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Greg Wyshynski | December 22, 2009

The Hobey Baker Award is given annually to the top male NCAA hockey player. Its namesake, Hobey Baker, was a star athlete between 1911-1914 before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force, where he was a pilot during World War I. Tragically, he died in a postwar plane crash in Toul, France in 1918, at age 26.

Funny stuff, right? At least it was to Pittsburgh Penguins announcer Paul Steigerwald of Fox Sports Pittsburgh, who cracked one of the most awkward on-air jokes in recent memory last night during their game against the New Jersey Devils.

For the video-less, a quick transcript:

Bob Errey: "The Hobey Baker winner went down, real hard. Our Subway sandwich of the game."

Paul Steigerwald: "Not as hard as Hobey Baker went down, though. He went down in a plane crash."

Then there’s some muttering and giggling; with Steigerwald apparently realizing that he wasn’t at the Friar’s Club, saying he wasn’t trying to make light of "how he left us," while asking Errey not to "start" as the laughing begins.

As Adam Gretz points out, Baker was actually killed 91 years to the day of Steigerwald’s comment. Who says he doesn’t have comedic timing?

Now, we’re nearing a century removed from the incident, so it’s not exactly "too soon" for this punchline. We were ready to excuse it, actually … until reader John Mozena hit us on Twitter with the following: "Hobey was friends w/ my grandfather, flew in WW1 together. I’m not a PC/sensitive guy but I thought it was classless."

OK, fair enough. This is getting enough play to the point where an on-air apology during the next Pens’ broadcast is likely.

Stick-tap to the Pens Experience for the story.

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Tags: Adam Gretz, Announcer, athlete, Bob Errey, France, Friar's Club, John Mozena, male NCAA hockey player, NCAA, New Jersey Devils, Paul Steigerwald, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toul, Twitter, U.S. Air Force

Greg Wyshynski | December 21, 2009

For the sake of argument, let’s say Mike Fisher(notes) of the Ottawa Senators and "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood started dating at the beginning of January, when Fisher was mired in a career-worst slump. Since then, he’s scored 25 goals and 23 assists in roughly 80 games.

To paraphrase Ms. Knowles: If you like it then you better put a ring on it, Mr. Fisher.

So he did: Fisher confirmed that he asked for the country songstress’s hand in marriage on Sunday, and she put down her Taylor Swift voodoo doll long enough to say "yes." From Canada’s leading gossip columnist, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

"It’s true," said Fisher. "We’re both obviously excited and very happy."

The blogosphere had been alive and buzzing since Sunday with rumours the celebrity couple had become engaged. The rumours began spreading after a friend of Underwood’s family congratulated the former American Idol and the Senators centre on their upcoming marriage on his Twitter page last night. This morning, a source close to the couple confirmed to the Ottawa Sun that Fisher popped the question and Underwood had accepted the proposal.

Huzzah! Hopefully Hilary Duff didn’t drive off the road in her Mercedes-Benz G-class SUV upon hearing that an American singer is engaged to an average NHL center and it’s another hockey super-couple …

The Ottawa Citizen also confirmed the Fisherwood engagement through a family friend, who said Fisher text-messaged confidants last night with the good news. The source was asked why he used text messages; the source responded, "He’s a simple guy."

The 6th Sens tracks the engagement story from rumor to Twitter news to confirmation, lamenting that Fisher’s relationship with Underwood could lead to a Tony Romo/Jessica Simpson-esque undermining of the Senators’ season. This is preposterous, of course, because Fisher is nowhere near as good as Romo and the Senators’ luck has traditionally been like breaking a mirror on a black cat under a ladder.

Congrats to the happy couple. We’re rooting for either an Ottawa wedding performed by the Right Reverend Jarkko Ruutu(notes) (c’mon, you know he’s ordained over the Internet) or a Nashville-based wedding in which the "I do’s" consist of hocking a loogie in the same spittoon. Then, when she’s officially Carrie Fisher: Gold bikini time.

Oh, and wouldn’t you love to see the pre-nup for a couple whose bride-to-be had a hit song called "Before He Cheats"?

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Tags: American Idol, Bruce Garrioch, Canada, Carrie Fisher, Carrie Underwood, Hilary Duff, hockey, Jessica Simpson-esque, leading gossip columnist, Mike Fisher, Nashville, nhl, Ottawa, Ottawa Senators, singer, the Ottawa Citizen, the Ottawa Sun, Twitter

Greg Wyshynski | December 21, 2009

One of the primary missions of Puck Daddy is the extraction of humanity and personality from NHL players; bringing to light facets of their lives that fans actually care about, instead of the usual fluff we see in video packages between periods on television.

To that end, we’re proud to finally introduce Puck Tracks, our first podcast, created and facilitated by audio producer Michael Raphael. It features players discussing the music that helps shape their lives and careers. It’s their soundtrack on the road or on the ice. It’s the music that fuels their competitive passion, or evokes bittersweet memories of childhood and family.

As usual, we’re aiming for a wide variety of players to feature. So the debut episode of Puck Tracks focuses on one of the true characters of the last 14 years: Tough guy and metal-head Wade Belak(notes), currently a winger for the Nashville Predators and formerly of the Colorado Avalanche, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.

Here’s Episode One of Puck Tracks. Follow @pucktracks on Twitter for news and updates on subsequent episodes of Season 1, which will continue in 2010.

Puck Tracks is the creation of audio producer Michael Raphael. He spends his days working in public radio, which has taken him to such illustrious hockey cities as Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and now back to his home base of NYC. Michael grew up a New Jersey Devils fan and still cherishes his early childhood photos with John MacLean, Joe Cirella, Jan Ludvig and Doug Sulliman.

This podcast, and other Puck Daddy audio projects, will eventually be available for download on iTunes and other locations. Thanks for listening; any suggestions for future subjects or podcasts, hit us at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com.

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Tags: audio producer, Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Doug Sulliman, Florida Panthers, hockey, Jan Ludvig, Joe Cirella, John MacLean, Los Angeles, metal, metal-head, Michael Raphael, Minneapolis, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, nhl, Toronto Maple Leafs, Twitter, Wade Belak, winger

Ryan Lambert | December 21, 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.

Oh boy, Christmas has come early for me again this year.

On Saturday night, Johnny Boychuk(notes) knocked the ever-living crap out of Matt Stajan(notes), on his 26th birthday no less and soooooo: It’s another hit legality debate! Yayyyyyy!

Stajan was obviously cut open, but he was stitched up and returned to the game within a few minutes. No harm, no foul … except on Alexei Ponikarovsky(notes), who picked up a penalty for roughing on the ensuing dust-up.

Obviously this play was like the Batsignal for all the clowns who (a) don’t understand hockey and (b) want this to become a gallant and honorable sport in which no one is ever put in a position where they could be injured.

So here comes the hilarious part, in which, thanks to of the amount of coverage this "headshots" debate has gotten this year, those that would have these hits outlawed and the offending players pilloried have now taken a new approach: Act like you don’t know what you think.

(Coming Up: Detroit’s done with the Hossa stuff; Tomas Fleischmann(notes) is as good as Alex Semin, while Ryan Kesler(notes) is no Geno Malkin; the Habs meet the Basterds; the Wild go shopping; and Alex Ovechkin(notes) adds another beauty to the highlight reel.)

"Is This the Type of Hit the NHL Should Be Eliminating?" screams the headline on Adam Gretz’s FanHouse post from Sunday morning. "Boychuk check on Stajan expected to be reviewed," says Mike Zeiserberg’s article for Sun Media.

The problem is, of course, that the League is unlikely to review the hit since no one was hurt, no penalties were assessed and there’s absolutely nothing to review. Both of these articles — which go so far out of their way to say that they of course do not advocate that hitting be taken out of the game so as to convince you that the idiotic things they say next aren’t that idiotic — would have you believe differently.

Zeiserberg’s article ever so generously concedes that Stajan had his head down and the hit wasn’t late. "After that, well, the jury is out."

Out on what, exactly? Boychuk’s elbow was down and only hit Stajan’s head because Stajan’s head, again, was down at elbow level. So what’s the problem? Was Boychuk supposed to let Stajan fly past him to create a 2-on-none situation for Tuukka Rask(notes)?

Well, Wilson and Stajan thought Boychuk might have left his feet (they’re wrong, of course), so there’s all the evidence you need that the League should investigate Boychuk for his obviously premeditated attack on poor, defenseless little Matty Stajan, who probably saw the hit coming but took it anyway to spring Phil Kessel(notes) in alone on Rask. Any contact Boychuk made with Stajan’s head is entirely Stajan’s fault.

The best part, though, is that because Gretz needed to reinforce an asinine point, he did what everyone who has an indefensible stance eventually does: Resort to alarmism and the use of worst-case scenarios to illustrate his weak point. To wit: "…And this past week’s bombshell that former player Reggie Fleming had suffered significant brain damage at the time of his death … is only going to keep that debate going full steam ahead."

See guys, we can’t let these hits be legal because Matt Stajan is going to DIE some day!

Kudos. That’s audacity.

But Gretz asks, "At the risk being called a ‘granola cruncher’ by Mike Milbury for ‘wussifying the game,’ is this the type of hit the NHL should be working to avoid?"

Yes, of course it is Adam. Clean, open-ice hits need to result in penalties, suspensions and hearings before an international tribunal. That makes sense.

Claude Julien had the best take on the matter in his postgame presser:

"We are going to have to be careful about making accusations to guys who make open ice hits. We are going to have to be careful how we look at those. If every open ice hit is going to (ignite controversy), we might as well play no contact hockey."

I get the feeling some people would be cool with that.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: Jonas Hiller(notes) probably wishes the League would go back to making division opponents eight times a year since his numbers against Phoenix are, well, ridiculous. He’s 8-0-2 in his career against the Coyotes with a 1.67/.953 line in their last three games.

Atlanta Thrashers: Kari Lehtonen(notes) is actually skating again. This weekend was the first time he’d done so since having two back surgeries in the offseason.

Boston Bruins: Apart from the one big hit, Boston was just awful on Saturday in Toronto. Part of that was injuries (Andrew Ference(notes) played over 28 minutes!) but most of it was a regular garden-variety crap game.

Buffalo Sabres: Ryan Miller(notes) on Olympic expectations, Vezina nominations and generally being the best goalie on the planet right now: "C’mon," he said, last week, rolling his eyes. "It’s like, 25 games into the season."

Calgary Flames: Know who had a great game for the first time this month on Saturday? Jarome Iginla(notes). Know who didn’t have a great game? Everyone else.

Carolina Hurricanes: While Bryan Rodney getting re-assigned to Albany is pretty much only news by the strictest of definitions; that at least means it’s likely either Tim Gleason(notes) or Niclas Wallin(notes) are good to go against the Rangers tonight. It’s more likely to be Gleason, though, so that’s something.

Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane(notes) was left to pick up equipment after practice on Saturday because he lost in the team’s practice shootout. If I were Danny Bylsma, I’d be drafting a lawsuit against the Blackhawks as we speak.

Colorado Avalanche: No one sentence I read this week has made me laugh more than Jibblescribbits saying, "The Avs recently took their yearly trip to the Children’s Hospital in order to torment some sick little kids."

Columbus Blue Jackets: The Blue Jackets’ new plan for who pulls goaltending duty on a given night? "You win and you’re in." No joke. So what happens if they keep losing? (By the way, good job Puck Rakers for dumping the "you have to register to read" policy from last week.)

Dallas Stars: Play of the game on Saturday wasn’t one of Karlis Skrastins’(notes) two goals, or some kind of big stop by Marty Turco(notes). It was, instead, a blocked shot by Brenden Morrow(notes) on the PK inside of a minute to go. What you choose to believe about a team whose best play was a blocked shot… On a lazy slashing penalty… That happened on the opposite end of the ice from its own goal… By your star player… While up a goal on Detroit… Inside of two minutes left… That’s up to you.

Detroit Red Wings: Sorry, everyone in Chicago, the Red Wings won’t indulge your "You guys hate Hossa, right?" questions.

Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers have, not surprisingly, been the Grinch to all Edmonton fans’ Christmas season. "Speaking of Deslauriers, he’s gone from sitting for months between starts last season to making 111 straight appearances with Nikolai Khabibulin(notes) waiting for Santa to deliver a new spine. Anybody have a plan?" Outstanding.

Florida Panthers: Well Detroit fans, looks like I almost owe you an apology: it’s actually Florida that has the worst fans in the league.

Los Angeles Kings: The Kings are about to sign Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds overage defenseman Jacob Muzzin, who had NHL scouts lined up around the block earlier this season. Great get for the Kings here.

Minnesota Wild: The best thing about all the Wild’s equipment burning up was that Nick Schultz(notes) went into a Play it Again Sports in Ottawa and bought a new set of shoulder pads. That rules.

Montreal Canadiens: Snow on the East Coast kept the Habs in Long Island a bit longer than they wanted. But they got to watch "Inglourious Basterds," which is my favorite movie of the year so far, so it wasn’t all bad.

Nashville Predators: After missing Saturday’s game against the Flames, Jason Arnott(notes) is still questionable for tomorrow’s game in Vancouver. If he doesn’t go then, he’s going to play on Boxing Day for sure.

New Jersey Devils: Rod Pelley(notes) scored Saturday. Kind of a big deal. It was his first NHL goal since Nov. 23, 2007. Another guy that scored in that game: Dean McAmmond(notes). Twice.

New York Islanders: Official attendance on the Island because of the snow: Just 6,000. And, as Chris Botta points out, more than half of them were supporting Les Habitants.

New York Rangers: Hey, Matt Gilroy(notes) got recalled in a hurry. I wonder who the slowest guy on the Hurricanes is, and if he’s going to blow Gilroy’s doors off en route to an overtime winner tonight. Oh, here’s some bad news: Wade Redden(notes) is probably going to play tonight. 

Ottawa Senators: Big 22-save performance by Brodeur in a 4-1 win by the.. Senators? Oh, Mike Brodeur(notes). Okay I get it now.

Philadelphia Flyers: "This is about making the playoffs. This is about the Philadelphia Flyers playing a brand of hockey that you can be proud of. And I don’t know how anyone could possibly be proud after the first, two periods. It’s completely unacceptable." Fun quiz: Which game is Peter Laviolette talking about?

Phoenix Coyotes: Watch out for Phoenix in the next few weeks. Three points out of a tie for first in the Pacific, which crazily puts it just seventh in the West, but has the benefit of playing six of its next seven games in Glendale. The Coyotes are 12-5-0 there this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Brooks Orpik(notes) is not cool with the NHL changing the names of its various trophies (nor should he be). Sid Crosby on the other hand? "I don’t think you can go wrong either way, to be honest with you. If they are to rename them, you’re talking about trophies being named after Mario and Gretzky. How can you argue with that? They are, arguably, the best players ever to play." Weak, Sid. Weak. He’d change his tune if his landlord wasn’t one of the guys that’d be on the new trophies.

San Jose Sharks: How many times has Jamie McGinn(notes) been recalled this season? A hundred? Isn’t THIS circumventing the salary cap (or at least operating in violation of its spirit) just as much as some stupidly long-term contract?

St. Louis Blues: Larry Pleau’s working the phones like an operator on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, but the Blues are probably not going to make a trade any time soon.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Lukas Krajicek(notes) is done with the Lightning for sure. Says GM Brian Lawton: He "won’t be on re-entry (waivers) under any circumstances." Cold-blooded.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Jonas Gustavsson(notes) wasn’t tested much by a punchless Bruins side, but a first NHL shutout is a first NHL shutout, isn’t it? Good work by the kid.

Vancouver Canucks: Know who the Vancouver media loves is Ryan Kesler. You can tell because they write sentences like this in reference to Kesler potentially being one of the best second-line centers in the league: "After Friday’s game, Sidney Crosby(notes) and Evgeni Malkin(notes) — easily hockey’s best one-two punch at centre — had combined for 77 points. Henrik Sedin(notes) and Kesler had 75." Of course Malkin missed six games and Crosby one. And Ryan Kesler also is not anywhere in the same stratosphere as either Crosby or Malkin. That too.

Washington Capitals: Would you believe Tomas Fleischmann has as many goals as Alex Semin? Because it’s true. And, unlike Ryan "Malkin" Kesler, he’s actually played fewer games than Semin.

Play of the Weekend

This is why Alex Ovechkin is Alex Ovechkin.

Great use of speed and ability to recognize opportunities, and then he buries a rebound that’s still sizzling from some ridiculous angle on his off wing. This kid’s okay.

Gold Star Award

Andrei Markov(notes) played his first game since Oct. 1 on Saturday. And scored twice. That’s pretty awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I will ignore that the goals came against the Islanders.

Minus of the Weekend

Brent Sutter, what are you doin’ to me, dogsie?

The Flames have lost three of their last four and have just three wins in December. Teams they’ve beaten: San Jose, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Teams to which they’ve lost: Phoenix, L.A., Minnesota (in OT), Colorado, St. Louis, Nashville. Showing up to play well even against the crap teams? That’d be nice.

Perfect HFBoards trade proposal of the week

There are a lot of ways you can win PHFBTPOTW (I gotta get a better acronym), and calling Lubomir Visnovsky(notes) a "world-class defender" sure is one of them. Well done to you, user "Smooth Skating!"

To EDM:

Andy Sutton(notes)

Brendan Witt(notes)

To NYI:

Shawn Horcoff(notes)

Lubomir Visnovsky

New york gets a world class defender in Visnovsky and a veteran center that can take take some of the pressure off the kids.

Signoff

Don’t call it that.

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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Tags: Adam, Adam Gretz, Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Andrei Markov, Andrew Ference, Atlanta, Atlanta Thrashers, back surgeries, Boston, Boston Bruins, Boxing Day, Brent Sutter, Brian Lawton, Brooks Orpik, Bryan Rodney, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago, Chicago Blackhawks, Children's Hospital, Chris Botta, Christmas, Claude Julien, Colorado, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Danny Bylsma, Dean McAmmond, Detroit, Detroit Red Wings, East Coast, Edmonton, Edmonton Oilers, Evgeni Malkin, Florida, Florida Panthers, Geno Malkin, goalie, head, Henrik Sedin, hockey, Inglourious Basterds, Jacob Muzzin, Jamie McGinn, Jarome Iginla, Jason Arnott, Johnny Boychuk, Jonas Gustavsson, Jonas Hiller, Kari Lehtonen, Karlis Skrastins, Larry Pleau, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Kings, Lukas Krajicek, Marie Greyhounds, Marty Turco, Matt Gilroy, Matt Stajan, Matty Stajan, media loves, Mike Brodeur, Mike Milbury, Mike Zeiserberg, Minnesota, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, nhl, Nick Schultz, Niclas Wallin, Nikolai Khabibulin, Olympic, Ottawa, Ottawa Senators, Patrick Kane, Peter Laviolette, Phil Kessel, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, player, Reggie Fleming, Rod Pelley, Ryan "Malkin" Kesler, Ryan Kesler, Ryan Lambert, Ryan Miller, San Jose, San Jose Sharks, Sid Crosby, Sidney Crosby, St. Louis, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, The Kings, Tim Gleason, Tomas Fleischmann, Toronto, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tuukka Rask, Twitter, Vancouver, Vancouver Canucks, Wade Redden, Washington Capitals, Wilson

Greg Wyshynski | December 19, 2009

The Minnesota Wild were told last night that the NHL will not postpone tonight’s game at the Ottawa Senators despite much of their equipment going up in smoke in a van fire on Friday afternoon. (No cause for the blaze has been given yet; we’re probably not alone in really hoping to hear one.)

The plan to secure new gear as of yesterday, from the Wild’s official Web site:

[Assistant Equipment Manager Brent] Proulx, Assistant Equipment Manager Matt Benz and Chris Pietrzak-Wegner will gather replacement equipment and load it onto a plane bound for Ottawa at 5:30 AM [Saturday] morning.

The plane that will carry the trio and the equipment is scheduled to carry the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks home from Cleveland following their game [Friday night]. The plane was originally scheduled to fly from Milwaukee to Ottawa [Saturday] night. It will now fly to the Twin Cities [Friday night], and then quickly turn around and head to Canada [Saturday] morning with the replacement equipment in tow.

There was a theory floating around last evening that the game could be postponed because of safety concerns, and those concerns are legitimate; not just breaking in stiff equipment but the fact that medicinal items like knee braces were torched in the blaze. As Michael Russo of the Star Tribune noted: "How do you just throw a new knee brace on a player without making sure it fits properly?"

The answer is that a professional training staff had over 24 hours to accomplish that, just like the equipment staff had 24 hours to secure new gear from home or other sources. This was an easy call for the NHL; but it would have been interesting to see the League’s response had faceoff been scheduled for Friday night, roughly five hours after the fire started.

One interesting development on the story: Russo reports on Twitter that AHL Houston Aeros goalie Anton Khudobin(notes) is flying to Ottawa in case either Niklas Backstrom(notes) or Josh Harding(notes) don’t feel comfortable playing in new equipment. Who starts? Can Minnesota play well in unfamiliar gear? Fire up Center Ice tonight and find out. (OK, pun intended. We’ll cop to that.)

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Tags: AHL Houston Aeros goalie, Anton Khudobin, Assistant Equipment Manager, Brent, Canada, Chris Pietrzak-Wegner, Cleveland, Josh Harding, manager, Matt Benz, Michael Russo, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Minnesota Wild, NBA, NBA's Milwaukee Bucks, nhl, official Web site, Ottawa, Ottawa Senators, player, Proulx, replacement equipment, Star Tribune, stiff equipment, the Star, the Star Tribune, Twitter

Greg Wyshynski | December 18, 2009

Considering the ritualistic devotion hockey players have for their equipment, the Minnesota Wild must be in the middle of a collective nervous breakdown right now. Their equipment truck caught fire this afternoon and their gear smoldered outside of Scotiabank Place, where the team is scheduled to face the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

From TSN:

The fire began at approximately 2:30 p.m. Eastern as the van was backing into Scotiabank Place. Firefighters remained on the scene for about 40 minutes. Police say that there were no injuries however a significant amount of the equipment inside was destroyed. Police are still investigating the cause of the blaze.

Beat writer Michael Russo of the Star Tribune reports that team trainers noticed smoke in the back of the truck after arriving at Scotiabank from the Kanata Rec Center, where the team practiced. Russo said the Wild now are in a full-on panic for new gear:

This is obviously unprecedented and the team is in complete scramble mode. Remember, in practice, players use their game gear, just not their normal game sweaters. Assistant equipment trainer Brent Proulx is rushing back to Minnesota to gather equipment and bring it here tomorrow, but the team is also on the phone with the league to determine what can be done regarding the game.

It is not easy for hockey players to just change equipment, and much of the gear was completely destroyed. It’s hard to imagine if the game goes on that the Wild will have new gear here by the morning skates.

The Wild are 8-2-0 in the last 10 games; that sound you just heard was every sportscaster in North America scrambling to be the first to say that "the Minnesota Wild are on fire … literally!"

Coming up, a full gallery of stunning photos featuring the team’s charred equipment.

All photos were snapped by Barrie Roney and are courtesy of Dean "Boomer" Molberg, radio host on Calgary’s FAN 960, who broke them on his Twitter feed. Big thanks to both of them, as these capture a truly unprecedented NHL scene:

If there is any decision by the NHL about the status of the Wild/Senators game set for Saturday night, we’ll update it here.

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Tags: assistant, Brent Proulx, Calgary, Dean "Boomer" Molberg, hockey, Kanata Rec Center, Michael Russo, Minnesota, Minnesota Wild, nhl, North America, Ottawa Senators, Scotiabank, sportscaster, Star Tribune, the Star, the Star Tribune, Twitter, writer

Ryan Lambert | December 18, 2009

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

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

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

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

THE Scott Fusco.

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

5. Corey Tropp (Michigan State), junior forward

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

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

4. Marc Cheverie (Denver), junior goalie

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

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

3. James Marcou (UMass), junior forward

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

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

2. Cody Reichard (Miami), sophomore goalie

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

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

1. Brendan Smith (Wisconsin), junior defenseman

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

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

Pop quiz

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

1. How are you feeling about the first half?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Who is UMD’s most underrated player?

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

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

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

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

Extra credit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Tags: A. Kyle Schmidt, Blake Kessel, Boston College, Brad Eidsness, Brady Hjelle, Brendan Morrison, Brendan Smith, Brett Hull, Brian Sullivan, Bruce Ciskie, Buffalo, C. Tyler Ruegsegger, Canada, Casey Wellman, Chris Drury, Chris Marinucci, Cody Reichard, college hockey player, Connor Knapp, Corey Tropp, Dean Blais, Denver, goalie, Gordie Howe, hockey, Jack Connolly, James Marcou, Jason Krog, Jordan Leopold, Junior Lessard, Justin St. Louis, Kyle Schmidt, laser, Marc Cheverie, Mark Pavelich, Martin St. Louis, Matt Carle, Matt Gilroy, Miami, Michigan, Mike Johnson, Minnesota, Montreal Gazette, national leader, NCAA, Neal Broten, Nebraska, nhl, Nick Schaus, North Dakota, Pat Nagle, Patrick Wiercioch, Paul Kariya, player, Ray Kaunisto, Robb Stauber, Ryan Lambert, Ryan Miller, Scott Fusco, Scott Sandelin, Sidney Crosby, the Denver Cup, the Duluth News Tribune, Tom Kurvers, Tony Hrkac, Twitter, underrated player, USD, Wisconsin

Greg Wyshynski | December 17, 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.

• Rumors chat at 1 p.m. Trades of the Decade later today; stupid flight delays messed with our production schedule.

• Look, Evgeni Malkin(notes) knows you want to see Canada vs. Russia for the gold. But you ignore Sweden at your own peril. [Russia Today]

• Gary Bettman and the BOG talk about those pesky long-term contracts at their Pebble Beach meetings, with Bettman saying that it’s difficult to comment on an "ongoing investigation," adding: "When you get to the punch line and you know what the answer is, then there’s something to talk about." We applaud his use of "punch line" to underscore what a joke this investigation is. [ESPN]

• Bettman continues to charm the pants off the Canadians who loathe him, following his love for Southern Ontario and Quebec City as future NHL homes with the pledge of a second Winter Classic featuring Canadian teams. [Chen; full Q&A with Bettman here]

• New slogan for the St. Louis Blues: "Consistently Inconsistent." Is the Andy Murray watch on or off? [Frozen Note]

• Philadelphia Flyers Coach Peter Laviolette has not asked Paul Holmgren for a trade to shake up the roster, but wouldn’t hesitate to do so if the team is still tanking under his regime. [Philly.com]

• Are younger players tuning out Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock during their struggled? Better question: Are there actually Jackets fans who, as this story infers, want to strip Rick Nash(notes) of the ‘C’? Seriously? Either way, Hitch has the backing of management, as the "Hitchcock style of hockey is the Blue Jackets style of hockey." [Columbus Dispatch]

• The search committee for the new NHLPA executive director: Ryan Getzlaf(notes) (Anaheim Ducks), Jamie Langenbrunner(notes) (New Jersey Devils), Brian Rafalski(notes) (Detroit Red Wings), Brian Rolston(notes) (New Jersey Devils) and Mathieu Schneider(notes) (Vancouver Canucks). Good to see at least one player under 25 on that list. Lots of Americans, too. Interesting. [NHLPA]

• Craig MacTavish becomes the first man in the history of time to defend the hockey prowess of David Koci(notes). And yes, we’re including David Koci in that sample. [TSN, via Japers]

• Mike Green(notes) will look to play in the Washington Capitals’ next game after that Koci hit. [Capitals Insider]

• If you’re a Los Angeles Kings forward, Michal Handzus(notes) is your best friend. [LA Kings Insider]

• Scathing take on Darcy Hordichuk(notes) of the Vancouver Canucks and why he’s basically worthless: "He’s a role player, and his role is supposed to be an enforcer. If he’s not enforcing we don’t need him. He’s not fighting, he’s not hitting, and we don’t need a floater." [Canucks Hockey Blog]

• Jason Spezza(notes) is out of the lineup for the Ottawa Senators, but their cap crunch is going to prevent them from replacing him. [Sun Media]

• More chatter about Ice Edge bringing a Phoenix Coyotes AHL franchise to Thunder Bay. We had a back and forth with Jeff Marek from HNIC on Twitter this morning, and we’ll say this: If the Ice Edge group is putting the minor league team in Canada and urging fans in Saskatoon to convert to the Coyotes because they’ll see a handful of home games … well, good luck selling the Glendale locals that you’re something more than Canadian carpetbaggers.  [Slam Sports]

• The San Jose Sharks anticipate that they’ll probably open next season in "a Scandinavian country or western Europe" in the next wave of NHL international play. [Sharks]

• Advocating the return of The Wizard to the Blue Jackets. [The Cannon]

• From the desk of Yahoo! Sports’ own Matt Romig comes what is, perhaps, the worst bobblehead doll of all-time. That’s Jarome Iginla(notes)? Wow.

• Coolness: Video of Howie Morenz playing for the Montreal Canadiens in 1934. [Eyes On The Prize]

• Free Webcasts of WHL games later this month. Invite some friends over to watch the Everett Silvertips hosting the Tri-City Americans on your laptop. [WHL]

• The NAHL welcomes Dawson Creek to its ranks. Do they skate out to Paula Cole songs? [NAHL]

• Chris Stewart(notes) is one sophomore who isn’t slumping this season, playing well for the Colorado Avalanche. [Mile High Hockey]

• Lede of the day: "There aren’t many Blackhawks who are as picky about their equipment as defenseman Brian Campbell(notes)." [Chicago Tribune]

• Mark Stuart(notes) of the Boston Bruins suffered a broken sternum Monday night and will miss 4-6 weeks. Ouchy. [Bruins Blog]

• Cycle Like The Sedins puts together a list of hockey blogger feuds. There’s a better chance that Rick DiPietro(notes) plays the next three seasons healthy than that site failing to receive an email from a "HockeyBuzz.com" address in the next three days … [CLtS]

• Hockey Fights: You had us at Sergei Brylin(notes) vs. Chris Campoli(notes). [HockeyFights.com]

• The 10th image in this slideshow for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers is probably not a Pens fan telling Dan Carcillo he’s No. 1. [Tribune Review, NSFW; stick tap to Puck Buddy Emily]

• Finally, and staying with the Penguins and Flyers, this Pittsburgh fan’s inspired Max Talbot(notes) "shhhhhhh…" tribute may not actually be a Jersey Foul when used for game warm-up prop comedy. [Thanks to Puck Buddy Matt, who is actually the man with the sweater.]

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Tags: Boston Bruins, Brian Campbell, Brian Rafalski, Brian Rolston, Canada, Chicago Tribune, Chris Stewart, coach, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Blue Jackets coach, Columbus Dispatch, Craig MacTavish, Dan Carcillo, Darcy Hordichuk, David Koci, Dawson Creek, Detroit Red Wings, Evgeni Malkin, forward, Gary Bettman, hockey, Jamie Langenbrunner, Jarome Iginla, Jason Spezza, Jeff Marek, Ken Hitchcock, Los Angeles Kings, mainstream hockey media, Mark Stuart, Mathieu Schneider, Matt Romig, Max Talbot, Michal Handzus, Mike Green, Mile High Hockey, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, nhl, NHLPA executive director, Ottawa Senators, Paul Holmgren, Paula Cole, Pebble Beach, Peter Laviolette, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Penguins, player, Puck Buddy Matt, Quebec City, Rick DiPietro, Rick Nash, role player, Russia, Ryan Getzlaf, San Jose Sharks, Saskatoon, search committee, St. Louis Blues, Sweden, Thunder Bay, Tri-City, Tribune, Twitter, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, western Europe, Yahoo!

Greg Wyshynski | December 15, 2009

Writing about attendance woes this season is tricky. First, because NHL teams in many U.S. cities traditionally see a spike after the New Year, as tickets are gifted for the holidays and the games gain more vitality; but mostly because in the battle of putting food on the table in a horrible economy and paying $300 for a regular season hockey game, thwarting starvation wins.

That said, there are some points of concern and frustration when looking at current NHL attendance figures — those inflated, inequitable figures that tell us nothing of true turnstile count, of course. There are also a few mysteries, like the Colorado Avalanche’s 13,811 per game.

Adrian Dater of the Denver Post has written about the small crowds for the division leader, noting that the Avalanche and the Calgary Flames drew just 11,448 on Sunday for a "family night" discounted game. Dater has a theory:

One question I have is: has the advent of HDTV made it less imperative to go to the games? Is the picture so good on TV now that, in effect, teams are hurting themselves by looking so good on TV?

Puck Update’s Steven Ovadia takes that theory and upgrades the technology:

And one final possible factor: Are hockey fans changing? Hemisphere Magazine, an in-flight magazine, sent me a link to an article on the NHL’s embrace of the Internet as a marketing tool. I was going to dash off some airline jokes and ask you to imagine I’m reciting them in front of a spotlit brick wall, but instead the article got me wondering if the NHL’s use of the Internet might be hurting regular season attendance a bit. Are these Avs fans home because they’d rather watch the game while posting on Twitter, with GameCenter Live on in the background, in case the Colorado game isn’t great? As amazing as a live game is, do these fans prefer the online experience in some way?

There’s a little more credence to Dater’s theory at the moment. Think of the movies: How many folks are unwilling to pay to see an average film in the theater when a cheap DVD and a booming home theater system beckons in a few months? (Of course, there’s also an entire generation growing up with the notion the Internet has made movies and music free, so why go to the theater anyway?)

But Ovadia’s theory is something the NHL should be thinking about. Technology on television has made the game look great; technology on the Web has provided fans with an immersive, communal experience full of stats and real-time conversation between fans. When "television 2.0" technology combines HDTV with the tools on the Web … well, what would compel someone to leave their house in a Colorado winter for a regular season game then?

If you live in an NHL city and aren’t going: Why not? Has the cost/benefit of staying home to watch the game changed for you as technology has?

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Tags: Adrian Dater, airline jokes, Calgary Flames, Colorado, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Post, division leader, food, HDTV, Hemisphere Magazine, hockey, How, in-flight magazine, New Year's Day, nhl, online experience, real-time conversation, starvation, the Denver Post, Twitter, United States, USD

Greg Wyshynski | December 15, 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: Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m. EST. It’s a glorious Winter Classic preview! Or at least it would be if the Flyers weren’t a floundering team under .500 and 1-4 under Peter Laviolette. Either the Flyers start playing better heading into Jan. 1, or they continue to lose and get really surly for the Classic. Either way, we win!

Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m. EST. Bow down to your first-place Los Angeles Kings! Is the Jonathan Quick/Erik Ersberg platoon ending? Congrats to Alain Vigneault for finally being able to tell the Sedins apart.  Watch the Game Live Via Hockey Night on Y!

Preview: Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. EST. Pension Plan Puppets offers its, ahem, candid take on the Battle of Ontario. Round 3: Fight!

Preview: Phoenix Coyotes at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. EST. Two positive stories about the Phoenix Coyotes on TSN? They know Gretzky’s not the coach anymore, right?

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

Evening Reading

• The Carolina Hurricanes place Aaron Ward(notes) on waivers. [Bruins Blog]

• Jordin Tootoo(notes) breaks his foot and will miss about a month. [Tennessean]

• A former Quebec major-junior hockey player found guilty of an on-ice assault has been given an absolute discharge, according to the Canadian Press. [CP]

• Good piece by Ryan Kennedy on Mike Fisher(notes) of the Ottawa Senators, who has bounced back like a Super Happy Fun Ball this season. [THN]

• Spector talks Vinny Lecavalier rumors and speculation. [THN]

• Japers breaks down the Michael Nylander(notes) salary cap relief the Washington Capitals find themselves with. [Japers' Rink]

• The Coyotes’ new owners would still like to play home games in Canada next season. No word on playoff games. [WSJ]

• Do you miss the Iowa Chops? Then you’re not alone. [KCCI]

• Please hold your laughter: Wayne Gretzky’s 18 games qualifies him for St. Louis Blues "Dream Team" status. [AP]

Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: From wngzie on Twitter, regarding out Float contest:

If someone doesn’t produce "naked Chara as a parade balloon" I will lose all faith in your readership.

Indeed.

Bold Prediction: Oh, what the hell — Tavares hat trick against Florida.

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Tags: Boston Bruins, Canada, coach, Detroit Red Wings, Florida, hockey, KCCI, nhl, Ontario, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, player, Quebec, Reading, Ryan Kennedy, St. Louis Blues, Tennessean, the Canadian Press, Toronto Maple Leafs, Twitter, Washington Capitals, Wayne Gretzky