Archive for June, 2008
NHL Unrestricted Free Agents – Eenie Meenie Miney Moe!
Today we are going to peek under the hood of the Unrestricted free agents (UFAs) bus … UFA’s are players without a team. They have either been released from their club or their contract could have expired without a renewal. These players, are free to entertain offers from all other teams and then they get to decide which new contract to sign.
Since the Lock Out – The age for qualification to become an unrestricted free agent has been lowered each year. The minimum age at which a player can shop himself on the open market has dropped over the past four years of the agreement, this decision has brought more kids forward into the UFA pool over the past 4 years. Here is how the age has dropped, this is the minimum age of a player that has reached the end of his contract with the team he is currently with: Under the old system, players did not qualify for the open market until the age of 31.
- In 2005, 31 years old.
- In 2006, 29 years old or eight years of NHL service.
- In 2007, 28 years old or seven years of NHL service.
- In 2008, 27 years old or seven years in the NHL. The 2008 benchmark remains in place for the life of the agreement.
One interesting addition to the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is the fact that they no longer award compensatory draft picks. In the old CBA teams were awarded with the position of a pick based on the size of the players new contract. After the lock-out 2004-05 contracts are not honored, however, the lost season still counts as a year of NHL service when calculating a player’s free agent status.
You can look around the Internet and find list after list of who thinks who are the “Top 10” in the UFA pool. I have my favorites and you should too. For a complete list of the UFA’s check out this list (updated frequently) NHL FREE AGENTS BY POSITION – 2008 . My first reaction looking at this was “Look at how many players are going to switch teams?” It’s a struggle to fall in love with a player, when its possible that player might end up becoming part of a team you hate (Detroit Red Wings anyone)?
**Clarifying comment** – I use the word “love” in a guy sense of “loving a car, boat, motorcycle or boobs” and not as a word of emotional drama to which a stern look from said player would bring tears to our eyes and an 8 page hand written letter asking “Where are we going with this relationship”
(UPDATE – My wife says that my previous comment is uncalled for and unnecessary, I say its funny … Let me know what you think in the comments!)
Now – since you have clicked through to look at that exhaustive list of players (yes there are still some players who cannot move) here are a few to point out. Now remember … I may not talk about your favorite here, in that case, we have a comment section! Enjoy …
I am sure Wade Redden will be easily reachable by his agent come Tuesday morning. It would not surprise me if he had 2 or 3 phones ready to ring. Don Meehan (Redden’s agent) will be fielding offers and having conversations with many teams … Wade will hear about them as they start coming in. Wade has said he is going to be at his fathers house while this is going on, being one of the “big names” on the list he is going to be a busy man next week. When asked last week about July 1st he said “It’s quickly approaching, it’s going to be interesting, just to go through it all for the first time. I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I’m eager to find out what’s going to come and what we’re going to do.” I am sure when the time comes … He will know what to do. At 31 years old this is his first run through the UFA gauntlet and even with his play a little off last season (well, off by Wade’s standards) when he still posted 38 points (6 goals and 32 assists) in 80 games with the Ottawa Senators. His solid track record should be enough to keep him attractive to the other teams looking for a top defenseman … *COUGH* San Jose! *COUGH*
Other D-Men who will be patiently waiting by the phone come Tuesday are – Brian Campbell, Michal Rozsival, John-Michael Liles, Brad Stuart, Adam Foote, Mark Streit, Rob Blake, Brooks Orpik, Jason Smith, Dmitri Kalinin and Ron Hainsey.
Campbell, an absolute beast on the ice … oh yea, and he can skate too, will hopefully sign with the Sharks before Monday. According to his agent and Doug Wilson they are still “talking.” Hopefully that talking will turn into “signing” and we can move on … Sharks have already inked Roenick to a new deal. I was not to excited to hear what Ron Wilson did last year regarding Roenick, but that move paid off – I am glad to have him in on board! Back to Brian – IF he does not sign before Tuesday, I don’t see San Jose being able to keep him. Word on the street is that he is #1 on the “player to get paid an ass load of money to play hockey” list of UFA’s. More than likely he will be heading back east to be closer to family. There are a number of teams he would kick ass with … I am sure Buffalo would welcome him back with a huge hug, Chicago could use his grit and power, and we cannot ignore Pittsburgh! Could you imagine a Power Play line of Crosby, Staal, Malkin, Gonchar and Campbell??? INSANE!!!
Now Ron Hainsey is definitely going to throw his hat into the ring … run it up the flag pole … throw it against the wall … and see what he can fetch. “He’s only 27 years old and still growing into his game,” said his agent Matt Keator. “We’ve told Columbus we’re going to go to July 1 although we’re still going to talk to them.”
There are other D-Men out adding minutes to their “Pay-as-you-go” cell phone accounts … Liles, Stuart, Foote, Streit, Orpik … tons of talent out there!
What about the forwards you ask … Well, I would have to say that whoever can set their hook into Marian Hossa will be in for a treat. All they will have to do then is land the whale. Hossa told Pittsburgh that he still wants to explore the UFA market, this after Pittsburgh offered him a multi-year deal with a $7 Million a season tune tied to it. Word on the street is Marian is waiting for the $8 Million payday … Deal Or No Deal … Howie, open up case #18!
The forwards in the UFA queue are an interesting bunch to look at, they include Ryan Malone, Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Jaromir Jagr, Teemu Selanne, Peter Forsberg, Brian Rolston, Pavol Demitra, Markus Naslund, Sean Avery, Radim Vrbata, Brendan Morrison, Kristian Huselius, Cory Stillman, Michael Peca and a long long lone list of others. (Go back to the list if you must – NHL FREE AGENTS BY POSITION – 2008. I personally would love to see a few of these guys wearing the Shark sweater next year – Avery, Vrbata, Selanne. We’ll see what San Jose can pull out of the UFA bucket, but if they don’t unload Marleau before Tuesday it will be extremely difficult.
Some fans would argue that the only free agent that matters is Mats Sundin. Well, that would be true in the Toronto and Montreal neighborhoods … The 37-year-old star center is being courted Big Time from Canadiens GM Bob Gainey. Gainey was given exclusive negotiating rights to Sundin from the Maple Leafs last Thursday. Rumors have the Rangers franchise digging through their rolodex’s wondering where on earth they put that “Sundin Guy’s” phone number have been tossed about lately … and of course Toronto’s GM Cliff Fletcher is saying “Nooooo their not!” Well the actual quote is “Montreal is the only team that has the rights to talk to him,” Fletcher said Tuesday. “The Rangers did not ask for permission to talk to Sundin and we have given the exclusive rights to Montreal.” Kinda makes you wish he would follow that up with a “Beeeeeeeeotch!” Oh Well.
Sundin’s agent J.P. Barry told the Canadian Press on Tuesday “Mats understands how great an opportunity there is in Montreal, perhaps there’s not a better fit from a hockey perspective in the league, but at the same time he still hasn’t decided whether he’s playing again. The other issue is that he’s never been a free agent and he may want to judge the Montreal situation as compared to other possible options.”
Looking at the “solid” goalies this year there seems to be slim pickins … Jose Theodore in Colorado and Cristobal Huet from Washington. Both proved to be assets to the organization and hopefully both Colorado and Washington will be able to keep these netminders. Looking at the rest of the goalie list you see some talent listed … at the same time, its talent that needs help focusing. Among Theo and Huet on the list we have some other names you might know … Kolzig, Emery, Jolmqvist, Lalime, Aebischer, Leighton, and the one I am going to call “The Sleeper” Ty Conklin. If Pittsburgh cannot get Ty signed before July 1st I think there are a few teams silently pining for Mr Conklin … We shall see!
So … buckle up … check back often and get ready for Tuesday! The NHL will be hosting its annual “Free For All” and I will have front row, center seats to watch the activities. Plus – having this blog as an outlet makes this year much more rewarding than the past years. Can you tell I am excited?
Restricted Free Agents – Its Hunting Season!
Each summer I get excited about the Restricted Free Agents (RFA) and the Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) kicking off July 1st. This has to be one of the more anticipated times of the year. Now is when the players we have come to admire create a “market value” that we either agree with or do not … and when we do not, everyone knows! This year there has been a whirl wind of activity leading up to the NHL Draft last week, with the trades and all I have no doubt come July 1st we will see some pretty interesting moves. Below I will try to describe how the whole RFA landscape looks and I will follow up soon with an overview of the UFA’s. I also ran across a great breakdown of the RFA’s in the spotlight … Scott Cullen over at TSN.ca has done a great job explaining it, I have used most of his story here (Pretty sure he is not an AP writer) and I have also listed the link to the story below.
Restricted Free Agents are players who are no longer considered “entry-level” and they also do not qualify to be an unrestricted free agents when their contract expires. A team must extend a “qualifying offer” to its restricted free agent in order to retain negotiating rights to that player. This is the way qualifying offers go … when a team extends one to a player there are guidelines regarding pay.
- Players making less than $660,000 must be offered 110 percent of last season’s salary.
- Players making up to $1 million must be offered 105 percent.
- Players making over $1 million must be offered 100 percent.
Under the previous CBA, qualifying offers had to be at least 100 percent of the previous year’s salary, with 10 percent raises due to many players. Restricted free agents must sign NHL contracts by December 1, or they are not eligible to play for the rest of the season. Both teams and players have the right to ask for salary arbitration as a mechanism to settle contract disputes however, a team can take a player to arbitration once in his career, and cannot ask for a salary reduction greater than 15 percent on the other hand, players can ask for salary arbitration as often as they want. Under the old CBA only players had the right to request salary arbitration.
When it comes to the money angle and what players will end up “costing” teams here is the guideline for 2008, the salary benchmarks are dynamic and move each year depending on the average pay and any pay raises for players … 
With that all said – Scott Cullen over at TSN.ca laid out a pretty comprehensive list of players and where they might fall. Here are some of the highlights from Scott’s article. You can read his story here – NUMBERS GAME: WEIGHING THE RFA MARKET
If we start at the lower end of the RFA pay scale, why not offer some of these guys a contract between $900,000 and $1.3-million, risking a third-round pick if their team won’t match? None of these players is going to make a huge difference to your team, but they could very well fit among your top nine forwards or, in Klein’s case, as a regular on the blueline. Some of these names here will add strength and ability to an already solid line. For the price of a third-round pick, any of those would be a reasonable acquisition.
Steve Bernier, RW, Buffalo
Paul Gaustad, C, Buffalo
Dan Paille, LW, Buffalo
Kevin Klein, D, Nashville
Nigel Dawes, LW, N.Y. Rangers
Ryane Clowe, RW, San Jose
Brooks Laich, LW, WashingtonA contract between $1.3-million and $2.6-million would still only cost a second-round pick and still represent a nice raise that might lure one of these free agents. The range of talent here suggests that there would be some range in the salary that a team might offer, but players like Andrei Kostitsyn and Patrick O’Sullivan have high ceilings that would warrant a sizeable offer (perhaps into the next range) to, at the very least, put the pressure on their current teams.
Dennis Wideman, D, Boston
Dustin Byfuglien, LW, Chicago
James Wisniewski, D, Chicago
Wojtek Wolski, LW, Colorado
Loui Eriksson, LW, Dallas
Valtteri Filppula, C, Detroit
Rostislav Olesz, LW, Florida
Patrick O’Sullivan, C, Los Angeles
Andrei Kostitsyn, LW, Montreal
Ville Koistinen, D, Nashville
Antoine Vermette, C, OttawaWe are now approaching the range where the offer will have to be more lucrative, but there are only a couple of players that would figure to be worthy of a contract between $2.6-million and $3.9-million and the price of first-and-third-round picks. Minnesota left-winger Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Ottawa defenceman Andrej Meszaros are promising young players that could move into prominent roles with a new team since they have already handled significant positions with their current clubs. The current teams might match an offer in this range, so it could require climbing the ladder a little higher to make matching less desirable, but it’s certainly worth investigating.
At the next level, between $3.9-million and $5.2-million, there are another couple of players that might make some sense in terms of price and draft picks going in return. Anaheim’s Corey Perry has indicated that he wants to stay in Anaheim and the Ducks are committed to keeping him, but that doesn’t mean other teams shouldn’t see if he’s available for the right offer. Something over $5-million could at least put some pressure on the Ducks to make other roster decisions. Even if the offer doesn’t net Perry, if it costs the Ducks another player somewhere else, that’s an advantage to all teams. Not only that, it would be another year’s worth of angry Brian Burke sound bytes.
There have also been rumblings about Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter signing an extension to stay in Philadelphia but, again, it’s worth looking if only to make sure that the Flyers are paying fair value.
That leaves two blue-chip young defenceman in position for perhaps the biggest offers. Florida’s Jay Bouwmeester and Washington’s Mike Green are surely worth long-term deals and if the offers don’t exceed a $6.5-million cap hit, the compensation only includes two first-round picks a second-round pick and a third-round pick. A contract over $6-million for either of those guys will represent a major pay increase, the kind that could force the Panthers or Capitals to think long and hard before matching.
Anything that goes above and beyond the $6.5-million threshold, and into four first-round pick territory, would put even more pressure on those teams.
Trades Steal the Spotlight at the Draft
The draft featured few surprises in the way of actual picks but it happened to be one of the more exciting first rounds in recent memory. This was due to the number of major trades that went down, some of which drastically changed the outlook for a few teams. Below is a summary of the major deals:
Florida traded centerman Olli Jokinen to the Phoenix Coyotes for defensemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton and a second round pick (49th overall) in the 2008 draft.
It’s another disaster for the Panthers and their few fans. Apparently they didn’t learn from their first mess when they sent Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and a sixth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for Alex Auld, Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan Allen. Of those players, only Allen remains on the roster. Apparently the Panthers ownership and management have a thing for sending their best players to other teams for nothing. Keith Ballard has decent upside and at 25 he still has a few years of growing to do. He scored 6 goals and added 15 assists last year, his lowest total since coming to the NHL in 05-06. In fact, his production has decreased every season with 39 points his rookie year and 27 in his sophmore season. 29 year-old Nick Boynton, on the other hand, has pretty much peaked and he can’t be expected to produce more than 12 points a season. Once upon a time he put up 30 points in Boston, but that was 5 years ago and he’s a different, injury-ridden player now.
Meanwhile, Phoenix has to be quietly chuckling to themselves as they pulled off possibly the biggest and most lopsided trade of the day, securing a top line center, veteran leader and consistent scorer in the process. Jokinen scored 34 goals and added 37 assists last season. It was actually his lowest total since the lockout which has a lot to do with the fact that he has no one to play with in Florida. That won’t be the case in Phoenix and he should easily get back up to the 90 point mark that he hit in 06-07 and narrowly missed (89 points) in 05-06. It would be shocking if Jokinen didn’t lead that young team into the playoffs and possibly beyond the first round.
The Flames acquired a second first round pick by sending left wing Alex Tanguay to the Montreal canadiens for the 25th pick overall.
Tanguay refused to waive his no-trade clause for a move to Montreal earlier in the year stating that the pressure a French Canadian player feels playing there was too great. Apparently he had a change of heart and now gives the Canadiens yet another offensive threat. He could produce big numbers, and improvements over his nearly career low 58 points from last season, should he be paired with Mats Sundin, which I’m guessing will be announced this week, and Alexei Kovalev. The Canadiens are already a dangerous team with speed and offensive punch on almost every line and they only got better with this move. My guess is that Tanguay will get back up to his normal 80 point mark.
Flames acquired winger Mike Cammalleri from the Los Angeles Kings in a three way trade including Anaheim. The Kings got the 17 pick overall from the Flames and LA immediately moved that pick and the 28th pick overall to the Ducks for the 12th overall pick.
The Flames could afford to deal their first round pick after acquiring a second one from Montreal. It’s not secret that they are in search of offense and I’m guessing Tanguay wasn’t too happy playing for the very demanding Mike Keenan. Cammalleri is an interesting choice. He can play either wing, has loads of speed and has shown more than just flashes of offensive brilliance. He suffered through injuries this season that limited him to only 63 games but he produced 19 goals and narrowly missed the 50 point mark. He was a point per game player last year with 34 goals and 46 assists and exploded in 04-05 in the AHL where he scored 46 goals and tallied a whopping 63 assists. He should be a nice compliment to Jarome Iginla.
The Flyers sent centerman R.J. Umberger and the 119 overall pick to Columbus for their first round pick (19th overall) and the 67th pick.
This trade pretty much guarantees that the Flyers are going to re-sign RFA Jeff Carter and it also tells us that the Flyers want to keep as much money open as possible to bolster their blueline and possibly acquire a puck moving defenseman in free agency. They wanted to keep Umberger, but they simply couldn’t afford to do it. The 26 year old had a breakout season with 13 goals and 50 points. He also added 10 goals and 5 assists in 17 playoff games. The Blue Jackets are desperately in search of a top line center to play with Rick Nash and it will be interesting to see if Umberger fits the bill. They were interested in Jokinen and Patrick Marleau and appear to be poised for an aggressive free agent period. However, it’s important to note that Umberger is a restricted free agent and the Blue Jackets will need to get him signed shortly.
The Capitals dealt defenseman Steve Eminger and the 84th pick to the Flyers for their 27th overall pick.
Steve Eminger was drafted 12th overall in 2002 by the Washington Capitals who were hoping that he would grow into a franchise rearguard. It simply didn’t happen and the Caps were ready to move on from the 24 year old. Eminger only played 20 games last year and has yetto play a full season in the NHL, averaging a little over 60 games per season in the three years prior. His best season was 05-06 where he scored 5 goals and had 18 assists. Eminger is still very young, has decent size at 6-2 211 lbs and can move the puck pretty well. He’ll be eager to prove that he can play in the NHL and the Flyers are desperate for puck moving defenseman. It should be an interesting experiment.
San Jose Sharks 2008 Draft Picks
My heart sank the first time I noticed San Jose sitting at pick #117 in the NHL Draft. I figured they were going to grab whoever they could and focus on McLellan’s skills to sharpen the great team they already have. Plus, with the rumors of the Columbus Blue Jackets kicking Patrick Marleau’s tires, there is a good chance the Sharks can use that equity to A) keep Brian Campbell, B) get rid of Marleau and C) attract a stronger, more consistent player. Well – Doug Wilson worked his magic this past weekend and was able to wiggle the Sharks from 117th pick (overall) up to 62nd pick (overall). Here are the players the Sharks picked up during the draft this year …
62nd Pick – Justin Daniels (Kent High School, Connecticut). Justin, at six-foot-one and 156 lbs, was ranked 100th overall in North American Skaters. While at Kent High School he racked up 47 points (12 goals and 35 assists) in 25 games. Justin and his brother Drew (see below) were both in the list of “highest-rated prep school players” by Central Scouting Services. Drew will be playing in the USHL for Sioux City this season while attending Northeastern next year.
92ndPick – Samuel Grouix (Quebec – QMJHL). Samuel was named to the QMJHL All-Rookie Team in ‘07/’08 and sat in the 76th spot in North American skaters by Central Scouting Services. He was ranked First among defensemen on his team with 25 points (5 goals, 20 Assists, 100 PIM) in 70 games (he was 7th overall on his team).
106thPick – Harri Sateri (Tappara – Finnish Jr. League). Harri was listed as the second highest rated goalie by Central Scouting Services. In ‘06/’07 Harri had a 2.63 GAA, .924 SV% and 2 shutouts in 23 games. He was the backup goalie for Finland in the 2008 World Junior Championship.
146thPick – Julien Demers (Ottawa 67’s). Julien skated for the Eastern Conference in the 08 OHL All-Star Classic. He was #1 on the team for Defense and 5thon the team overall … with 33 points (5 goals, 28 assists and 94 PIM’s) in 65 games is was listed 83rd overall among North American Skaters bye Central Scouting Services. San Jose seems to like the Ottawa 67’s since Julien is the 3rd player they have picked up from them in the past 3 years. Jamie McGinn (2nd round, 36th overall in 2006) and Logan Couture (1st round, 9th overall in 2007). Ottawa’s coach Biran Kelrea had great things to say about Julien, when asked he said “Quietly, Julien has become a top player in our league and is underrated by many. He is what every NHL team wants, a big, strong defensive defenseman who can move the puck. He is strong in the corners and in front of the net and can back up any challenge.”
177thPick – Tommy Wingels (Miami University [Ohio] – CCHA). With 29 points (15 goals, 14 assists) in 42 games and a +10, he was one of the 10 players on his team to play in all 42 games. The Red Hawks fell to the Boston College Eagles in the 2008 NCAA Northeast Regional Finals.
186thPick – Jason Demers (Victoriaville – QMJHL). No relation to Julien, picked in the 5thround, Jason had 64 points (9 goals, 55 assists and 91 PIM’s) in 67 games. He was the #1 defensemen in the QMJHL in scoring and #2 on his team. Jason is no stranger to the Sharks organization since he played as a member of San Jose’s rookie tournament prior to the 07/08 season.
194th Pick – Drew Daniels (Kent High School, Connecticut). Drew is Justins twin brother (62nd pick) and was #109 in North American skaters by Central Scouting Services. Drew had 47 points (12 goals, 35 assists) in 25 games flanked by his twin brother in Center they skated on the same line. Drew will join Justin at Northeastern next year.
Blake Wheeler, The First Free Agent Signing
We’re still two weeks from the start of the free agent period and yet there’s already been a signing. While it can’t be official until July 1st, it appears that Blake Wheeler has signed, or intends to sign, a two-year deal with the Boston Bruins. The Bruins weren’t even mentioned as a potential suitor so it’s quite a surprise and a potentially tremendous signing for the Bruins. It’s apparently a two-year deal worth a maximum of $875,000 per season with the potential to make over a million more per season off of performance bonuses. The Bruins will also get Patrice Bergeron back so with the experience gained through a surprising performance in the first round last year, the 16th overall pick in Friday’s draft and a host of blooming youngsters this could be a team headed for great success. They also have money to spend, so they aren’t done yet and are still pursuing Marian Hossa should the Penguins fail to sign him.
Here’s some information I previous posted about Blake Wheeler:
Blake Wheeler (Winger) – Wheeler was drafted in the first round, fifth overall, by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2004. The Coyotes attempted to get him signed and offered him more guaranteed money than he’ll receive in free agency but Wheeler turned down the deal. I’m guessing he didn’t know if he was going to get to play and saw an opportunity to impact where he’d spend the next three years. According to NHL rules, when a player declares that they are turning pro prior to completing college their team has 30 days to sign them. If they fail to do so, that player becomes an unrestricted free agent and his team receives compensation equal to the pick that was used for that player plus one round. This means that since the Coyotes drafted him in the fifth overall in the 1st round they will receive the fifth pick in the 2nd round of the draft. This could be a great thing for the Coyotes as it gives the already youth filled team five picks in the first two rounds of what is considered to be one of the deepest drafts in a long time. All of this was a first for the NHL so it remains to be seen what will happen to Mr. Wheeler. Being that he’s a Minnesota native, it’s easy to assume that the Wild are his first choice. At age 21 and with no NHL games under his belt, no one really knows what he’ll be able to do but at 6-5 214 lbs he has the size to at least survive the NHL game. Whether he can produce offensively in the NHL like he has in every other league remains to be seen but it’s not often teams get a chance to sign a 21 year old fifth overall draft pick in free agency.
The Russian Is Coming … And His Name Is Alexander Ovechkin
I am going to post this straight from tsn.com … You can read the article HERE! So … what I find interesting is the media hype around this kid. Either he has one kick ass agent … or he has one of those “friends of a friend” who has insane hook ups! So far … his team barely made it into the playoffs … lasted a couple rounds … He wins the MVP (Hart), Pearson, Rocket Richard and the Ross! Yea … that’s in the story too! He launches a new clothing line, and is given the Steven Tyler reception (serious Rock Star status!). I am a HUGE fan of Alexander the Great and I can not wait to take a trip to DC next season to watch him play … but DAMN does this kid have the Midas touch!!! Here is the story …
Red alert! A young Russian has free reign of the nation’s capital!
“Today is a big day,” said Alex Ovechkin, standing on the front steps of city hall. “I have a key for the city. And I’m the president this day in the city, so everybody have fun – and no speed limit.”
The crowd, of course, went wild. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty laughed and clapped and didn’t mind a bit, even though the hundreds of fans chanting “M-V-P!” would have been more than ready to elect the Washington Capitals star to any office of his choosing on the spot.
Ovechkin was feted like royalty in Washington on Friday, honoured as the city’s first MVP in a major North American professional sports league since Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins in 1983. The 22-year-old left wing won both the Hart Trophy (MVP) and the Lester B. Pearson Award (most outstanding player) at the NHL’s annual awards show in Toronto on Thursday night.
That was in addition to the two pieces of hardware he’d already claimed this season: the Rocket Richard for a league-best 65 goals and the Art Ross for a league-high 112 points. Ovechkin is the first player to win the Hart, Pearson, Richard and Ross in the same year, and all four trophies made for an impressive display at the Wilson Building on Pennsylvania Avenue – two blocks from the White House – as the mayor presented yet another souvenir, the key to the city.
“Who said Washington wasn’t a hockey town?” Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said.
By his standards, Ovechkin dressed very conservatively for his meeting with the mayor and the District of Columbia Council. Although he looked as if he hadn’t shaved in days, he wore a collared shirt and pinstripe trousers – not a hint of the bright-coloured, outlandish fashion statements that prompted him to launch his own clothing line this week. The more casual celebrations were expected later in the evening at a Leonsis-hosted exclusive party at a downtown restaurant.
D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray praised Ovechkin as a “man who has raised hockey to a new level in the District of Columbia.” The Capitals’ improving fortunes this year – including their first playoff berth since 2003 – have energized their fan base in the halls of power, although Fenty did have to be corrected by Ovechkin himself when the mayor mispronounced the name of the Richard trophy.
The fans, many of them clad in Capitals red, also let out a cheer of “Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuce” at the mention of Washington’s Bruce Boudreau, who won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach. Boudreau was hired on U.S. Thanksgiving, when the Capitals were mired in last place.
“Last night, we gained a lot of respect around the league,” Leonsis said. “What it says is that the team has come of age, and the expectations for us are higher. We want to trade all the individual glory for a Stanley Cup.”
Ovechkin, the first player to score 60 goals in a season since Mario Lemieux in 1996, earned 128 of 134 first-place Hart votes from the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association. He joins Sergei Fedorov (1994) as the only Russian-born players to win the Hart and Pearson.
“I love that his first order of business was to say party all night and no speed limits,” Leonsis said.
Is 7 years and $50 million Enough?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have reportedly offered free agent-to-be Marian Hossa a 7 year deal worth $50 million. While I’m guessing the deal doesn’t pay Hossa the exact same amount of money each year, I’d be willing to bet it’s front loaded, that averages out to a little over $7 million per season. Hossa has claimed that he’d like to stay in Pittsburgh and that he’ll take a discount to play for a winning team, but will he take a $1.5 million discount? That’s about what he’d fetch on the open market so it’ll be interesting to see what the Hossa camp does with this offer. Crosby has flat out stated that he does not want to start the next season the way he started this one, which is without a true winger with which to play. It looks like the Penguins are going to pull off what everyone, including myself, believed to be impossible and get some kind of deal done in the next week.
This means that Ryan Malone is almost certainly headed out of his hometown. It appears that the Penguins will trade the rights to both Ryan Malone and Brooks Orpik the moment the Hossa deal is done with Malone most likely going to Columbus in exchange for 22-year old Dan Fritsche and a draft pick. Of course, that’s just a guess based on everything I’ve read and while I’d love to see the Penguins also grab Nikolai Zherdev in the deal and put him with Malkin, which has been rumored, I doubt that will happen.
Also, the buyout period starts today so Ray Emery should become a free agent in the next 48 hours and I have a strange feeling that he’ll be a Blackhawk on July 1st. A new environment should do wonders for him as he clearly has the talent to be a number 1 goaltender. Frankly, I think we’ll see a completely different Ray Emery next year and in the Winter Classic no less.
Hockey 101 – Icing (Rule 81)
So – today we are talking about Icing. It has taken me 3 years and many, many, many, many games to teach my wife when to recognize an icing call and why. I am hoping this explanation will help you all grasp the concept of icing and why it is a penalty. There is currently a great debate going on regarding the rule of icing in and among the NHL purists … and I will explain that later on in the post (in other words … Keep Reading!). I will first give you a “literal” definition of the penalty, then I will show you an example (in picture form) and then I will fill you all in on the great debate. With that said … the definition (this is not taken out of the NHL Rule book) …
Icing in ice hockey occurs when a player shoots the puck across at least two red lines, the opposing team’s goal line being the last. When icing occurs, a linesman stops play. Play is resumed with a faceoff in the defending zone of the team that committed the infraction. A player on the opposing team (other than the goaltender) must touch the puck to cause the stoppage of play. If the puck is first touched by the goaltender or a player on the team that iced the puck, icing is waved off (cancelled) and play continues. While an icing call is pending, the linesman raises an arm to indicate that a potential icing call may be made. If the icing is waved off, the official lowers his arm and gives the washout signal (extending both arms sideways from the body at shoulder height). As an FYI … In European professional leagues, some lower-level North American professional leagues (ECHL and Central Hockey League), and most amateur leagues worldwide, play is stopped for icing once the puck crosses the goal line. This is called automatic or no-touch icing, currently in the NHL, the icing rule has lead to high-speed races for the puck which has shown to increase the possibility of injury to the players. (See YouTube video below)
Icing is always waved off in the following situations:
1. The team committing the icing is shorthanded.
2. The linesman believes a player on the opposing team (other than the goalkeeper) could have played the puck before it crossed the goal line.
3. In the NHL, the linesman deems the icing is the result of an attempted receivable pass.
So … if you were to look at the ice and imagine an icing call it would look like this …
Now … for the down and dirty … Lets say I was standing on the A (Left of center ice [Red Line in the middle]) and I shot the puck down the ice, across the Red Line at Center Ice, Blue Line and across the goal line where the other A is. That would be icing … but if I were standing at position B and shot the puck down the ice across the Blue Line and the goal line, that would not be icing. It’s all about the center line (Red Line) … if a player hits the puck across the Center Line and then the puck crosses two more lines (Blue Line & Goal Line) … and then, a player from the other team touches the puck first … That’s Icing! However, if a player from the same team touches the puck first icing is waved off and the game continues to play. (For reference, example B in the figure above is not icing since the puck was hit after it crossed the Center Line.) This example should be self explanatory … if you have questions please feel free to leave a comment.
Now that you know what Icing is and how to identify it … I will fill you in on a little debate going on among Hockey nuts (you know, those weirdo’s that have blogs and such). In the definition of Icing it made reference to “No-Touch Icing” being played in European leagues and some lower level North American leagues. The NHL does not currently have this provision, which means, when one team ices the puck there might be a race to the puck by players from either team. Whoever gets there first and touches the puck will decide if the play is stopped (player from the opposite team) or if it continues (player from the same team). This “Race To The Puck” is a dangerous position to be put into. There have been countless injuries to players who are charging full speed to get the puck and end up into the boards.
Here in this video you see The Wild’s Curtis Foster in a race with the Sharks’ Torrey Mitchell. Foster came out of this with a broken leg, but it could have been much worse when you watch the speed his head hit the board with.
In this scenario, had “No-Touch” Icing been in effect … the moment the puck crossed the goal line the play would have been stopped by the official. I personally think that a no-touch icing rule would not be a detriment to the sport. With a rule like No Touch Icing in place it would remove the risk of injury from the players … and that would be a good thing. Compare this to the old Nascar rule when a yellow flag (caution) was waved in a race … before they changed the rule the drivers would race to the start/finish line for position during the caution. Having the drivers go balls out to the line after a caution was shown to increase in the number of wrecks and driver injuries. Nascar then made the rule that as soon as a caution is thrown, the field is frozen … meaning, there will be no “racing to the line” … you keep the position you are in the moment it happens.
Todd McLellan – San Jose’s Sharks New Bench Boss
If you were hoping for a strong figure behind the bench in San Jose next season I think we might have found him. Todd McLellan has led teams for the past 14 seasons and has yet to miss the playoffs. It only took McLellan eight days to find a new gig after he and the coaching staff (along with the Detroit Red Wings) won the Stanley Cup. Todd has been with Detroit for 3 seasons assisting their special teams and molding the power play unit which finished third in the NHL last season at 20.7% (they were first in the NHL in 2005-06 @ 22.1%). During his three seasons with Detroit the team hit the “50-wins in a season” mark … three years in a row! Then topped it off with a Stanley Cup, Todd makes this stuff look easy!
Todd has five games with the New York Islanders under his belt, his career as a player was cut short by three reconstructive shoulder surgeries. He then re-focused his love of the sport and established himself as a successful head coach in juniors and in the minors before joining the Red Wings as an assistant in 2005. In 1994 he started in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, in six seasons of juniors he went 236-159-36. In five minor-league seasons, with Cleveland (IHL) and Houston (AHL), McLellan finished that phase of his education with a 197-143-37 record, and captured the Calder Cup in 2003. Just like anyone in hockey, be it the 5thgrader who “was” Wayne Gretzky in his back yard playing out the final 30 seconds in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the evil trash cans up to Mike Babcock who watched his team stave off a last 10 second push by the Penguins and come out with the actual Stanley Cup, they all have the passion … they all wanted ONE thing. To Win … and for Todd McLellan there is no difference. Wanting to becoming an NHL head coach, McLellan sought out guidance and look for opinions from those around the league, asking for advice on how to reach that goal. In the end, McLellan’s game plan was to join an elite organization, learn all he could from the best minds in the game, and be prepared to move on when he was ready.
Doug Wilson had some good things to say about McLellan at the HP Pavilion (Shark Tank) during the press conference when they announced the new head coach.
“This is somebody that, 14 years ago, started this process, he never missed the playoffs. He’s lifted the Stanley Cup. He’s done it the right way. What he went through last year was probably the final piece to his resume to make him qualified to coach this hockey team. So, was the winning important? You better believe it’s important. That’s what we’re aspiring to. He’s really worked at his craft, there are a lot of people that wanted to be here but you want people that want to coach this organization and will accept the expectations of winning. Sometimes, people shy away from that … some people like the comfort of ‘Let’s go develop something, let’s take some time.’ But this is a guy that likes winning. He understands the expectations. He welcomes the expectations. He is a winner.”
I think McLellan might have the magic the Sharks need, he drew parallels between the Sharks and the Red Wings by saying both teams have the ability and are willing to make small changes to improve their game play. He also said that the best quality he has seen is the team can make those minor changes without compromising their game play or “pushing the panic button.” He also sees the same frustration he saw with the Red Wings when they were knocked out of the post season in early rounds, “I really believe I can draw on those experiences,” McLellan said. “I can take them and try to grow the team far enough so the players finally get it and get over the hump. I know that the pressure will be immense, and deservedly so.”
I am excited about watching the Sharks take the ice next season … it will be interesting to watch what “minor” changes McLellan can make and if those small changes have drastic impacts. I hope he quickly earns the respect of the team and they can all work together and learn from each other. I think San Jose can be a contender … it’s just up to them now. GO SHARKS!
Hockey 101 – Fighting (Rule 47)
If you sit down and look at the NHL Rule Book you will notice that A) It’s 312 pages long and B) It’s boring as hell! I started thinking today that it would be interesting to do a quick series on the rules of hockey and clear up some misconceptions of the sport. My goal is to break down some of the rules in the book, help us all learn something more about this great game and at the same time, help new-comers understand the guidelines and regulations for the sport. I find it interesting when I engage in conversations with friends regarding my passion of Hockey the conversation eventually turns to the physical and violent nature of the sport. I remember years ago becoming so upset when someone would say the sport I love was promoting violence by allowing its players the freedom to fight. I am sure everyone has heard the joke – “I went to a fight, and a Hockey game broke out!” Well … I would like to take a moment and go over a few things about fighting and its role in the NHL.
Fighting is illegal in the NHL … I will say it again … ILLEGAL in the NHL!!! Along with the North American Junior League and other North American minor leagues. When a fight occurs in these leagues a 5 minute major penalty is called. The difference between these leagues and the rest of the sporting world is they do not eject players for fighting. However, fighting is punishable by ejection in the Peewee, College and European leagues, Olympic competition, and in women’s hockey at any level. So in order to have a fully educated discussion regarding the violence in the NHL these few things here will help you in your next conversation.
Let’s now break down why players fight. Fighting has evolved over time and has become a strategic element to the game. Fighting in Hockey has been around since the 19th Century when it started being used for intimidation and control. There was an increase in fighting after 1918 when the blue lines were introduced and the forward pass in the neutral zone was allowed. Once that started, the sport became more physical because the puck handlers would have to play closer together and would become more of a target in a confined space. In 1922, the NHL adopted Rule 56 titled “Fisticuffs” – rather than ejecting a player from the game they would be charged with a 5 minute major penalty, hence the term “Five For Fighting.” The NHL has done away with “Fisticuffs” and Rule 47 and currently discusses fighting in Rule 47 … titled “Fighting.”
I personally think fighting has an important role in hockey and brings withit an effect that coaches can use to change the momentum of a game. Fighting is still used to show dominance and also to protect the star players or snipers. Fighting is covered in the NHL rule bookand has 22 sub-sections to the rule (47.1 through 47.22) the only larger rule in the NHL rule bookis on Signals (33 sub-sections), and on the other side, the 3rd largest rule in the rule book has only 11 sub-sections. So if you think the NHL condones fighting, your wrong already. I said it before, Fighting is illegal in the NHL. The reason you see the Ref’s stand around and watch the fights is partly for safety (theirs and the players fighting) and partly so the players can do what they were sent out to do. Even though fighting is illegal … it still has its purpose. The rules state that the referees have a large margin of interpretation when it comes to stopping an altercation – basically saying “It’s their call to make.” Just because the ref does not stop a fight immediately, does not mean it is ok to do what the players are doing, there are repercussions and there will be penalties handed out … After!
Comparing the NHL and NFL against each other is hard to do. The only thing they have in common is they are both professional leagues. When we talk about violence, it seems people have become desensitized to certain levels seeing how the harder the hit and the slower the player is to get up increases the excitement during a normal football game. Football fans do not look at their sport as violent – “It’s Football … that’s how it is played.” Football players use force and strength to advance their play. Hockey players use finesse and speed to advance the puck. The violence in football is not noticed because the whole game is violent – after all, the only thing they do is run and tackle. I believe, by its nature, football is the most violent sport (with the exception to boxing and MMA [if you want to call those sports]). When I make comments like that in group discussions I usually witness a few sighs, a couple “You’re kidding right” and at least one major eye roll. I am then met with the statement “Well at least they don’t fight in football!” — And that’s all they got! If hockey is more violent than football, why are the NFL padding and helmets so much bigger and made to protect more of the body?
If you get a chance, open up the NHL Rule Book and scroll down to Rule 47 and see what the NHL says about fighting … keep in mind, fighting is illegal in Hockey … but when a fight breaks out, there are rules, 87 of them to be exact and 85 of them are not as defined as fighting. I think Rule 47 is an interesting read … check it out! If you disagree, or agree, or have a different opinion – Please let us know in the comments section.