Oh yeah I did! NHL players are dropping like Value Jets.
The latest rash of injuries is once again dotted with a few very big names. The Atlanta Thrashers have lost their captain and unquestionably their best player Ilya Kovalchuk to... what else!?! A broken foot. Kovalchuk will be out 3-5 weeks, which is unfortunate for the Thrashers who are second in the South East Division due in large part to his hot start. Kovalchuk has 9 goals and an assist in his first 8 games.
The Colorado Avalanche will be without the services of gritty forward Darcy Tucker who sustained a concussion after being hit by the Carolina Hurricanes Tuomo Ruutu. Ruutu deposited Tucker's face into the glass last Friday night and he had to be carried off the ice via stretcher after several minutes of lying motionless. The Avs have placed Tucker on the IR and the NHL suspended Ruutu for 3 games for the boarding penalty. Ruutu as you know is Finnish for smash Tucker's face into the boards.
The New York Rangers will wait anxiously today to find out if their star forward Marion Gaborik will be out for an extended period of time. Gaborik left last night's game midway through the third period after scoring 2 goals and helping on another during the Rangers 5-2 defeat of the Phoenix Coyotes. In 12 games this year Gaborik has collected 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists) and is a +6. The key stat here is the 12 games, which is roughly what he played last season in Minnesota... and could be all he'll play here in New York this year... unless his injury is minor. Fingers crossed gang.
Quick Shave:
The Toronto Maple Leafs won their first game of the year, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 6-3 on the back of a 3 goal game from Niklas Hagman. My buddy Stache brings up a great point here... mention the win, even the celebrate the win, because it may not happen again.... ever. WAY TO GO LEAFS!!
Remember back a few seasons when it seemed like every player in the league was pulling his groin.... sustaining groin injuries rather? Well this year is apparently the year of the leg injury.
Thus far some of the NHL's brightest stars have fallen to injured hooves. The Boston Bruins have lost forwards Marc Savard and Milan Lucic (broken finger) for up two months (consider also the trade of Phil Kessel to Toronto prior to the start of the year, and Boston's top line from last season is now gone - however the bright spot is that the 1st rounder the Leafs gave up for Kessel will likely turn out to be a top pick, if not the top pick for the Bruins next summer - cuz the Leafs suck rocks), the Detroit Red Wings have lost Johan Franzen to a knee injuryt, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have once again lost Sergei Gonchar, this time to a broken wrist (he's trying to add some variety to the broken foot list). Carolina Hurricanes have lost Erik Cole to a leg injury, and the Montreal Canadiens will have to do without blueliner Andrei Markov... thanks to some skate slicing of the ankle. Another season of Havlat-ian proportions?
Quick Shave: The Edmonton Oilers forward Dustin Penner has finally arrived. I'm not kidding. This fat bastard who would have been part of the package to acquire Dany Heatley from Ottawa,apparently decided to hit the treadmill this summer rather than the All You Can Eat buffet... and look at the results. Penner is on an absolute tear. 14 (7 goals, 7 assists) points in the Oilers first 9 games, and he's a +9!!! He had 2 goals and 3 assists in the Oilers 6-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last night. What a difference a few sit-ups make huh? The New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur is one shutout away from tying Terry Sawchuk for the all-time record... which I'm sure he will eclipse very soon. However, now that I've said that... enjoy your stint on the IR. Leaf Nation is in a panic. Not so much because the Toronto Maple Leafs are so bad, but because the first round picks (one this year, and one next) GM Brian Burke traded to the Bruins for forward Phil Kessel will in all likelihood become a top five lottery pick. Something the Leafs could have really used to help in their rebuilding effort. The Leafs will be desperate to turn things around.
Let's talk fantasy hockey for a minute. I had perhaps the worst evening of my life last night. Seems every goal that was scored... someone from my roster was on the ice for it... and I'm talking about goals against not for. I was a -10 rating last night, thanks in large part to the following players outstanding defensive effort:
Joe Thornton -2
Brandon Dubinsky -2
Dany Heatley -3 (thanks for showin' up Heater!)
Danny Briere - 2
Kimmo Timonen -1
Shawn Horcoff -1
Sean Avery -1
Thanks fellas! Apreciate the effort here. So with that in mind, and of course my rather irritated state of mind, I've decided to come up with a new award for those who choose not to play a two way game. The Playoff Beard Big Minus (until we come up something better, bear with me, its early and I'm tired) will be the title bestowed on the player with the worst +/- rating in the NHL. The current recipient of this glorious honor? The Minnesota Wild's defenceman Brent Burns who carries an immaculate -10 rating just 8 games into this young season. My advice to any players facing the Wild... if Burns is on the ice... SHOOT! Congratulations Brent!
Detroit Red Wings captain and all-star Nicklas Lidstrom became the first european defenceman to reach the 1000 point mark last night. Lidstrom assisted on a pair of goals to help lift the Wings to a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Lidstrom is the eight defenceman to reach that mark, and the 4th Red Wing as well.
Aside from the milestone, this win helped the Red Wings to back to .500 after a surprisingly very slow start. Aside from several key departures that included Marian Hossa and Mikael Sammuelson, Detroit has also lost Johan Franzen to long-term injury and Pavel Datsyuk due to an injury the head, neck, face, chest and breast area. Not to mention inconsistent goaltending from Chris Osgood and backup netminder Jimmy Howard. Perhaps their start is not so surprising?
In any case, I don't mean to crap in their cornflakes. The Red Wings have probably played more games than any other club over the past decade due to the amount of post-season appearances they have made... such success cannot come without a price. While they may be a bit sluggish out of the gate, I suspect they will get back in gear in good time.
Around the league however, many of the predicted powerhouses have stumbled to start the year. The Vancouver Canucks have faltered on the heels of weak goaltending provided by Roberto Luongo, and they've also lost Daniel Sedin... no Henrik... no wait Daniel to a broken left foot... no right foot, ... no left for 4- 6 weeks... no months... wait, no weeks. Sedin joins a growing list of broken Canucks that now include Sami Salo, Pavel Demitra and Mathieu Scneider... but Matty should return by the end of this month.
The San Jose Sharks have not had the start most would have expected, or the fans out West would have hoped for. The big off season acquisition of Dany Heatley has done little to propel this club to a roaring start, while he has put up respectable numbers, the Sharks have let in alot of goals... thus not won alot of games... only 3 of their first 7 (and they were taken apart by Ovechkin and the Capitals 4-1 last night).
If the playoffs were to start today (and I know they don't and it's still early... it's just fun to check this stuff out so hang with me) the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes would be watching. Perhaps the biggest surprises are the Colorado Avalanche (who sit atop the West tied with the Blackhawks), the Phoenix Coyotes (who have allowed only 9 goals in their first 6 games), the Los Angeles Kings (Anze Kopitar is behind only Ovechkin in points and looks like he and the other young Kings are ready to take that next step), and the New York Rangers (Marion Gaborik remains healthy and productive, and the youngsters are producing where many predicted they wouldnt... oh and Wade Redden is playing well!). Oh and
the Toronto Maple Leafs suck... but no real surprise there... unless you are from Toronto and think every year is 'the year'.
Wild start, and all around good stuff, but keep in mind we aren't even 10 games in yet... the wheels could come flying off or come back on for just about every team. Enjoy my friends!
The high skilled, high profile, and high paid players of the NHL emerged last night in a big way... well most of them did anyway.
In San Jose, the Sharks newest acquisition, super forward Dany Heatley finally delivered for his new club. During the Sharks home opener, Heatley joined the NHL Hat Trick club and helped lift his team to a 6-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joe Thornton tied a Sharks record by assisting on 4 of those goals.
In New York, the Rangers prized forward Marion Gaborik scored two quick goals and snatch a 4-3 victory from the Washington Capitals. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist also became the first to keep Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin off the score sheet.
The Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek scored a late power play goal to help his club to a 2-1 victory over the unstoppable Phoenix Coyotes.
In St. Louis, the Blues opened at home for the first time and were defeated by the Atlanta Thrashers 4-2. Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 300th career NHL goal, then later deposited his 301st. Kovalchuk now has two back to back two goal games to open the season... not bad for a guy in a contract year. Atlanta better lock him up now.
The Calgary Flames remained undefeated last night as they tied the Edmonton Oilers 3-3 with little more than a second remaining in the game, then went on to complete the comeback win 4-3 on an Olli Jokinen shootout goal.
Quick Shave:
The New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings picked up their first victories of the season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins shut down the Philadelphia Flyers handing them their first defeat of the season. The panic around the league, especially in Canada regarding the slow starts that some of their clubs have gotten off to is borderline hilarious. The Canucks, Red Wings, and Sharks all got off to horrendous starts, and many of the NHL's elite goaltenders have had games they'd love to forget. Speculation about what Steve Yzerman will do regarding Team Canada's goaltending because of the awful play of Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur and Cam Ward has many leaning towards Steve Mason.
I say to everyone... RELAX. The season is barely a week old. For you fans of teams that have stumbled out of the gate... it's ok... your clubs will get going. On the flip side, you fans of clubs who've rocketed out to a fast start.... don't get overly excited because it could come to a crashing halt. Enjoy your beer, and your hockey my friends, this is just the beginning.
The Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin came to play last night and walked all over the Boston Bruins.
Ovechkin assisted early on a tally by Brooks Laich and scored twice more to help the Caps to an easy 4-1 win and paying immediate dividends to Fantasy Managers who were lucky enough to nab him.
The Montreal Canadiens rallied late to force overtime and eventually steal a 4-3 victory from the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. New Habs additions Mike Cammalleri (2 assists) and Brian Gionta (1 goal ) helped their new club to the opening night victory. Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta looked to be quickly rediscovering the chemistry they once had in New Jersey a few seasons ago. On that note... seeing Gomez in a Montreal Canadiens sweater is going to take some getting used to... especially considering I was just getting used to him wearing a New York Rangers jersey.
The biggest surprise last night had to be the San Jose Sharks... and how badly they crapped the bed. The Colorado Avalanche honored Joe Sakic by raising his number to the rafters of the Pepsi Center, then soundly defeating the Sharks 5-2. The only Shark that seemed to show up last night was Patrick Marleau who potted both goals for San Jose and is clearly showing now ill-effects to having his captaincy removed and handed off to defenceman Rob Blake. The Colorado Avalanche looked a much younger and faster club than the Sharks that looked like they were coming off a playoff hangover.
The Calgary Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 last night, they're first opening night victory in 6 years. Flames goaltender made 39 saves to help his club to the win.
Quick Shave:
Brendan Shanahan removed himself for the New Jersey Devils lineup yesterday, announcing that he felt that he could not play at a level that he wanted to. I gotta give massive credit to Shanahan who could have coasted and just collected his paycheck for the season, but rather chose not to disrespect his club, the NHL or his legacy. Good man.
Couple of early afternoon deliveries arriving today from Europe as Florida Panther open up their season against the Chicago Blackhawks (I believe in Stockholm) and the Detroit Red Wings follow up against the St. Louis Blues in Helsinki... although those cities could be reversed... hard to say. Todays games get started at noon!
The 2009-2019 NHL season kicks off tonight with a 4-pack of games that include the following:
Caps vs Bruins at 7:00
Habs vs Leafs at 7:00
Sharks vs. Avs at 10:00
Canucks vs. Flames at 10:00
Not a bad way to kick things off. The game of the night? Caps and Bruins... with a nod to the late night matchup between the Canucks and Flames. However, it's hard to not be interested in the rivalry game between the Leafs and the new - look Canadiens, and of course how will Dany Heatley fare in his first outting with the San Jose Sharks... will he and Thornton become the lethal tandem we all imagine they will (and my fantasy roster is banking on?).
Aside from the Heatley trade, which has shaken up the Western Conference landscape, there are a variety of stories to keep an eye on this year, right from the get go. Will John Tavares help the New York Islanders return to a place of respectability? Will the free agency spending spree of Bob Gainey work out for Montreal, or will the Canadiens end up like the Rangers did in the late '90s? Can Ray Emery return to glory in Philadelphia? How will the late fall returns of Marian Hossa to the Blackhawks and Phil Kessel to the Leafs work out? Can the Pittsburgh Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup Champions? Most importantly... who will have the greatest playoff beard?
Lot's to look for and enjoy! So.. on to the predictions. After a successful 2008-2009 season where I successfully called the Penguins over the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, I'm feeling somewhat confident.... actually I'm feeling very confident. I made my call Monday night to the boys in the fantasy league draft, but now it's time to put in print, and let the world know (or at least the dozen of you guys who actually read my ramblings). Captain Bosh's prediction for the Stanley Cup Finals are this:
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Chicago Blackhawks
I see the Flyers hoisting the cup for the first time in nearly 4 decades by defeating the Blackhawks in 6 games. Why you ask? Couple of reasons... the biggest of which is Pronger. The Flyers acquisition of Pronger really shook things up in the East, and in my mind solidified them as the team to beat. I believe Ray Emery will return to the NHL will a very large chip on his shoulder and a need to prove to the league that his ride to the Stanley Cup Finals a few years ago wasn't a fluke. A healthy Daniel Briere, and a forward corps that include young rising stars Carter and Richards are all enough for me to believe that the Flyers are for real this season.
While I think they will lose in the finals, the Blackhawks took huge steps last year and will continue to do so this season. The Western Conference will be a battle to get through but I believe the Hawks have the pieces that include Toews, Kane, and new addition Hossa. Their big question will be in net with Huet, but I think he will provide adequate goaltending, which is all the Hawks will need.
You heard it here first! For all you Flyers and Hawks fans... I apologize for essentially cursing your teams and seasons... but hey maybe the Curse of Bosh will lift again like it did for the Pens last year! Then again maybe not.
I swear I just wrote about this the other day.
The New York Rangers will wait anxiously today to find out if their star forward Marion Gaborik will be out for an extended period of time. Gaborik left last night's game midway through the third period after scoring 2 goals and helping on another during the Rangers 5-2 defeat of the Phoenix Coyotes. In 12 games this year Gaborik has collected 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists) and is a +6. The key stat here is the 12 games, which is roughly what he played last season in Minnesota... and could be all he'll play here in New York this year... unless his injury is minor. Fingers crossed gang.
Remember back a few seasons when it seemed like every player in the league was pulling his groin.... sustaining groin injuries rather? Well this year is apparently the year of the leg injury. 
The Edmonton Oilers forward Dustin Penner has finally arrived. I'm not kidding. This fat bastard who would have been part of the package to acquire Dany Heatley from Ottawa,apparently decided to hit the treadmill this summer rather than the All You Can Eat buffet... and look at the results. Penner is on an absolute tear. 14 (7 goals, 7 assists) points in the Oilers first 9 games, and he's a +9!!! He had 2 goals and 3 assists in the Oilers 6-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last night. What a difference a few sit-ups make huh? The New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur is one shutout away from tying Terry Sawchuk for the all-time record... which I'm sure he will eclipse very soon. However, now that I've said that... enjoy your stint on the IR. Leaf Nation is in a panic. Not so much because the Toronto Maple Leafs are so bad, but because the first round picks (one this year, and one next) GM Brian Burke traded to the Bruins for forward Phil Kessel will in all likelihood become a top five lottery pick. Something the Leafs could have really used to help in their rebuilding effort. The Leafs will be desperate to turn things around.
Detroit Red Wings captain and all-star Nicklas Lidstrom became the first european defenceman to reach the 1000 point mark last night. Lidstrom assisted on a pair of goals to help lift the Wings to a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
In San Jose, the Sharks newest acquisition, super forward Dany Heatley finally delivered for his new club. During the Sharks home opener, Heatley joined the NHL Hat Trick club and helped lift his team to a 6-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joe Thornton tied a Sharks record by assisting on 4 of those goals.
The Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin came to play last night and walked all over the Boston Bruins.
Lot's to look for and enjoy! So.. on to the predictions. After a successful 2008-2009 season where I successfully called the Penguins over the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, I'm feeling somewhat confident.... actually I'm feeling very confident. I made my call Monday night to the boys in the fantasy league draft, but now it's time to put in print, and let the world know (or at least the dozen of you guys who actually read my ramblings). Captain Bosh's prediction for the Stanley Cup Finals are this:
