Ponds and Pucks

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

Many online outlets are reporting that Peter Forsberg is close to retirement.

Forsberg has reportedly pulled out of the Karjala Cup after only an hour of skating, saying his ankle didn’t “feel good.”

Forsberg later allegedly told reporters everything from “I just can’t do it” to saying he “made a fool of himself.”

TSN has more retirement comments.

The Globe and Mail article has some more info as well.

According to ESPN, Detroit, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Dallas, Vancouver, Los Angeles and Colorado are all interested in Forsberg.

All my Forsberg issues aside (and there are many), I just don’t see why Ottawa, Detroit or Philly would be interested in a pricey, injury-prone player who is nearing the end of his career (and likely wants a lengthy contract). Vancouver, LA.. ok, I totally get why they’d be willing.

Either way, it may never happen. And that really sucks. No matter what you think of the guy, this is never a cool way to end your career, especially if you were looking for a Jeremy Roenick-type resurgence.

Peter Forsberg, Karjala Cup, Jeremy Roenick

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.

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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

Everyone who thought Jeremy Roenick would have an effective season with the San Jose Sharks after they pulled him out of retirement, raise your hand. Yeah, me too.

But the reality is, Roenick is holding his own. He scored his 498th career goal against Nashville on Saturday night, and nearly got his 499th. The Sharks are more successful with Roenick in the lineup (4-1-1 when Roenick plays, 0-2-0 when he sits). Sure, he’s not in every game thanks to a bum knee, but if fans know anything about JR, it’s that keeping him out of a game does not mean he’s not making his presence known to his teammates.

I’ve had a love/hate things for Roenick for years. I respect any guy who speaks his mind in a league where there are far too many sports cliches and stock answers, even if I don’t like 90 per cent of what Roenick says. But I’m rooting for him to get goals number 499, 500, 501 and beyond.

***

Fox Sports has a fun story on whether 500 goals still means anything. Especially fun is the 500-goal trivia in the middle, with gems such as which goalie has allowed the most 500-goal markers (Patrick Roy).

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Saku Koivu is no longer the only Koivu in town. Mikko Koivu has long languished in relative (no pun intended) obscurity in Minnesota. Sure, everyone knew about him, but beyond his famous older brother and the fact he wasn’t a bust and showed up on the scoresheet once in a while, the younger Koivu was often overlooked, or at least not given the due he deserved.

Not anymore.

Now that Minnesota is turning heads and dominating the west, Koivu has become tough to disregard.

Jeremy Roenick, San Jose Sharks, Patrick Roy, Saku Koivu, Mikko Koivu