Pardon My Bias

The Vezina award may be my favorite one to debate, largely in part because I used to take pucks to the head on a regular basis as well. This year has had no shortage of goalies worthy of consideration for the trophy, but it also highlighted the haves and have-nots in the league when it came to netminders. Boston, Los Angeles, and Vancouver look to be the envy of the league with their duos of goalies versus teams who struggled to find just a number one guy even.

The snubs

Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles (33-8-3, GAA 2.19, SV% .919)

The Kings have lived and died by Quick this season. While he has been prone to letting a soft goal in occasionally, he makes about three crazy as hell saves a game per softie at least. Plus he is magic seeing how even when a puck does beat him they still won’t go in. Quick, in a more empirical matter though, has a 61% win percentage, is in the top five of goaltenders with goals against average (30 or more games), is tied for fifth with six shutouts, and has been perfect in shootouts going 9-0 netting his team 18 points on his own practically. Though he will get a snub with L.A.’s choking defense helping him out and the fact that, yep, he’s on the wrong coast (it’s true!).

Rinne deserves the love (but won't get any...Again). Photo courtesy of zimbio.com

Pekka Rinne, Nashville (30-21-8, GAA 2.10, SV% 929)

Between Cam Ward, Mikka Kiprusoff, Ryan Mille, Ilya Bryzgalov, Marc-Andre Fleury, Carey Price, and Pekka Rinne one of them leads in save percentage and goals against average by a decent margin. And of course it’s the one of the names you have likely heard the least about, that being Rinne obviously. Rinne also has more shutouts than the others listed do, outside of Bryzgalov, Price, and Kiprusoff who have also played in a number of games more than he has. While Rinne clearly also benefits from the defensive mindset of the Predators, the numbers don’t lie, and unfortunately that’s also why Rinne is on this list called “snubs” and not nominees as his winning percentage hangs precariously around 50%. Still, this is the second straight season Rinne has been consistently stonewalling opponents.

The nominees

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver (36-14-7, GAA 2.16, SV% .927)

Not-so-sweet Luo is finally seeing his numbers hit their pinnacle with a combination of his individual stats from his days with Florida meeting with his wins that come from being on a team that isn’t Florida. He has the support in offense and defense to help him win, which is also why he won’t win the Vezina ironically, but Luongo has been having his best season since the 03-04 campaign with the Panthers. Maybe it took the fact of getting Cory Schneider to light a fire under his ass, but this was

The model of sheer excellence which will result in random shouting of "TIMMAY!" throughout Boston. Photo courtesy of chickswhogiveapuck.com (great name by the way)

the Luongo the Canucks expected with the pay they dished out to him and he is delivering big time this year. Third in goals against and third in save percentage certainly get Luongo into the nominees, but he’ll also only finish third in voting (go figure).

Who should win: Tim Thomas, Boston (33-10-8, GAA 1.96, SV% .940)

I am a stats man. So this is the easiest choice I have had to make. Tim Thomas has been godly so much this season God himself is debating whether to come back out of retirement to show him a thing or two and lead the Leafs back to the post-season (him and Thomas I think are around the same age). Save percentage and goals against both belong to Timmy T. and he has nine shutouts in only 53 games, whereas the leader, Henrik Lundqvist, has played 63. While the one knock on Thomas may be that his team in front of him is better than most it’s hard to really make that a case as he has faced on average 33 shots a game. Lundqvist may be more important to the Rangers’ success but Thomas is the better of the two.

Who will win: Henrik Lundvist, New York Rangers (33-25-5, GAA 2.22, SV% .924)

Does King Henrik really need a trophy? Doesn't being extremely good looking suffice? Photo courtesy of toxicways.com

Putting it plainly the New York Rangers aren’t the best hockey team in the league. Not the Eastern conference either, and, hell, not even the Atlantic Division. In fact, New York is fighting for top team in their own state (and not the Islanders by the way). A big reason they are even vying for that is because of Lundqvist. While his numbers haven’t been as insane as Thomas’s, or for that matter even Luongo’s or Rinne’s, it is pretty safe to say that Lundqvist plays on a weaker defensive team than that of Nashville and Vancouver. The Rangers’ defense isn’t terrible with Dan Giradi and Mark Staal, but there isn’t really too much else there, and New York’s offense hasn’t been too enviable either, ranked 16^th overall. Added the fact the Blueshirts have been slammed by injuries, including losing backup goalie Martin Brion, Lundqvist has been the Rangers saving grace (no pun intended) leading New York (most likely) to a playoff berth. Look at what 11 shutouts can do for a mediocre team. Talk about a turnaround after the shootout ordeal from last year.

Unlike some years where a clear rookie stands head and shoulders above his peers (often following a tough sophomore year, right Steve Mason?) this year doesn’t have such a rookie, but instead a group that have vastly been borderline spectacular. So much so, you could have nominees for forward, defense, and goaltending. But I’m not going to do that. Here would be my (preemptive) choices for Calder consideration, and of course though who will get snubbed.

The snubs

Giguere, nope. Gustavsson, no. Reimer? Sure why not. Photo courtesy of flickr.com

James Reimer, Toronto (18-8-4, GAA 2.55, SV% .922)

With all fairness to Michael Neuvirth who has played great, Cory Schneider who is probably better than Luongo, and Sergei Bobrovsky who finally solved the goaltending issue Philadelphia had been suffering from since Ron Hextall’s last game, the goalie that is getting the biggest snub is that of James Reimer. Reimer has a winning record with TORONTO. Let that sink in for a bit. Finished or need more help? Reimer has been facing more shots on average than his fellow rookies with about 30 per game yet the kid has posted a 92.2% which may not be quite Schneider’s numbers but Schneider also has a reasonable blueline corp. in front of him. If Toronto makes the playoffs (they won’t) Reimer immediately becomes the Calder winner in my biased opinion.

Logan Couture, San Jose (30 G, 23 A, +19)

In the start of the season Couture looked to be a runaway for the Calder but with the rise of some other rookies’ play, and the fact the rest of the Sharks finally started scoring also, Couture has drifted from discussion a bit. Still he has 30 goals (8 of which were game winners, so talk about clutch) a plateau that only 18 players have reached so far this season and has been pretty consistent for a pretty inconsistent San Jose team this year. Couture gives the Sharks insanely good depth at center, which raises the question of how many Joes that his team actually needs playing the pivot. But Logan has had a lot of support and doesn’t play in the east (yep, I’m going there and calling you out yet again NHL) so he gets a snub.

The nominees

Corey Crawford, Chicago (30-16-5, GAA 2.28, SV% .918)

This is not last year’s Chicago Blackhawks. Sorry Chicago but you know it, as does the rest of the league. That being said they will likely make the playoffs despite their financial constraints, nearly complete roster turnover a la Florida Marlins, and countless injuries to key players. And it certainly wasn’t helped by Marty Turco. The one

Think Florida may be kicking themselves a bit after they let Grabner get away? Me thinks yes. Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com

bit of stability came from Crawford. His numbers have been very solid with a defense that at times is great (Seabrook and Keith’s pairing) to not that hot (the Hawks have other defensemen?). While he hasn’t carried them into the playoffs alone, he has been the one rock for the team. Though for rock like status that does go to Turco certainly.

Who should win: Michael Grabner, New York Islanders (31 G, 17 A, +16)

If one thing should stand out it has to be the plus/minus of Grabner. Regardless of whether or not you put a lot of stock in the stat, the fact that he is plus anything on a team as terrible as the Islanders is downright impressive. Sure, they aren’t the Oilers but Grabner does lead the Islanders in that stat, and is one of three forwards on the positive side. And the fact he potted 31 goals at a rate of .43 a game, which leads rookies, with a really subpar squad speaks even more about the offensive game Grabner possesses. All in all, it’s really too bad he plays on the Islanders because he will either play forever in obscurity or be given a huge contract and then may bolt to Europe or be injured by sudden changes in temperature.

Who will win: Jeff Skinner, Carolina (27 G, 28 A, -1)

The NHL has been drooling just watching Skinner on the Canes this year so really this is the no brainer of the entire process I have had. Not that Skinner has played bad by any extent. He has been lifting the Hurricanes through parts of the season seemingly alone at times. Now if Carolina let him play alongside Eric Staal Skinner likely could have reached 40 goals, 40 assists but instead Skinner gets set up with Tuomo Ruutu. Though I suppose that is better than playing with Jarkko Ruutu. Though it was pretty evident Skinner was a lock for the Calder given the attention he received just from the All-Star game alone.

Admittedly I would have liked to expand the discussion to include the really talented young defensemen but I am aiming to try and keep each award limited to five players each, and frankly expanding that even further for the Lady Byng doesn’t thrill me. Still, P.K. Subban, Kevin Shattenkirk, and John Carlson would have been my hybrid of Norris-Calder nominees. Cam Fowler may have more points but a -25 rating kind of indicates you may not be doing that whole defense part of being a defenseman. With that being said, Carlson would be my pick of the lot seeing how he has big offensive numbers and has been a stud covering his own end as well, proving that not having Mike Green at times may be better than having Mike Green. Heck, maybe he gets in the nominees over Corey Crawford. Just let him score a few more game winners and there ya go.

Under Gary the Terrible the NHL has floundered and flourished, sank into television obscurity and seen booms at the box office, missed a whole season and have comeback success, and have glowing pucks to switching to pre-coverage of a horse race (that last one was a lose-lose by the way). Bettman hasn’t been the greatest commissioner nor provided great leadership what with the semi-failing sunbelt expansion teams, lack of a major network contract airing games, work stoppages, lousy coverage, degradation of the game’s history, and the fact he is booed every time he makes an appearance (you should have seen his reception at his son’s Bar-Mitzvah). He has tried in sense with trying to grow the sport in the non-traditional markets and that maybe his half-brother is just a better commissioner which is why the World Series of Poker is on ESPN (yep, Bettman’s bro ran Gary out of relevancy) and the NHL is relegated to the backwoods of Versus. But out of all the tiny annoyances Bettman offers hockey fanatics there is one thing that I can just not wrap my head around and drives me insane even trying to write about it.

Gary, Gary, Gary...Let it go. The shootout sucks, and so does the point system. Photo courtesy of chicagonow.com

The glowing puck was Fox’s doing, though Gary gave them the go ahead, and the lockout wasn’t really an annoyance (more like crisis). NBC offers coverage of Chicago, Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, and Boston only and that coverage is, how should I say, craptastic? But no, not even that compares. Nor does the sudden switch of white sweaters being the road jersey and dark becoming home that took me almost a year to full adjust to. No, it is the overtime system in the regular season.

Playoffs in the NHL offer inarguably the best overtime in all pro sports. That’s right, inarguably. It just is. Which is why the overtime system during the rest of the season is all the more insufferable. Of the three major sports in America only football has ties and those are rarer than Colin Campbell making reasonable decisions. Hockey for a very long time had plenty of them, with teams splitting the two points. Then came the point given for a loss in overtime along with the change to four-on-four hockey during OT. First big mistake is right there with that third point showing up out of thin air. Since when were teams rewarded for losing? Never anywhere else, that’s where. All of a sudden teams were playing just to make it out of regulation. Next was the idea of getting rid of ties all together which led to the absolutely deplorable idea of using a shootout to decide a winner. Best of all the phantom third point remained with it. So with having the best overtime known in the post-season the NHL countered itself with the stupidest of ideas and having a truly god-awful overtime the rest of the year.

Teams still play just to get the one point, and the shootout is a complete crapshoot to determine a winner. In a sense, getting one point actually is logical in that regard. So the NHL doesn’t want ties, they use a shootout and they know that isn’t exactly the best way to decide a winner so the extra point for an OT loss remains. And thankfully Brendan Shanahan may be on his way to correcting this travesty. Teams should either win or lose, but this can’t completely happen until the shootout is done away with. Having a weaker team try and hold out through overtime just so they have a better chance to pick up the win is utter madness.  Having TWO teams play middling hockey in the third (or longer) when they are tied so they can just get one point is even worse. It has plenty of evidence of happening seeing how it is usually 20 percent of the time, then March rolls around and overtime games jump up to 40 percent. Ditch the point system, use win percentage. Have teams battle just to win. No more conservative stay at home, no risk hockey.

This skills competition actually determined who made the playoffs last year yet somehow no triple dekes were performed. Photo courtesy of theslapshot.com

Which of course means the shootout needs to be done away with. The league and Shanahan has proposed a new idea of using the four-on-four scheme followed by a new three-on-three setup for an additionally four minutes. Sadly the shootout seems to still exist even with the new changes, so that also entails the inclusion of the phantom point. Call me crazy but I would rather see a team decide who wins versus a trio of breakaways still. How about after the four minutes of 4v4 and 3v3 hockey the teams go back to 5v5 except play without goalies. I know this is slightly the inverse of the shootout, but hey you can still have guys block a shot. There is still the high amount of team work needed to succeed but now the margin for error is zero. There is no safe guard in net with the goaltenders at that point which really puts a lot more sudden death into “sudden death”. Line changes would be way more intense I can tell you that much. Perhaps no time limit should be used also. While it certainly isn’t the playoff style the playoffs also don’t have back to back games from Montreal to Toronto during the middle of January. Players would just be to exhausted if the playoff format was used and a game ran til the sixth overtime period. It’s just an idea but it’s fast and far more intense than an ulcer inducing skills competition (aka: less fun). Frankly though, I don’t care what method is used really, just get rid of the damn shootout. Maybe then the NHL can use winning percentage like every other major league in the nation.

No Carmelo, no problem! That seems to be how the Denver Nuggets are playing after they traded away their all-star player to the New York Knicks. They are now a team consisting of a bunch of talented yet not all-star worthy players and so far, it has seem to be working. They are currently 11-2 without Carmelo Anthony and these wins have come against some good teams such as Memphis, Boston, Atlanta, Utah and New Orleans. Also this hot “start” is allowing the Nuggets to keep in contention for a home court game in the playoffs as they currently sit in 5th place and only 3.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.

So how has this team been playing so well? Let’s start with the players that the Nuggets already had on their roster.

Ty Lawson: 12.7 points, 7.6 assists and 2.2 steals

J.R. Smith: 14.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 from the 3-point line

Nene Hilario: 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds

Arron Afflalo: 12.8 points

Kenyon Martin: 10.8 points and 7.1 rebounds

Now let’s take a look at how the new Nugget players have been contributing.

Wilson Chandler: 14.7 points and 5.6 rebounds

Raymond Felton: 10.9 points and 7.1 assists off the bench

Danilo Gallinari: Although only playing 2 games so far for the Nuggets did have one big game in which he scored 30 points to go along with 9 rebounds.

The Nuggets are Soaring! Photo courtesy of www.zimbio.com.

To most this just looks like a bunch of stats but if you notice carefully, one would see that although there is no one player with all-star numbers, they all contribute to different aspects of the game. Each player has a purpose on this team and they fulfill their roles to the best of their abilities. They have strong rebounding with Nene, Martin and Chris Anderson; great ball movement with Lawson and Felton; spot on 3-point shooting in Smith and Gallinari, both who could explode for huge numbers any given game; strong defensive players in Afflalo and Martin and finally a talented all-around player in Chandler.

It is to be seen how far this team can go in the playoffs but they should by no means be written off. Carmelo Anthony is a great player but the Nuggets seem to still be clicking without him and could pose a threat for any team in the playoffs. The way they have been playing over the past 13 games, team should watch out because they will pose a threat in the playoffs.

Here is my bracket for this year…I am just hoping to get at least 50% correct!

With a dozen or so games left to play in the season until the playoffs start there remains in both conferences (more so in the West) a very tight battle over the remaining playoff spots. While no team has officially clinched a spot for the post-season yet a few teams look completely set to make it to the playoffs. Vancouver, Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Tampa Bay, Montreal, and Pittsburgh all are close to locks. Out east it is starting to shake out to where Buffalo and the New York Rangers look to be rounding out the playoff squads. But in the West there is still a lot more to decide than just seeding as there are six spots still up for grabs and nine teams (including one full division) vying for them.

Antti Niemi has been playing well. Until he got chased in his start against Chicago. Photo courtesy of sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

San Jose

A slow start to the season but the Sharks have heated up as the season moves closer to the end. They currently sit atop the Pacific division by a few points but with Dallas and Los Angeles pushing hard San Jose has little room for error. Still, this is the team the majority of people pegged to win the division and with no major injuries the Sharks quite possibly are the team most likely to make the playoffs as they appear to be finally playing up to their potential. Verdict – They’re in

Los Angeles

Streaky is the best word to describe the Kings this season, and their most recent play is the best indicator of that. A terrible stretch coming out of the All-Star break, followed by an incredible road trip and the Kings have fallen to eleventh and risen to as high as fourth in that stretch. Their team has been healthy, made improvements at the trade deadline, and has two very capable goaltenders (as opposed to one from last year) so the indication is that Los Angeles seems bound for the post-season. Still, if LA goes into another swoon the timing of it may have them on the outside. Verdict – Most likely in

Phoenix

Very quietly yet quickly the Coyotes have risen in the standings since the break. However things haven’t been easier for Phoenix since making the post-season last year (in terms of losing talent and financially) but the Coyotes still have a fairly solid team on their hands. On paper they are a stronger team than Dallas, Calgary, and Minnesota, but Phoenix is going to need Ilya Bryzgalov of yesteryear to really start making more appearances if Phoenix wants to finish higher than sixth. Until then, the Coyotes will keep using the overtime point system (which is completely flawed and idiotic) to make sure they make it in. Verdict – They’re in

With Brad Richards returning Dallas has a legitimate shot at making the playoffs. Photo courtesy of stars.nhl.com

Dallas

Besides the god awful  trade for Alex Goligoski (which means Goligoski isn’t playing bad but still, James Neal?) the Stars have to be really thankful for getting 3/4ths of their team back with Brad Richards returning to play. Dallas had their own period of inconsistencies with the drop from division leaders to division cellar dwellers, and have since rebounded back to higher standing. Dallas has an absolutely critical series of games through the rest of March so Dallas’s fortunes lie in how well they handle playoff caliber teams as the only games they have coming up against a team not in the playoffs is in April with Columbus and Colorado. Verdict – In, but just barely

Anaheim

The Ducks haven’t been playing too poorly but the small bouts of inconsistency aren’t doing them any favors where every point is critical. Anaheim has since seen their standing slip out of the playoff picture but with all five of their games in April being against division rivals the Ducks need to make up their ground sooner than later. Having Jonas Hiller return to form is critical as the Ducks on paper otherwise appears to be a playoff a team. The offense may be enough to carry them in otherwise, but not very far even still. It’s safe to say the Ducks absolutely need Hiller because Dan Ellis and Ray Emery just won’t cut it. Verdict – Unless Hiller carries them in, they miss

Calgary

Calgary had a fun ride. And it may stay that way as their schedule is the friendliest of the teams still battling. Five out of their last eleven games are against teams not headed towards the post season, and they have only one game against divisional power house Vancouver. But if one team on paper deserves to not be in the playoffs my pick is Calgary without a doubt. While they do stand a better chance of making it in then Minnesota I feel, Calgary I don’t think has much business being in the post-season much the same way Michael Ryder deserves to have his number retired by the Boston Bruins. Verdict – They miss

Minnesota

The recent skid the Wild have found themselves in has been ill timed and costly. Of the nine teams mentioned they are on the bottom, with 77 points, two behind Anaheim.  The team didn’t improve at the deadline, but Minnesota is benefited with the cupcake schedule they have going into the end of the season, pretty similar to that of Calgary’s but while Calgary suffers from having played more games already Minnesota suffers from less points. And even more similar to Calgary, Minnesota doesn’t have the strongest team out of the bunch. Verdict – They miss

He may beat up cabbies and creep on the ladies, but the mullet boy has skill. Photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com

Chicago

Even when the Blackhawks were losing games lately they were picking up points with the overtime system (still flawed and idiotic) and with the Hawks recent success they have risen from potentially missing the playoffs to likely being the fourth seed, possibly even challenging Detroit for the Central division title. Which puts even more emphasis on the three games Chicago has against the Red Wings between now and the playoffs. But this is still (mostly) the same lineup that won the Stanley Cup last year. Verdict – They make it

Nashville

Hit hard by injuries the Predators have stayed in contention and by all rights look like they can sneak back in.  The schedule is manageable but it all depends if the Preds can get their consistency in order, the issue they have been having all year long. But winning points in six of their last seven games seems to indicate the Predators are moving in the right direction. Plus they always find a way to get in. Verdict – They make it (probably)

The discipline department at the NHL had another busy week, and of course getting ridiculed at every which direction for their decisions and rulings handed out. This week’s entrees were that of Trevor Gillies yet again and Zdeno Chara. Gillies launched hockey back into the main spotlight of the sporting world (and about five minutes of air time on ESPN, which is four minutes more than it usually gets) with his attempt to decapitate Eric Tangradi a few weeks back when the Islanders played the Penguins in what can only be described as a total joke of a game reflecting the old joke of “going to a fight and a hockey game broke out”. Gillies was tossed for his hit, though not before standing near Tangradi just off the ice and taunting him while Tangradi was still down. A nine game suspension later Trevor Gillies is back in action.

Gillies got what he deserved for what he didn't get in his earlier offenses. Photo courtesy of startribune.com

In my previous post regarding Gillies and the Islanders cluster cuss as a whole, I thought Gillies actually got off pretty light. Not that a nine game suspension is small by any extent but I was guessing 15. And then this happened where Cal Clutterbuck, known pest and mustache enthusiast (which are one in the same really), threw a clean hit like Clutterbuck usually does (he leads the league far and away with 298 hits) when Gillies and his even bigger mustache attacked. It looked like Gillie left his feet a bit, led with his elbow, came from behind, and hit Clutterbuck in the head. Oh yeah, that’s another suspension. But then the punishment came down and it was ten games? I know there is a whole thing for repeat offenders but this was in no way even close to as bad as what Gillies got suspended for prior. It was a bad hit, it was intent to injure, and yeah he just came off a suspension already but this seems like the NHL was kind of trying to make up for the suspension before by giving out and even larger one. It does make slight sense where they are basically telling Gillies if he is going to try head hunting again he may very likely find himself out for the remainder of the season. Frankly I think if Gillies tries anything looking dirty and intentional again this season he should be removed for the season’s entirety, though yes I know that is likely only to be another six to ten games if Gillies sees ice time ever again this year.

Dangerous, yes. Reckless, yes. So how does Chara get diddly for this? Photo courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com

That however brings us to Big Z. Chara was involved with what looked like the ugliest play and arguably the most dangerous when he rode Max Pacioretty into the boards along the Bruins’ bench and Pacioretty’s head caught the glass that separates the two teams’ benches. Pacioretty was left on the ice in front of the Canadians’ bench where he was then rushed to a hospital via ambulance and was found to have a concussion and displaced vertebrate. I was kind of surprised that Chara has never been suspended before, not because he plays dirty, but because he is one big guy who likes to throw a lot of big hits. But Zdeno has avoided the wrath of the NHL so far and id so yet again when he got a zero games suspension. Did the NHL botch this one? Hell yeah they did.

A concussion and a neck injury and the NHL sat on their hands. Photo courtesy of financebehavior.co.uk

While obviously Gillies’s and Chara’s hits were drastically different the fact that Gillies was basically assured a suspension and Chara got squat doesn’t pan out logically. Gillies was head hunting, Chara definitely had intent to put on a big hit. Gillies’s was a head shot; Chara’s was interference without a doubt and was late as all get out. But the biggest thing is was the location of the hit. And while some may say that if the hit had happened anywhere else Pacioretty would have been fine and people would have exclaimed the hit was a hard intense play but nothing more, the play just simply wasn’t like that. It was in a dangerous spot, Chara knew it, just like how he knew the hit was late. Sure Chara probably wasn’t intending to nearly snap Pacioretty’s neck like a GI Joe’s but he knew the hit he was going to pull was a big one. He knows how big he is, he knew the play, and he knew where it was. He just didn’t mean to hurt the guy but it was reckless and outside of a hockey rink that is reckless misconduct. It was a dangerous play, plain and simple, but the NHL gave Chara a pass whereas Gillies and his cheap and dirty head shot was just a bit clearer. Chara obviously doesn’t deserve ten games, or even five games, but a hit like that, intended to injure or not, warrants a suspension for the disregard Chara had. Two games would have sat well with me and I think the NHL whiffed on the ruling. They are trying to clean up the game, but how can they when they don’t take any action regarding the carelessness a player may take when it comes to their opposition’s life and career potentially?

Fighting, love it or hate it, exists with vigor in the NHL. Now why it is possible to go on and try and argue whether or not it should be in the sport all together in a ten thousand word type essay (which in fact I have done) that’s not what is concerning me currently. No, it’s actually who is doing the fighting. Taylor Hall, the number one pick last year and basically the only reason to watch the Edmonton Oilers play currently, got into his first scrap. He is now out for the remainder of the season with an ankle sprain. Had this been a fight against of someone of equal ability like Drew Doughty, Steven Stamkos, or the best possible situation being Tyler Seguin this still would have been greatly entertaining. But no, Hall picks a fight with Derek Dorsett. Now it wasn’t Dorsett’s doing exactly that resulted in Hall’s injury but seriously a guy with 27 penalty minutes going up against a guy with 138? Hell, Dorsett gets into fights when he is putting on his skates practically (tied for fourth in the league with 16 majors).

Don't let this happen to your overpriced athlete. Photo courtesy of entertainment.newsday.com

Seeing the teams proverbial franchise player get into a fight can be entertaining without a doubt. NHL.com ran a series tracking the superstars getting into fights right after Sidney Crosby got into one, following Sid’s lead like he was the Fonze. The issue of course arises when you have your team’s best player fighting there is high risk of injury, as seen with Hall. Look at Rick “If-you-insult-him-he-will-strain-his-ACL” DiPietro. One punch in a goalie scrap and all of a sudden Mr. Glass-made-in-a-third-world-country’s jaw is toast and he’s done for the year. I really don’t think that guys like Crosby or Hall really need to be mixing things up. Besides isn’t that the whole point of carrying an enforcer in the lineup? Heck Dorsett plays on the same line most of the time with Jared Boll, one of three guys with more fights than he has.

Sure, it does back off the other team off maybe a half-step knowing that they may be dealing with the guy they just leveled in a fisticuff now, but frankly I would prefer trying to fight Sidney Crosby and not Mike Rupp if only for wanting my face to actually remain looking like a face. There are a few guys that can mix things up decently well with high skill sets like Joe Thornton, Ryan Getzlaf, and Jarome Iginla. But they tend to only face off against players pretty similar to them. That’s why there are fights like Brandon Dubinsky against Mike Richards, Dustin Brown against Brendan Morrow, and Nathan Horton against Dion Phaneuf. Even still, these guys choose their fights pretty selectively still.

Thought the main reason I am against top tier players trying to mix things up when they have no business trying to is that, well, it just looks awkward. They are paid to score and they make the big bucks doing so, namely that crazy sick move Hall did before he got his leg tweaked. He knows how to do all that crazy stick work, but fighting? I don’t think he attended Derek Boogard fight clinics back in St. Paul. So while I do appreciate the cajones Hall had to try and fight Dorsett (who was around the same size as Hall in all fairness) let your big guys do that for you Taylor. The superstar fights are mostly just wrestling and slapping anyways. Just look at Alexander Semin and his bongo desire or Max Talbot and his pawing. If I was an enforcer (and at 140 pounds and 6’1 I’m certainly not) I may get annoyed you are trying to force me out of a job where enforcers are already paid way less than you will be at just about any point of your career. Steve MacIntyre is on your bench for a reason and it’s not his offensive prowess. It’s why Wayne Gretzky had Marty McSorely around also. Let the big guys fight. They do that very well, almost to where there is an art to it. Crossing over to their skill set may seem easy but it doesn’t look good and can have some bad results. Remember the Great One’s hug-a-thon.

http://bluedevilnation.net/2011/02/duke-unc-photo-gallery/ncaa-basketball-feb-09-north-carolina-at-duke-5/

For most of the college basketball season the sport is an afterthought. At least for me. The NFL and NBA are much more interesting until March comes around. That’s when the sport takes over the national stage (and my personal interest) because of the importance of every game. Big games for the regular season title and the conference tournaments start the excitement that culminates in the field of 68. This weekend is the beginning of “March Madness” and I can’t wait.

Duke vs. UNC, Wisconsin vs. Ohio State and Notre Dame vs. UConn. Duke vs. UNC is the marquee match up of the weekend, being one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. Both teams are 13-2 in the conference and you can bet Chapel Hill is ready for a showdown. When these two teams are battling for the title you know you’re going to get a hard fought, well played game that will be entertaining down to the last shot.

I look for Duke to come out hot in Chapel Hill, trying to get the crowd out early and settle down into their game. UNC has the advantage in the frontcourt and you can bet they’re going to try and pound it down low on Dukes weaker big men. In the end I see Duke coming out on top and claiming the title of regular season ACC champions. Duke has too much firepower and senior leadership to lose this game, especially with this being the last regular season game for both Singler and Smith.

College Basketball can be very different from its professional older brother, and that is a good thing. These kids are playing their hardest on every possession, playing as a selfless team. This is a rare thing in sports so enjoy it while it lasts.

The last bit of grades for the trade deadline and personally I think this group of teams did the best of the three.

Ottawa Senators

One team was not kidding themselves about the position they were in. That being the Ottawa Senators knowing that, well, they flat sucked. They were in last (still are) and had a lot of older veterans. GM Brian Murray did the math and started taking requests from other general managers and his own players alike. Mike Fisher was sent to Nashville getting a first round draft pick and a conditional pick for 2012, helping the Senators for the future and giving Fisher a nice perk of playing in the town where his wife works/lives/is listened to. Next out was Chris Kelly to Boston for a second round pick. Again, helps out Ottawa at the draft where Murray stated he wanted to be the biggest player, and gave Kelly a good chance at seeing a deep post-season run. Jarkko Ruutu was dealt to Anaheim for sixth rounder, giving Ruutu a home where they love annoying players, and Alex Kovalev was returned to Pittsburgh for a pick. Chris Campoli was also dealt for a second rounder and Ryan Poltuny from Chicago. Somehow Murray also convinced the Avalanche to trade Craig Anderson for Brian Elliot, which actually gave Ottawa a goalie. In one month Murray dismantled the current team he had, loaded up on draft picks, gave his former players good franchises for them to play with, re-signed a key defenseman who begged not to be traded, AND SOLVED OTTAWA’S GOALIE NIGHTMARE (temporarily at least). They may not be good for a while, but Murray took the right steps to rebuilding and then some. Good show out of a last place squad. They are still stuck with Jason Spezza though. Grade: A

Philadelphia Flyers

With already one of the best bluelines in the league and a terrifyingly good top six Philadelphia didn’t do too much. They added Nick Boynton to their defensive corps to fill in for a few injuries plaguing them currently, and snagged Kris Versteeg from Toronto. Versteeg helps the depth on Philadelphia which was a slight issue, and also

Out of obscurity and into obscure and bankrupt for Radislav Klesla. Photo courtesy of coyotes.nhl.com

provides his services after Ville Leino inevitably signs elsewhere next season. The only real issue is that the Flyers’ GM Mike Holmgren overpaid for Versteeg without a doubt. A first and a third? It’s only justified by the fact that they got their second line winger without killing their cap space. In the end though, Phily has made the minor moves to provide further depth to an already scary good team. Grade: B

Phoenix Coyotes

Much like the team they dealt with, Phoenix didn’t do much but what they did was pretty big with the trade of Sami Lepisto and Scottie “Stupid Suspension” Upshall for Radislav “They have a team in Ohio?” Klesla. Phoenix had the depth on the wings to afford ditching Upshall and Klesla is undeniably an upgrade over Lepisto in just about every regard so it looks like a good deal for Phoenix. Their defense just got better, but the issue remains that up the middle is the Coyotes weakness. It was something that went unaddressed, not like there were a lot of options out there which is the only reason why Phoenix gets a…Grade: B

Alex Kovalev is back in Pittsburgh where he will continue to piss off fans routinely for being an enigma. Photo courtesy of senators.nhl.com

Pittsburgh Penguins

With the minor league team just keeping the Penguins’ heads above water Pittsburgh got a hell of a few deals. They absolutely fleeced Dallas with dealing Alex Goligoski for James Neal and Matt Niskanen. Niskanen rounds out the defense and Neal is just the sort of winger the Penguins needed with Malkin going down for the year. Then getting Alex Kovalev for next to nothing was another savvy move of giving some veteran ability on the right side. Now if Sidney Crosby ever gets his wits together again the Penguins are a real force for the playoffs. Grade: A

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks needed help on the blue line and they got Ian White to help out. While frankly I thought the Sharks needed someone a little more versed in post-season success White isn’t a bad defenseman by any stretch. That being said San Jose realized they shouldn’t mess too much with something that seems to be coming together finally and kept their roster mostly intact. While I don’t know if it justified a second round pick and Derek Joslin, a young solid looking defender, for potentially only a rental player San Jose seems a deeper team ever so slightly because of it so I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and split the difference. Grade: C (which jumps to a B if the Sharks make it to the Conference finals regardless of how White plays)

St. Louis Blues

I suppose one could say the Blues wound up being sellers when all was said and done regarding the deadline. And it is kind of disappointing to see them wind up being like that. They started out the season very hot, looked like they were rebounding and developing still, and then wound up clearing house in a sense. Eric Brewer, Brad Winchester, and Brad Boyes were out and, oh yeah, that little deal with Jay McClement and Eric Johnson. St. Louis unloaded some hefty contracts and got back a second round pick, a pair of third rounders, and the greatest named hockey player ever in Brock Beukeboom. The Johnson blockbuster brought in Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk. Stewart and Shattenkirk are both younger than Johnson and McClement and look to provide more talent overall as a deal in the long run. St. Louis’s rebuilding seemed to have a severe hiccup, mainly because none of the talent they brought in that was very young was superstar material, something Los Angeles and Tampa Bay both benefited from with Drew Doughty and Steven Stamkos. The Blues however have plenty of talent still that’s young and if they manage things smartly they could have a very deep team for years to come. Problem is they aren’t too good currently and took steps backwards in that department with the deals. All part of the process though. Grade: B

Hey look! A picture of a player on his current team! Thanks Eric Brewer. Photo courtesy of sbnation.com

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa’s biggest move happened earlier by obtaining Dwayne Roloson but the Lightning still had some issues with their defense. They helped themselves out though with the addition of Eric Brewer who can at least play better than Randy Jones. Tampa also was able to dump Mr. Moneybags Dan Ellis. Tampa didn’t really get anything in return and paid quite a bit for Brewer as a rental that doesn’t bring a whole ton of a lot to the table anymore. But it does help. What doesn’t help is their depth in their forward ranks which still is a bit suspect. Grade: C

Toronto Maple Leafs

Only Brian Burke could have a deadline like this and have it basically be routine. It could probably be summed up best with the fact that the trade Burke made was sending John Mitchell, who seemed to burn out, to the Rangers while a few days earlier Burke took on former Rangers’ burnout, Aaron Voros. But Burke did enact some revenge against the Boston Bruins, gouging them on Tomas Kaberle who was finally (and thankfully) dealt.  They got a first round pick (not theirs but Boston’s) and Boston’s top prospect, along with a conditional pick for next year. Seeing how Burke also somehow got a first round pick for Kris Versteeg it seems like Burke could try to trade up for a draft pick at the entry draft also. Very sneaky Mr. Burke, very sneaky indeed. Toronto’s other maneuver was dealing Francois Beauchemin for Joffrey Lupul, who fills the hole from Versteeg, and a high level defensive prospect. While Toronto won’t be making a trip to the Cup finals likely for another season or three, Burke seems to playing things a bit smarter after the whole Kessel fiasco. Grade: B (but an A for improvement)

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver let me know that you in fact can trade for the 2013 draft, something I thought was originally impossible because of the whole 2012 thing with John Cusack supposed to be happening. Anyways, Vancouver now has ridiculous depth on an already deep, talented squad and now their defensemen are getting healthy since they apparently got lonely when one got hurt and then all decided to join them or something along those lines. In any case they are now only an Andrew Edler short, and if

The biggest waiver wire addition for anyone is the Washington Capitals getting Marco Sturm as a rental for nothing at all. Photo courtesy of voices.washingtonpost.com

they are lucky maybe Andrew Alberts will stay hurt and miss the playoffs. Vancouver did shore up their fourth line with Chris Higgins and Maxim Lapierre for a couple of draft picks after the apocalypse and Joel Perrault. The Canucks didn’t need to do much but the little things, and the team added speed and an annoying French Canadian. However, the Canucks did state they would hold on to Cory Schneider and likely use him as a big trading chip down the road. You want Luongo over Schneider??? Grade: D because Luongo is a playoff choke artist that San Jose is envious of (ok, fine. B)

Washington Capitals

Top six winger: Check. Second line center: Check. Defensive depth: Check. Proven starter: No cap space. Well three out of four isn’t bad. One does have sneaking suspicion the Capitals are putting all their eggs into the proverbial basket with the moves though as Marco Sturm and Jason Arnott both are rentals, adding to the long list of players set for new contracts on the Capitals. That being said Washington paid only David Steckel, a third round pick, and a second round pick in 2012. Looks like shopping in bulk does work. Washington would have had to move around some contracts for a crack at Tomas Vokoun and frankly if they want Vokoun that badly they can get him this offseason. Tampa better watch themselves as I think Washington improved themselves beyond Tampa’s level personally. Grade A