Hockeyleaks.com Team Bloggers

Lots of Options

2011-02-14T11:01:00.000-08:00

It’s plain and simple. The Carolina Hurricanes have to make the play-offs this year. And, the good news is …they are knocking on the door.

So, with the trade deadline fast approaching, it is not surprising to hear that Jim Rutherford, the Canes GM, is busy trying to make some moves. Reports suggest the Canes were among three teams that had a real shot at Ottawa’s Mike Fisher, moved to Nashville this week. He is exactly what the doctor ordered, a skilled two-way center with size. Rutherford has historically tried to make his major moves well before the deadline, in order to get the players assimilated into the Canes organization as early as possible. You just need to consider the Doug Weight deal, the year the Canes went on to win the Cup. Timing is even more acute this year. If JR plans to take a serious run at the play-offs, he needs to strengthen the team now to improve his play-off chances.

Making the play-offs won’t be easy. The New York Rangers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Buffalo Sabres are in a virtual dead heat for the final two play-off positions. Buffalo has been on a tear lately and is peaking at just the right time. Based on their current play, you have to think they will take one of the spots. The Rangers, Thrashers, and Canes have been inconsistent, thus creating the opportunity for the others to take the advantage. But, to-date, none of the teams have been able to make a real statement. Rick Dudley, The Thrashers GM, and Glen Sather, the Rangers boss-man, have both been very active trying to land the key pieces they need to make the post-season. As a result, you can expect they will be stronger at the deadline.

So, the Canes will need to make some serious moves to stay in the hunt. Historically, JR has pulled off some real coups at the trade deadline. In 2008, he got Tuomo Ruutu for Andrew Ladd. In 2009, he got Erik Cole back, for oft-injured Justin Williams, and Jussi Jokinen, from Tampa Bay, for spare parts. Last year, he made seven trades and picked up seven draft picks along with a few prospects, clearing out most of the pending UFAs. He lobbied some of those picks into deals at the draft, for Bobby Sanguinetti, a highly regarded D-man in the Ranger organization, and Riley Nash, a former first-rounder of the Edmonton Oilers. Both are expected to fill roster spots on the Hurricanes in the future. So, if history is any indication, expect something major to happen before the deadline.

How is JR approaching the deadline? He gave this indication recently. ““We have two goals,” he said. “One is to make the playoffs and the other is to build this team going forward. Regardless of what we do and how it looks, we’re not going to give up on this year.”

Their needs are clear. They are desperately in need of a quality shutdown D-man. The Canes have quietly assembled a solid defence corps, the only problem being that most are offence first types, like Joe Corvo, Joni Pitkanen, Ian White, and Jamie McBain. This need has been particularly noticeable with the penalty kill unit, currently one of the worst in the league. The lack of a proficient face-off guy has also hurt but a more pressing problem is a top 6 winger. They have not been able to find a winger to join Eric Staal and Erik Cole on the top line, trying a host of players unsuccessfully. They could also use a winger to complement the Ruutu/Skinner combo. It will depend on who is available as to which spot is filled first.

Based on JR’s comment, you might extrapolate that he is trying to move impending UFAs Joni Pitkanen, Chad Larose, and Sergei Samsonov. Of those, Pitkanen would fetch the biggest return and given the likelihood that the Canes do not plan to re-sign him in the off-season and last year’s debacle with Ray Whitney at the deadline, look to the Canes to try and move him now. There is clearly lots of interest for a big minute-munching, offensive D-man, like Joni.
Patrick Dwyer is a lower-cost, more versatile Larose clone, so he is expendable. Samsonov is a clearly a spare part but no one seems interested in him. Rutherford may throw in some draft picks, even a 1^st rounder, and some prospects, such as Rodney, Samson, Bowman, Osala, or even Boychuk, in Charlotte, for the right deal.

Based on history, likely trade partners are Edmonton, Boston, San Jose, Ottawa, Florida, and Toronto, all of which have players of interest to the Canes. Of those, San Jose, Columbus and Boston are all looking for an offensive-minded D-man, like Pitkanen. Edmonton, Ottawa, Florida, and Toronto are looking for prospects to support their rebuilding process. If they move Pitkanen, expect them to acquire a solid replacement in their wheeling and dealing. Recognizing the fiscal challenges of the Hurricanes, and JR’s tendency to try to match cap dollars, who might the Canes be targeting?

For draft picks/prospects:

Vandermeer/Brule/Penner – Edmonton, although JR denies interest in Penner,
Komisarek/Kadri – Toronto, not likely due to high cost of Komisarek and injury problems,
Allen/Weiss/Booth – Florida, has potential as rumors suggest Canes are talking to Florida.

Including Pitkanen/Larose/others:

M. Stuart/Wheeler – Boston, a package deal would help both teams,
Setoguchi - San Jose, makes a lot of sense for the Canes, who continue to look closely at the Sharks,
Tyutin/Filatov/Brassard – Columbus, intriguing depending on the package.

Or might JR surprise us and bring back former’ Canes, as he is want to do, like Kings’ Justin Williams, Florida’s Corey Stillman, or Columbus’ Mike Commodore, who would cost less and could potentially fill the major weaknesses of the team for this year. Only time will tell. No matter what, expect JR to make a splash at the trade deadline.

He always does.

Making their Move!

2011-01-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

As we start the new year and hit the midway point in the NHL season, the Carolina Hurricanes find themselves only five points out of a play-off spot in the Eastern Conference. Not bad considering the tough schedule the Canes have faced thus far. However, the Canes now have three games-in-hand on Montreal, in eighth place, and five games-in-hand on Atlanta, in seventh place, who they trail by eight points. So, the play-offs are very clearly in sight.

For most of the season, the Canes have been inconsistent, but recently they have shown signs that they are starting to round into form. This is consistent with past seasons. The Hurricanes always seem to step it up in the second half. With road wins in Toronto (4-3) and Ottawa (4-0), along with a resounding 6-3 shellacking of the New Jersey Devils at home, the Canes moved to 7-3-0 in their last 10 games, second only to Tampa Bay in the Conference, during that period. Cam Ward has been the catalyst, brilliant between the pipes on many nights. His .926 save percentage ranks third overall in the NHL. Of course, Eric Staal has played a key role as you would expect. Nothing new there. The captain is averaging a point-a-game, with 37 points in 37 games. Several others have been instrumental in the Canes surge, including Tuomo Ruutu, Jussi Jokinen, Joe Corvo, Patrick Dwyer, Jamie McBain, and Canes rookie phenom, Jeff Skinner, who continues to surprise. Skinner now leads all NHL rookies in scoring with 28 points in 37 games, and is showing no signs of letting up. In fact, a recent switch to center has him on a current tear. Just check out some of his video highlights and watch this young man, just 18 years-old, in action.

Recent additions, defenceman Ian White (Calgary), along with role players, Troy Bodie and Ryan Carter (Anaheim), have been significant upgrades from their predecessors. Add to that the pending return of Jiri Tlusty, and the emergence of prize rookies, Zach Boychuk and Zac Dalpe, and it starts to get interesting. And, it doesn't end there. The Hurricanes have plenty of depth in the farm with talented youngsters Drayson Bowman, Oscar Osala, Jon Matsumoto, and Bryan Rodney, all chomping at the bit to get their chance.

However, despite a more favorable second half schedule, the Canes are still missing a few key pieces needed to assure a play-off berth in the tough Eastern Conference. With Pitkanen, Corvo, McBain and White, the Canes can create lots of offence from the backline. Keeping pucks out of the net is another matter. They desperately need a veteran shutdown defenceman to take the heat off Tim Gleason. Jay Harrison has been an acceptable fill-in, but he isn't the man. And, the Canes never did fill their need for an elite forward, a go-to guy for Eric Staal. Currently, Staal is the only legitimate first liner on the Canes. Jussi Jokinen has had success at times but other than Jussi, it has been slim pickins'.

If the Hurricanes continue to climb back into the fray in January, expect some moves from Jim Rutherford, the Canes GM, as we approach the trade deadline. Historically, JR has been very active when the Canes are close and a few moves can make the difference. So, if JR can once again weave some of his magic and is able to parlay the likes of Samsonov, Cole, Larose, and Harrison, into meaningful assets, this could be a very interesting season for Canes fans, indeed.

So, the question is...who should JR try to acquire at the deadline? The floor is open.

A Fresh Start! - Canes Preview 2010-2011

2010-10-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

As we fast approach the start of the 2010-2011 season, I wanted to take a look ahead at what we might expect this year from our Carolina Hurricanes. If you are a die-hard Carolina Hurricanes fan like me, last year is clearly a year you want to put behind you. The Canes were 2-8-3 in October and never recovered. Ouch! A decision had been made by Jim Rutherford (JR), the Canes' President and GM, to stick primarily with the veteran-laden team that took the Canes to the division finals in 2008-2009. He felt the only missing link was more toughness on the blueline and to that end, added Aaron Ward in a trade with Boston and Andrew Alberts, a UFA from the Philadelphia Flyers. The team moved away from the attack style that Peter Laviolette had initiated and which had resulted in much success, led by an aggressive, offensive-minded defence corps, to a team with a "D" which had trouble getting out of their own zone, let alone drive the attack.

The good news is that JR got the message loud-and-clear. It was time this team had a major re-work. Add to this the current financial situation and Peter Karmanos' interest to sell-off a major portion of the team, and it was clear that austerity measures were needed. He commenced the work of cleaning house at the trade deadline, moving defencemen Aaron Ward, an unmitigated disaster, Niclas Wallin, tough but slow afoot, Andrew Alberts, average at-best, and Joe Corvo, a decent defenseman but pending UFA. In return, he acquired youngsters Justin Pogge, a former Canadian Junior Goalie-of-the-Year, and Oscar Osala, a talented Finn, plus a couple of 2nd round draft picks. He also moved out forwards Stephane Yelle, a spare part, Matt Cullen, a strong contributor but pending UFA, and Scott Walker, a likeable guy but a player who didn't figure in the Canes' future plans. All good moves. Unfortunately, he was unable to succesfully move Ray Whitney to LA, where he had a deal in the works for a 1st rounder plus. Whitney subsequently signed with Phoenix.

So, JR had some significant rebuilding to do. First order of business was to deal with Rod Brind'Amour, who had slipped to the 4th line and was a shadow of his former self last year. Mission accomplished when Rod retired from active duty and accepted a coaching position with the Canes. Next was the draft, where JR surprised many by picking Jeff Skinner, a 70-goal scorer in the OHL last year, including 20 goals in 20 play-off games. Early returns on Skinner have been very positive. He has a spot to lose, with the Canes needing more offence up-front. JR also made a couple of shrewd deals on the draft floor, acquiring former first rounders, Bobby Sanguinetti from the Rangers, who is enjoying a strong camp and oozes offence, and Riley Nash, from the Oilers, a Ron Francis favorite with plenty of upside, both for 2nd round picks acquired at the trade deadline. JR loves to acquire former first rounders and has been successful a number of times in the past, including current stalwarts Ruutu and Gleason.

But, Rutherford wasn't done there. Seeing the need to bolster the defence and bring in more offence, he re-signed Anton Babchuk, a player who should have been here all along, and signed Joe Corvo, to a two-year hometown discount deal, around 2.0M per season. You have to like the Corvo deal - traded to Washington for a 2nd round pick and Oscar Osala at the deadline, and then brought back for less money. JR, you are one shrewd horse trader! All the more impressive given the financial constraints levied on him by Karmanos. He took a while, but finally closed the deal with Brett Carson, a promising blueliner with size and moxy, who ended the season plus five in 54 games played with the Canes. With Carson, it was a two-way contract adding to the Canes flexibility this season. And, then, the piece de resistance! When local boy Patrick O'Sullivan, a former consensus first-rounder and 22-goal scorer with the Kings a a few years ago, showed interest, Rutherford pounced on him, and got his name on the dotted line for a paltry 500K, a two-way contract at that! Sure, he had a tough season in Edmonton last year, but who didn't. He can play, make no mistake about it, and as so many others like O'Sullivan have done with the Canes, he will thrive in North Carolina.

Any way you shake it, you have to like where this team is going. I can't remember the closet being this full of young talent since I started following the Canes several years ago. Led by elite players, Eric Staal, and Cam Ward, the Canes will compete every night. Add to them the supporting cast of D-men Joni Pitkanen, a horse and the league leader in on-ice time per game last season, and Tim Gleason, who impressed all with his gutsy Olympics performance and just gets better each time out, as well as forwards Jussi Jokinen, a versatile forward and 30-goal scorer, Tuomo Ruutu, a workhorse with huge potential, and Brandon Sutter, who topped 20 goals in only his second season, and there's reason for optimism. Other veterans who could play a key role are Erik Cole, Chad Larose, and Sergie Samsonov. All stumbled badly last year, but have the talent to contribute much-needed offence. Cole could surprise. What about Jiri Tlusty, another former first-rounder, who Paul Maurice has high praise for? He earned a one-way contract and could be a factor. He's big and skilled. Expect big things this season from Jamie McBain, the Wisconsin phenom, who had an impressive 10 points in just fourteen games last year (+6), and Drayson Bowman, a slick offensive winger, who impressed in a Canes uniform in his nine game audition last year and has shown strong defensive acumen in camp. Another player to watch is Zac Dalpe, an Ohio State grad, who has the size and skills to make the move to the Canes now and scored six goals in only nine games with Albany in the AHL. He's all but assured a spot on the roster. Bryan Rodney, Jay Harrison, Zach Boychuk, Osala, Riley, and Jared Staal, a virtual steal from Phoenix, all provide depth.

So, what should we expect to see opening day? Sure, there are still questions to be answered on the starting line-up, but it will probably look something like this.

Forwards

O'Sullivan/Staal/Cole

Bowman/Sutter/Ruutu

Skinner/Jokinen/Larose

Tlusty/Dalpe/Kostopoulos

Dwyer, Samsonov (injured)

Defence

Gleason/McBain

Pitkanen/Corvo

Carson/Babchuk

Sanguinetti

Goalies

Ward, Peters

My Prediction: The Canes will be the surprise team in the NHL this year. Get ready!

Decisions, Decisions!

2010-03-01T14:17:00.000-08:00

As we fast approach the trade deadline, Jim Rutherford (JR) is being very tight-lipped about his plans. But, then again, that's his normal style, isn't it? Things are really starting to heat up. "I'm getting inquiries on more players than I expected," he was recently quoted as saying. The big question is "Will the Canes still be sellers?" After all, they have rattled off five straight wins and have won nine of their last eleven. They now find themselves only nine points out of a play-off berth.

So, what would you do, knowing that the rebuild process is well underway, but a play-off berth is still possible?

The changes started earlier this year, with the Canes elevating Brandon Sutter, Patrick Dwyer, and Brett Carson, to the big team from the Albany River Rats. They have all contributed and will be regulars going forward. Sutter has been a revelation, with fourteen goals already this year. Then, the Canes traded 2009 first round pick, Phillipe Paradis, to Toronto for former first rounder, Jiri Tlusty. Niclas Wallin, the "secret weapon", a huge favorite of the Caniac nation, was shipped to San Jose for a 2nd round pick in 2010, and Matt Cullen, another fan favorite, was sent to Ottawa for D-man Alexandre Picard and another 2nd round pick in 2010. So, that's where we are right now.

Based on these moves, you have to figure that JR will stick to his re-tooling plan, to change fully half of the team prior to next season as he has previously gone on record as saying. At the top of the list will be dealing with the UFAs. He has to move them now, if he wants any return, as he did with Cullen and Wallin. The Canes have some outstanding building blocks in Eric Staal, Cam Ward, Brandon Sutter, Tuomo Ruutu, Joni Pitkanen, Jussi Jokinen. and Tim Gleason. They also have some talented prospects in the aforementioned Brett Carson, Patrick Dwyer and Jiri Tlusty, as well as Albany farmhands Zack Boychuk, Justin Peters, and Drayson Bowman, not to mention Ohio State star, Zac Dalpe, and, my personal favorite, former Wisconson phenom, Jamie McBain. You might want to include Alexandre Picard, if he can recapture his game in Carolina as so many others have. Add to that veterans Erik Cole, Sergei Samsonov, Tom Kostopoulos, and Andrew Alberts, who has quietly had a solid season, (leads the team with +6) and you're well on your way. You can expect Rod Bind'Amour to retire at season's end, clearing much-needed cash and a center spot on next year's roster.

The Canes need more size and scoring in the forward ranks and will probably need another D-man, assuming both A. Ward and Corvo go this week, unless of course, Anton Babchuk (remember him?) returns from the KHL, where he is having a break-out season. Stranger things have happened!

So, what deals should we look for prior to the deadline? JR has made it clear that he is looking for high draft picks and prospects who can contribute now, so don't expect any household names to be heading our way. Here's my wish list.

Ray Whitney - LA - Deal is on the table, but fading - 1st rounder in 2010 & prospect (Moller,Elkins?)

Pittsburgh - 1st rounder & prospect or Tyler Kennedy & 2nd rounder

Buffalo - 1st rounder & prospect (Justin Jokinen?)

Boston - (with A. Ward) - Blake Wheeler is available

Joe Corvo - Phoenix - 2nd rounder or top prospect (Boedker, Jared Staal?)

Phoenix (with Larose) - Wouldn't Peter Mueller look good in a Canes jersey?

Aaron Ward - Boston - 2nd round pick

Vancouver - 2nd round pick

Chad Larose - Philadelphia - Ville Leino is interesting

Stephane Yelle - late round pick

Scott Walker - Nashville - 4th or 5th round pick in 2010 draft

Manny Legace - late round pick

Bryan Rodney, Jay Harrison - Both have slipped in the eyes of Canes management and could be packaged in a deal.

This is an exciting time to be a Carolina Hurricanes fan. A new era is being ushered in. The Canes don't plan to sit on the outside looking-in for long. One thing's for sure. There is nobody more astute than Jim Rutherford at wheeling and dealing. You can bet he'll get maximum return for his assets. he's made a habit of it. Look at some of his past deadline deals:

Andrew Ladd to Chicago for Tuomo Ruutu (A win for the Canes)

Josef Melichar and Wade Brookbank to Tampa for Jussi Jokinen (Are you kidding me?)

Danny Richmond to Chicago for Anton Babchuk (Danny who?)

Kevyn Adams to Phoenix for Dennis Seidenberg (Love to the the"berg" back next year!)

And who knows, we may even see Matt Cullen back next year!

This will be very interesting! Join me as I follow all of the Canes trade activity at http://twitter.com/CanesTR.

RIP Brendan Burke

2010-02-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

The world of hockey was devastated to hear the news about the tragic death of Brendan Burke, son of Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke. It was Friday night, and I was just finishing up a crisis call I was dispatched to. I had to tend to a family that just lost a love one to a heart attack, and witnesses their heartache for about two hours. As I sat there, holding back my own tears, I then saw a message sent to my phone breaking the news of Brendan’s death. In an instant, I felt complete sadness. To say I was shocked was an understatement. The article that was written about Brandon was still fresh in my mind, and I was just talking about how proud Brian Burke must be to walk in the opening ceremonies as the proud American he’s always professed to be. I then started wondering, why is it people have huge highs in life, only to then have complete and utter lows.
I could not help it but to think of my father who died over 10 years ago, and like a fresh cut, I could feel my wound open up. I thought back to the days when Burke was in Anaheim and how he made it known he had to leave to be with his family. I thought Burke was a great father for making that his main priority. I thought about how close I was with my father, and how he always worried about my safety. Details of Brendan’s death were still sketchy and there was not much information until the next morning. Apparently Brendan died in an auto accident when the car he was driving slid into oncoming traffic due to snowy conditions. I remembered one time when I crashed in high school. I called my father to the scene to pick me up, and when he got there all I could think of was how mad he was going to be. When he arrived on scene, he walked right up to me, and as I formed the words to say I was sorry, he grabbed me and hugged me and said he was scared something bad had happened to me. I realized then and there, that my father actually got scared for the first time. I cannot begin to imagine Brian Burke’s reaction to the news of his son’s passing. It is a parent’s worse nightmare, and one that Brian Burke and his family are experiencing.
This weekend, the world of hockey stood together in solidarity for a family member. And forgive me for forgetting where I read this, but someone else came up with this and said that today, every team removes their logos from their chests, and puts down the hockey sticks in honor of Brendan Burke. I could not agree more. I would like to dedicate this Sunday’s column to Brendan Burke and his bravery as a human being, and as a loving son. May you rest in peace forever.

Most Memorable Jiggy Moments.

2010-02-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to be doing tributes for J.S. ever since being traded to Toronto. There are many moments that make up who Jiggy is today. I could list the 2007 Cup championship as one, but that's too easy. Instead I'll chime in with mine. I have quite a few but I think I'll just highlight five of them for the sake of time.

5. Jiggy's Father passes away- As having gone through this, I know how hard it is when someone dies, to have the spirit to want to do things right away. A person hits a low when a parent dies, and the human heart almost feels weakened by the loss. This is Jiggy's 5th most memorable moment because even though the Ducks did not achieve success by NHL standards, the mere fact that he could finish the season with respectable numbers is huge.

4.Mighty Ducks Sweep The Wild - 02/03 Playoffs R3 GM4
Once more, Jiggy helps the Mighty Ducks sweep a strong Minnesota team, and as you watch the video, look how exhausted Jiggy was at the end of the game. They always say sometimes you have to fight until you can't fight any more, and sometimes when you fight that hard, something breaks. 2003 may have been the year that broke Jiggy. It may be the year he left it all on the ice for the team. In 2007 he has an incredibly talented team in from of him, making the cup win inevitable, but in '03, it was Jiggy all by himself. I'll never forget being at this game and cheering like it was the Cup final! Nothing compared to the feeling I had on this night. Nothing would make up for it, except for the Cup winning game in 2007. And yes, you heard correctly...the announcer says Jiggy stops 122 out of 123 shots in the series.

3. Mighty Ducks 5-OT Goal vs. Stars - 02/03 Playoffs - R2 GM1
This game went to five over times! think about it. That's 2 and half games!! More amazing is the fact that in order for the team to get to that point, it took quite a performance from its goalie. In this game, you had two greats battling one another. On one side, Marty Turco, and on the other, J.S. Giguere. Watch the video as the stunned crowed quietly makes its way out of the Dallas arena!

2. Jiggy Melt Down- this game took place in 2006, when the Oilers were taking on the Ducks at home. The Ducks were frustrated by the antics of goal tender Dwayne Roloson and then Oiler Chris Pronger. In fact Pronger got under Jiggy's skin so much, that he finally cracked and was assessed a slashing penalty, and then got into a scrum with Pronger. As the whistle blew, Jiggy continued to mouth of at Pronger and then began punching Pronger in the kisser! Jiggy was received a double minor, which allowed the Oilers to score and add insult to injury. The Oilers that year eliminated the Ducks from the Western Conference Final, but it was worth it to see such raw emotion come from Jiggy. I don't have video of this, but I've attached a video having a melt down on the bench recently.

1. Triple Over Time- when the Ducks faced off against the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round of the 2003 playoffs, many felt it was merely a warm up for the defending champion Wings. Since 1952, history was on the side of the defending champions, as there has not been a first round elimination of a returning champion since that year. What transpired what a goalie clinic, in which J.S. stopped 63 shots in one game (or technically 2, depending how you look at things.) The game was loaded with drama and excitement as David took on Goliath, with the Ducks coming out on top in a memorable game.

Finally, here is a video tribute, one of many, that hit the net once Jiggy was traded. Its by Roochfan20 on YouTube, and I thought it summed up Jiggy nicely.

Good luck Jiggy. Toronto is embracing you with open arms. The move is going to be good for you to shake off some old skeletons, so you can give Canada a little taste of what it was like in Anaheim the last 10 years.

"I would give that one up to get the other one. The other one is much nicer and much bigger," he said. "My thought goes to all my teammates. They worked so hard in front of me and I couldn't do anything without them. This is something we'll hopefully share as a team." -J.S. Giguere 2003 after winning the Con Smyth Trophy in a loss to New Jersey Devils.

Thanks for the memories.......now let's play hockey.

2010-01-31T14:03:00.001-08:00

It was just a matter of time, and could not come any sooner. J.S. Giguere, long time goal tender and most popular member of the Ducks, has been traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in return for Vessa Toskala and Jason Blake. Toronto awoke to Brian Burke shaking the foundations of the Leafs organization. In true Burke fashion, he made moves that has sparked new hope into the Toronto franchise, while causing some Anaheim fans to shed bitter sweet tears. It comes with the territory of being a professional athlete. There were reports that as recent as the last morning skate the Ducks had on the road, Giggy was told to go back to the hotel because he was being traded to the Leafs. He apparently hugged some of the coaches goodbye, and left. It was obvious that Giggy was headed north after the Ducks re-signed Hiller to a four year deal cementing him as the number one goalie in Anaheim. As a fan of the Ducks, I also hope this move breaths in new life to the Ducks organization. It was probably a good thing all of this occurs right before the Olympic break, so there is enough time for the dust to settle. The Ducks made headlines last season when they traded half the team in a move that had some experts shaking their heads. In the end, the moves were enough for the Ducks to make it to the playoffs and upset the number one team in the NHL, San Jose Sharks.

Kings too much for Ducks

2010-01-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

Not too shabby! After racking up a five game winning streak the Ducks got toasted by the Kings 4-0 last night at the Staples Center. One thing that was obvious about last nights game was that it was indeed physical, and already there is talk about some of the Ducks players getting fines or suspensions. Plus Koivu left the game injured with a lower body injury on top of the news that Teemu would be out 2- 4 weeks. When it rains it pours. That being said, the Ducks are still looking good in the rankings, being tied with Dallas, and still 6 points out the 8th spot. I suppose it could be worse. At least the Olympics are coming up to give the team 4 weeks off, and so that some of the guys can rest their injuries (although who knows about Koivu now?) Just like every other season (including the cup winning year), the Ducks somehow get it together even if it doesn't look pretty. For now, the Ducks look to start up a new streak Sunday against the Flames, and hopefully go into the break gaining some ground.
Go Ducks!!!

Ducks win again!

2010-01-10T18:49:00.000-08:00

The Ducks played tonight and last night the way they were destined to play at the start of the season. Tonight Hiller stood on his head blocking 42 shots on goals, and shutting down the "hottest team in the NHL." I like what I continue to see in Koivu, Ryan, Getz, Brown, Sexton....heck even Teemu looks like he's 10 years younger! It's amazing what happens to a player when their job is threatened by hungry, younger players. The Ducks played exceptionally well tonight and have managed to win their first four game win streak in a long time! The Ducks express train continues to roll into Anaheim next week to play the eastern giants, Boston Bruins.
Go Ducks!!

Preds who?? Oh yea, the Olympics!

2010-01-02T22:50:00.001-08:00

After tonight's horrible loss to the Preds, I would like to just focus on a positive here for a second and say congrats to all the Duck players that are representing their respective countries in the 2010 Olympic games!
Go Ducks!!!

Sharks sink the Ducks.....again

2009-12-29T12:20:00.001-08:00

I've stopped keeping track of each individual game and reporting back after four or five games have been played because that's how I feel about the Ducks this season. Instead of being consistent with reports, I feel slightly unorganized, and noticing only glimpse of seasonal play. The last two games are worth mentioning because I went to one of them in Phoenix, and also because the Ducks were pummeled to just one point in both games combined. I'm not sure where who to blame anymore. I've been saying all along that if the Ducks are going to trade someone big like Scotty, well then do it. Coach Randy is going no where, and will most likely be replaced during the off season, rather than being unceremoniously dumped in the middle. So why doesn't Murray do something? One theory is that he is waiting to see what the options once the official mid season break occurs. Maybe he wants to give the Ducks a chance to make a second surge as they've done in the past. The team currently sits nine points out of the 8th playoff spot, but at one point were only three. Then again, a nine point lead can be the most difficult nowadays especially with the parity that exists in the NHL. The next thing I've been wondering is how big of an impact a goalie coach can make. I guess when your team loses one of the greats, its bound to reflect how you play. I had no idea it would render Jiggy and Hiller virtually invisible in goal! It's like a bad joke played on the Ducks, when all off season, everyone kept wondering who would start, or who would be number one.....and now the answer is "what difference does it make?" Goal tending has been such a big pain in the behind for the Ducks that now no lead (albeit rare) is safe!!

So whats on the horizon for these Ducks? Well I hope everyone that's injured gets healed. I then hope everyone else in the NHL gets injured during the Olympics. I am looking forward to the Vancouver games. I hope the Ducks make a smart move that not only does not gut the team, but something we can cash in on immediately. I hope Selanne scores more, Whitney keeps his feet moving, Sexton scores more, we trade Bobby Ryan or Scott Neidermayer for something BIG, and finally that the second half of the season is one all the hockey papers will be talking about with regard to the Ducks!
Go Ducks!

All I want for X-mas......less Teemu

2009-12-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

Since last I wrote the Ducks have played 5 games and have managed a winning record of going 3 and 2. Currently they sit 12th in the west, 6 points out of the 8th spot (3 wins), but more importantly they are playing like a team with identity. The 4th line of Parros, Brown, and Noki have been playing beautifully. The top line is on fire and it seems like ever since Sexton joined the club the team has been excited about playing. So with all the positives, I have a few fears that I want to impress upon you the reader. I am scared of the fact that Teemu Selanne will return and take back his spot that Sexton took over and ruin the team chemistry. I know Teemu is the love of the town with novice fans, but this guy kills us with soft passes, and little to no puck control. The only way Teemu is great is if he gets to skate from one end to another with no one on the ice, and no whistles for offsides, and no team mates around to share the puck. In fact if the NHL ever goes to 1-1 games, Teemu will shine!!! For now, Teemu, maybe you can slam your finger on the car door, or hyper extended it at home, so you can give Sexton more playing time....what do you say?

Look on the bright side............

2009-12-09T22:47:00.001-08:00

I have not blogged in the last three games because I was hoping I could help change the teams luck a bit, but alas to no avale! Since the Kings game, we've lost Selanne for over a month, but gained a new comer in Sexton, who single handed beat Dallas the other night by bringing the Ducks within one point of tying the game, then tying it so Saku Koivu could win it in OT! So what can be said about this team that I have not already said? Well, this is the ugliest start to season in a long while. Changes are coming, and they will be big, but the one thing that can be said is that this team has the talent to come back and win. The problem is taking alead and maintaining it. It's like the team is not motivated to play hard from the get go and need some adversity in order to get "up" for the game. This is not a good thing as it creates more work and leads to unnecessary injuries, as we have seen. So I'm trying to move past the previous four losses and focusing on the incredible come back last night, and hoping it motivates the team to get it in gear. We'll see what changes occur between now and the Olympic break, but one thing is for sure....they will be big changes.

Go Ducks!

Baby Steps!

2009-12-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

Remember the 1991 movie, "What about Bob?" It's a hilarious comedy starring Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray. Murray plays a nutcase and Dreyfuss his psychiatrist. Anyway, the story is about Dreyfuss trying to rehabilitate Murray, before he drives him crazy, and the technique he used was called "baby steps".

Well, that's what I think JR (Jim Rutherford) and the Canes need to do right now, take baby steps.

First step was to stop the bleeding. After five straight losses, the Canes finally hit the win column yesterday afternoon with a 5-3 home win against the visiting Vancouver Canucks. The game was not the best effort by the Canes this year by any stretch, but they got it done. Perhaps most noteworthy was the success of the Canes #1 line; Eric Staal, Ray Whitney & Erik Cole. Cole potted three goals (doubled his season's output to six) and was effective throughout the game. Ray Whitney played one of his best games of the season, with a 3-point effort, including the tying goal, just 20 seconds after Vancouver had taken an early 1-0 lead. And, Eric Staal looked like he is starting to round into form, playing with energy and determination. If this line can start to produce on a regular basis, as it has in the past, the Canes fortunes will most assuredly improve.

I was impressed again with Matt Cullen, who has been one of the few Canes to bring it every night this year, and extended his personal point scoring streak to five games, with an assist. Brandon Sutter also continued to impress, playing over fifteen minutes and ending at 55% in the face-off circle, another solid, if unspectacular, performance by him. Unfortunately, his linemates, Chad Larose and Tom Kotsopoulos, are better suited to the fourth line and limit the offensive contribution for this line. Not sure what's happened to Larose, but his lack of confidence is obvious right now. Nonetheless, they work hard every shift. Although Sergei Samsonov scored a pretty goal in the 2nd period, I don't see a longterm future for him as a Cane. He plays too much on the periphery.

The fourth line, comprising Rod Brind'Amour, Stephan Yelle and Scott Walker, (nicknamed the "geritol" line) is long on experience and effort, but at $6.0M plus, is clearly the biggest ticket fourth line in the league and frankly, can't be justified given the Canes woeful performance to-date. The defensive corps got it done by committee. Nothing spectacular, but good enough for the win. This is an area the Canes will have to overhaul before next season. Manny Legace was solid in net again for the Canes, but the good news is that Cam Ward is set to return this week. 'Nuff said!

Jussi Jokinen, one of the more effective Canes this year, was a late scratch, but when he returns to the line-up, the Canes will be able to re-jig their lines. And, hopefully, we'll see newly-acquired Jiri Tlusty in a Canes uniform soon. The challenge remains for JR to shed the team of some of the "tired" veterans to make way for the new wave. I have to wonder if he has another deal, like the Tlusty deal, looming to strengthen the D. That would help immensely, particularly with Joe Corvo on the shelf for most of the season. Tlusty figures to be part of the re-build along with River Rats' Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman, Jamie McBain, and Brett Carson. We will probably see all of them at some point this year.

So, some of the pieces are coming together. Both Brandon Sutter and Bryan Rodney have shown they are ready for the "show". Although Rodney was returned to Albany after the game for more seasoning, he has impressed me with his on-ice demeanor. And, you can expect JR to grab another young stud or two at the trade deadline.

Like I said before, it's all about "baby steps."

Ducks Lose: The Dunce Trick

2009-12-02T07:49:00.001-08:00

I don't know who to be more upset at? Randy Carlyle, or Art-uken? First of all I think Randy should have let Jiggy start in tonight's game due to his recent performance on the ice. Jiggy brings a desire to win right now that the team needs to gain some ground. Even though the team posted a 4-1-1 record over the home stand, tonight's loss was a major bump in the road.

Art-uken (Don't bother me about the spelling) was just standing around like a sack of garbage. He was a spectator in tonight's game and should have been given a striped shirt to wear, since he looked more like one of the officials. That being said, why all the penalties from this guy tonight? Something must have been eating the Russian nightmare (in a bad way) because he kept getting penalized left and right. Infact he scored another form of a hat trick tonight, 3 penalties by one player, or what I now refer to as the DUNCE TRICK!!

Well, it seems the verdict came in faster than it took me to write this blog....tonight's blame is the Dunce Trick Russian. Thanks Dunce-tuken!

Go Ducks!

3 out of 4 points ain't bad.

2009-11-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

Well after a fantastic game against a red hot Chicago team where the Ducks shut them out 3-0, the Phoenix Yotes came to town and stole one in over time from the Anaheim crew. Although the team can not afford to give up points to Pacific Division rivals, I always say that 1 point is better than no points. I must be honest that when I heard Kyle Calder was going to be out due to an eye injury, I did not expect to win tonight. It has taken so long for this team to click, and then all of the sudden....BAM! eye injury to Calder. The good news, is that we've managed to get a point in a all of our games except 1 in the last six games. The next game continues to be just as important as the Ducks take on the freeway rivals, Los Angeles Kings. Every point is as crucial as the last one, and it is definitely better not to let the other team get one. I will say I am happy with the way Jiggy is playing as of late (trade news might have gotten back to him), and I do like the Russian Monster, Koivu, Seleane line. Perry continues to mystify with his point streak which is now up to 18, and I still can not help it but to rave about Brown, Marchant, Getz, Calder and the Wiz. I hope things only get better as soon as Lupul can get rid of his back spasm (what a sissy), and Calder heals up his eye ball. We'll have to wait and see.

Go DUCKS!!!

Ducks win 2!!!

2009-11-25T23:41:00.002-08:00

wow, it sure feels nice to write about two Duck wins in a row! Unfortunately, the wins have not come easy as we Duck fans are getting accustomed to "scary wins." That being said, the Ducks were able to hold on for a shootout victory against Calgary, and a regulation win over Carolina. The Carolina game may not have been such an impressive win, given their luck as of late, but the Calgary game was nothing to be ashamed of. The Ducks seemed to be getting somewhat of a groove as of late, albeit a messy one, but for now the slow and steady climb has been a long time coming. With the other Pacific teams losing as of late, the Ducks are slowly closing the gap between last place and anything that comes next! It does not get any easier, as the Ducks face Chicago the day after Thanksgiving, so hopefully the team does not stuff themselves too much!

Go Ducks!!

Sharks Devour The Ducks

2009-11-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I'd like to say that I am angry at the Ducks for not playing to their potential, but something strange happened tonight. They actually played a really good game. Sure there were things here and there that could have been done a little better, but there comes a point when you start playing the way you're suppose to an you still can not win. That's what happened to the Ducks on this night. They played well, and scored goals and Perry even continued his scoring streak, but the Ducks still lost. The Sharks are a tough team and are in first place of a challenging division (who knew the Kings and Phoenix would be contenders the same year?). So now enters Bob Murray into the picture. Something will change; you can bet good money on it. Players will be moved, and it will be someone big for a huge return. I am even considering buying up the Scott Niedermayer souvenirs as he is most definitely the one I think Murray will trade away for the biggest return. Am I giving up on this season? No way! Things happen all the time that change the face of the game with a snap of a finger. I think something big happens before the Olympic break and then we'll see a second half surge reminiscent of last year....or maybe not. Whatever the case may be, the Ducks will be a different looking team come the Olympic break.

Go Ducks!!!!

Things are looking up!

2009-11-22T15:25:00.000-08:00

If you have followed the last couple of games for the Hurricanes, you have to be cautiously optimistic that the Canes are finally over the early season jitters that led to fourteen games without a win.

There have been a number of things to feel good about. Clearly, their confidence is returning and it shows in their overall play. The offence has finally started to come-to-life and Manny Legace has been a calming influence in goal.

What a game against the Leafs! The Canes showed their resiliency, much like the play-offs last year, and pulled out some last minute heroics to earn the two points in a must-win game. It was great to see the Canes tough it out and not give-up when the Leafs' Ian White scored with less than thirty seconds remaining. It would have been easy to close up the tent. But, they didn't. And it was great to see Erik Cole finally contribute offensively. Many nights this season, Cole has been persona non grata. Absolutely invisible. With Eric Staal still on-the-shelf, it is up to players like Cole and Ray Whitney, to step-up and fill the void. Tuomo Ruutu certainly did his part. How about this performance - four assists, seven hits, the game winning goal in the shoot-out, and a plus-three on the night. Not a bad night's work, wouldn't you say? Jussi Jokinen also played a solid game for the Canes, scoring yet another shoot-out goal. Both he and linemate Matt Cullen were plus-two, giving that line a composite plus-seven in this game.

And how about Tim Gleason! This was Tim's first two-goal game in the bigs as he was effective at both ends of the rink, loggong almost five minutes of powerplay time, and ending at a plus-one in over 24 minutes total playing time. Defence partner Joe Corvo logged over thirty-three minutes and also ended at a plus-one. These guys are really starting to come around.

A couple of other things caught my attention. Manny Legace, although somewhat inconsistent in regulation time, was outstanding in the shoot-out when he had to be. And Brandon Sutter just continues to do it all, playing a solid twenty three minutes in this one. I don't think anyone would have expected the level of improvement he's shown thus far. The Canes game with Southeast conference rival Tampa Bay was perhaps their best outing of the year. They outperformed the Lightning in virtually all aspects of the game and came out with a well-deserved 3-1 victory. Manny Legace had a strong outing, continues to fill in admirably for injured Cam Ward and has given the rest of the Canes the confidence to play their game.

The line of Cullen-Ruutu-Jokinen is clearly the Canes best right now. Both Ruutu and Jokinen scored key goals for the Canes and Cullen played a solid sixteen minutes of plus hockey. It was also encouraging to see Chad Larose finally get the monkey off his back with his first goal this season, scoring the insurance goal with just over four minutes remaining to seal-the-deal.

But, this night belonged to Joni Pitkanen. He played an outstanding game, leading countless rushes for the Canes, firing six shots, while playing over 23 minutes of plus-one hockey. His impact on the offence is huge and changes the dynamic of this team in a major way. Interestingly, he was partnered with Niclas Wallin, who I thought played his best game of the season. The Pitkanen-Wallin pair along with the resurgent Corvo-Gleason tandem gives the Canes two solid defence pairs. Improvement is still needed on the third pairing and hopefully, the Canes will have some more options when Staal returns. Bryan Rodney's return would help.

Speaking of Staal. He has returned to practise and should be ready in about a week. That will make things interesting for the Canes. With Brandon Sutter improving every game and with Matt Cullen starting to hit stride, the Canes should be set a center. You have to believe that Staal will be re-united with Ray Whitney and Erik Cole to form the top trio and the Cullen-Ruutu-Jokinen troika will line-up number two. That will leave Sutter to head the third unit, most likely with Sergei Samsonov manning the left side. Chad Larose probably earned the right wing following his strong showing against Tampa.

I guess the million-dollar question these days is what to do with Rod Brind'amour. He is a shadow of his former self and, other than his solid face-off contribution (56%), he has been largely ineffective with a team-high minus 18 on the season and a meagre two goals. His ice-time continues to decline and his role diminish. So, what are the Canes options? Continue to play him on the fourth line, move him to the wing on the third line, trade him (no way that will happen), or simply ask him to hang them up. This is a tough one for sure. There's no question that when Brindy is playing his game, he is a key cog in this Canes machine. But how long can the Canes wait? This situation will be an interesting one to watch in the days and weeks to come.

Next up for the Canes, a brief two-game western tour, with Dallas kicking-it-off tomorrow night.

Scott Niedermayer causes a riot at Honda Center!!!

2009-11-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Good news; Bad news Ducks fans.....

2009-11-20T09:15:00.001-08:00

First the bad news, the Ducks were shown the door against the Detroit Red Wings as well as Cup champion Penguins in a game that was horrible. It seems like the Ducks are stuck on reverse, because no matter how many things they do well, they take two steps back literally! One thing I've noticed is that in both loses, the Ducks would have some sort of control for a limited amount of time before imploding drastically. That brings me to the good news: The Ducks Won last night! The only highlights from the game are Cory Perry maintaining his scoring streak and unfortunately, Scott Niedermayer. I say this begrudgingly because there were reportedly six scouts at last nights game, and since Scott was clutch as usual, I fear that his days in a Ducks uniform are coming to an end. See, if the Ducks weren't in the conference basement, I wouldn't be having this conversation right now. As time passes, and as the Olympic break gets closer though, the Ducks do not look like playoff team this early in the season. So, I can Bob Murray pulling the trigger on a deal that would build for next season. The good news, is that the Ducks have alot of young talent signed for the next year or two, or three. So that makes us a contending team for that long. So, either make futile effort (based on the teams' inconsistency) to make the playoffs, or get the most out of a Scotty or Jiggy, or Koivu, or Teemy trade. I for one am a Ducks fan to the end, so I always say, "Don't worry, we'll be OK as long as we make it to the playoffs!" As of this writing though, I say pull the trigger, Bob....we need some fresh blood!
Go Ducks!!

Can you believe this?

2009-11-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Well, with the loss to the Islanders in overtime on Friday night, the Canes have now gone a staggering fourteen games without a win. That's right, fourteen, count 'em.

Hard to believe, isn't it...particularly when you realize that much of the team that went to the conference finals last year is back.

Jim Rutherford (JR) surely must be scratching his head right now. His thinking in the off-season was clear. Sign all of the free agents form last year's team and add a few key pieces to take the team to the next level. He inked Jussi Jokinen, a revelation in the play-offs, Chad Larose, who had a break-out season and strong play-off, and Erik Cole, who had a point-a-game run after rejoining the Canes from the Oilers at the trade deadline, all to long-term contracts. He added newcomer forwards, Stephane Yelle, and Chris Kotsopoulos, seemingly both upgrades to our fourth line. He then added solid defensive defensemen Aaron Ward, another returnee to the Canes, and Andrew Alberts, a mobile D with size. The thought being that the biggest reason we failed against Pittsburgh was our lack of toughness on the D. Pittsburgh's shutdown pair of Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi were instrumental in the Pens win. So, why not try a similar approach. After all, our guys were totally ineffective against the Pens' Malkin and Crosby.

But in doing so, he let some key offensive guys go, Frantisek Kaberle, Dennis Seidenberg, and Anton Babchuk. Seidenberg was a horse on the D, averaging well over twenty minutes a game most nights, and all Babchuk did was score sixteen goals, eighth best in the league for a defenseman. You are probably thinking, “how could a few changes on the D make such a difference?” Ward and Alberts aren't that bad are they? Heck, every game we watched the Bruins play, Ward played great alongside his partner, Zdeno Chara. And, all reports were that Alberts had a solid turnaround season with the Flyers.

But here's the problem. This team was built by Pater Laviolette. His style was to push offence from the D. The forwards were small by comparison to other teams, but fast and aggressive. With the defence adding significantly to the offence, the system worked. Sure, they needed a course correction when Paul Maurice took over the reins, but that was only a minor tweak. The D really drove the offence. Now, that dimension is no longer there and the team is struggling.

Add to this, the loss of Ray Whitney, Eric Staal, and Cam Ward, for extended periods, and you're in a world of hurt. No wonder the Canes are struggling.

I guess it's easy to look back and second guess JR's moves this past summer. I promoted a number of different moves on my blog, which may have helped. I wanted Babchuk and Seidenberg back. I also considered Alberts, who was a low-cost depth signing, so that made sense. On the other hand, Aaron Ward just didn't make sense. Too old and too slow. I wanted a running mate for Staal, but that was outside of our budget range. So then, I was looking at Manny Molhotra to take the third line center spot, we got Stephane Yelle, recently put on waivers. I suggested Maxim Afinogenov. We didn't sign any offensive forwards. He signed with Atlanta for peanuts and has looked great. (17 points in 17 games!) Ok, what's done is done. We can't change that.

So, what should JR do? He can't fire Paul Maurice again. That would be too weird. Plus, I don't think that will change much. I still have faith in our coaching staff. Ron Francis, Tommy Rowe, Tom Barasso, and Kevin McCarthy are a solid group for sure. So what can he do, then? Trades of any significance are almost impossible under the current economic conditions. He has virtually no cap room, so that makes it even tougher. So, his hands are tied.

He made a good move in signing Manny Legace as a short-term replacement for the injured Cam Ward. Unfortunately, Michael Leighton has just not shown the ability to step in on a regular basis. Of course, success in the NHL starts with good goaltending, so the lack of consistent play from our goalies has been a key contributor to our troubles. A combination of a healthy Cam Ward when he returns, and Manny Legace should fix that.

Now, what to do on the D. I think they have taken a step in the right direction with the recent recall of Bryan Rodney. He is a definite improvement and is adding that offensive dimension, we so desperately need. It's a good time to audition more of the young talent in the system. Brett Carson looked ready last year and he would bring size, mobility, and more offence to the D. Probably want to leave Wisconsin phenom, Jamie McBain, in Albany for now, but he may be a consideration later in the year. And, on the front side, Brandon Sutter has been a great addition, thus far, and Zach Boychuk looked good in his short tour earlier this month.

Players like Aaron Ward, Stephane Yelle, Scott Walker, and Rod Brind'Amour, would be great play-off guys but they aren't what we need right now. Perhaps we will be able to move some of them, along with a Ray Whitney or Joe Corvo, at trade deadline time. I think the oft-rumored Whitney to Montreal for the Kostitsyn brothers deal would be a step in the right direction, but I doubt it will happen. We need to give the younger players the opportunity to get their feet wet in the bigs. So, here's the line-up I would like to see on the Canes when Staal and Ward return, barring any deals.

Ruuutu-Staal-Cole

Whitney-Cullen-Larose

Samsonov-Sutter-Jokinen

Kotsopoulos-Brind'Amour-Walker

Gleason-Corvo

Pitkanen -Carson

Alberts-Rodney

Ward-Legace

It is only a matter of time before the Canes win a game. And, who knows, with some renewed confidence, they may even start to compete again. But the reality is, with the team twelve points out of eighth place already, the Canes are unlikely to make the play-offs this year, and need to start looking at the future.

Looks like it is going to be a long season.

Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CanesTR

Yahoo: List of NHL injuries is a long one!

2009-11-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Yahoo has a list of injuries that's pretty long! Considering it's an Olympic year, it will be interesting to see the impact the injuries have on the Vancouver games!

Anaheim Ducks
Saku Koivu C Nov 11, 2009 Day-to-Day Lower-body Injury

Atlanta Thrashers
Bryan Little RW Nov 14, 2009 Day-to-Day Groin
Boris Valabik D Oct 5, 2009 Injured Reserve High Right Ankle Sprain
Matt Siddall RW Oct 1, 2009 Injured Reserve Undisclosed Injury
Noah Welch D Oct 1, 2009 Injured Reserve Right Knee
Kari Lehtonen G Sep 14, 2009 Injured Reserve Back Surgery

Boston Bruins
Marc Savard C Oct 21, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Left Foot
Milan Lucic LW Oct 17, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Right Index Finger
Levi Nelson C Oct 1, 2009 Injured Reserve Undisclosed Injury

Buffalo Sabres
Mike Grier RW Nov 11, 2009 Day-to-Day Left Game - Groin
Toni Lydman D Oct 24, 2009 Injured Reserve Groin

Calgary Flames
John Armstrong C Sep 17, 2009 Injured Reserve Undisclosed Injury

Carolina Hurricanes
Cam Ward G Nov 8, 2009 Injured Reserve Leg Laceration
Michael Ryan LW Sep 22, 2009 Injured Reserve Concussion

Chicago Blackhawks
Dave Bolland C Nov 6, 2009 Injured Reserve Back Surgery
Adam Burish RW Sep 22, 2009 Injured Reserve Torn Right ACL
Marian Hossa RW Sep 14, 2009 Injured Reserve Right Shoulder Surgery

Colorado Avalanche
T.J. Galiardi LW Oct 30, 2009 Injured Reserve Ankle
Ruslan Salei D Oct 9, 2009 Injured Reserve Back
Brandon Yip RW Oct 1, 2009 Injured Reserve Undisclosed Injury

Columbus Blue Jackets
Raffi Torres LW Nov 13, 2009 Injured Reserve Mouth
Andrew Murray C Oct 22, 2009 Injured Reserve Torn Muscle, Shoulder
Fredrik Modin LW Sep 29, 2009 Injured Reserve Sprained Right MCL

Dallas Stars
Fabian Brunnstrom LW Nov 12, 2009 Day-to-Day Upper-body Injury

Detroit Red Wings
Kirk Maltby LW Nov 12, 2009 Day-to-Day Flu
Chris Osgood G Nov 12, 2009 Day-to-Day Flu
Jason Williams RW Nov 7, 2009 Injured Reserve Fractured Right Fibula
Valtteri Filppula C Oct 30, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Right Wrist
Johan Franzen RW Oct 9, 2009 Injured Reserve Torn Left ACL
Andreas Lilja D Sep 14, 2009 Injured Reserve Concussion

Edmonton Oilers
Liam Reddox LW Nov 12, 2009 Day-to-Day Wrist
Robert Nilsson LW Nov 10, 2009 Day-to-Day Head
Taylor Chorney D Nov 10, 2009 Day-to-Day Ankle
Jean-Francois Jacques LW Nov 5, 2009 Injured Reserve Back
Shawn Horcoff C Nov 4, 2009 Injured Reserve Shoulder
Ryan Stone C Oct 22, 2009 Injured Reserve Knee
Sheldon Souray D Oct 9, 2009 Injured Reserve Concussion
Marc Pouliot C Sep 30, 2009 Injured Reserve Sports Hernia Surgery

Florida Panthers
David Booth LW Oct 25, 2009 Injured Reserve Concussion
Nick Tarnasky LW Sep 26, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Orbital Bone

Los Angeles Kings
Rob Scuderi D Nov 14, 2009 Day-to-Day Left Game - Lower-body Injury
Alec Martinez D Oct 6, 2009 Injured Reserve Ankle

Minnesota Wild
Chuck Kobasew RW Nov 13, 2009 Day-to-Day Upper-body Injury
Petr Sykora RW Nov 9, 2009 Day-to-Day Concussion
Pierre-Marc Bouchard LW Oct 6, 2009 Injured Reserve Headaches

Montreal Canadiens
Georges Laraque RW Nov 5, 2009 Injured Reserve Upper-body Injury
Hal Gill D Nov 3, 2009 Injured Reserve Fractured Foot
Matt D'Agostini RW Oct 31, 2009 Injured Reserve Concussion
Ryan O'Byrne D Oct 5, 2009 Injured Reserve Knee
Andrei Markov D Oct 2, 2009 Injured Reserve Lacerated Tendon, Ankle
Olivier Fortier C Sep 21, 2009 Injured Reserve Shoulder

Nashville Predators
Colin Wilson C Nov 2, 2009 Injured Reserve Groin

New Jersey Devils
Dean McAmmond LW Nov 6, 2009 Injured Reserve Undisclosed Illness
Rob Niedermayer C Nov 5, 2009 Injured Reserve Upper-body Injury
Johnny Oduya D Oct 30, 2009 Injured Reserve Lower-body Injury
Paul Martin D Oct 26, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Left Arm
Jay Pandolfo LW Oct 26, 2009 Injured Reserve Separated Right Shoulder

New York Islanders
Mark Flood D Sep 30, 2009 Injured Reserve Lower-body Injury
Jeremy Reich LW Sep 29, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Wrist
Rick DiPietro G Sep 14, 2009 Injured Reserve Knee Surgery

New York Rangers
No injuries reported

Ottawa Senators
Anton Volchenkov D Oct 29, 2009 Injured Reserve Elbow

Philadelphia Flyers
Simon Gagne LW Oct 26, 2009 Injured Reserve Sports Hernias Surgery, Right Groin
Mike Rathje D Sep 14, 2009 Injured Reserve Back

Phoenix Coyotes
Zbynek Michalek D Nov 5, 2009 Injured Reserve Lower-body Injury
Kurt Sauer D Oct 7, 2009 Injured Reserve Headaches

Pittsburgh Penguins
Brooks Orpik D Nov 11, 2009 Day-to-Day Lower-body Injury
Kris Letang D Nov 8, 2009 Injured Reserve Right Shoulder Contusion
Sergei Gonchar D Oct 21, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Wrist
Max Talbot C Sep 14, 2009 Injured Reserve Left Shoulder Surgery

San Jose Sharks
Rob Blake D Nov 5, 2009 Injured Reserve Upper-body Injury
Torrey Mitchell C Oct 1, 2009 Injured Reserve Left Knee

St. Louis Blues
David Backes RW Nov 14, 2009 Day-to-Day Left Game - Upper-body Injury
D.J. King LW Oct 25, 2009 Injured Reserve Fractured/dislocated Right Hand
Alexander Steen C Oct 16, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Right Wrist

Tampa Bay Lightning
No injuries reported

Toronto Maple Leafs
Mike Komisarek D Nov 11, 2009 Injured Reserve Quadriceps
Mike Van Ryn D Sep 30, 2009 Injured Reserve Left Knee Surgery
Tim Brent C Sep 30, 2009 Injured Reserve Undisclosed Injury

Vancouver Canucks
Michael Grabner RW Nov 1, 2009 Injured Reserve Fractured Ankle
Alexandre Bolduc C Oct 30, 2009 Injured Reserve Shoulder
Daniel Sedin LW Oct 10, 2009 Injured Reserve Broken Left Foot
Pavol Demitra C Sep 14, 2009 Injured Reserve Torn Left Rotator Cuff

Washington Capitals
Mike Knuble RW Nov 13, 2009 Day-to-Day Broken Finger
Alex Ovechkin LW Nov 2, 2009 Injured Reserve Upper-body Strain

Ducks news and updates

2009-11-14T15:21:00.001-08:00

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This video comes from the "we can't get a break" file. The Leafs were playing the Black hawks and on the verge of scoring a goal to cut the Hawks lead in half, when this happened. Watch the video and see Ron Wilson smile for the first time during a game...and it's not because he's tickled silly either.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Devils send the Ducks to hell!!

The Devils are a team that I have a personal grudge ever since 2003. That's the year when the Devils stood in the way of winning the first Stanley Cup in Ducks history. In fact the Ducks got so close, they went seven games and the final score was 3-0! To this day, every time the Ducks play New Jersey, I always watch in the hopes of handing them a defeat, and maybe even hurting one or two of their players along the way. So it goes without saying that every loss, is another jab at the Ducks for the 2003 playoffs. I know the Ducks won the cup in 2007, but they could have won in 2003, and that's all that matters. So you would think the Ducks were just as fired up about beating the Devils as I am writing about 2003, right? Wrong. New Jersey instead beats the Ducks (get this) 3-1. Damn you Devils!!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Bluejackets best the Ducks in OT!

Well, the only bright side to this game was the great hockey played by both sides, and the one point the Ducks get for going into overtime. Jiggy was in goal, obviously showing off to scouts in the stands, and did an OK job, but didn't fair too good in the shootout.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Time to roll the dice on #'s 35 and 27!!

Jiggy
So what's the story with this cat? One minute he's great, the next minute he's mediocre. One minute he's crying about how he wants to bee traded, or retire if he can't start (OK he didn't say trade), then next minute he's taking back his comments saying he wants to stay in Anaheim and start. I think Jiggy is a man with many things on his mind these days. I think he knows that his days are numbered and is making some waves so people know where he stands. Here are the facts: Hiller is making 1.3 Million right now and will get a raise for sure, but not Jiggy numbers which were inflated for nostalgic reasons. Jiggy is making $12 million the next two years, and is worth only half of that. Somethings got to give. I think Jiggy should bee looking into what cities have great medical universities because his son will need the best care possible somewhere outside of Anaheim

Scotty

Bob Murry could not have made it any more clear than we he said that Scott would retire a Duck. My thought on the matter is this: Trade Nieds and get a huge return for him. We need to dump Jiggy and Nieds and cash in these two giant chips for players that could push us not only back into the playoffs picture, but maybe into the finals as well!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Samuelis are back!

The good thing about the Ducks owners being back is now they can open their pocket books and see exactly what we can spend in order to put this team over the top. I say look out Ducks fans, this next month or two is going to be filled with new and old players headed through the turnstile! Troops are on the way!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

OK I'm out for now....Go Ducks!!

Ducks barely beat the Yotes!

2009-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

This post is short and sweet. The Ducks played well as the team they can be on occasion. The Ducks also almost gave up a lead and the game by sitting back on their heels and getting careless towards the end. What also sucked was that Hiller has a shut out going for a while, and at one point had 110 minutes of shut out hockey on the line, only to have his team mates blow it. In the end the Ducks hold on to win, and now must endure a long roadtrip. If they can split the road trip or better, it would be a tremdous boost of confidence for a team that needs it bad.

DUCKS!!

Ducks wins some, then lose some.

2009-11-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

Pens Ice The Ducks
Well the the bad news is that the ducks are 1 and 1 in their last two games. The good news? They've progressively played better as a team. The loss came at the hands of the Stanley Cup champion Penguins in a game that had all the makings and feel of a playoff match up. In fact, that game reminded me of what might have been in 2007 if the Ducks would have faced the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres looked every bit like the Penguins of today with a fast style of skating, and a young, hungry goal tender. I digress...The Pens and Ducks traded goals back and forth until the final score read 3-4. The game was so exciting, the loss was almost bearable. I've always said if a team gets beat, at least go down swinging, which is what the Ducks did on this night.

Ducks Hunt Down The Predators!

The Ducks were in fine form tonight as was Jonas Hiller as they pounce the Pred 4-0 tonight in a game that was a long time coming! For one thing Corey Perry continues to be the bright light on the team, in a proverbial tunnel that seemed to be getting darker and darker. Saku Koivu looks to be getting into his groove, as he and his fellow country man ThreeMU teamed for some points in tonight's game. The Penalties continued to be a familiar thorn for the Ducks, but what the heck...this is hockey! all in all, the game was very fun to watch (as long as the Ducks are winning). What I could not help to think was the following:

How long will the Kings continue their winning ways?
Ditto for the Phoenix Coyotes.
It would be cool for another all Western Division 1st round Playoffs...except that would mean the Ducks need to be in the top three

Up next for the Ducks, Phoenix and round 2 of the Shane Doan vs The Wiz!!
Go Ducks!

Coyotes Bite The Ducks!

2009-11-03T10:22:00.000-08:00

The yotes played like a contender last night and you would not even know that their franchise was in trouble. The only franchise that was in trouble last night was the Shane Doan after he got clobbered by a Duck in the first period. The hit was huge and left Doan looking like the coyote I remembered from all those cartoons on Saturday morning, with stars around his head. In the end the Ducks managed to steal 1point, in what I thought was a decent game, except for the miscue that allowed a goal to be scored on us. This game should never have gone extra frames. Oh well, on to the next one! Next up, the Stanley Cup Champs, Penguins come to Anaheim!
Go Ducks!

***Update***

Looks like the NHL decided to suspend Wiz after his hit on Doan, conveniently after they assumed ownership of the Yotes. Hmmmmmm

GO DUCKS!!

Nothing Better Than a Big Hockey Hit!

2009-11-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

Ducks Beat The Nucks!

2009-10-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

The Ducks made a rare appearance last night at Honda Center when they pummeled the Vancouver Canucks 7-2 in a game that had me on my feet cheering! Bobby Ryan, Corey Perry, Mike Brown, even George Parros were in fine form as the Ducks skated like there was no tomorrow. An considering their place in the standings, well...there really is no tomorrow! I had a great time because the team was playing the way they should be with all that great talent on the ice. Koivu and Lupul were darting in and out of the zones moving their feet and throwing their bodies everywhere. I'll be Damned if they didn't look like a playoff team. The game started off a bit scary when the Nucks scored twice within the first five minutes, and even my guests looked at me asking "what the hell just happened?" (He was actually drunk, so that might have played a bit in his verbiage). In the end we were all happy to leave a coupon for a free Del Taco classic taco, the ability to print out an Oggi's Pizza cheese stick coupon, free wings from Hooters, and most importantly a W in the column.

Go Ducks!!

Code Blue: Leafs Wake Up to Thump Ducks!!!

2009-10-27T09:44:00.000-07:00

I was prepared to talk about our victory today and how it would help to build morale, and how it must suck for Burke to come to Anaheim and lose with the Leafs...like I said, I was preparing for that. Instead, I sat in class as the updates were being sent to my phone, and saw one by one, as the Ducks kept sinking. I saw text messages that read 3-2 Leafs at the 2ND intermission. Then 4-2, then 5-2, then I read "Hat Trick!" Finally the leafs got 6 goals off the Ducks. All I could do was smile and think of course we lost.

It made sense that we would lose to a team that is fighting to find it's identity, because we are a team that has lost its own. A few years ago, the Ducks were Stanley Cup champions. This year, we would be lucky if we finish 10Th in our conference. The Ducks are in a state of crisis right now, and I do not know what is causing this. I read someone made a comment somewhere that the Ducks seem to be thinking of the Olympics and have forgotten about the NHL. Maybe. When a team has so much talent as the Ducks do and aren't performing to their full potential, something is wrong. Bob Murray has to play detective once again, and must find the source of the bleeding and stop it before the Ducks go from critical, to terminally ill. I'm a Duck fan to the end, I just did not expect to the get this close to the end...so fast.

Go Ducks!

1993

2009-10-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

While it is comforting to see Les Glorieux win another game, the fact that they have only won two games in regulation is cause for concern. True, they are 4-0 in overtime (shades of their Cup run in 1993?) they need to dominate teams. They desperately need Markov back.

But then again, perhaps the Forum Ghosts have awakened from their slumber and will guide their beloved team to some unexpected riches this year.

Ducks Can't Get Passed the Jackets!

2009-10-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Vegas and after 4 hours of driving on the road, I was looking forward to sitting in a chilled arena enjoying NHL hockey! I had a great time, except for the fact that the Ducks once again failed to pull out a victory at home, giving us a recent home record off one and four.

I will admit that Columbus looks great and Nash was a monster on the ice the entire night, but the Ducks are missing something. Once again something just is not right, and a change has to be made similar to the one made at the deadline last year. The obvious culprit is Jiggy. I was surprised to see him in net the past two nights, exotically after the news reported that he had suffered some sort of injury at practice. I had a feeling that maybe the Ducks were playing him dude to another team wanting to have a look at him. *cough* Burke *cough*. With news coming out of Toronto at the obvious displeasure the Leafs have with Toskala, it seems Jiggy is destined to go to Toronto...it's just a matter of when? I also see that Lucas Sbisa is all but done in the NHL for this season. According to the Ducks website, the team reassigned him to play in the lower level, because according to Randy Carlyle, "there's too much pressure for him to play, considering the position the Ducks are in right now." In the OC register, Scott Niedermeyer goes further and says, "I think [the team] let him down."

The positives from last nights game are the same. Saku Koivu is showing the Left Coasters what we've been missing by having him in the East Coast all those years. He is truly a player that plays with everything he's got!

Lupul is scoring the way he should be with his talent and ability.

The Ducks have the ability to play hockey when they want to. So now it's just trying to figure out how to make them play like that every game.

Well, Toronto comes to town Monday, so it will be interesting to see if maybe Jiggy packs a duffel bag and leafs Anaheim on Air Canada or not.

Go Ducks!

203 Days

2009-10-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

Habs Win! Habs Win! First time at home in 203 days!

Munchkins

2009-10-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

The days of the Flying Frenchmen are long gone. This year's edition of the Montreal Canadiens seems to consist of little men skating like munchkins. My boss went to the Vancouver-Montreal game two weeks ago and he said that the Habs' forward lines must be the shortest in height of anyone he's known. Maybe it's best that I live in Vancouver because I'd hate to think what they're feeling in Montreal now. 2-5 is unacceptable. Changes will have to be made and soon.

Game 7:Ducks are Blanked and Blue 5-0

2009-10-18T16:39:00.000-07:00

something embarrassing happened at tonight's game. it was so bad, that i found myself more interested in the Angels Yankees game playing on a different channel. that's sad! that was how bad things got for the Ducks as the Blues crushed Anaheim 5-0! I am not sure what happened last night except for the obvious fact that the Ducks were not scoring. Defensive was horrible as evident by the numbers. one has to ask the question, is Anaheim bad? Something is obviously in the water right now that is not right as you look at the standings. Teams like Colorado, Los Angeles and Phoenix are at the top of the ranks while Anaheim, Detroit and others are at the bottom. Anyhow, much like the Angel's baseball game, the night was a disappointment for the Ducks. Well in the words of Mike Scioscia, it's time to turn the page and look forward to the next game.

Nothing exciting but two points for Canucks

2009-10-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

It wasn’t pretty, but it was exactly what the Canucks needed. Coming off yet another disappointing performance against their #1 rival in Calgary, the Canucks returned to GM Place looking for answers. The performance they turned in against a very weak Minnesota team is a blueprint for success for this Daniel Sedin-less team- they stood tall in front of Roberto Luongo, clogged the neutral zone and threw pucks at the net all night long. The “top” line of Henrik, Burrows and Samuelsson played well and generated chances. Henrik stills looks a little lost without his twin brother, but he continues to make plays and work hard in the corners. The second line of Kessler, Raymond and Grabner combined for 17 shots and the most exciting plays of the night. Finish continues to be an issue for this team, but this is not the team that will compete for top spot in the Western Conference. This is the team that has to keep the Canucks in contention while Daniel Sedin, Sami Salo and Pavol Demitra heal up and Luongo comes through his annual slow start. The always elusive second tier scores are proving they can make plays and get chances, the defense is looking tighter and more responsible. For the next few weeks the Canucks have to be a boring team. Good forechecking, tight defensive coverage and getting pucks on net will be key. The Canucks do not have a sniper or a game breaker that will steal points, they will win low scoring games decided on deflections and second chance goals- just like tonight.

Game 6: The Corey Perry Show

2009-10-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

I've always said that every time Perry is on the ice, it turns into the Corey Perry Show, well that was the case last night as the Ducks got revenge on the Wild for stealing their last game, with a win tonight! Perry scored fast and early as he put in 2 goals within 8 minutes of first period. From there the Ducks held on with another goal by Carter, and then an empty goal/extra attacker in the third period to win the game 3-2. It was a great display of the PK unit as the Wild had 4 attempts and only one shot on goal the entire time! Let's hope this trend continues!

Go Ducks!

Game 5: Ducks Couldn't Make It In New York

2009-10-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

Well, the Ducks were layed to rest when they crawled into New York. They were obviously exhausted from the road trip, and although I do not want to make excuses, I guess that's about all that can be said about the team. Jiggy did as well as he could do with no support from the team, so no complaints there. I am hoping the Ducks bounce back with these few days of rest and come back strong Saturday! I will say this, New York looked tough and should have a fun season run this year!

Go Ducks!

NYR Blog 10/12/09

2009-10-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

A MAN WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION...

Well I am going to do an introduction anyway. Hello fellow hockey fans and blog readers. My name is John Z and you guessed it I am a blogger. As a hockey fan for my whole life. I worked up quite a resume and known to be a fanatic when It comes the coolest sport on earth literally. Well maybe besides curling but I am not going to get into that. I am a big ranger fan who is a season ticket holder for 12 seasons now in Section 341. I play ice hockey since I was 3 years old and a little bit of roller hockey. I have met and play with NHLers such as Higgins and Raffi Torres. I am a rumor freak when it comes to Free Agency and Trade Deadline. I always stay on top on the rangers and always look for answers. Anywho enough about me. *clears throat* and the moment we all been waiting for. My first blog and here...we..go!

CAN I GET THE SAFFRON DEL ZOTTO...

Do we have a puck moving defenseman finally? Well by the looks of it MDZ, 19 years old, is making a statement already in the NHL. In 5 games, Del Zotto already has 2 goals, 3 assists and 4 pp points. If he keeps this up John Tavares Calder Trophy hopes can be kissed goodbye. It has been said the rangers would keep him up for 9 games and send him back to juniors to avoid a cap hit but Del Zotto has a say in it and hes showing on the ice. From being drafted two years ago almost making the team last year and Turning heads this year, you only have to think all good things about him. He has speed and great puck moving skills on the power play and everyone knows Rangers need help in that Department. Your blueline always will reflect on the Power Play. And now the rangers are scoring on the PP must mean one thing. Michael Del Zotto is the man( or boy) making it happen. Kudos to the youngster.

THE LINE IN THE SAND...

That line has been crossed so many time by Roszival in a short amount of time. From personal experience talking to the guy, very nice guy to talk to but I dont watch this team to make friends, I want hockey players. Torts system is way too fast for him and when he hears poke check, he shakes in his skates. Tortorella already sat him in the Caps games for the turnover by Semin which led into a goal. Tortorella will not put up with any bull Roszival will pull this year. If he keeps this up, the hour glass is almost up.

ITS A POWER PLAY GOAL???

Well the words us ranger fans all been waiting for..."Its a Power Play goal!!!" Why you say? As I said in the Del Zotto piece, the blueline dictates the PP. Look at Pittsburgh, Malkin, Gonchar, Letang. Look at Detroit, Lidstrom, Rafalski. 9 times out of 10 all these players are involve with a PP goal is scored. Now the rangers PP is working the same reason all good PP's work. Kotalik's slap shot helps alot to get the puck to the net. Del Zotto and Gilroy puck moving skills runs smoothly and they keep it in the zone. Girardi's smart hockey skills also give the PP a strong point. We can mention the offense with Gaborik Drury, Higgins, etc. In the end the Blueline is the most important on the Power Play.

Hope you enjoyed my blog. Send any questions to nyrjz341@yahoo.com.

Game 4: DUCKS WIN; SPECIAL CAMEO BY THREE-MU SELANNE

2009-10-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

It's not often when I apologize for something, so why start now! The Ducks walked into Philly and stole 2 points, and quite frankly that's what they should do everywhere they go. I wasn't sitting in front of a TV watching the game, but every now and then I'd sneak a peek to see what was going on. All I remember thinking was that at the 2nd intermission it said Philly 2-0 and I thought "it's over." To my surprise I later heard they tied it then another update said they won! I could not believe my ears.

Five hours later, I sat down and watched the game on my DVR and noticed something odd about every goal the Ducks scored....they were all done by TEEMU! That's when the symptoms set in; my hands and feet got cold....I broke out in a cold sweat...and felt nauseous...I thought I was going to die, then I realized what was wrong: I was in shock because TEEMU showed up to play!

It's a strange phenomenon that's caused by severe distress and unfamiliarity to an event that only happens once in a blue moon (referred to as a miraculous event).I looked up the medical and psychological encyclopedias to get a more accurate name for what I was experiencing and then I found it: Faulty Finnish-itis. In other words, TEEMU (who happens to be from Finland) has a faulty connection in his playing skills that prevents him from playing this good everyday. So, the viewing audience is held captive waiting for the "good" TEEMU to appear and put up a hockey clinic like he did against Philly.

In the end who cares, I now have a diagnosis and the Ducks won. Who could ask for anything more? At least now I know not to expect TEEMU to be this good in the next game, and count the days before I see the "good" TEEMU appear again, or as I now refer to him :THREE-MU SELANNE!

GO DUCKS!!

Video: Corey Perry uses his head!

2009-10-10T00:08:00.000-07:00

Game 3: Ducks Beat Boston

2009-10-09T16:27:00.001-07:00

Well that was much better now. Not only did the boys in orange look like themselves, this time they shot the puck and scored. The Ducks beat Boston 6-1 in a game that the Ducks needed to win for morale sake. Not for the sake of the team but for the sake of the fans. Southern California fans are ruthless with their "what have you done for me lately" way of thinking.

What I liked about the game was that the Ducks power play was clicking and Teemu Seleanne even chimed in with with two PP goals! Bobby Ryan got his ice breaking goal, allowing him to breath a little easier so he can take his mind off his slump and put it on scoring.

Evgeny Artyukhin is getting very comfy in his new Ducks uniform as the "new large human" continues to be a force down the middle of the ice!

Next up for the ducks is a reunion of sorts. I still remember the Edmonton Oilers playoff games we had a few years back and what a pest Pronger was then. He was even able to get into the peanut head Jiggy causing him to lose his cool and start tossing jabs into the kisser of Prongs which sealed our fate from that game on. The Ducks will be facing the Flyers and Pronger so it will definitely be an interesting game to watch.

Go Ducks!

That Was Ugly

2009-10-08T23:37:00.000-07:00

What an ugly game against the Canucks. I joked to my boss that if the Habs win could I get a raise. I hope I don't get a pay cut now.

Carey Price needs to step it up or Jaroslav Halak will take over.

Game 2: Ducks Lose to Wild

2009-10-07T22:32:00.000-07:00

I didn't see the entire game, I was coming back from a call and was actually pleased to turn on the radio in the 2nd intermission to hear that the Ducks were winning 3-0. Steve Carrol sounded awfully confident and rightly so, I mean you would literally have to implode to lose that lead right? The last thing I heard Steve say was "unless something goes terribly wrong, the Ducks are on their way to their first victory of the season."

Well Mr. Carrol, have you forgotten who you're talking about? These are my Anaheim Ducks. This is the team that gets bored when they have a lead, and like to make things more interesting by giving up 4 unanswered goals. This is the team that likes to take penalties when its 4 on 4 in over time and lose the game winning goal with just minutes before going to shoot out.

I suppose I could sit here and start picking on individual players and say cruel things about their health or families, but I won't do that this year. This year I have pledged my allegiance to my team regardless of the outcome. I bleed Ducks Orange to the end! Win or Lose!

Yes, this is my team and I stick with them until the end. I said in an earlier blog that for some reason, even if the Ducks make it to the post season, it's never a pretty sight. I do believe the 2009-2010 season will be no different. It's only game two of the new season and we have more points than Detroit (even if we only have 1 and they have 0) but you have to look at the positives right? Well, I am positive there will be a game three and the Ducks will play in it, but that's about all I am certain of right now.

Go Ducks!

-----------------------------------

In other NHL news, I read tonight that Brad May just signed a 1 year deal with the Detroit RedWings which made them a tougher team in terms of PIM's and more fun when we face them in the playoffs! Nice job May Day!! See you in April.

TORO

Leafs go for the Gusto with Gustavsson

2009-10-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

So the verdict is in from Ron Wilson and for all the Vesa Toskala bashers out there, you are happy to hear that Jonas Gustavsson will start his first NHL game. Now the real question is, does Vesa Toskala deserve all of this negative criticism after just 2 games? Everyone has their own answers however mine is a simple yes.

Vesa Toskala is 0-2, with a 4.74 GAA and an 800 save percentage. I know it's early but those are horrendous stats. Obviously you can't blame everything on Vesa however it is nice once and a while to have your NUMBER ONE goalie make a big save every now and then. He's lacking that game breaking save or that momentum shift save that can change the game. Staying true to Brian Burkes motto of no one is guaranteed a spot on the team or a start every night, this is a pretty obvious and easy move, plain and simple Vesa is not performing under a defense core that is supposed to be better than last year. They cannot continue to ride a goalie who just isn't playing up to par. The defense has not fully lived up to their expectations, especially new comers Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek, but the first thing that goes wrong when you think your defense is where it needs to be is the goalie change.

Now Jonas Gustavsson has clearly shown signs of being a reliable goalie, after "the save" against Detroit and the 3 periods of shutout hockey. Obviously you can't put much faith and judge him on that but it sure gives me a lot more to be happy about with him going in net compared to Vesa, the question marks have been surrounding him since last season and after a slow start it only makes everyone's Toskala jerseys that much closer to the fire. Jonas has nothing to lose in net, hes come in to take a job. He won't get sent down, he won't get traded, he is a young kid with nothing to prove other than he can play the goalie position in the NHL. I feel a lot more comfortable knowing tonight that we don't know which Vesa Toskala we will get, could it be the shaky Vesa Toskala or will it be the shades of greatness from sections of last season. However with Gustavvson we only know that he is a solid goalie and is willing and ready to prove to Leafs Nation why he was so sought after by Big Burkey. I feel as though after only catching a brief showing of Jonas that he has more upside to his game than Vesa, maybe I'm just so negative towards Vesa because of the weak goals let in game after game by him last year. Jonas brings a lot more size to the net and challenges shooters and doesn't get out of position too much like Vesa, correct me I'm wrong but I don't believe Jonas had an actual shot beat him, it was breakaways and scrambles infront of the net where he mad the first 2 saves but not the 3rd.

All in all, I was relieved to hear that he will be starting tonight. This kid has the team on his back and all these older guys will not want to let him down and have him falter like Justin Pogge, they are playing for themselves and the team but also for Jonas who has much to prove. So to my fellow Leaf fans, It's time to see what the Monster can do. GO LEAFS GO

Ducks get new coach??!?!

2009-10-04T16:39:00.001-07:00

This kid should have been in the locker room with the Ducks for their home opener against the Sharks. Who would lose with this type of speech?!?

Ducks 2009-2010 Season Opener In The Books: I'm Glad That's Over With

2009-10-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last night the Anaheim Ducks opened up the 2009-2010 season to a crowd of jeers and boos! Yes, Southern California fans were in attendance, as the sound of booing and "shoot the puck" filled the arena once again. The game itself was not stellar. The Ducks came out and were just plain flat as a pancake. The Sharks came back with their long memory still intact from last season's first round playoffs, and played the way they should have in that seven game series.

It's the same story every year with San Jose; strong regular season, forgettable post season. The Ducks, on the other hand seemed to have all eyes on them, and it showed. With the release of Pronger, and Beauchemin in the off season, the media was waiting to pick apart the defense, and so did San Jose. It was obvious from what I could see, that the "new" faces were nervous and still trying to figure out what their roles are.

Ryan Whitney stood out like a sore thumb as he got burned not once, but I believe three times. It seemed like every time a goal was scored against us, he was somewhere near it chasing after the goal scorer! When you think about it, he's filling some big shoes in Francis Beauchemin and is teaming with hall of famer Scott Niedermeyer.

So is it time to worry? Are you kidding me? It's only the first game!! That didn't stop the annoying fans from yelling at the players, as if it were any easier for the slobs in their seats to play in an NHL game! The one thing I can say is that the Ducks look like the same team I love dearly. They still aren't afraid to throw down the equipment and scrap, they still rack up the penalty minutes, and they still play physical hockey. That being said, the Ducks will still have a great season and go deep, fans just forget that it never looks pretty getting there. So with game one in the books and all the pressure fron the media off them for now, the Ducks can regroup and come out strong like they're capable of doing. After all, Detroit is 0-2 so far this season, but I don't think you hear Red Wing fans jumping off a cliff now, do you?

Things to improve on: Power Play, and (dare I say) staying out of the box

Forgettable players: Ryan Whitney

Memorable Players: Naby (He's was on)

Nicest thing I can say about the opponent: They moved their feet all night long

Nicest thing I can say about the Ducks: They can win when they want to.

101

2009-10-03T20:41:00.001-07:00

Year 100 in the storied history of the Habs started off with great promise but ended with disappointment. We barely made the playoffs but the last glimmer of hope was the fact that we were playing the Bruins, our "favorite" opponents. But it wasn't even close.

So now in Year 101, what will happen? The team has already been dealt a bad blow with the loss of Andrei Markov for a month. But so far they are 2-0. Will they keep it up? Will Carey Price turn into Patrick Roy or Steve Penney?

Time will tell.

Film Clip: King's Ransom

2009-10-02T11:36:00.001-07:00

This is going to be a cool documentary that I am looking forward to. It starts airing Oct 6, and any hockey fan is going to love it. It's all about the day Gretzky got traded to the Kings and the impact it had on the sport.

Cool Corey Perry Goal!

2009-10-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Go West, Young Man

2009-08-11T11:24:00.000-07:00

"If any young man is about to commence the world, we say to him, publicly and privately, Go to the West" (from the Aug. 25, 1838, issue of the newspaper New Yorker).

Judging by the young keeper's upbeat tone while being interviewed recently on a local Toronto sports radio show, you'd think former Leaf goalie prospect Justin Pogge had just won the lottery, a short 50 minutes after being informed by his now-former boss that his services, and his rights, were now the sole concern of The Ducks of Anaheim. No hint of rancor, bitterness, or bruised ego, just the genuine enthusiasm of a good Canadian kid with a dream of cracking the big leagues some day, even if it meant his team colours were about to change for good. Like Pogge, like thousands of teenage boys across Ontario, it was my childhood dream to be the Bud's backstop one day. What a cold, harsh dose of reality when I finally accepted that my love for the game would have to be expressed either in a men's league, through an internet blog, or in front of my TV with a pint and a pepperoni slice in my hands instead of a blocker, goalie stick and catcher. Surley Pogge's fate is not so dire...
Drafted 90th overall by Toronto in 2004, the talented young goalie oozed promise, going on to lead Canada to a 5-0 rout of the Russian juniors in which he made 35 stops, earning his 3rd shutout of the campaign along with Top Goalie, Tournament MVP, and All Star Team honours. He had skill and swagger. Some say he was a little cocky at times, but what's in a rumour...besides, goalies need a little bit of extra confidence, especially goalies charged with the duty of saving an original six franchise from perpetual embarrassment within the next couple years. Kind of a heady notion to have to wrap your noggin around...
Pogge struggled in the handful of outings he was awarded with the big club last season. Clearly, that swagger was stifled as he got lit up time and again with every kind of shot, most of them routine saves for a player of his pedigree, yet he fumbled and floundered like a fish out of water, over-playing shots, leaving gaping holes for easy tap-ins, and just plain not getting it done. Confounded and disappointed, the shell-shocked young keeper retreated back to the minors where he battled to try to maintain respectability in junior, often losing important starts to fast-rising upstart James Reimer.
It must have been a long summer for Pogge, a restricted free agent, waiting patiently for a qualifying offer, having his thunder stolen from under his skates by an unknown, undrafted Swede whom the 'faithful' have embraced as the successor to the crown he never got to wear. It was well into August before he was finally able to take the Blue and White sweater, and the accompanying monkey that comes part and parcel, off his back. Upbeat, optimistic and motivated, Justin Pogge is poised to climb the ranks in a less volatile environment, in a sun-soaked land to the west where legions of starry-eyed celebrity hopefuls have fled in search of their childhood dreams. Ironically, he won't see a tenth of the flashing lights that he would have in the city we call Hockey Mecca, but he'll be received by a hockey club with a recent winning history, who actually envision him as part of their future, and he may finally get that chance to live his dream-to be an NHL goaltender.
It's time the young man with the fading stars in his eyes heads West.Those famous words once uttered by an obscure newspaper editor called Horace Greeley a century and a half ago, and the wisdom they contain, could be the big break the once-celebrated, often-maligned former Canadian champion deserves. Best of luck Justin Pogge...

So far, so good!

2009-08-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well, if you are a Hurricanes fan, you probably feel the same way I do about the work of Jim Rutherford (JR) and his staff, thus far...So far, so good! But you are probably also wondering what JR has up his sleeve to add some much-needed offence to the front lines.

Historically, JR has tended to focus on getting his own free agents under contract and and otherwise would lay very low in the early days of free agency. He wanted to wait for the price to come down before jumping in. This year that was his plan, again. In fact, he was very clear that he had no plans to sign other players or make any trades until late in the summer or around training camp time, once the Canes had determined the positions they would need to fill.

And, initially, it looked like JR was going to stick to the script. His first order of business was to sign RFA Jussi Jokinen to a multi-year deal. Jussi was a revelation in the play-offs and a versatile player that the Canes wanted to return. JR then turned his attention to his UFAs. Dennis Seidenberg seemingly decided to move on and with prospects Rodney, Carson, and McBain in the wings, no problem. But what about Erik Cole and Chad Larose? Much to his chagrin, he was unable to get either signed before July 1st and so both decided to test the free agent waters. However, undaunted, JR stood his ground and was able to get both signed to long-term deals at close to the budget he had allocated for them. A good start!

Meanwhile, he continued his efforts to get remaining RFAs Tuomo Ruutu and Anton Babchuk under contract. This has not been as easy as first anticipated. JR tendered qualifying offers to both, but neither player accepted the offer. Ruutu finally accepted a three-year deal avoiding arbitration just prior to the August 1 deadline. That was a great signing. Ruutu is a critical member of the team and is just coming into his own. He is a future building block for the franchise and wasn't going anywhere.

And, it gets better. JR surprised all of his by signing big winger Tom Kotsopoulos to a multi-year deal. He was one of the top hitters on the Canadians, is an outstanding penalty killer, and plays with emotion, a real fan favorite. He brings it every night! He gives the Canes much-needed size on the wing and will chip in with some offense on occasion, too. A major improvement over Ryan Bayda, in my mind.

But that's not all. He then went out and signed hulking 6'4" defenseman, Andrew Alberts, to a modest two-year contract. He was on my wish list and gives the Canes a much-needed no-nonsense, shutdown type of defenseman, a critical missing link in our play-off run last year. Pencil him in as a solid number five or six d-man. He may even chip in with a little offence, too. Our only concern with Andrew was his concussion problems a few years ago, but hopefully that's now a thing of the past.

And in a surprise move that caught most of us off-guard, he traded underachieving forward, Patrick Eaves, to the Bruins for former Cane, Aaron Ward. I have mixed emotions about this deal. Sure, Ward was a key piece in the Canes run to the cup a few years back and he was strong alongside Zdeno Chara on the Bruins D last year, but he is in the waning years of his career. I would have much preferred if the Canes had re-signed Dennis Seidenberg to a long term contract.. Dennis was outstanding alongside Joni Pitkanen in the play-offs last year and was just coming into his own. I suspect JR's plan is to give the youngsters a shot at filling one of the D-spots and was looking for a short term fix in Ward.

He has also managed to finally shed the Canes of Frantisek Kaberle, buying out his contract, and improve the Canes bench strength, flying under the radar to sign former gritty Coyote winger Steven Goertzen, 6"2" and 215 lbs, and huge 6'4" defenseman, former Leaf, Jay Harrison, to the mix. Either can come up to the big club in a pinch. I guess JR wasn't kidding about making the Canes bigger, eh?

OK, so what about Babchuk? He is still sitting in limbo. Anton started to live up to some of the promise last year, after being drafted in the first round by the Hawks in 2005. His offensive game really took shape in the second half and with sixteen goals on the season, he was among the league leaders for defensemen in that category. Sure, he is still rough around the edges but I thought he made great strides last year, particularly when he was partnered with Joni Pitkanen. But JR didn't seem to pay much notice to that. He has elected not to negotiate with the player and has not budged from his initial qualifying offer of $1.0 million, the same amount that Anton earned last year. To me, this just doesn't make sense. Clearly, Anton is worth more. So, why not pay him.

This is not the first time that JR and Anton have locked horns. But. I'm sure it will be the last. JR is clearly done with Anton and is working on packaging Anton in a deal for either a capable low-cost forward or high round draft pick. Gee, I wonder what would happen if Anton had a change of heart and came back and accepted the qualifying offer. That would make things very interesting. Personally, I would love to see Anton teamed with Andrew Alberts on the third pairing. That would give us another balanced pair, with excellent size. Apparently, according to JR, this will be resolved soon. I vote we keep Anton.

So, what's next?

I still think the Canes should look at Manny Molhotra. The longer he remains unsigned, the more likely he would fit into our budget. He would be an awesome fourth line center and would allow us to leave Brandon Sutter on the farm for another year of much-needed seasoning. Any of Blair Betts, Dominic Moore, or Andy Hilbert could also fill that 4th line center spot nicely. The Canes has also been rumored to be interested in Rob Neidermeyer, a strong defensive center/winger, who remains unsigned. He brings size and experience and scored fourteen goals last year, a good-offensive showing for him. What about Maxim Afinogenov. Now rumored to be heading to the KHL, he could be a steal if he finds his game, again. And, how about Nicholai Zherdev. Apparently, no one is rushing to sign him, now that he is a UFA. He is the type of player who would probably flourish with the Hurricanes. A Ruutu, Staal, Zherdev combo would be amazing. Finally, Christian Backman, a longtime favorite of JR, is still available and would be an interesting addition to the defensive corps. He brings size and offence to the mix.

Notwithstanding that, I still think the first order of business is to deal with Babchuk. That means packaging Anton for the best possible return. There have been lots of rumors of potentially interested parties. Vancouver and the Rangers were specifically cited in a Babchuk interview recently, as interested teams. It would be great if the Canes could add a forward to the mix and secure a potential top six side-kick for Staal. It would be even better if they could shed some additional salary along the way, such as Walker or even Samsonov, but that is very unlikely.

JR has lots of options. Here are some possibles:

Babchuk for a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick (most likely)

Babchuk for Bernier (VCR) (I like this one a lot!)

Babchuk for Mayorov (interesting prospect) or Chimera (Columbus) (They're looking for an offensive D-man)

So, not including a Babchuk trade or free agent signing, this is what the Canes line-up will look like come training camp.

Ruutu - Staal - Cole, Whitney - Cullen - Larose, Samsonov - Brind 'Amour - Walker

Goertzen - Jokinen - Kotsopoulos

Gleason - Corvo, Pitkanen - Ward, Alberts - Wallin

Ward - Leighton

And you still have Ryan, Carson, Rodney, McBain, Sutter, Bowman, and Boychuk, battling for spots.

It's a solid line-up, for sure, but not strong enough to battle for the big prize. The offensive contributions from Babchuk, Seidenberg and Kaberle on the D-corps, will be sorely missed. Hopefully, JR still has a move or two up his sleeve.

Follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/canesTR

Pole-Position

2009-07-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

With the emerging success of a few former bottom-feeding franchises which have become home to some of the hottest young talents in the game, there seems to be a disturbing new trend on the rise, which threatens to erode, or at the very least distort the time-honored traditions that make this game we love, so very special. I grew up in an era of hockey that prided itself not on it's marketability, but on it's fierce loyalty to honoring the conventions and traditions established by those legends of the game who played for pride, not just a paycheck. My dad used to tell me about the days when bruised and battered NHL players would come back to his hometown of Sudbury in the off-season and pick up a summer job until training camp started.
Imagine...Joe Thornton a roofer, or Luongo stocking shelves at your local grocery...
In no way is this treatise of mine a criticism of today's crop of hockey stars, who are as entitled to riches and accolades as the franchises who employ them, but it certainly shows us the mindset of those toothless, helmet-less athletes of yesteryear, who played solely for the crest on their jersey, and a shot at glory. The paycheck was a bonus, not the driving force that compelled names like Mahovlich and Richard to play like they were on their way to the electric chair, night after night.
Living here in Toronto, it is expected that if a new trade acquisition, free agent or young rookie doesn't light it up the day he dons the sacred jersey, said player will face the wrath of a legion of acid-tongued scribes, as well the most petulant of sports fans, who will most assuredly raise their fists in righteous indignation for having the good name of their proud hockey heritage besmerched. In a weird and amusing parodox, Toronto fans don't willingly accept mediocrity, however cursed with it we have been since the glory days of Gilmour, Clark, and co. Puzzling...
The very nano-second the cyber-analysts and armchair afficionados in Toronto get that all too familiar late-season twitch, sensing the playoffs may be out of reach, the call goes out across Leaf Nation to abandon ship, and to start competing for the pot of gold at the other end of the rainbow- the chance to draft a pimple-faced, puck-shooting prodigy, who would be charged with the task of salvaging the hopes and aspirations of not just a team, but a veritable nation of playoff-deprived hockey fans. These reluctant heroes become merchandising juggernauts, poster-children and spokesmen for inumerable equipment manufacturers, magazines and sports shows, before they are legally allowed to celebrate their success with a cold beer... talk about a pressure-cooker...

And this leads me to believe that the new mentality of playing for a more favourable pole-position could be the undoing of the greatest game ever played. Since when is a draft pick the coveted prize, and not Lord Stanley's mug? It occurs to this old-school hockey enthusiast that we may have it bass-ackwards here, sportsfans...
The day Leaf fans shake their heads in disgust after the pride of Toronto laid waste their rivals to the east, was a sad day for hockey. If you want a winner in your city, the mantra simply has to be: win or die trying. Or perhaps something like: "Kill 'em all, let Burkey sort it out". He has something like five million reasons annually to deal with the nuts and bolts of how the team is engineered. The day he, or any hockey manager walks in the dressing room and tells the boys who have played the game one way and one way only, since childhood, to leave their pride and winning attitude in the locker room is the day many of us find another team to believe in. fortunately, Burke upholds the inalienable truth that winning starts with a winner's attitude. No leaf team under his watch will ever play for pole position. They'll take on all comers, and chip away until they have the makings of a contender, achieved through honest, hard earned success, the way the heroes of the days of yore did it.
Point: hockey players are required to do one thing and one thing only, and that is play to win. Manipulating the draft is not their problem. These fine young men who bring us both enormous pride and frustration toil endlessly in the minors for a shot at earning their keep. To expect a roster full of battered and scarred veteran ice-warriors to capitulate in favour of an 18 year old potential saviour is as insulting as it is laughable.
I'm hoping this notion of 'tanking' is nothing more than a collective fan hallucination, a vain imagining which no true blue (and white) NHL'er would ever ponder. for the sake of this great game of ours, let's all hope that the 700 or so athletes that make up the National Hockey League forever quench their thirst for glory by drinking only from Lord stanley's mug, and never the koolaid of cowardice and mediocrity...

The draft lottery was meant to create equity across the league, not to foster a welfare-state mentality where the talent-poor clubs rely on the governing body to sustain them, while the more lucrative clubs shoulder the load and never get a sniff at a top 5 pick.
Surely, there IS a better way. The NHL must re-engineer its strategy in a way which awards the conference finalists with a few extra lottery balls, thus dispelling the notion that all you have to do is suck for five years and you're Stanley-cup-bound...if the bottom-feeders weren't necessarily guaranteed a grand prize in the form of a future hall of famer, perhaps the focus in the playoffs will come back to where it belongs-winning the championship.

I'm sure many of you disagree. Please take the time to explain your position...I'd love to hear from you...

Rome Wasn't Built In A Day...

2009-07-13T22:01:00.001-07:00

Little by little our man BB is assembling the kind of squad that will make playing in Toronto a bit of a nightmare for even the most physical, and skilled of NHL opponents. While we haven't any inkling to date as to which of our young bucks will stick and stay beyond pre-season exhibition play, our stables are looking pretty healthy these days, thanks to some shrewd off-the-radar maneuvering to acquire some top undrafted talent in Bozak and Hanson, as well as a few projects in the system that are marinating quite nicely. Regarding goaltending, if we have learned anything about Vesa Toskala, it is that he answers the bell when pressed to do so. In spite of some serious nagging injuries which affected his game last season, when called out, he played like a Vezina candidate in his remaining games. He needs that pressure to hit his top gear, and frankly neither our beloved Cujo or Pogge challenged him for a single minute of icetime last year. This is a contract year, and he can't be immune to all the 'Monster tales' circulating throughout Leafland. I predict he plays like the second coming of Patrick Roy this season, as long as he's ready to go in October, which he should very well be.

BB's biggest asset may not be his media-darling status, or his all too evident swagger. It may very well be the restraint he shows by avoiding foolhardy trade propositions in order to placate a rabid and petulant hockey market. it may be the fact that he always appears ready with a contingency plan. When we missed out on a top-rated undrafted North American goalie prospect, he rolled out his plan B-- Jonas Gustavsson, better known as the 'Monster', who is poised to challenge for the distinguished title of 'future franchise' goalie, and by all accounts, he's got the goods...
Suffice to say, the wily Irishman presiding over our beloved Blue and white is assembling a rough and tumble, highly skilled group that will be ready to do battle on all fronts, and in every zone in a few short months, thanks to the arrival of a few sides of beef like Komisarek, Orr, and Exelby. Whats next? Will he flip Kaberle for a big gun forward? will he entice LA, who have recently cleared out two spots on the blueline, into coughing up Schenn the younger, plus a roster player? Will he and his pal Chiarelli finally pull the trigger on the much-talked about Kaberle-for-Kessel rumour?
It's fun to speculate, and online hockey boards are teeming with every kind kind of mock-trade imaginable, but it's absolutely euphoric to realize that the age of mediocrity is officially OVER in Toronto... Like Rome, it wont be built in a day, but get used to the notion of playoff hockey returning to Toronto, folks...it's coming our way!

Come to us Koivu!

2009-07-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Originally published on TheDucksBlog.com on July 8, 2009. One day before the Nick Boynton signing that I believed filled this role.

"Koivu is a great signing by GM Bob Murray. At $3.25 million a year (let me remind you that is .75 million cheaper than we got Todd Bertuzzi for a few years back) we should be thanking Murray for the steal he just got away with. That should enhance our offense enough to be able to get past Detroit, Chicago and the other Western powerhouses. However, there still remains a void in our defense. Do we try for what D is out there? A Zubov, Bergeron or someone else that can be a top 4 defenseman?"

Drafting, Dealing, Signing

2009-07-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Published on TheDucksBlog.com on July 4, 2009

With the draft and July 1 out of the way, we can almost look back and evaluate how GM Bob Murray did. I like Bob Murray’s move a lot. I was very afraid that when Burke left we would fall apart one trade at a time, but this is not the case.

I still see some holes in the organization, but I expect those to be filled in good time. Let’s take a look at some of the movements so far.

The Draft: I’m not talking about the players traded because we will get to that. We selected 2 in the first round and another five in day two of the draft. We won’t see the immediate effects of the draft take place because the Ducks players tend to stay in development a little longer than other teams bring up their drafted players. Example, Jack Johnson, Anze Kopitar and Sidney Crosby all drafted the same year as Bobby Ryan. Bobby Ryan has developed wonderfully because of the patience he and Brian Burke went through to spend time raising fitness, skill and maturity in the minors as well as other leagues. I don’t think we will see an immediate effect on the franchise, but I like who we drafted and the positions they play.

The Pronger trade: While we will miss Pronger on the blue line very much, I don’t think we will miss the reputation that goes along with him. While sending Prongs out to Philly, we received fan favorite Joffrey Lupul as well as Luca Sbisa and a couple of 1st round draft picks, one for this year and one for next. Lupul was great for the franchise and its been so bittersweet to watch him play for other teams and not do as well as he did with the Ducks. My most fond memory of Lupul was the Playoff game in Colorado in 2005 when the score was Avalanche 3- Lupul 4. He will bring some secondary scoring that we need badly. I can’t say much about Sbisa because I don’t know too much about him. Lupul likes him and he was a first round pick, so I am good. Pronger has done so well for us as fans and as a team (Stanley Cup anyone?) so I know he will be missed.

Selanne and Scott Niedermayer: Aren’t we glad to have these two back for sure. And before the season started, even by the draft! So with those two under contract, we will have the veteran leadership and skill needed to prepare our other teammates for following seasons.

Projected Lines:

Offense

Getzlaf - Ryan - Perry

Lupul - Selanne - (to sign)/Christensen

Ebbett - Carter - Christensen/ Nokelainen

Parros - Brown - (to sign)/Bodie

Defense

S. Niedermayer - Brookbank

Whitney -Wisniewski

Sbisa - Festerling.

Goalies

1A Hiller

1B Giguere

I think the other good thing about the Pronger trade was that it doesn’t force us to trade Giguere away right away. Apparently he has given Murray a short list of teams of he wouldn’t mind being traded too. I suggest we hold on to him until at least pre season. We let him come into training camp, compete for the spot and if Hiller does fine we can get more for him, but I think that having those two in net dramatically increase our changes for winning a cup again.

Thanks Mr. Rutherford, I’ll take it from here!

2009-06-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

If you grew up on hockey like I did, you’ve probably dreamt at some time of being General Manager of an NHL team, particularly at this time of year.

The June draft and free agency mayhem are upon us once more. So, what the heck! Let’s have a go at it. Let’s make the decisions on which free agents stay or go, what trades we are going to make, and who we are going to draft this year.

“Thanks Mr. Rutherford, I’ll take it from here!”

Based on the second half and play-off performance by the Canes last season, we probably don’t need to do much. Let's go down the list and see what we’ve got to work with.

Goaltending:

Cam Ward is a lock for years to come. Michael Leighton showed signs of being a solid back-up and will get better. With Justin Peters in Albany and junior sensation, Mike Murphy, under contract, nothing to do there.

Defence:

Joe Corvo, Joni Pitkanen, and Tim Gleason are key building blocks for the future. I would keep Nic Wallin for his last contract year. Newcomers Bryan Rodney, Brett Carson, and Jamie McBain all deserve a real shot at making the team. That’s a good start!

Frank Kaberle and is $2.2M has to go. Try to deal him for a late round draft pick or buy out his contract. A bonus would be if he signs in the KHL, as rumored, but don’t hold your breath on that one. Dennis Seidenberg, now an unrestricted free agent, wants too much money so he might have to go. That would be too bad. I think Denis is very under-rated on the Canes blue and played a key roll in their success this year. That leaves restricted free agent, Anton Babchuk. An intriguing thought is to package Babchuk in a major deal. With sixteen goals this year, he is very desirable for teams looking to strengthen their power-play. If he goes, sign Seidenberg.

The Canes biggest need on the blueline is for a tough stay-at-home mobile defencemen, a real shutdown guy. UFAs include Rob Scuderi, Hal Gill, Andrew Alberts, and Greg Zanon . I like Scuderi and have for a long time. I know the Pens want to keep him but make a strong play for him. I'd sign him for about 2.5M on a long term deal.

I like a defence of Corvo-Gleason, Pitkanen-Scuderi, Wallin-Babchuk/Seidenberg, with the kids in reserve.

Center:

Eric Staal, Matt Cullen, and Rod Brind'Amour are your top three. Roddy has to have a comeback year or the Canes won’t go far next year. I’d look to sign a free agent as depth, say Manny Malhotra, Blair Betts or Dominic Moore. I really like Malhotra, big, solid defensively, and growing offensively and reasonably priced. And, you still have Darren Sutter in the wings, but I’d prefer to see him playing big minutes in Albany.

Left Wing:

Sergei Samsonov and Ray Whitney are locks. Sign Tuomo Ruutu, RFA, to a long term deal. Bring up Drayson Bowman to challenge on the fourth line. He’s ready. Sign Ryan Bayda, a UFA, to a $600k per, two-year deal. He is a solid 11th or 12th forward and good depth.

Right Wing:

Sign Erik Cole, if the price is right, and Chad Larose, both UFAs to long term deals. You can make a strong case for lower dollars right now. Cole had a brutal play-off offensively and, the big question surrounding Larose is, was his season a fluke. I don’t think so. If Cole can’t happen, look at a free agent signing or make a deal for a big, scoring forward. I would sign Jussi Jokinen, RFA, to a long term deal and play him on right wing. He can always cover at center, if needed. Patrick Eaves is an intriguing winger. I still think he will be a top six player. He could find his scoring touch and move up the depth chart. In any case, he is a solid fourth liner. Package Scott Walker in a major deal or move him for a mid-round draft pick or prospect to clear some salary. Tim Conboy is around for insurance and toughness.

These forward lines will work, although I’m still concerned about team size and we lack a solid number two goal scorer, unless Cole steps up:

Ruutu-Staal-Cole

Whitney-Cullen-Larose

Samsonov-Brind’Amour-Jokinen

Bowman-Malhotra-Eaves

So, after all of that, not much would change with the Canes. Tie up the key free agents, add a player or two, and give some of your young talent a shot at the show. And, you're good-to go!

Here are some interesting Unrestricted Free Agents I would target:

Center – one of Manny Malhotra, Blair Betts, Dominic Moore

Right Wing –Erik Cole or major fee agent signing

Left Wing – one of Chad Larose, Kyle Calder, Vernon Fiddler

Defence – One of Rob Suderi, Hal Gill, Andrew Alberts, Greg Zanon

Another option is to make a major deal or major free agent signing to shake things up!

How about this?

Cole, Babchuk, and 1^st round pick to Ottawa for Danny Heatley. Would be great but forget it, too much action around Heatley.

Or this?

Walker, Babchuk, and 1^st round pick to Nashville for Alexander Radulov. Not sure if Radulov is returning this year, but wow!

Or this?

Babchuk to Atlanta for Colby Armstrong. Was impressive alongside Sydney Crosby in Pittsburgh. Thrashers need defensemen.

Or this?

Babchuk to the Capitals for Shaone Morrison. There’s your shutdown D-man.

Or this?

Babchuk and Larose to Toronto for Alexie Ponikarovsky. Burke would move him in the right package.

Major Free agents:

Hossa, Gaborik, Sykora, Antropov, or Gionta. Price will be too high for Hossa and Gaborik, but both would look amazing in a Canes uniform. Sykora would be an excellent signing and possible. Antropov would also be a great option. He’s big and talented and would be a perfect compliment to Staal. Gionta is intriguing, but small in stature. Maybe not major but how about Maxim Afinogenov? He could be a steal right now. He’s underperformed his last few years, but scored 23 goals in 56 games (61 points!) a few years ago.

As far as the draft goes, I would love to see the Canes grab Carter Ashton or Landon Ferraro in the first round. Both have great hockey bloodlines, good size, and would look good in a Canes uniform down the road. But, let’s leave this up to Tony MacDonald, Director of Amateur scouting.

So, what do you think, J.R.?

Penguins Hang on 2-1, Win Third Stanley Cup in Franchise History

2009-06-13T06:02:00.000-07:00

The Penguins overcame the NHL’s 38-year-old Game 7 road jinx, captain Sidney Crosby’s mid-game injury and a furious third-period surge to beat Detroit 2-1 on Friday night, win the Stanley Cup and prevent the Red Wings from winning their fifth league championship in 12 seasons.

Fittingly, Crosby passed the Cup (after a few touches) to Mario Lemieux. Super Mario is now the first Hall of Famer to win the Stanley Cup as a player and then as a primary owner.

Evgeni Malkin, who recorded 38 points this postseason, was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP.

From a Red Wings perspective, they followed their poor play in Game 6 through Game 7, and they paid the ultimate price. Actually, the Penguins out-Detroit-Red-Wings'd the Detroit Red Wings. The Pens controlled puck possession, forced turnovers, limited scoring chances, and kept the Detroit blueline under forechecking pressure.

Speaking of which, Detroit's defence last night was atrocious. Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart had particularly awful games, turning over the puck multiple times, including the opening goal for Maxime Talbot. Jonathan Ericsson and Brian Rafalski were not much better.

Detroit had a chance to send Game 7 to overtime, but couldn't get the job done when Nicklas Lidstrom slapped a puck at a yawning cage with about one second to go. Marc-Andre Fleury, standing on his head this game, lunged and made a beautiful diving save to ensure that the Pens would not have the same destiny as last year.

Overcoming all stats, the Penguins can say that they earned the Stanley Cup this year. Fitting too, that the Penguins would capture Lord Stanley on the 87th game of the playoffs.Crosby's number, of course, is #87.

draft time!

2009-06-12T14:17:00.001-07:00

So who will be this year’s version of the canucks first round draft pick? Looking back over the years they have had some great ones, some mediocre ones and some down right bad ones.

Great draft picks:
Kesler, sedans, ohlund, nedved, linden, neely, and lever

Horrible picks:
Jocelyn Guevremont, Richard Blight, Dan Woodley, Alex Stojanov, Libor Polasek, Josh Holden, Nathan Smith, and Shawn Antoski

I guess it is like this for most teams, but wow some of these guys never even played a game! So who will be this year’s pick? Well we get the 22nd pick, providing we don’t trade up or down, so let’s say we don’t trade. Well, we are pretty deep at centre and tender. Defence is solid and may even get better if we sign jaybo. So that leaves the winger positions, which means either Carl klingberg or zack kassian. Kassian is a bonified tough guy with tons of offence skill, he proved his point last year how tough he really was and thus this year no one wanted to fight him and he scored more. Klingberg is a speedster who could play well with a guy by the name of Marion gaborik!

Time will tell who we draft and it is truly tough to pick as you never know who will trade up to get a certain player. One thing is almost for sure this year is that every team in the first round should get a decent player unless that player decides to become a Patrik Stefan clone!

Pens Win 2-1, Force Game 7 Friday Night in Detroit

2009-06-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

It's a series that hasn't disappointed at all. And it's still not finished.

Friday night will display Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

A year ago, the Red Wings paraded with the Stanley Cup in Mellon Arena after winning 3-2 in Game 6. This time, with the Cup in the building again, the Penguins made certain the silver trophy wasn’t handed out on the silver anniversary of franchise icon Mario Lemieux being drafted in 1984. The Penguins won two of three periods, and thanks to Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy's goals, the Pens evened the series at 3. Kris Draper scored the lone marker for the defending champions.

The Red Wings insist they can’t wait for this one on Friday night, back in the arena where they rarely lose and the Pens appear hesitant and a bit intimidated.

The Red Wings can win their fifth championship in the last dozen seasons, a wave of success that no other team in the four major American pro sports leagues has duplicated during that time span.

Detroit owns a 11-2 scoring edge against Pittsburgh at home and the 11 Stanley Cup championship banners that already hang from the Joe Louis Arena rafters are proof that this team has what it takes to finish the last 60 minutes. They are also 11-1 at home in the playoffs, and 3-0 versus the Penguins at the Joe in the series.

Also, the home team has won each of the last six finals Game 7s dating to 1987, and no road team has raised the Cup following a Game 7 since Montreal in Chicago in 1971. That’s the last time that a team lost the first two games on the road, as the Penguins did, and recovered to win the Stanley Cup.

Still, there’s this for the Red Wings to think about: Two rounds ago, Pittsburgh also lost the first two games on the road, then went into Washington for Game 7 and won 6-2.

Marc-Andre Fleury has yet to post an acceptable statline at the Joe this season, something that is sure to haunt the Pens on Friday night.

For more, visit http://www.voiceofvaleri.com.

Red Wings Rush to Repeat, Ruin Pens 5-0 in Game 5

2009-06-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

The Detroit Red Wings got exactly what they needed: a big Game 5 win and long layoff until Game 6.

After hearing how tired and beat up they were through four games of the Stanley Cup finals, the defending champions unleashed its potent offense and shut-down defence, rolling to a 5-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night that put them a win away from another championship.

The experience-heavy Red Wings now lead the Finals 3-2, and are 60 minutes away from their fifth Stanley Cup win in 12 seasons. Can you say, dynasty?

Detroit’s two-game losing streak in Pittsburgh quickly became a distant memory as the Red Wings returned to the friendly confines of Joe Louis Arena and blew away the supposedly fresher Penguins.

The home team is 5-0 in the rematch of last year’s finals, so the Penguins still have that going for them. Detroit, meanwhile, improved to 11-1 at home in the playoffs.

Much of the credit is due to Pavel Datsyuk, who made his mark in his first appearance in eight games, notching two assists and drawing a key penalty. The Red Wings made the Penguins pay for a lack of discipline by going 3-for-9 on the power play. Detroit was 1-for-10 on the power play coming into Game 5.

Chris Osgood, on the verge of his fourth Stanley Cup championship—third as the Red Wings starting goalie—made 22 saves for his 15th playoff shutout, third on the NHL career list. He earned an assist on Valtteri Filppula's goal for his fifth career playoff point, and improved to 11-4 in the finals.

The Red Wings unloaded with four goals in the second period—three in a span of 6:42—against the befuddled Marc-Andre Fleury, who left after making 16 saves on 21 shots. Rather than the slingshot boards at the Joe, it was the relentless Red Wings powerplay that sent Fleury to the showers early.

Filppula started the barrage 1:44 into the second period when he made it 2-0 just 5 seconds after Chris Kunitz served a penalty for interfering with Osgood. That was the only even-strength goal of the period.

Nicklas Kronwall pushed the lead to three at 6:11, 18 seconds into Sergei Gonchar's slashing penalty on Datsyuk. Brian Rafalski made it 4-0 at 8:26, and Henrik Zetterberg—last year’s playoff MVP—closed the spurt at 15:40.

That chased Fleury to the bench in favor of backup Mathieu Garon, who made his first playoff appearance since 2004.

Detroit can wrap up the Cup Finals in Game 6 Tuesday night from Mellon Arena.

Detroit held a 29-22 shots advantage, the first time the home team had the edge.

History suggests the Red Wings will hoist the Cup again as 14 of the 19 previous teams to win Game 5 in a series tied 2-2 have prevailed. Pittsburgh won Game 5 in the Motor City last year in triple overtime to force the series to six games, but then was eliminated at home. The Penguins are 1-5 in Detroit in the past two finals, and Crosby failed to score a goal in all six games.

Penguins Dominate and Tie Series; Datsyuk Might Play in Game 4

2009-06-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

The Pittsburgh Penguins may have just played the biggest momentum-swinging period of their playoffs. Now, there is doubt that that the once ‘over’ series is now far from that.

Until Game 4, the finals followed the same pattern as last year’s: Detroit won the first two at home, then dropped Game 3 in Pittsburgh. But the Red Wings couldn’t follow up their 2-1 road victory in Game 4 of last year, one decided largely when they killed off a lengthy Pittsburgh 5-on-3 advantage, and now these finals are the best-of-three.

Jordan Staal’s short-handed goal during back-to-back Detroit power plays started Pittsburgh’s comeback, and the Penguins scored three goals in less than 6 minutes of the second period Thursday night to win 4-2 and tie the series at 2.

Evgeni Malkin, enjoying the best postseason since Wayne Gretzky’s in 1993, and Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist each to help rally the Penguins from a 2-1 deficit a year to the day Detroit raised the Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh by winning Game 6.

Tyler Kennedy also scored and Marc-Andre Fleury, with his second successive excellent game, made 37 saves.

The Red Wings were done in by a bad second period and brutal special teams, even with Kris Draper back in the mix. Pittsburgh has converted on 4 of 9 power plays, and this game swung when the Penguins got a goal—and the Red Wings didn’t—during 3:59 of continuous Detroit power-play time. Detroit was 0 for 4 with the man advantage.

This series is officially up for grabs. The Red Wings - and this coming from a Red Wings fan - are going to lose this series unless they get Pavel Datsyuk back.

Datsyuk, a finalist for the Hart trophy (season MVP), Selke trophy (best defensive forward) Lady Byng trophy (skill and gentlemanly player), and most importantly, a four-time Stanley Cup Champion. He was the Red Wings’ leading scorer in the regular season with 97 points, including 32 goals, and would provide quite a lift. Even if Datsyuk is only on the ice to help with the powerplay, it’s better than not having him in the lineup at all.

Datsyuk’s destiny will ultimately be determined by his Saturday morning skate.

The bigger question is this: with the Penguins having a new-found sense of accomplishment and confidence, is it too little too late? Although the series is tied at 2 apiece, Staal’s second period goal looks like it’s a series changer.

Game 5 is Saturday night in Detroit, with Game 6 in Pittsburgh on Tuesday after the series’ first two-day break.

For more, visit http://www.voiceofvaleri.com.

Not Bad...Not Bad at All.

2009-06-04T09:35:00.001-07:00

Ever see the movie, Independence Day, which starred Bill Pullman, Will Smith, and Jeff Goldblum? It’s a great movie, if you like sci-fi action movies. Anyway, there is a scene at the end of the movie where Pullman congratulates Goldblum for destroying the alien mother-ship, an astounding feat, and says to him:

"Not bad…Not bad at all."

Well, that's kind of how I feel about the Hurricanes season just ended. Sure, we were disappointed that they succumbed to the Penguins in four straight. But hey, look at it this way. Most of the other teams were long gone and probably working on their golf game and, there we were, among the final four teams still playing at season's end. No way we could have predicted that, particularly considering the fact that making the play-offs was in doubt for most of the season.

There was a lot to feel good about in this Canes season. Cam Ward established his position as an elite goaltender, one of the best in the league, and he’s only going to get better. The Canes defence brought a new offensive dimension to the party, lead by Corvo, Babchuk, and Pitkanen, all smart moves by JR. Tim Gleason became a beast on defence and Nic Wallin was quietly responsible. There's lots to build on here.

Upfront, Eric Staal continued his development and improved his overall play, particularly killing penalties and in the face-off circle. Now, all he needs to do is work on his consistency. Tuomo Ruutu, finally healthy, enjoyed a break-out season with twenty-five goals, and Chad Larose established himself as a top six forward, just missing the twenty goal plateau, (19) culminating with a strong play-off performance. I have to admit, at the start of last season, I had Chad penciled in on the fourth line. He won me over with his work ethic, heart, and improving offensive skills. Good for Chad! Ray Whitney excelled offensively, as he led the team in scoring, and Sergei Samsonov, teased us enough with his ability to create optimism for his future. Matt Cullen raised the level of his play, when moved up to the second line, scoring at a point-a-game pace, during a thirty-game stretch in the second half. Expect more from him next year.

Two late season acquisitions, Erik Cole and Jussi Jokinen, played key roles down the stretch as the Canes battled to get into the play-offs. Jokinen was huge in the play-offs, among the Canes top players in the post-season.

But, there were some disappointments. Undoubtedly the biggest was Rod Brind'Amour, who struggled through his worst season as a pro, leaving the Canes exposed at the critical center ice position. Scott Walker struggled through an injury-plagued season, scoring only five times. Might be time for Scotty to consider retirement. Plus, Patty Eaves is ready to reclaim a top-nine forward position. I still hold out hope that he will find the scoring touch he displayed his first year in the league with Ottawa, when he scored twenty goals. Michael Leighton battled inconsistency as the back-up to Cam Ward. Frank Kaberle played intermittently and was effective some nights and not effective, other nights. Darren Sutter was miscast as the Canes fourth line center, desperately in need of minor league seasoning.

The Canes will undoubtedly have some major decisions to make this off-season. At the top of the list will be landing a compliment for Eric Staal, a big dog that can score in bunches and is a threat every time he steps on the ice. The Caps' Ovechkin and Semin, the Pens' Crosby and Malkin, the Wings' Datsyuk and Zetterberg, and the Hawks' Toews and Kane, are all examples of powerful one-two punch combos, something the Canes will need to go deeper in the play-offs next year.

Restricted free agents Jokinen, Ruutu, and Babchuk, will be locked up quickly.

Decisions will have to be made on unrestricted free agents, Larose, Seidenberg, Bayda, and Cole. Larose is a lock. Cole could go if the Canes need the cash for a major addition, but I'm betting he'll settle for a reasonable deal to remain in Raleigh and be back at training camp next year. Bayda is 50/50, considering Tim Conboy is already on a one-way deal for 2009 and given the development of players like Zach Boychuk, Drayson Bowman, (can't wait to see him in a Canes uniform) and, of course, Darren Sutter.

The big free-agent question surrounds Seidenberg. He was the Canes top defenseman on many nights and carried the Canes blue in the early part of the season. But, here's the dilemma. The Canes are loaded with young talent on the defence. Brett Carson impressed the heck out of me in his brief tour with the Canes. He's big, 6'5" and smooth as silk. Jim Rutherford (JR) was so impressed with Bryan Rodney that he pronounced "He's got a job to lose at training camp next season" when the Canes returned Rodney to Albany for more seasoning. Don't forget, two short season ago, he was toiling in the Eastern League. Heck, he was quarterbacking the Canes power-play and looking good. Talk about poise. Now, that's a story! And what about Canes phenom Jamie McBain, who signed with the Canes after his college season ended at Wisconsin, a season in which he was under consideration for the Hobey Baker Award. The book on him is that he is a "can't miss" prospect, another offensive-minded stud on the backline. This could be interesting. And if things get really desperate, the Canes still have Conboy, a natural defenceman, and Casey Borer, a solid stay-at-home type available. Talk about a logjam. So, not much room for Seidenberg, particularly if the Canes are unsuccessful in moving Kaberle for the umteenth time.

I guess that brings us back to the captain. Many of the Canes supporters feel it is time for Rod to hang them up. He has served this team very well over the years. But, here's where I sit on this. The Canes must add a top three forward this off-season. That will cost big bucks. About half of that could come from Brind'Amour's salary. Besides, using Rod as your fourth line center is ludicrous. Interestingly, initial indications from the Canes camp are that Rod will be back. Nonetheless, I have my doubts.

And what about Paul Maurice? Another reclamation project for JR. Get this, he was attending the University of Windsor, working on his business degree, when Rutherford reached out to him. Talk about a long way from the NHL wars! All he did was take the Canes to the division finals. You can bet he’ll be returning, along with his talented crew of Ron Francis, Tom Rowe, Tom Barasso, and Kevin McCarthy. They will only get better.

This summer will be an interesting one for Canes followers. With a few of the right moves in the off-season, the Canes could challenge for the top prize, again. And there is none better at making those moves than the Canes' bossman, Jim Rutherford. The moves he made during the season, including bringing back Paul Maurice (talk about a controversial move!) and Erik Cole, plucking Jussi Jokinen off the scrap heap, and moving Ron Francis into the coaching ranks, were nothing short of brilliant. He never ceases to amaze me! I wonder what he will have up his sleeve this time. I'll be following the draft and free agency with great anticipation.

Let the games begin!

It's a Series: Penguins Beat Red Wings 4-2 in Game 3 of Finals

2009-06-03T05:40:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

With some lucky breaks, the Penguins managed to squeeze a win against the defending Cup champs, changing the series from backs-against-the-wall to right-back-in-it.

In a frantic first period, both teams scored two goals, something we haven't seen from either side in prior games. The second was all Red Wings, as they ended the period with a 26-11 shot advantage, including a domination in puck control. The third, however, was a different story, with the Pens scoring a key powerplay marker in the third that proved to be too much.

You can thank Sergei Gonchar for making this a series, 10:29 into the third. A 3-0 lead would have had the Penguins walking the green mile. In fact, had the Red Wings won Game 3 and 4, it would have been exactly one calendar year since the Red Wings took the Cup over the Pens in Game 6 of last season.

In winning, the Penguins had everything they lacked in losing twin 3-1 decisions in the first two games in Detroit, including start-to-finish confidence, resiliency and scoring from throughout their lineup. A sense of desperation, too.

Marc-Andre Fleury was very sharp last night, and didn't allow any softies, unlike the identical 3-1 losses in Games 1 and 2. For once this series, he outplayed rival netminder Chris Osgood, who allowed 3 goals on 20 shots. Ozzie has now lost for only the 3rd time in 13 Finals games.

One thing Detroit did do right was that they were once again married to the Henrik Zetterberg-Sidney Crosby matchup, despite Pittsburgh having last change. Rather than changing the entire line when Crosby hopped onto the ice, the centre was simply subbed for Zetterberg, who had his eye on Crosby the whole time and shadowed him at all times. Crosby managed one assist last night, his first point this series.

It was none other than playoff scoring leader Evgeni Malkin who set up the first three goals. Malkin, almost invisible at times during last year’s finals, has 33 points in 20 games—the most since Joe Sakic had 34 for Stanley Cup champion Colorado in 1996.

Pittsburgh also went 2-for-3 on the power play, with the called interference penalty on Jonathan Ericsson that led to Gonchar’s game-winner.

Most of all, the Penguins stood up to the Red Wings even after the defending champs answered Max Talbot’s first goal with scores by Zetterberg and Johan Franzen. Those goals briefly quieted an all-in-white crowd that could sense it might be watching the Red Wings effectively secure their fifth Stanley Cup since 1997.

So far, the finals have featured the same scenario as last year. Detroit wins the first two at home, then loses a tight Game 3 in Pittsburgh. Last year, the Red Wings took a 3-1 lead by winning Game 4 in Pittsburgh, which allowed them to survive a three-overtime Game 5 loss at home before they finished off Pittsburgh in Game 6.

But the Penguins have played better in each of the three games than they did last spring and, the Red Wings understand the hard part is yet to come. The Penguins must be wondering, too, whether Detroit will be at 100% for Game 4, as they have yet to run on all cylinders this series.

For more, visit http://www.voiceofvaleri.com

Red Wings Take 2-0 Stranglehold on Penguins - NHL Blows Rulebook Again

2009-06-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This was the case in both Games 1 and 2 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final between the Red Wings and Penguins. The same can be said for the constant flashes of deja-vu had by the Pens.

Different scorers, same situations.

Detroit beat the Penguins 3-1 Sunday night, just as they did the previous night, after shutting them out by a combined score of 7-0 in the first two games of last year’s finals, ultimately taking a 2-0 lead in the series. Detroit is shooting for its fifth title in 12 seasons and the 12th Cup in franchise history.

Just like last year, my friends.

Valtteri Filpulla scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period, sandwiching his tally between goals from youngsters Jonathan Ericsson - who is just hours removed from an appendectomy - and Justin Abdelkader, who became the first rookie to score in consecutive games in the finals since Minnesota’s Dino Ciccarelli in 1981. Abdelkader slapped a bouncing puck on net that beat Marc-Andre Fleury for the insurance marker in Game 2, just as he batted a bouncing puck in Game 1for the insurance marker.

Game 3 is Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, where the Eastern Conference champions will battle a modern-day dynasty and history.

32 teams have lost the first two Stanley Cup finals games on the road and only the 1971 Montreal Canadiens rallied to win it all.

Much of the credit thus far has been due to the stellar play of NHL playoff legend Chris Osgood, who was Detroit’s No. 1 goaltender on its 1998 championship team. Ozzie improved to 10-2 and dropped his GAA to a minuscule 1.47 in the Stanley Cup finals.

As Detroit hold every advantage over the Penguins, they still do so without Hart trophy candidate Pavel Datsyuk and one of the league's best defensive-forwards in Kris Draper.

The Red Wings improved to 11-0 this postseason when leading after two periods, moving halfway toward putting another championship banner in the crowded rafters at Joe Louis Arena.

The team is going to be in tough for Game 3 when they head back to Mellon Arena. With Datsyuk and Draper's availability in question once again, the Pens managed to scour some momentum with seconds left in the thirdMax Talbot stabbed Osgood, who had just frozen the puck on a shot from the point.

Evgeni Malkin then blindsided Henrik Zetterberg, and after numerous punches and slaps to the head with his stick, instigated a fight. Malkin received a five-minute major and a game misconduct, but the key here is that he also received the instigator penalty, meaning that a suspension is possible for Game 3. Colin Campbell, however, rescinded the call in typical post-NHL fashion.

How is it possible for the league to automatically rescind a call without looking at it first? It's because the NHL only enforces rules that are convenient.

Because Malkin’s antics came with 19 seconds remaining in the Penguins’ 3-1 loss, it triggered Rule 47.22, which hands down the one-game suspension to players who instigate a fight in the game’s final five minutes. It is a rule to prevent the kind of thuggery and frustration spilling that Malkin displayed. The punishment fits.

Except in the NHL, which includes out clauses with its rules. This suspension can be reviewed by Campbell, the NHL’s executive VP and director of hockey operations, who certainly doesn’t have anything riding on Malkin, the potential MVP, no, sir, and wouldn’t at all let his decision be compromised by the quality of the player involved, no way, no how, because he is a fair and impartial jury of one, yes, indeed.

Campbell said, “Suspensions are applied under this rule when a team attempts to send a message in the last five minutes by having a player instigate a fight.”

For some reason, this was not the case on Sunday. The entire point of the fight was to send a message to Zetterberg and the defending Cup champs – that the Penguins were still around, and that they still had some fight in them, and that he was going to show it by beefing with a guy 4 inches shorter.

And he did this knowing that the league would never, ever suspend him. Players realize the NHL is weak in mind and spirit. It could, ironically, learn something about toughness from them. So they’re going to continue to flout the rule until Campbell or commissioner Gary Bettman or someone else steps in and abolishes it or enforces it.

The league must make up its mind. If it agrees with the principle of the rule, live with its consequences. Otherwise, get rid of it and mete out punishment in its usual manner: devoid of logic and consistency.

Next thing you know, the players will look at the book and wonder what other rules they can break. In fact, that happened Sunday. At the end of Campbell’s statement, the NHL made sure to include this chestnut:

“NHL Hockey Operations also determined that Malkin should have been assessed a game misconduct for not having his jersey tied down.”

Well, that’s grand. An unnecessary elbow. A few good punches. And the NHL is worried about Evgeni Malkin’s clothing.

Like you’d expect anything different.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

Helm the Hero; Hockeytown Returns to the Stanley Cup Final

2009-05-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

The Detroit Red Wings, up 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals, prevailed in a 2-1 overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Did I mention that they were without Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Dastyuk, Jonathan Ericsson and Kris Draper?

Darren Helm scored 3:58 into overtime - the third overtime game in the last four - and Dan Cleary had a goal in the third period in the defending champions’ victory last night, propelling the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup rematch of last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chris Osgood once again was a brick wall between the pipes, turning aside 30 shots, while Cristobal Huet, filling in for Nikolai Khabibulin, stopped 44 of 46 in the loss.

The Red Wings and Penguins, coming off a four-game sweep over Carolina in the East, will open the championship series Saturday night in Detroit.

The series will start nearly a week ahead of schedule because NBC and the NHL didn’t want a long layoff to stunt the excitement about the matchup.

One of the intriguing stories will be Marian Hossa playing against the team he left behind as a free agent. Hossa turned down a long-term, lucrative deal from the Penguins last summer for a one-year contract because he believed the Red Wings had a better shot to win it all again.

The Red Wings are matching up with Pittsburgh in what is the NHL’s first Stanley Cup rematch since the Oilers beat the Islanders in 1984 after losing to them the previous year.

This year, history will repeat itself - for the Red Wings.

While Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have taken their game to the next level, Detroit’s game is shutting down individual players - just ask Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp.

Aside from skill, talent, post-season experience, and everything else that the Cup champs have over the Pens, Crosby foolishly touched the Prince of Wales trophy, while Henrik Zetterberg wisely left the Clarence Campbell trophy all alone. This, believe it or not, will be what the Finals will come down to.

In addition, the Red Wings were missing everyone - Ericsson, a huge ice-time eater, was a surprise scratch, needing surgery after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis following the morning skate; Draper, the league’s best defensive-forward, was out again with a groin injury; Datsyuk, arguably the best player in the NHL, remained out with a foot injury; and Lidstrom, the NHL’s best defenceman, was out with a lower-body injury. If Detroit can annihilate the Blackhawks without four of their best players, what chance does Pittsburgh have when Detroit is full strength?

The Red Wings, the first defending champion to get back to the finals since the Devils in 2001, are trying to become the first team to repeat since they accomplished the feat back in 1997 and ’98. This will also be the first decade where there will not be a repeat champion.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com

Running on Empty!

2009-05-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

You know what it's like when your gas tank empty light comes on and there is no gas station anywhere to be seen? It’s a terrible feeling, isn’t it. Well, that's where the Hurricanes are right about now after getting trounced 7-4 in the Igloo on Thursday and 6-2 at home on Saturday.

When they hung in there with Pittsburgh in game one of the series, I felt that the chances were good that they would make this a close series and had a better-than-average chance of winning it. I clearly underestimated the Pens, how good their two superstars are, and did not take into account that the Canes were starting to run out of gas. I should have picked it up earlier because the signs were there.

Eric Staal has been pushing hard for the last half-dozen games but didn't have the jump he had earlier. He was an ugly minus 5 in the last two games. Ray Whitney has been a shadow of his former self and has been totally ineffective. Pitkanen, Corvo, (minus 4 in those two games) and Siedenberg, all big minute men on the blue, have started making mental errors, leaving Cam Ward exposed on numerous occasions. Even Ward had started to show the effects of a long tough season, failing to make saves at key points in the games, as he had in the previous two series. In all fairness, if it wasn’t for the valiant effort of Ward in the last two games, the scores would have been much higher!

It's simple. If your top players aren't playing at their best in critical times like these, the outcome will not be a good one. That’s where the Canes are right now. Contrast that to the Penguins.

How do you stop Evgeni Malkin? As Versus broadcaster, Joe Beninati said the other night, "Malkin is a man possessed." He has been virtually unstoppable. And If I see his mother, Natalia, smiling one more time after a Malkin goal, I'll scream! Sydney Crosby has been equally as effective, but not so dramatic. Funny, watching the games as a Canes fan, I initially felt relief when Crosby's line was on the ice instead of Malkin's. But that was short-lived. In the end, Crosby's line did as much damage, so it didn't matter. Players like Sergie Gonchar, Chris Letang, Chris Kunitz, Bill Guerin, and Ruslan Fedotenko all feasted on the Canes. And whenever the Canes tried to mount any offence, Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik, and Hal Gill got in their way.

There's no doubt, the Canes were trying. Matt Cullen played two of his better play-off games in the last two. Sergei Samsonov and Jussi Jokinen showed spirts of life. Patrick Eaves made a couple of noteworthy offensive moves. Chad Larose was working as hard as ever, but with limited success. Tim Gleason was generally effective with his hitting. Erik Cole, perhaps the most effective of the Canes, and Tuomo Ruutu, are toughing it out through injury. But that's about it.

Unfortunately, the Canes have never really got it going in this series. They have played Penguins style hockey all three games, wide-open, fire-wagon hockey. Not a good place to be considering the firepower of the Pens. The Canes have seldom dictated the style of play and just have not been able to slow the action down to a manageable tempo. With arguably the two best players in the game given time-and-space to do what they do best, it’s not surprising to see the end result.

As we entered this series, it was clear that in order for the Canes to have any chance of winning, they would have to stop Malkin and Crosby. Well, that hasn't happened and, unfortunately, they are about to be eliminated. This goal by Evgeni Malkin pretty much sums up the series so far, hard to believe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLLHFRoVoKo

I know, I know. It's not over yet. For sure, the Canes will be on a mission in game four to try to steal one at home for the Caniac faithful and I hope they do. I guess all we can do now is take it one game at a time. Let's start by winning Thursday's game four and go from there.

You can only hope that even though the warning light has come on, there is still a bit more gas in the tank.

No Lidstrom, No Datsyuk, No Draper, No Problem!

2009-05-24T16:18:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

Marian Hossa and Henrik Zetterberg each scored twice as the Detroit Red Wings decimated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 on Sunday afternoon, taking a 3-1 stranglehold on Western Conference Finals.

Prior to the game, Detroit lost the best defenceman in the NHL, and 6-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom, to a lower body injury; MVP finalist Pavel Dastyuk remained out with a foot injury; and Kris Draper was a scratch due to a groin stain.

Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula also scored for the Wings, as Chris Osgood turned aside 18 shots through two periods in the blowout. The Red Wings scored three powerplay markers, as well as a short-handed goal.

The Blackhawks were shorthanded in net, as Nikolai Khabibulin was out again with a lower body injury. The team benefitted from Martin Havlat's return to the lineup though. Would his return spark the 'Hawks?

Not a chance.

Chicago goalie Cristobal Huet, making his first start of these playoffs in place of injured Khabibulin, gave up four goals and was pulled in the second. Rookie Corey Crawford took over for the last 15:55 of the period, but Huet returned in the third and gave up Zetterberg’s second power-play goal that made it 6-1.

Jonathan Toews had Chicago’s lone goal on a second-period power play.

Hossa scored a short-handed goal on a 2-on-1 fast break in the first, and Franzen sent the Red Wings ahead 2-0 with only 20.7 seconds left in the period with a hard and high shot from the right side.

Filppula scored on a power play just over a minute into the second period for a 3-0 lead. Detroit went on the power play after Chicago’s undisciplined Matt Walker was assessed a roughing penalty following a scrum at the end of the first.

A 3-0 lead at the start of the second - as was the case during Game 3 - was what the rally point was when Detroit started it's comeback and tied it at 3-3 prior to the third. Could Chicago follow likewise?

After Toews scored to cut it to 3-1, Hossa skated in a mere 12 seconds later, and beat Huet for his second goal, forcing the hand of Joel Quenneville to sub in Crawford.

Huet returned to start the third and Ty Conklin gave Ozzie the rest of the night off.

Hossa’s scoring had been scarce thus far in the postseason. After scoring 40 goals during the regular season, he’d managed just four in the playoffs through Detroit’s 14 postseason games before Sunday.

Zetterberg made it 5-1 when he scored on the power play against Crawford when the Red Wings had a two-man advantage in the second.

Franzen’s 10th of the playoffs, just before the first ended, was a real momentum builder for Detroit. As Brian Campbell was skating in front of him to defend, Franzen unleashed the shot that got through Campbell and eluded Huet.

The goal came less than a minute after Osgood made a spectacular save on a streaking Toews.

Hossa put the Red Wings up early after four Blackhawks, including Campbell, got caught deep in the Detroit zone. Hossa started a 2-on-1, short-handed break to the other end, when he played tic-tac-goal with Filppula, beating Huet.

Huet’s first appearance of the playoffs came Friday night in Game 3 when he replaced an injured Khabibulin (lower body) to start the third period of Chicago’s 4-3 overtime win.

No other team in the world can overcome such odds against them - not unless you're the Detroit Red Wings. This team has such depth that the losses of three key players had absolutely zero effect on them.

Even without their star players, Detroit's game plan remained the same, and their style of play once again dominated this young Blackhawks team, who's inexperience is becoming the laughing stock of Detroit.

The defending Stanley Cup champions can clinch a return trip to the finals with a victory Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

2009-05-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

After blowing a 3-0 lead in Game 3, it was Patrick Sharp and Cristobal Huet who ended up saving the day for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Sharp scored at 1:52 of overtime Friday night, giving Chicago to a 4-3 victory over Detroit and cutting the Red Wings’ lead in the Western Conference finals to 2-1.

After Matt Walker's shot from the point in overtime, Dustin Byfuglien tried to control it in front. With Nicklas Lidstrom's broken stick, it was Sammy Pahlsson who reached in and pushed it over to Sharp, who got it past Chris Osgood for the winner and his second goal of the game.

With the game tied at 3 at two periods, Huet came in to replace starting goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who had a lower-body injury. Huet, in his first action of the postseason, stopped six shots in the third. His play helped slow the Red Wings’ momentum after they scored three goals in the second.

The Red Wings, playing without arguably their best player in Pavel Datsyuk, scored three goals in a 4:23 span late in the second period. Detroit’s outburst quickly quieted a raucous crowd at the United Center after it looked as if Chicago was in control.

Lidstrom also tallied a powerplay marker, putting Detroit on the board. Goals later followed by Brian Rafalski and Jonathan Ericsson.

Sharp scored on the power play in the opening period and, just over a minute later, Andrew Ladd beat Osgood to give the Blackhawks a quick 2-0 lead. Pahlsson’s goal less than a minute into the second period made it 3-0.

There was some controversy at 13:08 of the first frame, however. 'Hawks' Martin Havlat was absolutely railroaded by Niklas Kronwall. Havlat had turned around the boards, and had the puck between his feet when Kronwall nailed him. The ensuing blow caused Havlat to lose consciousness, to which he was later helped off the ice and did not return.

After the hit, no referee, nor any of the linesman, had raised their arms to indicate a penalty. Why? Because it was a clean play. Havlat had the puck, had his head down, and paid the price. Looking back to Game 1, Jiri Hudler's hit could be categorized as a second too late.

Kronwall received a 5-minute major, as well as a game misconduct for his NHL rule-abiding check. Things like these, however, have become commonplace in the NHL. A player goes down, is hurt on a clean play, and the opposition is penalized for it. Although it remains uncertain whether or not Kronwall had gone head-hunting, the bottom line remains that he got all shoulder into the hit. I remember back in the day when hits like these were praised and touted around the league. Players like Scott Stevens made careers out of hits like these, but this new NHL has gone and removed this element of the game.

While Detroit successfully killed off the major, they were forced to play two-and-a-half periods without one of their top defencemen. Yes,Detroit eventually did tie the game at 3, but would they have won had they still had Kronwall patrolling the blueline?

As for Havlat, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said Havlat’s condition had improved after the game and he would be re-evaluated Saturday.

Game 4 is Sunday at the United Center.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com

Stay the Course!

2009-05-20T19:22:00.002-07:00

Well, after watching game one of the Canes - Penguins series the other night, despite losing 3-2 you had to feel optimistic about the Canes chances of winning this series.

Frankly, other than the first 10 minutes of the game, the Canes were the better team. They muffled Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin much of the game and did an excellent job of reducing the quality chances the Pens had after their initial surge. The Canes had numerous quality scoring chances and only an outstanding performance by Marc-Andre Fleury prevented the Canes from running away with this one. They outshot the Pens 31-25 on the night.

After the Pens jumped off to an early 2-0 lead on goals by Satan and Malkin, the Canes fought back on a neat play by Erik Cole to set up Chad Larose, the Canes best player on this night, to make it 2-1 and that's where the second period ended. The Canes continued to pressure but a tough penalty to Matt Cullen, when he inadvertently shot it over the glass, led to the go-ahead marker by Philipe Boucher, mid-way through the third. Cam Ward made a great attempt to save it but it just alluded his grasp. The Canes continued to press and made it close on a late goal by Joe Corvo, on one of his patented blasts from the point. With about 30 seconds remaining and the Canes pouring it on, Eric Staal was left wide open to the left of Fleury, but was unable to get his stick on a Jussi Jokinen feed, barely missing the open net. Nice play by Jokinen, who just keeps making it happen.

I thought the Canes played a solid game at both ends. They worked hard and were effective in doing the little things to keep it close. Both Eric Staal and Jussi Jokinen were effective in the face-off circle winning over 60% of their draws. The defence was solid in their own zone blocking a total of thirteen shots between them. Once again, Pitkanen and Corvo logged big minutes, both around twenty-seven minutes of ice time.

The Penguins play a much-more wide-open style than the Canes previous play-off combatants. When they get room to maneuvre, like they did early in the first period, they are deadly. Their power-play is lethal. So, the best solution is for the Canes to stay on the offence, reducing Pittsburgh's offensive zone time. Like the old saying, the best defence is a good offence.

But, that may be tougher in game two. Erik Cole, knee, and Tuomo Ruutu, ankle, both went down with injuries in game one and are doubtful for game two. Both were questionable hits in my mind, but no use crying over spilt milk. What's done is done. They are key to the Canes aggressive forechecking style. The big question is what changes will the Canes make if either or both can't go tomorrow night.

Rod Brind'Amour did an outstanding job filling in for Ruutu with Jokinen and Samsonov. Sammy tried to get too fancy a few times but luckily got away with some unnecessary blunders unscathed. I'm sure he heard about those after the game and will course-correct for game two. Patrick Eaves filled in for Cole and added some hustle and aggressive play to Matt Cullen's unit but not much in the way of offense. He continues to be an enigma to me, oozes with potential, but never quite puts it all together. If Cole and Ruutu can't go, you have to think that Dwight Helminen would get the first call, having played in the Jersey series. But Maurice may want to double shift Eric Staal, and that would suggest Tim Conboy, if he wants toughness, or Michael Ryan, if he wants speed. I like Ryan. He can fly and has produced at all minor league levels. How about a wildcard? Zach Boychuk would be an interesting addition, coming off a sensational junior year in Lethbridge. Or, "Mo' could pull a Peter Laviolette, and dress seven defencemen, adding Anton Babchuk to the mix. My guess is that one of Cole or Ruutu will play and they will add Helminen as fourth line center. What do you think?

Game two is a critical game for the Canes. If they can come away with a split, as they did in both the Jersey and Boston series, they will be primed to take control of this series when they head back to the friendly confines of the RBC Center. The Caniac nation will be firing on all cylinders, for sure. For some reason, I am not as intimidated by the Pens as I was with the Devils and Bruins. But then again, maybe I'm missing something here. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

After their gutsy efforts against New Jersey and Boston, I feel strongly that the Canes can do this. I have a great deal of confidence in Paul Maurice and his staff. All they have to do is keep doing what they are doing and in the immortal words of past President Bush, "stay the course!"

Motown Madness

2009-05-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

With an overtime win last night, the Detroit Red Wings have put the Chicago Blackhawks in a 2-0 hole - and they aren't even playing their best hockey.

Mikael Samuelsson played the role of hero just 5:14 into the first overtime, while Chris Osgood was a brick wall between the pipes, turning aside 38 of 40 shots.

For the most part of last night's game, the Red Wings were unplayed, and fatigue may have played a part in that. The defending Stanley Cup champions played for the fourth time in a week, including Games 6 and 7 versus the Anaheim Ducks.

Detroit's winner came on a 3-on-2 rush after Brian Campbell turned the puck over at the Red Wings blueline, sending Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula, and eventually Mikael Samuelsson off to races. After some nifty tic-tac-toe passing and a nice shot from the slot, the series is headed over to Chicago.

Jonathan Toews tied the game at 2 with 7:40 left in the third. Toews also also opened the scoring in the first, but the lead soon evaporated when Brian Rafalski scored on the man-advantage. With Tomas Holmstrom providing a b-e-a-utiful screen in front of the net (and Johan Franzen in front of him), Rafalski slapped on at the net, and 'Bulin didn't even see it. Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom's assist on Rafalski’s goal was his 116th in the playoffs, moving him ahead of NHL legend Steve Yzerman and into first place on the Red Wings’ career list. He tied Larry Robinson for fourth among defenseman on the NHL list.

Dan Cleary, who's been on absolute fire as of late, buried one to give the Wings a 2-1 lead.

Nikolai Khabibulin turned aside 35 shots in the loss. Moreso, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp were on line 3 and 4, something the Blackhawks will have to look at for Game 3.

Detroit has given up a power-play goal in a franchise-record 11 straight playoff games. It is the NHL’s longest streak during one postseason in two decades. In fact, the first two goals of the game were scored on the powerplay, and the final two goals were scored at even strength.

Detroit is trying to become the first defending champion to get back to the finals since New Jersey did in 2001. The Red Wings are the last team to repeat, winning the Cup in 1997 and ’98.

The fourth-seeded Blackhawks, playing in their first conference final since 1995, now have the daunting task of beating the defending champions in four out of five games to advance. Game 3 is Friday night in Chicago.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

Red Wings Take Opener of Original 6 Series

2009-05-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

Daniel Cleary scored twice, against the team that drafted him, en route to a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Cleary's second marker came midway through the third on a absolutely sexy re-direct from Johan Franzen. With Zetterberg also crashing the net, Detroit's offense once again proved to be too much too fast.

The go-ahead goal, courtesy of Mikael Samuelsson, came just 1:27 before Cleary's.

Chris Osgood, the team's supposed 'question mark' heading into the 2009 playoffs, made 30 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champions, while counterpart Nikolai Khabibulin turned aside 38 shots in the loss.

Adam Burish gave the 'Hawks a 1-0 lead early in the first on a poorly-played puck by Ozzie, but the tables turned when Cleary scored only a few minutes later, followed by Franzen to put Detroit up 2-1. The Mule has now scored 20 goals in his last 22 games, and 22 in his 27 career playoff games. Unbelieveable!

Chicago, playing in its first conference final since 1995 against a team in its third straight, was very competitive with the Red Wings until Detroit broke it open in the final period.

The fourth-seeded Blackhawks fell behind in each of its six games the previous round against Vancouver, but found out that it is not as easy to rally against the second-seeded and playoff-tested Red Wings.

Detroit improved to 7-0 when leading after two periods.

Game 2 goes Tuesday night at the Joe.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

This years Playoffs has been the mose exciting in years

2009-05-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hello, Hockey fans. I hope all of you are enjoying this fantastic playoff year as much as I am. I don't remeber a playoff season with this much fun and excitment in a long time. I mean this playoffs has it all the final 4 being the veteran defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings looking to repeat, The Cinderella Carolina Hurricanes looking to reclaim the championship they won in 2006, The young up and coming Chicago Blackhawks, who have a high school friend of mine playing for them in Dave Bolland and who can forget the defending Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins led by Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. I'm expecting these 2 series both to go 7 games and see Detroit defeat Carolina in a rematch of the 2002 Stanley cup final and the wings winning in 6 games, but lets talk about the rest of the playoffs.

The first round of the playoffs saw some teams dominate and sweep their opponents with the Wings, Bruins and Canucks advancing in 4 games, We saw upsets as the Anaheim ducks defeated the heavily favored San Jose Sharks in 6 games, We a young team defeat the veterans in The Blackhawks defeating the Calgary Flames in 6, Also the battle of pennsylvania was as tuff as it always is as The pens defeated the Flyers in a physical 6 game series and we saw 2 thrilling game 7's with The Carolina Hurricanes only a 1:30 secs away from being eliminated to score 2 goals and defeat the New Jersey Devils and We Saw the Washington Capitals come back after trailing 3 games to 1 come back and defeat the New York Rangers. The first round was great and the second round was even better.

The second Round saw 3 game 7's and one 6 game series. Their were still upsets as the Hurricanes defeat the Bruins in overtime in game 7 with Scott Walker being the hero in what was one of the most exciting game 7's I have ever witnessed. The Chicago BlackHawks speed and skill defeat The Vancouver Canucks in 6 games and it could have been a shorter series if it wasn't for Roberto Luongo. Detroit defeat Anaheim in 7 in what was possibly the hardest hitting series of the playoffs and Who can forget the most anticapated playoff series in Sydney Crosby's Penguins facing Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals. This was a series about 2 superstars who didn't disappoint and lived up to all the hype. This series had hits, saves, goals and 3 overtime games and in the end the Pens depth was to much for the Caps, but these 2 teams will meet again and it will be another exciting series.

Now were down to the final 4 I hope all of hockey fans are getting ready to see 4 tuff teams sacrifice everything just to get a chance at the Stanley Cup.

2009-05-17T05:23:00.001-07:00

by: Marc Valeri

The defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings are going from facing a big, strong, physical team in the Anaheim Ducks, to facing a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2002 (second in 11 seasons), but relies heavily on youth, speed and skill in the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Ducks pushed Detroit (51-21-10) to a closely contested Game 7 Thursday night in a series its coach, Mike Babcock, said was the best series he’s been in and some players insisted was one of the toughest of their careers. And wisely, the Red Wings will take the Blackhawks (46-24-12) as an equally tough task.

The Original Six franchises will meet Sunday afternoon in Game 1, matching up in the playoffs for the first time since 1995 and the 15th time overall.

Second-seeded Detroit became the first team to simply advance in the playoffs after hoisting the Cup since 2002 when it swept Columbus in the opening round, then was on the brink of elimination against the 2007 champion Ducks.

The fourth-seeded Blackhawks, however, eliminated Calgary and Vancouver in Game 6s, and have been idle since beating the Canucks on Monday.

Chicago is in the conference finals for the first time since 1995, when it lost to the Red Wings.

A series win over the Blackhawks will launch Detroit into the Cup Finals, where they will hope to win the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in 12 seasons.

Both teams, however, have taken vastly different routes getting to the Western Conference Finals. Detroit slowly nurtured the likes of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk under stars such as Steve Yzerman, giving them a chance to develop on their own terms.Zetterberg and Datsyuk were late-round picks, drafted 210th and 171st overall respectively, and were groomed to be stars of the future. Datsyuk was a third-line center under coach Scotty Bowman, now a consultant for the Blackhawks, as a 23-year-old rookie when the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup seven years ago. Zetterberg’s production as a 22-year-old rookie the next season, scoring 22 goals, was simply a bonus.

Chicago, on the other hand, didn't get a chance to do that, as they immediately launched the likes of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews right into the spotlight. Kane and Toews were taken first and third overall in the 2007 and 2006 drafts, respectively, and were leaned on right away.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

Oh baby!

2009-05-16T17:06:00.001-07:00

For those of you who have heard the legendary CBC hockey announcer, Bob Cole, you know that he probably would have said his signature phrase "Oh baby!" when the Canes scored to eliminate the Bruins on Thursday night.

In case you missed the goal, here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUj5NWhUc4o

To see Scott Walker's emotion in a post-game interview with Tripp Tracy said it all. And wasn't it poetic justice that Walker was the hero in this one, after all of the criticism that was levied on him over the Aaron Ward incident. Paul Maurice had made it clear going into this one that the Canes "would leave it all on the ice". They would play their hearts out and give it all they had. An that's exactly what they did! If you're a Canes fan, you had to be proud of this team, no matter what the outcome. They worked hard from the opening face-off, doing the little things to keep it close.

If not for Milan Lucic's goal off a bad bounce for Cam Ward on a Marc Savard rap-around shot in the third period, this might not have even gone into overtime. The Canes were that good. They killed four penalties effectively, hardly giving the Bruins a decent look. Not surprising though, their penalty killing ranked third in the league from January on. Coincidentally, that is when the penalty killing unit was handed over to Tom Rowe and Tom Barasso. What a job they've done! The Canes reduced the number of quality chances to vitually nothing by repeatedly getting in passing lanes, deflecting passes, and blocking shots.

Once again, the coaching staff has to be lauded for smart line-up decisions. Moving Walker up with Staal and Whitney gave the line more down-low pressure, creating a number of quality chances for this line. Before the goal from Walker, both Staal on a wild slapper from the slot, and Whitney on a wicked shot that hit Thomas in the mask, created near misses in the Bruin's end. The insertion of Frank Kaberle into the line-up also paid dividends as Franky picked up an assist on the goal from Samsonov, and generally was very effective, particularly in his own zone, making smart outlet passes to clear the blue-line on a number of occasions.

I was pleased to see valuable contributions from Rod Brind'Amour, a nice deflection on the first goal, and Ray Whitney, whose blast from the right side created the juicy rebound for Scott Walker to bury. Eric Staal played an outstanding game and never let up for a minute. Many a shift, I saw Staal head to the bench dog-tired, putting all he had into it. Great to see! Sammy played an inspired game and his linemates contributed as well, Jokinen making a huge shot-block in the third period and Ruutu wearing down the Bruins with thunderous hits. Chad Larose was, well, Chad Larose, giving 110% every time he was on the ice. Chad has really grown on me in these play-offs. Not only has he chipped in with much-needed offence, he has been phenominal killing penalties, and is the most dependable Cane forward at getting the puck out of his zone, especially when the Canes are under assault.

The defence was rock solid, again. They are hugely under-rated in this league and perhaps now they will start to get some notice. Joni Pitkanen was enormous on the blue, playing thirty-five-and-a-half minutes on this night, was plus two, and making a perfect pass to Sergei Samsonov for the go-ahead goal. At one point, it seemed he was on the ice for about five minutes straight! You have to like Dennis Seidenberg. He played over thirty minutes, also was a plus two, made a super shot for Roddy to deflect for the all-important first goal and then made a game-saving shot block on David Krejci in the third. Overall, he blocked six shots on the night. And the tandem of Joe Corvo and Tim Gleason did what they have done through-out these play-offs, play effectively in all key situations and lead by example. I've talked about Gleason before. He just keeps getting better. What was it we were told about Corvo when we acquired him from Ottawa last year, that he was a one-dimensional player (offence) and was a major liability defensively? Well, they were right about one thing. Offensively, he is among the best in the NHL. But where they got it wrong was about his defensive abilities. In this "new" NHL, a player with the elite skill level of Joe Corvo is a very valuable comodity. I'm sure the Ottawa Senators must be crying in their beer on this one now.

I don't know what you could say about Cam Ward that hasn't already been said this season. He is simply an elite goaltender, among the best in the league. And have you watched any of his interviews recently? He presents himself extremely well. He is cool, well thought-out, and shows a humility that is refreshing. No wonder the players rally around him.

You know I'm still kind of in-shock from Thursday night's outcome. To think the Canes could first, go into New Jersey's home rink and defeat them in game seven was one thing. But to suggest they would do it again, in game seven against the Bruins, is just outright amazing. Even Canes broadcaster Tripp Tracy was "astounded" at the outcome. It's not that the Canes weren't deserving, because they definitely earned the right to win both of these series. For some reason, I just expected it to go a different way. I guess there are hockey gods after all.

So, what next? Well, as Cam Ward was saying about the upcoming Pittsburgh series, "this series will be tougher." Sure, they have Crosby and Malkin leading the way and stopping them is a tall order. But the Canes have a decided edge over the Penguins on defence and goaltending and, if Eric Staal continues to play the way he has been playing, you have to like the Canes chances.

Down the stretch, these were the two hottest teams in the NHL. They have continued that outstanding play into the play-offs. Both Paul Maurice and Dan Bylsma have prepared their teams well. This should be an outstanding series.

I can't wait for the opening face-off. "Oh baby!"

Game 6 & 7

2009-05-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Game 6 and see a Ducks team that played as well as they should have. I won't dwell on that success we had in that game. I think Getzlaf played very well. So did Perry. If were Randy Carlyle I would make sure those two guys got some sort of boost in the discipline level though. I think that their bad timing penalties in this penalty cost us a game or two. Every Red Wings fan tells me "Ducks fans and players just whine." Sorry Detroit fans. You have the Lions. Talk about losing and whining.

I won't keep talking about how stupid Ebbett's two penalties were in Game 6 and how it is incredibly lame that we had two bench minors. That's all over and we pulled off a win in that incredible awesome game. In fact we scored while I was critiquing the Ducks on what we should improve on and the girl in front of me turned around and said, all smarty like, "excuse me sir, no offense, but you were just talking bad about the team and then they scored so maybe you should keep doing it and then they will prove you wrong."

Um, thanks chick. I actually watch a lot of hockey, coach and consult in the hockey world, but we don't need to get into that.

Game 7. Ugh. What a bummer. Such a great comeback. We nearly had it. While some players can take the blame for what happened, those players had great nights other nights where the main guys didn't. The Ducks lost as a team. I do think that last goal will have an effect on Hiller. Hiller could have made a better save and he knew it. That's why he was madder than he had ever been after it was called a goal. I don't think we should trade Giguere until November to see how Hiller holds up. Most Ducks fans disagree. I will stand by that.

This off season should be interesting. I am proud of our 8th seed team that most had written off to not even make the playoffs in February. I think Detroit will go on to repeat. After living in Michigan for five years of my life, I can say I am okay with that. Detroit is skilled. I respect the organization like no other. I think we just witnessed the real finals last night.