Stupid Hockey

NHL Winter Classic in Philadelphia

The Winter Classic has done tremendous things for the NHL to date, everything from attracting new fans and new audiences to promoting the game and the players to a larger national audience.  Huge crowds have consistently shown up at the Winter Classic from the very first game in 2008 between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins.  This years “Classic,” will be between two clubs with a ton of history, the Philadelphia Flyers will host the New York Rangers.  The game will be held at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.  The one noticeable change made was that the game will not be held on New Years Day, it will take place on January 2nd.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Headlines-Winter-Classic-2012-Patrick-Kan?urn=nhl-wp13427

One thing I am real excited about is the fact that HBO will once again cover the game and all that leads up to it, in their hit show 24/7.  Last seasons coverage of the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins was phenomenal and gives fans a first eye look at life in the NHL and the experience both teams get participating in the event.  From everyone I spoke to about the show, I heard nothing but great things and I am sure HBO has done its homework to make this years show even better.

One thing I hope the NHL will do better is the actual ice preparation.  I know this has less to do with the ice staff as it does with the weather, but how cool would it be if the ice was hard and the weather is cold?  It would be amazing to watch all these superstars skating around at full speed with nothing to slow them down but the opposition.  Last years weather definitely played a factor in the way the game was played; I have my fingers crossed for the best conditions yet.


I hope the decision to play the game on the 2nd rather than the 1st doesn’t hurt the TV ratings too much.  I think everyone would gain more appreciation for the game of hockey if they get the chance to watch this years NHL Winter Classic.

NHL Suspensions...Good or Bad??

The NHL Pre-Season is used to serve many different functions, for players and management, and to miss pre-season games due to suspensions has to be a tough situation for both parties.  The pre-season is a great time for veteran players to work on certain things and hone their game, while it gives youngsters and rookies a chance to prove themselves.  So far in the NHL pre-season, many players have had to face and serve suspensions because of the NHL’s commitment to protecting its players.  Brendan Shanahan and his staff, whose sole purpose is to protect the players, have been busy in the last few weeks and seem to be making it clear the NHL will not tolerate illegal hits in the upcoming season.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/14503-Younger-referees-to-take-on-bigger-role-in-playoffs.html

 

The latest victim of this crackdown is Buffalo Sabres’ Brad Boyes.  Boyes was suspended for 2 pre-season games for an illegal hit to the head of Toronto’s Joe Colborne.  Going back to my article on the significant concussion issues in the NHL, this is good proof that the NHL is going to do its best at protecting the well being of all its players.  Head injuries are a serious issue in the NHL and hopefully over time and consistently penalizing players with suspensions and fines, the NHL will overcome this problem.

Other notable suspensions this pre-season are Brad Staubitz and James Wisniewski.  Staubitz was suspended indefinitely for an illegal check from behind and Wisniewski was suspended for an illegal hit to the head.  Staubitz isn’t the only player that was suspended this pre-season for a check from behind, as was Calgary’s Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond. 

I love the fact that the NHL is committed to protecting its players, but I hope it doesn’t take too much of the bumps and bruises out of the game.  What are your thoughts??

Top 5 U.S. Born Hockey Players

On the day Mike Modano has officially retired as part of the Dallas Stars Organization, I think it is fitting to rank the top 5 U.S. born hockey players.  Who is going to fill the shoes of the Modano’s, Chelios’, and Guerin’s?  I will rank my top 5 U.S. born players and I encourage you to post your thoughts.

My number one pick is Tim Thomas.  Despite his age, I still feel right now he is the best overall U.S. born player in the game today.  Granted he is coming off of a season, which may not be repeated, I feel he is the biggest game changer and backbone to his franchise.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Ryan-Miller-vs-Tim-Thomas-Who-saves-USA-Hockey?urn=nhl-183845

 

My second pick is another goaltender in the Sabres’ Ryan Miller.  Miller was the go-to-guy for Team USA in the past Olympics and did a phenomenal job leading the team to the Gold Medal Game.  Miller is consistently a league leader in almost every goaltending category and doesn’t look to be slowing down.

Patrick Kane is my first choice for a non-goalie.  Kane seems to amaze me every time I watch him play.  He isn’t the biggest player or the fastest, but the creativity in his game and his confidence with the puck separate him from the rest of the players no my list.  I am expecting big things out of Kane this season and for many to come.

Zach Parise is my fourth pick but is not far behind.  Parise is coming off an injury plagues season and a dismal one for the New Jersey Devils.  When healthy, Parise is one of the elite centers in the NHL and one of the best the USA has produced.

Rounding out my top 5 is Bobby Ryan.  The New Jersey native is truly an up and coming player not only for the USA but the entire world.  Ryan has put up huge numbers in his young career and is going to explode soon.  Ryan has a big frame and some of the softest hands in the NHL and will only improve.

What U.S. born players would you put on the list??

NHL Conference Realignment??

Come December the NHL plans to rearrange the alignment of its conferences due to the Atlanta Thrashers relocating to Winnipeg.  As of now, Winnipeg finds itself in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference.  Winnipeg has been already been told they will hold a spot in the Western Conference come the 2012/2013 season. 

The realignment could be more of an adjustment, meaning there is a possibility a team currently in the West could just swap with Winnipeg.  The problem, however, is that there are other teams hoping to swap conferences as well.  Detroit, Nashville and Columbus are all hoping to get into the Eastern Conference and all have provided their reasons. 

One possibility to resolve the issue would be to totally wipe out the current format and create a four-conference league.  If the NHL did in fact move to a four-conference league, two of those conferences would feature eight teams and the other two conferences would feature seven.  Also, the playoff format would have to make some major adjustments if the league divided into four conferences. 

While it seems like a lot of work, it may make sense for some teams that are finding themselves traveling a bit more than the other teams.  It may cut travel time and costs down for some of these organizations.  Either way, there are many logical solutions and possibilities that the NHL and its GM’s will explore.  The only issue is resolving it all by December so the NHL can make the 2012/2013 schedule.

How do all of you NHL fans feel about this and would you like to see your club in a different conference?

Penguins will be Stanley Cup Champions

Well the NHL pre-season begins today, so it seems fitting for me to make my Stanley Cup prediction.  The Boston Bruins are the defending Stanley Cup Champions and can certainly be considered a favorite, but do they have what it takes to repeat? I say no, but I believe we will see another Eastern Conference team hoist the Stanley Cup when all is said and done.  I am going to predict that the Pittsburgh Penguins will return to the top and win the 2011/2012 Stanley Cup.


Pittsburgh is loaded with talent and youth.  However, their youth have already won a Stanley Cup and have proved to be winners.  I think the biggest factor is going to be the health of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin; the two superstars missed most of last season due to injuries.  Having said that, if the two return healthy, I think they are going to be hungry and determined to lead the Pens to the top. Aside from missing Crosby and Malkin for much of the season, the Penguins were still able to finish 4th in the East last season.  With a healthy lineup, I see the Penguins as the team to beat.

Up front the Penguins have some serious talent and should score plenty of goals.  Crosby is the best player in the NHL and Malkin isn’t far behind.  Add Jordan Staal, Steve Sullivan, James Neal, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis to the mix and the Penguins will have very good line combinations.  I am also looking for young Eric Tangradi to make some noise this season with some increased minutes.

Defensively the Penguins are again as good as anybody in the NHL.  Kris Letang is one of my favorite d-men to watch as he has tremendous skill and plays a very exciting, offensive style game.  Brooks Orpik, Zbynek Michalek, Paul Martin and Matt Niskanen are all exceptional defenders and will keep pucks out of their own net.

Marc-Andre Fleury is one of the best goalies in the NHL and has proven at a young age that he can handle the pressure of playoffs and deliver.  Fleury led the Pens to the Stanley Cup in 08-09.  Fleury will lead them there again this season, especially with the offensive and defensive support he will receive from the rest of the team.

That is my Stanley Cup Champion prediction, what is yours?? 

Top Five Fantasy Hockey Goalies

 
I will continue my fantasy rankings for the week, by looking at the leagues top 5-fantasy hockey goalies.  I have found in my experiences that a strong goaltending tandem in a fantasy league can be the difference between winning the pot and losing your money.  Strong goaltending can lock up numerous goaltending categories but finding goalies that are in position to win a lot of games can make all the difference.

http://duelingcouches.blogspot.com/2009/11/tim-thomas-injury-update.html

The first goaltender I would pick heading into the season would be Tim Thomas.  Thomas had a remarkable season last year, winning the Vezina Trophy and the Stanley Cup; the question is will he be able to do it again?  Unfortunately, I don’t know that answer, but what I do know is that the pieces are in place for Thomas to have another sensational season.  The Bruins are going to be one of the top teams in the East and Thomas will win plenty of games.

My second pick for fantasy goalie is Nashville’s Pekka Rinne.  Rinne won 33 games last year and posted a very good 2.12 GAA.  Rinne is just 28 years old and will be backstopping a Nashville team that has very good defense and should be able to compete with any team in the West.  Look for Rinne to have a very successful season.

I am going to choose Ryan Miller as my third pick for the top 5 fantasy goalies.  Buffalo’s All-Star goalie is a top NHL goalie year-after-year.  Nothing will change this year, except Buffalo will be able to produce in front of Miller.  Buffalo is on verge of becoming a top team in the East, and Miller will be one of the reasons.

My fourth selection is Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.  Fleury’s job may be very simple if the Penguins have a healthy lineup, as the Penguins will feature one of the NHL’s most dynamic offenses.  Fleury was able to guide the depleted Penguins to a 4th place finish in the East last season, look for him to lead the Pens to a top 2 finish this season.

Closing out the top 5 fantasy goalies is going to be Jon Quick of the Kings.  Quick was nominated as a Vezina candidate last season; the difference this season will be the team in front of him.  The Kings in my opinion will be one of the top teams in the West, for that reason I see Quick having another tremendous season and being one of the top fantasy goalies in the NHL.

That is it for my top 5 fantasy players at each position…let me know what you think

Top Five Fantasy Hockey Defenseman

As a continuation of my last article, today I am going to discuss my top 5-fantasy defenseman.  Defenseman that are going to truly help a fantasy team are rare to find, taking into account that most forwards are going to produce more points than the average defenseman.  However, there certainly are some defenseman that will chip in a fair amount of points and here I will outline my top five.

My first overall defenseman would be Zdeno Chara for a couple of reasons.  He may not put up the most points of the defenseman, but his overall production will prove to be monstrous in helping anyone’s fantasy team.  Out of the huge defenseman, you can expect anywhere from mid 50’s to mid 40’s in points.  But he will also provide a huge plus/minus rating and close to 100 pim’s.  If those three categories are in your league, Chara is a safe number 1 defenseman.

Second, I am going to go with Shea Weber.  Weber may possess one of the hardest, most lethal shots from the blue line and is only getting better.  Weber will chip in around 50 points, should have a solid plus/minus rating and can provide decent penalty minutes.

Nick Lidstrom is still one of the best in the game and his numbers still prove it.  Lidstrom had another tremendous year in 2011 and you can expect similar numbers in 2012.  Last year he saw an increase in points, a decrease in plus/minus and his penalty minutes were normally low.  Lidstrom did finish with 62 points and he will again be on the first unit of the dangerous Red Wings power play.

For my fourth pick I am going to choose Kris Letang.  This pick is a little off the chart but I only see production increases for the Penguins defenseman.  Last year Letang finished with 50 points, a plus 15 rating and 101 pim’s.  Because he is so young and will be surrounded by players that will produce, I can see Letang having a huge year.  He will be leading the back-end of the Penguins power play, which will feature Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  I expect nothing but solid increases in Letang.

Rounding out my top 5, I will choose Drew Doughty as my 5^th defenseman.  The young All-Star defenseman from the L.A Kings should continue to develop and get better, which is a scary thought for opponents.  Doughty finished last season with 40 points, a plus 13 and 68 pim’s.  With the addition of Mike Richards and a healthy Anze Kopitar, the Kings power play and top line should be able to produce plenty of goals, which will increase Doughty’s numbers. 

Those are my top 5 defenseman…Who are yours?

 

Our Top Five Fantasy Hockey Forwards

This week I am going to try and focus on something fun and exciting, rather than all the negative things that have occurred in the hockey world over the past couple of weeks.  I am going to do some fantasy rankings and discuss which players in my opinion will guide your fantasy team to success.  To get this rolling, I will discuss my top 5 fantasy forwards.

  (Ovechkin is our top Fantasy Pick. Photo: NHLSnipers.com)

My number one pick heading into this season is Alex Ovechkin.  Ovi will certainly be right toward the top of every offensive statistic in most fantasy leagues.  A consistent 50-goal scorer and 100+ point performer, Ovechkin is my number one fantasy player for the 2011-2012 season.

My second pick would be Anaheim’s Corey Perry. Perry is coming off a 50 goal and 98-point season.  Not only a guy that will put up goals and points, Perry uses his big frame and grit to usually rack up 100+ penalty minutes a season.

 Right behind Perry is Lightning forward Steven Stamkos.  Stamkos is a sniper and should be close to a 50-goal campaign and 100 point season.  Skating alongside St. Louis, Stamkos will be given every opportunity to put up points.

I am going to pair the Sedin twins together for my 4^th and 5^th pick because not only can I not tell them apart, I cant decide which one I would rather have on my fantasy team.  Last season, Daniel had the upper hand over his brother Henrik, but both are a constant threat to score and produce.  Daniel was the only player last season to put up over 100 points, while his brother Henrik led the NHL two seasons ago with 112 points.

Just a side-note: If I knew Sidney Crosby was going to be 100% healthy and not miss an extended amount of action, I would put Crosby at the very top of my list.  I think Crosby is all in all the best player in the league and would expect nothing less than 100+ points out of the Penguin superstar.  I hope he is back on the ice this season, because he makes the NHL that much better.

 What are your thoughts? Who is the top pick in your fantasy draft?

 

The Hockey World Mourns Lokomotiv Organization Plane Crash

I guess it is only fitting to discuss the tragedy and devastation that struck the hockey world this past Wednesday.  A plane carrying 43 passengers, most of which were a part of the Lokomotiv KHL hockey club, crashed just outside the city of Yaroslavl.  All but 2 of the passengers were found dead, after the plane was unable to gain proper altitude after take-off. 

(The Lokomotive Hockey Club team picture. Photo: PennLive)

Nine of the 41 passengers that had their lives taken in this horrible incident had been members of the NHL.  Players Pavol Demitra, Ruslan Salei, Karel Rachunek, Karlis Skrastins, Josef Vasicek and Alexander Vasyunov were among the victims.  Alex Karpovtsev, Igor Korolev and Brad McCrimmon were the three Lokomotiv coaches that had also played in the NHL.

In honor of the players, the city, and its fans, the KHL has made it clear they will assemble a replacement team to participate in the upcoming KHL season.  KHL President Alexander Medveded said he will ask all member clubs of the league to place three of their own players into a player pool from which the new Lokomotiv staff will pick to assemble the new club. 

It has been a tough summer for hockey families and friends, it seems like more unexpected deaths have happened in the past couple months than any time I can remember.  Derek Boogard, Rick Rypien and most recently Wade Belak all had tragic passings earlier this summer.  All four incidents have touched and hurt many friends and families in the “hockey family”.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of all these great athletes.  Let’s cross our fingers that the upcoming season will be hard-fought, exciting, and safe for all that are involved.

 

Top Five Teams In The Western Conference

 Following up on last weeks article, when I made my predictions on who the top 5 teams in the Eastern Conference will be, now I will discuss who the top 5 teams in the Western Conference will be.  

Predicting the top teams in the West is like picking out of a hat.  It is going to be tough and it is going to be a battle, but in the end it will be the San Jose Sharks.  I could have easily picked four other teams, but I am going with my gut on this one.  San Jose managed to finish second in the West last year, despite a terrible start.  They made some considerable moves this off-season by getting rid of Dany Heatley and Devin Setoguchi.  They did however; bring in Martin Havlat and stud defenseman Brent Burns.  Add that talent to a roster that includes Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture and Dan Boyle and the Sharks will be at the top of the Western Conference.

My pick for the second spot in the West is the Vancouver Canucks.  Despite finishing one win shy of a Stanley Cup, the Canucks will once again have a good shot at trying to win that elusive trophy.  Led by the Sedin twins, goals should not be a problem the Canucks have to worry about.  The duo will most likely be at the top of the NHL scoring list for another season.  Ryan Kesler will be looking to build off of his phenomenal 10-11’ season.  Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider will prove to be an outstanding goalie tandem once again, and the Canucks will once again be in the playoffs. 

Finishing third in the conference will be the Detroit Red Wings.  The Red Wings will be lead by the core group of veteran All-Stars that have brought the organization years of success.  Nick Lidstrom is arguably still the best NHL defenseman and the smooth, lethal combo of Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg will provide plenty of offense.  If Jimmy Howard can continue to develop into the goalie everyone thinks he can be, the Red Wings will give the conference a run for its money.

The Chicago Blackhawks, loaded with talent and youth, will finish fourth in the West.  Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane will be leading the Hawks offensively, again.  The trio will provide plenty of goals and are always dangerous on the PP. Sean O’Donnell is going to be a key piece of the puzzle, as he comes in the help Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook take care of the defensive zone.  Cory Crawford, the young talent between the pipes, will have to elevate his game even more if the Hawks want another crack at the Cup.

Rounding out the top 5 will be the Los Angeles Kings.  The Kings added a leader in Mike Richards to their roster in the off-season.  Richards brings talent and grit to the Kings lineup.  Pairing him with Anze Kopitar will be the solution to offensive question marks the Kings had in the past.  Jon Quick, a Vezina caliber goalie, will dominate the pipes again for the Kings.  The Kings will have one of the top defensive units in the NHL, led by Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Willie Mitchell and Rob Scuderi.  Watch out for this team come playoff time too!!