NHL 2011-12 Preview: The 8 Players Who Will Score 50 Goals This Season

This past season, Anaheim Ducks star Corey Perry took home the Rocket Richard Trophy for the NHL’s top scorer after he netted 50 goals. The 50 goal plateau is considered quite the achievement in the league, and once a player crosses it, he is usually guaranteed the number one spot.

I believe that this season will produce not just one 50 goal scorer, but eight of them.

Hear me out. After the shuffling that occurred since free agency began on July 1st, many star players are now in a position to score like they never have in their careers. Other players, like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin had shortened seasons due to injury and will be back in top form for (hopefully) a full campaign this year.

The last time that eight players scored 50 goals in a season was 1995-96, three years before the Richard Trophy’s inauguration. The competition that year was fierce as Paul Kariya and Keith Tkachuk were tied in 7th place in the league with 50 goals, while Mario Lemieux topped everyone with a respectable 69 goals.

Out of the top 20 goal scorers in the 1995-96 season, only one remains active in the NHL. We are now in a new age in the NHL, a post-lockout era with more emphasis on scoring and many superstars capable of reaching the 50 goal mark. Here’s my list of players who will rival the ’96 league leaders.

Sidney Crosby Needs Some Tough Love After Concussions

We’re just about two months away from the start of the new NHL season and a drop in free agent signings and trades has ushered in a wave of preview and predictions for the upcoming campaign. One of the main story lines from last year that is still ongoing is Sidney Crosby’s questionable health after suffering multiple concussions.

Crosby is arguably one of the greatest in the game right now and to see him become the next “star who could have been” because of his injuries would be an outcome that no one is hoping for. While Crosby has been practicing and expects to make a return to the lineup by opening night, there are still many questions surrounding the Penguins’ captain.

Most notably is, how can this be prevented in the future?

Many fans of hockey know the importance of each player’s role on a team. Some may argue that the goalie is the most important, being the last line of defense, and in many instances the best overall talent, on their team. Others may argue that the defensive pairings or scoring leaders are the players that lead towards success. However, there is another vital role that seems to be overlooked in many instances: the enforcer.

Toughness and grit are as much a part of hockey as sticks and pucks, and when used correctly they can be very important to a team’s overall play. Some teams use their enforcers for intimidation, others use them to amp up the other players following a board-rattling hit. These may help the morale and intensity of the game, but enforcers are best used as protection.

Wayne Gretzky had McSorley, Bobby Clarke had Dave Schultz and Darryl Sittler had Tiger Williams, to name a few examples. Who does Crosby have? Well, that seems to be the million dollar question.

Pesky little forward Matt Cooke led Pittsburgh in trips to the sin bin this past season, so could we say that he should be stepping up and protecting his captain? Unlikely. His mark of 129 penalty minutes, also his career high, isn’t even a third of the 472 that Dave Schultz racked up protecting the Flyers en route to a Stanley Cup. Sure Schultz fought to intimidate other players, but he also did it to show the other team that his Flyers weren’t there to screw around. No, I believe that Matt Cooke is more of a pest than the answer to Crosby’s problems.

Crosby’s problems are also very much Pittsburgh’s problems as there may not be a suitable enforcer who is available in the league. In fact the enforcer role that McSorley, Schultz and Williams portrayed so well may only be part of NHL history now as the most physically dominant in the league are either in that category because of their size as opposed to their edge like Boston’s Zdeno Chara and Philadelphia’s Chris Pronger. On the other side of the spectrum, the guys leading the league in penalty minutes would be considered pesky thugs as opposed to enforcers. In short, it’s slim pickings for superstar protection these days.

Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero added some depth to the club in free agency and is excited for the return of his star forwards, but he must also address the overwhelming lack of muscle on his team. Every other team’s enforcers will be gunning for Sid the Kid come October and unless he has some protection, Penguins fans could be feeling some intense deja vu come wintertime.

Fan Punches Jeremy Roenick In The Face

I’m sure there are a lot of NHL hockey fans (and players) that wouldn’t mind a free shot at Jeremy Roenick. The former Blackhawk/Flyer/Shark/Coyote/King is now a TV analyst for the game but that hasn’t stopped his abrasive attitude from preventing people from wanting to punch him in the face.

Over the years Roenick has taken so many bats to the head it probably doesn’t matter much anymore but one fan got to live the dream. A video is circulating of a fan punching Jeremy Roenick in the face, on purpose, and living to tell the tale.

Roenick allegedly agreed to let a fan throw a punch for fun at the Lake Tahoe Celebrity Golf tournament awhile back. I’m not sure why but I’m guessing he wants to show that hockey players are a tad tough.

Even in retirement, Roenick can take a punch.

The original video is here so give that guy some love. We uploaded a new version that is not sideways.

Tomas Kaberle Celebrates Stanley Cup Cable Guy Style

If you’re gonna celebrate your day with the Stanley Cup you might as well make it memorable. Who knows when it will come around again, if ever. Bruins defenseman Tomas Kaberle played his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs up until a late trade to Boston so he knows what it is like to never win a Cup.

So when he won it he decided to audition for the role of Pepe, the training squire, in the new sequel to the Cable Guy.

Alright, that’s not entirely true. Kaberle looks like he’s hanging with the Stanley Cup at Medieval Times but something’s not right.

Why the pink overalls saying “Hello Piggy?”

And is that dude behind Tomas holding a Keytar?

Strange, isn’t it?  Turns out that Kaberle is taking the Cup on a tour in his hometown of Kladno, Czech Republic. The pink overall guys are not guys working at the local Kladno Piggly Wiggly. Instead, it’s a local band celebrating their local kid winning the Cup.

After a brief stop to take some pictures with the Cup, Kaberle just entered Kladno for a stop at Velky Tanecni Sal, which appears to be a Knights of Columbus-type establishment, where hundreds of people are waiting for an opportunity to see their Stanley Cup Champion and local hero.

Upon entering the hall, Kaberle was greeted by a band called The Hello Piggy Band. Kaberle was brought on stage and received a sword and shield. He also presented the Stanley Cup to the crowd and received a real hero’s welcome when he hoisted the trophy over his head.
[via NHL.com]

I’m glad they explained that but it doesn’t tarnish the fact that it might be the best (and most unusual) picture I’ve ever seen from a Stanley Cup celebration. I’m still a little bit disappointed that it wasn’t at the Medieval Times because I would only imagine Kaberle acting like Jim Carrey and the Cup is Matthew Broderick.

Some more pics and videos of Kaberle’s big day out in Kladno available here.

New Winnipeg Jets Logo Takesoff

After a few months of waiting, the fans of the new Winnipeg Jets team can finally see what their new team will look like.

During the NHL Draft, the team unveiled the name of the franchise that had been purchased from Atlanta. Formerly the Atlanta Thrashers, the new team moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the Jets used to play before being moved to Phoenix.

The team decided to keep the old name, Jets, but pondered the look of the team for awhile. Now we have official word that the look of the team will be updated and the new logo will be.  The old logo is to the right and the new look, inspired by the Royal Canadian Air Force, is pictured below.

Although the old logo has a dated look to it, I think it makes a good retro jersey to use every now and then. But the new, updated look is pretty sharp and clean. It features a silhouette of a CF-18 Hornet pointing skywards and centred squarely on top of a red Maple Leaf.

Said Mark Chipman, the Chairman & Governor of True North Sports and Entertainment in a statement released by the team, “True North Sports & Entertainment felt it was important for the new Winnipeg Jets to develop a strong new identity. We felt it was important to authenticate the name Jets and we believe the new logo does that through its connection to our country’s remarkable Air Force heritage, including the rich history and relationship that our city and province have enjoyed with the Canadian Forces.”

Paul Kariya Retires: NHL Loses one of its Most Beloved Stars

It would be difficult to place Paul Kariya in the list of the 50 best NHL players of all time, but he would fit in rather nicely with the 50 most exciting NHL players of all time.

The small, quick Canadian forward ended his career last month as one of the most recognizable hockey names of the past generation. He put the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks on the map and was a beloved member of Team Canada, both in the junior and national levels. Kariya was a household name, and played the game with class. Even one of my pro-MLB/NFL anti-hockey friends recently brought up Kariya’s retirement saying, “I don’t know anything about hockey, but I know who Paul Kariya is.”

Here’s a solid Kariya on the Ducks tribute:

It’s always unfortunate when such a dynamic player like Kariya has to cut his career short due to injuries. If he had managed to stay healthy, who knows what amount of damage he could have done in the league. Unfortunately, Kariya wasn’t one of the biggest guys in the league and he took some rough treatment; hits that could have led to his earlier-than-desired retirement.

Scott Stevens drills Kariya, in a play I wish never happened:

Take away this hit, and some other injuries, and Kariya finishes his career a few more years down the road with well over 1,000 total points. Just a shame.

After all was said and done though, Kariya totaled 989 points over 989 games (cool, right?), placing him 79th all-time. That total includes 402 goals, 53 of which were game-winning.

Kariya was also a solid player on the international stage, earning two golds and a silver for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships. Playing for the men’s national team at the Olympics, Kariya led Canada to a silver in Lillehammer in 1994 with 12 points, and helped Canada earn its first gold medal in 50 years in 2002 at the Salt Lake games.

I don’t know about you, but Kariya was always one of the first guys I picked when doing a fantasy draft in NHL hockey games. He was fast and had great hands and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

Classic old-school NHL commercial:

After a solid 15 year career, Kariya will go down in history as many fans’ favorite all time player. He scored goals, won relay competitions on all-star weekend, and was just a hard-working nice guy on the ice. We will miss you, Paul, and the league just got a little less awesome.

Red Wings Legendary Goalie Chris Osgood Retires

Over 400 NHL victories, three Stanley Cups to his name, and 16 seasons under his belt was enough for Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood.

The veteran goalie has officially called it quits after working his way into the record books as one of the best Red Wings goalie ever.

Osgood will retire after 16 seasons in the NHL, 13 of them with the Wings, the team that selected him 54th overall in the 1991 draft, and just 6 months removed from a sports hernia surgery.

Osgood hasn’t played since January and didn’t factor much into the Red Wings the last couple of years so a retirement is not out of the blue.

“It’s taken me a long time to think about this, since two weeks after the season ended,” Osgood said. “There were a number of issues, one being the injury I had. Knowing that I can still play made this difficult.

“I wrestled with it every day, but I’ve decided to retire.”

Osgood finishes his stellar NHL career with a lifetime win record of 401 games and a 2.49 GAA. He is also one of only a handful of NHL goalies to ever shoot and score a goal.

Joe Sakic Has Still Got It! Sinks $1 mill Hole in One

Colorado Avalanche (and Quebec Nordique) fans don’t need me to remind them that Joe Sakic was the man. His skills with putting the puck in the goal are one of the best in the history of the NHL.

Former Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic earned $1 million — $500,000 for him and $500,000 for charity — by making a hole-in-one at the American Century celebrity golf tournament. And it was a beautiful shot that didn’t need much encouragement to find the hole.

Sakic was part of the All-Star event at the American Century championship at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Club. Even with the hole-in-one, Joe didn’t finish all that great. He ended up tied at 28th overall.

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I Love Gold! Predators Unveil New Gold Jerseys

The Nashville Predators are teasing fans this week with news of new gold uniforms circulation. This week the team put out a large graphic on one of Nashville’s largest buildings touting “Behold the Gold” and showing a new gold jersey.

I loooooove Gooooooooold!

Predators center Blake Geoffrion tweeted pics of the new jerseys on his feed which show us a close up of the new threads. They look pretty sharp and I like them a lot better than their mustard jerseys they had a few years back.

Nashville Predators Gold jerseys

Nashville Predators Gold jerseys

Nashville Predators Gold jerseys

Suter and Geoffrion modeling the new home uniform!

Puck Doctors Links Enjoying The Summer

Rangers Announce Annual Derek Boogaard Scholarship

To honor the legacy of former Rangers left wing Derek Boogaard, the New York Rangers have announced that they will present two scholarships annually for Rangers Summer Youth Hockey Camp to children from the Defending the Blue Line program. Defending the Blue Line is a nonprofit organization created by soldiers with the goal of making hockey accessible to children of our nation’s military heroes, a program Derek supported wholeheartedly throughout his hockey career. Throughout the 2010-11 Season, Boogaard donated four seats at every Rangers home game for military families to attend as part of a group which he dubbed “Boogaard’s Boogaardians.”

Lets Put An End To The “Erin Andrews Is Hot” Debate

Erin Andrews is by far the worst looking girl in that group. In fact I didn’t even realize she was in the picture until after I was done yanking it to “The Certified Dick Wrecker” 4 times. I mean look at Andrews’ face and then pan across to Sparks who looks hotter then the Finch, who looks hotter and then to Upton who is basically fucking the camera.

Can Oilers follow in footsteps of Pittsburgh and Chicago?

The 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins and 2010 Chicago Blackhawks have one thing in common. Both went through tough times before and after the lockout, but benefited from it by winning a Stanley Cup with a core mostly made up of high draft picks.

With back-to-back No. 1 overall picks in their possession, can the Edmonton Oilers be the next team to experience a renaissance of sorts, like Pittsburgh and Chicago?

Emmanuelle Chriqui Lesbian Scene Is Awesome!

Have a seat over there, please, and enjoy what we have for you today. For those unlucky few people who have not enjoyed the glory of one of this generations best movies in “You Don’t Mess With The Zohan” and you may not be familiar with the ultra hot Emmanuelle Chriqui.

Brett Favre Retire/Unretire Flowchart

Brett Favre is currently sitting at home on the couch wondering if it’s that time of year to play some football. Even with the NFL Lockout looming over the fall season, the reports are rising out of Louisiana that Favre is indeed considering coming back to the NFL. Let’s check out the Brett Favre Retirement Flowchart.

Gallery: Kitty on Wheels

Colorado Avalanche Sign Predators Shane O’Brien

While we knew the Predators were not going to re-sign Shane O’Brien, it’s official now. While the length and value of the contract have yet to be announced, the Colorado Avalanche are reporting via their twitter page that they have signed the defenseman that Predators fans had grown to love (and sometimes hate, especially during the Anaheim series).

The Predators traded for O’Brien just before the beginning of the 2010-2011 season and he played a vital role on the blueline, especially on the penalty kill. O’Brien probably took more penalties than Predators fans would have liked, but he brought physicality and toughness that we had really only seen with Jordin Tootoo, but with more size.

Watch an Argentinian Man Scream and Curse at a Soccer Match On TV

As far as reactionary fan meltdowns go, this is great. What makes it even better is that there’s English subtitles, so we know just how many times grandpa screamed, “Que hizo que la pena de mierda?!?!” via Deadspin. Click to watch.

Yankees Fan Who Caught Derek Jeter’s 3,000th Hit Could Owe IRS Thousands

Nobody ruins a feel-good moment like the IRS.

Christian Lopez, the Yankees fan who caught Derek’s Jeter’s 3,000th hit, will probably owe the Internal Revenue Service $5,000 to $13,000 in taxes for the estimated $32,000 luxury suite seats the Yankees gave him as a gift, the New York Daily News reports.

ESPY Awards – BAGME

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