Ponds and Pucks

There’s been a lot of brouhaha in the hockey world this week regarding the Flyers’ latest suspension and warning from the NHL.

And on the heels of that, the Flyers have recalled Steve Downie, the minor-leagues whose 20 game suspension before the season was even underway began the new era of the Broadstreet Bullies.

First things first — Riley Cote was given a three-game suspension for an elbow on Matt Niskanen. I haven’t seen the play, and I think my head will hurt too much if I try to understand how an elbow could warrant a three-game suspension. Especially while not one but two Bruins players were absolutely drilled — one while the guy was on his freakin knees — and that’s only worth two games each. NHL, inconsistency is thy name.

Then Commish Gary Bettman essentially put the Flyers org “on notice” (with apologies to Steven Colbert). Does the NHL even have any power to do anything about this? If Downie runs someone else, can the NHL prove that coaching and management sent him out to do it? And wouldn’t that be a tad obvious on the Flyers’ part?

Philly plays Minnesota tonight. Considering these two teams play once a year if they’re lucky, there shouldn’t be any of the usual intensity that leads to vicious hits and shots to the head. But then, Vancouver’s Ryan Kessler probably thought the same thing before he met Jesse Boulerice.

Downie has already been quoted as saying he doesn’t plan to change his style of play, saying it’s what’s gotten him “this far”. I’m not sure what “this far” means, in terms of the NHL, since he’s been suspended from the NHL for, oh 20 games more than he’s played in it, but hey, whatever works.

Steve Downie, Riley Cote, Matt Niskanen, Gary Bettman, Steven Colbert, Ryan Kessler, Jesse Boulerice

So after yesterday’s revealing of the Official Mascots of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, a story began circulating that the NHL is considering skipping the 2014 Olympics.

Thank God.

and

It’s About Freakin’ Time.

There’s something about professional athletes competing in Olympic events that always rubbed me the wrong way — especially since most countries carry a National Team anyway. Those guys get royally screwed, playing for four years without getting to play in the big show.

NHL players always handled it a lot better than say, the NBA players and their “Dream Team” did (I’m ignoring the room-trashing story from Nagano). But there was still something that stank about the pro-athletes coming in and taking the spotlight away from the people who live in near poverty to be able to compete at this level.

Not to mention, stopping the season for the handful of players who get to compete, while hundreds of other players wait for games to start up again is just insane and brings way too many factors into the season. Teams get a break to heal, but the best players do not get a break, resulting in tired play and a higher likelihood of injury when they return. The playoffs are usually a joke. And God forbid any player gets hurt in the Olypmics. You can’t tell me players aren’t pressured to skip the Games entirely.

I can’t argue the excitement of a Canada/US Gold medal game and the near chaos it created in…. well Canada. The rest of the world didn’t care.

One thing that worries me is Gary Bettman’s stance on addressing it year by year. I almost read that as: Olympics in North America, we’re in. Olympics overseas, we’re out.

The NHL should be out. For good.

Continuing on the train wreck that is the Toronto Maple Leafs, today the President of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, Richard Peddie, told the media the ownership group isn’t going to make any “kneejerk decisions” about the team.

Which is funny because the Toronto Sun has Peddie calling the hiring of John Ferguson Jr a mistake.

Supposedly it’s a mistake because JFJ is a first-time GM and Toronto is such a hockey-crazed fishbowl that the job was too much pressure.

Which is why they’re rumored to be looking at other people like Mark Messier and Steve Yzerman, because of all their GM experience. And no one will be scrutinizing their every move, not at all.

But don’t worry — Ferguson is cool with those comments. You know, about his hiring being a mistake and all.

Turns out he was young and experienced then, but he’s all good now. He’s got four years of misguiding a team under his belt.

This is a joke. Peddie has to either stand up and back his GM and coach or fire them, replace them and move on so the Leafs can get back to winning hockey games, or at least competing in hockey games without the three-ring circus. The Washington Capitals are only 4 points behind the Leafs and climbing (since firing their coach of course) and if the Leafs think things are tough in the 14th spot in the East, wait until they see 15th.

Richard Peddie, John Ferguson Jr, Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Washington Capitals

I figured the Boston/Philly game could go any number of ways, however the one thing I didn’t expect was that Philly would rough up yet another Boston Bruin.

Here’s the hit for anyone who hasn’t yet seen it:

I never thought Scott Hartnell was that kind of player. What are the Philly coaches putting in the water bottles?

Hartnell has been suspended (2 games of course). I’m glad the NHL is taking shots to the head seriously again (is my sarcasm clear enough?). I’d love a count of Flyers’ suspensions compared to every other team in the league. The Jesse Boulerice suspension alone probably totals more than all the other teams in the NHL combined. But those Flyers, they keep on trucking…. top of the division and no sign of stopping now.

Scott Hartnell, Jesse Boulerice

Some link love after the long weekend for our friends down south:

NHLPA.com has a nice feature on Vincent Lecavalier and his charity work in the Tampa area, specifically with the Children’s Hospital. Lecavalier is donating $3 million dollars to a pediatric cancer and blood disorders center.

Going Five Hole has a post on the dearly missed “Badger” Bob Johnson on the anniversary of his death in 1991. Has it really been that long? While many remember his amazing work with the Penguins, Johnson coached here in Calgary for many years and brought the Flames to their first Stanley Cup final. He is still highly regarded around here, and there is a tribute to him in the Saddledome. I can’t hear “It’s a great day for hockey” without getting a little tear in the eye…

James Mirtle looks at the instigator rule and why the NHLPA should maybe find out things to fight about.

On Frozen Blog checks out some of the worst arenas in the NHL. I’m glad someone else dislikes the Air Canada Centre, though I might be biased towards a classic arena like Maple Leaf Gardens.

FastballFans dug up this news story on some White Sox 1919 World Series memorabilia to be auctioned off. There’s a lot of fascinating history to the documents and that particular World Series, so it’s worth a look. It’s not hockey, but if any sport tops hockey in history and nostalgia, baseball is it.

I’ve dropped the Mike Keenan watch recently (fish… barrel), but Barry Melrose Rocks has been staying on top of it.

Vincent Lecavalier, “Badger” Bob Johnson, instigator rule, NHLPA, Mike Keenan

Trust me, there are few out there watching the Toronto Maple Leafs meltdown as closely as I am.

What else would make me sit through a Leafs/Coyotes game on a Saturday night? It wasn’t to see good hockey, that’s for sure.

The Leafs aren’t even playing that badly. Ask Capitals or Coyotes or Oilers fan about true misery. But Leafs fans are hungry, and have a certain sense of entitlement to the Cup. Not that that’s a bad thing — it forces the team to address the problems quicker.

Or so one would think, but according to this reports from Sportsnet.ca, Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr tried to fire head coach Paul Maurice last week.

First off, am I alone in thinking Maurice isn’t the problem here? Update: Apparently, I’m not. The players have stepped up in defense of Maurice.

Second, isn’t “trying” to fire a head coach and failing just another display of how powerless this GM is?

Third, can’t the Leafs do anything without the Toronto media getting wind of it? Sieves have less leaks than this organization.

The rest of the article… meh, I take with a grain of salt. The GM “replacement” list reads like a HOF inductee list — doesn’t anyone really think Steve Yzerman is going to take over as GM of the Leafs? — but I guess it’ll keep Leaf fans talking. Update: More on replacing Ferguson here.

Which is better than actually watching the games.

But all this talk is just that — talk. If the Leafs are going to turn it around and get themselves out of the slump/goaltending controversy/excuse of the week they’re in, they need to act now. Their division isn’t exactly waiting for them: Ottawa has a league-leading 33 points, Montreal is playing strong enough to lock down second with 27 points, and the Bruins — yes the Bruins — are in third with 24 points. Toronto is tied for last with Buffalo, and that’s only by virtue of 5 OT losses. Buffalo is actually a .500 club and is pulling away from Toronto.

When was the last time the Leafs were out of the playoffs by December?

Toronto Maple Leafs, John Ferguson Jr, Paul Maurice, Steve Yzerman

To be honest, I haven’t really been giving the NHL All-Star ballot a lot of thought. All-Star weekend seems pretty far off (and as always, rather insignificant), and while hockey is always Number One in my heart, I’ve been enjoying the CFL playoffs (I still crack up when I hear the phrase “The Banjo Bowl”). This is also the time of year I start watching the NFL with one eye, wondering if the Pats are really going to pull it off and if the Dolphins will win a game this season.

But thank goodness not everyone is distracted as I am. NHL.com has a story on Sidney Crosby leading the balloting, but Sportsnet.ca is covering it a little differently (gotta find that Canadian angle, or is that Canadien angle?). Apparently Andrei Markov is leading the eastern defensemen in voting.

In any case, I have say I haven’t really been following Markov much. I still remember his rookie year when he played here. He was on the point on the power play, and he couldn’t hit the net to save his life. It was so comical, even the home fans were yelling “hit the net” every time he teed up. That’s sorta stuck with me. (more…)

Sidney Crosby, Andrei Markov

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who did a double-take when I saw Brett Hull had been named co-interm GM of the Dallas Stars (or maybe I was — sometimes the most obvious moves pass me right by). Allan Muir of SI.com has a good write-up of the situation and why this could backfire dramatically for the Stars.

I hadn’t released how poorly the drafting had turned out for Dallas, but now I can’t think of a single rookie who has stuck. As Muir outlines some of the deals that dismantled the 1999 Stanley Cup winning team over the years, it’s a sobering look at more than 5 years of mis-management. One by one, the deals don’t add up to much, but put together, one releases how much the Stars have let go and how little they’ve gotten in return. And how little they’ve done about it.

Brett Hull, Dallas Stars, Allan Muir

Some of the highlights of Sean Avery’s career that have little to do with hockey:

• Avery first made his presence known when he spoke out during the 2004-2005 NHL lockout, claiming the NHLPA had lied to its members about the lockout.
• In the 2005 season, Avery made his now legendary comments regarding French-Canadian players and visors. After Denis Gauthier gave Jeremy Roenick a concussion, Avery said this was typical behavior for French players with visors, to play rough and not back it up. Avery later apologized for his comments.
• Later that same season Avery was accused of calling Georges Laraque a “monkey” during a heated exchange on the ice. Avery continues to deny that allegation.
• Still that same season, Avery became the first player in NHL history to be fined under the new “diving” rules. He was fined just over a month into the season.
• Avery was fined again the next day for mouthing off about the fine and the NHL’s Colin Campbell, claiming the fine wasn’t about diving, but something about Avery himself.
• At the end of the same season (still in 2005-2006), Avery was caught up in a very public feud with former player and current announcer Brian Hayward. Avery took exception to Hayward’s comments that Avery had backed down from a fight, and slammed Hayward’s abilities as an announcer and a player. Hayward famously retorted, “How would you know? When I played, you were in your third year of eighth grade.”
• Unsurprisingly, near the end of the season, the Kings suspended Avery, saying he was arguing with coaching staff and refusing practice drills. However, the Kings signed Avery to a $1.1 million deal in the off-season.



• Avery was traded to the New York Rangers in February of 2007. Within two months the Rangers had made the playoffs despite being well out of contention for most of the season. Coaches and players credited Avery as being the catalyst behind the turnaround, saying he had acted as a leader, pumped up the team and led by example.
• However, by the time arbitration came around the following off-season, even the Rangers labelled him a “detriment to the team” and “not a mature player”.
• All wasn’t rosy by the beginning of training camp either.

Avery returned from injury on November 3. It took a week for the madness to return.

Sean Avery, Denis Gauthier, Jeremy Roenick, Georges Laraque, Colin Campbell, Brian Hayward

Did Sean Avery finally take it too far?

By now the story is known throughout the hockey world: During the warm-up of the Saturday night game between the New York Rangers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Avery decided to stir things up. In classic Avery fashion, he said something volatile to Toronto’s Jason Blake (so say the Leafs).

Blake, if you remember, was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, so there’s a lot of speculation Avery’s comments were related to that.

Whatever they were, Darcy Tucker — not exactly of the cooler heads variety himself — overheard and took exception, and the next thing you know, the teams are having to separate Tucker and Avery.

And that was just the warm up.

Naturally, Tucker and Avery fought in the first and Tucker made it sound like their battles weren’t even close to over when he was interviewed by the CBC in the first intermission.

They didn’t fight again, but Avery managed to set up Brendan Shanahan for one goal and scored his own a few minutes later, which was sure to irritate the Leafs further.

Now Colin Campbell wants a word with Mr. Avery.

You can find more coverage at ESPN, Canoe.ca, and the Globe takes it up a notch by saying Avery is equally angry about the public accusations from Tucker. This is going to get interesting.

(more…)

Sean Avery, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Jason Blake, Darcy Tucker, Brendan Shanahan, Colin Campbell

Does Eric Lindros belong in the hockey hall of fame?

According to the Hockey News’ Mike Brophy he does.

Brophy puts up Lindros’ numbers as evidence and sidesteps the ever-discussed political history by saying other players were also political and have made it to the Hall of Fame.

Hmmmm, somehow saying Bobby Hull sat out one game in protest doesn’t quite align with refusing to play for a team that legitimately drafted him. Twice.

Lindros was a player I loved to hate. From the moment he made his controversial stance in Quebec, to most of his years in Philly, I cursed him, derided his talent, and questioned his heart.

He was one of those players that no matter how well he was playing, I just couldn’t pick him in my pool, which led to a number of catastrophic playoff pool losses in the 90s. (more…)

Eric Lindros, Bobby Hull

The always great Eric Duhatschek has a fun piece on Mike Keenan and the woes of the Calgary Flames, touching on the well-anticipated meltdown of Keenan himself.

I swear, half of the sport in Calgary is waiting for Keenan to lose his mind. If he hasn’t after back-to-back-to-back 4-1 losses, then when?

In all seriousness, how long can the Flames ride the talents of Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff? As Duhatschek points out, only 5 forwards are scoring regularly (regularly being more than 2 goals), and even some of those are starting to cool.

Where is the Keenan eruption? There’s no way he’s reformed that much. Just ask Roberto Luongo.

Is Keenan waiting for Iginla to stand up and call out his teammates? That might never happen, Iginla has never been the type of player to publicly blast his teammates — he’s much more likely to suck it up and try to do it all himself.

Maybe that’s what will finally set Keenan off.

Eric Duhatschek, Mike Keenan, Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Roberto Luongo

ESPN’s Power Rankings are out. Some notes:

• I love parity. The Canes, the Habs and the Islanders all in the top 10. The Flyers shining again after such a dismal season. Columbus finally making some noise!
• Conversely, seeing the Devils scraping the bottom alongside the Coyotes is something I will never get used to.
• Detroit and Ottawa at the top? Ho hum.
• Who knew the Habs had the league’s best power play?
• Who knew the Blue Jackets had the best PK?
• (Best Seinfeld voice) And what’s the deal with the Sharks?
• Did I just read the phrase “Central heavyweights Detroit, St. Louis and Columbus.” Seriously, I love parity.
• Maybe I’m crazy, but did anyone really think the returns of Mark Bell and Kyle Wellwood was really going to help the Leafs that much?

Every year around this time I start ranting about the All-Star voting. We’re right on schedule so far, and at first glance at the ballot released today….. yes, I’m already annoyed.

Olaf Kolzig? Really?

I realize the All-Star ballot is hardly worth even debating. Players are nominated and selected for their years of service, not any recent streaks or current play (we’re not going to mention Jim Carey).

But that same limitation is how you get campaigns like “Vote For Rory”. Fans see the same names year after year — including players who haven’t been relevant for years. I’ve fully disclosed my fandom of Mike Modano many times on this blog, but seriously, Mike Modano?

The All-Star selection was actually less of a joke when every team was required to have a player. Who could forget Wendell Clark representing….. Tampa?

I’m not even sound to sound off on the skills competition (anyone else remember the goalie scoring drill? I was there and got to see the look of disgust on the goalies close up!), or the god-awful game, or the fact everyone just watches American Idol instead, according to TV ratings. No, that’s fodder for another post.

Is it not too much to ask for the actual players to be relevant? I realize there’s no way in hell Tomas Vokoun or Ales Hemsky are making it to the team (wait, if there’s still a one-player per-team requirement, Hemsky might have a shot), so why not throw a couple of guys on there that are having good seasons? Patrick Kane has more points than Rick Nash, Alex Ovechkin, Joe Thornton and Paul Kariya. Want a non-rookie, ok Rod Brind’Amour, Cory Stillman, Alex Tanguay and Matt Cullen are all in the top 30 scorers and well ahead of MIA players such as Brendan Shanahan (8 points!), Jonathan Cheechoo, Andy McDonand, …. hold on, KEITH TKACHUK is on the ballot?

‘Nuff said.

Olaf Kolzig, Jim Carey, Mike Modano, Wendell Clark, Tomas Vokoun, Ales Hemsky, Patrick Kane, Rick Nash, Alex Ovechkin, Joe Thornton, Paul Kariya, Rod Brind’Amour, Cory Stillman, Alex Tanguay, Matt Cullen, Brendan Shanahan, Jonathan Cheechoo, Andy McDonand, KEITH TKACHUK

Am I the only one not feeling a ton of love for the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ Mark Bell?

Having completed his 15-game suspension for drinking and driving, Bell is full of vim and vigor and ready to take on the league powerhouse Ottawa Senators.

It’s not like I want to see the guy crying in the corner or crippled by guilt, but it seems like his only comments on the whole affair have been about how rough it’s been on him.

Nothing about letting his past or present teammates down, nothing about, oh you know, the person he hit while drinking and driving, and the fact he fled the scene, albeit only a few blocks.

Bell still has a jail sentence to serve, and he’s got many legal challenges stemming from the accident as well. He says he has not touched a drop of alcohol since the accident and there’s no reason not to believe him. He’s right to focus on hockey right now.

But I’m not so sure he’s right to pretend his woes in San Jose only affected him.

Toronto Maple Leafs, Mark Bell, Ottawa Senators