ESPN has published a sensible hockey article!  Alvin Chang, where have you been hiding!?

I know this topic has been discussed ad nauseum around these enlightened parts, but I thought this article on Niemi was worth a read for everyone who still doesn't understand why the organ-I-zation values Hjammer over Niemi.  The author points out that by winning the Cup, Niemi has ironically lowered the market value for himself and goalies in general.  Definitely worth a read, and since it's an "insider" article on ESPN, I've decided to copy and paste it here for all to read after the jump.

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My wife has a prospective employee and her boyfriend visiting from New York this weekend, and she wants to give them an appropriate representation of what it's like to live/work in Chicago.  I wasn't too enthused to take part in this presentation, but it turns out they're HUGE hockey fans (Pens fans, blech, but still...).  

So, now I've been tasked with showing them what the Chicago hockey scene is like.  I'd like to take them to a great bar/restaurant for Saturday's game, preferably somewhere with a nice beer list and good food.  I know we've talked about Blackhawks bars before, and the Bottom Lounge comes to mind, but I want to find a place that won't be totally packed to the gills and I'm too lazy to look back at previous threads to do research.  

And seriously, only "real" fans' opinions please, I'd better not hear from any of you Chinese-jersey-wearing assholes.

This from ESPN.com's E.J. Hradek:

Pens vs. Caps needs better planning: NHL scheduling guru Steve Hatze Petros is a good guy with a tough job. Still, the league just can't schedule the Pittsburgh Penguins vs. the Washington Capitals on a night when there are 12 other games. It just doesn't make any sense. The Sidney Crosby-Alex Ovechkin rivalry gets national attention in the U.S. The league should take a page out of the NBA's playbook and limit the internal competition on those nights/days when the Caps and Pens meet. Last night, the NBA's Cavs-Lakers matchup was part of a two-game slate. In other words, basketball fans could focus on that game and the TV rating numbers likely will reflect that. The hockey fan, meanwhile, had to choose between too many other options. In major markets like New York, Philadelphia and Boston, puckheads were undoubtedly more interested in their hometown teams. Things are better for their next meeting. On Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 7), the Pens and Caps will have a matinee skate on NBC. Their last regular season showdown (April 6), however, will stand among 10 other games on that night. That's simply poor planning.

He does realize that the NHL's schedule is fucked up this year because of the Olympics, right?  I mean, being a hockey writer and all?  Not that I expect much solid hockey analysis from ESPN, but this really grated on me.  Carry on.

Since the last GTD turned into a shitstorm of Huet bashing, followed by a shitstorm of Huet defense, followed by just a shitstorm of playground name-calling, I thought I'd actually look up some numbers.  The following is a sample of goalies whose names have been brought up on these boards during the countless Huet conversations, followed by their career stats.

Brodeur:  2.21 GAA, .914 SV%, Age 37, 3 cups

Bryzgalov: 2.54, .914, 29

Fleury: 2.82, ,907, 25, 1 cup

Giguere: 2.51, .914, 32, 1 cup

Huet: 2.41, .916, 34

Kiprusoff: 2.44, .914, 33

Luongo: 2.55, .919, 30

Nabokov: 2.38, .912, 34

Osgood: 2.48, .906, 37, 3 cups

Thomas: 2.60, .918, 35

I'm not giving an opinion on Huet one way or another, just pointing out that he stacks up favorably to some of the better goalies in the game across all categories.  Yes, he stunk last night.  So did Ryan Miller.  Let's all chill out and enjoy the fact that we have one of the best five teams in the NHL right now.