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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 21, 2009

The New Jersey Devils face the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight for the third time this season, having won the previous two meetings by a combined score of 8-2. Of course, this should mean absolutely nothing for Devils fans, as regular-season dominance preceding postseason depression is pretty much the norm in New Jersey; like seeing "Bon Jovi" on the club marquee and finding out its Jon’s second-cousin Anthony playing RATT covers.

That said, tonight’s game is between two of the three teams absolutely dominating the Eastern Conference right now: The Devils (first overall with games in-hand, 51 points), the Penguins (second in the division and fourth seed, 51 points) and the Washington Capitals (second in the East, 50 points). They’re not just dominating the conference in the standings; they’re literally dominating the conference, with the three best intra-conference records in the NHL:

1. Devils: 23-6-0 against the East
2. Penguins: 20-6-0
3. Capitals: 17-6-5

Only the Nashville Predators (17-9-2) have at least 17 wins against their own conference. 

With 45 points in 34 games, the Buffalo Sabres are right with the Top 3 in the standings, although their conference record (15-10-3) isn’t as sterling. So if you place them a notch lower than the Devils, Penguins and Capitals … well, then the Sabres are in a mix of 11 teams vying for five playoff spots. Or as we call them, "Everyone not named Carolina."

The final five are going to be determined by four factors, in descending order of importance: Injuries, goaltending, trades and Olympic fatigue.

If Marian Gaborik(notes) becomes Mr. Glass again, the New York Rangers are toast. If the Atlanta Thrashers‘ goaltending can’t maintain its goals-against average (2.79) in case the fourth-best offense in the League (3.05 goals-for avg.) goes cold, they’ll drop. Will the New York Islanders add significant pieces at the deadline with a ridiculous amount of cap space?

Two questions: Of the teams in the parity-filled group behind The Big Three, which ones do you sense will make the cut?

Also: Do you see either the Devils, Capitals or Penguins falling back to the pack if they dodge significant injuries? Will the Olympics affect them?

For that first question: The vibe right now is that the Atlantic Division isn’t taking four to the playoffs again. The Northeast could, but more likely we’ll see three from that division, three from the Atlantic and two from the Southeast.

For that second question: All three teams have played through injuries, and all three teams are playing with high levels of confidence and clutch play. Depending on how they react to the Olympic break and against the West, we could see further separation from the pack in 2010.

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Tags: Anthony, Atlanta Thrashers, Atlantic Division, Buffalo Sabres, Eastern Conference, fatigue, Glass, Marian Gaborik, Nashville Predators, New Jersey, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, nhl, Olympic, Pittsburgh Penguins, significant injuries, the Olympic, the Olympics, Washington Capitals

Ross McKeon | December 20, 2009

No. 1 star, Karlis Skrastins(notes), Dallas Stars:

The veteran defenseman appeared in his 712th career game on Saturday and did something against the Detroit Red Wings he had never accomplished previously in an NHL game. Skrastins scored two goals for the first time in his career, and added an assist, to lead the Stars past the injury-riddled Red Wings. His three points were a career high, and Skrastins collected his first two goals as a member of the Stars in 33 games.

No. 2 star, Jonas Gustavsson(notes), Toronto Maple Leafs:

The rookie goalie stopped 25 shots to record his first career shutout, earning the milestone during his first start since undergoing minor heart surgery, no less. Gustavsson helped the Leafs snap a two-game losing streak and a stretch of seven straight losses to the Bruins.

No. 3 star, Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals:

The Capitals’ superstar sparked a third-period rally by scoring two goals himself and assisting on the final of four scores for the visitors. Ovechkin put nine shots on goal, had another seven miss the net and doled out three hits during 23:38 of ice time.

Honorable mention: Jaroslav Halak(notes) turned away all 40 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season as Montreal won on the road to snap a five-game losing streak. … Wojtek Wolski(notes) scored two goals and added an assist while Milan Hejduk(notes) scored on goal and had two assists for victorious Colorado. … Martin Erat(notes) scored a goal and added two assists as Nashville won in Calgary. … James Neal(notes) scored two goals, added an assist and collected six hits in Dallas’ win. … Henrik Lundqvist(notes) made 16 of his 36 saves in the third period as the Rangers won at Philadelphia. New York’s Marc Staal(notes) logged 30:45 in ice time spread over 38 shifts to appear during more than half of regulation. Interesting to note the defenseman didn’t get credit for a single hit over his 38 shifts. … Jonas Hiller(notes) stopped 39 shots for Anaheim. … Mike Brodeur(notes), no relations to Martin Brodeur(notes), made 22 saves and was a winner in goal during his NHL debut for Ottawa. … Sticking with the theme of goaltenders, Marc-Andre Fleury(notes) had 31 saves during 65 minutes of normal hockey and three stops during the skills’ competition of a shootout in Pittsburgh’s win. … Rookie Patrick Dwyer scored his second goal in as many games for Carolina. …

Did you know?: Shane Doan(notes) and Radim Vrbata(notes) each reached 20 points for Phoenix, the last team in the league without a 20-point scorer in the league before Saturday.

Dishonorable mention: Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff(notes) allowed four goals on 19 shots at home and lost. … Martin Brodeur permitted three goals on six shots and that was enough for New Jersey coach Jacques Lemaire to hook the future Hall of Fame goalie. … Phoenix defenseman Ed Jovanovski(notes) took four minor penalties and Anaheim converted two into power-play goals.

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Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Anaheim, Calgary, coach, Colorado, Dallas, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Ed Jovanovski, goalie, Hall of Fame, Henrik Lundqvist, hockey, Jacques Lemaire, James Neal, Jaroslav Halak, Jonas Hiller, Marc Staal, Marc-Andre Fleury, Martin Brodeur, Martin Erat, Miikka Kiprusoff, Mike Brodeur, Milan Hejduk, minor heart surgery, Montreal, Nashville, New Jersey, New York, nhl, Ottawa, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Radim Vrbata, Rookie Patrick Dwyer, Shane Doan, Stars, Washington Capitals, Wojtek Wolski

Sean Leahy | December 19, 2009

No. 1 Star: Mason Raymond(notes), Vancouver Canucks

Raymond played the hero in Vancouver’s comeback victory over the Washington Capitals with two goals, including the winner with less than seven minutes to play in the third period. His goal late in the second period tied the game at two and his seventh power-play goal of the season was enough to get by the Capitals and put the Canucks one point behind Detroit for eighth in the Western Conference.

No. 2 Star: Jeff Halpern(notes), Tampa Bay Lightning

After being benched by head coach Rick Tocchet against Nashville earlier in the week, Halpern responded tonight with two goals, both in the third period, as the Lightning downed St. Louis 6-3. The veteran Halpern scored the eventual game-winner early in the third period before adding the insurance marker with just under nine minutes to play. The two-point night snaps a five-game pointless streak for Halpern.

No. 3 Star: Ryan Miller(notes), Buffalo Sabres

After getting no help from his offense in a 2-0 loss to Ottawa on Wednesday night, Miller and the Sabres rebounded with a decisive 5-2 win over Toronto. Continuing to make a play at the No. 1 starting job for the U.S. Olympic team, Miller stopped 40 Maple Leaf shots for his 20th win of the season and fourth win in five starts. 

Honorable mention: Congratulations are in order for Toronto Maple Leafs rookie forward Viktor Stalberg(notes), who scored his first career NHL goal against Ryan Miller and Vincent Lecavalier(notes) who, with two assists against St. Louis, hit the 700-point plateau for his career … Martin Brodeur(notes) passed Patrick Roy for the all-time games played record by taking part in his 1,030 NHL contest … Radek Dvorak(notes) and Rostislav Olesz(notes) scored goals 37-seconds apart in the third period and added two assists in Florida’s 6-3 win over the Carolina. Dvorak finished a plus-5 while Olesz was a plus-3. Jordon Leopold, who scored the opening goal for the Panthers, was a plus-4 … Steven Stamkos’(notes) goal early in the second period gave Tampa a 2-1 lead and his empty-net tally with 58 seconds to go sealed the deal against the Blues. Ryan Malone(notes) (two assists) and Martin St. Louis(notes) (goal, two assists) were both a plus-4 … Scoring the bookend goals of the game, David Krejci(notes) started the scoring and ended the regulation scoring in Chicago’s 5-4 shootout win over Boston. His goal with 2:43 to go in the third sent things to overtime before Jonathan Toews(notes) and Patrick Kane(notes) tallied in the shootout giving the Blackhawks the extra point. Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi(notes) wasn’t sharp, but didn’t allow a goal in the shootout to improve his record to 7-1-1 … Despite being knocked into the Canucks bench, Washington’s Brooks Laich(notes) earned a plus and an assist on Alex Semin’s goal in the first period:

Did you know?: Ottawa has now lost their last nine games against New Jersey dating back to October 2007. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Senators defensemen Filip Kuba(notes) and rookie Erik Karlsson(notes) were both a minus-3 against the Devils. Karlsson has only been a plus-player in two out of his 20 games this season … Cam Ward(notes) was pulled before the third period after allowing five goals on 26 shots against Florida. Ward’s won just once in his last 15 starts … Vesa Toskala(notes) now has another blooper to replace Rob Davison’s 190-foot goal from almost two years ago. His poor handling of Toni Lydman’s(notes) shot in the second period against Buffalo opened the floodgates for the Sabres as they would score twice more in the following six minutes, giving them four for the period. Friday’s game was the fourth time in their last eight that the Maple Leafs have allowed five or more goals.

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Tags: Alex Semin, Antti Niemi, Blues, Brooks Laich, Cam Ward, Chicago, David Krejci, Detroit, Erik Karlsson, Filip Kuba, Florida, forward, Halpern, head coach, insurance marker, Jonathan Toews, Jordon Leopold, Martin Brodeur, Martin St. Louis, New Jersey, New Jersey Devils, nhl, Patrick Kane, Patrick Roy, Rick Tocchet, Rob Davison, Rostislav Olesz, Ryan Malone, Ryan Miller, Steven Stamkos, Toni Lydman, Toronto Maple Leafs, United States, Vesa Toskala, Viktor Stalberg, Vincent Lecavalier, Washington, Washington Capitals, Western Conference

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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Tags: Anaheim, Anaheim Ducks, Antti Niemi, Atlanta, Buffalo, Captain, Carey Price, Chicago, Chicago Blackhawks, Dan Sexton, David Koci, Dwayne Roloson, empty-net insurance marker, Florida, forward, head, Jarkko Ruutu, Jason Spezza, Jonas Hiller, Keith Yandle, Marian Hossa, Martin Brodeur, Martin Hanzal, Michael Frolik, Mike Brown, Mike Ribeiro, New Jersey, New York Rangers, New York Rangers 2, nhl, Ottawa, Pascal Leclaire, Patrick Kaleta, Patrick Kane, Patrick Roy, Petr Prucha, Phoenix, Phoenix Coyotes, Roberto Luongo, Saku Koivu, Shane Doan, Stephen Weiss, Toronto, Toronto Maple Leafs, Trent Hunter, United Center, Vancouver, Winnipeg

Sean Leahy | December 7, 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.

-Your Three Stars of the Week: Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom(notes), Stephen Weiss(notes) of the Florida Panthers and Matt Duchene(notes) of the Colorado Avalanche. [NHL]

-Good news ‘Canes fans. Cam Ward(notes) is expected to be in goal Wednesday night against New Jersey after suffering a deep leg laceration on November 7th against Columbus. [Canes Now]

-Live near St. Louis? Like Star Wars? Like dressing up as a Star Wars character in public? Then you’re in luck because it’s "Star Wars Night" as the Blues host Colorado tonight. Anyone in costume can get 50% off a lower bowl ticket for tonight’s game. May the force be with you. [Blues] 

-In his latest blog, the CBC’s Elliotte Friedman touches on those never-ending Vincent Lecavalier(notes) rumors and his latest "30 Thoughts". [CBC]

-Did Phil Kessel(notes) try to sway Marc Savard(notes) from re-signing with the Bruins? [Stanley Cup of Chowder]

-The story of how the Montreal Canadiens informed Elmer Lach hours before Friday’s centennial ceremony that his No. 16 would be retired to the Bell Centre rafters. [Montreal Gazette]

-Mirtle has a good article on NHL players and how they’re using Twitter that’s worth checking out. Agent Allan Walsh will be doing a live chat on Tuesday discussing social networking and the marketing of NHL players. [Globe & Mail]

-Sitting 11th in the Western Conference, a 1-5-3 record in their last nine games and goaltender Steve Mason(notes) struggling in his sophomore season, Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson gives head coach Ken Hitchcock a vote of confidence: "Hitch is safe. To suggest otherwise is just ludicrous. It has not even entered anybody’s mind. It’s not something we’d even consider." [Columbus Dispatch]

-A new NHL statistic is upon us: Points Per Shift. [On Goal Analysis]

-The third annual Hockey Weekend Across America is set for January 29-31. [USA Hockey]

-Bringing corporate sponsorship to the NHL awards and slapping a big giant Nike swoosh on the Stanley Cup. [Hockey Independent]

-The Hockey News wants to inform you that it’s okay to begin watching Minnesota Wild games again. [THN]

-Mike Chen praises the San Jose Sharks broadcast team of Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda and expains why they’re the best in the NHL. [Kukla's Korner]

-Chris Osgood’s(notes) isn’t happy with his play this season: "For me, personally, I’ve got to get to the level I’ve been in the playoffs for this team right now." [Snapshots]

-Tom Benjamin smelly something fishy about Brendan Shanahan’s(notes) hiring by the NHL. [Canucks Corner]

-Ranking the best managed teams of the past decade. [Bird Watchers Anonymous]

-Finally, here’s video of Brad Stuart’s(notes) big hit on Artem Anisimov(notes) of the New York Rangers last night:

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Tags: Allan Walsh, Bell Centre, big giant, Brad Stuart, Brendan Shanahan, Cam Ward, Chris Osgood, Colorado, Columbus Dispatch, Drew Remenda, Elmer Lach, head coach, hockey, Ken Hitchcock, mainstream hockey media, Marc Savard, Mike Chen, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Gazette, New Jersey, New York Rangers, nhl, Nike, Phil Kessel, Randy Hahn, San Jose Sharks, Scott Howson, social networking, St. Louis, Stanley Cup, Steve Mason, The Hockey News, Tom Benjamin, Twitter, United States, Vincent Lecavalier, Western Conference

Ryan Lambert | December 7, 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.

Some things I understand to be true about the Philadelphia Flyers:

1. They were playing pretty poorly prior to John Stevens getting the axe on Friday afternoon.

2. This is partly because Stevens had "lost the room."

3. Because of those first two things, a change had to be made.

4. Peter Laviolette was the best coach available, with a proven track record of making an underachieving team start winning.

Those are the reasons Laviolette got hired. But I wonder how long this is going to last.

I don’t say that because they got their brains beat in by the Capitals on Saturday night (and did they ever!). I say that because there is, or at least was, a key philosophical difference between the way Laviolette likes his teams to play, and the way the Flyers are built to play.

(Coming Up: How, exactly, did Tomas Plekanec(notes) escape suspension for this blatant butt-end cheapshot on David Krejci(notes)?; Brendan Shanahan’s(notes) greatest hockey story ever told; Marian Hossa(notes) is booed; Vokoun gets goofed on; Tkachuk joins a men’s league game; and an Ottawa goalie adds his contribution to the worst goals allowed highlight reel.)

Here are is a key quote from Laviolette in the past (from The Hockey News in 2007) dug up by a user on phillysportsforums.com, whose post I cannot link to because he calls the Flyers brass who made the decision to hire the new coach "[expletive] losers." Emphasis here will be mine.

"I have a very strict no-fighting policy for our team," Laviolette says. "Last year in the playoffs (defenseman) Mike Commodore(notes) got into a fight and I said, ‘OK, that’s it. No more fighting.’ I simply cannot afford to lose a player like Mike Commodore to an injury he may sustain in a fight.

"Take a guy like Erik Cole(notes). If we allowed him to fight, I know he would do it. Now if he gets hurt in a fight, our team has lost a very valuable asset. How do I justify that? I can’t. It just doesn’t make sense to me to allow our guys to fight."

Boy, doesn’t that attitude just scream Broad Street Bullies?

I’m sure Paul Holmgren brought up Laviolette’s frankly odd stance on fisticuffs in the interview process and made it clear that obviously a team with Dan Carcillo, Ian Laperriere(notes), Riley Cote(notes) and Arron Asham(notes) would be fighting at every available opportunity.

To illustrate this point, Laviolette was probably strapped to a chair with his eyes held open by wires while old clips of Mr. Rogers were interspersed with children laughing, adorable baby animals, and skillsy hockey plays.

To test the theory, of course, Laviolette was thrown right into the fire in his first game when Carcillo did the rather Carcillo-y thing of picking up 29 penalty minutes (and then getting suspended four games) because of his cold-cocking of Matt Bradley(notes), and he had to back his guy. Like some sort of test.

But the ludovico treatment must’ve worked, because after the game, Laviolette was all aboard, spinning it thusly, "…The make up of Carolina is completely different from the makeup of Philadelphia. I’m OK with Danny’s fight."

You sure are, Lavvy, me droog. Who doesn’t love a bit of the old ultraviolence? Can’t have ‘em thinking you’re a devotchka.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Here is a stat I was very surprised to find — the Ducks are tied for most third-period goals conceded in the League this season. With 42 (the article is from before they allowed one to Ottawa yesterday)! That’s almost 1.5 per third period. For reference, they’ve allowed 48 in the first two periods combined. Huge reason they’re a lottery team right now, probably the reason.

Atlanta Thrashers: Count John Anderson as a big fan of Evander Kane(notes). "He doesn’t seem like a rookie to me. He makes a few young mistakes, but for the most part he’s gung-ho all the time. He’s chasing pucks, he’s strong on the wall and he has eight goals already — not playing the power play. I’m going to have to find him some more ice time." All that praise for a kid who doesn’t have a point in his last four games, which tells you how much he’s getting after it without the puck.

Boston Bruins: I don’t know what delighted Bruins fans more about their team’s 7-2 stomping of Toronto — That Marc Savard(notes) continues his stellar post-contract play (four goals in three games) with a hat trick, or that Tuukka Rask(notes) finished the night with more points than Phil Kessel(notes). Oh and speaking of Savard’s new deal, it’s under league investigation for being "fishy."

Buffalo Sabres: At the beginning of November, the Sabres were 20th in the league on the PK. Now they’re third (that article says they’re second but didn’t include the weekend’s games). Killing 41 of 44 in the past month will do that. I bet having Ryan Miller(notes) and his sub-2.00 GAA helps a lot too.

Calgary Flames: If you missed the Flames/Sharks tilt on Saturday, you missed maybe the most entertaining game this season. Up-and-down action; shots were 36 apiece. Physical, too; hits were 35-all. This is a game that won’t be leaving my DVR for a good long while.

Carolina Hurricanes: Erik Cole’s sixth career hat trick sure wasn’t pretty…

That doesn’t mean it wasn’t effective.

Chicago Blackhawks: The headline says, "Penguins fans’ jeers don’t faze Blackhawks’ Hossa." Well no kidding; he gets the hell booed out of him in like half the buildings in the league these days.

Colorado Avalanche: Craig Anderson(notes) hasn’t played since Wednesday due to his sore neck from Keith Ballard’s(notes) Goalie Injury 2009 tour. Doesn’t much matter though, because Petr Budaj has stopped 58 of the 62 shots he’s faced in the two games since. Petr Budaj!

Columbus Blue Jackets: Yeah, Columbus is 1-5-3 in its last nine, but Ken Hitchcock is in no danger of getting fired. Says Scott Howson, "Hitch is safe, to suggest otherwise is just ludicrous. It has not even entered anybody’s mind. It’s not something we’d even consider." They know they have a lot to work out and a coaching change at this point helps no one.

Dallas Stars: Mike Heika wonders just how much the Stars are going to have to give James Neal(notes) when his contract comes up at the end of the season. Considering he’s on pace to score 43 goals, I’d say it’s time to start shoveling the money into the back of the dump truck in preparation for backing it up to his front door.

Detroit Red Wings: Bad news for the Central Division, the Western Conference and the National Hockey League — The Red Wings are starting to get pretty good again. Sure, they lost to Edmonton on Thursday, but with Saturday night’s comeback win shootout loss against New Jersey, one of the best teams in the East, and then the late win over the Rangers yesterday they have 7 points in their last 5 games. (Edit: Fixed that Jersey game.)

Edmonton Oilers: Congrats, I guess, to Ladislav Smid(notes), who scored his first goal in 151 games Saturday. His last goal was on April 7, 2007, the last day of the 2006-07 season.

Florida Panthers: Tragedy + Time= Comedy. That’s verifiable fact. And that’s why Tomas Vokoun(notes) is now getting crap from his teammates about Ballard’s heel turn a week ago.

Los Angeles Kings: Anze Kopitar(notes) hasn’t scored in 12 games, and as a consequence he got a good ol’ fashioned talkin’ to from Terry Murray about it.

Minnesota Wild: Did you have any idea that the Wild have won five straight? More than that, they’ve gotten points in seven in a row! Problem, though, is that the article mentions Andrew Brunette’s(notes) "team-leading 10th goal." Cause for concern there, I’d think.

Montreal Canadiens: As of this writing, still no suspension for Tomas Plekanec for this blatant butt-end cheapshot on David Krejci Friday night.

I’m not really sure how that goes unpunished in this new climate of "suspend everyone for everything unless they score a point a game." Is it because Krejci got right back up and then got in a shoving match over it? True story: This is actually worse for the league to ignore than the Carcillo thing because a guy like Plekanec won’t fight anyone to answer for crap like this. Guys like that are going to keep playing this way until the league steps in and starts suspending them. Obviously. Why wouldn’t they?

Nashville Predators: Barry Trotz really really really misses Greg Zanon(notes), who’s quietly having a heck of a season in Minnesota.

New Jersey Devils: Here is probably the greatest hockey story of all time. Rick Vaive once turned down a 14-year-old Brendan Shanahan for an autograph. So when Shanny was 18 and playing for the Devils, he beat the hell out of Vaive right when the puck dropped on their first shift against each other.

New York Islanders: Going back to that great Nikita Filatov(notes) interview by Dmitry on Friday, in which Filatov said most NHL teams won’t release their Russian players to World Juniors, the Islanders are now refusing to allow the release of not only their NHL players, but also one of their AHL players (19-year-old defenseman Anton Klementyev(notes)) and a player in the KHL whose rights they hold (forward Kiril Petrov).

New York Rangers: Ryan Callahan’s(notes) penalty shot last night made me realize something else that illustrates how stupid the shootout is. Remember when a penalty shot was the hugest deal ever? Remember when you’d be all excited to see something like that? Remember when Jimmy Howard’s(notes) awesome save would have made every highlight reel for a year? I watched that play out with no emotion whatsoever because now it’s all commonplace and run-of-the-mill. I don’t have a link or anything, it’s just sad.

Ottawa Senators: Hahahaha. Brian Elliot. Oh man.

Welcome to a decade’s worth of blooper reels.

Philadelphia Flyers: Speaking of Danny Carcillo, here is a lengthy ode to just how much of a thug he is in the league, in which he is compared to Farva from Super Troopers.

Phoenix Coyotes: Ilya Bryzgalov(notes) on taking hockey too seriously: "You lose the game, so what? Nobody dies." Really, this interview alongside his family by Sarah McLellan is quite interesting and you should read it.

Pittsburgh Penguins: For all you Pens fans wondering, the reason Duncan Keith(notes) won’t get suspended for ugly headshot on Matt Cooke(notes) is because it was on Matt Cooke.

Not that I think that’s fair, but that’s why, is all.

San Jose Sharks: Perhaps one reason for the Heatley-Thornton-Marleau line being held scoreless for just the third time this season on Saturday night was that Dany Heatley(notes) was battling the flu.

St. Louis Blues: Great, hilarious blog post by Jeremy Rutherford Saturday featuring Keith Tkachuk(notes) jumping into a men’s league pickup game and Cam Janssen(notes), Esq. Seems like the Blues are in a hell of a good mood overall.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Congratulations are in order for Viktor Hedman, who scored his first NHL goal on Saturday.

Pretty feed from Vinny Lecavalier too.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Because the events of Saturday night in Boston are better left forgotten, he’s a very nice goal from Nazem Kadri(notes) instead. The future is bright, Leafs fans, especially when you think of getting Taylor Ha… ohhhhhh sorry.

Vancouver Canucks: You know Carolina is not a well-regarded franchise around the League when losing to them, even with Andrew Raycroft(notes) in net, is considered hitting "rock bottom." And just for fun, count the number of allusions to disappointment and frustration are in that article.

Washington Capitals: Interesting that the Caps and Alex Semin have not had any contract discussions of any kind. Gotta think the kid is seeing ruble signs considering the run of new contracts in the league lately.

Play of the Weekend

Oftentimes, I am accused of being a Flames homer and as such I try to go out of my way not to be one. On the other hand, how am I gonna ignore this save by Miikka Kiprusoff(notes), who made 127 saves exactly like this (conservative estimate) as the Flames handed the Sharks just their second home regulation loss this season?

That’s just absurd.

Gold Star Award

Because he kinda got lost in the shuffle of two hat tricks and a ridiculous goaltending performance (see above), I gotta give this one to Nicklas Backstrom(notes). Five points is really impressive any time, but even more so with Alex Ovechkin(notes) in absentia.

Speaking of, the Caps outscored their opponents 14-4 in the two games for which Ovie was suspended. Float his name out there for some trade offers. See what you can get. Just sayin’.

Minus of the Weekend

It goes to the National Football League this week because they decided to order that some funny-sounding commercials featuring the Bears and Blackhawks trading tips shall never air, probably because the NFL’s logos and things of this nature are used in the spots.

The horror of anyone promoting NFL without their getting a cut!

Perfect HFBoards trade proposal of the week

It is my personal belief that user "Keenan87" is actually Mike Keenan out for revenge against the league that scorned him.

To Flames:

Eric Staal(notes)

To Canes:

Daymond Langkow(notes)

Mark Giordano(notes)

1st Round Next Season

Dustin Boyd(notes)

It’s very rare you see an HFBoards proposal that helps neither team, but yikes. The last thing the Flames need is another contract over $5 million (let alone $3.5 million over that), and the last thing Carolina needs is a bunch of players that aren’t especially good.

Signoff

Family love Michael!

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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Sean Leahy | December 6, 2009

No. 1 Star: Marc Savard(notes), Boston Bruins

A night after getting pounded 5-1 by Montreal, the Bruins welcomed Phil Kessel(notes) back to TD Banknorth Garden and drubbed the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-2. Four days after signing a 7-year deal to stay in Beantown, Savard tallied a hat trick, scoring a goal in each period. Boston has now won three of its last four with a return engagement with the Maple Leafs next Thursday night in Boston.

No. 2 Star: Miikka Kiprusoff(notes), Calgary Flames

Sometimes goaltenders need to win games for their teams and that’s exactly what Kiprusoff did tonight for the Flames as they beat San Jose 2-1. Kiprusoff earned his 16th win of the year and made a number of outstanding saves including this save of the year candidate:

No. 3 Star: Erik Cole(notes), Carolina Hurricanes

Cole was the offensive force for the Hurricanes who defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 at RBC Center, ending their five-game losing streak in the process. Scoring twice in the second period and then the empty-net insurance goal with 14 seconds to play, Cole notched his sixth career hat trick and first multi-goal game since March. It won’t get easier for the ‘Canes who play Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Washington in their next three games, all on the road.

Honorable mention: Despite his team allowing five goals, Canucks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff(notes) ended up finishing a plus-three. Ray Whitney(notes) put home the opening goal for Carolina and assisted on two others, including the eventual game-winner. Aaron Ward(notes) notched his 100th career assist on Whitney’s goal … Ladislav Smid(notes) scored his first goal for Edmonton since April of 2007, a 151-game stretch … Two goals in the third period by Paul Kariya(notes) were almost enough for a St. Louis win in regulation until Los Angeles’ Alexander Frolov(notes) equalized with 34 seconds to play. The Blues would end up winning 5-4 in a shootout. Wayne Simmonds(notes) had two assists to extend his six-game points streak … Patrik Elias’(notes) pretty goal in the shootout saved New Jersey’s bacon in a 4-3 win over Detroit. Elias was so happy with his goal that he rushed out of the locker room after the game without talking to reporters … Tomas Vokoun(notes) returned tonight for the Florida Panthers and stopped 36 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss to Atlanta. Stephen Weiss(notes) now has six goals in his last four games. Johan Hedberg(notes) made 30 saves to improve his record to 7-2-0 … Washington spoiled Peter Laviolette’s debut behind the bench for Philadelphia with an 8-2 rout. Nicklas Backstrom(notes) had a goal and four assists. Mike Green(notes) scored twice and assisted on two others and Thomas Fleischmann tallied twice in the first period. The Capitals were 4-for-8 on the power play … Peter Budaj(notes) stopped 29 Columbus shots, including 15 in the third period to preserve a 3-2 Avalanche win. Wojtek Wolski(notes) scored the opening goal for the Avs and assisted on Chris Stewart’s(notes) game-winner … Facing his former team, Tuukka Rask(notes) made 31 saves and assisted on Mark Recchi’s(notes) goal in the third giving him more points on the night than 14 Toronto skaters. Boston’s Johnny Boychuk(notes) scored his first NHL goal. Bruins captain Zdeno Chara(notes) had a goal and an assist and finished a plus-four … Henrik Lundqvist(notes) made 36 saves, 19 in the final frame as the Rangers got past Buffalo 2-1 … Visiting Mellon Arena for the first time in a Chicago Blackhawks jersey, Marian Hossa(notes) scored a goal while Antti Niemi(notes) frustrated the Pittsburgh offense making 32 saves en route to a 2-1 win. Kris Versteeg(notes) put home the winner in overtime. Chicago was 44-for-74 on faceoffs … Mike Smith’s(notes) 30 saves and 2009 No. 2 overall pick Victor Hedman’s(notes) first goal in the NHL were more than enough for Tampa Bay to blank the Islanders 4-0. 

Did you know?: Minnesota has allowed
the first goal in eight of its last nine games, but the Wild are 6-2-1 during
that stretch. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Colorado had some trouble in the faceoff dot winning just 15 of 54 draws against the Blue Jackets. The game ended in controversy as Jason Chimera(notes) thought he had tied the game for Columbus, but the puck was ruled to not have crossed between the posts … In his return to Boston, Phil Kessel was a minus-three … While being shut out by the Lightning, the Islanders had two goals waved off due to a hand pass and goaltender interference and their power play was powerless, missing on six opportunities  … Without Alexander Ovechkin, the Capitals chased Flyers goaltender Ray Emery(notes) after he allowed five goals on 17 shots. His replacement, Brian Boucher(notes) didn’t fare much better allowing three goals on 13 shots. What’s going to be talked about in the morning is Daniel Carcillo’s(notes) 29 penalty minutes on one play and his one punch knockout of Matt Bradley(notes):

Is that considered a sucker-punch? After the game, Carcillo said he saw Bradley drop his gloves, but Japers’ Rink has the proof that tells otherwise.

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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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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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