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Greg Wyshynski | December 22, 2009

Having witnessed dozens of Martin Brodeur’s(notes) NHL-record 104 career shutouts between the pipes for the New Jersey Devils, tonight’s history-making blanking of the Pittsburgh Penguins was a perfect representation.

The Devils played a devastatingly efficient road game in front of him, scoring four goals and making all the right little plays to disrupt their opponents’ attack. But just when you’re about to hand the credit to the Devils’ time-tested system, you see Brodeur with 35 saves on the night, having made more than a few difficult ones. You see a goalie who isn’t riding the coattails of his teammates but providing their backbone.

It’s the single most unappreciated aspect of the entire "Brodeur vs. the system" debate: That it takes an extraordinary talent to provide the foundation for that system to excel for, oh, 15 years. So while players and coaches and rules and eras have come and gone, Brodeur has been the constant in GM Lou Lamoriello’s franchise-defining philosophy of fundamental defensive play. If you think someone like Curtis Joseph(notes) could have backstopped 104 shutouts by simply being a Devils goalie, you’re either delusional or, more likely, a Rangers fan.

New Jersey’s 4-0 win over the Penguins was typically workmanlike, but every shutout has its defining moments. The ones for Shutout No. 104 came when Sidney Crosby(notes) rifled a shot off the right post with 1 minute, 42 seconds left in the third period; followed one minute later by Brodeur’s low glove save on Evgeni Malkin(notes), which he hoisted in the air with a flourish in a move his idol/contemporary Patrick Roy mastered.

Two of the best players in the world turned aside; one with a little luck, the other with faultless positioning. You need both to be a winning goalie, and Brodeur’s had them since 1994.

It was his 104th shutout, an NHL record. His 580th career win, an NHL record. His 1,032nd career game, an NHL record. Argue there are more talented goalies. Argue that his era defined him rather than Brodeur having defined an era. Argue that it’s all the trap or obstruction or Jacques Lemaire or Scotts Stevens and Niedermayer. What you can’t argue is Brodeur’s place in NHL history as goaltending royalty. Because this record cements it. The way generations heard Terry Sawchuk’s name, they’ll now hear Brodeur’s.

Coming up, some stunning numbers regarding Marty’s shutout record.

Great job by the NHL pulling together a stats pack about Brodeur’s legacy.

Here are Brodeur’s shutouts on a team-by-team basis; R.I.P. Winnipeg and the Whale:

So the San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers escape his wrath, eh?

Here are Brodeur’s shutouts by the score:

That’s 21 shutouts by a score of 1-0 and 25 with the score 2-0. Most impressive.

Finally, Brodeur’s shutouts by month and by season:

So that’s 29 shutouts since the NHL changed its rules to make Brodeur less effective, including one year wiped out by injury.

Just another reason why his Hall of Fame plaque should be shaped like a trapezoid …

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Tags: Curtis Joseph, goalie, Hall of Fame, Jacques Lemaire, Lou Lamoriello, Martin Brodeur, New Jersey, New Jersey Devils, nhl, Patrick Roy, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney Crosby, Terry Sawchuk, winning goalie, Winnipeg

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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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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Greg Wyshynski | November 13, 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.

• Thanks to everyone who helped carry over the "Unpublished NHL Books" jokes from the Puck Daddy Rumors Chat to Twitter yesterday afternoon with hilarious results. Check out Jeff Marek of Hockey Night in Canada Radio and Jibblescribbits for some of the comedy gold. "Thinking Inside the Box" by Dale Hunter and "If I Did It" by Todd Bertuzzi(notes) are two of the best. 

• If Randy Carlyle needed a vote of confidence as the Anaheim Ducks struggle, GM Bob Murray emphatically gave him one: "There’s going to be a lot of players going through the turnstiles going out the door before coaches go out the door here. And our players better get that through their thick skulls." [LA Times, halfway down]

• Peter Forsberg(notes) may skip the NHL and stay with Modo. [All Things Avs]

• That said, the Vancouver Canucks are happy to wait for the Return of Foppa. [Province]

• What’s happened to Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason(notes)? It would appear the  defense in front of him (or lack thereof) is as much to blame as any sophomore slump. [FanHouse]

• Jarome Iginla(notes) doesn’t exactly back down from a brawl, which is one of the reasons he’s Jarome Iginla. So it’s interesting to see the Calgary Flames captain deny "the red-hot rumour making the rounds on the Internet, and amongst the Montreal media" that he challenged the Canadiens’ bench to a fight. [Sun Media]

• If the NHL decides to end participation in the Winter Olympics, it’ll be because of powerful voices like that of Lou Lamoriello: "Those are prime dates. The United States is coming off football (following the Super Bowl). We have an opportunity to keep the fans. That’s when teams are really starting to go up or go down." [Fire & Ice]

• The Hockey News names Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger(notes) as the "nastiest and most intimidating" D-man in the League. More importantly: "He will be featured in an upcoming Pepsi Max advertisement with Mike Richards(notes) in Maxim magazine." Otherwise known as "the issue of Maxim Pierre McGuire has already pre-ordered." [Philly.com]

• Japers’ Michael Nylander(notes) timeline shows two things: That this story has dragged on for what feels like a century and that the Washington Capitals will never sign another free agent to a contract like this again on George McPhee’s watch. [Japers Rink]

• As if the Carolina Hurricanes didn’t have enough problems this season, Bob from Canes Country writes that they’re financially handcuffed thanks to the money being spent on management and players: "Looking at the grand scheme of things and the results so far this season, this might be one of the most over-paid, under-performing group of players in the league since the inception of the salary cap." [Canes Country]

• Your guide to picking at the Hurricanes’ carcass this season. [Silver Sevens]

• THN editor Jason Kay sings the praises of Martin Brodeur(notes), and when you compare his consistency with that of other NHL peers it’s difficult not to. [Hockey News]

• Gary Bettman and Bill Daly will meet with City of Glendale officials on Monday as the slow process of altering the Phoenix Coyotes‘ lease and finding a buyer gains steam. [CP]

• "No, seriously, what’s it like? Does the air smell differently? Can you, like, see over mountains and stuff?" [Getty]

• It would appear that Semyon Varlamov(notes) will get the start for the Washington Capitals against the Minnesota Wild tonight, after winning in relief of Jose Theodore(notes) earlier in the week. Alex Ovechkin(notes), however, appears out again. [Capitals Insider]

• The Pittsburgh Penguins will be without Brooks Orpik(notes) for about two weeks. [TSN]

• BREAKING: The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t get recognized in Chicago. [Cox]

• Do the constant line-change mind games on home ice wear down players, making it easier to play in the road instead? [Puck Update]

• How do you spell Vezina Trophy?  Josh spells it V-o-k-o-u-n. [Josh Q. Public]

• Totally agree with this: It’s damn impressive Ilya Kovalchuk(notes) bounced back from injury that quickly. It’s what leaders do. [Sports Climax]

• Part Two of OGA’s "Maurice Richard and the Myth of 50 in 50," for you stat-heads. [OGA]

• Finally, Jack Edwards has no idea how underwhelming this fight was. Because he’s Jack Edwards:

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Greg Wyshynski | November 11, 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.

• Remember: Rumors Chat Thursday.

• Big news from the GM meetings today: There will be some sort of new NHL rule regarding hits to the head. A committee will be formed, a report will be given in March and the consensus is that there will be some sort of penalty for things like blindside hits to the head. Again, the vibe isn’t that there will be the kind of outright "ban" that we’ve seen at other levels, although that’s on the table. But there’s going to be something added to the rulebooks. [Globe & Mail]

• Rich Chere of the Star Ledger talks with Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer(notes) who tells him that a trade from Anaheim this season is "a possibility" and that he doesn’t have a no-movement clause. Wonder where Nieds would be headed if the Ducks are still struggling in 2010. Say, where is his brother playing these days? [Newark Star Ledger]

• Elliotte Friedman has the latest on agent Allan Walsh’s Twitter-promotion of client Jaroslav Halak(notes) and ruffling of Montreal feathers. Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey thought Walsh’s actions were a ‘My dad is bigger than your dad,’ kind of thing." Paging Dr. Freud. [CBC Sports]

• The city of Pittsburgh has its own cereal. Clearly, there’s only one man worthy enough to grace the cover of the box: Max Talbot(notes), superstar. [Pensburgh]

• Neate Sager probably isn’t going to make any friends with the Ottawa Senators (or in the Ottawa media) for this blistering dose of reality about the franchise’s attendance issues and fan support this season: "Ottawa is like a city composed of insecure teenage girls. The analogy fits Toronto, too, except in T.O. the creature has sharper claws. If Toronto is the character Rachel McAdams played in Mean Girls, Ottawa is the one played by Lacey Chabert. Fitting in and doing whatever is popular at that moment is everything, because they know they can be cast out and won’t be missed." It’s a must-read. [Out Of Left Field, via On The Forecheck]

• It’s Remembrance Day and Veteran’s Day today, and Chemmy had an outstanding post on Pension Plan Puppets about Don Cherry’s consistent commitment to the troops. Thank a vet today, will ya? [PPP]

• Darcy Tucker(notes) is due back for the Colorado Avalanche against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight. [CBC Sports]

• Michael Farber’s annual list of underappreciated hockey people is always an interesting, random assortment. Among the folks making the cut this year: Pittsburgh Penguins broadcasters Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey. [SI]

• Peter Forsberg(notes) and Chris Chelios(notes) were hot topics of conversation at the GM meetings, with the Phoenix Coyotes interested in bringing Cheli to the desert, where he will actually bring the average age of Arizona residents down we imagine. [Sun Media]

• Did you know the dude who played Rangers mascot Bobby Granger on MSG Network was a pro wrestler? [Indy Wrestling News]

• There’s no surprising Lou Lamoriello. He knows all. [NorthJersey.com]

• Fabian Brunnstrom(notes) is out for a game after injuring his shoulder in practice. [ESPN Dallas]

• Mike Danton’s father talks about what he expects from tonight’s "untold story" interview on Sportsnet. [Sun Media]

• The Colorado Avalanche’s third jersey will be officially unveiled on Thursday, and … well, we’ll reserve judgment on these until they’re official. What you see above is a screen grab from Chris Creamer’s logos site (via UniWatch) that leaks the Florida Panthers‘ third jersey logo and color. So … Wild third jersey, take three? Chris from Icethetics wonders where the whiskers went. [Icethetics]

• Ken Campbell on a meeting between Gary Bettman and the KHL’s president, and how relations between the leagues probably aren’t getting any better in the near future. [THN]

• The Washington Capitals report that TMZ has discovered Alex Ovechkin(notes). We’re about one tabloid click away from Perez Hilton drawing white dots on Ovi’s face, aren’t we? [Capitals]

• Every blog needs to do this: Stanley Cup of Chowder presents hidden gems from the Boston Bruins media guide. "Andrew Bodnarchuk’s biggest fear/phobia is the "the feel of cotton balls." [SCOC]

• Mike Komisarek(notes) is still missing from Leafs practice. [Leafs]

• The Detroit Red Wings add a Spartan, claim Drew Miller(notes) off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning. [Lightning Strikes]

• Steve McIntyre was placed on entry waivers, with the aim of sending him to Rochester for the Florida Panthers. [On Frozen Pond]

• Finally, it was a four-fight card last night between the Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues. Here’s Tanner Glass(notes) and Cam Janssen(notes) in a spirited affair. [Hockey Fights]

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Greg Wyshynski | November 10, 2009

No. 1 star: Troy Brouwer(notes), Chicago Blackhawks

Only one game on the NHL docket, so the top star was an easy choice: Brouwer had the primary helper on goals by John Madden(notes) and a returning Jonathan Toews(notes), sandwiched around a perfect tip-in goal on the power play past Jon Quick(notes) (check the highlights here) in Chicago’s 4-1 win over the visiting Los Angeles Kings. It was Brouwer’s first multi-point game of the season and first three-point night since Dec. 16, 2008.

No. 2 star: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

The captain returns after missing six games with a concussion, and a power play that was on a 3-for-33 skid comes to life with 2-for-3 effort. Toews had a power-play goal and was on the ice for Brouwer’s as well.

No. 3 star: Anze Kopitar(notes), Los Angeles Kings

Kopitar’s goal was his 14th of the season, tying him with Alex Ovechkin(notes) for the NHL lead. He collected a rebound in front of Cristobal Huet(notes) (17 saves).

Honorable mention: Andrew Ebbett’s(notes) funky first goal off the face not withstanding, the honor goes to the men who achieved immortality at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night. Here are the acceptance speeches for Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch, Lou Lamoriello and especially Brett Hull, in a wonderful moment presented here:

Did you know? The Blackhawks now have a 73-72-21 lead in the all-time series against the Kings. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: The Kings were outshot 10-2 in the third period. … Jon Quick let a softy in for Madden’s opening goal; never a good thing for a road team.

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Tags: Alex Ovechkin, Andrew Ebbett, Brett Hull, Brian Leetch, Captain, Cristobal Huet, Hockey Hall of Fame, John Madden, Jon Quick, Jonathan Toews, Los Angeles Kings, Lou Lamoriello, Luc Robitaille, nhl, Steve Yzerman, The Kings

Greg Wyshynski | November 9, 2009

Leahy and I thought about adding a "Best Hall of Fame Class of the last decade" list to our end-of-2000s project, but opted to leave it out.

Few would argue that the Class of 2002 was the weakest: Bernie Federko, Clark Gillies, Rod Langway and the late Roger Neilson. The only point of debate would be the strongest of the decade, which comes down to two classes. (All due respect to the Ray Bourque/Paul Coffey/Larry Murphy/Cliff Fletcher class of 2004.)

2007: Mark Messier, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, Ron Francis, Jim Gregory.

2009: Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch, Lou Lamoriello

You’ve have to give the nod to this year’s class as the best of the decade, no?

Coming up, some thoughts on a remarkable class of hockey legends, entering immortality this evening in Toronto. (With Wayne Gretzky in the hizzle!)

Brett Hull

It was that shot.

The one that produced 741 career goals. The puck would leave the stick in a blur and find its target with incredible accuracy no matter where Hull uncorked it. He was a Howitzer on the ice; the kind of guy who would fire a wrister from 10 feet out on a breakaway because it was going to be more lethal than some silly deke.

I’ll remember him most as a St. Louis Blues sniper because of that wonderful time when a hockey fan could answer an NBA fan’s "Stockton to Malone" with "Oates to Hull" without a second thought. It’s still one of the greatest center/winger combos I’ve ever seen.

Hull won two Stanley Cups; with the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and with the Dallas Stars in 1999. (Sure, his foot was in the crease against the Buffalo Sabres, but have you heard there was a super-secret memo that made it OK?) That’s on the ice; off the ice, he was an outspoken quote machine, an ambassador for the game and a player whose outsized personality is still sorely missed among the elite stars in the NHL.

Examples aplenty from the Blues in this number retirement video:

Steve Yzerman

It was that jersey:

For whatever reason, the Steve Yzerman Detroit Red Wings sweater was as iconic as any during his playing days. Like Mario’s or Gretzky’s, it was something more than a team jersey; it implied a vibe of cool, a feeling of dignified stature that transcended the usual gear.

Yzerman has Hall of Fame stats, a Hall of Fame résumé and a Hall of Fame trophy case. But there’s something greater than his point totals going on here, and The Chief at the aptly named Abel To Yzerman attempted to capture it today:

There are players who’ve been voted in who probably felt it was owed to them.  There are "captains" who stayed too long, wore out their welcome in at least three different cities, loved the attention, begged for it, thrived on it, then missed it so much created ways to keep their name out there….like inventing a "leadership award" and finding a hygiene product to sponsor it.  There are others who’s spectacular play earned their admission to the Hall, but their lack of character made you cringe to consider their place among the greats like Howe and Beliveau.

Steve Yzerman? He’s never felt like hockey owed him jack squat.  And his character is spotless.  He is the icon of our age.  A hero in a time when defining one is nearly impossible.

Ted Lindsay called Stevie Y "everything a great athlete should be." End of conversation.

Luc Robitaille

It was the perseverance.

Of the inductees, Robitaille’s prime is the one I’m least familiar with as an East Coast, Wales Conference hockey fan. But over the years, you learn that "Lucky" doesn’t just apply to the teams honored to have one of the best left wingers in NHL history on their rosters; it defines the career of a also-ran draft choice who became a Hall of Famer.

Think about it: He was taken 171st overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 1984. (Ahead of Gary Suter, no less; nice scouting back then.) The next five players taken at No. 171 in the ensuing NHL Entry Drafts: Jamie Huscroft, Scott McCormack, Craig Daly, Dan Wiebe, Jeff St. Laurent.

Then again, some schlub named Pavel Datsyuk(notes) was taken there in 1998. But Dats didn’t have the bum rap that Luc had coming up, according to the LA Times:

A Canadian reporter who had written about him years ago recalled hearing of scouting reports that seriously doubted whether Robitaille would succeed in the NHL despite his high-scoring exploits with the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

"Apparently there was someone that wrote that on the report. ‘This kid will never make it because he’s slower than a Zamboni," Robitaille said, laughing.

Like Luc said at the HOF: "It was a really fast one. It was a turbo Zamboni."

Here’s a schmaltzy remembrance of Luc Robitaille, he of the 668 goals and 1,394 points in the NHL:

Brian Leetch

It was the consistency.

What Leetch represented while playing with the New York Rangers was a constant amidst a franchise that went from a 54-year curse to an era-defining Cup win to a high-priced Titanic that sunk out of the playoffs for several seasons. He was a Conn Smythe winner in 1994 with Mark Messier and the team’s leading scorer in 2001 with Mark Messier Part Deux.

He also spanned eras as a defenseman, as he recalled with the National Post:

"I remember coaches saying, ‘If Leetchy is up on the play, you have to back him up,’ " he said. "And then it went to, ‘Leetchy, don’t get up in the play,’ because we had to do the trap or something. I found sitting back difficult. My strength is not standing still and reading the play. It went back and forth."

What I wrote when Leetch was announced for the Hall still stands:

With apologies to Joe Mullen, Chris Chelios(notes) and Pat LaFontaine, Leetch is the greatest American-born player in NHL history; and the first U.S. player to ever win the Conn Smythe when the Rangers won the Cup in 1994. Known for his offense (247 goals, 781 assists, 1,028 points) but he won two Norris Trophies as a total-package defenseman. I hated him as a Devils fan. That’s the best compliment I can give.

Of course, it turns out he might have been a Devil at the end of his career, but that’s neither here nor there. Speaking of which …

Lou Lamoriello

It’s the debt of gratitude.

There wouldn’t be a lot of things had it not been for Lou Lamoriello. The Prudential Center. The New Jersey Devils‘ name on the Stanley Cup three times. Or, for that matter, the New Jersey Devils here in 2009.

But as Tom Gulitti wrote, his contributions go beyond turning a Mickey Mouse franchise into a perennial winner:

How important to you were your contributions to USA Hockey?

"I’m proud of our country. I went through the era where U.S. college players were not looked upon (to play in the NHL) and rightly so. It wasn’t until 1980 when we won the Olympics that they really were given the opportunity to have success and recognition and really Herbie and that 80 Olympic team opened the door for college players because I was coaching at that time. So, I saw that opportunity come. I saw it coming, but that gave it a chance.

"I was fortunate to be part of that era and be a part of sports festivals for USA Hockey. I can still think of the players that were with me. Ed Olczyk, I had at 16 in the sports festival. The Tommy Barrassos that were coming to Providence (as recruits) and Bobby Carpenter, even Brian Lawton, who ended up going pro. Then, working with them on USA team. Even Monday is special with you’ve got Brian Leetch and Brett Hull from the ‘96 World Cup Team. The World Cup team was one of the bigger days for USA Hockey."

Like most Devils fans, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Lamoriello. Loved the success, hated the non-marketing. Loved the genius moves like Kurvers-for-what-would-be-Niedermayer and the Scott Stevens arbitration win; hated some of the baffling post-lockout transactions. Loved the painstaking detail and care Lamoriello took in micro-managing this team; hated when that micro-managing would manifest itself in an itchy coaching trigger finger.

But that’s Lamoriello. You swallow your doubts, push aside your trepidation and then stare at the standings as you try and figure out how, once again, the New Jersey Devils look like a playoff team. As the name of the blog says: In Lou We Trust.

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Greg Wyshynski | November 9, 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.

Three quick notes: Our End of Decade series continues Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If you missed last weekend’s 10 Most Brutal Injuries, check out it. Also: Jersey Fouls on Wednesday and our rumors chat will be held on Thursday this week.

• Bob McKenzie of TSN with waivers news: "Edmonton puts Steve MacIntyre(notes) on waivers. Buffalo puts Adam Mair(notes) on waivers. Washington’s Michael Nylander(notes) clears" waivers. MacIntyre has played five minutes in four games. Mair’s been a model citizen but a healthy scratch this season. He can help someone. Nylander … sheesh, what a mess. [@TSNBobMcKenzie]

• Video of Alex Ovechkin(notes) skating, shooting, not telling the media he’ll be out a month and forcing his team to correct their own player’s statement. Russia’s leading comedian now says he’ll miss a week. [Capitals Insider]

• Your Three Stars for last week in the NHL: Jarome Iginla(notes) of the Calgary Flames; Evgeni Nabokov(notes) of the San Jose Sharks; Chris Pronger(notes) of the Philadelphia Flyers. [NHL]

• Center Jonathan Toews(notes) and left wing Ben Eager(notes) are expected back for the Chicago Blackhawks tonight against the Los Angeles Kings. Toews missed six games with a concussion, during which he got dumber. Getting the captain back on the 3-for-35 power play will certainly be a welcome development for the Hawks. [Daily Herald]

• It’s Hall of Fame induction day in Toronto, as Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch, Brett Hull and Lou Lamoriello get their rings. More on the HOF later today. [Y! Sports]

• With the 2009 class ready for induction, attention naturally turns to the Hall of Fame Class of 2010, featuring Joe Nieuwendyk(notes) (shoo-in), John LeClair(notes), Peter Bondra(notes), Pierre Turgeon(notes) and Theo Fleury(notes), as well as holdovers like Dave Andreychuk, Dino Ciccarelli, Doug Gilmour and Pavel Bure. Oh, and some gentleman named Eric Lindros(notes), who Mike Zeisberger writes will be the most hotly debated candidate in recent memory. [Sun Media]

• Scott Clemmensen(notes) decides the best thing to do when the Florida Panthers are struggling is to throw his teammates under the bus. Coach Peter DeBoer: "I understand where a goaltender who has let in [12] goals in his last two starts would be frustrated, but it’s misdirected." [Sun Sentinel]

• With Cam Ward(notes) out at least a month with that lacerated leg, the Carolina Hurricanes turn to veteran goalie Manny Legace(notes) with a one-year contract. Smart move for the Canes, especially considering that Sarah Palin isn’t scheduled to visit North Carolina for quite some time. [CP]

• David Krejci(notes) could be back for the Boston Bruins against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday after suffering through H1N1. [Bruins Blog]

• Why does Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle need a $56 million loan? [LA Weekly]

• Wait, so you’re telling us that Phil Kessel(notes) hasn’t walked on water or cured any lepers yet? Curious. [Toronto Sports Media Blog]

• Should Ottawa fans feel shame for not supporting a minor league game in their arena over the weekend? [Off the Posts]

• Martin Biron(notes) vs. Dwayne Roloson(notes)! May the best goalie whose trade value hopefully rises to the point where the New York Islanders turn them into another asset win! [Lighthouse Hockey]

• BD Gallof with sad news about the end of Radek Martinek’s(notes) season and some Lighthouse Project tidbits. [Islanders Independent]

• Stormtroopers … Darth Vader … Chewbacca … Milan Lucic(notes) … this thing is a pepperoni pizza, a glass of scotch and a Scarlett Johansson away from our wildest dreams being fulfilled. [Bruins, via Puck Buddy Jeff Israel]

• We Hate It When Friends Fight, Part One: David Staples going after Adrian Dater’s Twitter claim that Edmonton is a "dog team" by saying that Denver is "America’s version of Calgary." [Avs Talk]

• We Hate It When Friends Fight, Part Two: George James Malik got sarcastic and bitter after his Detroit Red Wings lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pension Plan Puppets said "right back atcha" with a scathing response. [PPP]

• Giggy to the Leafs? The OC Register hears things. [OC Register]

• Roberto Luongo(notes) will be out a wee bit longer thanks to the flu. [Sun]

• UConn has a third jersey that’s spiffy. [UConn]

• Interesting piece on contraction by Mike Chen: "The only reasonable argument for contraction is because the economics of the league can’t support 30 teams, not because of talent. However, history has shown us time and again that teams can be successful in non-traditional locations if they’ve got strong ownership, they’re managed well, they’re coached well, and they draft well." [Chen]

• Elliotte Friedman on the Allan Walsh/Canadiens goaltending Twitter flap. [CBC Sports]

• Speaking of Twitter, the big news from the weekend. [@wyshynski]

• Finally, via FanHouse, the Max Talbot(notes) Superstar commercial series continues to amuse and bewilder:

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Sean Leahy | November 7, 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: Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. EST. Looking for their fourth straight win, the Red Wings head into tonight’s Hall of Fame Game. Three former Red Wings, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille will be in attendance along with Brian Leetch and Lou Lamoriello for the pre-game ceremony. It’ll be game No. 3 in the Phil Kessel(notes)-era for the Leafs who may see Jonas Gustavsson(notes) in goal for a third straight game.

Preview: New York Rangers at Calgary Flames, 10 p.m. EST. No Henrik Lundqvist tonight for the Rangers as Sean Avery(notes) and Dion Phaneuf(notes) meet on the ice for the first time since "those" comments. Avery even admitted that he called Elisha Cuthbert after the comments to apologize for them. Calgary looks for their first home win in three games before an east coast trip next week.

Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m. EST. Despite losing their undefeated road record after falling to Los Angeles on Thursday night, the Penguins enter HP Pavilion tonight wanting to end their west coast trip by taking four out of six points. Joe Pavelski(notes) is expected to return for the Sharks tonigh, who are undefeated against the defending Stanley Cup champions at home over their past eight match-ups.

Check out the Y! Sports scores and schedule page for previews of the other three games tonight.

Evening Reading

-Scotty Wazz on defending those Montreal Canadiens barber pole jerseys: "If you want to talk about the whole retro movement when it comes to the culture of sports– fact of the matter is that nothing says more retro
than the barber-pole jersey when it comes to hockey." [Wazz]

-Islanders defenseman Radek Martinek(notes) is done for the year after tearing an ACL. [Point Blank]

-Peter Forsberg(notes) is expected to make a decision on his future next week. [Globe & Mail]

-Good news: Kitchener Rangers defenseman Ben Fanelli has been released from hospital and is now home in Oakville, Ontario. [Canwest]

-A good profile on Parminder Singh, the Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play man of Punjabi broadcasts for the Maple Leafs. [National Post]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: The half dozen commenters who were unaware that the Clint Malarchuk injury didn’t take place in the years between 2000 and 2009.

Bold Prediction: Nothing happens between Sean Avery and Dion Phaneuf. Also, Detroit slays the "Monster" in a rout.

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