Crosby Scores Hat-trick as the Penguins crush the Habs 6-1

Adam Steevens is a student, author and blogger who has semi-coherent thoughts about the NHL

There’s a reason the Penguins won the cup last year – check out Sidney Crosby’s hat trick against the Montreal Canadians.

The second goal, a turnaround, top shelf backhand is unbelievable. His third marker, he sneaks behind the defense, and cuts across across Halak twice and beats him in close.

Players rarely live up to their pre-draft hype; there’s tons of players who were highly touted coming into the NHL, but could never make a serious mark in the league (Patrik Stefan, Alexandre Daigle). After a Stanley Cup ring, Art Ross and Hart Memorial Trophy, it’s clear Sid is every bit the star everyone made him out to be.

Mike Richards hit on David Booth: Clean or Dirty?

Adam Steevens is a student, author and blogger who has semi-coherent thoughts about the NHL

Mike Richards lays out David Booth as he’s coming through the neutral zone – knocking him unconscious at first, and sending him off the ice on a stretcher. The NHL has publicly stated that Richards will not be suspended for the hit, but it still brings up the age-old question – was this hit clean?

I think it’s clear in the video that Richards leaves his feet a bit, and leads the check with his elbow – so I think this hit is at least marginally dirty. David Booth should have had his head up, sure, but Richards is clearly headhunting here. The NHL should have suspended him for this hit, no question.

“Kings Ransom” – The Gretzky Trade

Easily one of the most monumental trades in NHL history happened on August 9th, 1988 – the Edmonton Oilers dealt arguably the greatest hockey player of all time to the L.A Kings. ESPN just aired a documentary about the trade, appropriately titled ‘Kings Ransom’:

Do you remember the trade? Do you remember where you were? Canadians everywhere (not just Oiler fans) lamented the transaction; their homegrown superstar had deserted the homeland for the bright lights of Hollywood.

The backlash from hockey fans spared no one – Gretzky’s wife, Oiler’s  owner Peter Pocklington and even the Great One himself were all condemned for the trade: (From the AP)

“The trade so upset Canadians that one elected official demanded the government block it, Pocklington was burned in effigy, Gretzky was called a traitor by some of his countrymen for leaving, and Janet Gretzky was branded hockey’s Yoko Ono.”

The near-uniform rage surrounding the deal was reasonably justifiable; the Oilers had just won four Stanley Cups in five years, and Gretzky was in record-breaking form. Had Wayne resigned in Edmonton – the Oilers would have easily won more Cups. The Edmonton dynasty had already cemented its place in hockey history by winning in such a dominating fashion throughout the 1980′s – ’84, ’85, ’87, and ’88 were all championship years with Gretzky. During the last year of Gretzky’s contract with the Oilers, Edmonton won the Stanley Cup by sweeping Boston in the final – having only lost two games during the entire post-season. The Oilers had obliterated the rest of the league for half of a decade; which made the trade hurt that much more.

Literally two hours after Edmonton had won the Cup in ’88, Wayne discovered from his father, Walter, that the Oilers were planning on making a deal. Interested teams included Detroit, Vancouver, New York and the franchise that would eventually land the superstar, Los Angeles. The course of NHL history would have drastically changed had Gretzky signed anywhere else; but he had only agreed to play in L.A or Detroit initially:

When Pocklington told Gretzky he could go wherever he wanted, No. 99 said he would go only to Detroit or Los Angeles, where he lived with Janet, then an actress.

“Janet was always my biggest backer and my biggest fan,” he told the crowd.

Later, Gretzky told Pocklington he wanted to go only to LA.

Then the Great One revealed something he said he had never before shared publicly.

“My wife told me, just so the record is straight, ‘You should go play in Detroit — it’s a hockey city,’” he said.

Wayne Gretzky would never win another Stanley Cup after the trade. Edmonton would win another championship in 1990, rounding out their total Cup wins to five overall – tying them with the Boston Bruins for fourth in all-time Cup wins the NHL. A truly astounding record, considering the Oilers first joined the NHL in 1979.

If you haven’t caught the documentary yet, take some time out and watch the film. It captures every aspect of the heartbreaking and monumental trade, and reminds the hockey world just how incredible Wayne Gretzky was.

The Toronto Maple Leafs – Forever Losers?

Jeff Gesner is the owner/operator of a small sports apparel/memorabilia business
called “The Stadium”. He spent some time in the scriptwriting business for film. The transition has been satisfying for Jeff being a sports fanatic.

Forever losers?

I’ll assume this title has garnered the attention of Leaf fans. The Toronto Maple Leafs are the face of the NHL, they are Canada’s team, and always will be. In Canada we pride ourselves on the beautiful scenery and outdoor activities that are offered, we have sparkling lakes to rugged mountains, the Calgary Stampede, Niagara Falls, and diverse cultures. Canada has something for everyone, it’s a beautiful country, but above all the great cities and landmarks, we have hockey, and above hockey, we have the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Maple Leaf fans can be found from coast to coast, cheering on a team that hasn’t won in 42 years. I’ve lived in both British Columbia and Ontario, and the one thing I found constant in the citizens that call themselves Leaf Nation, is the lack of knowledge and total disregard for the actual game of hockey itself. Leaf Nation enters each season with the belief of “this is the year”. I’m supportive of loyal fans, even the ignorant ones, which in my opinion is most Maple Leaf fans, but here’s the problem I have with supporting Toronto’s quest for the cup – - They don’t ever have to win, and the reason why, is because of the fans themselves. Huh? No matter what the Maple Leaf franchise does, it will never be wrong in the eyes of Leaf Nation, they can suit up gorillas, triple ticket prices, and lose all 82 games in the schedule, and somehow Leaf Nation will still buy the merchandise and still support the club. I stated that I support loyal fans, in fact I admire passionate sports fans, but I do not admire stupidity.

The next time you’re watching a game that is being played in the Air Canada Center, take a look at the people sitting in the first half dozen rows, they are generally well dressed business people, generally on business dates. A Maple Leaf game is trendy, it’s a great place to take a client, these people are the other portion of Maple Leaf fans, they are the “bigwigs” that can afford front row seats on a regular basis. They aren’t what you would call “hardcore” hockey fans, but they do know big name players, and being able to look onto the ice in between their conference, and know the names on the back of the Leaf jerseys is important to them. Here are a few examples of players that Leaf management has signed representing my theory. Eric Lindros, Ron Francis, Ed Belfour, Jason Blake, Joe Nieuwendyk, Michael Renberg, and Owen Nolan, these are just the ones off the top of my head. These weren’t poor hockey players, but they were players that the Leafs acquired long after their prime, players that were “Big Names”. You may think I’m contradicting myself because I stated above that Toronto fans would buy tickets if gorillas wore the jersey, yes, I stand by that assessment, but with being the richest NHL franchise, they are forced to spend money, and by signing expensive stars from the past, you then make your wealthier fans happy too.

The Maple Leafs has the highest ticket prices in the league, and still they increase their profit each year with a losing record. They are the most valuable NHL team, and they never win, does this make sense? Other teams in the NHL are forced to win rapidly or they might not have a team playing in the same city the following year.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd are certainly winning off the ice, not so much on the ice after four straight seasons out of the playoffs. Maple Leaf fans cheer for a potential eighth place seed from mid-season on. Is that really worth cheering about? How unfortunate that your ambition and hopes are to be an eighth place team.

I’m very comfortable voicing my opinion on the Leafs franchise, I’m not a Leafs fan, but I am a hockey fan, and I sit by watching Leaf Nation cheer louder each season in hopes of finally succeeding, it’s become sad. The Leafs will never win, and it’s their own fans fault, you feed into their marketing system, and in return you get nothing. I’m confident it will be yet another season out of the playoffs for Toronto, at the same time, I’m certain that the ACC will sell out every game this year, and that is the problem.

Shame on Leaf management, shame on Leaf Nation.

Nikolai Khabibulin’s Huge Blunder vs the Calgary Flames

It was quite the beginning to the NHL season this weekend as many teams had their season opener on Saturday. One game in particular stuck out for us as the Edmonton Oilers began their 2009/2010 campaign with much fanfare, including some high flying acts and cool Scottish Pipes resounding throughout Rexall Place.

But just when things looked like they would end up being a perfect night for the Edmonton Oilers and their fans in the Battle of Alberta, tragedy struck as their newly acquired undisputed number one goalie, Nikolai Khabibulin, gaffed on a seemingly harmless play costing his team the win in the final minute of play… Check it out:

For those of you interested in seeing the full pre-game show, we have it for you:

Why Pay a Singer for National Anthems? Canadians just use Fans

It has become custom practice at professional sporting events for as many years as I care to remember to pay a singer (usually a professional) to sing both the Canadian and American national anthems before the start of every game. Maybe last night’s departure from this standard practice was due to their frugal nature as Canadians, or quite possibly just a nice thought for a game featuring two Canadian teams, the Habs and the Leafs, but instead of paying a singer for the Canadian National Anthem they encouraged the entire body of fans to sing the national anthem in unison.

Surprisingly, it doesn’t sound as awful as you might expect:

2009-10 NHL Season: What can we expect?

As I write this, the season hasn’t started, but it will probably be up Friday morning, after the first few games have been completed. But my outlook on this season is as unique as ever. There are many prospects to watch, question marks on players and teams, and predicting who will win the Stanley Cup is as tough as I have ever remembered it.

One big mystery to me is the Minnesota Wild. So much has changed there in such a short time that we’re going to be in for a completely different look. I can’t even make a good prediction as to where the Wild will finish in the standings. I personally hated the Wild because they play the trap system that I can’t stand to watch. The Wild didn’t even attempt to sign their star player in Marian Gaborik. Instead, they gave Martin Havlat a five year deal worth $30 million. Let’s just hope Havlat can stay in the form he was last year and remain healthy. Jacques Lemaire has been replaced with Todd Richards as head coach. Richard claims to want to play an up tempo, high paced game which would be a radical departure from the Wild we’re used to seeing. However, their shot totals in their preseason games suggest otherwise. Chuck Fletcher also is acting as the General Manager as well. So it will be interesting to see what the Wild do this season, and where they’re going.

The next question in my book is the Dallas Stars. Can this organization get back to its winning ways? They haven’t made the playoffs in three years, Turco was mediocre last year, and we all know about Sean Avery’s impact on the club. Can Marty Turco regain his old form and can the Stars stay healthy enough to get back to the playoffs? With a group of highly skilled forwards lead by Mike Richards and Brenden Morrow, new coach Marc Crawford will bring an exciting offensive system that should help the Stars do better this year.

Ask any ‘Hawk fan what their concern is, and they’ll answer Christobal Huet. Huet and Khabibulin split time last year, with the Bulin Wall getting most of the starts in the post season. Huet has let in many soft goals, and never truly played a full season as a number one goalie, but he’s sure paid as if he has. Hopefully the high powered offense of the Blackhawks can cover up for the soft goals Huet lets in.

Mika Kiprusoff is a player on the hot seat. His numbers have slowly been declining over the past few years, and some first round exits do not help put much confidence into Kiprusoff this year. Sutter has brought in a new coaching staff, and focused on reducing shots faced this year. I find it unlikely that Kiprusoff will return to how he was, but he still can be a solid goalie that is capable of stealing games, and can help a club win in the first round.

Who will be the new faces of the NHL? Of course there are the obvious answers like Ovechkin, Crosby, and Mike Richards. But lately the faces of the NHL have been changing. Just this year we had Roenick, Fleury (sorta), Shanahan, Naslund, Hatcher, and Joe Sakic retire. Names like Lidstrom, Modano, Niedermayer and Chelios are sure to follow sooner rather than later. It’ll be a fun to see players like Kane, Toews, Tavares, and Luke Schenn step up and take their places.

Ray Emery, the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto – there are a ton of players and stories to watch around the league. These are just some of the few that I will be carefully watching this season and think will be interesting stories. I’m curious as to who you think I should be followed this year as well, so leave a comment, and let me know.

Letterman’s Top 10 List with the New York Rangers

David Letterman often enlists the help of people or props for his nightly Top 10 list. Well last night’s list was about the Top 10 things you would never hear a hockey player say. So he enlisted the help of 10 of the New York Rangers stars to help him announce what you’d never hear a hockey player say. Had to laugh hard at Donald Brashear asking an opponent out for brunch. Enjoy:

Will the NHL Boycott the 2014 Olympics in Sochi?

Adam Steevens is a student, author and blogger who has semi-coherent thoughts about the NHL

The 2010 Winter Olympics are approaching, and NHL teams and players alike are preparing for the games – although most hockey fans are eying the next tournament in 2014. In fact, the Winter games in Sochi are already causing a stir among the NHL community. Long story short, the league hasn’t confirmed that it will allow its players to attend, and it’s entirely possible that the league could prevent its players from competing altogether.

The issues surrounding NHL participation are multi-faceted – the league would have to successfully negotiate the 2014 Olympics into a new collective bargaining agreement (the current CBA expires in 2011). Secondly, the NHL would have to incorporate a 17-day break into their schedule. It’s not impossible, but it’s an administrative pain, and it kills the natural momentum of the season. Couple these problems with injury issues, and a time-zone discrepancy that makes it severely inconvenient for the North American audience to watch the games live, and it’s not hard to see why the NHL is reluctant to sign on for 2014.
In spite of all this, the NHL should allow its players to compete for the gold in Sochi – simply because they would encounter much worse problems if they boycotted the games.

Remember the contract disputes between the NHL and KHL over defecting players, like Hudler and Radulov? The KHL has put itself in position to give the league even more headaches; if the NHL decides to actually punish players who attend in spite of a league-wide ruling, the KHL will happily snap up any players who are suspended or barred from NHL contracts. Not only would the NHL risk losing some world-class talent to a competitor – it could lose some of its most recognizable players.

Alex Ovechkin has already said through the press that nothing will stop him from competing in 2014, and Evgeni Malkin followed suit shortly thereafter. These are two of the biggest drawing names in the game; why would the league suspend them? If the NHL drew a hardline against participation, they’d be destroying the appeal of the NHL from the inside out. Let’s suppose they ban participation, but don’t enforce it with serious penalties – most NHLers would represent their countries anyway and take the mandatory fine or suspension. What would be the point of non-participation then? It’s a lose-lose situation for the league – and the NHL needs to avoid this mess.

It’s funny, the NHL claims that the southern expansion under Bettman was ‘for the good of the game’ – but Olympic competition is a headache that isn’t worth their time? So teams in Atlanta, Phoenix and Tampa Bay are better for the sport than watching the very best players in the world compete for their countries? What a joke. The argument against professional participation really just amounts to administrative laziness and misplaced 1980’s-Lake Placid nostalgia – the players deserve better, and the game deserves better.