Not ready for prime time – The Copper & Blue
Several still-not-ready-for-prime-time players have posted some underwhelming numbers at both ends of the rink: Robert Nilsson, 1 goal, -12; J.F. Jacques, 2 goals, -9; Patrick O’Sullivan, 4 goals, -11. Ouch, ouch, and more ouch.
Kings 2, Blackhawks 1 (SOL) « Fifth Feather
The 2009 circus trip is finally over, and the verdict is in: success. With a point in Los Angeles on Saturday night, the Hawks grabbed their 17th point in their last ten games, including a 4-1-1 road trip on the west coast of North America. Not bad.
And, if nothing else, it was an entertaining tilt. Joel Quenneville set the tone early when the Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane line had two full shifts by the 2:15 mark. It helped the Hawks set the pace in the first, but they were unable to cash in, with the Kings limiting their number of opportunities. Their one chance of the period came when Kane found himself in alone from the circles in, but got caught on his backhand. He was unable to lift it over the glove of Jonathan Quick, and the Kings took a tie into the second.
Then, less than three minutes into the second frame, a seemingly harmless Michael Handzus and Wayne Simmonds 2-on-2 turned into a King lead, when Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith managed to cover neither Handzus nor Simmonds. Simmonds dropped the puck to Handzus and slipped past Keith, and Handzus quickly head-manned it past the defenseman before Simmonds slipped it past Cristobal Huet for the lead.
Despite a handful of good chances, the Hawks were only able to muster a tie by the end of regulation. The lone goal came following a Handzus holding-the-stick infraction and after Kane wheeled into the slot on the ensuing power play. Quick stopped the first shot, but Toews tucked in the rebound to tie the game.
The last half of the third and overtime were both played without a tally by either team, but the sort of play was what the NHL envisioned when it changed the overtime frame to 4-on-4. The five-minute extra period included a minute of 4-on-3 for the Hawks, who were unable to take advantage.
In the following shoot-out, both Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson were able to beat Huet, and Toews and Kane were both blanked by Quick.
Thanks for nothing, Mike Milbury – Cult of Hockey
Mike Milbury of the CBC, who didn’t exactly cover himself in glory as the general manager of the New York Islanders, offered the following to Oilers management:
“They got to find the rats and get them off the ship because in this situation guys will start to reveal their character, guys who don’t want to get hit in the corner, guys who don’t want to play tough and dirty. You might as well get rid of them now because they’re not doing any good. You got nothing else to lose, if you’re going to go out, go out with guys on your shield, guys who want to play hard.”
And exactly how Mr. Milbury, in this age of guaranteed contracts and the salary cap, are you going to do that?
Let’s say you decide that Ethan Moreau is a rat, which I don’t think he is, just an aging grinder. He’s got another year left on his $2 million per year deal. Who is going to take him?
Same with Patrick O’Sullivan, who actually has exhibited some pretty ratty play as of late. Is there really another NHL team that is going to take on his $3 million per year contract?
I can’t imagine it’s ever been more difficult to move NHL hockey players than it is now. The rich teams that might have taken on a Moreau or an O’Sullivan as insurance in the past don’t have the cap space. Most of the teams with cap space are broke.
So let’s dispense with this fantasy of the Oilers dumping off high-priced, under-performing players.
An Edmonton Oiler fan’s rant about things he never wants to see again – Cult of Hockey
2. Patrick O’Sullivan floating around his own zone, not picking up anyone, as the opposing player next to him slams home a shot from the slot.
via An Edmonton Oiler fan’s rant about things he never wants to see again – Cult of Hockey.
Tom Preissing Waived – Mile High Hockey
The Colorado Avalanche have placed defenseman Tom Preissing on waivers. This is not at all a surprise move; its actually one weve been speculating would happen for some time now. Preissing has a $2.75 million salary and is signed through the end of next season. It is highly unlikely that he will be claimed and will instead be headed to the AHL he cleared waivers in the spring when the Kings sent him to their farm team. In making this move, the Avalanche clear some cap space and Preissing gets a chance to play every day.
Bud Holloway blogs funny
Excerpts:
Azey (Azevedo) has a “lower body” injury and will be out for a while. Now all he does is lie in his room and listen to “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” It’s hard to get to sleep with him crying over how well written the song is. [...] It’s late November and still no snow. [...] I walked out of the rink the other day and Westy was catching some rays. I know the female readers are probably picturing a Fabio type image as I say that, and let me be the first to tell you it was. Except there was no white horse, just Cliche.
via Monarchs Site: Insight into Curious George by Bud Holloway.
O’Sullivan really needs to get serious and other thoughts in wake of another Oilers defeat Player grades, Sharks, 5, Oilers, 4, by Smokin’ Ray Burnt – Cult of Hockey
The Cult of Hockey Grading System: 10-perfect game, 9 extraordinary, 8 great, 7 good, 6 above average, 5 average, 4 below average, 3 poor, 2 terrible, 1 deserves to be in minors.
#19 Patrick O’Sullivan (4) – He really needs to step up and get serious about hockey. At points during the game he seemed timid and was almost scared to do anything. I don’t know what to think of him anymore. He led the team in shots with six, but most of those were not even good shots. He just seems to be in a funk. And the funk stinks.
#71 Lubomir Visnovsky (5) – He wasn’t great, but he wasn’t bad. He always makes good plays and shows off his superior stick handling skills, but tonight he seemed a little off. His defensive plays were good but he seemed to not be pushing it offensively. It could be that Quinn wanted him to be that way but I doubt it. I just can’t quite put my finger on what’s wrong. He was +2 and had two shots. He needs to be better than what he did tonight. He needs to be better than average.
And for good measure, here’s something plucked from the comments:
I was actually at the game tonight. Oh, how I cringed almost every time O’Sullivan was on the ice. I’d have given him an even lower mark. His basic play on offence is the pull-up shot from outside, a pretty useless play. On defence, he shows no bite, nothing. What is wrong with this kid?
Not your everyday all-star game
Captaining the WHL team tonight will be defenceman Colten Teubert of the Regina Pats, a Los Angeles Kings first-round draft pick, who has already seen pro action with the Kings’ ECHL-affiliate Ontario Reign.
“We haven’t had much time together, but there’s a lot of talent on this Team WHL, so it’s about trusting each other and trusting the coaches,” said Teubert.
Although Teubert was a member of last year’s gold-medallist Canadian team at the 2009 world juniors, the White Rock product is taking nothing for granted.
“No spots are set in stone with the Canadian team. All these other guys are also looking to take them,” said Teubert. “You’ve got to be prepared to battle for your spot on Canada. Nobody is going to hand it to you.”
As for taking the next step in the Kings’ system, Teubert said it’s a matter of maturing.
“During my time [last spring] in the ECHL with the Reign, I learned a lot about playing with older guys and what it’s going to take,” he said.
“Another big thing I learned was about keeping the passion. There were some guys on the Reign in their late 20s and they still loved the game and still had the passion to play pro hockey.”
“I don’t care what Mike Milbury has to say. He’s on TV for a reason.” – The Copper & Blue
“I don’t care what Mike Milbury has to say. He’s on TV for a reason.”
– Patrick O’Sullivan, via Dan Tencer’s Twitter Feed
“If Pat keeps up this level of play, he’s not going to be on TV for a reason.”
– Editor of The Copper & Blue, and leader of The Cult Of Hartikainen.
via “I don’t care what Mike Milbury has to say. He’s on TV for a reason.” – The Copper & Blue.
Q&A with Vyacheslav Voynov – Hockey’s Future
Taken by the Los Angeles Kings in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Chelyabinsk, Russia native Vyacheslav Voynov is in his second year in North America, playing for the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL.
An experienced player for his 19 years, Voynov played two full Russian Super League seasons and took part in three World Junior Championships. So far this season with Manchester, he has four goals and seven points in 16 games, and is the top-scoring defenseman on the team as well as the youngest. He has not yet gotten an NHL call-up and this is something that the young blueliner isn’t enjoying much, since he left Russia with only one aim –- to play in the NHL.
The 5′11, 202-pound Voynov suffered from a knee injury late last season, which kept him to 61 games, but is healthy now. Hockey’s Future spoke to Voynov in his native Russian.
Hockey’s Future: This is your second year in the AHL after you left home with big expectations. Are you disappointed not to play in the NHL?
Vyacheslav Voynov: Yes, I’m very disappointed that I am not playing in the NHL, but I’m working towards achieving my goal.
HF: Did the Kings staff tell you the reasons of your reassignment back to the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL?
VV: The Kings management told me that I am not ready yet to play in the National Hockey League. They also told me that some necessary work has to be done, and that I have to work on my English too.
HF: How many years of AHL will you play before considering other variants?
VV: My goal is to play in the NHL, and I’ll do everything it takes to play there.
HF: How much do you miss your hometown Chelyabinsk?
VV: It was way more difficult last year… this year, well, not too much.
HF: Now you’ve got to play with your friend Andrei Loktionov. Is it pleasant for you to have a teammate with whom you can speak in your mother tongue?
VV: Yes, I am very happy that I have a teammate and a good friend like Andrei Loktionov playing on my same team.
HF: A valuable achievement of your career has been surely the participation in the Kings training camp. How did you like it skating there?
VV: Kings training camp is always a great experience, it’s a very good chance to play side by side with great players.
HF: What did the training camp with the main team teach you?
VV: There I particularly worked on how to be stronger, how to become more of a team player.
HF: What kind of training did you do in the summer in order to get in shape for the 2009-10 season?
VV: Unfortunately this summer I had to go through rehabilitation process (for the knee) and undergo a special training program.
HF: How does your knee feel now?
VV: All is fine now.
HF: After two years, are you happy to have moved overseas to play hockey in North America?
VV: I’m very happy that I’m in North America learning new techniques and styles of play, but on the other hand I’m not too happy as I am not playing in the NHL.
HF: You’ve played almost 100 AHL games. Did anything in the pro NA game surprise you? The higher pace maybe?
VV: No, not at all, I played pro hockey back in Russia since I was 16, and also with Traktor (RSL mother club) there was the speed, the pace… I just feel, that here you have to think and act faster than in Europe.
HF: How is your English now? Getting better?
VV: It’s still in progress, but yes, it’s getting better.
The Hockey’s Future site no longer appears to have Brandon Segal info, but here’s a cut/paste of the HF write-up that found its way to the HF Boards
Brandon Segal has soft hands in close quarters and is a willing combatant along the boards and in front of the net. He shows the ability to be at the right place at the right time and score goals when given the ice time and opportunity.
His on-ice awarenes both offensively and defensively are generally solid and he seems to find cracks in the defensive coverage.
His stick-handling and passing are both good but he seems to be at his best when he is cycling the puck along the boards. His positioning and foot work allow him to create chances when he is moving the puck in the trenches.
Shows true character when sticking up for teammates whether they were justified in thier actions or not. He is certainly not afraid to drop his gloves if needed and will dole out some punishment with his hitting prowess as well.
There are some aspects in his overall game that need improvement if he wishes to make the jump to the NHL, like his foot speed when coming off the boards and driving towards the net could have more explosiveness. Although he has a fine skating form he seems to be missing another gear.
via TRADE: Ducks acquire Brandon Segal from Preds for Future Considerations – ALLDUCKS.COM.
Predators Pounce on Prospect – Hockey’s Future
From the Hockey’s Future archives, 6/28/2002:
Despite his immense talent, Brandon Segal has had a history of being overlooked.
That trend continued during the first three rounds of the National Hockey League Entry Draft in Toronto last Saturday (June 22).
Segal sat in the stands at the Air Canada Centre and listened as 96 teams chose not to pick him. On the second day of the draft, the Nashville Predators finally selected the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Calgary Hitman forward in the fourth round, 102nd overall.
“It’s a great moment right now,” said the North Delta resident. “I’ve waited all my life for this. I’m very happy to be part of the Nashville Predators.”
Segal actually opted into the draft last season as an 18-year-old and expected to be a late round pick. After not being selected, the bang- and-crash-type right winger made it his goal to prove to every team that passed on him that they made a mistake.
Robbie Czarnik leaves University of Michigan for Plymouth Whalers
The Plymouth Whalers acquired the rights to University of Michigan forward Robbie Czarnik and have signed the centre to an OHL player agreement. He’s expected to make his Whalers debut Wednesday night against the Windsor Spitfires. “We are excited to add Robbie to our lineup,” said Whalers President/GM/Head Coach Vellucci in a team release. “His greatest asset is his speed and we look forward to developing him for the next level. What a great opportunity this is for Robbie to continue his education and play in the number one developmental league for the National Hockey League.”
He was a third round pick of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He scored 22 points in 51 games as a member of the Wolverines since the beginning of 2008-09.
via Doyle: Robbie Czarnik leaves University of Michigan for Plymouth Whalers.
FC’s 2010 Fall Mock Draft « Future Considerations
LOS ANGELES Kings
15th Overall Selection: C Jaden Schwartz – Tri-City (USHL)
Organizational Summary: With one of the top NHL talent pools, the Los Angeles Kings have very good depth and multiple high-end prospects at almost every position. They have skill up front, see Andrei Loktionov, Oscar Moller and Brayden Schenn; they have a stable of up and coming top four defenders, see Thomas Hickey, Slava Voinov and Colten Teubert; and they have a top goaltending prospect in Jonathan Bernier. All this prospect depth and a young NHL roster already full of skill that is just starting to come into its potential. A blue chipper in the net would be nice since Bernier has not taken the top spot over and some doubt he will ever do so. Some more offensive talent on the wings, especially on the left side, would be a nice addition. More depth throughout is what LA will likely be after as they take the best player available.
Pick Summary: The Kings, who have a good stable of prospects, add a skilled and speedy forward who could eventually slide into any role needed whether it is a checking or scoring role. They could have added a goaltender here but like what Jaden Schwartz has to offer too much to pass him up.
HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – Loktionov and Segal Likely Recalled
My friend in Manchester says Andrei Loktionov and Brandon Segal are packing their bags and heading to the show.
Loktionov, 6 goals and 11 assists in 17 games while Segal has 6 goals and 8 assists in 21 games.
via HockeyBuzz.com – Matthew Barry – Loktionov and Segal Likely Recalled.
As Jimmy Neutron’s biggest fan, I still worry that he’s too pubescent this year, but if this is true (that he’s on his way) then I am excited that DL thinks he’s ready for a game or two. Lines? I’m going to guess:
Frolov/Kopitar/Williams
Parse/Loktionov/Brown
Purcell/Handzus/Simmonds
Ivanans/Richardson/Segal
You’re going to need Brown or Simmonds to protect Loktionov. Segal could play off-wing and be swapped for Purcell. Powerplay units:
#1: Frolov/Kopitar/Brown/Doughty/Williams
#2: Purcell/Handzus/Loktionov/Jones/Johnson
Loktionov played off-wing (RW) on the power-play last year in Windsor and made some of the sickest fake-shot passes from there I’ve ever seen. If Murray is still freaked out about Williams on the point, then it’s Williams on the first unit RW, Brown drops to the second unit RW, with Loktionov on the LW, with Handzus still in the middle (Purcell gets bumped in favor of Loktionov).
The Hockey News: Rumor Roundup; Oilers, etc.
Given Oilers winger Patrick O’Sullivan has been earning negative reviews of late for his seeming distaste for physical play, don’t be surprised if some of the more creative Internet rumors expands this to a Kostitsyns for O’Sullivan-Cogliano deal.
via The Hockey News: Rumor Roundup: Rumor Roundup: Maple Leafs shakeup.
From Cult of Hockey: Patrick O’Sullivan gets ripped to shreds by CBC announcers Milbury, Hrudey
I think this will sound familiar to Kings fans:
“Get him out of there right now!” Milbury calls for O’Sullivan’s benching.
I thought hockey fans could be tough and nasty in their player critiques on the Oilogosphere, but CBC announcers Mike Milbury and Kelly Hrudey just got as harsh as any anonymous Internet hater. The two CBC announcers thrashed and trashed Oilers forward Patrick O’Sullivan after the first period of the Oilers-Hawks game on Saturday night, bashing him for not going hard after a puck along the boards, evidently so he could avoid body contact with Hawks defender Duncan Keith.
At least that’s how it looked to me, and that’s certainly how it looked to both Hrudey and Milbury. Hrudey started off the hammering, then tagged off and Milbury utterly put the boots to the young Oilers forward.
Said Hrudey, as the replay aired, “Watch the puck battle, or the non-existent puck battle. He doesn’t even want it right here. You have to want that puck and get it on your stick and do something.”
Said Milbury: “This is what really keeps people out of the league. Patrick O’Sullivan, tremendously talented. This is a bail out. Let’s call it what is is. A bail out. I don’t want to pay the price to win the hockey game. They’re seeing that on the bench. Pat Quinn sees that on the bench. His teammates see that on the bench.”
“Would you bench him?” Hrudey asked Milbury.
“Get him out of there now!” Milbury said. “Right now! Give me Pat’s phone number. I’ll let him know.”
It should be noted that O’Sullivan wasn’t benched.
But Milbury was right. O’Sullivan deserved to be.
It was a terrible moment for this young player, his lack of fight for that puck, but it’s a symptom of the game he has been playing, a not very aggressive, not very intense outside game. He hardly ever takes the puck to the net, something he did more regularly when he first came to the Oilers last spring in a trade for Erik Cole.
O’Sullivan, 24, has just four goals in 23 games this year, with a shooting percentage of 5.8 per cent, which might be viewed as bad luck which he will soon snap out of except for the fact that he’s a career 7.0 per cent shooter in the NHL.
Maybe he’s not generating enough close in, high percentage shots, the type that come from charging the net and/or screening. I can’t recall him screening the goalie much at all this year. According to Behind the Net, he does shoot the puck from a greater distance, on average, than most other Oilers forwards. For instance, Andrew Cogliano, who does go to the net, has an average shot distance of 26.3 feet, while O’Sullivan’s is 31.4 feet.
If O’Sullivan was sent to the minors for a wake-up call, I’d say the move was deserved, not that I expect that to happen, not at his salary, and not with what new Oilers GM Steve Tambellini has invested in this player.
Some folks really liked the trade that brought in O’Sullivan, partly because Erik Cole was an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year, but mainly because they put a lot of stock in two stats, the fact that O’Sullivan took a lot of shots and the fact that he was part of a Kings unit that outshot the opposition. It’s not clear now how significant either of those two things were, but we’ve seen enough of O’Sullivan now to know that whatever good was happening on the ice when he was with the Kings, he certainly wasn’t leading the charge.
Other observers, who didn’t rely on the stats so much but could go by what they had seen of the player, were more circumspect about O’Sullivan. Helene Elliott of the L.A. Times said: “He’s not aggressive or very physical, but he will work the boards and go into the corners.”
O’Sullivan has one more year after this season on a deal that pays him $2.9 million a year, a huge chunk of the Oilers’ salary cap.
Like so many of the young Oilers forwards, he does appear to have some skill, but he must raise the level of fight and intensity in his game or he will not be in the NHL past his current contract.
I suggest he be given several hours of videotape from last season’s Stanley Cup finals so he can watch the play of Dan Cleary, a player much like O’Sullivan who has transformed himself into a tough, cagey battler, doing most of his work right in front of the goalie and becoming a valuable member of a great team.
via Cult of Hockey
Report: Blackhawks place Ebbett on waivers – Chicago Breaking Sports
Andrew Ebbett, who has been a healthy scratch the last two games, wasn’t on the ice during the Blackhawks’ practice Friday afternoon in Edmonton and reportedly has been placed on waivers.
During the broadcast of the Montreal-Washington game, TSN reported Ebbett has been waived. The forward has a goal in 12 games with the Hawks this season. He was claimed off waivers by the Hawks from the Anaheim Ducks on Oct. 17.
via Report: Blackhawks place Ebbett on waivers – Chicago Breaking Sports.
Dean Lombardi Is Undoubtedly Happy that his Draft Pick Stuck Up for a Teammate and Fought an Overager, Despite the Fact that He Got Pummeled and Earned 30 Stitches on His Face for the Honor
This is a couple months old, but I just found it.
Drew Nichol vs Geordie Wudrick
This was what everybody was talking about on Sunday – the licking that Oil Kings defencemen Drew Nichol gave Swift Current forward Geordie Wudrick (LA) on Saturday night. As the story goes, Nichol hammered another Broncos player and Wudrick, a tough hombre himself, stepped in to challenge the Edmonton defenceman.
As its been described to me, and I wasn’t there so I’m going on second hand information but from about 20 different people, Wudrick was clocked by Nichol above the left eye (see photo above) and immediately started leaking crimson. Nichol, 6′2 and 200ish lb, is on the bubble as one of five 20-year-olds in camp but may have helped his cause with this fight that will undoubtedly make its way through the league’s grapevine.
The damage: Wudrick was taken for sewing and I’ve heard various reports as to how many stitches it took to close the wound. I’ve been told somewhere between 28-34 stitches but I asked the trainer from Medicine Hat (always good sources for that sort of stuff, they all talk to each other) and he said that Swift’s trainer told him that there were 12 stitches inside and 18 more on the outside to close the cut. Another person told me that the gash went bone-deep which above the eye isn’t all that shocking I guess. You can tell from the second photo though that the damage was extensive and the quick fight was certainly on eveyone’s hot topic list a day later.
Kelowna Capital News – Rockets do a deal with Swift Current to shore up scoring
Experience, size, speed and a skilled point man on the power play.
In Geordie Wudrick, the Kelowna Rockets believe they’ve added a versatile weapon to their attack.
The Rockets acquired the 6-foot-4, 210 pound left winger this week from the Swift Current Broncos in exchange for Czech-born forward Stepan Novotny and prospect Tanner Clark.
Wudrick, 19, a native of Abbotsford, scored 35 goals last season.
This season, with the Broncos, he had six goals and eight assists in 23 games.
“We’ve been interested in (Geordie) for a couple of years now, and we’re happy we were finally able to get him,” said Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton.
“He’s a big guy who skates real well and he’s a guy who can help our power play out on the point. We hope he can have a good year for us and come back next year as an overage.”
Wudrick was Swift Current’s first choice, second overall in the 2005 WHL bantam draft.
via Kelowna Capital News – Rockets do a deal with Swift Current to shore up scoring.
King Prospect Geordie Wudrick Traded To Kelowna, Like You Even Knew He Played for Swift Current
The Kelowna Rockets have dealt F Stepan Novotny, 19, and D Tanner Clark, 16, to the Swift Current Broncos for F Geordie Wudrick, 19. . . . Novotny, a Czech, has 25 points, including 14 goals, in 23 games this season. . . . Clark is from Rosetown, Sask., and is with the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos. He was a third-round pick by Kelowna in the 2008 bantam draft. . . . Wudrick, from Abbotsford, B.C., has 14 points in 23 games with the Broncos this season. He is in his fourth full WHL season. He was a third-round selection by the Los Angeles Kings in the NHL’s 2008 draft. The Broncos took him with the second overall pick of the 2005 bantam draft.
I don’t think the NHL or the refs understand what’s in the rule book
This post, when I ran it originally on 10/15, referred to that night’s Kings/Rangers game. I am reposting it because, in light of the Red Wings non-goal scandal, I wanted to vent a little on the subject, then remembered I already had.
The noteworthy difference between the Kings/Rangers “goal” and the Wings/Stars “goal” is that the circumstances were the same but with exactly opposite outcomes. The original title of the post:
Last night’s disputed goal and (gasp)
what the actual official rule book has to say about it
The play in question: the second goal in last night’s Kings/Rangers game. The Rangers scored; the ref blew the whistle after the puck crossed the line; the ref waived off the goal; they reviewed it “upstairs”; they ruled it was a goal; the ref reported to Terry Murray that it was ruled a goal by the off-ice officials. Subsequently, everyone on earth noted that, supposedly, when the ref waives off a goal, it’s not reviewable with respect to when the puck crossed the line, since the ref’s decision is “final.” Now…
…usually when people talk about the rules saying the ref’s decision is final, they are referring to rule 32.2, which states:
32.2 Disputes – The Referees shall have general supervision of the game and shall have full control of all game officials and players during the game, including stoppages; and in case of any dispute, their decision shall be final.
[now the controversial and/or annoying clause:]
As there is a human factor involved in blowing the whistle to stop play, the Referee may deem the play to be stopped slightly prior to the whistle actually being blown. The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the Referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening.
Clearly, the intent of this rule, and the thing that annoys a lot of people (including me), is that the ref’s state of mind regarding when he intended to blow the whistle becomes the determining factor in the ending of every play. Thus, video review is not necessarily relevant in terms of showing that the whistle blew first or didn’t. Because it might have blown first in the referee’s mind. And the rules clearly state that the referee is the final arbiter of when the play really ended. Ref trumps video review. To wit, 32.2 continues:
In the event of any dispute regarding time or the expiration of penalties, the matter shall be referred to the Referee for adjustment and his decision shall be final. He may use the Video Goal Judge to assist in rendering the final decision.
However, the part of the rule I put in bold above is written in a horrible, fucked up and ambiguous manner. “The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the Referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening.” The key phrase is “if the referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening.” “Has ruled” when?
Does this refer to the initial call?
Or after further rumination by the ref during the stoppage of play?
The rule does NOT say, “if the referee rules that” (present tense) but “if the referee has ruled that.” “Has ruled” is past tense. One reasonable interpretation of the rule as written is that, once the referee “has ruled” that there is no goal, he cannot overrule himself. As in, “sorry, too late! If only we could go back in time, but we can’t!” The rule does in fact literally say that whether or not the puck crossed the goal line before the whistle HAS NO BEARING ON WHETHER OR NOT IT’S A GOOD GOAL IF THE REFEREE HAS RULED that the play had been stopped. And he obviously ruled that the play had been stopped before the puck crossed the line, or else he wouldn’t have blown the whistle in the first place, and given the “no goal” signal.
However, the “has ruled” wording makes no sense if you take it literally, because of “In the event of any dispute regarding time or the expiration of penalties, the matter shall be referred to the Referee for adjustment and his decision shall be final. He may use the Video Goal Judge to assist in rendering the final decision.”
The matter shall be referred to the referee for adjustment. Therefore, there can be adjustment of the ref’s initial call, at the ref’s discretion. And we’re unambiguously talking about potential goals here, since the rules specifically refer to the ref being able to consult with the VIDEO GOAL JUDGE before rendering “THE FINAL DECISION” [caps mine]. Again, no other way to interpret this. There can be an adjustment of the initial call, leading to the ref’s final decision. And that’s supported by this:
Rule 39.4 (viii) The video review process shall be permitted to assist the referees in determining the legitimacy of all potential goals (e.g. to ensure they are “good hockey goals”).
So, in sum, it seems this whole “not reviewable” thing with regards to the refs blowing the whistle before the puck crosses the line … is only true if the ref wants it to be. He has the discretion, according to the rules, to choose to review it and change his mind. Is there any other way to interpret this?
[in the original comments section was this exchange:]
dbushik said, on October 15, 2009 at 5:23 pm
The only thing missing is that the ref claims he had not waived off the goal and had made no ruling on the ice regarding goal/no-goal.
How that fits in here, I can’t say with confidence…
I’m currently interpreting this as the ref blowing the play dead but being unsure of whether the puck crossed the goal line, with the presumption on his part being at the time he blew the play dead the puck had already crossed the goal line, assuming it had actually done so, which is what was reviewed.
quisp said, on October 15, 2009 at Well, if he’s unsure, he would simply make no signal at all and skate to the scorer’s table to initiate a review. The “no-goal” signal only makes sense in the context of a response to a play that appears to be a possible goal or to a player or players who think a goal has been scored. You don’t just make the “no goal” signal willy-nilly. In a sense, it’s an answer to a question. The question is “goal?” The answer: “NO!”
The ref clearly believed he had to pretend later that he didn’t signal no goal, which suggests to me that NO ONE understands what the words in the rule book actually say. Based on the ref’s reaction to his own obvious and really not disputable “no goal” signal, I must conclude that the ref thinks the rule is that if he waives it off, it makes it non-reviewable. But the rules don’t say this. As far as I can tell, the discretion is entirely the ref’s.
*****
Now, I ask you: is it really possible that these people haven’t read their own rule book, or don’t understand what they’ve read? Because the words on the page don’t mean what they think they mean.
The Battle of Alberta: Trade Phaneuf
The Battle of Alberta: Trade Phaneuf.
The link is to The Battle of Alberta blog. The short version: Calgary needs an elite forward and has Phaneuf to spare now that they have “Jay-Bo.” So…
Frolov for Phaneuf?
Or is the reasonable version of that Frolov and Johnson for Phaneuf? Or Frolov and Hickey. Or Frolov and Purcell and Drewiske.
What would the Kings do with Phaneuf?
Phaneuf/Doughty
Johnson/Scuderi
Drewiske/Greene
Jones? SOD?
Maybe it’s a bad idea. And $6.5MM is a big bad cap hit. I guess maybe if you make it Frolov and Johnson for Phaneuf, it’s both fair (since Frolov is UFA next summer) and it works for the Kings, as an upgrade over JJ. So then it would be:
Phaneuf/Doughty
Jones/Scuderi
Drewiske/Greene
SOD
And up front:
Smyth/Kopitar/Williams
Moller/Stoll/Brown
Parse/Handzus/Simmonds
Ivanans/Richardson/Harrold
Yeah, okay, I would do it. That’s a better team. And maybe it’s a pipedream since we would essentially be trading our two most problematic players (albeit potential stars) for one big monster defenseman.
SWX – Spokane Chiefs – Cowen takes leadership role – SWX Right Now – Sports and Weather for Spokane and North Idaho-
Spokane Chiefs defenseman Jared Cowen was named an assistant captain for Team WHL, which will take on Team Russia Nov. 25 in Victoria, BC.
Cowen and Chiefs teammate Levko Koper will play in Team WHL’s first game of the Subway Super Series. The Kelowna Rockets will host the sixth and final game of the series, pitting CHL All-Stars against Team Russia the following night.
The WHL captain is Regina Pats defenseman Colten Teubert.
Chicago 2010 Cap Madness Watch
ESPN is reporting that Kane and Toews extensions are imminent, at five years/$6MM+, and the Keith extension is also close, at around 13 years/undisclosed $. Were those deals to turn out to be true, the 2010-11 Hawks would be at $55.1MM plus whatever the Keith cap hit turns out to be. Let’s assume Keith is signing a 13 year (i.e. the rest of his career) deal. He’s getting $1.9MM this year (salary). Assume he’s going to get a front-loaded deal, per the usual b.s., with a cap hit that’s going to be…at minimum…spitballing a magic number…$2.5MM. That’s the lowest I can imagine the cap hit being.
So that’s, at minimum, a cap hit of $57.6MM for next season. Over this year’s cap by about a million; and we are all assuming the cap is going to go down a bit (or a lot, depending). Oh, and then there’s the small matter of actually fielding a team…
…because that $57.6MM only buys the hawks 10 forwards, 4 defensemen and a goalie.
Pierre LaBrun has an interesting Bernier tidbit
harry2299: The Kings have the best team they have had in ages, and as a Kings fan, I couldn’t be happier with the progress they’ve made this season. The only gripe I have is why is Jonathan Bernier still in the AHL. I understand wanting to give him more playing time, but Murray’s expecting Quick to play 70 games is unrealistic, and Ersberg seems to have lost all his confidence. Ersberg isn’t the answer as a backup, and giving Quick fewer starts to get Bernier some starts would be a plus for the Kings in the win column, as well as getting to see what Bernier can do at an NHL level.
LeBrun’s take: Harry2299, interesting that you should ask. It just so happens that Kings GM Dean Lombardi told me he was spending most of this week scouting the Kings’ AHL affiliate in Manchester. So he’ll get a first-person look at how Mr. Bernier is doing these days. Judging from the numbers I see on his report card right now, the young goalie has been dynamite so far this season. I will tell you this: The Kings were privately a little concerned about Jonathan Quick’s play for the past two weeks or so, but then the U.S. Olympic hopeful beat Tampa and Florida in back-to-back starts the past few days so perhaps he’s back to his old self. I still think there’s a chance you see Bernier up with the Kings this season. Maybe the Kings carry three goalies for a while?
via Answers to your ‘beefs’ this week: Time for Brian Burke to do something intelligent – ESPN.
Oilers shine in wide-open game, but don’t get win (player grades, Columbus 3, Oilers, 2) – Cult of Hockey
Patrick O’Sullivan, [player grade:] 6. He is the Roberto Duran of the Oilers. If you don’t understand the reference, search “Manos de Piedra” in Google.
It’s not a compliment for a hockey goal scorer.
I’m starting to think that O’Sullivan’s low shooting percentage over his career isn’t a fluke, isn’t just bad luck. Yet in the shootout, he often drains them, doesn’t he?
On the plus side, he was a contributor on a handful of good scoring chances at even strength, and it’s also satisfying not to have to watch him as the powerplay pointman. He was never suited to that job.
Self-Serving Moulson Premonition
Quispsaid:
Purcell’s dominating season in the AHL puts him a notch above Moulson for now, but it’s clearly possible for either one of them to excel. Purcell is more a natural top-six type. Moulson has been thought of as third line, but could easily be second line material. The interesting thing about Moulson is that he is a natural left winger, and that’s something of a rarity (Luuuuuuuc).
QuispAnthony, you’re like that that 60s Star Trek creature they kept firing their phasers into, before they realized it fed off the energy; [...]But I can’t help myself: [you wrote] “Were Kopitar and Brown healthy scratches tonight? Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot. They were on the same line with the Magnificent Moulson. With the exception of one shift, Kopi and Brown were invisible. They even looked frustrated with their linemate. But what can you say, Terry Murray loves the magnificent Moulson.”
Anthony, I don’t think you should write off Moulson just yet. He is a natural goal scorer. Murray knows it. Lombardi knows it. You’d rather we ditch him now so he can do it for some other team?
QuispMoulson has a knack for scoring. Moller has a knack for scoring. Purcell has a knack for scoring. Simmonds has a knack for scoring. Give them the time it takes them to feel comfortable, where they stop thinking, “damn, I’m in the NHL!” [...] And don’t forget, Moller and Simmonds arrived at least a year early (even by my optimistic projection). When that tree bears fruit, nobody is going to miss Michael Cammalleri.
cristobalOk quisp. I’ll take your word and wait for Moulson to flower. You’ve been correct about Moller and Simmonds.
Quispsaid:
Moulson scored 25 and 28 goals in his last two AHL seasons, and last year managed 9 points in 22 games with the Kings (roughly same as Moller this year over the same number of games). [someone commented that] Moulson…”should stop thinking he’s an offensive player because he’s not.” Why? Because, the rest of his career notwithstanding, he didn’t click with Brown and Kopitar who so far this season have clicked with exactly nobody, not even each other?
April 20, 2009 11:33 AM
Quisp
Moulson will definitely find a home somewhere. He’s a left wing (always coveted); he’s got the skill set; he’s affordable. It comes down to a bunch of stuff we can’t know, whether Moulson wants to play for the Kings, likes TM and/or DL, whether they value him or think he’s useful. it will be easy to lose him, since he can sign anywhere and the Kings — who have announced they will be big players in the UFA market this summer — appear to have their sights set a bit higher. [...] Moulson’s offensive upside is at least what Boyle’s is. He’s a kid who could easily show up on another team scoring quite a few goals, causing us to gnash our teeth in frustration and shame.
QuispMatt Moulson is also a UFA (VI) this summer. I know people are tempted/inclined to write him off, given his uninspiring performance with the Kings last season. But I hold out as much hope for him as for Boyle. For one thing, he’s a LEFT WING. Which we have exactly one of (Frolov). Two, he’s one of those guys who isn’t especially fast or graceful, or physical, or especially ANYTHING, other than he has a knack for putting the puck in the net. You know, like that Luc guy. Now, I’m not saying he’s Luc, or even 1/2 Luc, which I would take. But I think it’s just as likely that Moulson could score thirty goals for someone else than Boyle being the one to do it.
The problem is, Moulson can sign anywhere he wants after 7/1, so DL would actually have to want him bad enough to stop him from shopping himself elsewhere. And there will be takers, because he’s a guy who can score.
Quispsaid:
I agree completely that we need help on the left side. By 2011, at least one of Wudrick, King or Clune should have arrived. And maybe — maaaaaaaybe — Moulson gets signed and sticks this time. I still hold out hope that he’s one of those Robitaille-like guys who can score a ton despite the fact that people think he shouldn’t be able to skate in this league. He has “the knack.”
Lombardi tells Moulson He’s Complacent; Moulson says be fruitful and multiply (but not in those words)
On the drive home after seeing his son Matt get cut from yet another Triple-A hockey team, Scott Moulson looked over at the 15-year-old and leveled with him.
He saw Matt outplay other kids who made the team and he saw Matt refuse to give up during tryouts despite being so sick he was throwing up in the dressing room afterward.
But that was simply not enough.
“If you want to continue to play hockey,” Scott told his son, “then you have to work harder and play so much better than everyone else that a team can’t afford to cut you.”
“That,” said Moulson, now 26, “has been my philosophy ever since.”
And it has to be.
Because as much as Islanders fans may view him as a sudden miracle of goal-scoring, some apparition that magically materialized in the off-season to invigorate a goal-starved team, Moulson endured a lengthy, arduous, obstacle-riddled road to his current success as the team’s top-line left wing and leading goal-scorer.
His circuitous route to the NHL took its first detour more than ten years ago, when Moulson – criticized for his size [he's now 6-1, 206] and skating – was cut at every single Triple-A and junior hockey team tryout he attended.
Moulson shrugged off the rejections.
“Matt has tremendous character,” said Frank Del Monte, Moulson’s family friend and childhood hockey coach in Mississauga, Ontario. “If you tell him ‘no’, he’ll find a way to prove that ‘no’ was the wrong answer.”
Instead of dwelling on the snubs, Moulson accepted an invitation to play Double-A hockey for Jim McGuire, a coach who made hockey fun again and gave Moulson the opportunity denied to him elsewhere.
“What could’ve been a down year,” said his father Scott, “turned out to be a positive one.”
After a successful season in Double-A, Moulson went on to play junior hockey in Guelph and then four seasons at Cornell University from 2002 to 2006.
After Cornell, Moulson was signed as a free agent by the Los Angeles Kings and assigned to their AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs. He played a full season for the Monarchs in 2006-07, and 22 games for the Kings and 57 games for Manchester in 2007-08.
In 2008 he made the Kings out of training camp. He had finally cracked an NHL lineup from the get-go. He thought he had arrived.
But his joy and satisfaction did not last long. He was abruptly demoted and sent back to Manchester after only seven games. The reason? Kings GM Dean Lombardi told Moulson he was “too complacent.”
“That’s what made me so angry,” Moulson said. “I’ve never been complacent.”
Humble and hard working, yes. But complacent? For someone shunned and discarded at practically every level, that didn’t fit. Regardless, Moulson shelved his anger and trudged forward.
“He didn’t bring it to the rink,” said Manchester head coach Mark Morris. “He just got back on the horse and kept riding. No sulking, no pouting.”
Despite being sidelined six weeks with a knee injury, Moulson finished the season with 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 54 games for Manchester and garnered interest from the Islanders, who signed him as a free agent in July.
Impressed with Moulson’s scoring ability in the AHL, coach Scott Gordon wanted to take a chance on him, despite the fact he was a late bloomer.
“Sometimes when a guy is that age, you wonder, ‘Why hasn’t he made it?,” Gordon said. “Sometimes you look for the flaws first instead of the assets.”
Moulson quickly emerged in training camp with his nose for the net and led the team in preseason scoring, essentially forcing the Islanders hand. They had to keep him.
“I just needed a chance – a true chance – to show what I can do,” Moulson said.
His production in training camp proved to be no fluke. While spending almost the first month of this season patiently plugging away while living out of a Long Island hotel room, Moulson not only continued to contribute – he has eight goals and eight assists in 19 games before last night – he also developed a keen chemistry on the ice with top draft pick John Tavares.
Tavares, who has seen Moulson’s incomparable work ethic while training with him during summers back in Ontario, isn’t surprised with Moulson’s rapid ascent, albeit through such a distinctively different path from his own.
“He’s had to prove himself every step of the way and it’s a credit to him,” Tavares said. “He’s a good friend and he deserves everything he got.”
And now that he has his shot, don’t expect him to let it to slip.
Could the veneer of his Cinderella story fade, could he fall short of the expectations that he has raised for himself?
Moulson won’t even entertain the possibility. Not after everything he’s had to overcome.
“I don’t think I would ever let that happen,” Moulson said. “There’s not even that thought in my mind.”
I Said I Would Try to Find a Silver Lining
- Face-offs were roughly even.
- Frolov played well.
- Parse was even in +/- and had a hit and a takeaway.
- Quick didn’t smile on the bench.
- The Kings had a lot of high-quality chances and could easily have been ahead by 2 or 3 by the mid-point of the game.
- It was basically a normal game, 0-0 with a decent amount of wide-open play, all the way until the last few minutes of the second period.
- 7-0 is the same as 1-0. It’s a loss.
- I wouldn’t say the Kings were crushed or even really outplayed. They just gave up a ****load of goals all of the sudden. I can’t even get all that riled up by the Handzus whiff. Whatever. He doesn’t do that more than once a year or so. So, in that sense, yay?
- Quick did not get beat upper glove side. So, good work, Bill Ranford.
Now, as for that goaltending…
I thought Quick looked shaky the whole game. There was that puck off the post that he nearly kicked into his own net. The first goal he was betwixt and between; should have had his paddle down. Second goal, the breakaway, I’ll give him a pass. Third goal? It’s not just that he got burned, or that he got caught, as Jim Fox said, in between. It was just about the most tentative lateral move I have ever seen. When the puck beat him, he was kind of halfway kneeling and almost turned toward the corner. Who does that? I have to say, at least as far as this one game goes, there was something mentally wrong with him. In context, the night off did nothing to help. If anything, his confidence is even worse.
His numbers for the night: 5.11GAA, .786SV%. Terrible. But not as bad as what came next.
Ersberg played less than half the game, gave up four goals on seven shots, miraculously made three saves, looked amateurish on the last goal, in which he went down into a butterfly to let a shot go between his legs that would have hit him if he hadn’t moved. His numbers?
9.32GAA .429SV%, nearly twice as bad as Quick. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. Usually the starter gets pulled and the game calms down. I think I’ve seen it be just as bad with the relief goalie; but I’ve never seen it get worse. I actually thought Murray might pull Ersberg and put Quick back in. Or, you know, Peter Harrold.
One last point to make about this. In shoot-outs, the all-time league average save percentage is .670. The Kings goalies allowed 7 goals on 21 shots. That’s a .667 SV%. That’s right:
We would have done better just to let them have their 21 shots in penalty shot form.
[bonus comment: Bernier has played twice as many games in the AHL as Quick has, with better numbers. He's hot. He's cured his bad attitude. He's earned it. He should be called up. Waive Ersberg. Let Bernier and Quick split the games for awhile. Problem solved.]
Cut/Paste in its entirety: RudyKelly on today’s game sort of
WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Man am I pumped for this game. I’m a Kings man tried and true but I sure do love those Atlanta Thrashers. There’s Ilya, of course, who is without a doubt my favorite non-Kings related hockey player in the league. I don’t watch Ilya Kovalchuk enough to know if he’s good defensively or if he’s a team player, but I like to think he is neither of those things. I like to think of him as a stone cold Russian badass who says shit like, “Ilya do not have time to backcheck like woman,” and then punches Rich Peverley in the face before scoring a hat trick; then he hops into his Lamborghini hot tub and has a threesome with a chick with a Chelsea Smile and another girl with 2 C-section scars. Badass, is how I like to think of him.
Then there’s Maxim Afinogenov, who is exactly like Ilya Kovalchuk except he sucks. For some reason that makes me love him more than I otherwise would. I don’t know why, I just love Russians and foreign hockey players in general. I think it’s because I’m kind of racist and I can just prescribe personality traits to them. (This can be seen in my love of Lubomir Visnovsky, who I talk about in the exact same way I talk about a dog.) Maxim is playing a different game from everyone else. He’s an iconoclast, kind of like Eddie the Eagle or that one guy who shit his pants playing rugby.
Then there are their goaltenders, who I mostly love. I love Kari Lehtonen so much I take him in fantasy hockey every single Goddamn time I play and then he gets hurt. I love Ondrej Pavelec because of his name. Pavelec, teehee! Johan Hedberg can go to Hell, though.
I love Tobias Enstrom because he’s an Eastern Conference Marc-Edouard Vlasic. I love Zach Bogosian because he’s American. I love Evander Kane because I can imagine him skating by Wayne Simmonds and giving him a little “‘Sup?” nod. (Like I said, kinda racist.) I like Ron Hainsey because there’s no way a guy with that name should be a hockey player; he should be writing TPS Reports or writing someone up at McDonald’s because they were 5 minutes late. I love the Atlanta Thrashers.
That beind said, I hope the Kings beat the hell out of them tonight. I should be interesting, as Rich Peverley will most likely get Kopitar duties while Fro will be charged with stopping his fellow countryman.
This is the most pumped I’ll get for a regular season game until the first time we play the Ducks. Go Kings.
***
Also, did anyone see on Inside the Kings where Terry Murray and Bill Ranford talked about how Jonathan Quick was too hunched over and that it was leaving him open up high. Hmm, I seem to remember someone mentioning that earlier… OH WAIT. IT WAS ME. I SAID THAT.
via Los Angeles Kings @ Atlanta Thrashers GameThread, Nov 13, 2009 4:30 PM PST – Battle of California.
Scotty Bowman predicts cap decline – MLive.com
Scotty Bowman, the legendary former coach and now an adviser for the Chicago Blackhawks, believes next year’s NHL salary cap could drop about $2-million, a reasonable prediction given how little box-office revenue is being generated in Phoenix, Tampa and Atlanta. Even the rising Canadian dollar won’t offset those black holes. If that cap forecast is ultimately how it plays out, you’d have to think most general managers will get even more gun shy about adding high-priced help (such as Giguere) unless they're on expiring contracts. Cheaper options (such as Martin Biron of the Islanders) will become far more attractive.
Garrett Roe Wasn’t in a Fight and His Black Eye Has Nothing to Do with the Unnamed Team Rule He Broke Leading to His One Game Suspension (bonus: apparently, two years ago, he had an army injury)
Entering perhaps their toughest stretch of the season on Friday at second-ranked North Dakota, the St. Cloud State men's hockey team will get a boost with the return of two forwards from injury. However, it might take both Travis Novak and David Eddy to make up for the loss of another, Huskies leading scorer Garrett Roe, who will miss the series opener against the Sioux because of a one-game suspension.
Roe, a junior who has two goals and six assists through eight games, will be a healthy scratch for the first time in his college career because he “broke a team rule,” according to SCSU coach Bob Motzko, who would not elaborate.
Roe missed one game because of an army injury as a rookie — and has 101 career points while appearing in 85 of 86 career games. He practiced with the Huskies' fifth line on Monday and Tuesday at the National Hockey Center and again Wednesday at the Municipal Athletic Complex.
He also had a bruised left eye, but both Motzko and Roe maintained that had nothing to do with his suspension. When asked why he wouldn’t be playing Friday, Roe — who is making the trip to Grand Forks — referred questions to Motzko.
“I really can’t say — but it was nothing big and it wasn’t because of a fight, I’ll tell you that,” said Roe, who wouldn’t explain his bruised eye. “Other than that, I can’t tell you anything. I can’t give details on my personal life.”
via SCSU men’s hockey: 2 forwards return, but Roe suspended 1 game | sctimes.com | St Cloud Times.
Scoring Benchmarks After Game 19
Before the season started, I offered up the hypothesis that, if the Kings were to make the playoffs, they needed to increase their scoring to 246 goals and decrease their goals against to 230. Subsequently, I offered up a template for how I thought the Kings could get to the 250 goal mark. (I rounded up.) I assigned each player what I thought to be a reasonable benchmark. Here is the chart I came up with, back in the pre-season (right):
Now, here’s how the team and the players are doing nineteen games in (below):
The Kings have scored five more goals than they need to to be on track for 250. At this rate, they will score 276 goals, 10% over the target. What’s remarkable is who is doing the scoring and who’s not. The chart is sorted by number of goals over or under the target for the season. The five players at the top (dark green) are scoring much more than I thought it was reasonable to expect (obviously Parse was not even on anyone’s radar, but as the chart is sorted by the over/under, he jumps way up into the elite group). I budgeted Kopitar for 35 goals. He’s on pace for 60. I budgeted Smyth for 25 goals. He’s on pace for 39. Handzus and Simmonds are also exceeding my expectations by a long shot. Doughty’s surplus, combined with goals from Jones and Drewiske, essentially washes out the underages from Johnson and Greene — however, Doughty is doing marginally better than I thought he would, while Johnson is doing much worse than I hoped. Lewis and Moller are both in Manchester, of course, so their projected numbers suck. The numbers for the “kids” who are playing now (Parse, Simmonds and Purcell) don’t quite off-set the goals not being scored by Lewis and Moller, but it’s close. And then there’s Frolov, who I pegged for 35 goals and who is on pace for 17. Luckily, Kopitar, Smyth, Handzus, and Simmonds have scored 14 goals more than budgeted, which more than makes up for Frolov’s lack of production (-4).
Then shouldn’t we have the last four #1 Overall picks?
[H]ere are the total points accumulated by each team since the lockout:
- DET 464
- SJS 431
- NJD 413
- BUF 404
- ANA 401
- DAL 399
- NSH 395
- OTT 395
- CGY 391
- CAR 389
- NYR 386
- VAN 385
- MTL 380
- MIN 375
- PIT 364
- BOS 360
- COL 354
- PHI 351
- FLA 349
- TOR 345
- WSH 342
- ATL 339
- EDM 339
- CHI 328
- TBL 322
- CBJ 319
- NYI 310
- PHX 310
- STL 309
- LAK 307
via Puck Prospectus | Articles | Illegal Curve: Penalty Minutes and Team Success.
Should The Sharks Re-Sign Marleau? – Battle of California
On the flipside, look at the grumblings among some Tampa fans regarding Vincent Lecavalier’s contract now. You’ll find more than a few of them grousing about how Lecavalier should have been moved this off-season and how the team belongs to Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman now.
So it’s not an easy thing to balance out. You do it right and it’s good for the player and for the team. Make the wrong move — cut the guy off when the team still needs him or horribly overpay with term and cap hit to hinder any future moves — and you’ll be suffering for years.
via Should The Sharks Re-Sign Marleau? – Battle of California.
It’s Never Too Late For the Wheels to Fall Off
I was just looking at the standings, the ones that have the Kings in 5th in the Western Conference. I noticed that they have played more games than most teams behind them. That’s not good. Let’s look at the standings a couple of different ways. First, the tradition way, by points:
- SJS – 28
- COL – 26
- CHI – 20
- CGY – 23
- LAK – 22
- CBJ – 20
- PHX – 20
- DAL – 20
- VAN – 20
- EDM – 18
- DET – 17
- STL – 16
- NSH – 15
- ANA – 14
- MIN – 14
Now here it is by winning % (actually it’s points-per-game, which is WIN% times 2):
- SJS 1.474
- COL 1.444
- CHI 1.250
- CGY 1.438
- CBJ 1.250
- LAK 1.222
- PHX 1.176
- DAL 1.176
- DET 1.133
- VAN 1.053
- EDM 1.000
- STL 1.000
- NAS 0.938
- ANA 0.933
- MIN 0.824
Kings move down one to 6th. Wings jump from 11th to 8th. Now, here’s a third method, which may be crackpotty, and I’ve only ever seen it used by me. Ignore it if you want to. It’s related to WIN%, but not. It’s points-lost. If you are 6-2-0, your total is 4 (2 losses times 2 points each); if you are 0-2-0, your total is also 4. The difference between this and WIN% is a team gets no bonus for having played more games. It’s all about the points you’ve blown. (In these standings, a lower point total is better, because obviously the fewer points blown the better.)
- SJS 10
- COL 10
- CGY 11
- CHI 12
- CBJ 12
- DET 13 (up 5)
- LAK 14 (down 2-4; depending on how you break the three way tie)
- PHX 14
- DAL 14
- STL 16 (up 2)
- ANA 16 (up 3-4)
- NSH 17
- VAN 18 (down 4)
- MIN 20
I don’t think I missed any of the teams that moved two or more spaces. What leaps out at me is this: (1) DET is doing much much better than people think. (2) ANA is not doomed. (3) The Kings are doing well but not as well as it seems. (4) The Kings are in a three-way tie for 7th, which is to say they are a hair away from 10th. (5) They are two points, i.e. one loss, away from 12th. (6) They are also one win away from 4th.
This early in the season, I find it useful to keep in mind what a win or a loss does to a team’s position in the standings. There’s a big difference between being in 1st and so far ahead that a few losses won’t hurt you, and (as SJS is) being in 1st such that one loss could drop you to 6th. So I prefer to think of a team’s position in the standings as a range, the range being (at the top) where you could be tomorrow morning if you win and the right teams lose, and (at the bottom) where you could be if you lose and the “right” teams win.
Looking at it that way, the Kings’ range is between 4th and 12th in the standings.
What the Rules Actually Say About Charging and Boarding
Of interest is what the OHL rule book says about boarding (which it borrows word-for-word from the NHL rule book):
A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards. The severity of the penalty, based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.
There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the application of this rule by the Referees. The onus is on the player (or goalkeeper) applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a vulnerable position and if so, he must avoid the contact. However, there is also a responsibility on the player with the puck to avoid placing himself in a dangerous and vulnerable position. This balance must be considered by the Referees when applying this rule.
Any unnecessary contact with a player playing the puck on an obvious “icing” or “off-side” play which results in that player being knocked into the boards is “boarding” and must be penalized as such. In other instances where there is no contact with the boards, it should be treated as “charging.”
The wording there is interesting. Most hockey fans are familiar with the “two full strides” rule of thumb for charging, but the rule book doesn’t say that either; it simply says that “Charging shall mean the actions of a player or goalkeeper who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner.”
via Hockey Or Die! – The Score.
Got it? That’s why an otherwise clean hit might be illegal. There is such a thing as too hard where body checks are concerned. As a former defenseman, I find this interesting, since when I played meaningful games years ago, equipment and the size and strength of players were such that it would be nearly impossible to seriously hurt someone with a clean open ice hit, to the extent that I saw players knocked out maybe once every couple of years, rather than every week, as it seems to happen now.
From letsgosharks: The Poppy Pin
You may have noticed Sharks head coach Todd McLellan and his staff adorning a certain accessory behind the bench on Saturday night, and again last night when the Sharks squared off against the Nashville Predators. It was a simple red flower, hung neatly on each coach’s left lapel. The red poppy, or replica of the flower, probably means little to most American hockey fans, but for a Canadian, it represents something more than just a way to dress up a suit.
The red poppy is worn by many Canadians wear the poppy during the two weeks prior to Remembrance Day. The Canadian holiday, also known as Armistice Day or Veterans Day as we know it in the U.S. , always falls on November 11th. It was on the 11th of November (the 11th month of the year), at the 11th hour of the day, when World War I officially ended.
Canadians celebrate their veterans with a public holiday, but more symbolically, with the red poppy. In the United States , war veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice are traditionally honored on Memorial Day, whereas American honor all veterans, living or otherwise.
While not all the provinces celebrate with a statutory holiday, Canada ’s federal government partakes in several traditions on Remembrance Day, including the reading or singing of “In Flanders Fields”, a poem written by Canadian officer and physician John McCrae during World War I after McCrea witnessed the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer.
The leading passage:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
refers to the flowers that grew prominently around the battlefields and military burial grounds around Flanders, or what is present day Belgium . “Red” represents the color of blood that flowed so prominently in the war that was supposed to end all wars.
The Montreal Canadiens have the lines:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
inscribed in both English and French in their locker room above photographs of famous Canadian players, reminding current players of the teams history, and the importance of honor in the team’s culture.
This particular passage is also inscribed upon the base of the flagpole at the American Cemetery , Madingley, in Cambridge , England.
via letsgosharks
And here is Carey Price’s Remembrance Day mask:
From LA Kings Hockey News: A new one for the lexicon…POST TRAUMATIC GOALIE DISORDER
Perhaps the first Kings team in almost a decade to excite fans to realistic playoff fantasy has fans confused as to how long a hockey season is or what to expect from the team as a whole. Or maybe enduring so many seasons of LaBarbera and Cloutier has them precariously teetering on the edges of post-tramautic-goalie-stress disorder.
The 10 biggest hockey upsets of the last decade – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports
6. Los Angeles Kings (7) upset Detroit Red Wings (2), 2001 Western Conference quarterfinals
The Wings were a 111-point team taking on a 92-point Kings squad, and the difference in the standings was evident in the first two Detroit victories in the series. But Los Angeles won Game 3 before the series was turned on its head in Game 4: The Kings rallied for three goals in the final 6:07 to send the game to overtime, where rookie Eric Belanger(notes) scored to knot it at two games apiece. LA would win four consecutive games to eliminate the Wings, including Adam Deadmarsh’s series-clinching tally in overtime of Game 6.
via The 10 biggest hockey upsets of the last decade – Puck Daddy – NHL – Yahoo! Sports.
RSS - Posts
leave a comment