SB Nation - Petr Sykora

Top 10 New Jersey Devils Moments of the Decade: Part 1, Honorable Mention

Steve Lepore — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:00:18 -0000

It's been an eventful decade here in the Garden State when it comes to hockey. Two Stanley Cups, three Prince of Wales trophies, five Atlantic Division titles, seven 100-point seasons. Oh, and the Devils' goalie cemented his name in the conversations of "Greatest to ever play the game". Starting this Tuesday, I will countdown the 10 best moments since 2000, but first, a look at some of the things that didn't make the cut.

Devils Hire Larry Robinson as Head Coach... The First Time (March 23, 2000)

The Devils gave then-future Hockey Hall of Famer Larry Robinson his first shot in the coaching ranks, when former Montreal Canadiens teammate Jacques Lemaire brought him as an assistant coach when he took over the Devils in 1993. Robinson, blessed with a defensive unit that included another future Hall of Famer in Scott Stevens as well as veterans Ken Daneyko and Bruce Driver, helped bring along a budding All-Star in young Scott Niedermayer, and meshed together a defensive unit that helped New Jersey win it's first Stanley Cup in 1995.

From there, Robinson got his first head coaching job with the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of that year. After only four playoff games in the next four years, Robinson left the franchise, only to return to the Devils as an assistant for then coach Robbie Ftorek. Everything seemed to be headed in the right direction for New Jersey toward another playoff run. From December 26, 1999 to February 15, 2000, the Devils went a mind-blowing 17-3-3. But then things took a turn for the downright bizarre.

Starting with a 5-5 tie against the Colorado Avalanche on February 17th, the Devils went 5-10-2, culminating in a 5-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello clearly saw Ftorek as losing the team (no, the bench-throwing thing isn't on this list) and leading it toward another first-round playoff exist (the Devils had exited in Conference Quarterfinals the last two seasons). He fired Ftorek on March 23, 2000, in favor of the assistant Robinson. Larry lead the Devils to an 8-2 win over the Isles and a 4-4 record the rest of the way. However, it'd be the post-season where Robinson would prove why he was fit to run this team.

Devils Trade Brendan Morrison and Denis Pederson to Vancouver for Alexander Mogilny (March 14, 2000)

Looking for some added scoring touch to support the budding A-line of Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott, Lou did what was seen as unprecedented at that time in Devils circles: he brought in a bona fide offensive talent during what you'd call arguably the prime of his career (Mogilny was 31 when acquired by New Jersey). The addition of Mogilny did something that no one previously had: He made the Devils a team you feared offensively every night.

Mogilny has also long been credited with making then-rookie centerman Scott Gomez into the player that later bolted for the Rangers, though that can be argued, as Gomez had fewer points in the full season AlMo spent with Jersey (2000-01) than in his 70-point rookie season. That said, despite a sub-par post-season in 1999-00, Mogilny put up points in that 2000-01 season that were almost unheard of previously for a New Jersey team, with 43 goals and 40 assists, second behind Elias' 96 points, giving the Devs unheard of scoring depth.

Despite chipping in 16 points in the post-season, the Devils would go on to lose the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals to the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. Mogilny signed with Toronto that off-season, only to return for an aborted, half-season stay with New Jersey in 2005-06. He was sent to Albany to make room for Elias' return from Hepatitis, and for all intents and purposes, never heard from again. Devils fans will always remember Mogilny, however, for once and for all proving that the Devils were no mere defensive juggernaut.

Patrik Elias Signs Seven-Year Contract with Devils (July 2, 2006)

Before the lockout, Patrik Elias was well on his way to becoming the offensive version of Martin Brodeur for New Jersey: putting up terrific numbers every year, but largely being taken for granted by a fanbase that wants to win the Stanley Cup every year, rather than see another 40-goal season. The young winger from the Czech Republic had put up his third 35-goal plus season in 2003-04 (38-43-81) and was one of the few Devils that showed any life in New Jersey's five-game playoff defeat to Philadelphia (3-2-5 in the series).

It was the time during the lockout that gave everyone a scare. While having a good season Mettalurg Magnitigorsk in Russia, Elias contracted Hepatitis A from food eaten in the country. The disease, chronicled largely in an NHL Network special that primarily focused on Elias' UNICEF ambassadorship, severely weakened the then 28-year old forward and kept him out of hockey for a while.

Elias didn't return to the game until January 3, 2006, with the Devils playing the Florida Panthers. Put on a line with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta (The "Egg" Line), Elias looked as if he hadn't missed a beat. He scored eight points in his first four games, 45 points in 38 games that season, and led the Devils to an unheard of 15-game winning streak, combining the last 11 games of the season and first four of the playoffs, to lead New Jersey to a shocking Atlantic Division title on the campaign's final night in Montreal.

Elias continued a torrid pace in the playoffs. He had two goals and four assists in Game 1 of the Devils series with the New York Rangers, and went on to score 16 points in nine games that post-season. It made people notice Elias as an elite forward in this league. It also certainly drew attention to the fact that his contract was up that summer.

There were a lot of fears in Devils-land the Patrik would sign with another team. The Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks were reported to have made serious offers. Though the real fear was that he'd sign with the Rangers. Elias alleviated those fears by agreeing to a 7-year, $42 million deal with the Devs the day after the UFA period began in 2006. He's worth every penny, and put up another 30-goal season just this past campaign. Elias will likely be a Devil for life, and hopefully never taken for granted again.

Brian Gionta Breaks the Devil Record For Goals in a Season, Devils Culminate 11-game Win Streak and Division Title With Shocking, Comeback Victory Over Montreal on the Season's Final Night (April 18, 2006)

Coupled with the 1999-00 season, the 2005-06 campaign has got to go down as one of the strangest of the decade. Head coach Larry Robinson said so himself. Robinson, re-hired by the Devils after it was announced that Pat Burns could no longer continue, had to step down after 32 games (14-13-5) when he told Lou Lamoriello at the team's annual Christmas party that the club was making him ill. Happy holidays, for sure.

More changes still were announced after a December 17, 2005 loss to Carolina. All three of the Devils major acquisitions over the off-season (Alexander Mogilny, Dan McGillis and Vladimir Malakhov) were either sent down to AHL Albany, or "retired" under mysterious circumstances. The Devils were, to put it lightly, kind of a mess. They were still figuring out how to make do with life minus Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko on the backline, so this was sort of the beginning of a "new generation" of Devils, if you will.

After Robinson quit at the halfway point, longtime GM Lou Lamoriello took over as coach. A week or so later, forward Patrik Elias returned from Hepatitis A, and the team caught fire. A nine-game winning streak to start the new year let everyone know that the Devils would not suffer in the post-lockout NHL. It was an 11-game winning streak to end the season, however, that made the Devils onto every hockey writer's shortlist for Stanley Cup contenders.

A young forward named Brian Gionta emerged as the team's top scorer that season with Elias out. A small winger, known mostly up to that point for his willingness to go to the front of the net and personal rivalry with gargantuan and polar opposite on the height scale Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, Gionta broke out in 2005-06, his style tailor made for the "New NHL". On March 28, 2006, he became the first Devil to hit 40 goals in a season since Elias and Mogilny in 2001. Going into the NHL and the Devils season's final night, he was tied with Pat Verbeek's all-time single-season goal scoring record of 46.

Now, the Devils were in Montreal that night, and could to the surprise of almost everyone, win the division title after struggling so much for the first half of the season. Everything worked out in their favor, as the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers both lost shortly before. Two points and the Devils get the division over the Flyers (who would have the same amount of points, 101) by virtue of having more wins, as well as #3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The only problem was... well, the Devils didn't show up for the first 40 minutes of that game. The Habs had a 3-0 lead on the Devils at home with three minutes to go in the second period, and only Brodeur keeping things from getting out of hand.

Then, with 2:42 to go, Gionta scored a goal that would personify the type of player he was. A Scott Gomez shot popped high off of Montreal goaltender Cristobal Huet. Gionta gloved the puck out of the air, down onto his stick, and put the puck home to break Verbeek's record, and give the Devils hope going into the third period. Of course, neither the Devils nor Gio were done yet.

Not much was going on early in the third, but nine minutes to go, the Habs took a penalty and the Devils went on the power play. Some slick passing and a Brian Rafalski shot gave Gionta another close-in rebound and a 48th goal that season, just for some distance. All that, and the Devils were within a shot of tying it. Three minutes later, Patrik Elias scored a georgeous goal off a pass from Gomez, who'd made a brilliant rush up the eyes, to tie the game with five minutes left.

With 2:30 to go, Habs forward Alex Kovalev took a shot that Marty Brodeur kicked away, right to a Devil defender, who passed it to Jamie Langenbrunner. He raced it in on a three-on-one against the Canadiens and Huet. Langenbrunner looked over the options, called his own number and ripped a shot by Huet to give the Devils a 4-3 lead. New Jersey hung on and won the division. It was one of the best regular season nights for Jersey's team I've ever seen, and it didn't even make the top 10 list. Ill be back on Monday with part one of that. Meanwhile, leave your own thoughts in the comments and your suggestions for my Top 10.

Best (and worst) Free Agent signings by the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2000-09

Hooks Orpik — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:00:19 -0000

Yesterday we took a look at the draft picks, and by popular requests, here's a look at free agency hits and misses.

Free agency has been a tool that Pittsburgh hasn't used much. In the early part of the decade they couldn't afford the spending sprees that drunken GM's went on (like Bobby Holik's $45 million over 5 seasons back in 2002). Then when the salary cap was in effect, they could only afford to add bit pieces and stay under the cap.

Still, we have some guys to review and question -- either how they got the money they did or how the Penguins got such a steal! Yours, after the jump

Worst

#5 - Mark Recchi (signed in summer 2004, two year contract, signed in 2006, signed in summer 2007 one year deal with $1.75 million cap hit)

The term wasn't bad, but the player didn't mesh. Recchi played exclusively with Sidney Crosby, and it didn't seem like he had enough gas in the tank to keep up. Recchi was traded and won the Cup with Carolina in between his stints in Pittsburgh this decade, but by the start of the 2007-08 season he had only 8 points (and 2 goals) in the first 19 games and the Pens waived him.

#4 - Miroslav Satan (signed in summer 2008, one year contract $3.5 million cap hit)

Satan was another player that didn't work out. Though he wasn't terrible with 17 goals in 65 games, that isn't exactly awful, but who envisioned the team waiving him and having him play out 10 games in the minors to stay under the salary cap? Not the ideal situation for either party, though credit Satan's class of never complaining throughout the whole ordeal.

#3 - Dany Sabourin (signed in summer 2007, two year contract with a $512,000 cap hit per season)

Signed back from the Vancouver organization to be a reliable backup, Dany Sabourin was more of just a backup. His presence and contract kept Ty Conklin in the minors in '07 and Sabourin faired so rough the Pens decided to trade him away in '09 after he gave up 3+ goals in eight of nine appearances (some of them in relief).

#2 - John LeClair (signed in summer 2005, two year contract with a $1.8 million cap hit per season)

A part of Craig Patrick's post-lockout re-tool, the 36 year old winger was added to the Penguins. While he had a decent first season with 51 points in 73 games, LeClair was in full decline. He'd only score 2 goals (and 7 points) in the first 21 games of the 2006-07 before it was over. LeClair was waived, placed re-entry waivers, then unconditonally released by Pittsburgh and that was the sad end to a once stellar career.

#1 - Zigmund Palffy (signed in summer 2005, three year contract with a $4.5 million cap hit per season)

Palffy broke the number 1 rule, so he ends up at #1. He literally quit on the team, walking into the GM's office on an off-day and announcing "retirement". Shockingly, he's played in Slovakian league the past two seasons. Palffy had 42 points in 42 games with the Pens and seemed to be a decent fit with Crosby and the Pens. Whether he didn't like then-new coach Michel Therrien's defensive systems, or the losses in Pittsburgh or just felt tired of dealing with NHL level physical abuse, he quit and he's the goat of goats. (The NHL allowed his salary to come off the books upon his "retirement", if you were wondering).

Best

# 7 - Mike Rupp (signed in summer 2009, two year deal for $825,000 cap hit per year)

Ray Shero made an under the radar signing that set off alarms here, but now we see why. Rupp's been a great teammate, wiling to fight if someone's been wronged. But he's also shown an undiscovered scoring touch, scoring 9 goals in his first 32 games in a Pens jersey, when he'd only scored 27 goals in his whole 325 game career prior.

#6 - Matt Cooke (signed in summer 2008, two year deal for $1,200,000 cap hit per year)

Faced with the dilemma of having their resident sand-paper, gritty penalty killing forward demanding a three year contract, the Penguins let 33 year old Jarkko Ruutu go to Ottawa and brought in a very similiar player in 30 year old Matt Cooke. Cooke formed a bond with Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal, kills penalties well, and can pitch in limited offensive help.

#5 - Jay McKee (signed in summer 2009, one year deal for $800,000 cap hit)

McKee was looking to raise his profile around the league after being bought out by the St. Louis Blues. That gave him some money, so he didn't need a lot from his new team. The Penguins were needing a defensive replacement for departed players in Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. Win meet win. And when everyone wins, the Penguins win.

#4 - Ty Conklin (signed in summer 2007, one year deal for $500,000 cap hit)

Conklin was signed as pure depth; he'd start the year in the AHL and only make his way up when Marc-Andre Fleury fell to injury. But when Conklin was in, the Penguins season was in the balance. Conklin went 18-8-5 with a 2.51 GAA and near-league leading .923 save percentage. He breathed life into the Pens season and once Fleury was back they took it within two games of winning it all.

#3 - Mark Eaton (signed in summer of 2006, $1.6 million cap hit per year; signed summer 2008, $2 million cap hit)

One of Shero's first moves in becoming GM of Pittsburgh was signing over a guy he knew from Nashville. Eaton hasn't disappointed, so long as he's been healthy, being a valued part of the Penguins' Stanley Cup winning team. He ranks this high on the list for his years of service, as well as being signed to reasonable contracts twice.

#2 - Petr Sykora (signed in summer 2007; $2.625 million cap hit per year)

Sykora chipped in 53 goals in two regular seasons, including 28 PP markers, and six more in the playoffs. Who could forget the 3 OT game to force a Game Six versus Detroit in the Stanley Cup final in '08. He was signed to score goals, and that's what he did, up to the point it was obvious he didn't mesh into Dan Bylsma's aggressive, skating heavy system.

#1 - Sergei Gonchar (signed in summer 2005; $5 million cap hit per year)

Amazingly, this was considered one of the worst contracts in it's infancy, as Gonchar had a difficult time adjusting to his new team and the unorganized system employed by former coach Ed Olczyk. But once he settled in and the team grew around him, Gonchar blossomed from an offensive-defenseman into a well-rounded #1 guy and leader of a Stanley Cup winning team.

So there you have it. Mind you, these weren't nearly all the signings, and I didn't consider re-signings (like bringing back Gary Roberts or Brooks Orpik) even though that possibly could be considered in-bounds. There's more good than bad, because, well I think the Penguins have managed free agency pretty well. It's not a staple of their team building philosophy, but that's by design. For the most part, free agency was used to augment the existing roster with bits and pieces. The one year it wasn't (2005), it's probably no coincidence that 2 of the 3 most noteworthy contracts are in the "bad" column.

Want to Solve the Concussion Issue?

BReynolds — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:28:01 -0000

The Wild now have four players out with concussions. Brent Burns, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Petr Sykora, and now Andrew Ebbett. A week or so ago, I discussed exactly what a concussion is. Now, let's talk about how to fix the problem, since the Wild seem to be disproportionately affected.

Join me after the jump for some fun with words.

The Holy Grail of concussion cures is not likely to be found anytime soon. There is no helmet, no protection device that can prevent the brain from moving inside the skull. Unless they find a way to change the laws of physics and get rid of that pesky inertia thing, concussions are going to happen. The focus needs to be on how to prevent as many as possible, and since it is equally impossible to make the ice surface soft, what else can be done?

Messier Cascade M11 Helmet

First, we have a basic, simple solution. Helmets. Specifically, the Messier designed helmet:

The helmet is designed to cushion the blow to the head using (in layman's terms) shock absorbers throughout the helmet to absorb up to 80% of the impact.

The question this begs is, why does the league not mandate its use? Change comes slow to the NHL, shocker, I know. It has been left up to the players to decide if they want to wear it, much like face shields. Similar to the NHL prior to helmet use being mandatory, the "cool" players don't wear face shields. The "cool" players won't wear the new helmet because the stigma has already been assigned to it, that only a sissy would wear this thing.

It will require the league mandating its use in order for players to wear it. Or, perhaps the Wild need to make the move and mandate their players wear it. Suck it up boys. I'd rather see you skating in this "goofy" new helmet than not see you at all.

Count me in as a proponent of making the helmet mandatory. It hurts no one, and could save careers.

Enforcing the Rules On the Books

There are rules, already in place, to help prevent concussions. Problem is, they are not enforced. Charging, boarding, high sticking, elbowing, cross checking, slashing, tripping (am I missing any?) all have sub-clauses that if they cause injury or you show intent to injure, you can be suspended. The debate is long and ongoing about how to dole out suspensions and what garners a suspension and what doesn't. I won't go into that right now. Find any thread about suspensions, and join the discussion.

What needs to happen is for the league, and the NHLPA, to call for the rules to be enforced. It worked to eliminate the clutch and grab. There were not all that many rules added to eliminate it, they simply enforced the interference, hooking, and holding rules they already had.

Enforce the rules you have, and things calm down. At least a bit.

Eliminate One Specific Rule

Can you guess which one? That's right. The instigator rule. It is the worst thing that has happened to hockey since Jacques Lemaire perfected the trap. Fellow Wild blog Wild Puck asked today about The Code. The Code is supposed to make it clear to players that they must respect each other. It is the unwritten rules of any sport that are more important than the rules in the rule book. However, The Code is dead.

Gone are the days of bench clearing brawls, of knowing you were going to have to stare down Derek Boogaard if you crossed the line. Now, all you need to do is wait until Boogey is on the bench and take your shot. Not like Boogaard can jump the boards and come take you out. If he does, he gets suspended. So, you simply wait it out and take your shot when the scariest guy on the ice is James Sheppard.

If I am Ed Jovanovski, and I know that if I cross the line, no matter when or where, that all 6' 8" 275 lbs of Derek Boogaard are going to come crashing down on my head, I think twice. Andrew Ebbet gets put into the boards, or I poke check the puck away. Instead, Jovo has free reign to do anything he wants, knowing that the worst that will happen is he will need to rest his weary bones for a couple games.

Players are no longer allowed to police themselves. With less than five minutes left in a game, you no longer see the retribution doled out like in the old days. Now, it carries a suspension and a fine for the coach. So, no one does anything. By the time the next game comes around, the focus is back on getting the two points, and retribution can wait.

Why, you may ask. Why has The Code died? There is no simple answer other than: economics. Gary Bettman has decided it is more important to be able to market the game to people who have absolutely no interest in the game than it is to allow the players to play the game. Find yourself a non-hockey fan and ask them why they don't watch it. You will most likely find out that "they don't like the fighting." Despite the fact that the number of fights has plummeted, they still don't watch. They never will. So screw 'em. Stop catering to people who hate you.

But hold on a minute. We can't just get rid of people who hate the game and put the instigator rule to death. But Buddha, why not? Because there are hockey teams in non-traditional markets that are struggling. I know, here it comes. The "I'm a Minnesota hockey fan so I am so much better than you" right? Wrong.

The Coyotes have no corporate partners. Either do the Panthers or the Lightning. The institution of the instigator rule coincided with the expansion of the NHL into markets it did not need to be in. In order to garner the corporate partners it needed, the NHL need to get the violence under control. In doing so, the NHL killed The Code in order to make a buck.

They are now paying the price for that greed.

Players are dropping like flies. Concussions are clearly on the rise. There is no simple solution, and there will always be concussions in a game as fast and as physical as hockey. However, a combination of new protection, enforcement of rules, and elimination of the instigator penalties would certainly cut down on the bulk of them. Until they invent padded ice, something else needs to be done.

Got a better idea? Tell us about it.

-Buddha

Minnesota Wild vs. Boston Bruins: Game Recap

nathaneide — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:30:49 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

Browse more photos »

Minnesota Wild 1-2 (so) Boston Bruins

Outshooting a team 29-16, only scoring once and not getting the two points brings a feeling of deja vu across the Wilderness.

Yes, the Wild were missing Brent Burns, Antti Miettinen, Martin Havlat, Petr Sykora and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to injury and Guillaume Latendresse to visa issues and still dominated the Bruins, but once again, they couldn't find the back of the net.

Tuukka Rask was outstanding tonight. He made at least four saves that he really had no business making, which could have easily busted the game wide open. Conversely, Niklas Backstrom made two exceptional saves in the third period and overtime that were worthy of end of the season highlight reels to keep the Wild in it.

The Wild came out like a team well-rested, even though they were missing five regulars. They controlled the play and outshot the Bruins 11-2 in the first frame. Unfortunately they just ran into a brick wall in Rask and Byron Bitz made the most of the only good scoring opportunity Boston had, tipping home a Derek Morris attempt.

The locker room in the first intermission must have been one of disappointment for not scoring on 11 shots, but the guys had to feel good that they were able to take it to one of the best teams in the East. The Wild came out firing again in the second period. They didn't quite get as many shots in the second as the first, but they were still controlling the play, and at 10:23 of the second, Andrew Ebbett brought the Xcel Energy crowd to its feet with a gorgeous redirect of a Kyle Brodziak shot and finally beat Rask. This power play goal was the kind that would normally open up the scoring. The Wild were dominating play and had finally broken through the wall. However, Rask was simply too tough tonight.

The third period was one in which the Wild controlled play early, then suddenly Boston seemed to realize that they were tied and took over the game, penning the Wild deep in their zone for most of the last ten minutes and until Dennis Wideman finally was whistled for high-sticking (he got away with another high-stick and a sucker punch earlier) then the Wild brought the pressure again, but it was too little too late as the Wild took too long setting up the power play and not enough time and effort on getting the puck to the net. When they finally did, they caused some problems for the Bruins and Andrew Brunette was staring a wide-open goal in the face, but couldn't control the puck and the Bruins cleared, ending the overtime.

The shootout was the most bothersome part for me. Mikko Koivu used pure power to put the puck through Rask to open the shootout, but Marek Zidlicky came up second and was stuffed (why is he in the shootout?), then Eric Belanger's attempt was gloved and Chuck Kobasew was stopped by Rask, making the David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron goals good enough to give the Bruins an undeserved two points.

It was a frustrating loss, considering how well the Wild played, until it came time to actually put the puck in the net. They seemingly don't have the finishers. Too many playmakers, not enough goal scorers. Maybe the return of Havlat and Sykora and bringing in Latendresse will alleviate this problem, but I haven't seen enough from Marty and Petr to make me think that is going to be the case.

Have a good Thanksgiving, and we'll see you on Friday at 1:00 for the first of a home and home with the Avalanche.

Please read the game recap over at Stanley Cup of Chowder

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Tuukka Rask (2 G)
Andrew Ebbett (1 G)
Byron Bitz (1 G)

Questions to Answer

How is Andrew Ebbett going to fit? One nice power play goal and great shifts tonight. Love the way this kid came out and brought it tonight. Let's hope he continues to do so.
How are Chuck Kobasew and Shane Hnidy going to react to playing against their old squad? Hnidy played with a bit of a mean streak tonight and looked solid. Kobasew had the chance to dagger the B's, but couldn't pull it off in the end.
Will Patrice Bergeron stay on his hot streak? Bergeron terrified me all night. It seemed like every time he was on the ice, he was ready to score. Let's hope Pierre-Marc Bouchard can look like this when he comes back from his concussion. That said, the Wild did a nice job keeping him off the scoresheet.
Can Andrew Brunette continue to play well and add to his point streak? (6 points in his last 6 games) Not sure how Bruno didn't score on the powerplay in overtime, but he just couldn't control the puck with a yawning cage in front of him.
Can the Wild get to Tuukka Rask? Afraid not. Rask was fantastic tonight. Absolutely fantastic.

Andrew Ebbett and Guillaume Latendresse: What's the effect?

nathaneide — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:49:47 -0000

by Paul Chiasson - AP

View full size photo »

In the last three days, the Minnesota Wild have added Andrew Ebbett off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks and traded Benoit Pouliot to the Montreal Canadiens for Guillaume Latendresse. These moves are likely seen from the front office as a way to spark a rather anemic offense and to try to provide some change to a team that has been underperforming to the expectations set by the franchise and the fanbase.

We've already looked a bit deeper into Andrew Ebbett, and much has been said about Latendresse's lackluster performance in Montreal, culminating in this passage from Habs Eyes on the Prize

2009-10 was said to be a season in which Latendresse would finally surpass the 20 goal mark, which is still something noteworthy for depth player on teams thought to be playoff bound. After seasons of 16, 16 and 14 goals, much more was expected of the former second round pick.

What effect will adding Ebbett and Latendresse have on the Wild? Where will they fit in the lines? How will this affect the offense, and will they be the type of players to give their all on every shift, work hard in the offensive zone and get back to cover their defensive responsibilities? How will this change the

Ebbett seems to be a second or third line center. He'll likely fit with Cal Clutterbuck and will likely see Latendresse on his other wing. With these two coming in, it's already moved Nathan Smith back to Houston and will probably see Danny Irmen on his way out other, with Robbie Earl joining them if/when Chuck Kobasew, Petr Sykora and Pierre-Marc Bouchard return.

With everyone healthy, lines might look something like this:

Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Martin Havlat
Owen Nolan - Eric Belanger - Antti Miettinen
Guillaume Latendresse - Andrew Ebbett - Petr Sykora
Cal Clutterbuck - Kyle Brodziak - Chuck Kobasew

So, where does this leave PMB, should he ever return? What about Derek Boogaard? Can you move Robbie Earl back to Houston? Does James Sheppard fit anywhere? Obviously injuries have played a major role this season, but if everyone's healthy, there are simply too many spots, and not enough guys have proven that they are assured a spot in the lineup.

So Wilderness, give me your answers!

Stargazing: Stars Gear Up for Tough Road Test

Brad G — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:30:34 -0000

Stargazing is a daily assortment of Dallas Stars and Texas Stars news, and whatever other random ramblings are bouncing around inside our heads.

The Stars' four day break is coming to a close, and a trio of stout road tests starts tomorrow night in San Jose with the Sharks. This was the Dallas' longest break between games this year, not counting the Olympic break of course. They have only two more breaks of at least three days remaining, one of which is next week before the team travels to Detroit. After that, the remainder of the season will come at a dizzying pace.

Dallas has used the time to become relatively healthy. Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen both returned to the lineup for three consecutive games, and strange and wonderful as it sounds, both remain healthy a week later. James Neal has returned to practice as has Krys Barch. Brad Richards and his nagging soreness surely benefit from the break as well. The health of the team, tenuous as it is, is a welcome improvement over the woes of last winter.

Turning our attention to the Sharks: They've just won their 10th game in their last 12 tries. They have once again, as we knew they would, risen authoritatively to the top of the division. Last year on November 11th, the Sharks were 14 points ahead of the Stars. This year, they're 8 points ahead and the Stars have two games in hand. Dallas will see Phoenix on Saturday night, and then will likely to stop back home for a day or two before continuing their "road trip" in Detroit on Wednesday.

After the jump: More on Brett Hull's HOF induction; Lines for tomorrow's game; Is Steve Ott getting suspended again? A new Stars injury? And more Stars news and notes...

Steve Ott has another city in an uproar, and the Star Tribune updates the possibility of punishment:

With Petr Sykora recovering at home from a concussion, Wild coach Todd Richards said Tuesday he doesn't expect NHL officials to discipline Dallas center Steve Ott for the hit that blasted Sykora's head into the glass Saturday. But dangerous shots to the head -- and the serious injuries they cause -- will be discussed by the league's general managers as they conclude their fall meetings in Toronto today.

...

Wild GM Chuck Fletcher said he didn't consider it a dirty play.

"It's part of hockey," he said. "You never want to have anyone get injured, but some things are unavoidable in a contact sport."

And yesterday, they reported that lack of video may spare Ott:

Richards does not anticipate the NHL will discipline Steve Ott for his hit on Petr Sykora. He said the hit was not easily seen on the video, which would hamper NHL officials' ability to review it. As for Sykora, Richards said he is feeling better, and the fact that he is coming around quickly is a good sign. "It's not a lingering thing where he's kind of in limbo, so that's positive,'' Richards said.

I suppose that's why I haven't seen it again anywhere. It's hard to comment on, so we'll cross our fingers that Ott is more careful in the future so he can stay on the ice, and move on.

Fabian Brunnstrom is listed as day to day with a shoulder injury sustained in practice this week. Mike Heika reports the lines from Wednesday's practice as the following:

Here were the lines Crawford went with today, and they appear to be the lines he will use against the Sharks.

Neal-Richards-Eriksson
Morrow-Ribeiro-Benn
Petersen-Modano-Lehtinen
Ott-Wandell-Barch

Grossman-Robidas
Skrastins-Niskanen
Fistric-Daley

Turco

It appears Brian Sutherby and Jeff Woywitka will be your healthy scratches.

So Sutherby sits, and Ott will play 4th line minutes. It just goes to show you how dramatically things can change for a player based on the health of the team. Everyone must be prepared to do their part and play where they must.

Richard Durrett has some nice comments from Mike Modano regarding Hull's induction, and possibility of his own inclusion someday:

"It was good," Modano said. "It was short and sweet, about an hour. They are only allowed four or five minutes to talk. It was a bit of a zoo. Everybody has a lot of friends and family. We were there to show our support."

Modano admitted that he couldn't help but think about what it might be like to be inducted one day himself.

"That would be a fitting end to anybody's career," Modano said. "You don't think about that when you start playing. You're not thinking whether you're Hall of Fame caliber. You play because it's fun and you have a good time, but to culminate in that would be pretty awesome. I can only imagine how humbling it is or how fortunate it would be to be recognized."

Personally, I'd like to see Mike pile a couple dozen more goals on before we start thinking about things like.

The USA Today reports that the Blues will honor Brett in St. Louis on December 15th:

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The St. Louis Blues plan a ceremony on Dec. 15 to honor Brett Hull's induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Hull will be honored prior to a game involving his first two teams, Calgary and St. Louis. Plans for the ceremony were announced Tuesday.

Hull began his career with the Flames in 1986 and came to St. Louis in a trade in 1988. He scored a career-high 86 goals and was the league MVP in 1990-91, and followed that with two more 70-plus goal seasons. All told, he had 741 goals and 650 assists in 19 NHL seasons.

Hull was inducted into the Hall of Fame Monday.

The Stars don't play that night. I guess you can borrow him.

Mike Heika says the opposition has started targeting James Neal, seeking to were him down with physical play and desirable defensive match-ups:

"You're out there playing against big, tough guys, and it's a challenge every night, and you have to be ready for it. I think if you're confident in what you're doing, you'll be fine."

Neal is confident, but does he have to adjust his game to survive the physical abuse? Some targeted players have worn down over time. Some find a way to deftly avoid hits. Others move out of the danger zone and become less effective.

"I think he can give it pretty well, and he's used to that type of game, so I don't see him changing," Richards said. "If he wants to play a different type of game and not go to the net, then he probably wouldn't have his nine goals. Unfortunately for your body sometimes, that's just the way it goes."

While I'd like to see James take good care of himself, I think that like Brenden Morrow, he's not going to back down.

Dallasstars.com has notes on practice, and the four day break:

With four days off between games, the Stars have been making the most of their practices.

"We don’t get a lot of practice time, so this is a great practice block for us," says Head Coach Marc Crawford. "We let the guys know right away that it was going to be hard for these two days and it was. I really appreciated their effort and their intensity. It’s tough to stay intense for the amount of time that you practice. If you’re only doing it for a short amount of time it’s a little bit easier. But here, we’re over an hour each day, an hour 15 yesterday and hour and five or 10 today. All hard drills, all really action packed and all lots of intensity lots of physical plays. You run the risk that you do get a bump and a bruise. We got one, but we got a couple of guys back and otherwise we got through it pretty positively."

The Stars get ESPN props, albeit in a Fantasy Hockey context, but it's flattering all the same:

...Take the Dallas Stars for example. The Stars finished 20th in the league last season for scoring, were a collective minus-63 and were coming into this season with essentially all the same puzzle pieces except for their blue-line offensive catalyst who bolted for Russia (Sergei Zubov). Most folks expected things to turn around a bit for the Stars if they were blessed with a healthy Brenden Morrow and Brad Richards, but to be tied for fifth in the league in scoring at this point was not expected. The Stars have four players on pace to top 30 goals after having only one score more than 24 last season.

Loui Eriksson and Richards are the two biggest risers this week as I have to tip my hat to coach Marc Crawford and the Stars. Crawford is letting his players attack the net and relying on the burgeoning stalwarts on the blue line to handle things in their own end.

Marc Crawford Shaking Things Up; Steve Ott In Trouble Again?

Brandon Worley — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:36:02 -0000

More photos » by Matt Sayles - AP

Yeah...the Stars need this guy back.

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A couple of quick, interesting notes from today's practice where Marc Crawford had the lines all askew. In the wake of another disappointing loss, the Stars are searching for the perfect combination of players to give the team consistency from game to game. Last week, the Stars had two games where they combined for 87 shots and just four goals; they showed some incredible offensive firepower but the team as a whole is still 1-2-2 in the past five games.

After the jump a glance at the new look the Stars had at practice today, and is Steve Ott in trouble again?

Today at practice, Crawford went with some line combinations we have yet to see:

Crawford had Jamie Benn back on the right wing with Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow and moved Jere Lehtinen down to the Mike Modano line. Lehtinen was playing the right wing, while Fabian Brunnstrom was playing the left wing. Those are two lines Crawford seems intent on keeping going forward.

He had Brian Sutherby on the left wing with Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson, and you have to believe Neal will get his spot back if he is ready to go Thursday. So, what does that mean for the fourth line of Steve Ott-Tom Wandell-Toby Petersen? Where would Sutherby fit?

For those keeping count, here's what the line combos were at practice today:

Sutherby - Richards - Eriksson
Morrow - Ribeiro - Benn
Brunnstrom - Modano - Lehtinen
Ott - Wandell - Petersen

With Crawford seemingly intent on keeping the Ribeiro and Modano lines above going into Thursday's game, there is going to be some interesting decisions to be made once Neal and Barch return. A good problem to have? What lines would you use?

Mike Heika makes a good point that Crawford's desire to keep every player involved in practices and from game to game might be contributing to it's lack of consistency. I'd have to go back and really look at it, but it seems as if the Stars have only played the same lineup two games in a row once or twice this season. While injuries and suspensions have required some maneuvering at times, it would be nice to find a good combination of lines and just ride with them for a few games.

Could Steve Ott be in trouble with the NHL again? It seems that Petr Sykora and the Minnesota Wild claim that Ott hit Sykora in the head with his elbow and he should be suspended. Sykora did not practice today is reportedly suffering from headaches. Here's what Michael Russo has to say:

Wild players all were talking about the hit this morning and how the league "better suspend" Ott. We will see. Unlike Derek Boogaard's elbow last year on Brandon Prust, there wasn't an outcry on this one in Canada, like for instance this link (watch the YouTube) with the broadcaster actually naming what the suspension should be (five games) and then Boogaard amazingly enough getting five games.

Well, Ott took a leaping elbow into the head on Sykora in my opinion. The league allegedly wants to rid head shots, well, then throw the book at Ott, too. Or maybe Stephane Robidas for his textbook boarding on Mikko Koivu last night that was somehow missed.

I'll see if I can find video of the Ott hit on Sykora. Without a clear memory of what happened, I don't have an opinion on what exactly should happen.

In any case, let's just hope it wasn't as bad as the Wild are making it out to be; the next time Ott is suspended it could be for a pretty long time.

Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks: Game Recap

nathaneide — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:36:47 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

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Minnesota Wild 2-5 Vancouver Canucks

The Minnesota Wild, according to coach Todd Richards, are a team that needs to play with a sense of urgency. They simply aren't showing it and every single player on the roster needs to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask themselves what they can do to improve the play of the team overall.

Sure, Kyle Brodziak had two goals, Cal Clutterbuck was a +2 and had five hits, Niklas Backstrom has been the backbone of the franchise (even though he was pulled tonight) and Chuck Kobasew gives his all at both ends of the ice, but there isn't a single guy on the team who can't improve right now.

Martin Havlat is bordering on bust material and is a -12. Petr Sykora is ridiculously streaky. Brent Burns has kissed his Olympic hopes goodbye and sits at -13. Mikko Koivu can't motivate the team on his own and Erik Belanger went out early with an "upper-body injury." After two good wins over the Rangers and Penguins, one would hope this team would take a step forward, but tonight was a massive step in the wrong direction.

The positives tonight? Well both Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Brodziak continue to provide the kind of effort this team sorely lacks. Brodziak is cleaning up rebounds down low. Clutterbuck is providing energy to a lackluster team and trying to hit anything that moves. Brent Burns had an assist, giving him six points (2-4) in his last eight games.

The negatives? Backstrom had an off night, giving up four goals, including two softies. Martin Havlat was a pitiful -3. Derek Boogaard backed up three good games with a stupid double minor and was essentially benched the rest of the night. The Wild gave up an NHL-leading fourth shorthanded goal of the season.

I don't even know what to say at this point. Let's just put it aside and concentrate on Saturday when the Dallas Stars come to town.

Please read the game recap over at Nucks Misconduct

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Alexandre Burrows (1 G, 1 A)
Kyle Brodziak (2 G)
Alexander Edler (2 A)

Questions to Answer

Will the Wild be the first team to 10 losses, this time? Yes. But with Carolina and Toronto both having 7 points, the Wild aren't the worst team in the league.
Will the time off have a negative effect? They certainly came out slow against a team riddled with injuries.
Does putting a solid Nick Schultz on with Brent Burns allow Burnsie to get into the play without causing too many problems for Nik Backstrom? How about ZZ Top? Burns had an assist and was a 0. Nick Schultz was a -1. Greg Zanon was a 0 and blocked 2 shots. Marek Zidlicky had an assist and was a -1. Frankly, I like the new pairings, but they need to get comfortable.
Seriously, where the hell is Pouliot? Is he dead? Undisclosed concussion?
How long will James Sheppard be allowed to center that line, not perform, without someone else taking his minutes? Sheppard was a -1 in 14:30. He might as well not be on the ice.

Trick or Treat? Pens get the former in 2-1 loss to Minnesota

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:36:18 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

Crosby's not taking any grief. Plant him into the boards and have the audacity to return a slash and he just might have to beat you up.

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[Wild vs Penguins coverage - SB Nation blog Hockey Wilderness]

You win some, you lose some in an 82 game season. A lot of crazy things tend to happen when the year's that long. You know, like out-shooting a road team by a margain of almost 3-1, playing almost the entire game in their zone, out-hit them, but come up emptyhanded. That's the Penguins story tonight, just couldn't catch a lucky bounce or get a small break to result in a win.

For Minnesota not to have been laughed out of town Nicklas Backstrom (no not THAT one) had to be terrific. He was, recording 34 saves on 35 shots. Backstrom looked very poised, very confident in his crease and proved too tough for Pittsburgh to crack.
The Pens defense actually blocked the same number of shots (15) that the Wild players got through to Marc-Andre Fleury. Several of those shots were at the blueline or behind it. Fleury must have great costume ideas, he surely had a lot of time to not worry about stopping pucks tonight. He deserved a better fate in terms of taking the loss, but his counter-part put on a show at the other end and Fleury didn't even get the chance really to do his part, since the Pens controlled so much of the action.
Sidney Crosby's string of not taking crap has carried over. After Marek Zidlicky planted Crosby awkwardly into the boards, Sid gave him a little slash. Zidlicky returned the stickwork, tensions were high and gloves were dropped. Nice fight win by Crosby landing a few rights and pulling the jersey over Zidlicky's head.
At the same time, the Pens were of course without the services of the injured Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar. With Crosby in the box, the not so dreaded power-play unit was Bill Guerin-Jordan Staal-Chris Kunitz. That hurt not having #87 out there, give him one more chance with the man advantage and that's possibly a couple of chances for him to make a play. But it's impossible to make a play when you're penalized, as was the case.
8 hits by Brooks Orpik; he was handed out even more free candy to Wild players than you probably did to neighborhood children tonight.
The Penguins have been able to run a couple of set-plays off of faceoff wins (thanks to more wins in the circles) and they got their only goal on it. Credit Craig Adams on the win and a nice pass made by Martin Skoula to Pascal Dupuis who ripped it home.
Dupuis, by the way, had a game high five shots on goal and played pretty well against his old team. Pens fans have no problem piling on the guy, so I'll use this space to give him some props.
Petr Sykora had a very quiet night in his Pittsburgh return. He was credited with one shot on goal in just 13:59 played and the only time he stood out was when Kris Letang shouldered him post-whistle.
Seen enough of Chris Bourque? Dan Bylsma may have, he only gave Ray's kid two shifts in the third period. That was a team low (except for Eric Godard, who didn't get any ice-time at all).
I watch hockey almost every night with Center Ice, I play in a couple pools, I follow a wide variety of people on twitter, I consider myself realtively plugged in. But these Western Conference teams always seem to have one guy I've never heard of and one guy I didn't think was still in the league. Tonight's winners were John Scott and Owen Nolan, respectively.

This was the last of 3 games in 4 nights, but neither focus nor effort was the issue. Backstrom was. He was outstanding and the Pens couldn't find a way to scratch and claw enough to beat him more than once. Now we have a few days to re-charge the batteries before a game against each California team on the west coast next week (starting with old friend Ryan Whitney and Anaheim on Tuesday).

Minnesota Wild vs. New York Rangers

nathaneide — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:34:04 -0000

More photos » by Andy King - AP

about 1 month ago: Minnesota Wild's Petr Sykora, right, and Andrew Brunette (15) are congratulated by teammates after Sykora scored a goal in the first period against the New York Rangers during their NHL hockey game in St. Paul, Minn., Friday, Oct. 30, 2009. The Wild defeated the Rangers 3-2. (AP Photo/Andy King)

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Minnesota Wild 3-2 New York Rangers

What was supposed to be the triumphant return of Marian Gaborik to Xcel Energy Center ended up instead being the triumphant return of Petr Sykora. After his sloppy, and uninspired play led to a benching then being scratched in the Wild's last two games, the Czech veteran got the message and worked hard tonight, doing what he was brought in to do. Play around 13-15 minutes, work the puck down low and get on the scoresheet. Toward the end of the first period, Sykora, Mikko Koivu and Andrew Brunette worked the puck down low, applying decent pressure on, until that point, the stellar Henrik Lundqvist. The play culminated in Sykora burying a tap-in past Lundqvist on a beautiful pass across the slot by Koivu. It was the result of hard work in the offensive zone. Classic NHL. In fact, the Wild seemed to get the message from coach Todd Richards, and Richards changed his game plan, abandoning the 2-man forecheck. The added help in the neutral zone alleviated a lot of the pressure on the defense and the Wild were buzzing. They controlled the flow of the game, and led in shots 12-5 after the first.

Starting the second period, the Wild seemed to regress. The Rangers were moving the puck up and down the ice, and seemed to have the better chances. Then at 5:33 of the second period, Dane Byers, who was called up from the AHL today and jumped off the plane and onto the ice, took a pass from Wade Redden who forced a sloppy turnover by Owen Nolan, and wristed one past Niklas Backstrom. That goal, however, sparked something in the Wild instead of motivating New York. Just over two minutes later Petr Sykora started the play, making a nice pass to Martin Havlat who fed across to Eric Belanger who put the Wild back up 2-1. This time though, the Wild didn't let up. They kept up the pressure the rest of the period until Antti Miettinen took a drop pass from Mikko Koivu, used Koivu as a screen and snapped the puck through Lundqvist's 5-hole. The period ended 3-1 and the Wild saw a nice 25-13 lead in the shots on goal department.

The third period began the same way as the second, with the Wild on their heels and Marc Staal taking a pass from Vinny Prospal, streaking up the ice and firing a shot past Backstrom. Minnesota then settled down and fought off the Rangers for the remainder of the game, playing it safe and locking down the 3-2 win.

It was nice to see Havlat get an assist, as he was pointless in his last seven games. Heck, even Derek Boogaard looked good tonight with two quality scoring chances. I love when Boogey has a chance to park in front of the net. He's so big, takes up so much space and is so hard for the opposition to move, that he wreaks havoc down low. He hasn't scored since January of 2006, but if he continues to get decent minutes and get work in the low slot, he's going to get his garbage goal.

The Wild are lucky tomorrow, in that they face the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins without Evgeni Malkin and Sergei Gonchar, but we'll see what happens. Richards made it sound like he was going to put Anton Khudobin in net, but that might just be playing with the minds of the Pens. Who knows?

Please read the game recap over at Blueshirt Banter

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Petr Sykora (1 G, 1 A)
Mikko Koivu (2 A)
Antti Miettinen (1 G)

Questions to Answer

Will the Wild be the first team to 10 losses? Not yet!!
Can the goal against Nashville spark something in Owen Nolan? Well, Nolan didn't have a great game tonight, but did get four shots on goal and two decent scoring chances in 12:38, but was a -1 due to his turnover.
With Marian Gaborik out, who will pick up the offensive slack for the Rangers? Aside from Gaborik and Christopher Higgins, it should have been Ales Kotalik, but he was virtually non-existent. Lucky for the Rangers, Marc Staal had a decent game and finally got on the scoresheet.
With Sean Avery out, who will pick up the being offensive slack for the Rangers? Dane Byers. What's wrong kid? Your first career goal wasn't enough? You had to try to goad Cal Clutterbuck into a fight? Really?
This is a frustrated team. Can Todd Richards get them to turn things around? Tonight was the best 60 minutes of hockey the Wild played all season. They dominated much of play, but started to wane in the early part of the third period. Thankfully after the Staal goal, they locked it back down and got away with the regulation win. They'll need to look at this game on how to play within themselves.