Ponds and Pucks

Why does it take something like a cancer diagnoses to remember there are things more important in hockey than goals, points, ice time, hockey pools or bonuses? Once Jason Blake went public with his leukemia diagnoses, everything else just seemed like background noise.

The most amazing thing about the way this story has come out is the upbeat nature of everyone: the team, the doctors, and Blake himself. Leafs head coach Paul Maurice nailed it when he said “It’s an unusual sentence to hear — the first word is cancer, the next word is leukemia, and then everything should be all right. I’m not familiar with the condition so it was new that something like this would be as treatable and for such a positive sentence to come after such a negative sentence, it takes a little while to get your head around it.”

The Leafs are the subject of much derision and abuse from fans throughout the season (and that’s just in Toronto), but no one ever wishes anything serious to happen to these guys. As it shows in the article, Blake and his family have been through a lot already. Here’s hoping this is the end of it.

Ironically, this is also the 10th Anniversary of the NHL’s Hockey Fights Cancer campaign. Throughout the season all 30 teams will be involved in fund-raisers and public awareness of local cancer charities. There is also the annual online auction, where player goodies such as game worn jerseys and other memorabilia is available for bidding.

Jason Blake, Paul Maurice

Buffalo Sabres

Notable moves and changes:‹crickets›
Starting goalie: Ryan Miller
Summary of last year:Ah Buffalo, so much hope tied into one team. So many highs in one season (record setting road wins, numerous club records, full season of home sell outs), and it all died so quickly (beaten in 5 games in the Eastern Conference final). Normally this would just set a team up to win it all the following year, but…
Prediction for this year:… too much has changed in Buffalo. Daniel Briere, Chris Drury and Dainius Zubrus have all left the team, and it appears as though the Sabres didn’t even try to replace them (though their spending might have been curbed by having to match the Oilers offer sheet for Thomas Vanek). If a Cup could be won on enthusiasm and heart the Sabres would be shoo-ins. Here’s hoping it’s enough to push them deep into the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres, Ryan Miller, Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, Dainius Zubrus, Thomas Vanek

Ottawa Senators

Notable moves and changes: Fired GM John Muckler, replaced with head coach Brian Murray. Announced promotion of John Paddock to head coach.
Starting goalie: Ray Emery
Summary of last year: While they didn’t compare to other seasons in terms of standings, Ottawa focused on what they needed to do, made the playoffs and cruised to the Stanley Cup Final where they fell to the Ducks.
Prediction for this year: Getting to the Finals is no easy task, and Ottawa, while disappointed in the outcome, is smartly sticking with the same core team: Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, and so on. As they should. The front office shuffle was enough summer activity for any team to endure. With all the politics out of the way, the path is clear for another run for the Cup.

Ottawa Senators, John Muckler, Brian Murray, John Paddock, Ray Emery, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson

Toronto Maple Leafs

Notable moves and changes: Acquired G Vesa Toskala and F Mark Bell from San Jose for picks. Signed F Jason Blake (was with the Islanders).
Starting goalie:The money says Toskala, but Andrew Raycroft could cause trouble by having a stellar camp.
Summary of last year: The Leafs were one point out of the post-season after making a series of changes the previous off-season, including a new head coach and a new starting goalie. The Leafs aren’t in panic mode yet, but the Leafs Nation is starting to call for the head of GM John Ferguson Jr, especially since….
Prediction for this year: … is anyone even thinking of the season ahead, or are they looking at the Toskala trade and wondering if the goalie was worth the baggage in teammate Mark Bell? Bell has been suspended indefinitely by the NHL and placed in a substance abuse program after his guilty plea in a hit and run DUI in the US. He still has jail time to serve after the season is over, leading to questions about the effectiveness of his play and how much of a distraction he will be. Oh yeah.. the Leafs’ season. How much they miss the post-season by depends how long into the season Ferguson lasts, but the Leafs are likely no closer to the playoffs than they were last year.

Toronto Maple Leafs, Vesa Toskala, Mark Bell, Jason Blake, Andrew Raycroft, Leafs Nation, John Ferguson Jr

Montreal Canadiens

Notable moves and changes:Traded F Sergei Samsonov to the Chicago Blackhawks for D Jassen Cullimore and F Tony Salmelainen. Signed C Bryan Smolinksi (had been with Vancouver and Chicago), signed D Roman Hamrlik (had been with Calgary). Signed D Patrice Brisebois (had been with Colorado).
Starting goalie: Cristobal Huet
Summary of last year: Not much you can say when a team’s season comes down to the final game of the year against a divisional rival (Toronto). The Habs regular season points haven’t varied much over the past five years, from a high of 93 to a low of 77 — just enough to keep fans hoping and the playoff race interesting.
Prediction for this year: With the disappointing Samsonov out the door and Hamrlik installed on the blue line, the Habs haven’t made any jarring moves, but nicely got one of one problem and solved another. If Huet stays healthy and Saku Koivu continues to play like he did last season (sometimes it seems the Habs almost take Koivu for granted), the Habs stand a decent chance of actually not needing to beat the Leafs the final game of the regular season just to make the post-season.

Montreal Canadiens, Sergei Samsonov, Jassen Cullimore, Tony Salmelainen, Bryan Smolinksi, Roman Hamrlik, Patrice Brisebois, Cristobal Huet, Saku Koivu

Boston Bruins

Notable moves and changes:Traded F Shean Donovan to the Senators for F Peter Schaefer, acquired G Manny Fernandez from Minnesota. Fired head coach Dave Lewis and named Claude Julien head coach. Signed F Shawn Thornton (had been with Anaheim).
Starting goalie: Manny Fernandez
Summary of last year: In a word: disappointing. Hopes had been high for Bruins fans with the signings of Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara in the off-season. While Savard put up excellent numbers, even Chara seemed unable to help the Bruins defense, and the Bruins wound up 29th overall in goals against.
Prediction for this year: The defense hasn’t been addressed, but the goaltending sure has. With the addition of Fernandez, the Bruins have a steady netminder for the first time in years. If Savard can keep up his pace, if Schaefer steps up, and if the younger guys like Phil Kessel and Patrice Bergeron can keep improving, the team looks as good as it has since Joe Thornton was dealt. The defence though is a huge question mark. Can Chara and the rest of the defence step up?

Boston Bruins, Shean Donovan, Peter Schaefer, Manny Fernandez, Dave Lewis, Claude Julien, Shawn Thornton, Marc Savard, Zdeno Chara, Phil Kessel, Patrice Bergeron, Joe Thornton

Notable moves and changes: Signed free agent Daniel Briere (was with the Buffalo Sabres), picked up F Joffrey Lupul[/tags] and D [tag]Jason Smith from the Edmonton Oilers for D Joni Pitkanen and F Geoff Sanderson, and acquired F Scott Hartnell and D Kimmo Timonen from the Nashville Predators.

Starting goalies: Martin Biron, though Antero Niittymaki could challenge with a great camp.

Summary of last year: The Flyers were last in the league with a sobering 22-48-12 record, and were out of playoff contention well before the All-Star break. This team has nowhere to go but up.

Prediction for this year: If the off-season signings and trades are any indication, Flyers’ GM Paul Holmgren is serious about righting the ship and doing it quickly. Even at the trade deadline, the Flyers were making moves to strengthen the team, picking up most notably Martin Biron. There isn’t a position on the team that hasn’t been improved, defense shored up with Smith and Timonen, the signing of Briere and the acquisition of Biron. Will they go from last in the league to making the playoffs? There’s a good chance.

Daniel Briere, Buffalo Sabres, Joffrey Lupul[/tags] and D [tag]Jason Smith, Edmonton Oilers, Joni Pitkanen, Geoff Sanderson, Scott Hartnell, Kimmo Timonen, Nashville Predators, Antero Niittymaki, Paul Holmgren

Mark Bell has plead guilty to charges of drunk driving causing injury and hit and run.

The charges are from an incident in San Jose last September. Bell will be sentenced to 6 months in October, and will serve the sentence at the end of the season.

Hold on….he’s going to be sentenced to 6 months but not served until April at the earliest? Going to jail is never a good thing, but what a sweet deal to say “Yeah, I’m not really available until this spring….”

This man has plead guilty to a crime. He has admitted to driving while drunk, hurting another person and fleeing. This is not his first or even second offense. He told Leafs’ GM John Ferguson he hoped it would “take care of itself”. This man should not be allowed to continue to make his millions on the ice as long as his confessed crime has gone unpunished.

Celebrities and other well-known figures get special treatment — there’s no denying that. And it could be argued that Bell’s jail time could have a negative impact on the team itself (Bell was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs over the summer), but that’s something the team needs to address and deal with.

Tell me this… you think Bell is going to a focused player come the end of the season? Do you think his mind is going to be on making the playoffs or winning the Stanley Cup?

Or is he going to be focusing too hard on what he’s got lined up when his season ends? How much distraction could his pending jail time cause the team?

What if the Leafs (God forbid) win the Cup? Does he show up for jail the next day?

Players have missed seasons or parts of seasons for a lot less serious matters than this. Bell should serve his time now, like anyone else would have to, and then be ready to focus on his team when they need him the most.

Mark Bell, San Jose, Toronto Maple Leafs

• Cost to buy the Tampa Bay Lightning: $206 million. Listening to John Tortorella slam the team’s previous owner? Priceless. (Fan590 audio link is here).
• Edmonton Oilers resign Brodziak and Roy. Craig Simpson’s out, Brodziak and Roy are in. Somehow I think they’re going to need a little more to get back into the playoffs.
• By the way, Simpson is now saying he’s leaving coaching because he realized he’d never be the next Scotty Bowman. There’s so many snarky comments I can make there I’m not even sure where to start…
• Staal brothers offered deal. And why not? Young men busted for drinking too much at a campground during a stag…. I know a lot of guys who call that “Saturday”.
• Hawks extend Savard’s stay. Good on ‘em. One of the best things to happen to the Hawks in years.
• Bruins sign their first round draft pick, Zach Hamill. The Bruins need this kid, both for their team and to keep their fans’ hopes alive.
• Hawks sign James Wisniewski. The Hawks on the other hand destroyed their fans’ hopes years ago…
• Coyotes ink Joel Perrault. Coyotes continue to be a mystery team… how will they do this year?
• CHL Schedule released. Colorado Eagles will begin their defense of the CHL championship title.
• Karel Pilar signs with Thrashers. Pilar’s been out of the NHL for nearly two years battling a heart condition.
• Chris Chelios testifies in murder trial. Nothing funny here. A former Cheli’s restaurant employee murdered two of his former co-workers, one right after Chelios spoke with her.
• Ducks’ Joe DiPenta thrills sick kids with Stanley Cup. Feel-good Cup story of the week.

Tampa Bay Lightning, John Tortorella, Edmonton Oilers, Zach Hamill, James Wisniewski, Coyotes, Joel Perrault, Colorado Eagles, Karel Pilar, Thrashers, Chris Chelios

Tonight’s Game 5 could be the end of the NHL season, the last hockey game for the season. All of us who want a longer season need to root quite hard for the Senators. But I don’t think they’ll be able to pull it off. They have been outplayed at every level by the Ducks.

If they want to win, then Ottawa needs to execute on defense and maintain some level of consistency on offense. They’ve yet to do either. ESPN2 has a stat on their bottom line about how outscored the Senators are in the 3rd period. They need to win every period. It needs to be a blowout. Otherwise it’s just a delay of the inevitable — a loss in the final frame of what will be the last game of the season.

NHL, hockey, Senators, Ducks, Ottawa, Stanley Cup, Anaheim

So there it is. The Senators had a chance to win, but let this one go. Part of the blame has to go to Ray Emery, whom I love, and who got caught off-guard leaving the net wide open for the game-winner. Ray, I love you, but you need to not let that happen.

The Ducks played well, of course. They were crisp and they seemed to be putting the puck where it needed to be, where the defense wasn’t. Contrast that with Ottawa who played better last night but still not good enough. They seemed more chaotic, less structured. They put the puck on the net but didn’t seem to know what to do after that. They were not in any way as efficient as they should have been.

The Senators need to spend their offseason fixing their major weakness. They are too reliant on a few players and not set up to capitalize. They need to work on some set plays. Right now they look like a midget team just running down the ice as quickly as possible without looking.

Senators, Ducks, Ottawa, Anaheim, NHL, hockey, Stanley Cup

If the Senators had lost on Saturday night, I would be writing now about how the Ducks were going to sweep. If the Senators had lost on Saturday night, I would be writing right now about what went wrong and how can they fix everything. I would be writing right now about what they need to do in the off-season to correct a total meltdown.

But they won on Saturday night.

Don’t get me wrong. Ottawa is going to be in for a really tough time and if they think that they are going to make a comeback. Down 2-1, they still need to win 3 out of the next 4 games. And they only have 2 more at home. They need to protect their barn and win one at the pond. Is it doable? Yes. Is it likely? No.

The main criticism from the first game was that Ray Emery looked nervous. He shook off some of those nerves for game two and again on Saturday. But on Saturday, he gave up 3 goals. That’s 7 goals for the series. It’s a dangerous thing to be that loose. His team needs to have his back and Emery needs to calm down.

And he will. Watch him at the next game and he’ll be back to Game 2 form. Emery will be the star of the series. But it won’t be enough. Ottawa made its move too late and is just not good enough. Anaheim has figured out how to shut them down.

Senators, Ducks, Ottawa, Anaheim, NHL, hockey, Stanley Cup

Watching last night’s hockey game, we can only come to one conclusion.  Ray Emery is grossly underpaid.  For 60 minutes, he kept his team in a game that they seemed to have no interest in playing.  The much vaunted Heatley/Spezza/Alfreddson line has produced bupkis.  That may be a function of the Anaheim defense, or it could be indicative that Ottawa has problems.  You be the judge.  The stat of the game though, speaks volumes.  JS Giguerre saw 16 shots.  Emery saw 31.  In the final minutes of play, the Senators couldn’t maintain the pressure in the offensive zone to let Emery get back to the bench.  Emery should have won this game, the offense in front of him lost it.

I was supposed to pick the series and I never did.  For the record, I thought Ottawa would handle business in 6.  I suspect that I will be wrong.

hockey, Anaheim, Ottawa, Senators, Ducks, NHL, Stanley Cup

My bad, I didn’t break down the cup finals yet and give my prediction.  So even though it’s probably cheating a bit, I will do that tomorrow.  Today, let’s look at one aspect of the game that was played last night.

This was a good game, with very few mistakes.  But the stars of the game need to be Ray Emery and J.S. Guiguerre.  What you got if you watched the game was a highlight reel of amazing saves.  Don’t be fooled by the goals that they let up, look at the overall body of work.  For both goalies this was a star performance.  And this is what they will need to continue if they want to drink from Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Both Ottawa and Anaheim have some major offensive forces.  But if the goaltenders can keep the pucks in front of them — by any means necessary — they’ll remain the story.

Ottawa, Anaheim, Senators, Ducks, NHL, Hockey

The Sabres really looked like they were the team to beat.  They had won the President’s Trophy, they had waltzed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and Ryan Miller looked like he could stop a Mack Truck just by shooting it a dirty look.  So why aren’t they playing for the Stanley Cup?

I could cheat and say that the Senators are just better.  That’s true (the season series demonstrated that as well), but it doesn’t paint the whole picture.  Buffalo could have beat Ottawa if they had made a few corrections.

• The Power Play — At no point did the Sabres fix their ailing power play.  To say that they had trouble converting is to suggest that a 500 degree oven is a little warm.  They were dreadful, absolutely dreadful.  There are no other words to really describe it
• Defense — The Sabres were slower and less prepared on defense.  They were unable to stop the top scoring line of Heatley/Spezza/Alfreddson and more often than not, they had Ottawa rushing on them.
• Intel — The never adjusted their play to incorporate combating Ottawa’s strengths.  Never.  It is what prevented Buffalo from moving on.  They couldn’t adjust.  End of story.

What do you think?

[tags]NHL, hockey[/tag]

Sabres, playoffs, Stanley Cup, Senators, Buffalo, Ottawa