If you ask the average hockey fan, who was the greatest defenseman to ever play the game of hockey, most would say it was Bobby Orr. Orr was great, he played 12 NHL seasons between the years 1966 and 1979. He accumulated 270 goals and 915 points in only 657 games. He transformed the way defenseman play the way he would rush the puck up the ice from the offensive zone. There truely was no one that could hold a candle to him during his career. He won the Norris Trophy 8 times, the Hart Trophy for league MVP 3 times, and the Conn Smythe trophy twice for playoff MVP. However his career was cut short because of constant knee injuries towards the end of his career.
There's another defenseman that is changing opinions of who is the greatest defenseman to play, and that's Nick Lidstrom. Nick Lidstrom has been the best defenseman in hockey for most of the last 20 years. In 20 seasons, all with the Detroit Red Wings, Nick Lidstrom is a slick skating defenseman with elite offensive skill as well as incredible defensive skills. In 1,542 games played Lidstrom has 263 goals, 1,134 points, he as won the Norris Trophy for best defenseman 7 times, and the Conn Smythe trophy once. At age 41 he is still the top, if not a top 5 defenseman in the league today. Throughout his career he has missed a grand total of 32 games.
For me there is no question that Nick Lidstrom is the greatest defenseman ever to play the game of hockey. Here's the major reasons why I feel this way.
1. Lidstrom has played his entire career without any major injuries while Orr's career was cut short by injury.
2. Lidstrom plays in the modern era of 30 NHL teams, and the players that play today's game are in another league in terms of skill, talent, and speed compared to players that played in the 1960's and 1970's.
3. Lidstrom has never been on a team that missed the playoffs and year in and year out the Detroit Red Wings are among the elite contenders to win the Stanley Cup.
4. Bobby Orr is known mostly for his offensive prowess, but Nick Lidstrom is known for both is Offensive skill as well as his elite defensive skill.
5. Nick Lidstrom's defensive play rarely gets him called for a penalty. Lidstrom can play physical but his defensive stick skill is better than anyone ever to play the game.
Now you may disagree with this, but here are a few arguements from fans that say Bobby Orr is the greatest defenseman of all time.
1. Bobby Orr changed the way the game is played.
- Yes he did, however Patrick Roy changed the way the game is played for goaltenders yet Martin Brodeur is considered the top goaltender of all time. Eric Lindros's career came to a screeching halt due to injuries but he changed the game due to his size and dominance, players like Rich Nash and Joe Thorton follow in Lindros's steps as elite power forwards. And yet Lindros isn't even in the conversation of greatest player in the game, much less greatest center of all time.
- Nick Lidstrom changed the NHL game too, before Lidstrom was drafted, European trained players were considered as wild cards and no team would invest a high pick in a European born player. Today European born players are drafted in the same positions as North American born players.
2. Bobby Orr's career was cut short by injuries, if it wasn't he would be unanimously the top defenseman in the game.
- Pleanty of NHL player's have had their careers cut short due to injuries. Ed Belfour, Mario Lemeiux, Peter Forsberg are a few big names that come to mind who were elite players but had their careers cut short due to injury.
Nicklas Lidstrom is the greatest defenseman to ever play the game of hockey. There's nothing more to say.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
The Crosby Hit
A year and 19 days ago to the date there was a hit that shook the world. At the end of the 2nd period of the 2011 Winter Classic held in Pittsburgh between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins, David Steckel and Sidney Crosby collided each other after a broken play in the Washington Capital's defensive zone. As the play broke down the puck went out of the zone, David Steckel was heading up ice to join the rush. As Steckel was heading up ice, Crosby turned right into Steckel's shoulder. For all you Penguin fans, you need to realize this, it was an accidential collision. Crosby skated into Steckel who has 7 inches more of height on Crosby as well as a 25 pound weight advantage. After the hit Crosby was clearly shaken up but he came back and played the rest of the game. He came back and played in the Penguins next game against the Tampa Bay Lightning where he was hit again by Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman. With the exeption of 8 games played in November/December 2011, Crosby has been out with a concussion ever since. The reason Crosby has been out for so long wasn't because of the Steckel hit, it was because of the second hit he took to the head courtesy of Victor Hedman. Crosby was concussed on the Steckel hit but because he wasn't diagnossed properly, the second hit he took from Hedman is what is keeping Crosby out. If Crosby was diagnossed properly after the Winter Classic it would have probably been a mild concussion that he would have had to deal with, he would have been out a month to two months. But because he wasn't diagnossed and played with a concussion he has been out of the game for more than a year. The media has to stop villifiying David Steckel, it was an accident. And if you don't realize this you shouldn't be watching hockey, you shouldn't be watching a contact sport, rather a non contact sport such as Figure Skating or Syncronized Swimming.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
How cool would this be...
40 years ago there was a huge, monumental confrontation. The 1972 Summit Series that featured Russia's best players squaring off against the best players (NHL) in team Canada. The series featured iconic hockey legends such as Phil Esposito, Ken Dryden, Bobby Clarke, Vladislav Tretiak, Alex Yakushev, among others. It was a "friendly" series of hockey but it was so much more than that. It was a clash between political systems, cultures, and customs. During the Cold War, there was little if any interaction between the west and communist Russia, and other than in the olympics, there were little if any competition in any sports. This series was supposed to be a cake-walk for team Canada. But the Russian team was highly under-estimated by the hockey world and it made it one of the greatest matcups in hockey history.
40 years later... how incredibly awesome would it be if Team Canada and Team Russia did it all again. Since Russians play in the NHL now the series wouldn't have the same mysterious interest that it had back in '72 but it would still be an incredible confrontation between the two global hockey powers. It would be a great hockey matchup of the two playing styles, with Team Russia playing a fast paced, high tempo, offensive minded game, and Team Canada's style of play of a balance between defense and offensive skill, physicality, and great goaltending. The series could feature some of the game's top players in Malkin, Datsyuk, Bryzgalov, Luongo, Doughty, Iginla, and I haven't even mentioned the Crosby-Ovechkin matchup. And like they did with team Sweeden, they could have neutral games too against other international teams.
Going into next season there is little-no hope that this series could happen but it would be incredible if they did this 10 years from now in 2022 to honor the 50 year anniversarie of the series. A rematch of the series would draw interest from hockey fans all over the globe. And it would be special. Just a thought...
40 years later... how incredibly awesome would it be if Team Canada and Team Russia did it all again. Since Russians play in the NHL now the series wouldn't have the same mysterious interest that it had back in '72 but it would still be an incredible confrontation between the two global hockey powers. It would be a great hockey matchup of the two playing styles, with Team Russia playing a fast paced, high tempo, offensive minded game, and Team Canada's style of play of a balance between defense and offensive skill, physicality, and great goaltending. The series could feature some of the game's top players in Malkin, Datsyuk, Bryzgalov, Luongo, Doughty, Iginla, and I haven't even mentioned the Crosby-Ovechkin matchup. And like they did with team Sweeden, they could have neutral games too against other international teams.
Going into next season there is little-no hope that this series could happen but it would be incredible if they did this 10 years from now in 2022 to honor the 50 year anniversarie of the series. A rematch of the series would draw interest from hockey fans all over the globe. And it would be special. Just a thought...
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Marchand hit.
In case you missed it Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins was suspended by the NHL for a dirty hit on the Vancouver Canuck's defenseman Sami Salo that occurred on Saturday afternoon. He was suspended for 5 games.
If you missed the hit here's a link for youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGD5DbljtfE
In the play the Vancouver Canucks are controlling the puck in the Bruins zone, during the play Marchand is covering Salo at the defensive point, throughout the play the two tangle up and exchange cross checks and a few other shots. When Brad Marchand (5"9, 183) goes down to get the puck in the corner Sami Salo (6"3', 215) drops down to make a body check. As Salo turns to put his shoulder into Marchand, Marchand drops his knee and puts his shoulder into the back of Salo's knee, flipping him head over heels over, Salo landed on his head and left the game with a concussion. Marchand was issued a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for clipping, as well as the suspension.
Clipping in hockey and what Marchand did is completely dangerous and cowardly, clipping can cause lower body damage to knee's, ankles, hamstrings, quads, and hips, not to mention the potential danger of the player landing on their head. It is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than boarding and/or head shots, both of which the league is trying to get rid of.
Here's my opinion of Sami Salo
Salo is a solid veteran defenseman. He's a good player, decent offense, great defensively, and he play's physical. For those that don't see much of Western Conference teams because of the late night times they play, Salo play's a lot like Nick Kronwall of the Red Wings, but he has a little more size than Kronwall. There's no doubt that when Salo plays physical he takes full advantage of his size. The guy plays clean though, when he hits he targets the center of the chest or shoulders, he keeps his stick down, he keeps is knee's in to avoid knee-on-knee hits, and he never targets a player's head.
Now this is my opinion of Brad Marchand:
Brad Marchand is a rat. Brad Marchand is a coward. Brad Marchand takes shots at players, runs his mouth, and hides behind some of the bigger/tougher players on the Bruins such as Milan Lucic, Shawn Thorton, and Johnny Boychuk. Over the 3 years he's been in the league I've seen him constantly run his mouth and take dirty cross checks on players and skate away from them and reject most requests to fight (when hockey players fight they usually ask each other first if they want to fight, especially when 2 fighters go against each other, it's one of the coolest occurrences in all of sports). Marchand deserves every game he's suspended for his hit on Salo.
In reaction to the suspension, the Boston Bruins (players, coaches, GM) are all taking a stance that it was in self defense why Marchand hit him. Marchand claimed that he had a meeting with the NHL disciplinary heads that said this play was legal, here's the problem, it's legal for Marchand to drop to a knee to avoid a hit. However if he drops to a knee and makes body contact and causes a player to fall it's a penalty, usually clipping.
That's a view point from a hockey player in case you're confused why play was dirty, and why the punishment for the play was handed out.
If you're interested in the NHL's viewpoint, here's the video from Brendan Shanahan Senior Vice President of the department of Player Safety.
http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=60&id=148388&navid=DL|NHL|home
If you missed the hit here's a link for youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGD5DbljtfE
In the play the Vancouver Canucks are controlling the puck in the Bruins zone, during the play Marchand is covering Salo at the defensive point, throughout the play the two tangle up and exchange cross checks and a few other shots. When Brad Marchand (5"9, 183) goes down to get the puck in the corner Sami Salo (6"3', 215) drops down to make a body check. As Salo turns to put his shoulder into Marchand, Marchand drops his knee and puts his shoulder into the back of Salo's knee, flipping him head over heels over, Salo landed on his head and left the game with a concussion. Marchand was issued a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for clipping, as well as the suspension.
Clipping in hockey and what Marchand did is completely dangerous and cowardly, clipping can cause lower body damage to knee's, ankles, hamstrings, quads, and hips, not to mention the potential danger of the player landing on their head. It is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than boarding and/or head shots, both of which the league is trying to get rid of.
Here's my opinion of Sami Salo
Salo is a solid veteran defenseman. He's a good player, decent offense, great defensively, and he play's physical. For those that don't see much of Western Conference teams because of the late night times they play, Salo play's a lot like Nick Kronwall of the Red Wings, but he has a little more size than Kronwall. There's no doubt that when Salo plays physical he takes full advantage of his size. The guy plays clean though, when he hits he targets the center of the chest or shoulders, he keeps his stick down, he keeps is knee's in to avoid knee-on-knee hits, and he never targets a player's head.
Now this is my opinion of Brad Marchand:
Brad Marchand is a rat. Brad Marchand is a coward. Brad Marchand takes shots at players, runs his mouth, and hides behind some of the bigger/tougher players on the Bruins such as Milan Lucic, Shawn Thorton, and Johnny Boychuk. Over the 3 years he's been in the league I've seen him constantly run his mouth and take dirty cross checks on players and skate away from them and reject most requests to fight (when hockey players fight they usually ask each other first if they want to fight, especially when 2 fighters go against each other, it's one of the coolest occurrences in all of sports). Marchand deserves every game he's suspended for his hit on Salo.
In reaction to the suspension, the Boston Bruins (players, coaches, GM) are all taking a stance that it was in self defense why Marchand hit him. Marchand claimed that he had a meeting with the NHL disciplinary heads that said this play was legal, here's the problem, it's legal for Marchand to drop to a knee to avoid a hit. However if he drops to a knee and makes body contact and causes a player to fall it's a penalty, usually clipping.
That's a view point from a hockey player in case you're confused why play was dirty, and why the punishment for the play was handed out.
If you're interested in the NHL's viewpoint, here's the video from Brendan Shanahan Senior Vice President of the department of Player Safety.
http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=60&id=148388&navid=DL|NHL|home
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Elephant in the room NHL news
Yesterday, Friday, January 6th, the NHL Players Association rejected the NHL proposed realignment. In case of you were unaware of the NHL proposed realignment, it was passed by the NHL board of Governors this last month with 26 of the 30 teams in favor of the realignment. The proposed plan called for a restructuring of the 2 conference, 6 division format with the top 8 teams in each conference making the playoffs. The new system calls for 4 conferences, two conferences of 8 teams and two conferences of 7 teams, the top 4 teams in each conference would make the playoffs, and then the first 2 rounds of the proposed playoffs would be in-conference, and then the 4 winners out of each conference would be reseeded and would play each other the final 2 rounds for the cup. The benefits of the proposed system would keep teams playing in their local time zones for most of their games, for central division teams it would keep them from going to the west coast as often, it would move Winnipeg out of the eastern conference and south east division, and it would allow for flexibility in the Phoenix Coyotes sale and whether or not that team will relocate out of the desert.
The new system seems pretty good, particularly for the fans. So why did the players union reject this plan? There are 2 main reasons.
Reason 1: With the CBA expiring in September the Player's Union is going to use this as a bargaining chip. There probably won't be a lockout but this chip gives ammo for the players union.
Reason 2: This is the more serious reason for realignment not passing. The player's union does not like the proposed playoff system. The union feels that the teams in 7-team conferences in the new system will have an easier time qualifying for the playoffs where as the teams in the 8-team conferences will have a tougher time. Personally as a fan I don't like this playoff system either. This is the one part that the proposed realignment will have to address.
Hopefully some sort of realignment passes because so many teams are affected by this. Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg all are affected by this.
The new system seems pretty good, particularly for the fans. So why did the players union reject this plan? There are 2 main reasons.
Reason 1: With the CBA expiring in September the Player's Union is going to use this as a bargaining chip. There probably won't be a lockout but this chip gives ammo for the players union.
Reason 2: This is the more serious reason for realignment not passing. The player's union does not like the proposed playoff system. The union feels that the teams in 7-team conferences in the new system will have an easier time qualifying for the playoffs where as the teams in the 8-team conferences will have a tougher time. Personally as a fan I don't like this playoff system either. This is the one part that the proposed realignment will have to address.
Hopefully some sort of realignment passes because so many teams are affected by this. Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg all are affected by this.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Bauer Hockey...
Bauer Hockey is probably the fastest growing and the highest trending equipment brand in the equipment industry. Bauer has taken off the last 3-4 years after they split away from Nike. And don't get me wrong, what they're doing with the TotalOne equipment series and the Vapor Apx series, and what they're bringing out throughout the 2012 year is awesome. But there is a problem with Bauer... they're getting arrogant about it. The Bauer Apx line and the TotatOne line are some of the most revolutionary innovations to hit the hockey equipment market. However if you're a hockey player buying equipment, and you want quality you have to spend at the professional level to get it. For example, the Bauer One70 skate. The skate has a nylon stitched quarter package ( The exterior of the boot), it has a cloth/cotton based lining material on the interior of the boot, the tongue has a 2 piece felt density guard, and it features the LS2 holder and Superstainless steel (cheap low grade steel). The One70 skate runs at $299.99 retail, however in terms of quality and design it is comparable to the Reebok 6k which runs $199.99 and has the same features with high end steel and a composite quarter package that takes away weight and adds durability. Even closer to the One70 is the CCM U+ 06 skate, it is almost completely identical with the CCM having high end steel on it as well as the 6k, the U+ 06 runs at $199.99.
That's just a small example too. It is all over the equipment lineups, in protective, helmets, sticks, and gloves. The worst part about too is for the 2012 year and into the future, Bauer is rising their prices on everything, about 10-20%, and on the supreme line in particular, they're not making any significant upgrades to the line.
If you're buying equipment, don't just go to the Bauer racks. Check out the Easton, Warrior, and CCM/Reebok racks. Keep an open mind, and shop for the product that fits your needs the best at the price you want to pay. At a pro-level line Bauer generally has the better designed product but once you go below that line Reebok and CCM products are generally better quality.
That brings me to my next beef with Bauer hockey. I'm a goalie, and I worked in the hockey industry the past year. This past year I got sucked into the buy Bauer because everyone else is buying it, and also because Bauer gave me the best discount, I bought the Supreme goalie set, Pads/Gloves/Skates/Sticks. The design on the equipment is pretty good but the quality isn't there. The pads/gloves/skates have pretty weak stitching and it requires often repairs to keep the gear in good shape, if I didn't work in a pro-shop and had access to repair equipment, I would have gone trough the Bauer gear in 6 months. Let's face it, Bauer Hockey isn't a goaltending brand. Their skates, sticks, and masks are pretty good but their pads/gloves/protective gear is built off the old Itech models after Bauer bought them out. With that said, Bauer is raising their prices on everything goaltending. I'm speaking for most goalies when I say, nobody wants goalie prices raised, goalie equipment is already expensive enough. For the 2012 year with their pads/gloves/protectors Bauer is going to be up there as the most expensive brands in the goaltending market. Even as expensive as Vaughn and Brian's goaltending, brands that only make goalie equipment, brands that are two steps ahead of Bauer in both design and quality of goalie equipment.
So what's my point? Bauer is getting arrogant. Bauer is getting aggressive in marketing their brand. Bauer is getting aggressive in controlling equipment prices. And Bauer is overlooking quality in favor of the lightest weight design. Bauer is rising their prices, even though they've been making their gear in the South Pacific. Bauer is rising prices even in area's where they're no where near the top producer (goaltending). So if you are buying hockey equipment, don't just look at Bauer, look at other brands too. If you just buy all Bauer you may not be getting the best products for your specific needs...
That's just a small example too. It is all over the equipment lineups, in protective, helmets, sticks, and gloves. The worst part about too is for the 2012 year and into the future, Bauer is rising their prices on everything, about 10-20%, and on the supreme line in particular, they're not making any significant upgrades to the line.
If you're buying equipment, don't just go to the Bauer racks. Check out the Easton, Warrior, and CCM/Reebok racks. Keep an open mind, and shop for the product that fits your needs the best at the price you want to pay. At a pro-level line Bauer generally has the better designed product but once you go below that line Reebok and CCM products are generally better quality.
That brings me to my next beef with Bauer hockey. I'm a goalie, and I worked in the hockey industry the past year. This past year I got sucked into the buy Bauer because everyone else is buying it, and also because Bauer gave me the best discount, I bought the Supreme goalie set, Pads/Gloves/Skates/Sticks. The design on the equipment is pretty good but the quality isn't there. The pads/gloves/skates have pretty weak stitching and it requires often repairs to keep the gear in good shape, if I didn't work in a pro-shop and had access to repair equipment, I would have gone trough the Bauer gear in 6 months. Let's face it, Bauer Hockey isn't a goaltending brand. Their skates, sticks, and masks are pretty good but their pads/gloves/protective gear is built off the old Itech models after Bauer bought them out. With that said, Bauer is raising their prices on everything goaltending. I'm speaking for most goalies when I say, nobody wants goalie prices raised, goalie equipment is already expensive enough. For the 2012 year with their pads/gloves/protectors Bauer is going to be up there as the most expensive brands in the goaltending market. Even as expensive as Vaughn and Brian's goaltending, brands that only make goalie equipment, brands that are two steps ahead of Bauer in both design and quality of goalie equipment.
So what's my point? Bauer is getting arrogant. Bauer is getting aggressive in marketing their brand. Bauer is getting aggressive in controlling equipment prices. And Bauer is overlooking quality in favor of the lightest weight design. Bauer is rising their prices, even though they've been making their gear in the South Pacific. Bauer is rising prices even in area's where they're no where near the top producer (goaltending). So if you are buying hockey equipment, don't just look at Bauer, look at other brands too. If you just buy all Bauer you may not be getting the best products for your specific needs...
Thursday, January 5, 2012
For all youth Hockey Players and Parents
Over the past 2 weeks a 2 incidents at hockey rinks occurred that are rather disturbing that they did occur.
The first incident occurred a few weeks ago when NBC analyst and commentator Mike Millbury was charged for physically assaulting a 12 year old pee wee hockey player that his kid's team that he coached was playing against.
The second incident I came across occurred at a local Detroit rink where one hockey mom changed the television channel at her kids practice, another mom politely asked the mom who changed the channel to change it back. The mom who changed the channel went off on the other mom, in front of the kids of both parents. It all occurred at a squirt hockey practice, squirts - 9 and 10 year old kids.
I've coached and played hockey for years. I've spent a huge amount of my life in a hockey rink. I've seen fights, both physical and verbal. Fights between kids, between parents, between coaches. I've seen countless incidents that embarrass the sport.
This is a call to all players, parents, and coaches that participate in this great game...
IT'S JUST A GAME! Leave the bullshit at home. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FUN! Treat it that way.
RESPECT THE GAME!
The first incident occurred a few weeks ago when NBC analyst and commentator Mike Millbury was charged for physically assaulting a 12 year old pee wee hockey player that his kid's team that he coached was playing against.
The second incident I came across occurred at a local Detroit rink where one hockey mom changed the television channel at her kids practice, another mom politely asked the mom who changed the channel to change it back. The mom who changed the channel went off on the other mom, in front of the kids of both parents. It all occurred at a squirt hockey practice, squirts - 9 and 10 year old kids.
I've coached and played hockey for years. I've spent a huge amount of my life in a hockey rink. I've seen fights, both physical and verbal. Fights between kids, between parents, between coaches. I've seen countless incidents that embarrass the sport.
This is a call to all players, parents, and coaches that participate in this great game...
IT'S JUST A GAME! Leave the bullshit at home. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE FUN! Treat it that way.
RESPECT THE GAME!
NHL Collective Bargaining again... I don't think there's going to be a lockout this time...
At the end of the current NHL season the Collective Bargaining agreement will expire. The league, owners, and players union seem to be content with how the league is progressing since the 2004-2005 lockout. There are some issues that will be brought up though.
The big issues are Revenue Sharing between the league and the owners and players and the cap floor. This issue is confusing with a lot of paperwork, and given how the NBA and NFL's agreements went, it will give a precedent on how the NHL will handle this issue. This issue really has no impact for fans so there is really no need to go into depth into it. The cap floor is the tricky issue, small market teams want it to be flexible and allow them to go below it somewhat, the league wants to maintain the hard cap. The cap margin probably will be expanded to lower the cap floor somewhat but the league will stick to the hard cap.
Here's some of the smaller issues that will be brought up:
Salary Cap Evasion
Teams that are spending up to the cap have bad contracts on their books. Some teams keep the contract, some teams trade the contract, and some teams bury the contract. There are 3 teams that are doing this. The Chicago Blackhawks did it with Christobol Huet which allowed them to keep their core players after the 2010 cup run. The Washington Capitals did it with Michael Nylander to pay Ovechkin and Backstrom's salaries. And the New York Rangers did it with Wade Redden to bring in the big fish in this past summers free agency crop in Brad Richards. What all 3 teams did was bury the bad contract in the minors or in Huet's case in Europe so it's not on the NHL team's books. The players union is going to fight for a stricter cap hit for doing this.
Re-entry Waivers for players coming back from overseas professional leagues mid-season
The players union is going to try and abolish it so the situations with Kyle Wellwood and Evgeni Nabokov don't happen again.
A one-time free buyout for every team
If the one or both of the previous points get passed for the player's union, the owners will want a one time buy out option that won't take a cap hit. This was a policy used for the first season when the league came out of the 2005 lockout, it was designed to allow a team to buy out a contract to get under the Salary cap. This time if this policy is brought back it will allow a team to get rid of a bad contract. This probably will affect players with lifetime contracts, players such as Luongo, Dipeitro, and Kovalchuck are on the short list of possible buy outs
Further exploration into player safety and concussions
Right now the big issue for the league is concussions. Some rule changes that were instituted during the 2005 lockout to open up the game may change. Things like allowing a defenseman holding up a forechecking forward when the forward dumps the puck into the zone and allowing more time for the other defenseman to get the puck, allowing a little more holding and hooking, and to the extreme bringing back the 2-line pass rule. The league also will take a hard look at player equipment and how/if it can be changed.
The final issue and this is a somewhat serious issue for players is whether the league will continue to take a 2 week break every 4 years to allow NHL players to play in the winter Olympics. Already Alex Ovechkin and Geno Malkin said they would take a leave from their NHL teams to play for Russia in the 2014 games, especially since the games are going to be hosted in Russia. The status quo for the league allowing players to play in the Olympics probably won't change but it may be used as a bargaining chip during the CBA negotiations.
The big issues are Revenue Sharing between the league and the owners and players and the cap floor. This issue is confusing with a lot of paperwork, and given how the NBA and NFL's agreements went, it will give a precedent on how the NHL will handle this issue. This issue really has no impact for fans so there is really no need to go into depth into it. The cap floor is the tricky issue, small market teams want it to be flexible and allow them to go below it somewhat, the league wants to maintain the hard cap. The cap margin probably will be expanded to lower the cap floor somewhat but the league will stick to the hard cap.
Here's some of the smaller issues that will be brought up:
Salary Cap Evasion
Teams that are spending up to the cap have bad contracts on their books. Some teams keep the contract, some teams trade the contract, and some teams bury the contract. There are 3 teams that are doing this. The Chicago Blackhawks did it with Christobol Huet which allowed them to keep their core players after the 2010 cup run. The Washington Capitals did it with Michael Nylander to pay Ovechkin and Backstrom's salaries. And the New York Rangers did it with Wade Redden to bring in the big fish in this past summers free agency crop in Brad Richards. What all 3 teams did was bury the bad contract in the minors or in Huet's case in Europe so it's not on the NHL team's books. The players union is going to fight for a stricter cap hit for doing this.
Re-entry Waivers for players coming back from overseas professional leagues mid-season
The players union is going to try and abolish it so the situations with Kyle Wellwood and Evgeni Nabokov don't happen again.
A one-time free buyout for every team
If the one or both of the previous points get passed for the player's union, the owners will want a one time buy out option that won't take a cap hit. This was a policy used for the first season when the league came out of the 2005 lockout, it was designed to allow a team to buy out a contract to get under the Salary cap. This time if this policy is brought back it will allow a team to get rid of a bad contract. This probably will affect players with lifetime contracts, players such as Luongo, Dipeitro, and Kovalchuck are on the short list of possible buy outs
Further exploration into player safety and concussions
Right now the big issue for the league is concussions. Some rule changes that were instituted during the 2005 lockout to open up the game may change. Things like allowing a defenseman holding up a forechecking forward when the forward dumps the puck into the zone and allowing more time for the other defenseman to get the puck, allowing a little more holding and hooking, and to the extreme bringing back the 2-line pass rule. The league also will take a hard look at player equipment and how/if it can be changed.
The final issue and this is a somewhat serious issue for players is whether the league will continue to take a 2 week break every 4 years to allow NHL players to play in the winter Olympics. Already Alex Ovechkin and Geno Malkin said they would take a leave from their NHL teams to play for Russia in the 2014 games, especially since the games are going to be hosted in Russia. The status quo for the league allowing players to play in the Olympics probably won't change but it may be used as a bargaining chip during the CBA negotiations.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
NHL Trade Deadline Candidates - Big names
With the NHL trade deadline looming there are a lot of teams looking to move players to prepare for their futures. This is just educated speculation, I wouldn't be surprised if most of the names on this list get moved or if very few names on the list get moved. With the free agency buzz diminishing over the last few years its fun to speculate on big moves that could come via trade...
There are a number of big names out there, here's a short list.
Anaheim Ducks
Let's face it, they're out of the race this season, they are going to get a top 5 pick, if not the number 1 overall pick. This team is looking to unload big salaries for a good-great return. Anaheim will dangle a number of players including Lubomir Visnovski (35, under contract for next season, $3 Million due next season, financially very attractive to go along with his powerplay toxicity), Teemu Selanne (41, probably will retire at the end of the season, he could be shipped to a contender to get a chance at a cup run, also could end up back north to finish his career with the Jets), Ryan Getzlaf (In his prime but with his struggles this season Anaheim may look to a different source for their leadership, probably going to cost a long list of high draft picks, a few prospects, and 1 or 2 roster players), Bobby Ryan (24, Anaheim is paying a huge contract for their second line right winger and 21 points in 35 games just won't cut it, like Getzlaf he is going to come at a high price but both he and the Ducks my feel a change will do both parties good).
Buffalo Sabres
For a team that was expected to contend in the east sitting 4 points out of the 8th seed playoff divider isn't what Darcy Regier expected. Ryan Miller has a lot to do with it, in his 10 wins this season he has a goals against around 2.00 and a save % around .930, in his 13 losses he has a goals against around 4.00 and a save % around .875, that's unacceptable for an Olympic standout goalie. His $7.5 million salary over the foreseeable future isn't attractive as he ages, and with Jonas Enroth is emerging as a perennial starting netminder, don't be surprised if the boys in Buffalo look to move Miller. To free up cap space and get a nice return for him, although there isn't many suitors for him now by July 1st of 2012 there could be a lot of interest in him.
Calgary Flames
This team is old and they're not going anywhere. That being said they are looking towards the future. And while both Jarome Iginla and Miika Kiprusoff have some hockey left in their tanks don't be surprised if Calgary explores trading options with them both. The 2 players have about $13 million in cap hits and if one or both were traded they could free up space for the future.
Colorado Avalanche
With only 5 players under contract through the end of the 2011-2012 season (including both their netminders) the Avs have some big decisions to make on how they want to divy up their spending cash. Their biggest resign need is Matt Duchene. The Colorado Avalanche want to make him their highest paid player which would seem like a no brainer. But there is a problem, Paul Stastny. He is making $7.5 Million per but they don't want to pay Duchene that much. Like Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf struggles, Stastny is struggling mightily (21 points in 38 games), look for Colorado to unload him. With his monster salary and his struggles the Avs won't get as much as the Ducks would get for Getzlaf and Ryan, a team might send back a high pick, a prospect, and a roster player (probably a top 6 forward or a top 4 defenseman that has a bad contract).
Edmonton Oilers
Oil country is rebuilding. And they got the pieces to become a top contender in the Western Conference. With all their young talent emerging and in a few years getting big new contracts, they want to move Ales Hemsky. He has top line skill but is often injured. Both parties would welcome a change. They would look to trade him and probably get defense depth in return.
Nashville Predators
By July 1st Preds GM Doug Poile will have a huge decisions to make on franchise defensemen in Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. As a traditional small market team Nashville probably won't have the cash to sign both players to big contracts. Ryan Suter is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season while Weber is going to be a restricted free agent, so with Weber the Preds have some control over. However with Weber not signing a long term contract over the 2011 summer, it may be a sign he wants to end up elsewhere. The Preds are going to look at trading one of the defensemen so they don't end up losing one of them for nothing. Depending on how negotiations go with both of them over the next 2 months Nashville may look to move one of them at the deadline, especially if Nashville is on the playoff bubble.
New York Islanders
Again this team is at the bottom heap of the league. It's simple they have "3" NHL goalies (I don't really count Rick Dipietro as an NHL goalie). With both Dipietro and Montoya under contract beyond this season and with goalie prospects such as Kevin Poulin pushing for NHL time, the logical solution would be to try and move Evgeni Nabokov. (When have the Islanders ever made a logical decision? Trading Luongo to draft Dipietro, trading Chara and a 1st rounder (Jason Spezza) for Alexei Yashin, or signing Dipietro to a ridiculous 15 year contract) He's been solid for the whole season and he wants to be moved off the Island. And there is no way with his contract expiring July 1st that he resigns.
Phoenix Coyotes
This team's future is completely up in the air, where they will be playing beyond this season no one knows. If they move they may look to part ways with Shane Doan. If they were to trade him I could easily seeing him end up back with the Jets.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have Bobby Luongo locked up until he retires. Cory Schneider is a #1 starting goalie. The longer the Canucks hold on to him the longer they delay the inevitable that Schneider bolts for a starting gig.
Teams looking to add right now
Dallas Stars - Looking for either a #1 D-man or Center, they could be after Stastny or Visnovski
Detroit Red Wings - Looking to add a top 6 forward, they could be after Hemsky
Los Angeles Kings - Looking to add scoring, probably after Iginla
Philadelphia Flyers - With Pronger out for the season they're looking to add depth on their blue line
Pittsburgh Penguins - Looking to add scoring depth to compensate for Crosby being out
Tampa Bay Lightning - Their terrible team defense and goaltending will keep them out of the playoffs unless Stevie Y makes a move now, they're looking for help in net, either Nabokov for the short term or Schneider or Johnny Bernier for the long term
Toronto Maple Leafs - They need a top line center to go along with Kessel
Washington Capitals - They need secondary scoring, especially with Ovechkin and Backstrom not scoring at their usual rates
Winnipeg Jets - In their 1st season back up north they will look to add scoring depth, and depth in general to deal with their ridiculous travel schedule the rest of the season.
\\
There are a number of big names out there, here's a short list.
Anaheim Ducks
Let's face it, they're out of the race this season, they are going to get a top 5 pick, if not the number 1 overall pick. This team is looking to unload big salaries for a good-great return. Anaheim will dangle a number of players including Lubomir Visnovski (35, under contract for next season, $3 Million due next season, financially very attractive to go along with his powerplay toxicity), Teemu Selanne (41, probably will retire at the end of the season, he could be shipped to a contender to get a chance at a cup run, also could end up back north to finish his career with the Jets), Ryan Getzlaf (In his prime but with his struggles this season Anaheim may look to a different source for their leadership, probably going to cost a long list of high draft picks, a few prospects, and 1 or 2 roster players), Bobby Ryan (24, Anaheim is paying a huge contract for their second line right winger and 21 points in 35 games just won't cut it, like Getzlaf he is going to come at a high price but both he and the Ducks my feel a change will do both parties good).
Buffalo Sabres
For a team that was expected to contend in the east sitting 4 points out of the 8th seed playoff divider isn't what Darcy Regier expected. Ryan Miller has a lot to do with it, in his 10 wins this season he has a goals against around 2.00 and a save % around .930, in his 13 losses he has a goals against around 4.00 and a save % around .875, that's unacceptable for an Olympic standout goalie. His $7.5 million salary over the foreseeable future isn't attractive as he ages, and with Jonas Enroth is emerging as a perennial starting netminder, don't be surprised if the boys in Buffalo look to move Miller. To free up cap space and get a nice return for him, although there isn't many suitors for him now by July 1st of 2012 there could be a lot of interest in him.
Calgary Flames
This team is old and they're not going anywhere. That being said they are looking towards the future. And while both Jarome Iginla and Miika Kiprusoff have some hockey left in their tanks don't be surprised if Calgary explores trading options with them both. The 2 players have about $13 million in cap hits and if one or both were traded they could free up space for the future.
Colorado Avalanche
With only 5 players under contract through the end of the 2011-2012 season (including both their netminders) the Avs have some big decisions to make on how they want to divy up their spending cash. Their biggest resign need is Matt Duchene. The Colorado Avalanche want to make him their highest paid player which would seem like a no brainer. But there is a problem, Paul Stastny. He is making $7.5 Million per but they don't want to pay Duchene that much. Like Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf struggles, Stastny is struggling mightily (21 points in 38 games), look for Colorado to unload him. With his monster salary and his struggles the Avs won't get as much as the Ducks would get for Getzlaf and Ryan, a team might send back a high pick, a prospect, and a roster player (probably a top 6 forward or a top 4 defenseman that has a bad contract).
Edmonton Oilers
Oil country is rebuilding. And they got the pieces to become a top contender in the Western Conference. With all their young talent emerging and in a few years getting big new contracts, they want to move Ales Hemsky. He has top line skill but is often injured. Both parties would welcome a change. They would look to trade him and probably get defense depth in return.
Nashville Predators
By July 1st Preds GM Doug Poile will have a huge decisions to make on franchise defensemen in Ryan Suter and Shea Weber. As a traditional small market team Nashville probably won't have the cash to sign both players to big contracts. Ryan Suter is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season while Weber is going to be a restricted free agent, so with Weber the Preds have some control over. However with Weber not signing a long term contract over the 2011 summer, it may be a sign he wants to end up elsewhere. The Preds are going to look at trading one of the defensemen so they don't end up losing one of them for nothing. Depending on how negotiations go with both of them over the next 2 months Nashville may look to move one of them at the deadline, especially if Nashville is on the playoff bubble.
New York Islanders
Again this team is at the bottom heap of the league. It's simple they have "3" NHL goalies (I don't really count Rick Dipietro as an NHL goalie). With both Dipietro and Montoya under contract beyond this season and with goalie prospects such as Kevin Poulin pushing for NHL time, the logical solution would be to try and move Evgeni Nabokov. (When have the Islanders ever made a logical decision? Trading Luongo to draft Dipietro, trading Chara and a 1st rounder (Jason Spezza) for Alexei Yashin, or signing Dipietro to a ridiculous 15 year contract) He's been solid for the whole season and he wants to be moved off the Island. And there is no way with his contract expiring July 1st that he resigns.
Phoenix Coyotes
This team's future is completely up in the air, where they will be playing beyond this season no one knows. If they move they may look to part ways with Shane Doan. If they were to trade him I could easily seeing him end up back with the Jets.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks have Bobby Luongo locked up until he retires. Cory Schneider is a #1 starting goalie. The longer the Canucks hold on to him the longer they delay the inevitable that Schneider bolts for a starting gig.
Teams looking to add right now
Dallas Stars - Looking for either a #1 D-man or Center, they could be after Stastny or Visnovski
Detroit Red Wings - Looking to add a top 6 forward, they could be after Hemsky
Los Angeles Kings - Looking to add scoring, probably after Iginla
Philadelphia Flyers - With Pronger out for the season they're looking to add depth on their blue line
Pittsburgh Penguins - Looking to add scoring depth to compensate for Crosby being out
Tampa Bay Lightning - Their terrible team defense and goaltending will keep them out of the playoffs unless Stevie Y makes a move now, they're looking for help in net, either Nabokov for the short term or Schneider or Johnny Bernier for the long term
Toronto Maple Leafs - They need a top line center to go along with Kessel
Washington Capitals - They need secondary scoring, especially with Ovechkin and Backstrom not scoring at their usual rates
Winnipeg Jets - In their 1st season back up north they will look to add scoring depth, and depth in general to deal with their ridiculous travel schedule the rest of the season.
\\
New Gear 2012... Oh Boy
Some of the new things that are coming out pretty soon that I'm pretty stoked about...
Players
Bauer Supreme Skates
Sorry potential customers but for this model year and for the foreseeable future Bauer is raising their prices. For this new supreme model they're adding a honeycomb pattern to the skates and making minor adjustments to the TotalOne model. Every other model in the Supreme family is staying the same as their predecessors. The only other thing changing is how they call the skates, for example instead of the One80 skates it will be called the 1.8 skates. If you want to get anything Bauer or Easton you're going to have to buy the Pro, top of the line models. If you're not looking to spend top dollar, you're better off going with CCM/Reebok and Warrior for design and quality.
Expected arrival date: April 2012
Bauer Nexus Lineup
This has been Bauer's 3rd line of gear behind Supreme and Vapor, before it included classic protective gear, 4 roll gloves, and flex lite skates. This year they're changing the name and the game with the Nexus lineup. The skates in the line up are going to be one of the greatest skates on the game, the Nexus skates are a hybrid between the old design leather boot skates such as Graf's combined with the lightweight and heat-reactive materials that are used in skates today. The Nexus skate line is built on a E-laste which makes them very wide. Instead of being designed for power like the Supreme's or agility like the Vapor's, they're designed for comfort. The Nexus stick is also going to change the game, it is one of the first truly balanced composite sticks on the market to be released in a long time. Like the Nexus skates, the sticks are designed to be balanced for power as well as having a good release. The Nexus protective lineup will feature the 4-roll gloves along with new Shoulder Pads, Elbow Pads, Shin Pads, and Pants, this protective lineup is designed to fit big and to make the player look big.
Expected Releases: Skates/protective Summer 2012, Sticks Fall 2012
Easton Mako
Uh Oh, better get Mako.
Lets face it, the Easton EQ lineup was a complete failure, the protective gear and skates had terrible quality and the sticks constantly broke (even the one's that were supposed to be "durable"). Easton is changing however, and Mako sticks are leading the way. The Mako sticks are very close in relation to the SE16 sticks which were one of the greatest stick models ever sold. One of the only differences between Mako and the SE16's is Mako sticks are painted white to camouflage with the ice and trick goalies. As one of the first goalies that's faced one of these sticks the white paint doesn't make a difference visually, however having used this stick it is light, balanced, it has a good release and ample power. Also it isn't going to be sold at $250 like the Stealth RS and the Bauer APX sticks.
Expected Arrival Date: Late Summer 2012
CCM U+ Crazy Light Protective
Lets face it, CCM has hidden in a closet for the last 4 years, since they ended the vector lineup and moved on to the U+ lineup. However, CCM is coming back, and they're coming back in style. Even with CCM losing their biggest draw in Ovechkin, they're attracting many young players such as Gaby Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and many other young players. Their protective lineup coming out in the spring is a game changer. Compared to every other manufacture's protective lineups the Crazy Lights are by far the lightest pads out there, they may not feel that much lighter new at the stores but after being used for a season is where these pads earn their way. These pads are completely water resistant, so they stay light as well as staying dry. They also won't hold as much bacteria and germs as other protective lines.
Expected Arrival Date: Spring 2012
Expected arrival date: April 2012
Bauer Nexus Lineup
This has been Bauer's 3rd line of gear behind Supreme and Vapor, before it included classic protective gear, 4 roll gloves, and flex lite skates. This year they're changing the name and the game with the Nexus lineup. The skates in the line up are going to be one of the greatest skates on the game, the Nexus skates are a hybrid between the old design leather boot skates such as Graf's combined with the lightweight and heat-reactive materials that are used in skates today. The Nexus skate line is built on a E-laste which makes them very wide. Instead of being designed for power like the Supreme's or agility like the Vapor's, they're designed for comfort. The Nexus stick is also going to change the game, it is one of the first truly balanced composite sticks on the market to be released in a long time. Like the Nexus skates, the sticks are designed to be balanced for power as well as having a good release. The Nexus protective lineup will feature the 4-roll gloves along with new Shoulder Pads, Elbow Pads, Shin Pads, and Pants, this protective lineup is designed to fit big and to make the player look big.
Expected Releases: Skates/protective Summer 2012, Sticks Fall 2012
Easton Mako
Uh Oh, better get Mako.
Lets face it, the Easton EQ lineup was a complete failure, the protective gear and skates had terrible quality and the sticks constantly broke (even the one's that were supposed to be "durable"). Easton is changing however, and Mako sticks are leading the way. The Mako sticks are very close in relation to the SE16 sticks which were one of the greatest stick models ever sold. One of the only differences between Mako and the SE16's is Mako sticks are painted white to camouflage with the ice and trick goalies. As one of the first goalies that's faced one of these sticks the white paint doesn't make a difference visually, however having used this stick it is light, balanced, it has a good release and ample power. Also it isn't going to be sold at $250 like the Stealth RS and the Bauer APX sticks.
Expected Arrival Date: Late Summer 2012
CCM U+ Crazy Light Protective
Lets face it, CCM has hidden in a closet for the last 4 years, since they ended the vector lineup and moved on to the U+ lineup. However, CCM is coming back, and they're coming back in style. Even with CCM losing their biggest draw in Ovechkin, they're attracting many young players such as Gaby Landeskog, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and many other young players. Their protective lineup coming out in the spring is a game changer. Compared to every other manufacture's protective lineups the Crazy Lights are by far the lightest pads out there, they may not feel that much lighter new at the stores but after being used for a season is where these pads earn their way. These pads are completely water resistant, so they stay light as well as staying dry. They also won't hold as much bacteria and germs as other protective lines.
Expected Arrival Date: Spring 2012
Goalies...
Reebok Premier 4 Pads/Gloves:
They came out to the pro's at the start of the 2011-2012 season... they look pretty sick.
Expected arrival date: June 2012
Bauer Supreme TotalOne Goal Pad/gloves:
Unveiled by Lundqvist in the classic, according to the local Bauer sales rep., they are supposed to be the most customizable pads by the goalie on the market (instead of customized factory specs).
Expected arrival date: June 2012
Bauer Goalie Skates:
These are new skates coming out in the spring, they don't have a specific model name like the pads but they are offered at 3 different levels and price points, The Pro skate is expected to run around $600, and they will have the X-Rib exterior to them like the player APX skates have, they will have a full composite exterior, and they will have the foam interior to go along with the Vertex cowling. They will also offer an Elite level skate comparable to the Supreme One80 skates that will go up in price from around $330 to $375. And they will also offer a Performance model that is comparable to the One60 skates but the prices were raised about $20 to bring it up to around $220
Vaughn Velocity 5 pad/gloves:
These bad boys are just beginning to poke their heads out. This pad will offer 2 different specs. The Velocity 7990 will offer a single break pad with no knee rolls, the glove will offer no break as well. The Velocity 7800 will offer the standard pads and gloves that Vaughn has traditionally produced, with knee rolls on the pads and a break in the cuff in the catcher.
Now available for custom order
Expected arrival date: Summer 2012
Best of luck in your equipment shopping this year...
Best of luck in your equipment shopping this year...
I am a Goalie
I'm a hockey goalie, we're different. We are perfectionists, we hate making mistakes and even more we hate losing. We like to think we are apart of the team but we stand alone in our crease. We are hardworking, dedicated, and loyal. We stand on our heads, and we can make a final stand on the line. We're pretty laid back and easy going except when we get beat on a stupid goal that shouldn't have counted in the last game of the playoffs because the guy was standing in the crease. We do care, we are sensitive. This is what I am, I can not change it, I can just accept it. I am a hockey goalie...
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