Category: Ian Palmer

Alternating goalies in the playoffs rarely results in Stanley Cup

The last time an NHL team won the Stanley Cup by splitting their goaltending duties during the playoffs was 44 years ago. However, with 21 different netminders being used by the 16 clubs during the first round of the 2015/16 postseason, this streak may soon come to an end. While some teams may go with goaltending tandems during the regular season, most of them stick with the goaltender who has the hot hand during the playoffs. Both the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks went with a successful two-goaltender system this season though and have had to use both goalies so far in the playoffs.

Dallas won the Western Conference and the Central Division this season by playing Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi in while Anaheim won the Pacific Division with John Gibson and Frederik Andersen sharing the crease. In fact, Anaheim’s duo won the Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals against in the league at 192. Anderson posted a record of 22-9-7 along with a 2.30 goals-against average and a 91.9 save percentage. Gibson went 21-13-4 with a goals-against average of 2.07 and a save percentage of 92.0.

Gibson started the playoffs in net, but after losing the first two games at home to the Nashville Predators, coach Bruce Boudreau has replaced him with Andersen and the Ducks have bounced back with three straight wins. Dallas also had the option of two fine netminders who both won 25 games each this year. Lehtonen went 25-10-2 with a 2.76 goals-against average and a 90.6 save percentage while Niemi was 25-13-7 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a 90.5 save percentage. Stars’ coach Lindy Ruff found himself in the same boat as Boudreau as he’s switched between goalies after they each suffered a loss.

The Detroit Red Wings used two goalies in their five-game defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the same reason. Veteran Jimmy Howard started the series, but was benched in favour of youngster Petr Mrazek after dropping the first two games on the road. But in all three of these instances, the goaltending duties were split as a way to spark the respective teams. The coaches felt a change was necessary before it was too late. The Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers have also used two goalies so far in the postseason, but this was because the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist was injured and then played poorly and Pittsburgh also ran into injury problems.

Very rarely do you see a head coach change goaltenders during the playoffs these days when his team is winning because they don’t want to tinker with success. This wasn’t always the case though as the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 1971/72 when coach Tom Johnson split the duties between veterans Gerry Cheevers and Eddie Johnston. Playoff tandems were also common in the 1980s as Chico Resch and Billy Smith often alternated in net for the New York Islanders. However, the team didn’t start winning Stanley Cups until Smith was handed the number-one job.

In the past 26 years, just seven clubs have reached the Conference Finals by alternating goalies in the playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers were the last to do it when they made it as far as the Stanley Cup Final in 2009/10 by starting Michael Leighton 14 times and Brian Boucher 12 times. It didn’t work in the Final though as Chicago won the cup in six games. History has shown that teams which stick with a designated goalie, win or lose, have been the most successful in the playoffs.

Records show that just six teams have managed to win the Stanley Cup while playing more than one goalie on a regular basis in the playoffs. These were the New York Rangers in 1927/28, the Detroit Red Wings in 1936/37, the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1950/51, and the Montreal Canadiens in each of the 1952/53, 1964/65 and 1968/69 seasons. If a team does hoist the cup this year by using more than one goalie, it’ll likely be because of injury problems or poor play by one of the netminders rather than by design.

Do high Canadian taxes scare off NHL free agents?

Even though NHL contracts are paid in American dollars, Canadian teams are generally at a disadvantage when trying to attract big-name players due to the country’s high tax rates. The rate of tax players pay on their earnings varies greatly throughout the league depending on where they’re located. Those who believe money is the bottom line when it comes to contract time may be willing to take less cash in some cities because a lower tax rate means they’ll actually take home a bigger chunk of their pay.

A prime example is the case of forward Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Stamkos is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and is bound to have several suitors. However, if he’s just interested in making as much money as possible he’s probably better off staying where he is and signing a smaller contract. The reason for this is because there’s no state income tax in Florida. The Lightning has reportedly offered Stamkos a deal worth $8.5-million a season for eight years and he didn’t appear too interested in it.

As usual, the media in Toronto is getting involved in the situation by claiming Stamkos will sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs for no other reason than the fact that he hails from nearby Markham. But the Leafs would have to offer him more than $10 million per season just to equal Tampa’s offer of $8.5 million. Players who skate for Ontario-based teams Toronto and the Ottawa Senators are taxed at a rate of 53.53 percent by the Canadian government as are any other residents who are paid more than $220,000 per year.

If Stamkos stays in Tampa or signs with the neighbouring Florida Panthers for $8.5 million, he’d take home $4.6 million dollars a year after agent fees and federal taxes. However, in Ontario he’d keep just $4.3 million on a $10 million annual contract. The Leafs and Senators would have to dish out approximately $2 million more per year for Stamkos to take home the same amount of money as he does in Florida. On a seven year contract, this would see an Ontario based team paying out an extra $14 million, which could be a crucial amount due to the league’s salary cap rules.

Ontario teams are at the greatest disadvantage in the league and Canada it comes to money-hungry free agents. Players in Quebec are subject to a tax rate of 53.31 per cent, while those in Winnipeg fork over 50.4 per cent. Players on Alberta teams Edmonton and Calgary are taxed 48 per cent and those in British Vancouver pay 47.7 per cent. The tax rates in Ontario and Quebec are higher than any of the 50 American states and fans will notice that most NHL stars who become free agents tend to sign with U.S. teams.

Most Canadian clubs were at an advantage before the salary cap was introduced in 2005 since they could spend as much as they pleased on free agent contracts. This was easy to do since the majority of Canadian teams sold out their rinks night after night and were among the league’s top revenue earners. Things are tighter with the salary cap in place though and if Canadian franchises need to spend more money on big-name free agents it obviously means they have less to offer the remaining players on their rosters.

Players on the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators are also lucky enough to pay no state income tax and can sign for less money in these locations and still earn more. If two clubs are offering the same amount of money to a free agent there’s a good chance he’ll sign with the team that has a lower tax rate. There’s also an added bonus since the current exchange rate sees the American dollar worth roughly 30 per cent more than its Canadian counterpart. As soon as players cross the border or return home to Canada for the summer their wallets swell. Therefore, the more money they keep the better. This isn’t to say that all American-based NHL players pay little to no tax as California’s combined rate is 52.9 per cent, while Minnesota’s is 49.45 per cent, New Jersey’s is 48.57 per cent, Washington, D.C. pays 48.55 per cent and New York’s rate is 48.42 per cent.

As you can see these figures are higher than Alberta and British Columbia. But while American players may not be required to pay state tax, they still need to pay federal taxes with the lowest rates in the league being Florida and Texas at 39.6 per cent. In addition, the top tax rates in many states applied to a higher income level than in Canadian provinces. For example, people making over $220,000 in Ontario pay the highest rate while you need to earn more than $1 million in California to be hit with the most tax.

Not all free agents base their decisions on the almighty dollar though. Some of them are more interested in the city they’ll be living in as well as the quality of the team on the ice and what their role with the club will be. But whatever reason a free agent has for signing with a team, the higher taxes aren’t doing the Canadian based clubs any favours.

How to stop NHL teams from tanking

The Toronto Maple Leafs finally led the NHL in something for the first time since the 1966/67 season. Unfortunately, it was for tanking. If you’re not familiar with the term, tanking basically means losing games on purpose so a team can finish as low as possible in the standings. It’s not just confined to the NHL as it also happens on occasion in the NBA, but it’s starting to become a huge embarrassment to the world’s best hockey league. This is because several clubs were obviously trying to sink down the table this season in order to obtain better odds of acquiring the number-one draft pick.

It’s become so bad that fans have openly cheered when their teams have lost and the media in many cities has jumped on the losing bandwagon. It all seems ridiculous though when you consider the Edmonton Oilers have drafted first overall four times in the past six seasons and the franchise is still one of the worst in the league. If Maple Leafs’ supporters believe that picking Auston Matthews first overall this June will suddenly turn the franchise around they’re in for a big shock. One youngster isn’t going to make this club an on-ice winner, especially by playing about 18 minutes a night.

Also, considering the Leafs have perfected the art of losing over the past half century, there’s an 80-per cent chance they’re not going to win the lottery and pick first anyway. There’s no arguing that somebody has to finish last in the 30-team NHL, but something needs to be done to stop clubs from “competing” for the basement. There have been a few interesting suggestions to stop tanking from becoming an epidemic, but only a couple of them appear to be realistic.

Many fans feel the league should hold some sort of playoff contest between the team’s worst teams with the winner earning the top draft pick. However, it’s going to be hard to organize and players who are on expiring contracts aren’t going to be motivated, especially when they could be inured. Another suggestion is to count up the number of points a team earns during the regular season once they’ve been mathematically eliminated from reaching the playoffs.

This solution is also flawed though since teams don’t all miss the postseason at the same time. Some clubs are out of the race with as many as 20 games to go while others may not be eliminated until the last weekend. A team that is eliminated earlier in the season has a much better chance of earning points by putting in an effort once they’ve officially missed the postseason. In addition, a franchise which realizes it has no chance of making the playoffs at the beginning of the season can simply tank earlier. If the team is out of the playoffs before everybody else it has an unfair advantage and opportunity to earn more points over the remainder of the season.

The basic idea of playing for points could lead to an ideal anti-tanking solution though. The best method would be to add up the total points that all 14 non-playoff teams earn during the last 20 games of the season. This puts all teams on equal footing and instead of trying to lose games due to a lack of effort, the opposite would need to take place. If the Leafs happened to play the Oilers in game 82 this season it wouldn’t be a meaningless match with both teams and their fans hoping for a loss. It would lead to a contest in which both franchises desperately need a victory to receive a higher draft pick.  

This scenario makes the final 20 games of the season must-win outings for all of the league’s teams regardless of their position in the standings. Clubs in the playoff race would obviously need as many points as possible to keep their postseason positions while the bottom feeders would need the points to draft as high as possible. Tanking would then become obsolete. Of course, if all 30 NHL teams or the 14 that miss the playoffs had the same odds of winning the draft lottery it would also be a fair system, but this could also lead to meaningless games during the last quarter of the season. By counting points earned over the final 20 games it guarantees that all games will be meaningful.        

NHL playoffs to faceoff without a single Canadian team

No Canadian club has hoisted the Stanley Cup around an NHL rink since the Montreal Canadiens won the silverware back in the 1992/93 season. That winless streak will now last for at least another year as all seven Canadian-based teams have officially been knocked out of the playoff race. This is the first time the postseason will face off without at least one Canadian side since the 1969-70 campaign and it means an American franchise will win the cup for the 22nd straight year.

The last Canadian team with any hope of reaching the postseason was the Ottawa Senators. But even though they managed to down the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on March 30th they were knocked out of contention when the Philadelphia Flyers erased a 1-0 deficit to Washington with five minutes to play to beat them 2-1 in a shootout. Five Canadian clubs skated in the playoffs last season with the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs being the only two that missed out. The 2013/14 campaign wasn’t one to write home about either though as Montreal was the only team to play more than 82 games. And let’s not forget, there were only two Canadian sides in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 postseasons. 

The NHL consisted of just 12 clubs back in 1969/70 when all playoff teams were from American cities, but there were just two Canadian teams, Montreal and Toronto. There are now seven Canadian squads in the 30-team league with 16 of those clubs making the playoffs. When Montreal failed to reach the postseason back then it was considered big news since it was the first time in 22 years they had fallen short. Also, they had won 10 Stanley Cups during that 22-year period.


The Habs still had a shot at the postseason when taking to the ice for their season finale though. The New York Rangers had already beaten the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 9-5 earlier that day with New York needing at last five goals to keep their chances alive. The final score infuriated Canadiens’ fans since Detroit had already made the playoffs and they felt the Wings had thrown the game. This meant Montreal could still reach the postseason with a win or tie in Chicago. In fact, they could even afford to lose as long as they scored five goals.

Needless to say, the Habs failed in their quest, but did give it a determined effort. Chicago had a 3-2 lead entering the third period, but extended it to 5-2 with just over nine minutes remaining in the game. Montreal coach Claude Ruel figured a win or tie were out of the question so decided to pull goalie Rogatien Vachon as often as he could for the remainder of the contest in order to score three more goals. That didn’t work either though as the Hawks skated away with a 10-2 victory courtesy of five empty-net goals. The Rangers advanced to the playoffs that season as they tied Montreal for fourth place on points, but scored more goals than the Habs.

There will still be plenty of Canadian players for hardcore fans north of the border to cheer for this postseason on the 16 American teams. The Canadian franchises will take a hit to the wallet though since they’ll be missing out on revenue such as ticket, merchandise, and concession-stand sales. Canadian television broadcasters will also be sweating especially Rogers Sportsnet, who have a multi-billion dollar deal in place to show the NHL playoffs. The postseason will go as usual, but it may be a bit difficult to pull in high ratings at least seven of Canada’s major cities this year.   

It’s time to change the NHL’s draft lottery rules

The 2016 NHL Entry Draft will have a slightly different look to it this June as the league will be introducing a lottery system for the top three picks rather than just the number-one selection. The idea is to stop teams from tanking and finishing as low as possible to receive better odds at the top pick. But while the chances of gaining that first pick have been reduced from last year, the fact remains that the last-place team in the league still has the best odds in the lottery. Therefore, several clubs are still hoping to end the season in 30thplace in the 30-team league rather than 29th or 28th etc.

It appears the only way to stop the tanking will be to ensure that all non-playoff teams are given the same odds at winning the lottery. This year’s system means the last-place team may draft as low as fourth whereas they were guaranteed a top-two pick last year. In fact, the last-place team this season may have better odds at getting the fourth pick instead of first, but the club still has the best shot at number one. This still gives NHL franchises an incentive to finish as low as possible in the standings once they realize they’re not going to the postseason. This puts general managers in a conflicting position since their job is to improve the team through the draft and the best way to achieve that goal is to lose games.

Once the season heads into the final stretch teams could see their lottery chances take a hit if they win a few games and climb the standings. Some fans feel they’re actually being punished by racking up points. Perhaps the NHL should freeze the draft lottery standings earlier in the season when most teams are still trying their best to reach the playoffs instead of purposely trying to finish as low as possible. One suggestion has been for the league to rank the teams and announce the lottery winner at the trade deadline. This year’s lottery winner for the top pick won’t be announced until April 30th, a few weeks after the 2015/16 campaign has ended.

Once the lottery winners have been announced there will be no reason for clubs to ice weakened teams and attempt to slide down the standings. There will be no incentive or reward for this and fans may see weaker teams suddenly give it their all in a late push for a playoff spot. The NHL could also even the playing field somewhat by altering the rules of the draft lottery. For example, the current system allows the same team to win the lottery year after year. This makes it hard for fans to believe the lottery is purely random when the same club has been fortunate enough to win it several times.

The Edmonton Oilers have selected first overall four times in the last six years and could make it five for seven this summer. Many fans would like to see rules introduced which would exclude a lottery winner from taking part in the process for a period of three to five years. For instance, if the Maple Leafs should happen to choose first overall in 2016 they wouldn’t get another shot at it again until 2020. The current system enables the same club to continue to stock up on star prospects while the rest of the league sits idly by.

If this continues, fans in the majority of cities may never see their team land a bright young franchise player. This is especially disappointing for clubs that could use a high-profile draft pick such as Conor McGregor or Auston Matthews to help their sagging attendance base. The draft should still help teams which finish near the bottom of the league, but these clubs should be given only so many chances to improve their rosters. It’s obvious the Oilers haven’t gotten any better with so many top draft choices so perhaps it’s time the league gives somebody else the opportunity to improve their squad with the top pick.

NHL in danger of overdoing outdoor hockey games

The NHL held its first official outdoor regular-season hockey game back in 2003 when the Montreal Canadiens faced off against the Edmonton Oilers. The event was held at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium and dubbed the Heritage Classic. Most fans believed it was a one-off, unique affair, but the league is still holding outdoor games 13 years later and has four more scheduled for 2016/17. Not everybody is enamored with these games though as some critics feel the NHL is simply overdoing it by now holding several of them each year.

The 2003 event was a huge success as it attracted 57,167 fans and led to the annual outdoor game known as the Winter Classic, which is typically held in a U.S. city on New Year’s Day. However, many fans may not realize that the roots of these outdoor fixtures can be traced as far back as 1954 when the Detroit Red Wings took on a team of prisoners at Marquette Branch Prison in Michigan. There were no fans at this match though as an open-air rink was created and then fenced in for the game.

Two years later, the Boston Bruins headed to Bay Roberts, Newfoundland and played a series of short outdoor games against four local squads on the same day just for the fun of it. It wasn’t until 35 years later that the NHL ventured outdoors once again. This occurred when the New York Rangers took on the Los Angeles Kings in a September, 1991 pre-season outing at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with 14,000 fans on hand. It was the first NHL-sanctioned game to take place outside and once the league realized if it could hold a game in Las Vegas with the temperature reaching 27 °C then it could basically hold one anywhere.

It took the league 22 years to introduce the Heritage Classic though. Since then, outdoor games have become a common thread with the league and they’ve helped it set new attendance records on a regular basis. The 2008 Winter Classic in Buffalo drew 71,217 spectators to shatter the 2003 mark and that record was smashed in 2014 when the Toronto Maple Leafs visited Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor and faced the Red Wings in front of 105,491 spectators.  

The NHL was actually given credit where it wasn’t due though as it was Jon Miller of NBC Sports who suggested in 2005 that the league hold an annual game which would be televised by his network. Three years later the annual Winter Classic was born and in 2013 the NHL Stadium Series was introduced. The busiest season for outdoor games was 2013/14 when six contests were held. These consisted of four Stadium Series matches along with a Heritage Classic and Winter Classic event.

Up to now, 19 of league’s 30 clubs have been involved in a total of 15 regular-season outdoor games in 13 different North American cities. New York and Chicago have hosted two events each and seven teams have played in more than one contest with Chicago, Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers each appearing in three. The NHL has announced games in Toronto, Winnipeg, St. Louis and Pittsburgh for next season, which happens to be the league’s 100th anniversary. It will also be the Maple Leafs’ 100th birthday while St. Louis, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia will be celebrating their 50th year in the league.

Some fans are getting a little bored with the games though as they often feature the same teams. They’re disappointed that the newly-created Centennial Classic in Toronto next year will once again feature the Red Wings taking on the Leafs. In addition, the NHL has scheduled this game for January 1st with the Chicago vs St. Louis tilt taking place the very next day. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman points out that outdoor games still draw huge crowds. And that may be so, but the novelty has worn off on the casual TV viewer. This year’s Winter Classic saw Boston host Montreal at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts with the television ratings being the lowest ever for the annual event at just 1.6 with the highest number of  viewers being 2.78 million.

Typical ratings for the game range from 2.2 to 2.5, but they’ve dipped under 2.0 for the past two seasons. It appears many hockey fans across the continent are losing interest in the concept since there are now several outdoor games to choose from each year. If the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day was the one and only outdoor event held each season it may once again become something special with casual fans.

Is the NHL as squeaky clean as its drug-testing failures indicate?

As far as major league sports go, the NHL is considered to be pretty clean when it comes to the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). In fact, just five players have been banned under the league and players’ association drug policy in the past 10 years. Two of those suspensions have been handed down this season though as 24-year-old defenceman Jarred Tinordi of the Arizona Coyotes was just hit with a 20-game ban on March 11th after failing a drug test. Shawn Horcoff of the Anaheim Ducks received the same punishment earlier this campaign while other players suspended in the past were Zenon Konopka, Sean Hill and Carter Ashton.

But some people feel the NHL isn’t as clean as its image suggests and the drug-testing system is too lax. There are approximately 800 NHL players on the ice during any given season with the average salary being about U.S. $2.6 million. Major League Baseball has suspended a minimum of 35 players since 2007 and the NFL claims that well over 100 players have failed tests. On the other hand, the NBA is also relatively clean with just eight players being banned. This leads many fans to believe the NHL is more or less squeaky clean in regards to illegal substance use. While MLB has suspended star players over the years such as Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, those failing drug tests in the NHL have been fringe or journeymen players.

It’s possible that fourth-line NHL players are worried about losing their jobs and are trying to get an edge on their competition by taking PEDs. On the other hand, MLB stars are accused of cheating as a way to earn bigger contracts and get their names in the record books. Most NHL’ers who fail drug tests claim they didn’t knowingly take illegal drugs, but do admit they were given a list of all banned substances and are responsible for what they put into their bodies.

These players then release statements apologizing to their clubs, teammates, families and fans. They sit out 20 games and forfeiting the salary for those contests and then get on with their careers. The mandatory punishment for a first-time offender in the NHL is 20 games, which equates to about a quarter of a season while MLB hands out an 80-game ban, which is close to half a season and the NFL hands out a four-game ban for a first offence, which is also a quarter of a season.

The NHL and the players’ association agreed to a drug-testing program when they signed the last collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Drug tests can take place during the playoffs as well as the offseason to keep players on their toes. But critics point out there isn’t enough overall testing being done. Each team is tested just twice a year with the first test in training camp and the second taking place during the regular season. In addition, an individual player can be asked to take a random test during the regular and post seasons as long as it’s not on a game day.

During the offseason the NHL is allowed to test a maximum of just 60 players, which isn’t many considering the number of players in the league. The NFL performs approximately 14,000 tests per year. Also, NHL players tested in the offseason are given two-week’s notice beforehand. Since it’s not impossible to mask PED use, this gives an individual adequate amount of time to prepare. The actual testing is performed by a committee consisting of NHLPA and league representatives as well as a doctor nominated by each organization. However, under the current CBA, the league doesn’t test for HGH (Human Growth Hormone).

There are numerous hockey insiders and ex-players, such as Georges Laraque, who believe there is much more illegal-substance abuse going on in the NHL and there should be more testing. The NHL will have to wait for the next CBA to introduce more comprehensive tests though and the league recently announced it may consider adding cocaine and other recreational drugs to the banned-substance list. Currently, just one-third of NHL drug samples are tested for drugs such as cocaine. There have been several high-profile incidents of drug possession with NHL players over the past few years and this could be an effective way of reducing them. 

Why the Toronto Maple Leafs need to promote their top AHL prospects

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be hurting the development of their top young prospects if they don’t promote any of them from the Toronto Marlies AHL farm team this season. So far the Leafs have brought up players from the Marlies on an emergency injury basis to fill in when regulars have been sidelined and the majority of these have been journeymen such as Rich Clune and Bryan Froese. The Leafs do have some talented youngsters down the road at Ricoh Coliseum including forwards William Nylander and Connor Brown, but both were out of action at times this campaign with injuries.

The Leafs have been struggling as usual this season, but the Marlies have been a pleasant surprise and as of February 20thwere leading the North Division and the entire league with an impressive record of 39-9-4. The team’s 82 points gave them a 14-point lead on their closest rivals, the Atlantic Division-leading Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. The 19-year-old Nylander was one of the league’s top scorers before suffering a concussion at the World Junior Championships. Nylander posted 32 points in 37 games with the Marlies last season and the centre has 42 in 33 contests in 2015/16.

Brown is a 22-year-old right-winger who racked up 61 points in 76 contests with the Marlies last year and has 13 points in 17 outings this season after returning from injury. Nylander and Brown are seen as key figures in the Leafs’ future and there are some other fine prospects with the Marlies including Kasperi Kapanen, Tobias Lindberg, Brendan Leipsic, Nikita Shoshnikov, Josh Leivo, Jeremy Morin, Stuart Percy and T.J. Brennan. Leivo, Brennan and Percy have all played a handful of NHL contests, but when the Leafs have called up players from the AHL this season, they have been players who have already made their NHL debuts.

The only exceptions this season were goaltender Garrett Sparks; forward Leipsic and defenceman Viktor Loov. Sparks ended up recording a shutout in his first NHL outing and played a few games before he was injured. Leipsic scored in his debut and was then sent back to the Marlies and Loov earned an assist in his first game. All three layers were called up as emergency replacements though. If the Leafs hope to develop their youngsters they need to give them a taste of NHL life this season before it’s too late. Once the trade deadline passes on February 29, each club is allowed just four recalls until the end of the year.

Young prospects need to be given a few games in the NHL so they know what to expect next season. These players need to know what they’re up against when it comes to the speed, skill, strength, and experience of seasoned NHL veterans. They also need to get used to the travelling, practices and lifestyle. What better way to motivate a player than to give him a taste of the highlife before sending him back to ride the buses in the AHL? Once a youngster knows the first-class treatment he’ll receive in the NHL, he’ll work that much harder to make sure he makes it at soon as possible.   

If the Leafs don’t bring up any of their prospects this season they’ll be taking a step backwards by starting at square one in 2016/17. Everything will be new to them next campaign and they’ll have to get their feet wet, which will take time. These players need to know what to expect once training camp starts and they’ll hit the ice running if they already have a few NHL contests under their belt. 

By throwing several rookies on the ice next season with no NHL experience whatsoever will be a step backwards. The proper way to develop possible future stars is to let them experience it for themselves as it will motivate them to aim their goals higher.

The jinx of being a Toronto Maple Leafs’ captain

Perhaps being named the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. The position has more or less been a jinx on anybody wearing the C on their Leafs’ sweater since they last won the Stanley Cup about half a century ago. There have been nine captains in the club’s history since 1967 and not one of them retired from the team in that capacity. In fact, each and every captain since 1969 left town in controversial fashion.

Dave Keon 1969-1975
The last time the Leafs managed to hoist Lord Stanley’s silverware there were just six teams in the league. George Armstrong was the captain at the time, but his stint came to an end two years later when he handed over the position to Dave Keon. Although Keon had already helped his team capture four Stanley Cups, Harold Ballard, who was then the club’s owner, showed him a lack of respect in the media and the classy centre ended up jumping ship to the World Hockey Association in 1975. Keon never forgot the way he was treated by Ballard and only just recently ended his longtime feud with the organization.

Darryl Sittler 1975-1982
With Keon gone, the Leafs still had one of the NHL’s best players in centre Darryl Sittler and he took over as captain. The love affair between player and team turned sour though when Punch Imlach was brought in as general manager. Sittler and Imlach didn’t see eye to eye and Ballard sided with his GM in their public feud and went as far as calling Sittler a dressing-room cancer. Things came to a boil when Sittler’s line mate and best friend Lanny McDonald was traded to the Colorado Rockies just three days after Christmas in 1979. The captain then took the C off his sweater and announced that he was giving up the captaincy. Sittler and Ballard made up to a certain degree after Imlach was let go and he was  named captain again in 1980/81. He was fed up in Toronto though and agreed to waive his no-trade clause. He was traded to Philadelphia in early 1982 for a second-round draft pick and Rich Costello in one of the worst deals in NHL history. Sittler is now back with the Leafs in a good-will ambassador capacity.

Rick Vaive 1982-1986
In 1980 before Sittler was dealt, the Leafs traded forwards Tiger Williams and Jerry Butler to Vancouver for Rick Vaive and Bill Derlago in GM Punch Imlach’s best-ever move. Vaive became the franchises’ first 50-goal scorer and hit the mark three seasons in a row. He replaced Sittler as captain of the squad and held the position from 1982 until the 1985/86. He was then stripped of the C for missing a practice. Vaive was then traded to Chicago before the 1987/88 season faced off.

Rob Ramage 1989-1991
Luckily for superstitious players, the team went without a captain until defenceman Rob Ramage was traded to Toronto from Calgary in 1989. All-star defenceman Borje Salming was offered the position after Vaive was stripped, but claimed he was happy with just wearing an A on his sweater. Ramage found himself gone just two years later when the club left him unprotected in the 1991 expansion/dispersal draft. He ended up Minnesota and like Vaive, would later find himself in court over a drinking/driving charge after retiring. After Minnesota selected him, Ramage said it was definitely a blow to his pride to go from Leafs’ captain to being unprotected in a draft.

Wendel Clark 1991-1994
Former first-overall draft pick Wendel Clark became a fan favourite as a rookie back in 1985 and captained some pretty strong Leafs teams. He took over from Ramage as captain in 1991, but was then traded in his prime to the Quebec Nordiques in a 1994 deal which saw young Swedish star Mats Sundin join Toronto. Clark rejoined the Leafs in the 1995/96 campaign, but left Toronto again in 1998 when he signed with Tampa as a free agent. Clark once again returned to Toronto in 2000, but his career didn’t end the way it should have as then-coach Pat Quinn rarely used the small power forward in his final season. Clark promptly retired and like Sittler, also works a Leafs’ ambassador.

Doug Gilmour 1994-1997
The Leafs arguably had the most success with Doug Gilmour wearing the C after Clark left in 1994. He led the team to a couple of deep playoff runs and put up some excellent numbers. Things came to an end in 1997 though when he was traded to the New Jersey Devils along with defenceman Dave Ellett for defenceman Jason Smith, centre Steve Sullivan and young forward Alyn McCauley. The Leafs would later waste away the talents of those three players and they were all playing for other teams within a few years. Gilmour would return to the Leafs in the 2002/03 season, but suffered a career-ending knee injury in his very first game back.   

Mats Sundin 1997-2008
Since the Leafs had traded Gilmour it was only natural the big Swede Sundin took over as captain. He held the position for 11 years and led the team to a few decent seasons and some competitive playoff appearances. However, the Leafs asked their all-time leading scorer to waive his no-trade clause in 2007 and he wouldn’t do it. The club wanted to deal him before the trade deadline ended since he was about to become an unrestricted free agent. Sundin said he didn’t want to become a rental player and stood his ground. Much to the franchise’s chagrin, the 37-year-old Sundin then signed with the Vancouver Canucks in 2008 and Toronto got absolutely nothing for him. Sundin later admitted his departure left a bad taste in his mouth and many turned against him for not agreeing to a trade. However, he’s back on good terms with the club these days.

Dion Phaneuf 2010-2016
The Leafs went without naming another captain until defenceman Dion Phaneuf was acquired from Calgary and given the honour before the 2010/11 campaign. Phaneuf will likely go down as the least-loved captain in team history by the fans though and was shipped off to Ottawa on Feb 9th 2016. The Leafs likely won’t name a captain until prior to the 2016/17 season at the earliest. But considering the history of the team’s last eight leaders they might have a hard time convincing somebody to wear the C.  

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.”