canadian arena. The potential seasoning of Varlamov (along with his excellent play) will be an enticing opportunity for the Russian brass to consider, as it will concurrently set the team up for another bid at the 2014 games in Sochi*.

*Admittedly the NHL hasn't green-lighted sending players over as of yet, but with the KHL an alluring alternative and one of their biggest stars (Alexander Ovechkin) stating that he wants to play in the games, it might be in their best interest to do so. Words such as "fatigue" and "potential injury" will be tossed around, but keep in mind that it is just as likely, if not more, about the loss of revenue stemming from shutting the league down for three weeks to play overseas. Alas, that is a topic to be covered at a later date.

No matter what happens in the next month, Team Russia boasts four able netminders to choose from in the crease. And if current trends hold, Nabokov will be front and center.

Patrick Marleau, Team Canada

#12 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-2

Weight: 220

Born: Sep 15, 1979

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Patrick Marleau	29	19	14	33	8	4	4	2	3	0	89	21.3

Coming off a 38 goal year, Patrick Marleau has once again shot the lights out, posting 19 goals and 33 points in 29 games during the 2009-2010 season. Going into Team Canada's development camp last summer it was uncertain whether or not he would be able to crack the squad-- an offseason filled with off-ice extracurriculars concerning his leadership abilities and "heart" in high pressure situations (views that were never shared by this author, nor the majority of readers at Fear The Fin) contributed to that, along with the astonishing depth of the Canadian national team. However, with what's shaping up to be another strong year for Marleau, his inclusion onto the roster is but a phone call away.

Although short on Olympic credentials (invited to camp but eventually discluded from the 2006 roster), Marleau will nonetheless be able to provide the high powered Canadian offense with some of the best defensive abilities in the game, and will contribute heavily on the penalty kill. All while being a threat in the offensive zone every time he takes a shift.

Dany Heatley, Team Canada

#15 / Left Wing / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-3

Weight: 220

Born: Jan 21, 1981

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Dany Heatley	29	18	14	32	4	20	9	1	4	0	86	20.9

Team Canada's all-time leading points and goals scorer. A man on a mission to earn back his country's trust following a heavily publicized trade request. Top five in the goal scoring race with fellow teammate Patrick Marleau. Penalty kill partner in limited minutes with fellow teammate Joe Thornton. There's just about every reason in the world to include Dany Heatley on Team Canada later this month.

The only issue is whether or not to put him on Getzlaf's wing. Two balding superstars on the same line might be too much fun to pass up.

Joe Thornton, Team Canada

#19 / Center / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-4

Weight: 235

Born: Jul 02, 1979

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Joe Thornton	29	7	32	39	4	6	2	0	1	0	60	11.7

Jumbo Joe has run into the same stigmas that plagued Patrick Marleau the last few seasons-- good when it counts, not so good when it counts the most. Whether or not that is fair assessment of his play with San Jose or a vestige of his days in Boston is a debate that will echo in the halls of eternity for the next millenia.

Of course, the suits behind the team would be loathe to leave Thornton off the roster, and that's where he'll be in February; expect to see him centering Heatley and Marleau during Team Canada's push to avenge their woeful seventh place performance during the 2006 games.

*****

Go ~~Sharks~~ Team USA.

Edmonton - San Jose post-game: Movember can't end soon enough

Bruce McCurdy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 09:09:44 -0000

More photos » by John Ulan - AP

20 days ago: Edmonton Oilers' Sheldon Souray, left, battles with San Jose Sharks' Dany Heatley, of Germany, during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday, Nov. 27, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Ulan)

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Well, shit. What a crushing day. We lost Hemsky for the season, and we lost a game we should have won. Not just a game, but The "Dany Heatley Game". Played well enough to titillate, but in the end, handed the Sharks the freaking game on a silver platter in a particularly discouraging manner.

It was a good game and I have few (but specific) complaints. A good friend I don't see often enough got a pair of freebies and was kind enough to phone me, we hit the Thanh Thanh for some excellent Vietnamese cuisine en route, and by anthem-time found our seats on Row 31 overlooking the faceoff circle in the Sharks end, players' bench side. Funny thing, the last year I had season tickets I moved up to Row 31 from Row 14 to reduce the per game damage from $31 to $17. Now it's 17 years later and those $17 seats now bear a sticker price of $107! Which is why I rely on generous friends and occasional good luck to get to my handful of games a year ... ducats are simply out of range.

31 rows is a long way from the ice, but not too far to see some of the wide open spaces in several of the Movember 'staches on display even after a month of "growth". That little visual brought home the fact that this was a battle of boys against men

The anti-Heatley sentiment peaked early, with one leather lung letting rip a harsh "You suck Heatley!" while Paul Lorieau paused for a breath in the Star Spangled Banner, which certainly brought home the fact that this was another Canadian** hockey star who had bolted stateside, turning his nose up at two Canadian teams in the process. So the loudmouth's timing was appropriate or classless or both depending on one's viewpoint.

(** Canadian unless you believe the photo caption, which I have left in its raw, AP form. For whatever reason they always identify non-North American players by what country they're from.)

After that the booing was more perfuctory than anything, more noise than anything heartfelt. The cheers rang when Sheldon Souray knocked Heatley on his overpaid butt 5 minutes in, but quickly died out when Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau instantly took advantage of the large hole Souray had left behind in the process to put the Sharks up 1-0. The lead held past the midway mark of the game and I began to wonder if the Oilers would ever score again. Out of the blue though, Ryan Potulny made a nice steal from Dan Boyle, outraced a half-hearted Thornton backcheck and went in alone to deke Evgeni Nabokov. The Oilers carried the 1-1 score to the intermission, another tight defensive struggle not dissimilar from Wednesday's affair vs. the Kings. Unexpectedly, the third period was the bipolar opposite...

What a period it was. Dustin Penner scored early on a Gilbert Brulé rebound, then Penner returned the favour with a goal mouth feed that Brulé swatted home. Two-goal lead in the third, our first chance to be home and cooled out. Instead it lasted exactly two shifts of the Marleau-Thornton-Heatley line, both of which ended with the puck in the back of Jeff Deslauriers' net. 3-3. Back and forth the game went for several pulsating minutes, with my pick to score the game winner, Ladi Smid, actually having a great chance only to be beaten by Nabokov's glove. Undeterred, Smid later served as the middleman between Ethan Moreau's determined rush and Potulny's finishing shot which put the Oil up once again, 4-3 with 5 minutes to go. Turnaround for what happened in the Kings' game Thursday. We just had to see it out.

The best/worst thing about it was that for the next 3½ minutes the Oilers played perfect hockey. They forechecked like demons, hemming the Sharks in their own end, consistently winning races to and battles for loose pucks, cycling, making crisp changes while still maintaining puck pursuit. It was a joy to watch. Until, of all things, Oilers forced a Shark mistake, a penalty with 1:40 to go.

Well that should have been it. Instead, the Oil fell completely asleep. The powerplay which had done nothing all night, did much less than nothing when it mattered most, allowing three great San Jose scoring chances and the tying goal on a completely broken play. Hard to believe that you can win a draw in your own end 5-against-4 and within 4 seconds have the play end with the opposing centre completing his hat trick from the edge of the crease without anybody around him including the goalie. Gagner broke or dropped his stick winning the draw and let Marleau go, Staios and Souray got crossed up, Thornton won a race to the loose puck and JDD went fishing for the pokecheck only to look silly when Thornton fished the puck to Marleau for the tap in. A complete fustercluck, with the game completely on the line. Stupid, stupid, stupid hockey.

Oilers conspired to give up another odd man rush on the same powerplay, very nearly losing the game in regulation. There was no further scoring in overtime either, despite a very entertaining 101 seconds of the ultra-rare 3v3. From there it was a shootout, and the only surprise was that it wasn't Dany Bloody Heatley who dropped the guillotine on another loss, perhaps the most disappointing, frustrating, and discouraging one to date.

The thing of it is, if you hang around long enough, there's not much new under the sun and no matter what happens, chances are you've seen something like it before. I remember three years ago almost to the day, attending The Chris Pronger Game in which the Oil blew a two-goal lead, the Ducks tied it with the goalie out and won it in overtime, prompting very similar emotions. I also recall the Oil blowing a game in the Boston Garden round about 1986 or so when they had the lead and the powerplay in the last two minutes, conspired to retreat all the way to their own end with the puck, and then Paul Coffey tried a long slow diagonal pass right through the middle of his own zone which the Bruins picked off and promptly put in the net. Then they won it in overtime. That time I was so mad I could spit ... tonight it was shocking in one sense but in another it was just another disaster in a disastrous season. Bad news always carries the day, so what's new?

***

Jacques - Horcoff - O'Sullivan
This threesome along with Staios and Souray was hard-matched against San Jose's big unit (Marleau-Thornton-Heatley-Murray-Boyle). They weren't up to the task judging by the -3 each of the three posted. Funny, cuz they did lots of things right. JFJ led the Oilers in hits (6) and POS in shots (also 6). Horcoff worked his tail off and made lots of excellent small plays, such as the second period sequence where he fended off heavy Sharks forechecking by two guys and finally worked his way out of the zone, only to have Souray inexplicably miss his soft breakout pass with the Sharks instantly turning it into a 2-on-1 the other way. Lots to like in JFJ's game, but defensive presence is not one of those things

Penner - Gagner - Brulé
Solid night's work from the trio, consisting of two former hot shot draft picks and the big man who took a very circuitous route to the bigs. They connected for two third period goals and showing some chemistry especially between Penner and Brulé who had it going earlier in the year. Brulé is no Hemsky obviously but I'm starting to think we might have an Actual NHL Player™ on our hands. He's showing some real intensity to go with a nose for the net and a quick release. As he has done most of the season, Penner gave the Sharks defenders fits with his bull-in-a-china-shop routine

Moreau - Potulny - Cogliano
Lots to like here. The trio generated 10 shots among them in a strong effort from all three men. Potulny too is doing a convincing impersonation of an Actual NHL Player™ and is getting stronger as his ice time and confidence grows. He notched a pair of goals with some real strong finish, threw his body around with some abandon, and contributed solid time to both special teams. Cogliano appears tp be finally emerging from the coccon that had enveloped his early-season play, skating hard and really getting his competitive juices flowing. The goals aren't coming yet, but he's been an effective player of late. Moreau too put in an excellent efffort, contributing a number of strong rushed including the one that led directly to what should have been the winning goal. He remains way too inclined to shoot from absolutely anywhere that he actually gets control of the disc, and the element of surprise is long gone.

McDonald - O'Marra - Stortini
A creditable performance from the young trio, who held their own in brief appearances (~5 minutes TOI). Stortini (4 hits) did a solid job chaperoning his inexperienced mates (combined 1 NHL GP before this one). O'Marra with a couple of nice hits, although for some reason he skirted a guy he seemingly had in the trolley tracks in the third. Guys like him need to hit at every opportunity to be successful. The raw rook McDonald had a couple of giveaways mixed in as he had a little trouble with NHL speed. I loved one sequence where all three of them consecutively hammered various Sharks who were trying to break out.

Souray - Staios
An awful night for the two vets, who were not so much hardmatched as overmatched against the "Olympic Line". Both ended the night with a sorry -4, burnt for three even strength goals with 22-10-19 and then the less forgivable SH goal that tied things at the end in which the two experienced defenders completely got undressed in front of their own goal. Souray had 3 giveaways and 2 bad penalties mixed in on a night where he seemed completely out of sorts, out of synch with himself and almost out of phase with the game. Everything he did was a split second ahead or behind the play. Staios got some time on the PP which spent more time allowing odd-man rushes against than creating anything in the good end.

Smid - Visnovsky
Solid night's work saw both post a +2. Smid delivered a tenacious effort which included contributions in the O-zone, as he forced a fine save from Nabokov minutes before he set up Potulny for the 4-3 goal. Visnovsky looked small and overmatched on a couple of occasions, and like a master in complete control much of the rest of the time.

Strudwick - Gilbert
Another pair with a sparkling +2 rating against lesser comp. One of Strudwick's stronger games in a while. Gilbert had a couple of horrendous giveways which led directly to glorious chances for the Sharks, but otherwise was looking more like his old self than I've seen for a while, using his smarts to win possession and his legs to rush the puck with authority.

Deslauriers
A number of decent stops to bail out various Oiler breakdowns, but I was less than impressed with his overall body of work. Seems to have a hell of a time tracking the puck, and allows rebounds in unexpected directions. He had his usual puckhandling misadventures (3 GV for at least the third time recently), freezing the puck much more often than necessary, especially given Oilers' issues on the dot. (See: tying goal against.) His attempted pokecheck on that faceoff situation was the exact wrong play, and led to Marleau having a wide open net to dunk the puck. Does not inspire confidence in this observer.

Columbus Blue Jackets 2010 Olympics Preview

Mike MacLean — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:30:34 -0000

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SBNation is doing a series of Olympic Previews, taking a look at each team and which of their players may be suiting up for their countries in Vancouver. As a baseline, we are going to give an indication of their chances of making their team by using these arguments: "Pack Your Bags", "Nearly a Lock", "Fairly Safe Bet", and "In a Battle". The Jackets have a few players who could become Olympians, here's a look at them:

Rick Nash (Canada) - Pack Your Bags
There is almost no way, outside of injury, that Nash will not be a member of Team Canada. In fact, he is penciled in by most as the man riding shotgun to Sidney Crosby. Nash has plenty of international experience in his young career, including being a member of the 2006 Olympic Team, which failed miserably. He is a more mature and complete player now, and will look to be an offensive leader for the Canucks at home in Vancouver. My favourite Nash goal at an international tournament didn't take place at the Olympics, it was at the World Championships, but here it is anyway:

Steve Mason (Canada) - In a Battle
At least he was at the beginning of the season, that is. Before the start of the regular season this year, many experts thought that when it came to Canada's goaltenders, Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur were locks. The battle was for who the third goaltender was going to be. The three main contenders were Mason, Marc-Andre Fleury and Cam Ward. With Ward's injury, that made it a two-horse race. The problem is, Mase never showed up. His play this season has been downright awful. I'm not a believer in sophomore slumps, but the proof is in the pudding here. Look for Fleury- who is coming off of a Cup win and is playing great right now-to get the third goalie nod.

Kristian Huselius (Sweden) - Fairly Safe Bet
The man we call Juice may not be on the top of the list of skilled Swedish forwards, but he is a strong candidate to be on the Swedish team. His last international exoerience was at the 2002 World Championships, where the Tre Kroner won the bronze medal. He has never played in an Olympics, but he is on the Swedish short-list for 2010.

Samuel Pahlsson (Sweden) - Nearly a Lock
Sammy will almost definitely be on the Swedish team in 2010. He helped the Swedes win the Gold Medal back in 2006 in Torino, playing on a line with Freddy Modin (more on him in a minute). A dedicated checking center like Pahlsson will be very important this time around, with the Olympics being in Vancouver, the games will be played on NHL-sized ice, meaning tighter checking.

Fredrik Modin (Sweden) - In a Battle
I saw that Freddy is in a battle, not necessarily with other players trying to make the team, but with his own body. After being lauded for his amazing durability, the last couple of seasons have been near write-offs for Freddy as he has been hit with injury after injury. That said, if he is healthy I can't imagine him not playing for the Swedes, even in a fourth line role. He is after all, one of the very few players who are a member of the Triple Gold Club.

Anton Stralman (Sweden) - Nearly a Lock
Stralman is off to a great start since joining the Jackets, putting up good point totals. He is one of the main reasons the Jackets' powerplay has gone from last in the league a year ago, to best so far this season. He has played in three straight World Championships for Team Sweden, from 2007-2009. The Swedish defensive corps are a talented group, with Anton fitting in nicely. With the injury to Kronwall, Stralman may see top line duty with Nick Lidstrom.

Jakub Voracek (Czech Republic) - Nearly a Lock
The Czechs are a team that always seems to surprise at international tournaments. Look no further than the '98 Olympics, where they took home the Gold based on the amazing play of Dominik Hasek. In 2010, the Czechs are a good team, and Voracek should be a member. He likely will play a third or fourth line role, with the top six wingers likely being Jagr, Hemsky, Prospal and Hejduk/Havlat.

Rostislav Klesla (Czech Replublic) - In a Battle
Rusty is a fringe player in terms of the Olympic team. He does have international experience, but he is in tough this time around. He has to beat out the likes of Kaberle, Kubina, Rozsival, Hamrlik, Spacek and Kuba. It's not completely impossible though, and with the smaller ice a rugged player like Rusty could shine.

Jan Hejda (Czech Republic) - In a Battle
Like Rusty, Jan is fighting for a spot. He's defense-first, which may help him because the guys he is fighting for a spot against are generally puck-moving types. He has international experience, his most recent was at the 2008 Worlds. Given the play of Jaro Spacek, one of Hejda or Klesla could make the squad.

Fedor Tyutin (Russia) - Nearly a Lock
The Russians have scary forwards, plain and simple. They are the most dynamic group in the world, hands down. That said, they don't have spectacular defense. A hybrid defenseman like Tyutin will fit in very well on the Russian squad, and he could see powerplay duty with Sergei Gonchar.

Nikita Filatov (Russia) - In a Battle
Filatov wasn't at the Russians Olympic came this past summer, but he is no doubt still very much on the radar of the National Team. With his recent return to Russia, his stock has certainly risen, but he is still in tough to make the squad, given their amazing talent and depth up front.

R.J. Umberger (United States) - In a Battle
I wanted to include Umby mainly because I believe that it is wrong that he wasn't invited to the Team USA camp. He is a much better player than a handful of guys who did get the invite, but it all has to do with his history with USA GM Brian Burke. Umby didn't sign with Vancouver, who drafted him in the first round when Burke was the GM. This led to bad blood, which has clearly carried over to the Olympics. RJ's play hasn't done much to convince Burke otherwise either.

To finish things off, being a Canadian I am excited as hell to have the Olympics here in my home country. After the disappointment of Torino, I, like every other Canadian, want to see the Gold come back to Canada. Here's my prediction of the Team Canada Olympic Roster:

Rick Nash - Sidney Crosby - Jarome Iginla
Dany Heatley - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Brendan Morrow - Mike Richards - Shane Doan
Patrick Marleau - Joe Thornton - Martin St. Louis
Steven Stamkos

HM: Jonathan Toews, Jeff Carter, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards

Chris Pronger - Scott Niedermayer
Dan Boyle - Duncan Keith
Shea Weber - Jay Bouwmeester
Drew Doughty

HM: Brent Seabrook, Mike Green, Stephane Robidas

Roberto Luongo
Martin Brodeur
Marc-Andre Fleury

HM: Marty Turco

Mark It Eight, Dude: Blackhawks Crush Sharks 7-2 for Their Eighth Win in a Row

Matthew Dirt — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:09:50 -0000

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In the history of Second City Hockey, we've probably had some pretty terrible game recaps - this might be one of them. McClure and Fels are obviously still over at the Whirlaway plowing down drinks and eating whatever delicious food Maria has made for the horde that made it out to the bar.

Meanwhile, I got back to my parent's home just in time for the second period to watch the Sharks game go absolutely down the toilet. Of course, I had to watch the game on a shitty internet connection and Yahoo's feed kept fucking up so I don't have any great insight as to how the game actually went - as if I ever do anyway though, eh? I've had several Yuengling's though - so I'm good to go.

Since the feeds out here sucked, all I've really got to go on are the stats and the game thread... and by the way the game thread had over 700 comments - I'm very fucking proud.

There are two things that obviously stand out - the Hawks scoring 3 short handed goals and Hossa netting two goals in his return to the ice... Honestly - I'm not sure which is more impressive. Short handed goals are always a mix of great play and a bit of luck. Due to the poor feed, I can't remember who but I remember seeing Sharks D-men falling down allowing at least one of the shorties. It was almost the bizzaro version of the game against the Flames where the Hawks scored their goals on the power play. This time they got them with a man feeling shame in the box - word is Brouwer, Sharp and Hossa all grew goatees too... Regardless - awesome. Hossa immediately making his presence felt, that could be even sweeter. This team is scary good at the moment, hopefully it's this fun for a lot longer.

Hossa ended the night with 2 goals on 4 shots in 16:35 minutes of ice time - Quenneville obviously didn't have any problems pushing Panda (alliteration!) tonight, only Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews had more ice time among the forwards.

On the Sharks side of things - it didn't look too good. Danny Boyle, Dany Heatley, and Joe Thornton were all -4 tonight. Patrick Marleau had a team leading 4 shots (one less than John Madden and a few other Hawks) on goal but was still -3. Speaking of shots on goal - The Sharks only managed 11 through the first period, though they did more than double that total in the third once the Hawks foot was clearly off the gas and settled into cruise control.

Scoring a touchdown (the extra point is good!) on the road is good - doing it against a team that hadn't lost in regulation at home, that's better. If you read the Power Rankings post I had yesterday, you saw that this was had the potential to be a statement game. These are two of the best teams in the NHL - and the Blackhawks absolutely dominated the Sharks. Happy Fucking Holidays.

Don't know how the other two are going to be feeling tomorrow but if they're not too annihilated they may have a few more thoughts before settling into a traditional American food coma. If not, let this be the Second City Hockey message to all of you saying we're very thankful to have all of you as readers and we hope you have a great day. Enjoy.

Player Of The Game:

Once again, this could have gone to a lot of players. Troy Brouwer had a goal, an assist and two hits. Duncan Keith had another 3 assist game. Both Patrick Sharp and Brent Seabrook had goal and assist games - Biscuit also had 5 hits. Cristobal Huet had another great game - he came out with only a .917 SV% but deserved better since the Hawks got sloppy in the waning moments. I think we've got to go with the new guy though. 2 goals on 4 shots in just over 16:30 minutes TOI.

Thanks again to GMH for the image - which is slightly terrifying but awesome at the same time.

Shark Sandwich - Hawks 4, Sharks 3 (OT)

McClure — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:40:34 -0000

Eight of eight points against 3 top conference foes and one truculent opponent? Yeah, we'll take it. Tonight's win wasn't pretty, but an ugly win is still a win.

Things started off well enough with Brent Sopel (yes, BRENT SOPEL) notching his first of the year on a one time feed from Jordan Hendry who won the puck down low skating at forward tonight. Fresh call-up Bryan Bickell provided a nice screen on a shot that Evgeni Nabokov never saw. The Sharks answered later on in the period when dickweed Dany Heatley took a feed from Joe Thornton on a play that the Hawks should have cleared the zone on, but Jason Demers made a nice play to cut off Troy Brouwer receiving the exit pass.

Early in the second, we got to see the numbskullery we had been missing from Ben Eager, where he somehow managed to earn an extra two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from his scrap with cro-magnon Douglas Murray. On the ensuing power play, the Sharks broke the Hawks streak of 18 straight penalties killed when Demers picked up a loose puck in the left circle on a broken play. It was a shot Huet did not get over to his post in time to cover. Forty-five seconds later, Patrick Marleau got a pass from Joe Pavelski in the slot, where he was left alone in a defensive breakdown, and was allowed to get two cracks at the net, the second of which he punched through. For the rest of the period, the ice was tilted in the Hawks favor. Patrick Kane picked a corner over Nabokov's glove to cut the deficit in half. With about a minute and a half to go, John Madden tied things up after skating through four Sharks to bury a rebound of a shot that was generated between he, Andrew Ladd, and Troy Brouwer. There was a scare in the middle of the frame when the puck squirted behind Huet and the Sharks had thought they had scored, but there was no indication on the ice, and the war room in Toronto determined no goal.

The third period was a rather tenative affair, with neither team generating much offensively, almost playing as if they were resigned to the fate of overtime as teams once did in the pre-lockout era. The Hawks ended things quickly with a great shift from Troy Brouwer and Jonathan Toews, who won the puck after hard work in behind the Shark net, with Toews finally able to slip it to a pinching Brent Seabrook who shot the puck through Nabokov for his second of the year, and second OT winner. Ballgame.

The Hawks were without the services of Kris Versteeg tonight, who was likely banged up after getting demolished by Jeff Finger on Friday night. Bryan "Don't Call me Travis" Bickell filled in admirably, and proving to be basically the left handed version of Troy Brouwer, which isn't a bad thing to be at this point.
Glad to see the Hawks hang tough and win over the top team in the league with basically half of their top 6 out for tonight's game (Bolland, Versteeg, Hossa).
Niklas Hjalmarsson continues to impress with his patience and smarts in his own end. As we've mentioned before here, and in the Indian, pay attention and marvel at his knack for absorbing a hit to make the correct pass. Additionally, he had a nice break up of a rush by dropping to a knee and taking away a passing lane.
Coach Q broke form and got way less matchup happy in the second period when the Hawks were down two goals, in an effort to generate some offense. Of course, with the score knotted in the third, John Madden once again resumed shadow detail on Thornton.
It wasn't Huet's best night, but he made a gigantic save on Scott Nichol in the waning seconds of regulation, so credit has to be given. All we as fans have asked from him is to just make the key save, and there was none bigger in the contest than that one.
The Hawks again limited one of the top offensive teams in the league to just 23 shots.
EDIT: John Madden was 9-0 on draws. The man love grows ever stronger.

Player of the Game

Though realistically, the honor should have gone to Patrick Marleau, who was everywhere tonight, you don't really think we'd pick someone from the other team, do you? So in that case, I'm going to go ahead and hand this out to Hammer, who was again rock solid tonight, in spite of being -1. Stats be damned, I know what I saw.