Author: sportsjerseyscanada

Shane Doan helps the Coyotes and himself

Right winger Shane Doan helped lift the Arizona Coyotes past the Calgary Flames last Friday with two goals and an assist but the team captain managed to help himself to a pair of franchise records at the same time.

The 39-year old surpassed Hall-of-Famer, Dale Hawerchuk, with 931 total points but that wasn’t the only record broken that night. Late in the third period Doan managed his 123rd power play goal handing him another franchise record and once again pushing Dale Hawerchuk to the number two spot. Doan holds the record for games played in the Coyotes organization as well.

Doan was born on October 10, 1976 in Alberta, to father, Bernie Doan, who played professional hockey for a brief period of time in the St. Louis Blues organization. His father’s short career was obviously long enough to have an impact on Shane who was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in 1995. The Jets went on to become the Coyotes and Doan stayed within the organization. In fact, Doan has spent his entire professional career with the Jets/Coyotes and is currently the only remaining player from the Jets who is still active in the NHL.

Doan’s record-breaking performance comes at a crucial time for the Coyotes who desperately needed to break themselves out of a losing spell. Doan certainly did his part helping the Coyotes to a 4-1 win, snapping a five game losing streak, and leaving the Coyotes just three games behind Nashville for the final wild card spot. Doan’s performance could not have come at a better time.

Doan’s career has been exemplary producing 13 20-goal seasons, two All-Star appearances, a King Clancy Memorial Trophy, and a Mark Messier Leadership Award. In addition to leading the Coyotes in all-time points and power play goals, Doan also leads the team in total goals scored passing Hawerchuk back in December. As the longest-serving NHL Captain still active in the league, Doan was the team’s leading scorer from 2003-2011. Consecutively.

A fan favorite as well as a team mentor, Doan is often referred to as the “heart and soul” of the Arizona Coyotes. Coach Dave Tippett complimented Doan after the win saying, “the commitment he has to the organization, to the city, to his teammates, it’s just amazing to watch everyday”. 20-year old teammate Anthony Duclair agrees, “One day I’m going to tell my kids I played with Shane Doan”.

Let’s Make A Deal

Ah, the trade deadline. Honestly, it’s a sports writer’s dream. Agents floating stories to drive up prices, disgruntled superstars, and drunk GM’s at happy hour spilling the beans (this has happened). Grab my hand and we’ll wade into the waters as the NHL trade deadline rapidly closes in to the February 29th conclusion. Let’s look at the players most likely to find a new home.

Andrew Ladd
You don’t often see players with a “C” on their chest moved, but that could happen if the disappointing Jets decide to trade their captain. Ladd has followed up a career 2014-15 campaign with a lackluster season. At press time, he’s notched 13 goals and 17 assists, with a 0.58 points per game. Winnipeg is thinking about unloading Ladd because he can walk as a free agent after this season and can still command some value in return.
Possible trade destinations: Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks

James van Riemsdyk
Continuing the 20 year rebuild, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in full fire sale mode.
They’ve already dumped Dion Phaneuf to the Ottawa in a chunky nine-player swap.    van Riemsdyk is probably next, and could be the most desirable and expensive commodity on the market.
He’s only 26-years-old and on pace for his third straight 50 point season. Perhaps most valuable from a front office perspective is that the left winger is under contract through the 2017-2018 season at a reasonable $5 million per year. Toronto’s phone is undoubtedly ringing off the hook with offers so expect van Riemsdyk to be moved before the deadline. And because he’s not a one year rental, many teams are probably trying to put together a deal for his services.
Possible trade destinations: Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers.

Jonathan Drouin
This is the one that has puckheads intrigued. The former No. 3 overall pick from the 2013 draft has demanded a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning after two years of professional hockey. And it’s not like he’s been tearing up the league. In his first season of limited duty Drouin posted 4 goals and 28 assists. Not bad. Not world-beating either. This season, there have been grumblings about his attitude, demotions, then the trade demand. He’s still considered a top prospect and he’s only 20, but the once can’t miss player has suddenly become a risky proposition. We all know NHL GM’s won’t be able to stay away from giving this guy second, third and fourth chances to be star. But who is willing to part with the king’s ransom it will take to get him out of Tampa Bay?
Fresh off that fat nine player deal, multiple sources are reporting the Ottawa Senators are the frontrunners to bring Drouin back home to Canada.

Possible trade destinations: Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche

Calgary Flames took huge risk by benching trio of players

Calgary Flames’ head coach Bob Hartley placed himself in a highly controversial decision last week when he decided to bench three of his players for one game, including the club’s top two scorers. Hartley scratched forwards Lance Bouma, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan for the Flames’ home tilt against the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs on February 9thand luckily for him they hung on for a 4-3 victory. The trio was listed as healthy scratches for the contest for arriving late for practice the previous morning. It was a risky move by Hartley though since the Flames are involved in a vicious dogfight for a playoff spot.
Fans were basically divided in their opinion on the benching and cynics pointed out the players would probably have all dressed if the game was against anybody other than the hapless Leafs. The 21-year-old Monahan and 22-year-old Gaudreau were leading the Flames in scoring as of Feb. 13th with 36 and 51 points respectively. The 25-year-old Bouma, who has just one goal this year, has been sidelined for most of the season due to injuries, but he’s seen as a valuable physical presence when healthy.
Those who disagreed with Hartley’s actions believe he should have come up with a better form of punishment. They point out that he actually punished the rest of the franchise and the Calgary fans by sitting out three important players during a playoff race. If the Flames had lost the game there would have been an uproar and Hartley’s decision could possibly have been the last one he made as the franchise’s head coach.
Critics said benching hockey players for a lone game doesn’t have an effect on the way they play the game and the organization would have been better off fining them or making them stay after practice etc. The players were probably more embarrassed than anything as the Flames’ fathers had gathered in Calgary to watch their sons take on the Leafs before heading out on a two-game road trip. The annual father and son event must have gotten off to a disappointing start for the dads of Gaudreau, Monahan and Bouma and their sons would have some explaining to do.
All three players apologized in the media to the fans, coaches, the organization and their teammates for showing up late for practice and claimed they were upset with themselves for acting unprofessionally. However, showing up late isn’t the end of the world and reports stated the trio arrived at 10:15 a.m. for a 10:30 session. Benching your best players isn’t going to make them perform any better on the ice and the move could have cost the Flames two crucial points in the standings.
Hartley must have been second-guessing his decision when the Flames’ 4-1 lead was suddenly cut to 4-3 by the Leafs in the third period and would have certainly been relieved when the final buzzer sounded. Hartley isn’t the only coach to make this controversial move this season as Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals benched his squad’s top scorer and captain Alexander Ovechkin back on Oct. 13. The Russian star was scratched after sleeping in and also showing up late for practice.
The move blew up in Trotz’s face though as the Capitals were embarrassed 5-0 on home ice by the San Jose Sharks for their first loss of the season. Luckily for the coach it was just the second game of the campaign and the Capitals have been in fine form ever since. In fact, in a poll taken by Sportsnet.ca, 77 per cent of voters agreed with Trotz’s decision. But while thousands of Calgary fans were questioning Hartley’s move to bench Gaudreau, Monahan and Bouma, Gaudreau’s father Guy wasn’t one of them. He said he was obviously disappointed, but his son has to play by the rules just like everybody else. His son agreed and added that being benched was certainly an “eye opener.”

The Vancouver Canucks Heading Into Deadline Day

The Vancouver Canucks are heading to the February 29th trade deadline with a plethora of players who are unrestricted free agents as of July 1st. Most people expect them to be a very active club on deadline day, and I happen to be one of them. Let’s take a look at who they could be shopping and what they could potentially receive back for them.
The most notable UFA on the Canucks roster is defenceman Dan Hamhuis. Hamhuis just returned from a gruesome injury to his jaw and has looked terrific in his last few games since returning. Hamhuis is a rock on the back end and will be coveted by many contending teams, which could end up striking a bidding war for the defenceman. Hamhuis could very well fetch a first round pick and a midlevel defensive prospect from a team going all in for a Cup run. Hamhuis does have a no trade clause, but I can’t see him declining a trade to a top contender and a chance to win the Stanley Cup.
The second most notable UFA is right winger Radim Vrbata. Vrbata has had a very mediocre year in Vancouver, this after a tremendous season last year. He has really lost his stride in Vancouver this season and I’d consider him to be a lock to move by deadline day. Vrbata simply needs a new start and I could see the Canucks fetching a second round pick for him, or a project prospect who isn’t working out with his current team. I don’t believe Radim will fetch a first rounder due to his current play and lackluster playoff performances, but you never know.
I would be shocked if Chris Higgins is not traded by the end of deadline day, although he is not a UFA. He still has the capabilities of being a third or fourth liner on a lot of NHL teams, but he didn’t fit the direction the Canucks are going. He is currently playing for the Canucks AHL team, the Utica Comets. I believe Higgins could be traded for a 4th rounder, but the Canucks will have to retain a decent amount of his salary.
A few more less notable UFA’s the Canucks will be shopping around are Brandon Prust, Adam Cracknell, Matt Bartkowski and Yannick Weber. Prust could fetch a 5th from a contending team as a depth player for them heading to the playoffs. The Canucks could very well hold onto Cracknell with the injury to Brandon Sutter, I wouldn’t be surprised if he lasted through the deadline day. Bartkowski and Weber are very much in the same boat, they have both had fairly mediocre seasons, Bart has been a bit better than Weber. I can’t see the team getting much for either though.

I hope you enjoyed the read, and may deadline day be a great day for your team.

Atlantic Division 2015-16

Offering perhaps the biggest surprise, as well as holding true to the inevitable, the Atlantic Division has shown us that age is but a number, and Mike Babcock is good, but not above man, and a great, as in “League’s Best” start to the season cannot carry you all the way to the playoffs if you stumble toward the finish line.
·         Florida Panthers              
o   70 Points Overall
o   1st place in Atlantic Division
o   2nd place in Eastern Conference
o   4th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 155
o   Goals Against: 123
–He’s how old? : I don’t know if it is ever smart to presuppose against the ageless wonder of Jaromir Jagr. Through 51 games, the 43-year-old has 17 goals and 21 assists for a total of 38 points. He trails only young up-and-comer forward Reilly Smith, who leads the team in goals. Smith currently has 18. Jagr just never seems to slow down or show his advanced age.
        -MILESTONE UPDATE: Jagr is bearing down on Brett Hull for third in all time goal scoring ranks. He is two goals away, and is currently standing at 739 career tallies.
–Defense wins championships:  So they say at least. If this holds any sort of validity. The Panthers are in good hands. Featured in 42 games this season, goaltender Roberto Luongo has 24 wins. He has been the main clog on the backend boasting a .928 save percentage, trumping his career average of .920. His goals against average is 2.17.
–The winning formula: The enviable balance of youthful energy and exuberance along with veteran leadership with winning pedigrees. It all started with the hiring, and recent extension, of General Manager Dale Tallon. Tallon came over from the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks. Tallon was soon able to bring over former Blackhawks such as Brian Campbell, Brandon Pirri, and a brief reunion with Kris Versteeg. The veteran leadership comes from guys like Jagr, who also scores once in a while. Shawn Thornton came from Boston with a ring on his finger. He is the personality guy that a teammate loves in the locker room. He will also stick up for guys and understands, and embraces, that he is a role player. Willie Mitchell wears the “C” on his chest, after only playing with the team for one season. He joined Florida in the 2014-15 campaign, after a stretch with the Los Angeles Kings. He also walked into that locker room with a shiny ring on. However, the youthful energy has come from within…the draft. Drafting studs like Johnathon Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck, Aaron Ekblad, and Nick Bjugstad definitely contributed to where the team sits today (top of the division). Throw in key acquisitions of Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith, and it really should be no surprise that the Panthers are sitting pretty in not only in the Atlantic Division, not only the Eastern Conference, but the entire NHL. If someone came up to you and said, “the Florida Panthers are going to win 12 games in a row at one point this season”, you would have called them crazy. That stretch did include wins against struggling teams like Edmonton, Carolina, Columbus, and Buffalo, they did knock off teams such as NYR, Minnesota, and Montreal (who at the time was unbeatable).
·         Detroit Red Wings
o   64 Points Overall
o   2nd place in Atlantic Division
o   4th place in Eastern Conference
o   9th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 137
o   Goals Against: 135
–The Next Big Thing: His name is Dylan Larkin. He leads the Wings in goals and points, 18 and 38 respectively. Kids are no longer asking Santa for Datsyuk and Zetterberg jerseys for Christmas, but for #71. Oh yeah, he’s only 19 years old.
– No More Goalie Controversy: Petr Mrazek seems to be the guy. Jimmy Howard is still getting his opportunities but Mrazek’s numbers speak for themselves. He has 34 starts to Howard’s 20. He has the best Goals Against Average among starting goalies at 1.94. While the Wings are on the brink of home ice advantage in the playoffs, Mrazek’s play will heavily influence their spot in the standings. It won’t be easy with 5 different teams breathing down their neck, all of them within 3 points in the standings.
–Beginning of the End of an Era? : Being “next up” in line for Detroit is a tall task. Pavel Datsyuk has been injury riddled this season. Zetterberg is still contributing, leading the team in assists. But if you were to ask me, that era is beginning to decline. Good news? Larkin is the perfect guy you want to fill those shoes. This team has good pieces, like Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar, and Justin Abdelkader. I am also personally interested in keeping an eye on Teemu Pulkkinen. He has an other worldly shot, and could become lethal on the Power Play in an Alex Ovechkin type one-timer position. 
·         Tampa Bay Lightning
o   62 Points Overall
o   3rd place in Atlantic Division
o   7th place in Eastern Conference
o   11th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 142
o   Goals Against: 130
–A salute to you, Steve Yzerman: The Lightning GM and former Red Wing great, Steve Yzerman, has had to put up with quite a bit this season. The poor guy has had to listen to Jonathan Drouin trade requests and demands. It must sting when the guy you wasted a third overall pick on in the draft doesn’t want to play for you. He has yet to move Drouin, who is a candidate for one of the biggest flops in draft history. While the potential and skill are of no means in question, he just has not panned out in the NHL. On top of that, Steven Stamkos has a rumor mill the size of a Ferris wheel. The young captain and superstar forward has stated before that he wants to stay in Tampa Bay. And why not? They reached the finals last season. They have a good team and a beautiful geographic advantage. The market for hockey in Florida is on the rise, especially with roaring success of the fellow Florida club.
–Reason for concern with Stamkos:  The Tampa Bay Lightning might be in a little trouble. With estimates of about $10.5 million on the new contract of Steven Stamkos, should one be signed, the Lightning could very well keep their star player. However, key players such as Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn, J.T. Brown, Jonathan Drouin, Vladislav Namestnikov, Nikita Kucherov, Cedric Paquette, Ben Bishop, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Andrej Sustrwill all be hitting the end of their contracts in the next two years. That’s a lot of good players who were instrumental in getting the Bolts to the finals last season. Yzerman and company might have to choose who is expendable and who is not. And let’s be realistic, Stamkos would bring in an incredible haul of players in a trade.
–Spreading the wealth: The Lightning have a total of 8 players, including 2 defensemen, who have at least 20 points this season. In surprising fashion, Nikita Kucherov is currently leading the team in points: 45. He is also leading the team in goals, tied with Stamkos, with 21. Cedric Paquette had shown some promise last season with a good showing in 64 games in the regular season, scoring 12 goals in his rookie campaign. He has not lived up to the hopeful billing, with only 2 goals and 2 assists this season.
·         Boston Bruins
o   62 Points Overall
o   4th place in Atlantic Division
o   7th place in Eastern Conference
o   11th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 157
o   Goals Against: 147
–Feeling the loss of Lucic? : Not necessarily. Of course, Milan Lucic is a clog in any offense you put him in. He is one of the prime Power Forwards in the game. However, the Bruins do not seem to be feeling the loss offensively. Matt Beleskey has been a pleasant acquisition, garnering in 26 points on the year. His offensive prowess at the end of his stint in Anaheim lead Boston to believe he would have a bigger impact than he has been, but he is by no means a misfire. No surprise, Patrice Bergeron has paced the offense, with Loui Eriksson, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand close behind. Ryan Spooner has really lived up to his second round draft pick status with a career year, currently with 38 points.
–Fountain of Youth:  A necessity when a team needs to reload, rather than rebuild. David Pastrnak had a 22 game tryout with the Bruins, scoring an impressive 12 points. It was decided that his time had not come, and was loaned to the Czech Republic World Junior Roster. Frank Vatrano will also get his chance in due time. He had a 30 game stint with the pro club, scoring 6 goals and notching 1 assist.  
–Still Tuukka Time? : Tuukka Rask has been the workhorse ever since Tim Thomas took his year off from hockey (from which he never really returned). Rask has been in the upper echelon of netminders ever since. However, he has not appeared to be in familiar form this season. He is only three games above .500, with 19 wins and 16 losses. Jonas Gustavsson has been a nice backup with a 9-3-1 record. However, he has not carried the same responsibilities as Rask. Rask needs a much better end to the season than beginning, because as stated above, 7th place in the Eastern Conference is not a very comfortable place to be in the playoff race.
·         Montreal Canadiens
o   58 Points Overall
o   5rd place in Atlantic Division
o   10th place in Eastern Conference
o   18th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 151
o   Goals Against: 146
–Time can be cruel: At one point this season, the Montreal Canadiens were #1 in the league. By a considerable margin at that. Michel Therrien has led the Habs to the playoffs during the entire three years of his most previous tenure at the helm, dating back to 2012-13. However, he now finds his team giving up a record start of the season. Dating back to November 28th, Montreal has lost 22 of their 31 games.
–The Price is Wrong:  In my mind, the Canadiens have the best goaltender in the world in Carey Price. They just don’t have Carey Price, for the time being that is. He has only appeared in 12 games and has been cursed with a plague of injuries this season. Mike Condon has carried the load ever since, with occasional help from Ben Scrivens, but as their record shows, Montreal is reeling with Price in net.  
–Offensive Defense: I don’t really know if it’s a good thing that the leading scorer is a defenseman. Being that it’s PK Subban, it’s not all that surprising, it’s just a little off-putting for Therrien and the Habs fans. Of his 43 points, 5 of them are goals. Part of the problem with the recent decline of the Canadiens is their scoring. Their leading scorer has 20 goals (Max Pacioretty), and the next closest is Brendan Gallagher, who has 14 goals. Need I remind you, due to injury, Gallagher has only played 38 of Montreal’s 55 games? If they have any intentions of getting back within playoff position, they need to get more offensive production from David Desharnais, Tomas Fleischmann, and Lars Eller.
·         Ottawa Senators
o   56 Points Overall
o   6th place in Atlantic Division
o   13th place in Eastern Conference
o   23rd place in NHL
o   Goals For: 161
o   Goals Against: 177
–Was it really necessary? : Reeling in Dion Phaneuf definitely put the Senators in the national spotlight. In my mind, I don’t think it was the best move to make. They are well within range of a wildcard playoff spot at this point in the season, trailing by 5 points in the standings. However, they do have a number of teams to compete against for the position. I understand it in the sense of bringing in a seasoned veteran, and former captain, being able to mentor a budding (or perhaps already budded) current captain Erik Karlsson. But there is no viable reason for bringing in a past-his-prime Phaneuf in order to help the team reach a playoff spot. There is a reason that Maple Leaf fans celebrated when news of the trade broke. I just see that the Sens gave up much more than they’re getting.
–More Offensive Defensemen:  The aforementioned Subban is not alone in the category of offensive defensemen. Erik Karlsson is more than capable of putting points on the board. He is well ahead of the pack in the lead for most assists in the league at 51 total. It is probably why both the Canadiens and Senators are currently out of the playoff picture: their leading scorers are defensemen.  
–Clean Bill of Health: The top 10 points leaders for the Ottawa Senators have all played in more than 50 games, with the exception of Cody Ceci, who sits at 49 games played. Andrew Hammond has not been able to live up to last years all star status. He has only appeared in 13 games with a 3-6-2 record. Craig Anderson is going to have to haul a big load to get the Senators back into having realistic playoff hopes.
·         Buffalo Sabres
o   48 Points Overall
o   7th place in Atlantic Division
o   15th place in Eastern Conference
o   29th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 126
o   Goals Against: 155
–Disappointing to say the least: With Dan Bylsma at the helm, the Sabres were excited to bring in a coach with a winning past. It has yet to translate to on ice success for the Sabres, with a painful record of 21-28-6.  
–Plenty of Reason for Optimism:  They have plenty of tools to be competitive in the league for years to come. Jack Eichel will be the centerpiece undoubtedly. They have an enviable young defensive core with Rasmus Ristolainen, Cody Franson, Jake McCabe, and Zach Bogosian. They will be set for the foreseeable future once things get started for them.  
–Obvious Problem: They need to figure out the goalie situation. Chad Johnson and Linus Ullmark have been a 1A and 1B of sorts. However, I can’t see either of them being the answer for the Sabres. They need to consistency that Ryan Miller provided years ago.
·         Toronto Maple Leafs
o   47 Points Overall
o   8th place in Atlantic Division
o   16th place in Eastern Conference
o   30th place in NHL
o   Goals For: 127
o   Goals Against: 154

–Right Coach, Wrong Players: Mike Babcock is a great coach. What made his great in Detroit? Guys like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Lidstrom. No big deal. You can say what you want about Babcock, but Toronto doesn’t have a Datsyuk, Zetterberg, or Lidstrom. He doesn’t have the pieces of the puzzle as his dispense.
–To Insult from Injury:  The Leafs lost perhaps their best player in James Van Riemsdyk to a longtime injury. They recently had players like Tyler Bozak, Joffrey Lupul, and Shawn Matthias.  

–The One Thing they are Winning? :The Dion Phaneuf trade. Why? It gives the Leafs a chance to go after Steven Stamkos in the offseason. As Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello stated, the Phaneuf trade “certainly wasn’t for today” which means there are things to come for the Leafs in the future. 

Players Most Likely to be Traded Before the Trade Deadline

Keith Yandle, New York Rangers – Just one year after being traded to the big apple, Yandle may be on the move again. The offensive defenseman has been in Coach Alain Vigneault’s doghouse for much of the season and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Since it is unlikely he will re-sign with New York, the team may look to trade him and get something in return. A recent concussion to fellow defenseman and team captain Ryan McDonagh may cause the team to hesitate if the injury will keep him out for an extended period.

Dan Hamhuis, Vancouver Canucks – Another veteran defenseman on the market is Hamhuis, who recently returned after missing almost 2 months of action with a serious facial injury. The Canucks are trying to make a playoff push, but it seems clear to most that it is time for the team to rebuild. Hamhuis, a reliable top four defenseman, should fetch a nice price from a team looking for blue line help.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton Oilers – Edmonton has been able to stockpile a plethora of  young, talented forwards due to having the top overall draft pick in four out of the last six years. Even with that talent though, they find themselves near the bottom of the standings once again. 2011’s number one pick has been very productive at the professional level, but may be looking for a new home if the team tries to help their struggling defense. Another team could be willing to part with a top young defenseman to get him.

Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes – Staal is one of the biggest names that could potentially move in the coming weeks. He has been a potent scorer for much of his career, averaging .86 points per game, but he has been trending down this season at age 31. Carolina’s captain will be a free agent this summer and the team will likely go in a different direction to rebuild the squad. Staal does have a no-trade clause though, so it would have to be a destination that makes sense for him as well before being traded.

Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning – This one may be more of a fantasy hockey GM dream, but there is a possibility that the captain of the reigning Eastern conference champions could be available. The 26 year old offensive juggernaut will be a free agent this summer, and the team has not been able to work out a long term extension. If no deal is in place by the trade deadline, the Lightning will have to consider moving Stamkos to avoid losing him for nothing. Odds are the team will find a way to keep him, but the immense potential trade return could be tempting.

Martin Brodeur

Tuesday night at the Prudential Center in New Jersey featured a raucous crowd who at one point stood and cheered for nearly two minutes without stopping. It wasn’t for their Devils though, or at least not all of them. The crowd was giving a standing ovation for hometown hero, goalie Martin Brodeur. After a stunning 24-year career, 21 of which were with the Devils, Brodeur has retired and New Jersey retired his number, 30, along with him.

Widely regarding as one of the greatest netkeepers to ever take the ice, Brodeur’s list of accomplishments reads like a set of wishes for any star-eyed middle school kid with a pair of skates and a stick. Three Stanley Cups, five Eastern Conference titles, 17 post-season campaigns, two Olympic Gold Medals, and lives as the only NHL goalie with eight 40-win seasons. Four-time Vezina Trophy winner, five-time Jennings Trophy winner, a Calder Memorial Trophy winner, and a 10-time NHL all-star, Brodeur almost singlehandedly changed the Devils’ from a “Mickey Mouse organization”, as Gretzky once called them, to Stanley Cup Champions.

It was fitting, therefore, that his number be retired in appreciation for his impact, not only on New Jersey, but the game itself. Brodeur’s impact went beyond his league records for wins, shutouts, playoff shutouts, and games played. Many speculate that in 2005 the new rule preventing goaltenders from playing the puck behind the goal line, save for a small space behind the net, was implemented specifically because of Brodeur. His abilities to handle the puck were so famous the rule was even nicknamed “The Brodeur Rule”.

Tuesday night’s crowd wanted to make sure their favorite tender knew how they felt and the standing ovation was so loud and long that Brodeur was prevented from giving his speech. Eventually the throng allowed him to speak and Brodeur expressed gratitude towards teammates, coaches, and, of course, the fans saying, “This is as good as it gets.” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman complimented Brodeur by calling him “the greatest goaltender in the history of this franchise, if not the history of this sport.”

Standing with his family in the crease Brodeur watched as his number and years with the team were raised high into the air. With a final wave of his goal tending stick Brodeur left the arena.


 The 43-year old goes back to work as the Assistant General Manager for the St. Louis Blues but surely his heart will always be right there where it belongs, with the New Jersey Devils.

Dion Phaneuf: Getting Back to What He Does Best

In Calgary, Canada NHL hockey is now a major part of Calgarians lives. It was not always so and Dion Phaneuf was a big reason for that transition.
Calgarians can remember the days of rebuilding their team in the 1990’s and 2000’s in which the players were ostensibly referred to as the “Young Guns”. While that sentiment was good for the newspapers, the seats at the Saddledome remained mostly empty.  There was future-Hall-of-Famer Jarome Iginla and then there was the rest of the team. Slowly the building blocks of a great team started to come together and one of those blocks was a young Red Deer Rebel’s defenseman named Dion Phaneuf.
Dion Phaneuf was exactly what the city of Calgary needed to re-energized its love for hockey. He had a hard hitting style (and I mean HARD HITTING) that would shake the plexiglass in the Saddledome for years to come. He had a career high 60 points in the 2007-2008 season. He finished his rookie season by being named a Calder Trophy finalist behind two fairly mediocre and non-talented players named Sidney Crosby and eventual winner Alex Ovechkin.
He was beloved in Calgary for his scoring, his defence and putting opponents into the glass, but not so much for his off-ice attitude.
It was rumoured that his demeanour in the locker room left something to be desired from his teammates, yet his prolific scoring and bone crunching hits made him a fan favourite. His off-ice demeanour got him traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs when he was arguably at the peak of his career in Calgary and now the same reasons have been got him traded to the Ottawa Senators. That, and the fact that his huge salary cap hit is now off the books it looks like the Maple Leafs will now use that gap to try to get Steven Stamkos.
Dion Phaneuf is a great defenseman who has an amazing workout regimen and can be a leader in the locker room but he should not have been made the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs; arguably the toughest job in the NHL. The media and the pressure of being the face of the most watched and most scrutinized hockey market in the world makes it infinitely harder to be the player you need him to be. When he was in Calgary and not in the white-hot Toronto spotlight, he played the best hockey of his career. He was fun to watch. He body-checked everyone. He blasted shots on the power play.  Players couldn’t get around him. Now that he doesn’t have the enormous burden of being Toronto’s captain, he should revert back to the great player he is, the player that should push the Ottawa Senators into the playoffs and form one of the best defences in the league alongside Erik Karlsson.
The best thing about this trade is that Dion Phaneuf has the pressure of the Toronto hockey world off his shoulders. To all the other players in the NHL, watch out. It should be fun to watch, just like in the good old days in Calgary.

NHL All-Star weekend stirred mild controversies

As far as professional all-star games go, the NHL affair is typically non-eventful since it isn’t really competitive when compared to the NBA and Major League Baseball. The main reason for this is because the physical aspect of the sport is absent as nobody wants to suffer an injury. NHL stars usually engage in a game of pond hockey and rack up the score on the poor goaltenders. However, the recent 2015/16 all-star encounter in Nashville proved to be somewhat different as it created a controversy or two.
For starters, the NHL drastically changed the game’s format from the regular five-on-five contest to a three-on-three tournament. Each of the league’s four divisions was represented by an 11-man team with each squad playing a 20-minute game. The two winners then met in the final with the victors being awarded a prize of a million dollars. In case you missed it, The Pacific Division edged the Atlantic 1-0 in the final. The million dollars was controversial in itself since many fans felt it should have been donated to a charity of the winning team’s choice.  
The new format had many purists up in arms since they believe three-on-three hockey is nothing but a novelty or farce and even some of the players appeared to agree with them. The NHL needed to do something to spice up the all-star event though as fans were getting a little bored with the high-scoring shinny games of the past such as last year’s 17-12 result. And what better way to do liven things up than changing to a three-on-three format, which is the same thing the league has done for overtime games this season.
Another ongoing controversy leading up to the game was the inclusion of enforcer John Scott. The NHL allowed fans to vote in the captain of each team and to the league’s dismay, Scott was elected as the skipper of the Pacific Division while he was still a member of the Arizona Coyotes. Now fans either took advantage of this situation to show the NHL it was a flawed system or they figured they’d just vote for Scott as a joke. Either way, he was nominated to the squad and the league was left with egg on its face.
The NHL tried to persuade Scott from playing the game and suggested he show up for the weekend with his family, but simply not dress for the tournament. Scott’s own team even tried to make things difficult for the six-foot-eight forward by placing him on Waivers on December 18th. Arizona felt one of its young stars such as Max Domi or Oliver Ekman-Larsson would be a better representative in Nashville.  Scott was then traded to the Montreal Canadiens on January 15th and sent directly down to the St. John’s IceCaps of the American Hockey League.  
This was another move which the NHL hoped would change Scott’s mind about attending the all-star contest, but it also failed. In the end, there was a fairytale ending for Scott as the career five-goal scorer netted a pair of goals and added an assist in the all-star tournament to help lead his team to victory. The fans also got their way again as they voted the 33-year-old the most valuable player and Scott took home a brand new Honda SUV as his reward.
But perhaps the most controversial event during the all-star weekend took place a day earlier during the skills competition. Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings set a new speed record after skating a lap around the rink in 13.172 seconds to break the previous mark of 13.386 seconds set by a 36-year-old Mike Gartner back in 1996. However, many fans believe the 19-year-old rookie Larkin received a decided advantage since he a started his lap at the blue line and was as at full speed when the stop watch began when he reached centre ice. Gartner’s lap started from a standing-still position at centre ice.
In addition,  it’s debatable whether or not the nets were moved forward further this year during the skating event, which made for a slightly shorter lap. Fans can judge for themselves by watching footage of both Gartner and Larkin as the skate their respective laps.  

The NHL Playoffs’ New Anthem May Be “No Canada

In 1969 a man named Gary Starkweather invented the laser printer. 1969 was the year the first Porsche 914s were ever produced. A band known as The Beatles released a little album called “Yellow Submarine” that same year as well. 1969 was also the last time the NHL playoffs happened without a Canadian team, something that is beginning to look more and more likely as the 2015-16 season unfolds.
Going into the All-Star break not one of the NHL’s seven Canadian teams held a play-off berth. In the Eastern Conference the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators were each at 52 points, putting them 3 away from playoff contention. The Toronto Maple Leafs lie 12 back with 43 points and a much harder task ahead of them if they plan to make a playoff spot.
In the Western Conference Winnipeg holds last place in the Central while Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton sit at the bottom three positions. The Canucks hold the top position for any Canadian team, sitting only five points out of contention but if the playoffs happened today it would be the first time in 36 years we’d have an All-American line-up.
Couple those sobering statistics with the fact that Canada hasn’t been home to the Stanley Cup for 21 years and there’s obviously cause for concern for hockey fans in the Great White North.
Blame is placed in several places. The falling Canadian dollar has put a tremendous amount of economic pressure on the league, the franchises, and the players. TV rights deals that were made when the “loonie” was near or on par with US dollar are now worth significantly less, which reduces the overall HRR or Hockey Related Revenues. If the HRR drops the players feel it in their salaries. All of which combines to mean tougher choices moving forward and tightening the belt becomes the norm. Not a great place to be with playoff hopes in mind.
Some attribute this year’s playoff drought to bad timing. With teams like the Oilers and the Maple Leafs undergoing significant changes in their organizations it’s no surprise they’ll need a few seasons to rebuild. Vancouver is trying to move quickly under second year GM, Jim Benning, and the Flames are in the midst of rebuilding their roster as well. It’s just a bad luck season for the Canadians right? Still others place the blame squarely on management making poor financial decisions and even poorer roster choices.
Whatever the reason the fact remains that this season represents a low point for Canada’s national pastime. All is not lost, however. There are still roughly 30 games left to be played and as fans everywhere know, a lot can happen in 30 games. Heck, maybe by the end of the season I’ll be driving a new Porsche 914 listening to Yellow Submarine.