With the NBA heading for a "nuclear winter" with no games this year (at least Lebron will go another year without a title Cleveland fans) and a lot of court dates and press conferences where each side blames each other for this gigantic mess, sports fans looking for an alternative can always turn to the NHL. My advice for new fans is to start with small doses of "NHL Live" and "On the Fly" on the NHL network where Kevin Weeks (best dressed and most astute analyst) and company will explain the nuances of the game with a spotlight on goals and game defining plays. As we are nearing the quarter mark of the season, I thought this would be an ideal time to check on some of the bigger stories in the NHL this season.
The Stanley Cup Hangover is real: The subjectivity of what winning the cup does to your attitude and mindset for next season is debatable, but what is not debatable is how playing the most physically demanding game in sports (Stanley Cup playoffs) into June affects the next season beginning in October. Both Boston (8-7, 16 points) and Vancouver (9-8-1, 19 points) are experiencing the roller coaster ride this early season that comes with playing a game 7 for the cup the previous year. Both teams are capable of rebounding and contending come playoff time, but the early hole they are putting themselves in this season will only make the climb that much more difficult. For Boston, an anemic power play and scoring outside of Seguin (11G, 9A, league leading +14) and Lucic are concerns for a team in the best division in hockey. While in Vancouver, the loss of depth on the blue line and the inconsistent nature of Luongo (7-5-1, 2.97 GAA, .896 Save %) leave them in the bottom half of the Western conference playoff bracket in mid November.
The Blackhawks are once again the best team in hockey: Speaking of the Cup hangover, Chicago to a man admitted they were victims of it last season. Duncan Keith said it was hard to focus mentally and the team cited the physical drain of the year before as the primary reason they squeaked into the playoffs last season as the #8 seed. After a long summer break the Hawks are back to being the best team in the game behind 5 superstars and a new and improved set of grinders and glue guys. Goaltender Corey Crawford (8-4-2, 2.72 GAA, .905 Save %) has emerged as the steady influence the team needs in net after the failed Mary Turco (now on NHL network) experiment last season. The Captain, Toews leads the team in goals with 9 and is a +7 which is the lowest among the core group; Kane (6 G, 13 A, +11), Hossa (8, 10, +13), Sharp (5, 12, +10), Keith (2, 8, +8). With solid role players like Montador, Mayers, Carcillo, Stalberg, and Bolland anything less than a return trip to the Cup finals will be a disappointment for this team.
After Chicago is where the surprises start in the West, starting with Dallas: The Stars are 11-5-0 after completing the toughest 3 game road trip in hockey (Wash, Pittsburgh, Detroit) and are currently second in the West. Even more impressive is the fact that this team lost its best player over the summer when Brad Richards left via free agency from the money in New York City. The line of best GM's in hockey has to start behind Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk, who traded for Kari Lehtonen (11-2, 2.20 GAA, .934 Save %) last season and watched him develop into one of the best in the game. Nieuwendyk struck gold again this summer when he took a low risk high reward chance on Sheldon Souray (4G, 9A, +9), who has proven that he is still capable of playing major minutes at the NHL level. If you want to win a bet with someone who knows the NHL, just ask them who the coach of the Stars is? The answer is Glenn Gulutzan, who is carrying out Nieuwendyk's plan on the ice. An "all for one" theme has allowed the Stars to replace Richards in house and it helps when you have the best line in hockey with the Eriksson (9,8, +10), Benn (5,14, +7), Ryder (6,5, +8) trio. Solid goaltending and depth will allow the Stars to contend all season; it is just a shame they have to play in front of a half empty arena at home.
And Minnesota: The Wild are 3rd in the West with a 9-5-3 record behind a new bench boss that Pittsburgh Penguins fans know well, Mike Yeo. Yeo was an assistant and power play coordinator for the Pens when they went to two straight Cup finals. He coached Minnesota's AHL team in Houston last season before being named coach of the Wild this summer. He has implemented a puck possession system that has the Wild atop of their division with balanced scoring that has seen 7 players score between 7 and 11 points through 17 games. Maybe more importantly all 7 of the Wild leading scorers are plus players and goalies, Backstrom (5-4-2, 2.14 GAA, .927 Save %) and Harding (4-1-1, 1.78 GAA, .948 Save %) have been the team's best defenders. Heatley (5G, 6A, +2) and Setoguchi (4G, 4A, +1) have delivered what was expected when Minnesota traded for them this summer and their winning ways along with Yeo's have this team primed for a playoff run, much needed news for Minnesota sports fans after watching the Vikes @ GB last night.
It is not just the kids in Oil City: Edmonton is 9-6-2 and currently sits behind Minnesota in 4th place in the West, even after a 2-4 recently concluded road trip. The rebuilding effort in Edmonton was supposed to take years, but the Oilers are more than frisky this season behind future stars Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (7G, 7A, +1), Taylor Hall (3, 7, -), and Jordan Eberle (4, 9, -). The key to this year's fast start has been the great play provided by veterans Ryan Smyth (10G, 7A, +2) and Khabibulin (7-2-2, 1.78 GAA, .948 Save %). The team sold high on Dustin Penner last year at the trade deadline and is in position to do the same with Sam Gagner this season and maybe even Ryan Whitney (4 games played) and Ales Hemsky (6 games played) if they prove healthy in the interim. Cam Barker is proving why you never give up on the 3rd overall pick in a draft by playing over 20 mins/game and quarterbacking the power play. Who knows if the Oilers youth will catch up with them over the long season, but the future is bright and the present is fun.
The Leafs are the biggest surprise in the East: Chalk is reigning more in the East than West, but Toronto is in the upper half of Eastern playoff picture and most surprisingly they are doing it with a 3rd string goaltender. James Reimer was undefeated in regulation (4-0-1, 2.58 GAA, .912 Save %) before he suffered a concussion, with the effects of that injury continuing to sideline him. Jonas Gustavsson (2-2, 3.21 GAA, .893 Save %) and Ben Scrivens (4-4, 3.78 GAA, .878 Save %) have been mediocre at best and the Leafs will have to continue to outscore opponents as long as they are between the pipes. Scoring hasn't been a problem so far with the league's leading scorer, Phil Kessel (12G, 12 A, +9) and linemate Lupol (9G, 10A, +7). Kessel and Lupol have developed great chemistry at even strength and on the power play. Grabovski (5,5 +2) anchors one of the best complimentary lines in the game and continues the Leafs theme of speed throughout all four forward lines. Phaneuf (2,10, +12) is back to his Norris trophy form of a few years back and his recent play makes Calgary's firing of Daryl Sutter seem almost too kind after that robbery of a trade for the Leafs. It will be interesting to see if the Leafs can continue to score, but let's hope Reimer gets healthy to see what this team's true ceiling is.
Speaking of injuries and more specifically concussions: Sidney Crosby hasn't played this season, it currently has been over 300 calendar days since he last played in a game. The Pen's (10-4-3) continue to win without Crosby over the long haul and Malkin, Staal, and Letang for shorter time periods. Fluery (9-2-1, 1.87 GAA, .932 Save %) and James Neal (11G, 6A) have been outstanding while coach, Dan Bylsma continues to show he is among the best in the business with the injuries that hover over Pittsburgh. No injury hangs over a team or a sport more than Crosby's concussion hangs over the Pens and the NHL. Rules have been changed and the spotlight is shining brightly on the issue, but the NHL is still without a transcendent player and the biggest personality to grow the game. Crosby continues to practice and claims he will return, but only when healthy, but the more time that passes makes the parallels to other sports greats who had to retire early due to injuries (Koufax and Sayers) all the more relevant.
Brendan Shanahan > Colin Campbell: Colin Campbell did not get it and was never going to get the new NHL, his last few years were embarrassing as his personal bias against teams and players were revealed. His league mandated decisions on player discipline were a joke at best and mercifully he was forced into retirement last year as the mandate on concussions was issued. On the other end of the spectrum is Brendan Shanahan, who has been a revelation as the league's hammer on player discipline this season. The biggest change for the better on Shanahan's watch is that the league is open about why players were suspended or not suspended and Shanahan communicates with players through phone calls and video on a regular basis. All decisions are not going to be unanimous, I disagree with the league's decision to not suspend Lucic after he barrel rolled Ryan Miller Saturday night and gave him a concussion, but at least Shanahan was proactive about why the decision was made. Points can be argued on both sides, but at least under Shanahan as opposed to Campbell, there is dialogue and the curtain has been removed on player discipline.
It is not all roses for the league, paging Gary Bettman: Even though Winnipeg is 6-9-3 and last in the Southeast division, they have been a rousing success because of where they play. Last night the atmosphere was electric as Winnipeg welcomed the Cup contending Lightning to town and that has been commonplace for every Jets game this season. Hockey teams need to play in front of hockey fans and the fact that the Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, and Florida Panthers are all on life support while the NHL and specifically Bettman "try to make it work" in their current cities while hockey fans in Canada are without teams is a travesty. Bettman's goal should be to get hockey teams to passionate cities and fan bases and with Quebec, Hamilton, Toronto, and Barrie all expressing interest in teams the Winnipeg example should be the driving force for Bettman to get the moving vans started.
So far, so good for the experiment in Philly: I said in my preseason preview that Philly was the most interesting team in the league after their controversial summer overhaul and they are well on their way to proving they were right. They are tied atop the Eastern standings at 10-4-3, but how they got there is the interesting part. I thought they would ride goaltending and defense while their forward lines came together, but it has been the forwards who are leading this team with the goaltending and D being dragged along. Claude Giroux (11G, 10A, +3) has emerged as one of the best 2 way forwards in the league and Jaromir Jagr (6,11, +6) has been a contributing veteran presence, much to my surprise. Briere (5,8, +3) and Van Riemsdyk (6,7, -) provide scoring depth and while everyone was counting on Braydon Scheen, it has been '11 first round pick, Sean Couturier (3,5, +8) who has been the impact rookie. Bryzgalov (8-4, 2.85 GAA, .899 Save %) has been mediocre in net, but a revelation with the media. His candidness and the language barrier has made his media sessions a blast and the Philly brass has tried to restrict the media access to him after games, but he just can't stay away from the mic's. Pronger has missed significant time on the blue line and only Timonen is more than a plus 3 player on the back end, but the team's fast start has been impressive even if the heavy playoff lifting will be the better judge of this overhaul.
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