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Greg Wyshynski | December 19, 2009

 

(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn’t technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we’ve had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it’s time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments.)

There are different levels of embarrassment. We’re sure Todd Bertuzzi(notes) was embarrassed when he was suspended for, like, half the decade. We’re sure the NHL’s marketing department was embarrassed when the "My NHL" campaign after the lockout went over about as well as Crystal Pepsi; for some reason, fans didn’t rally behind NHL-hockey-as-a-metrosexual-samurai. We’re sure Gary Bettman was embarrassed when … oh, who are we kidding? Like that shame could ever penetrate that suit.

What we’re dealing with here, for the most part, are reputation-changing events that don’t rise to the levels of extreme violence or overwhelming despair. It’s less "Faces of Death" or the stuff of news documentaries than it is tabloid fodder and blooper reel mainstays.

Sure, there are some serious topics: criminal behavior, reckless indiscretions and decisions that put an individual above the wellbeing of his profession. But there’s also a few goalies letting pucks trickle by them through ineptitude or, in one case, complete egomania.

Here are the 10 most embarrassing on-ice or off-ice moments for hockey in the last decade; please use the comments for what we imagine are about 100 honorable mentions that didn’t make the cut.

10. Vesa Toskala’s(notes) rink-length goal-allowed (2008)

From an optimist’s perspective, New York Islanders defenseman Rob Davison(notes) scored the longest shorthanded goal in NHL history. From a pessimist’s perspective, Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala let in a 197-foot goal in March 2008 for one of the decade’s most beloved bloopers:

There would be some debate the following season whether a similar goal let in by Ondrej Pavelec(notes) of the Atlanta Thrashers was the bigger goalie goof; but it’s hard to argue against the slow, painful reality of Toskala’s Folly.

9. Being too sexy for the Internet (2007-08)

The social media boom has changed life for both fans and athletes. There were a couple of reminders for NHL players that the Internet is never a safe place for provocative photography.

Granted, the retina-searing image of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Mike Commodore(notes) wearing nothing but black boxer briefs and covering himself in $100 bills — bounty from a Super Bowl pool win — was more comical than harmful. But it did spell out the dangers of Facebook, as the photo was posted on a friend of Commodore’s profile; and Commodore did have to respond to the Internet meme because some assumed the photo was mocking the millions he had collected as a free agent with Columbus.

Much more embarrassing was the case of Jiri Tlusty(notes) of the Toronto Maple Leafs. At first, candid photos showing him in suggestive poses with male friends had him fending off rumors about his sexuality.

Then came a cell phone self-photograph on Facebook that Tlusty had sent to a female friend, showing him fully nude in front of a mirror. Lawyers tracked down the images and the Leafs supported the young player, but his name is now synonymous with the "scandalous" images.

Overall, Tlusty’s mistakes were seen as youth indiscretions by an inexperienced professional. Although (the ironically named, in this instance) Damien Cox of the Toronto Star claimed Tlusty soiled "the team’s famous emblem" and "disgraced what was once a Canadian institution."

We assume his editors deleted his lines about locking the impure in the gallows and stoning him to death.

8. Patrick Kane(notes) is arrested and 20-Cent is born (2009)

In Aug. 2009, Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and his cousin James were arrested and charged with second-degree robbery, fourth-degree criminal mischief and theft of services after allegedly punching a Buffalo cab driver after he didn’t have 20 cents to give them change on their $15 for a $13.80 fare.

The felony robbery charge was dropped, and Kane eventually pled guilty to disorderly conduct on Aug. 27, which is a non-criminal violation.

The fallout, however, was significant for Kane, the Calder Trophy winner for 2007-08. His image was tarnished at the same time it had first graced the cover of a video game (EA Sports’ "NHL 10") and when the Blackhawks were a rising Cup contender. In Buffalo, the locals scorned him by littering his family’s front lawn with dimes. Kane was forced to apologize for the incident at the start of US Olympic orientation camp.

Overall, hockey fans mocked him for an indiscretion, but some felt he had contributed to a "young athletes out of control" trend in pro sports. But mostly, it saddled him eternally with the nickname "20-Cent" and created cottage industry of hilarious T-shirts.

Special consideration for the Canadiens’ rookie purse stealing. Someone else’s purse; not, like, his.

7. The Worst Hockey Fight of All-Time (2006)

With all due respect to Washington Capitals forward Alex Semin and his Marc Staal-shaped bongos, we’re here to celebrate an even more epically awful moment of puck pugilism.

On April 6, 2006, Aaron Downey(notes) of the Montreal Canadiens and Brad Norton(notes) of the Ottawa Senators dropped the gloves. No, seriously, that’s all they did:

Downey and Norton both received 10-minute misconducts for wasting everyone’s time. The punch snobs at HockeyFights.com don’t even list this incident on Downey’s page, insult to fighting that it was.

6. Tie Domi vs. the Philadelphia Flyers fan (2001)

Tie Domi once fought a mascot in the penalty box. So it must have been a bit of a comedown for the Toronto Maple Leafs tough guy when he pummeled a taunting Flyers fan during a March 19, 2001 game in Philly:

From the AP:

Domi, who had just been penalized early in the third period, twice poured water over taunting fans in the front row before the attacking fan, Chris Falcone, jumped from the second row and landed on the glass. Falcone leaned into it while throwing a punch at Domi that didn’t connect. He then fell into the box as Domi grabbed him.

"They threw stuff at me. Once was enough. After the second one, I told the guy in the penalty box that after one more I was going to squirt water. So I squirted water," Domi said. "I mean, I didn’t plan on fighting anybody."

Domi was fined but not suspended by the NHL. It was named one of the greatest athlete/fan interactions of all-time by Maxim.

The incident belongs on this list because it’s embarrassing for any sport to see an athlete attack a paying customer. It’s not higher on this list because — let’s face it — Domi took this sucker old-time hockey style; and because he didn’t go out like a punk like the Rangers and John Tortorella did during their water-bottle incident in the 2009 playoffs.

5. When party photos are taken out of context (various)

As we said earlier: The Internet is a dangerous place for candid photography. Especially when those photos can be used to forward an agenda.

In 2008, members of the Philadelphia Flyers were photographed "crashing" a Temple University frat mixer; later, other candid photos of the Flyers hanging with porn star Gina Lynn surfaced. They combined to reinforce a "party boys" label placed on the locker room for its underwhelming play; a reputation GM Paul Holmgren had to address in the 2009 offseason and one that remained in place during the Flyers 2009-10 season struggles.

Also in 2008, the Montreal Canadiens were hit with similar charges when photos of players drinking and (in goalie Carey Price’s case) smoking were passed around the Web. Fans online suspected the context of most of these images placed them in the offseason; traditional media used them as fodder for why the Habs’ centennial season had gone up in smoke.

Finally, Alex Ovechkin’s(notes) pre-stardom photographs that show him carousing with other Russian players like Andrei Markov(notes) are amusing; less amusing is when they were used as "evidence" in some strange email scam that tried to link the two with the receipt for an expensive night at a strip club. It’s complete bunk … but we still get an email about it every few weeks.

4. Tommy Salo becomes a hero to Belarus (2002)

In the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Swedish goalie Tommy Salo’s head helped Belarus eventually earn a spot in the bronze medal game. One of the all-time Olympic bloopers:

From the AP:

The shot couldn’t possibly go in, but it did. Sweden couldn’t possibly lose, but it did. And the kind of upset that couldn’t possibly happen with NHL players now dominating the Olympics is a reality.

Vladimir Kopat scored on a 70-foot shot that bounced wildly off goalie Tommy Salo’s head with only 2:24 remaining and Belarus scored one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history Wednesday, beating Sweden 4-3 in the hockey quarterfinals.

Ty Conklin’s 2006 goof in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals deserves a dishonorable mention. But it doesn’t top this.

3. Patrick Roy’s Statue of Liberty fail (2002)

THE GOAL COUNTS! THE GOAL COUNTS! THE GOAL COUNTS!

In May 2002, during the Western Conference finals, Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche felt he had stoned Steve Yzerman on a close shot. To taunt the Wings about his utter invincibility, he raised his glove in what’s been called a "Statue of Liberty" pose … only to have the puck drop out and Brendan Shanahan(notes) poke it home.

If St. Patrick’s ego was bruised, he wasn’t about to show it after the game. From Jim Kelley of Sportsnet:

He was "putting a little mustard" on a good save, but it was a devastating miscue, one that gave the Detroit Red Wings new life and, eventually, the Stanley Cup.

The night of that Game 6 loss in Colorado, no one in media expected to see Patrick Roy. Yet he came to his locker, answered most every question with a steely gaze at the questioner and a rock-solid belief that he had done no wrong.

He talked about how he played to win and dismissed criticism of his miscue as if it didn’t even happen. "What goal," he asked when a questioner asked him to recount the circumstances. "Which one do you mean?"

The Wings would go on to hoist something of their own later that postseason.

2. NHLers who gamble with their reputations

What were the odds that Operation: Slap Shot was going to make this list?

The sting operation led by New Jersey State Police exposed a nationwide gambling ring and led to charges against then-Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet (who later became head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning). He eventually made a plea deal that led to two years of probation; his leave of absence and a three-month suspension from the NHL kept Tocchet out of hockey for nearly two years as well.

Also sullied in the investigation: Janet Jones, the wife of Tocchet’s friend and then-Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky, although she was never charged with any crime. She was, however, alleged to have bet $75,000 on the Super Bowl and $5,000 on the coin toss alone, which was enough for the public to ridicule her and for Gretzky to deny any role in the gambling ring himself.

But Gretzky wasn’t the only big name to deal with a gambling scandal; Jaromir Jagr(notes) faced scrutiny from the IRS for tax debts that may have been fueled by huge losses via Internet betting. Sports Illustrated reported that Jagr cut a deal with the CaribSports site in 2000 that had him repay a $450,000 debt for wagers.

In both cases, no one was accused of betting on hockey. Take that, NBA.

1. Patrick Stefan whiffs at the empty net (2007)

As you can see from the list, there have been plenty of memorable miscues in hockey over the last decade. But few have both influenced a game and defined a career like Patrick Stefan’s botched empty net goal for the Dallas Stars against the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 4, 2007:

The Stars would win the game in a shootout, 6-5; Stefan’s blooper gifted a point to the Oilers. From the AP:

Dallas rallied from 4-1 down with four unanswered goals, but needed the shootout heroics after Ales Hemsky(notes) tied the game for Edmonton with two seconds left in regulation. Hemsky’s dramatic goal came just moments after Stars forward Patrik Stefan(notes) lost control of the puck in the Edmonton crease, with the Oilers net empty in favour of an extra attacker.

"They may show it a million times for years to come," joked Stefan. "I mean, we came out with the two points so it’s easy to laugh about it right now.

"It’s not like I missed the net, I saw it was bad ice and I had so much time so I just tried to carry it all the way to the net. As soon as I put it on my back hand it jumped over my stick. Not much I can do about that."

A victim of circumstance? Maybe. The bottom line is that there wasn’t a more feeble moment in hockey in the 2000s than Stefan failing to pot a goal into an unguarded net and then tumbling to the ice afterwards. It’s the defining moment for the career of, perhaps, the biggest No. 1 overall NHL Draft bust of all-time. And it’s the most embarrassing moment, on or off the ice, of the last decade.

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Ryan Lambert | December 18, 2009

NCAA Hockey 101 is a weekly feature on U.S. Division I college hockey. Stick around and you just might learn a thing or two.

Winter break is upon us, and that means we are pretty much halfway through the season. So what does one do with these two bleak, empty, meaningless weeks before the holiday tournaments start?

Well, in the time-honored tradition of journalism using arbitrary dates as baselines to evaluate individual performances, I figure now is as good a time as any to have a look at the current favorites for the Hobey Baker award.

For those of you that don’t know, the Hobey is awarded to the nation’s most outstanding college hockey player. And it helps a lot if you’re a senior and, like most major sporting awards, your team doesn’t stink. Former winners of the award include guys you’ve heard of, like Ryan Miller(notes), Neal Broten, Jordan Leopold(notes), Matt Carle(notes), Chris Drury(notes), Paul Kariya(notes), Brendan Morrison(notes) and Matt Gilroy(notes). Other former winners include guys you probably haven’t heard of (or at least thought about in the past 10 years) like Tony Hrkac, Chris Marinucci, Jason Krog(notes), Junior Lessard(notes) and Scott Fusco.

THE Scott Fusco.

So who’s going to win it this year? Let’s have a look at what an impartial panel of judges (me) thinks.

5. Corey Tropp (Michigan State), junior forward

The argument for: Tropp, a Buffalo draft pick, seems a smart place to start since he’s the national leader in points (27) and goals (16). He has also helped the Spartans to an incredible turnaround. They went 10-23-5 last year, but they already have 12 wins this year and are second in the CCHA behind only No. 1 Miami.

The argument against: Yeah, he’s the national leader in points and goals, but he’s played 20 games, where most other players in the Top 10 max out at 19, and the average is about 17. His points per game is just 15th nationally.

4. Marc Cheverie (Denver), junior goalie

The argument for: When Cheverie is in net, he gives Denver an excellent chance to win. He started the season having allowed six goals in his first six games, FOUR of which were shutouts. He has a 9-2-1 record and both he and Denver would be in better shape stats- and record-wise if he hadn’t gotten hurt and missed three weeks of the season.

The argument against: His goals-against average is sixth in the country, and his save percentage is 11th. And that’s after allowing six goals on the first 179 shots he faced this year. Since coming back from injury he’s been considerably worse, allowing just about 21 goals in his last seven.

3. James Marcou (UMass), junior forward

The argument for: For starters, he is the national leader in points per game at 1.73. His 26 points in 15 games has him tied for second in the country in scoring despite playing at least two fewer games than everyone else in the top 12. He is the consummate setup man, dealing 21 assists to go with his five goals, and turning linemate Casey Wellman into a player you actually have to worry about, which is no small feat.

The argument against: There’s only one argument you can make. The old saying is that "Hobey likes goals." Having just 20 percent of his points come from goals isn’t going to cut it come voting time. No forward in the history of Hobey Baker winners has ever won it with such a low ratio of goals to assists. In fact, no forward has ever won it with less than 20 goals since Tom Kurvers did it in 1984 (he had 18).

2. Cody Reichard (Miami), sophomore goalie

The argument for: He leads the nation in goals-against (1.34!), he’s third in save percentage (.938, just .002 back of the national co-leaders, Notre Dame’s Mike Johnson(notes) and Ferris State’s Pat Nagle), he’s got tied for second in shutouts (three), he’s the No. 1 goalie on the best team in the country and as such he’s got only one loss in 13 decisions. It’s a pretty convincing resume, especially when considering his stats are right around what Ryan Miller’s were (1.32/.950) when he won it in 2001.

The argument against: Miami is the best team in the country by far. He’s got gaudy numbers, but how much of that is the team in front of him? Hell, backup Connor Knapp two shutouts are almost as many as Reichard’s despite playing five last games. Also, goalies almost never win the Hobey Baker. Miller and Robb Stauber are the only ones who have ever done it.

1. Brendan Smith (Wisconsin), junior defenseman

The argument for: He’s tied with Marcou and three other players for second in the country in scoring with 26 points, but he’s the only defenseman. He obviously leads all defensemen in points per game and points by a country mile. Lowell’s Nick Schaus and UNH’s Blake Kessel are second with 18 apiece. Smith also leads all defensemen in goals and is the bedrock of Wisconsin’s team D, which is sixth-best in the country at 2.11 goals per game.

The argument against: Matt Gilroy, also a defenseman, won it last year. As of right now that’s pretty much the only reason he wouldn’t get votes, so even if that’s not a good reason (and it of course is not) that will actually matter to the people that decide these things.

Pop quiz

In which I ask a blogger five questions about the team they follow. This week I got at the, let’s face it, geniuses behind Runnin’ With the Dogs, a blog about the No. 12 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, and certainly one of the best college hockey blogs around. They know their team, they’re funny, and most of all they are unapologetically offensive (this counts big in my book).

1. How are you feeling about the first half?

It has been incredibly fun to be a Bulldog fan this year, and that’s how I measure a season. From Peanut Butter Hjelle Time! T-shirts and a banana suit to verbal altercations in the stands with Gopher students and St. Cloud state parents to beaking Brad Eidsness into losing his shutout and giving up an OT goal to Sieve-mas carols to running laps around the arena carrying a blowup doll… it’s been a bit of a good time. Oh, and the play on the ice has been stellar.

2. To whom would you compare Jack Connolly as a player?

First of all, I applaud your usage of "to whom," both for the correct usage of who/whom and also because you did not end your sentence with a preposition. Attention must be paid. I cannot overemphasize the importance of proper grammar. Or complete sentences…

Oh, I don’t know, Sidney Crosby(notes), Brett Hull, Gordie Howe… This is really not my strength here. I don’t really watch the NHL other than occasionally the Wild. My focus is almost exclusively on Bulldog hockey. I’m like a laser. So I can’t really list anyone who people have actually heard of or watched. Jack is the ultimate set-up guy, but with a small paradigm shift he could be a lot more of a goal scorer. Remember, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. That’s good advice, Marty.

I’ve heard him compared to former UMD Bulldog and Conehead Mark Pavelich, but I can’t verify that.

I asked Bruce Ciskie, voice of the Bulldogs, and he said "St. Louis" which I assume to be Martin St. Louis(notes) and not former Michigan Tech Husky Justin St. Louis. I don’t know if I trust him because he is being a bitter bear that you chose me over him, and he might pick someone to make me look dumb. Which I can do on my own, thankyouverymuch.

3. Would you like to see Scott Sandelin use Kenny Reiter more or are you cool with Brady Hjelle leading the way in the second half?

Well, whether I like it or not, Sandy will be doing the goalie rotation. I am… well, always supportive. I would just like it if Kenny got more comfortable playing the puck in the crease before he started playing it outside the crease. I am a fan of goalie rotations because opponents have more tape to study, more information to absorb, and fewer looks at their playing styles.

4. Who is UMD’s most underrated player?

Kyle Schmidt. Pretty much every goal this kid scores is some kind of game-changer. Last Saturday I was in the Duluth News Tribune’s chat room following the game and I mentioned I had not heard Kyle’s name much that game and it was time for him to score. Guess who scored the go-ahead goal just a few minutes later? (Here are your choices A. Kyle Schmidt B. RWD, or C. Tyler Ruegsegger?) It’s a gift I have. He’s fast, he works incredibly hard, he’s great at killing penalties, he’s cute, and he is also a genius.

5. How do you think your Bulldogs have to improve to make the NCAA tournament?

Goaltending. This is not an original opinion of mine, but it’s not exactly groundbreaking. It’s like in baseball: pitching wins championships. Goaltending wins championships. UMD has two goalies who give them a chance to win every game if the team plays well. What they don’t have is a goaltender who will give them a chance to win those when they don’t play well. This is what’s known as A Serious Answer. Until I said that.

I charge by the word. That will be $2,760.

Extra credit

• The College Hockey Blog runs down the top 10 college games of the decade. Sadly missing from the list is the UMass/Maine Hockey East final in 2004 that went three OTs and was awesome. [tCHB]

• Northern Michigan’s Ray Kaunisto was suspended one game for his reportedly brutal headshot against Lake Superior State last weekend. [Michigan College Hockey]

• Great commentary from Brian Sullivan on how the college game has changed, but not necessarily for the better. [USCHO]

• Boston College has shot up the rankings in the past few weeks and are now No. 5 in the country thanks to an 8-1-1 record in its last 10 games. Next up is a huge test in the Denver Cup, where the Eagles will most likely play No. 2 Denver. [BC Interruption]

• Here’s why Patrick Wiercioch was held out of the World Junior tryouts for Canada: he was playing through an MCL sprain. [Montreal Gazette]

• Dean Blais will not be behind the bench for Nebraska-Omaha this weekend against Mankato because he’s coaching the US World Junior team, which is scrimmaging against North Dakota. [PucKato]

• (Hey guys, I’m always looking for links here. If you have a college hockey post on your blog, please send it along to the address below.)

Ryan Lambert writes about college hockey weekly here at Puck Daddy. You can e-mail him here or follow him on Twitter.

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Sean Leahy | December 17, 2009

No. 1 star, Tuomo Ruutu(notes), Carolina Hurricanes

Ruutu’s hat trick, capped off with an empty-net insurance marker with six seconds left,
led the way in Carolina’s 5-3 win over Dallas. After taking a commanding 3-0 lead through the opening 13 minutes, the Stars clawed back and cut the deficit to one in the second period. Ruutu’s second goal of the night gave Carolina some breathing room in the third period before he completed the trick at the end of the game.

No. 2 star, Brian Elliott(notes), Ottawa Senators

After the news of Jason Spezza’s(notes) injury added to Ottawa injury woes, Buffalo had the opportunity to grab an easy two points. Elliott thought otherwise making 22 saves and blanked the Sabres, winners of four in a row heading into Wednesday night’s game. It was Elliott’s 13th straight start filling in for an injured Pascal Leclaire(notes) and second shutout in his last four games.

No. 3 star, Cristobal Huet(notes), Chicago Blackhawks

Huet continued his stellar play this season by making 27 saves in 3-0 shutout of St. Louis. Now with 15 wins on the year, Huet and backup Antti Niemi(notes) have gone 141:21 without allowing a goal. The victory improved the Blackhawks NHL-best home record to 14-3-1 and gave the franchise their best start since 1982-83 through 32 game.

Honorable Mention: Martin Brodeur(notes) tied Patrick Roy’s all-time games played record at 1,029 and then beat Montreal 2-1 with 17 saves for his 578th career win. Patrik Elias(notes) netted the winner with 2:36 left in the third period. Ilkka Pikkarainen(notes) scored his first NHL goal to tie the game at one in the second period … Trent Hunter(notes) played in his 400th game as the Isles upended the rival New York Rangers 2-1. Dwayne Roloson(notes) made 25 saves for his 11th win … Despite three assists from Mike Ribeiro(notes), the Stars couldn’t overcome Carolina … Phoenix was a goal away from "making it seven" in Toronto with a 6-3 win over the Maple Leafs. Martin Hanzal(notes) and Keith Yandle(notes) assisted on three of the Coyotes’ goals while Petr Prucha(notes) potted two. The high-flying Coyotes are 7-1-1 in their last nine games … Florida’s Stephen Weiss(notes) continued his career season with a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win. Weiss now has seven points in four games. Michael Frolik’s(notes) winner with 1:21 left took the steam out of an Atlanta comeback … Jonas Hiller(notes) (28 saves) and Roberto Luongo(notes) (31 saves) put on a heckuva show in Vancouver as the Ducks edged the Canucks 3-2 on Saku Koivu’s(notes) last third period goal. Anaheim rookie Dan Sexton(notes) had two assists extending his points streak to four games. Ducks forward Mike Brown played in his 100th NHL game … Marian Hossa(notes) scored his fifth goal in ten games and Patrick Kane(notes) setup all three Chicago goals. Blackhawks fans filled the United Center for the franchise’s 68th consecutive sellout.

Did You Know?: Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan(notes) is one game away from 1,000 for his NHL career, all with the Winnipeg/Phoenix organization.

Dishonorable Mention: It was open season on Vesa Toskala(notes) as Phoenix scored four second period goals on 10 shots against Toronto … Despite Ottawa having five regulars out of the lineup, Buffalo couldn’t capitalize on six power-play chances as they were shutout … After last night’s David Koci(notes) hit on Mike Green(notes), Ottawa’s Jarkko Ruutu(notes) might face suspension after his hit to the head of Sabres forward Patrick Kaleta(notes) … We mentioned New Jersey’s Ilkka Pikkarainen scoring his first NHL goal tonight against Montreal. We’re not sure if Carey Price’s(notes) catching glove will be credited with an assist:

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Sean Leahy | December 16, 2009

Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.

Preview: Montreal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m. EST. It’s almost fitting that Martin Brodeur(notes) will tie Patrick Roy’s record for games played tonight against his boyhood team. Now, if he should post a shutout against the Habs tonight and break Terry Sawchuk’s all-time record, the fans at Prudential Center tonight would really get the most out of their tickets. Carey Price(notes) is expected in goal for Montreal as Jaroslav Halak(notes) continues to shy away from questions that he asked Canadiens GM for a trade earlier in the week.

Preview: New York Islanders at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. EST. After an inspiring overtime win against Boston on Saturday, the Islanders fell flat on their faces with a 7-1 stomping by Florida on Monday night. Now with a home-and-home with their hated rivals in the next two days, it’s an opportunity for Scott Gordon to get his team back on track. 

Preview: Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m. EST. Jason Spezza(notes) is now gone for 6-8 weeks with a torn MCL bringing the number of Ottawa regulars sidelined to five. The Sabres smell blood and enter the game with a four-game win streak and have won eight of their last 10 games. Buffalo will be looking for their first win in Ottawa since March of 2008.

Check out previews and updated scores for all of today’s games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page.

Evening Reading

-Sportsnet reported this morning that Columbus, Boston, Minnesota, Carolina, San Jose, and Phoenix will all start the 2010-11 season in Europe, but a Hurricanes team official said the process is not complete just yet.  [Canes Country]

-A second, Canadian-based Winter Classic could be upon us next season. [Fanhouse]

-Can Ty Conklin(notes) play defense? The Bruins announced that they will be without defenseman Mark Stuart(notes) for 4-6 weeks after he suffered a broken sternum Monday night against Philadelphia. [Boston Globe]

-Sharks radio play-by-play man Dan Rusanowsky asks questions in light of Montreal’s lineup error last week. Thanks to PD reader Dustin for sending this in [Sharks]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: Who doesn’t love a good movie reference around here? Helm’s Deep posed a question in today’s Winter Classic post:

"Didn’t the Rangers already play in Mystery Alaska? …No, I like the Central Park idea. NYR vs. WAS"

Bold Prediction: Martin Brodeur doesn’t shutout Montreal and Anaheim knocks off the Canucks.

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Sean Leahy | December 16, 2009

The moment it became obvious that the 2008 Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo was a success, the question soon became, "How long until we do one of these at Yankee Stadium?" In fact, according to then New York Islanders-PR man and current Fanhouse writer, Chris Botta, the Islanders had been working with the NHL and the New York Yankees to play the first Winter Classic at the Stadium long before the idea of an annual outdoor game was even thought of. The New York Rangers were always a discussed opponent, but NBC’s desire to stretch their ratings outside of the New York market put and end to the idea of a "Battle of New York".

In 2008, last-ditch efforts were made to close out old Yankee Stadium with the 2009 Winter Classic game, but issues with construction and the winterization of underground pipes were main factors in passing over the venue.

We’ve now seen a football stadium and two legendary baseball stadiums chosen as Winter Classic sites. None have been in the New York City area and it’s only a matter a time before the NHL is housing 50,000-plus New Yorker’s nursing hangovers from the previous night’s celebrations in the biggest television market in America.

But if the reality of a Yankee Stadium Winter Classic comes to fruition, will it necessarily be on New Year’s Day?

A wrinkle was thrown into the Yankee Stadium/Winter Classic/New Year’s Day plans in September when it was announced that the Stadium would be hosting a college bowl game beginning next December through 2013 sometime between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The game will pit teams from the Big 12 and Big East, with the possibility of Notre Dame being added to the mix depending on how the bowl game berths are divvied out.

This is a problem if you’re planning on the NHL hosting a hockey game on New Year’s Day in the next few seasons. Even if the bowl game was played on Christmas Day, that would give the NHL six days to prepare not only the rink, but also the stadium to their standards and the Winter Classic isn’t an event, especially in New York, that the League will look to rush in and out of quickly. As we’re seeing in Boston, the NHL wants to use their portable rink in as many entertaining and profitable ways possible. Not to mention the bowl game organizers would have to breakdown the field in a given amount of time to allow Dan Craig and his crew to get to work. Two high-profile events being held on the same field in such a short period of time would also be a big concern for the Yankees, who do not want to have their maintenance people fixing divots in the field in the months before Opening Day.

The NHL told us that they have a seven-day build out plan for their Winter Classic venues, so Yankee Stadium on New Year’s Day between 2011-2013 seems like a fantasy.

If the New York area is at the top of the 2011 Winter Classic list, does the NHL decide to use the new 82,500-seat Giants Stadium opening in 2010? What about Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, which can seat 41,800? These are viable options for the League if they want to keep their New Year’s Day tradition alive – one that is the right choice to conquer with college football moving away from that date more and more each year.

Another question to think about is the chance of double dipping. Is the NHL willing to wait until 2014 before putting a Winter Classic at the home of the reigning World Series champions or would they think about
playing at an alternate New York venue in 2011 and then revisit the idea of Yankee Stadium when their bowl game agreement ends? Or if they are hellbent on having the game in the Bronx, does the Winter Classic occur on a day other than New Year’s for one year, like say, the weekend between the NFL’s conference championship games and the Super Bowl (if it’s moved back to its original date of after the season) or maybe a Saturday afternoon in February?

In the meantime, teams are lining up to get a crack at hosting the game. The Minnesota Wild have expressed interest and held talks with the NHL about hosting a Winter Classic and will have the new Target Field ready to go next year along with the new TCF Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. Beaver Stadium at Penn State University has long been discussed about hosting a Pittsburgh Penguins-Philadelphia Flyers game, but there would be a large outrage if Sidney Crosby(notes) is featured in the Winter Classic twice before Alex Ovechkin(notes) gets his opportunity to sport a Washington Capitals toque outdoors. Michigan Stadium, Spartan Stadium and Ford Field are other top U.S.-based options. Not to mention the numerous venues in Canada if the NHL decides on an American/Canadian doubleheader.

The NHL has its formula for a successful Winter Classic event: star power plus good/legendary venue plus ideal weather conditions equals success. Having the New York market gone untouched through three games could prove to be worthwhile in the long run. With each year and successful Winter Classic, the game s turning into an annual tradition and slowly becoming the premier sports event on New Year’s Day. We’re not far off from the pairing of
Yankee Stadium with hockey and that marriage could be what puts the event over
the top.

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Ryan Lambert | December 14, 2009

Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend’s events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

News came late Friday that the Ice Edge investment group had agreed to buy the Phoenix Coyotes from the league for $140 million dollars, and that said sale will be voted on by the Board of Governors either today or tomorrow.

Some governors have said they’re skeptical that the group has the financial juice to put this purchase together. Others don’t care as long as they don’t have to continue to prop up a franchise that isn’t their own. All we know is Gary Bettman is cartoonishly wiping the sweat from his brow and breathing a big sigh of relief that there’s now only a 40-percent chance he will be pelted with garbage next time he meets with an owner.

And that’s a big, big step in the right direction.

But as we at Puck Daddy are sure you’re aware, we have spies all over the hockey world, and one of them has leaked to us a list of Ice Edge’s ideas to make the Coyotes into a moneymaker.

They are, of course, uniformly terrible.

(Coming Up: Calgary tries to rob the Craftmatic Adjustable Bed; Mike Fisher(notes) deludes himself; John Tortorella shows why he got fired by the Lightning; why you shouldn’t stand too close to Jonathan Toews(notes); the Devs get good news, maybe; Matt Stajan(notes) gets a nickname; the Blues Fan Blues; Detroit finally cracks; and a number of mustache references you’ll just love.)

 

1. Make Ed Jovanovski(notes) live on the roof of Jobing.com Arena until 15,000 fans actually pay full price for tickets. (Addendum: Remember to bring up some food and water at the end of the season. Glendale gets hot in the summer.)

2. Take a cue from the Canadian media and constantly bring up to local hockey moms and dads that Adrian Aucoin(notes) uses a wood stick. Then invest in a wood stick company

3. Sign the best Canadian household name available at this point in the season: Steve Nash.

4. Use Zamboni waste to open three downtown locations of Shane Doan’s(notes) Sno-Cone Palace.

5. Sit on the franchise a few years before flipping it for double what they paid to a mysterious, mustachioed buyer who goes by Tim Talsillie.

6. Putting a brick wall in front of the net serves two purposes: lower GAAs and the ability to rent out the rink as a standup comedy venue. Ilya Bryzgalov(notes) can both start and be the middle act.

7. Taylor Pyatt’s(notes) boyish good looks and beautiful eyes make him the perfect pitchman for both the team and the various shoddy products left in the lurch by the death of Billy Mays.

8. Make Vernon Fiddler(notes) finally live up to his name and tour the country with a bluegrass band.

9. If the Phoenix market really is done, explore several of the next-best markets on Gary Bettman’s list of acceptable relocation cities: San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mexico City and Recife, Brazil (the hockey hotbed hometown of Robyn Regehr(notes)).

10. Let Wayne Gretzky be involved. (Oh they’re actually doing that one.)

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Dan Sexton(notes) has found instant chemistry with linemates Bobby Ryan(notes) and Saku Koivu(notes) since being called up from the AHL. The trio has combined for seven goals and eight assists in the last three games. Quite a season, too, for Sexton, who has played in the ECHL (13-13-26 in 18 games for Bakersfield), AHL (1-2-3 in five for Manitoba) and now NHL (4-1-5 in five).

Atlanta Thrashers: A bit of cognitive dissonance in this post at Birdwatchers Anonymous. "Thrashers Benefiting from Elite Goaltending Performance," says the headline. But the Thrashers had conceded 17 goals in their last five games prior to the post and lost all but one of them (which they won in a shootout); so while Johan Hedberg’s(notes) stats (2.22/.929) look real good, the Thrashers are 20th in the league in goals allowed per game through Saturday. Not exactly elite, especially when factoring in that Hedberg gave up three on 19 to Montreal Saturday.

Boston Bruins: The NHL announced that James Taylor and Daniel Powter (I’ve never heard of him which means he must be a huge act) would sing "The Star Spangled Banner" and "O Canada," respectively, at the Winter Classic. Good news for me as a James Taylor fan, I guess, but this is Bruins/Flyers — shouldn’t, like, Motörhead be performing just to properly set the tone? That’d be good news for me as both a fan of Motörhead and excessive violence.

Buffalo Sabres: Wow, Bucky Gleason actually turned in a positive story about the Sabres. Everybody loves Tyler Myers(notes).

Calgary Flames: Scuttlebutt is it that the Flames offered Chris Chelios(notes) a contract, but that he turned it down. Jean Lefebvre puts it in perspective: "Dan Quinn, the Flames’ leading scorer 24 seasons ago, is also three years younger than Chelios."

Carolina Hurricanes: Who had Dec. 11 in the "Erik Cole is out two to three weeks" pool?

Chicago Blackhawks: Bad news everyone, the Toewsface is contagious.

This epidemic could consume us all.

Colorado Avalanche: Yes, the Avs are still contenders, but when your barometer for relative success in November is the Carolina Hurricanes, you’re really trying to make chicken salad out of … well, a really bad month.

Columbus Blue Jackets: So Derek Dorsett(notes) broke his left hand in the first period on Saturday night. He’ll have surgery and be back in a month or so. I would link this on Puck-rakers, but as of this week you have to sign up to read it; which is stupid, and I refuse to subject you to that.

Dallas Stars: The Stars lost in a shootout on what they think was a dubious save.  "Officials said that the puck must be kept moving forward by the skater, and as soon as Quick poke-checked it back, that ended Ribeiro’s attempt. Officially, Quick poked the puck back and it hit almost immediately into the goal off of Ribeiro’s skate. The Stars thought they had a legit goal. … Afterward, Stars said that was the right interpretation." I’m not sure, given the wording, what they say is the "right interpretation," but if they’re sticking to their guns that Ribeiro scored, then they’re clearly wrong.

Detroit Red Wings: Nashville’s Ryan Jones(notes) scored a power-play goal in the second period on Saturday night. That’s notable because it was the first the Wings had given up in nine games. They were 23 for their previous 23 PKs before that.

Edmonton Oilers: They went from winning just three of 13 to going five-for-five on their most recent road trip, and as of Sunday afternoon the Oil were just three points out of a playoff spot in the West. Great news! (Just ignore that the 15th-place and far more talented Ducks are three points back of them.)

Florida Panthers: While some Panthers forwards, like Stephen Weiss(notes) and Nathan Horton(notes), have been outstanding for last 20 games or so, pretty much everyone else has been wholly disappointing. And there’s really no end in sight.

Los Angeles Kings: Unfortunately for the Kings, Wayne Simmonds(notes) (9-11-20 in 33 games) is going to be out quite a while with some sort of knee injury. He’s having surgery today and will be out at least several weeks, if not "a couple months."

Minnesota Wild: Sheriff Shane Hnidy(notes) scored Saturday. That’s his first goal in 44 games. I’m shocked it was that recent.

Montreal Canadiens: Get ready to have your freaking mind blown by an assault of goaltending statistics. This post was ultra-fascinating.

Nashville Predators: Wow, half of the Predators’ lineup is in a contract year. Obviously they can afford to let guys like Dave Scatchard(notes) and Wade Belak(notes) go, but Nashville’s going to have to pony up some serious cash for guys they should keep Dan Hamhuis(notes), Dan Ellis(notes), Jordin Tootoo(notes), Kevin Klein(notes), Pekka Rinne(notes), Patric Hornqvist(notes). Well maybe not so much Tootoo.

New Jersey Devils: Paul Martin(notes) could be back by Christmas. Not that the Devs, who have lost just six games in regulation since he picked up an injury on Oct. 24, really need that much help.

New York Islanders: Rob Schremp(notes) scored his first NHL goal. It was "hilarious."

I like that video because it shows how ugly the goal was. Bet most kids don’t think they’ll score their first NHL goal from behind the goal line.

New York Rangers: For some awful reason, John Tortorella put Chris Drury(notes) on the Rangers’s power play unit with five minutes to go. That’d be Chris "I have two goals this year and the last one was on Oct. 19" Drury. Why? "I thought Dru was around the puck, I thought we were having problems retrieving pucks on a couple of (PPs). And to be honest with you, I was going with my gut in Dru. Hoping for a big play from a big guy." A big contract doesn’t equal a big guy, just so ya know, Torts.

Ottawa Senators: The fact that Mike Fisher got to carry the Olympic torch and will play at GM Place on March 23 is as close as he’ll get to Team Canada. "I’m probably a longshot, but who knows?" I do, Mike. Don’t wait by the phone.

Philadelphia Flyers: Boy this post at Broad Street Hockey really puts it in perspective huh? "The Flyers are now tied at 29 points with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team who won three of their first twenty games." Yikes.

Phoenix Coyotes: Dave Tippet’s not wrong when he jokes that he can walk into every press conference and say, "’Bryzie was good, and we got a couple of goals. Thanks." Bryzgalov hasn’t allowed more than two goals since Nov. 23 and the Coyotes are 6-1-1 in that stretch.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Dan Bylsma knows how to make shootout practice fun. "Juice Boy" has been widely reported. But "Mustache Boy?" Now that’s something everyone can get behind.

The league should institute at least one of these contests as an actual rule next year.

San Jose Sharks: Dan Boyle(notes) got hurt at the end of the game on Saturday and if he’s out a while the Sharks could be in serious trouble. And latest word on his status is that it may not be serious.

St. Louis Blues: I truly feel bad for Blues fans having to sit through this season. Andy Murray ran his team into the ground. Then he blamed David Perron(notes).

Tampa Bay Lightning: However you feel about Todd Fedoruk(notes) (that is, if you for some reason have any opinion of him at all), you gotta respect what this guy has given up for hockey. Look at this actual x-ray of his face. Holy hell.

Toronto Maple Leafs: In light of his sterling two-goal, one-assist effort against the Caps, one blogger suggests Matt Stajan’s nickname be "Big Stage." I thought perhaps he was kidding, but then he said, "…the business of sports nicknames is no place for irony." That’s definitely true, and why no one has ever nicknamed Ron Wilson "Good Coach." Stajan is so nicknamed at least until I forget, which I assume will be by the time you’ve read this.

Vancouver Canucks: Oh hey, Henrik Sedin(notes) is tied for second in league scoring. He did most of it without Daniel. No big deal.

Washington Capitals: Bruce Boudreau on the Caps’ problems in the game’s second half: "I think outside of Shaone Morrisonn(notes) and Tom Poti(notes) all of our defense struggled tonight…" That’s not two names you want at the top of your Didn’t Struggle list.

Play of the Weekend

Can you believe Bobby Ryan has FIFTY career goals already?

Gold Star Award

Congratulations to Alex Kovalev(notes) for completing his one contractually-obligated game where he has to play like he cares per month. Three goals. Alright!

Minus of the Weekend

Yes, Ryan Callahan(notes) scored on the power play for the Rangers and was on the ice for Marian Gaborik’s(notes) power play goal. Problem is, he and Henrik Lundqvist(notes) were the only two on the ice for all three Buffalo goals as well, and let’s just say the fine stat guys at Madison Square Garden were extra-nice to not mark him down for any giveaways.

Perfect HFBoards trade proposal of the week

User "djroche," who actually lists his location as Florida, proposes this winner:

tomas vokoun for daniel briere

So Florida takes on terrible money, loses its only good goalie and gets another forward that can’t score. Well done.

P.S. The comments are gold.

Signoff

Franklin said some things Whitey wasn’t ready to hear.

Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness pretty much every day over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don’t you? Or you can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire.

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Greg Wyshynski | December 5, 2009

(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn’t technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we’ve had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it’s time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments.)

Building this list is a tricky thing, because once again we’re dealing with pre- and post-lockout achievements. In the case of the 10 general managers we’re spotlighting here, there’s no question that the ones who thrived under the constraints of the salary cap deserve a little more credit than the ones who couldn’t hang.

Take Darryl Sutter of the Calgary Flames. He’s done some very good things in the decade, like trading for Miikka Kiprusoff(notes) and managing a team to the Stanley Cup finals. After the lockout, he made some questionable trades, hired Mike Keenan and managed the cap so poorly that the Flames weren’t dressing a full roster of players for games. That’s a bit of a disqualifier in our eyes.

Who makes the cut? Hint: No one on this list.

Here are the 10 best general managers of the last decade …

10. Darcy Regier, Buffalo Sabres

The GM-for-life of the Sabres isn’t necessarily someone you’d expect on this list, what with the online valentines to his tenure including a petition for his firing, a Web site dedicated to his "sucking" and "Darcy Regier is an ass clown" categories. 

Fiscally handcuffed at times, Regier’s seen some very good players leave for other places upon free agency, and is infamous for failing to make significant moves at the deadline to bolster his team’s chances.

Still, the team finished under .500 only once, made the playoffs four times and the conference finals twice. Looking back at its draft history in the decade, there are an impressive number of NHL players and names still making a difference for Buffalo in 2009.

This could have easily been David Poile of the Nashville Predators or Doug Risebrough of the Minnesota Wild, managing small payrolls and keeping their expansion franchises competitive for most of the decade. But Regier’s teams reached higher highs … even if all three benefitted from some great coaching.

9. Jay Feaster, Tampa Bay Lightning

Feaster was the GM of the Lightning from 2002-Koules/Barrie, and helped build the team’s only Stanley Cup champion. The Bolts won two division titles and made the playoffs in four straight seasons.

He was an interesting person for a GM job; a lawyer rather than an ex-jock, for example. Bob Andelman’s 2004 profile on Feaster for the Gulf Coast Business Review gives you everything you need to know about how Feaster changed the course of the franchise, from hiring Bill Barber to be his hockey personnel man to the vision he had for the Lightning in contrast to that of former GM Rick Dudley:

"Rick’s mantra used to be a size/speed ratio," Feaster says. "We looked at a player two years ago. When I read the reports, they talked about ‘Vision like (Wayne) Gretzky.’ ‘Playmaking reminds of Gretzky.’ ‘Looks like Gretzky.’ ‘Worships Gretzky.’ But the reports all ended, ‘Not for us. Not a Tampa Bay Lightning player.’ Because according to Dudley, a player had to be 6′2", and fast. I said to the scouts, ‘We want to pass on the guy you said will be the next Gretzky because he doesn’t fit the matrix you created?’ We had guys in the organization that were 6′8" who skated real well but had the heart of a pea. Then we had a guy 5-foot nothing with the heart of a lion who carried us in the playoffs last year, Marty St. Louis."

It wasn’t all good for Feaster: The top-heavy salary structure of the Lightning eventually cracked the foundation of the team, necessitating the trade of Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards(notes). Tampa’s draft history was also unremarkable. But only seven franchises won the Cup in the last decade, and Feaster built one of those champions.

8. George McPhee, Washington Capitals

The decade timeline for the Capitals: Division titles, Jagr, payroll explosion, extreme purge of talent to cut payroll, 59-point season under Bruce Cassidy, Ovechkin, lockout, Backstrom, Boudreau, division titles.

The two constants in that decade were McPhee and owner Ted Leonsis, who had his GM’s back during some very turbulent times. But GMGM (as he’s called) survived and eventually thrived, although there are still questions about his ability to get this Capitals team "over the hump" and into a Cup. His draft history has some home runs and middling results; the Michael Nylander(notes) free-agent deal was, in hindsight, one of the bigger busts of the cap era. But securing Alex Ovechkin(notes) as the franchise’s star through 2021 was essential and impressive.

Bottoming out helped rebuild the team, but McPhee made some solid moves to expedite the process and capture the imagination of a fan base again.

7. Pierre Lacroix, Colorado Avalanche

Nothing was going to top the construction of the 1990s Avalanche teams built on the foundation of the Patrick Roy trade. But just like back then, Lacroix again augmented the talent in his lineup by trading for established stars in early part of the decade: Making the Ray Bourque trade in 2000 and dealing for Rob Blake(notes) before the 2001 playoffs.

The result? Both skated the Cup for the first time in 2001 for Colorado.

The Avalanche made the playoffs in the first six seasons of the decade, winning four division titles (and nine in a row dating back to the previous decade). But after the lockout, as Colorado’s core players were looking at their prime in the rearview mirror, Lacroix had his stumbles; crystallized by the José Théodore trade in 2006, in which he tried to once again build around a Montreal Canadiens star goalie, this time with very different results. The team also had so-so-draft history in the decade (though Paul Stastny(notes) as a second-rounder was a coup).

Lacroix relinquished the GM job in favor of his team presidency in 2006 though his influence was decisions was still palpable — for the worse in the cap era, that’s for sure. If you believe only his time as GM should be considered, though, he belongs right about here.

6. Ray Shero, Pittsburgh Penguins

Detractors will claim Shero had an advantage over others because the Penguins went in the tank early in the decade, and they have a valid point: He took over a team in 2006 that had the advantage of drafting Sidney Crosby(notes), Evgeni Malkin(notes) and Marc-Andre Fleury(notes). That’s a hell of a foundation.

But even with a sturdy foundation, Shero was still the architect for the Penguins two conferences champions and their Stanley Cup championship in 2009. He added pieces like Petr Sykora(notes), Mark Eaton(notes) and Jordan Staal(notes). He hired Dan Bylsma. He won the Marian Hossa(notes) gamble twice, both in trading for him (how’s that Angelo Esposito(notes) working out?) and letting him walk. He managed to secure Crosby and Malkin for slightly lower cap hits than they might have earned on the open market. 

Most impressively, he did what needed to be done at the 2009 trade deadline (like the acquisition of Bill Guerin(notes)) to turn the team into a champion. It’s a small sample, but Shero’s been stellar during his short run.

5. Doug Wilson, San Jose Sharks

Marco Sturm(notes), Wayne Primeau(notes) and Brad Stuart(notes) for Joe Thornton(notes).

Next!   

Oh, you wanted more? Consider that the San Jose Sharks have made the playoffs in each of Wilson’s five seasons at the helm, winning three division titles and making the conference finals once. He’s made some bold decisions beyond the Thornton trade, like dealing for Brian Campbell(notes). He’s drafted extraordinarily well for the GM of a successful team, like finding Joe Pavelski(notes) in the seventh round.

Obviously, the knock on Wilson is that the Sharks haven’t won but jack and squat in the postseason; to that, we’d ask if that’s Wilson’s fault? Have the pieces Wilson put in place failed him, or is he putting the wrong pieces in place? We’d err on the side of the former rather than the latter, and celebrate a strong decade of work.

4. Jim Rutherford, Carolina Hurricanes

There are different sides to Rutherford. There’s the safe side that drafts Eric Staal(notes) and brings in an old friend like Paul Maurice when he needs to fire a coach. Then there’s a gambler; the guy who aggressively believed that his 2006 team would win the first post-lockout Cup, to the point where he added Doug Weight(notes) and Mark Recchi(notes) at a time when other teams were shedding salaries.

The result: The Hurricanes’ first Stanley Cup.

His draft success was all over the map, and a few of his financial decisions can be questioned (Eric Staal’s current cap hit being one of them). The Hurricanes’ record this decade is indicative of that feast-or-famine approach: Only four playoff appearances, but two were in the Stanley Cup finals and one was in the conference finals.

Would you rather see that or several years of first-round exits as a fan?

3. Brian Burke, Vancouver Canucks/Anaheim Ducks

Ken Campbell wrote the following about Burke in 2008:

The only thing missing from Burke’s portfolio was a Stanley Cup, which he accomplished last season with the Ducks. Burke has helped build one of the NHL’s top teams, but what’s even more impressive is how he took a very uncertain Scott Niedermayer(notes) situation and made his team better. Instead of waiting to see whether Niedermayer would retire, he went out and signed Mathieu Schneider(notes), then managed to juggle his payroll. Burke is unafraid to make big, high-risk moves if he thinks it will improve his team. In Vancouver, he managed to cut payroll, make the Canucks better and fill the building. Burke can be confrontational and brash, but he’s also terrific at what he does.

That about nails it, with due respect for the Chris Pronger(notes) trade and some of the questionable draft choices in his tenure with both the Canucks and the Ducks.

The one thing we’ll add that Campbell didn’t was that the Ducks’ attitude in their 2007 Cup run trickled down from Burke. Later defined as "truculence" when he took over the Toronto Maple Leafs, that bullying aggression was as much a reason as any the Ducks won and was briefly mimicked by rivals like the Minnesota Wild. Anytime you create that sort of template for success, you’re doing something right.

Speaking of templates …

2. Lou Lamoriello, New Jersey Devils

Call it the trap, call it positional defense, call it "Devils hockey." Whatever it is, Lamoriello’s dogma maintained a level of success for this franchise in the 2000s unmatched by many.

One of the most respected and successful executives in NHL history, Lamoriello did some remarkable things that outweighed his fumbles in the 2000s. Please examine the rosters for the 2000 Stanley Cup champion Devils and the 2003 Cup champion team. Separated by only a few seasons, there are significantly different pieces that fit for the titles, beginning with the coaching staff.

As the decade continued, the Devils would win with a variety of coaches (including Lamoriello himself) and with an infusion of reinforcements as players like Scott Gomez(notes), Brian Rafalski(notes) and Scott Niedermayer skated away and Scott Stevens and Ken Daneyko retired.

In the cap era, Lamoriello’s stumbled a bit, as his team has in the postseason. That $3.4 million through 2013 for a spare part like Dainius Zubrus(notes) for example; or the, uh, "creative cap management" that saw Vlad Malakov sleep wit da Sharks and other Lamoriello-ian creativity.

Yet every time you want to slam Lamoriello, you remember he’s a GM that’s won two Cups and three conference titles while making the playoffs in every season of the decade; one that’s kept his team competitive while shedding major talent; one that’s drafted players like Travis Zajac(notes) and Zach Parise(notes) in the low first round; and one that’s secured hometown discounts for players like Martin Brodeur(notes) and Patrik Elias(notes).

He’d be at No. 1 if his team had won a Cup in the cap era, but it didn’t.

These guys did …

1. Ken Holland, Detroit Red Wings

The winner of four Stanley Cups with the Wings overall and two in the last decade, Holland tops the list as the leader of the most impressive front office in the NHL for the last 10 years.

Winning the Cup with this roster in the bloated payroll days of 2002 and with this roster in the spend-thrift days of 2008 is nothing short of remarkable. Not only in the sense of fiscal management, but in the sense of talent augmentation: The Red Wings lost a Hall of Fame’s-worth of talent after that first Cup of the decade, yet won eight consecutive division titles and made the postseason every year of the 2000s.

They made smart additions to the foundation, like Rafalski. They took financial risks that paid off, like keeping costs down between the pipes with a guy like Chris Osgood(notes). Their drafts were better than they had any right to be for a team that good, like finding Jonathan Ericsson(notes) at No. 291 in the ninth round. Holland understood his roster, understood its needs, and made the moves necessary to build a championship team.

Oh, and since we are weighing the cap years a little heavier: He was also pretty damn creative with long-term contracts, much to the chagrin of the NHL and the Wings’ rivals. But hey, he’s playing by the established rules; who’s to say Henrik Zetterberg(notes) won’t deserved to be paid in 2021 around what Kirk Maltby(notes) is paid today, right?

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Ryan Lambert | December 3, 2009

 

(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn’t technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we’ve had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it’s time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments. Today’s edition is written by "What We Learned" author Ryan Lambert.)

In the course of researching this list, I came to the realization that this would be a difficult one to cook up. There’s never been a decade like this, where half of it was full of insane contracts from three or four teams and the other half was … well I guess it was also full of insane contracts from three or four teams, but those were under the salary cap and were therefore even more insane.

(Like, for example: Eric Staal’s(notes) cap hit of $8.25 million for seven years. Players that make more than that: Alex Ovechkin(notes) at $9.358 until 2021, Sid Crosby at $8.7 million until 2013 and Evgeni Malkin(notes) at the same rate as Crosby until the following year. And that’s it.)

So no, I will not be listing things like Martin Lapointe(notes) getting $20 million for four years from the Bruins (and scoring 83 points in three years before getting run out of town on a rail). That was before the salary cap era; and regardless of how terrible the deal was, it was the Wild West and no one really had to care about spending ridiculous money on bad players because there was no punishment for it except on the ice. If you were a team with deep pockets like Rangers, you could spend a billion dollars on a team that didn’t make the playoffs as long as ownership didn’t mind paying it.

That’s why all the "best" contracts are post-cap, and only a few of the worst are pre-cap.

Here we go then: the five best and worst contracts this decade …

Part 1: The five worst

5. Dustin Penner(notes), Edmonton Oilers

Clearly, Kevin Lowe was looking to make a splash. He tried to sign Tom Vanek to an offer sheet of seven years, $50 million, and he would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for those pesky Sabres matching the offer. So Lowe went out and did the next best thing: Signing Anaheim’s restricted free agent forward Dustin Penner to a five-year, $21.25 million deal.

What he probably didn’t realize was that Penner wasn’t that great. As the Oilers’ highest-paid forward (until Shawn Horcoff(notes) signed his ridiculous deal this offseason), he scored 84 points over two seasons. While he’s showing signs that he’s turning it around (15-15-30 through his first 27 games this year), this contract was a symbol of everything that could go wrong under the current CBA.

4. Brian Campbell(notes), Chicago Blackhawks

Back in the summer of 2008, the Chicago Blackhawks thought they were in desperate need of defensive help for some reason. Apparently having a top-three of Brent Seabrook(notes), Cam Barker(notes) and Duncan Keith(notes) wasn’t good enough for them. So they got more defensive help from… Brian Campbell?

Yeah, apparently they thought he was a great two-way defenseman that was worth about $58 million over eight years. No, I don’t know why. Granted, he scored 62 points in his contract year, playing for both Buffalo and San Jose, but he was still only a plus-8, and that’s after going plus-9 in 20 games with the Sharks. And let’s just say his postseason track record fit in perfectly with the rest of the boys in San Jose.

Granted Campbell, has put up pretty good offensive numbers in Chicago, but his salary (along with Brent Sopel’s)(notes) is the main reason the team stressed over its cap situation before signing Jonathan Toews(notes), Patrick Kane(notes) and Duncan Keith.

3. Wade Redden(notes), New York Rangers

Redden gets escorted out of Ottawa by a group of the local citizenry that had armed itself with torches and pitchforks. That’s fine. It happens. And he was, for a little while, one of the better defensemen in the league.

But after Redden came off a 6-32-38 season in 2007-08 (his worst since the ‘90s), the Rangers said, "Hey Wade, we want you on board." And Redden should’ve been happy with that. Big market, and he probably figured he’d get decent money.

He was wrong. He got obscene money.

His six-year, $39 million deal gives the Rangers a cap hit of $6.5 million through 2014. For a player that has, in his first 105 games in New York, produced four goals, 28 assists and has looked like a turnstile most nights. Don’t worry though, Ranger fans. Only four more years of that after this one!

2. Bobby Holik(notes), New York Rangers, then Atlanta Thrashers

Holik got ridiculous money to jump from the Devils to the Rangers in the summer of 2002. I mean, $9 million would have been a lot for anyone, let alone Holik who had a career high of 65 points.

But again, pre-lockout, who cares, right?

Well, the problem for the Rangers was that the contract obviously spilled into the new CBA, and even with the salary rollback they were paying Bobby "freaking" Holik $6.726 million when the salary cap was just — get this — $39 million. So they bought him out and then had to pay him another $3.5 million for not playing during the lockout. The Rangers were less than pleased with that, as you can imagine.

He then signed with the Thrashers for a nearly-as-ridiculous $12.75 million, and in return Atlanta got 96 points. It begs the question: Of how many NHL executives does Holik own compromising photos?

1. Alexei Yashin(notes), New York Islanders

You might be thinking that the DiPietro contract is the worst the Islanders gave out this decade, but you’re forgetting a contract so hilariously bad that even Glen Sather probably threw his back out laughing when he heard about it.

Ten years, $87.5 million. Biggest in league history. For a player widely regarded to be as lazy as he was talented, and twice as petulant as he was lazy (his holdouts with the Senators are legendary). Sure, he’d been phenomenal in Ottawa; 172 goals in the prior four seasons is a good amount. So maybe he is worth close to $9 million to a New York-based team with a sweet TV deal in the pre-cap world. But 10 years? The guy was 28 when he signed it.

To make matters worse, he was pretty awful on the Island. After potting that 172 in four years, he scored 119 over five with the Islanders (and a whopping five goals in four one-and-done playoff appearances). So the Islanders did the only prudent thing and bought him out.

And they say you can still find the ghost of that contract to this day: haunting the Islanders’ cap number to the tune of $3.235 million a year — still the third-highest cap hit on the team! — until 2015.

Part 2: The five best

(Keeping in mind these are all post-cap.)

5. Marc Savard(notes), Boston Bruins (x2)

Even before you figure the money on his new deal is ridiculously low commensurate to what he currently produces for the Bruins, you have to look at the contract he’s currently on.

In the summer of 2006, Zdeno Chara(notes) put pen to paper on a five-year, $37.5 million deal and 10 minutes later, Savard had agreed to a four-year deal worth $20 million. When he first signed, everyone said, "Oh that might be pretty good." After all, the previous year he had scored 97 alongside Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) in Atlanta and everyone was curious to see if he could replicate it in Boston. In fact, he did better. He put up 96 points that first year with the Bruins, and that was without the benefit of a guy like Kovalchuk anywhere near his line.

The next two years saw him drop off a little, to the tune of 40-126-166 in 156 games. Not bad for five million bucks. And now the Bruins have locked him up for another seven seasons, for lessthan he’s currently making. I’m starting to think Savard doesn’t understand the concept of money.

Where was this kind of negotiating skill when it came time to re-sign Milan Lucic(notes)?

4. Robyn Regehr(notes), Calgary Flames

A premium is often put on offensive production over defense, and for obvious reasons. Not allowing the other team to score just isn’t as fun because a blocked shot or a big hit will never be as sexy as a power play goal. And maybe that’s why Robyn Regehr, one of the meanest, toughest and best defensive defensemen in the league, started getting a little over $4 million for five years last summer.

Regehr, everyone’s favorite Brazilian NHLer, makes less against the cap per year than 31 other defensemen (many of whom only have defense in their name as a technicality). And the fact that he hasn’t been a minus player in the five seasons prior to this one despite his career high in points being just 26 tells you just how undervalued defense really is. This guy played in the Olympics!

How does he make less than Eric Brewer(notes)?

3. Ryan Getzlaf(notes) and Corey Perry(notes), Anaheim Ducks

You, the nice person reading this, are probably not a fan of the Anaheim Ducks. And therefore you probably loathe Getzlaf and Perry.

But if you are an Anaheim fan, then you know that for the price of just over 1.25 Eric Staals, your favorite team locked up two of the most underrated players in the league this summer as both signed five-year deals with a cap hit of $5.325 million each.

In return for their $10.65 million, the Ducks get two players around which they can build a franchise. Both do everything you could want a forward to do: agitate, control the boards, draw penalties, physically bully other teams and, of course, score. And score a lot. In the two seasons prior to their new contracts, Getzlaf and Perry combined for 110-189-299, and both had their names on the Stanley Cup as 21-year-olds.

That’s worth a hell of a lot more than what they get paid.

2. Zach Parise(notes), New Jersey Devils

Before the 2007-08 season, Parise was rewarded by Lou Lamoriello for his strong rookie and sophomore campaigns in which he totaled 94 points (including 31-31-62 as a 22-year-old) with a four-year deal worth a modest $13 million. Decent money for a slightly-better-than-decent player.

His 31-31-62 season was followed with a 32-33-65 season, which isn’t bad. But the big change was defensively. He went from scoring 62 and being a minus-3 to scoring 65 and being a plus-13. And then after that, Parise turned into a monster. The 2008-09 season saw Parise treat his opponents like Sherman treated Atlanta. A whopping 45 goals and 49 assists gave him 94 points and a plus-30(!).

This year, he has 15-15-30 in 24 games through Tuesday and he’s already a plus-19.

And he’s got another year on this deal after this one. That’s not even fair.

1. Tim Thomas(notes), Boston Bruins

One of the last pieces of business Mike O’Connell performed as general manager of the Bruins before he was catapulted out of town like Rex Banner was to sign an aging, then-kinda-1b goalie Tim Thomas to a three-year deal. The deal was kind of pricey for a backup but not crazy or anything. The next year Thomas put up pretty bad numbers in 66 games, 3.03/.905, as the Bruins struggled under Dave Lewis and gave time to five different goalies. But after that, oh boy.

Despite a lackluster offense and a defense that would simply not show up some nights (I vividly remember being in the Garden to cover an 8-2 beating at the hands of the Maple Leafs four days after they gave up 10 to Washington), Thomas put up an incredibly respectable 2.44/.921 and got the Bruins into the playoffs pretty much by himself.

Last year, he helped the Bruins come within a game of the President’s Trophy, secure the first seed in the East and had a goals-against of 2.10 and a save percentage of .933 and won the Vezina.

The cap hit for those three seasons: $1.1 million each. You might not find a bigger bargain in NHL history.

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Greg Wyshynski | December 2, 2009

Here are your Puck Headlines: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Attention Puck Buddies: Yahoo! Sports has its All-Decade package live, and it’s a really impressive collection of stories (back-pat). But there’s work to be done, so let’s roll: Hockey fans need to stuff the ballot box like Kyle Wellwood(notes) into a pair of hipster jeans for Team of the Decade, Athlete of the Decade, Story of the Decade (yeah, even if it’s the lockout) and Game of the Decade. We demand an NHL sweep of these polls, or at the very least something to prevent an NBA sweep. If it’s important enough to cause a ceasefire in the epic Puck Daddy/Abel To Yzerman quarrel, then it’s important enough to get that mouse a’clickin’. Do it.

• Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun(notes) speaks about Keith Ballard’s(notes) baseball swing to his ear: "I actually feel sorry for him (Ballard). All I have is a cut ear and he has to see that highlight for the rest of his career." [Panthers Facebook]

• Keith Ballard on Keith Ballard’s baseball swing to Vokoun’s ear: "I saw it on tape, and it looks awful. The sad part is people see this, little kids see it, and they think maybe that’s the way professional guys act. It’s not something I’ve ever done, and it’s not something I’ll do again. I’m terribly sorry." [Sun Sentinel]

• Meanwhile, Craig Anderson(notes) makes his return to ogle the Florida Panthers ice girls tonight. [Litter Box Cats]

• Mirtle fires up the Rod Langway Award derby for best defensive defenseman and … wait, what the hell is Jay Bouwmeester(notes) doing up there? And is anyone else getting the feeling that the Norris Trophy is slowly becoming Chris Pronger’s(notes) to lose? [From The Rink]

• NHL.com has unveiled a Tweetmixx application that displays the tweets from hockey "insiders" on Twitter, including yours truly. It’s an interesting concept that will no doubt become more interesting when we manage to sneak images of animal genitalia onto NHL.com through Twitter. [NHL]

• Ted Leonsis confronts his franchise player, Alex Ovechkin(notes), after the star’s suspension for a knee-on-knee hit: "I believe if he changes and becomes a player that is managed by the media or fans or anyone else, he will put himself at risk." [Ted's Take]

• Forget the hat: This conspiracy theory by OFB that Ovechkin’s suspension and subsequent defiance is a PR scheme from IMG agents deserves some sort of magnificent tinfoil crown. [On Frozen Blog]

• Ovechkin wears the orange non-contact jersey while skating with the Washington Capitals at practice. [Capitals Insider]

• Elliotte Friedman on the whole "should Ovechkin change his style of play?" debate, bringing up an interesting point: Would Ovi’s current predicament be any different if his agent wasn’t also the woman who birthed him? [CBC Sports]

• Chipchura sighting in Anaheim. [Habs]

• Good stuff from Ryan Kennedy on the New York Rangers‘ reliance on young defenseman this season, which really is a risk when you’re playing John Tortorella "damn the torpedoes" style of hockey. [THN]

• The way things are going for the Rangers lately, Scotty Hockey probably captured Marian Gaborik’s(notes) play perfectly for Blueshirt fans. [Scotty Hockey]

• Jonathan Willis with an interesting look at last summer’s goaltending decisions, including this conclusion: "There were three established starters in the market this summer (Roloson, Biron and Khabibulin), and the difference between them over an entire season works out to 15 goals …" [Hockey or Die!]

• Now, the headline at the top of this Canucks/Devils preview Web page is "Cdn. Olympic Goaltenders square off in The Swamp." Because the middle of Newark is evidently akin to the everglades. [Sportsnet]

• Speaking of epic fails, we’re pretty sure Dany Heatley(notes) demanded a trade from this Center Ice description last summer. [Thanks to Puck Buddy Nick]

• Ryan "Guarantees a U.S. Olympic medal" Kesler talks about the Vancouver Canucks‘ Cup chances, his development as a player and the inspiration of Mike Modano(notes). [NHL.com]

• New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur(notes) becomes a sleeper agent programmed to undermine Canadian Olympic efforts a U.S. citizen. [Bergen Record]

• The Devils are celebrating their 1995 Cup win against the Detroit Red Wings this week. ATT: Jersey readers – There’s still time to win a limo ride to the game. [Devils]

• Looking at the cool, calm and collected Ryan Miller(notes) of the Buffalo Sabres. [Buffalo News]

• World juniors are fast approaching, and there are some familiar names on the U.S. roster. I was told that Yahoo! Canada is planning some special coverage of the event, which is cool news. Details to follow. [WCHB]

• Toronto Maple Leafs fans take a well-deserved victory lap around the bloodied carcass of the Montreal Canadiens. [Pension Plan Puppets]

• Finally, geek-gasm: Rivers Cuomo rocking a Blackhawks jersey at the Weezer show in Chicago last night. As if you needed further proof that he is the greatest man that ever lived.

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Sean Leahy | December 1, 2009

(No, the first decade of the 21st century doesn’t technically end until 2011. Save your bellyaching. But we’ve had nine NHL seasons and one stolen from us since 1999-2000, and Yahoo! Sports has decided it’s time to rank the best and worst of the last "decade." Enjoy, and snark freely in the comments.)

Sports are big business and results are necessary. With markets that struggle to survive, good coaching is needed in order to display a good product on the ice to get fans in the building. No one knows that better than NHL coaches who have seen the revolving door in constant motion throughout this decade.

In the last decade, there have been 100 coaches in the NHL (including Cap Raeder and Al Arbour who both coached a single game). Only Lindy Ruff and Barry Trotz have been with their teams since the Baha Men "Let the Dogs Out."

While there has been plenty of turnover behind NHL benches this decade, there have a number of coaches that were able to keep their jobs for an extended period of time, whether through inept upper management or the fact that they followed Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis’ orders and just won, baby.

Now here’s our list of the 10 best NHL coaches of the past decade …

10. Claude Julien – Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins

It wasn’t until his third NHL coaching gig that Julien was finally given the chance to lay out his plan for the team for whom he had been given the reins. In Montreal, Julien had just one full season in three years there leading the Canadiens to the second round of the 2003-04 Stanley Cup playoffs. Moving on to New Jersey for the 2006-07 campaign, Julien guided the Devils to an Atlantic Division title, the second spot in the Eastern Conference and a 107-point season, third highest in franchise history … before general manager Lou Lamoriello abruptly fired him with three games believing the team wasn’t ready to challenge for the Stanley Cup.

Being one of the few coaches to have constant employment, Julien had settled in for this third season with the Boston Bruins and quickly brought them back to the playoffs after a two-year drought.

Julien has been behind an NHL bench for 226 victories this decade and been to the playoff three times (four if you count the aborted season in New Jersey). His turn-around in Boston earned him the 2008 Jack Adams Trophy and a multi-year contract extension in September that will finally allow him to settle into the role as coach and not keep looking over his shoulder.

9. Dave Tippett – Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes

Making a splash in first season as an NHL coach, Tippett led the Stars to a 111-point season, second-best in franchise history at the time, and a Pacific Division title. In the first two seasons after the lockout, Dallas posted back-to-back 50-win campaigns and finally got past the second-round of the playoffs in 2008.

Injuries derailed the Stars last season and a regime change ended Tippett’s time in Dallas where he finished six wins behind Ken Hitchcock on the franchise wins list (271) and with his five playoff appearances, tied for second games coached in the postseason with 47. He also had the most popular mustache in Stars history.

After a busy summer that saw Wayne Gretzky step aside as coach, Tippett took over in Phoenix and currently has the Coyotes in the mix for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

8. Ron Wilson – Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs

After a Stanley Cup appearance in his first season with the Washington Capitals, Wilson was never able to recapture the magic he had in 1998. His final season in Washington coincided with Jaromir Jagr’s(notes) arrival in D.C. After back-to-back Southeast Division titles, the Caps missed the playoffs in 2001-02 and Wilson was given his pink slip. Rebounding with San Jose the following season, Wilson took the Sharks to the playoffs four years in a row, including a trip to the Western Conference finals in 2004, and won the Pacific Division twice. Wilson is the winningest coach in Sharks history with 206 victories and has the third most wins among NHL coaches this decade with 367.

Now in Toronto, Wilson has been given the task of reversing the fortunes of the Maple Leaf franchise and has continued his love affair with the media:

Good times.

7. John Tortorella – Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers

Barring a Carolina Hurricanes-esque losing streak, Torts will have started and ended the decade as coach of the Rangers. He’ll also have seen his most success right smack in the middle of his coaching career when he was bench boss of the Lightning.

Tortorella was an experienced assistant coach in the American Hockey League and NHL before he was given the task of turning the Lightning into a bunch of winners. Tortorella changed the culture in the Tampa Bay locker room and his no-nonsense attitude worked as the Lightning improved in each of his four seasons behind the bench. The apex of Tortorella’s time in Tampa was a victory in the 2004 Stanley Cup and the Jack Adams Trophy. The 2003-04 season was the only time the Lightning surpassed the 100-point total in the standings and was the second straight Southeast Division title for the franchise.

When Tortorella returned to New York in the final quarter of the 2008-09 season, the Rangers took 26 points out of a possible 42 and qualified for the playoffs which they were a win away from upsetting the Washington Capitals before collapsing and losing in seven games.

Like Wilson, Tortorella has a fondness for the media, especially New York Post columnist Larry Brooks and the two combined for one of the great coach/report spats of the decade (NSFW audio).

6. Jacques Lemaire – Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils

Chances are, if you flipped to one of your NHL Center Ice channels and saw Lemaire behind one of the benches, you immediately changed the channel for fear of watching trap hockey for three hours.

While Lemaire’s system may not have been popular with fans, it had glimpses of success for the first coach in the history of the Wild franchise. After finishing at the bottom of the Northwest Division their first two years in the NHL, Lemaire’s Wild shocked their way to the Western Conference final in 2002-03, upsetting the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round and putting an early end to Patrick Roy’s final season. The Cinderella story earned Lemaire his second Jack Adams trophy.

The following two seasons saw Minnesota take a step back before Lemaire finished his tenure in the Twin Cities with three straight 40-win campaigns, including the Wild’s first division title in franchise history in 2007.

Now back in New Jersey, where he won his only Cup as head coach, Lemaire hasn’t missed a beat with the Devils as they sit near the top of the Eastern Conference.

5. Barry Trotz – Nashville Predators

If there’s a coach who deserves an award for doing so much with so little, it’s Trotz. The only head coach the Predators have ever known, Trotz was given time by the Nashville organization to implement his style and after a few building years, success is hitting the market. Despite being in a non-traditional hockey market and the ownership questions a few summers ago, the Predators have created a diehard hockey base in Nashville. Four straight 40-plus win seasons and four consecutive playoff berths

Despite some moments on the coaching chopping block, Trotz has helped build the Predators franchise on the ice and proven doubters wrong about his team consistently.

4. Lindy Ruff – Buffalo Sabres 

Ruff is another example of a head coach making the most out of being one of the "have-nots" in the NHL for a long time. The Sabres successes under Ruff this decade haven’t been consistent, but four playoff appearances, including two straight trips to the Eastern Conference finals in 2006 and 2007 highlighted Buffalo teams that were very strong Stanley Cup contenders. Also on Ruff mantle is the 2006 Jack Adams Trophy and 2007 President’s Trophy.

During Buffalo’s two best seasons this decade, Ruff became the first Sabres coach to post back-to-back 50-win seasons and in 2008 became the seventh head coach to win 400 games with one franchise.

3. Ken Hitchcock – Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets

He’s led two different franchises to five 100-plus point seasons and led the 1999-2000 Dallas Stars to a second straight Stanley Cup finals appearance. Moving to Philadelphia in 2002, Hitchcock won an Atlantic Division title and compiled a 130-67-18-21 record with the Flyers, taking them to the Eastern Conference finals in 2004.

Currently in his fourth season with the Blue Jackets, Hitchcock’s system has seen improve in each of his first three seasons there, including last season’s accomplishment of making the playoffs for the first time in team history. The Civil War buff also won his 500th game last season and most recently reached the 1000 game milestone behind the bench.

2. Joel Quenneville – St. Louis, Colorado, Chicago

If there was surprise when researching this list, it was being reminded of how successful Quenneville was at the beginning of this decade with the St. Louis Blues.

Four straight seasons of 98-plus points, a President’s Trophy, Jack Adams Trophy and five straight playoff berths highlighted the final half of Quenneville’s reign with the Blues. St. Louis would have had more than one Central Division title had they not found themselves looking up at the Detroit Red Wings after four straight second place finishes.

After three 95-point seasons in Colorado, Quenneville replaced Denis Savard in Chicago four games into the 2008-09 season and guided them to the Western Conference finals, where they fell short to the Red Wings. One win away from 500 wins, Quenneville is surrounded by talent that will further his head coaching successes.

1. Mike Babcock – Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Detroit Red Wings

Hard to believe, but Babcock is only in his seventh season as an NHL head coach. In his tenure as a coach he’s only missed the playoff once (2003-04) and failed to get out of the first round a single time (2005-06). Babcock is also accustomed to deep playoff runs having made the Conference Finals in four out of his first six seasons as well as coaching in three Stanley Cup Finals. He’s also a man who has a keen fashion sense.

Taking over the Red Wings in 2005-06, Babcock has watched his Detroit teams amass four straight 50-win, 100-point seasons and take home a Cup in 2008 and fall a game short in 2009. While Babcock has been surrounded with a stable organization and loaded with on-ice talent, his players have bought into what he’s preached  — and that is the No. 1 accomplishment if a coach wants to find success.

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