Ponds and Pucks

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

I’m glad TSN.ca had the preview of the Boston Bruins/Philadelhpia Flyers game on their front page, otherwise I wouldn’t have thought twice about it.

For those like me who forgot, the last time these teams met, Patrice Bergeron was taken from the ice in a stretcher after being checked face first into the boards by Randy Jones. Jones received a two game suspension from the NHL, adding to a string of dirty hits and suspensions for the Flyers.

I wasn’t aware that Bergeron has yet to return to play. He has a Grade 3 concussion and a broken nose, and may not return this season.

So, like so many other “re-matches” of the season, this game is being hyped, by TSN anyway. Maybe it’s a slow hockey day.

Is any revenge going to be exacted tonight? These are both good teams playing well, in the case of Boston, shouldn’t they be more concerned about gaining more points in the standings, increasing the distance between themselves and the Sabres… and Toronto?

The Bruins have too much going on to be distracted by revenge. As much as a big brawl is fun to talk about, as the Boston Globe points out, the media is making more out of this than the players are. (The Boston Herald also went with the points over revenge theme today).

Some of Boston’s biggest heavyweights are hurt, making a fight seem even less likely.

But I have a feeling someone will go after Jones, just to enforce a certain code of honor, even if it’s just to duke it out, then get on with the game.

Boston Bruins, Philadelhpia Flyers, Patrice Bergeron, Randy Jones

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

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

I’m not one to mix hockey and politics — especially Quebec politics — but I gotta sound off on this whole crazy French language saga going on in the eastern side of the country.

In case you’re not up to speed, the leader of the Parti Quebecois, Pauline Marois, has stirred up language debate in Quebec by saying reasonable accommodation for non-French speakers (notably religious and ethnic minorities) has gone too far, and to “protect” francophone culture, Quebec must restrict the rights for people who haven’t demonstrated an “appropriate knowledge” of the French language.

This has little to do with hockey of course, until the debate brought a high-profile Quebec lawyer to comment that Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu doesn’t speak workable french after living in the province for over 10 years. Marois agreed and took it even further by saying the Habs should force their players to learn French if they want to play for the Bleu Blanc et Rouge. And the debate exploded in the media.

Not even getting into the political details of sovereignty and culture and French vs English in Canada — such as pointing out that Marois has not yet managed to acquire an “appropriate knowledge” of the English language — the hockey angle alone is stunning.

Could you imagine GM Bob Gainey trying to solidify deals while having to ensure the new players would take the time to learn French? Can players specify certain teams in a no-trade clause, because I’m guessing they might start.

Due to the international nature of hockey, many players are already struggling with having to learn English once they’re drafted. Try telling a player from Russia or Sweden that he’s got to make sure to have French under his belt as well.

Do the CFL Montreal Alouettes need to sign their players up for French lessons too? Could you imagine American college football players trying to reconcile the nuances of the CFL game and learn French on top of that?

Koivu has handled this with a lot of class, first by admitting that in a perfect world his French would be better, and then last night by recording a message for Canadiens fans that was broadcast before the game. In French. The fans went wild.

The recording was actually made over a week ago — long before he was brought into this debate.

A comment from a fan on one of the news stories absolutely nails why this is only an issue for those who are more interested in making headlines and causing trouble than any real concern for Quebec culture. He mentions that when he goes to a hockey game, everyone there — Francophone, Anglophone, immigrant, black, white, whatever — is there to cheer on the Habs, and there are no differences between them.

That says more about Quebec culture than any French lesson could.

Pauline Marois, Montreal Canadiens, Saku Koivu, Bob Gainey, Montreal Alouettes

Leafs fans chanting “Let’s Go Raptors” during the Leafs 7-1 loss to Washington? Ouch. What is wrong with the Leafs that they can’t seem to string a series of wins together at home? They keep blaming defensive woes, but registering a single goal a game isn’t going to help matters much either. Whatever doesn’t kill you will make you….. ah nevermind.

Ovechkin got his 7th and 8th if you’re keeping score. Pretty much everyone else on the Capitals got in on the fun as well, with 6 different goal scorers.

And Leafs fans? NBA opens tonight. Maybe the Raptors will fare….. nah.

***

On the other end of the goaltending spectrum, the Flames locked up former Vezina trophy winner Miikka Kiprusoff yesterday, paying a paltry $35 million over 6 years. What a brilliant move. Kipper may be starting slow, but by November he usually shakes off the rust and carries the Flames the rest of the season.

Give Flames GM Darryl Sutter a lot of credit: 2 years ago the Flames were looking at having to resign 3 major UFAs in 2008 — Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regher and Kiprusoff, plus one RFA in Dion Phaneuf. The 3 UFAs are now locked into long-term contracts (Iginla and Regher each signed for 5 years), and the Flames can focus entirely on Phaneuf.

***

Philly’s Randy Jones has been suspended 2 games for his hit on Patrice Bergeron. Is it just me, or is that a complete waste of time? Clearly the Flyers didn’t care enough about a pair of 20 game (or more) suspension to clean up their act. Granted, this hit was a lot different. Fact is, the Flyers are successful right now, and their rough play (insert 70s Broadstreet Bullies reference here) is part of the reason they’re doing so well. Why on earth would they stop now?

If the NHL is going to hand out a suspension to deter these actions, they should make it, you know, an actual deterrent.

Ovechkin, Miikka Kiprusoff, Darryl Sutter, Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regher, Dion Phaneuf, Randy Jones, Patrice Bergeron, Broadstreet Bullies

Time for my weekly look and the wonderful and wacky world of NHL standings.

Standings fun:

• Ottawa continues to own the east with nine wins. Detroit has the same in the west.
• At the other end of the spectrum, Atlanta has surged to win three games, tying them with follow bottom feeder Phoenix. And it only took Atlanta 11 games to do it!
• Every team in the Northeast Division is .500 or better, with only the Sabres sitting right on the .500 mark.
• Islanders, Lightning, Coyotes and Blues have all played only 9 games, while Anaheim leads the league at 13 games played.
• Washington and Florida are ahead of New Jersey and the NY Rangers. Who says parity is dead? There’s no such phenomenon in the west… everyone is well ahead of Phoenix and Nashville, surprising no one.

Elsewhere in the NHL:

• To most it’s just a Sunday night matchup between two struggling teams, but to the Ducks and the Oilers it’s another chapter in the feud between their respective GMs. Give this round to the Oilers. Of course, the focus was on Dustin Penner. His comments and attitude in the story are actually pretty classy. The bonus was that GM Brian Burke presented Penner with his Stanley Cup ring in the GM’s office after the game. Wouldn’t you love to be a fly on the wall for that little scene?



• Bruins fans are a hardy folk, how else could they get through so many seasons of misery with barely a whimper? The latest in their string of misfortunes, the injury of Patrice Bergeron — one of the few bright lights in the Bruins organization — might be less serious than previously thought as Bergeron was released from the hospital Sunday. Tests showed no injury to Bergeron’s head and neck.

Plus a big congrats to the Boston Red Sox on their World Series win!

Dustin Penner, Brian Burke, Patrice Bergeron

Colorado Avalanche at Edmonton Oilers - Colorado is 4-4-0, Edmonton is 3-5-0, but the real story is Ryan Smyth’s return to Edmonton. Sentiments are expressed much better at Covered In Oil, and the news side is covered much better at KuklasKorner. Battle Of Alberta also chimes in. Don’t underestimate what Smyth meant to Oiler fans.

Nashville Predators at Los Angeles Kings - Nashville is 2-5-0 and LA is 3-6-0. Both teams have gotten to a slow start this season, especially former contender Nashville, now stuck in a 5 game losing streak. LA is turning it around slowly, stopping their own five game skid with a convincing win against Vancouver. No word on if the game will be affected by the fires in the area. Even though they’re likely not close to the arena, there are enough roads closed and confusion in the area. Prayers to anyone in So. Cal right now.

***

Here we go again: The Peter Forsberg rumor mill is alive and well. We’re back to Ottawa, since Petey will only play for a contender. Oh, and he wants a 3-year deal worth $5 million a season.

Disclaimer: I’ve never been much of a Forsberg fan, but that might a result of having to play the Avs 8 times a season when they seemed to own all the talent in the division. Or maybe it was the way he would crumple to the ice if someone looked at him wrong and the refs would buy it every time…. but I digress. Ottawa seems to be churning along fine without Peter The Great, and may not have the cap room to make a 3 year commitment. Colorado (Forsberg’s other choice), may not want him enough to give in either. So then what?

***

The Leafs woes continue as they’ve now lost Darcy Tucker to a knee injury. Tucker will be wearing a brace, and will be out indefinitely.

That really sucks for Toronto. Tucker is annoying as all get-out, but he’s clearly a key member of the Toronto club. Losing him indefinitely isn’t going to help the Leafs ship right itself.

Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Ryan Smyth, Peter Forsberg, Darcy Tucker

Tonight’s games:

NY Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins - Rangers are 2-4-1, Pens are 4-3-0. Jordan Staal and Marc Staal will be playing against each other for the first time. Rangers recently lost Straka to injury and are in a 3-game losing skid, while the Pens are hoping to extend their winning streak to 3.

Atlanta Thrashers at Toronto Maple Leafs - Atlanta is 1-7-0, while Toronto is 3-4-2. Both teams have had disappointing starts, Atlanta’s coach was fired last week. The rest is too depressing to mention, between defensive woes and goaltending nightmares, winless streaks and goals against. Click the link if you really want to know. Or skip the whole thing and watch Family Guy instead.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Chicago Blackhawks - Columbus is 3-3-1, Chicago is (5-3-0). These division rivals have languished at the bottom of the league for years, so it’s nice to see some improvement on both sides. Chicago’s highly touted rookies Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have made all the difference, and are both among team leaders for points. Columbus goalie Pascal Leclaire already has an amazing 3 shutouts this season, and Rick Nash is leading the team with 5 goals.

Anaheim Ducks at St. Louis Blues - Ducks are 4-5-1, Blues are 4-2-0. Blues are another Central division team that has taken off early in the season thanks to free agent signing Paul Kariya and to solid netminding from Manny Legace. The Ducks are struggling and currently mired in their longest season-opening road losing streak ever.

NY Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Jordan Staal, Marc Staal, Straka, Atlanta Thrashers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Pascal Leclaire, Rick Nash, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Paul Kariya, Manny Legace

San Jose 4 - Calgary 1 — so much for the battle of the goalies. Nabokov nearly posted his second shutout in as many games, and Kiprusoff experienced his first yanking at the hands of Mike Keenan this season. Kipper was far from the problem, however. The rest of the Flames didn’t seem ready for the game, with [tag]Eric Goddard/[tag] having the best night of them all. Goddard got into two fights and had a goal called back. Battle of Alberta has more.

Vancouver 1 - Carolina 3 — Vancouver saw their road unbeaten string end and Carolina just keeps rolling. The win brings Carolina to 5-1-3, enough to be one of the better teams in the league without bringing attention to how good they are. Well, Vancouver knows now. More Canucks analysis at Canucks Hockey Blog.

Boston 1 - Montreal 6 — Ouch. I really thought the Bruins were going to do it this time. It looked like all the stars were aligning for them. But instead Montreal had 6 different goal scorers and broke the Bruins four-game winning streak, and kept the strange curse the Habs hold over the Bruins intact. A Theory Of Ice.

So it looks like all the games last night that were supposed to be interesting matchups turned out to be one-sided blow outs. I actually was relieved to turn the TV over to CSI: Miami, where the episode suspiciously featured the death of a Florida athlete named “Doug McClain.” I know the Tampa Bay Lightning’s new owner is Doug MacLean and is best known for his (lack of) coaching abilities, but….

San Jose, Calgary, Nabokov, Kiprusoff, Mike Keenan, Vancouver, Carolina, Boston, Montreal, Bruins

FanNation has posted a “shortlist” for the next Atlanta Thrashers head coach.

It looks like pretty much every other list floating around the hockey rumor-sphere — it begins with and highlights Pat Quinn and the works its way to the oft-discussed choice of Brad McCrimmon. But there’s a couple of other names in there too.

My money’s on Quinn, not because he’s the best choice, but because he’s a name, and one players respect. I’d still love to see McCrimmon get it though.

***

While the rest of the city of Boston is celebrating the Red Sox and their trip to the World Series, some die-hard hockey fans are still rubbing their hands in glee at the Bruins/Habs game tonight.

The Bruins are going into the legendary match-up with the upper hand for the first time in….. well, a really long time. To Bruins fans a chance to beat their Montreal nemesis is the ultimate bonus to Boston’s strongest start in years.

Finally acquiring a number one goaltender in Manny Fernandez has likely been a huge reason for such a great start. Oh wait, Tim Thomas has been the one manning the pipes? Go figure…

***

Games tonight:

Vancouver at Carolina - Vancouver is 4-4-0, Carolina is 4-1-3. Ryan Kesler broke out against the Blue Jackets with 2 goals the other night, while Justin Williams is leading the ‘Canes with 11 points.

Boston at Montreal - Boston is on a 4 game winning streak, Montreal broke a 3 game losing streak on Saturday when they beat Buffalo. Boston’s D has been particularly strong, allowing only an average of 2.14 goals a game. Montreal’s defense got a boost from free agent signing Roman Hamrlik as he potted a goal and two assists on Saturday.

San Jose at Calgary - San Jose is 4-3-1 (4-1-1 when Roenick plays, 0-2-0 when he doesn’t), Calgary is 4-2-2. Nabokov is coming off a shutout Saturday and has two career shutouts against the Flames. Flames beat their provincial rivals the Oilers on Saturday and are riding Jarome Iginla’s 5 game point streak.

Atlanta Thrashers, Pat Quinn, Brad McCrimmon, Red Sox, World Series, Manny Fernandez, Tim Thomas, Ryan Kesler, Justin Williams, Roman Hamrlik, Nabokov, Jarome Iginla

Dave Keon top Toronto Maple Leaf of all time? Seems like a strange choice, but who am I to argue with the likes of Harry Neale, Frank Selke and Bill Watters?

Leafs fans will be curious about which player was ranked where (and likely debate it for the remainder of the season, since it’s not like the Leafs are going to be doing much worth talking about), but to me the most fascinating part of the article is that 102 year old sports writer Milt Dunnell was part of the voting panel.

102 years! Just imagine the hockey he’s seen.

***

Old news, but thought I’d throw it out there: Rumor has it Mike Keenan is looking to swap Alex Tanguay for Alexei Kovalev. Putting aside the fact Keenan is the head coach and not the GM (Darryl Sutter must be thrilled to have this all over Sportsnet.ca), that just seems crazy. Granted, the jury is still out on Tanguay, but Kovalev? When Montreal fans jumped at the idea and Calgary fans stayed very quiet, that was enough to see who was getting the better player (or getting rid of the worst one).

***

An aside…. Sutter used to keep the Flames rumor mill locked tight. There was rarely a leak or rumor from the Calgary team. As soon as Keenan joined, Sportsnet.ca suddenly had scoop after scoop and rumor after rumor. Now they’re even getting trade rumors, even though Keenan has nothing to do with trades (officially anyway). Wonder where they’re suddenly getting all this info from….?

Dave Keon, Harry Neale, Frank Selke, Bill Watters, Milt Dunnell, Mike Keenan, Alex Tanguay, Alexei Kovalev, Darryl Sutter

The Canadiens allow a goal with 11 seconds remaining and go on to lose in a shoot-out to the Panthers.

The Flames rise to a 4-0 lead early in the second period and go on to lose in a shoot-out to the Avalanche.

Which team deserves the dunce cap more?

***

ESPN’s second power rankings of the season are up. No surprises here, though I think the Penguins-love is a little heavy. 5th overall for a .500 team? Ranked ahead of 3-1-0 teams like the Flyers and Lightning? I know all it takes is Sid the Kid to kick start his game and the Penguins are right back in the top 5, but it hasn’t happened yet.

***

A quick look at the NHL standings shows some interesting things:

• Minnesota remains the only team unbeaten in regulation.
• At the other end of the spectrum, at 0-6-0 Atlanta has yet to register a single point in the standings. Those of you with bets over the first coach fired should start looking at who has poor Bob Hartley.
• Philadelphia is the only Atlantic Division team over .500. Both the Northeast and Southeast divisions have 3 teams over .500.
• Los Angeles has allowed the most goals in the league (30). Toronto is a close second at 29.
• Toronto also has scored the most goals in the league (26)
• Anaheim has played twice as many games (8) as Pittsburgh, Tampa, St. Louis and Columbus.
• New Jersey and Boston have yet to play a home game. Every team in the league has played a road game.

• Drafted in 4th round, 90th overall in the 1995 NHL entry draft, by the SJ Sharks. Fellow Finn Miika Kiprusoff was taken the next round, also by the Sharks.
• Was not planning on a career in hockey at the time of his draft. Vesa Toskala was considering a return to school and leaving hockey entirely, unsure about the stability of a career in hockey. The Sharks convinced him to give North America a try.
• Scored 2 points (2 assists) against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 3, 2007, a Sharks club record.
• Earned the nickname “The Finnish Horse” from Sharks’ broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky.
• First NHL start was a total of ten minutes in relief of Evgeni Nabokov. Toskala faced and stopped two shots.
• Calls his goaltending style “bear style”.
• Credits playing soccer in Finland to his development as a goalie.
• Before Tuesday night’s debacle had never allowed 7 goals in a single game.

Miika Kiprusoff, Vesa Toskala, Evgeni Nabokov