Poll Questions and Reader Explanations
Posted by jtbourne on May 26, 2010 · 52 Comments
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So, the Bourne guest room is ”booked” every weekend in the month of June. I live in Phoenix. Don’t you people know this place becomes the surface of the sun that month? What is wrong with you?! (Kidding, kidding, always excited to have guests).
As for me, I have zero intentions of staying in AZ very much this summer. I’m booking a flight to Minneapolis (may have to do a “get Bourne to Minny” fundraiser first) for the July 4th weekend – my junior teammate, college opponent, fellow Kelowna boy and country music star buddy Chad Brownlee is getting married.
Check out his website at www.chadbrownlee.com
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Yesterday I wrote an article for Puck Daddy on what makes the Chicago Blackhawks so effective. There’s like, 135 comments or something on it already (most of which assure me that I am, in fact, completely retarded), so it might be worth a peek at if you haven’t already read it.
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Atta kid, Nash.
The Phoenix Suns tied up their series with the Los Angeles Lakers last night, making it 2-2 heading back to LA. You have to love that. If you’re not from LA and you like the Lakers, congrats on your Yankees winning it all last year, and best of luck to your Cowboys this fall.
Phoenix was always my favourite basketball team, long before I ever moved here. Can you imagine how sweet it would be for Steve “facial lacerations” Nash to win it all (PS, can we name the NBA title something cool yet? Admit it, you barely remembered it was named the “Larry O’Brien Trophy” And please, nothing involving the word “World”, since it’s just in North America…. yes I’m looking at you, baseball).
Either way, the NBA playoffs will be a nice fill-in this week while the NHL players take vacations in Tahiti or whatever it is those lazy bums are doing right now.
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Question and answer time. Lets find out where our readers are at. (Not sure why there’s an “other” option on the first one, since everyone would just pencil in “Ryan Miller”, so try to avoid that option). I’m hoping to get some explanations in the comments section.
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“Teach me how to Dougie, teach me teach me how to Dougie.”
I’m going insane. One too many listens and I can’t beat this song out of my head (note: it’s hip hop, 90% of you WILL hate it):
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In tomorrow’s post I’ll explain why I picked who I picked, but for today, the forum is all yours. Why’d you pick who you picked, Peter Piper?
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I'm a hockey player turned writer. After playing for Alaska Anchorage in the WCHA (NCAA), I carried on with an NHL tryout (New York Islanders in 2007) before spending a couple seasons in the AHL/ECHL (last year was 2008-09). My father, Bob Bourne, won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders in the '80's, as did my fiancee's dad, Clark Gillies. I'm now the web editor for theScore's hockey blog "Backhand Shelf."
I picked Leighton because of the fact that he had 3 shutouts in the ECFs.
I picked Mike Richards by a hair over Toews because he has that extra grit.
I picked the Flyers in 7 because I think it will be close, but in the end the Hossa Curse will live on!
Ha, right on, bold Flyers pick.
Guess I’m still too grieved to get hyped about the Final (and too busy – getting all the stuff done that I put off to read *every* bit of online material *every* day while the Pens were still in it), so I haven’t watched enough to contribute much to the polls. My main stance is it would really suck for Hossa to go to three Finals, for three different teams, in three consecutive years, and lose every time, and I like the way he hustles on defense – so, Go Hawks (plus I like Toews too)! Wheeeeeeee.
But I do find that I can get a little worked up about the NBA playoffs (is it the final yet?). Used to be a Lakers fan back in the days of Magic and Kareem (lived in Santa Monica at the time), but am not fan now (especially after Kobe and his indiscretions), and I like to root for AZ teams, so Go Suns! I just might check in with the next game on TV.
And hey, there is always World Cup soccer to look forward to!
Niemi because he’s been a stud in the past two series. Keith because anybody who loses 500 teeth and comes back to play in the same game has the heart and grit to win a Stanley Cup. Byfuglien because he cannot be moved and after my intense hate for him when he was beating Vancouver, I now appreciate his play because he’s no longer playing against my favorite team. Chicago in six.
I promise I’m not biased; I just think Chicago is a better team.
The NBA Championship is just that: the NBA Championship. Occasionally called the Larry O’Brien Trophy. I’ve always found the naming of every single trophy in hockey to be kind of weird.
That being said: GO CELTICS!
It is pretty funny that Kevin Garnett has had to tell the fans to calm down, that the Celtics are not the Bruins, that they need to step away from the ledge… I’m pretty sure this city is suffering from PTSD.
Of course all the Bruins need is another championship in Boston to make them look even worse for their failures. The Garden is so completely out of balance– extensive drapery in green and white, not quite so much for the black and gold– it’s kind of sad. And the Celtics don’t even put up anything for conference championships, only when they win the whole thing.
Alas, poor steamrolled, overshadowed, red-headed stepchild Bruins. You brought this on yourselves, I suppose.
In the last round I was rooting for the Sharks AND the Habs. So I picked the goalie, defenseman and forward I most wanted to strangle over the last week or so: Niemi, Pronger and Toews. Actually, that’s not fair — the Hawk I’m sickest of is Byfuglien, by a mile, but he’s got to regress some time, while Toews will just go on being quietly awesome.
Is there anyone who’s easier to hate/love/respect/fear than Pronger? Growing up in Denver I remember one game in particular, when the Blues were in town. Peter Forsberg was all over the place on both ends of the ice, doing that “the puck is magnetically attached to me, I can’t help it” thing, the “here, eat my shoulder while I stickhandle” thing, and the “did you forget I’m also an extremely sick passer” thing. You can probably tell he was my favorite player.
But after about three or four shifts of that, you could tell Pronger had had enough. He was just gliding around, sort of mirroring Forsberg, and then out of nowhere he darted across the defensive zone and just absolutely hammered him into the corner — then went straight to the bench and sat down, like he was just clocking out at the end of another day at the office. I’m sure he played like 86 more minutes after that, but it felt like he had done his job, and the Forsberg show was definitely over for the day.
MHCranberry – that’s my point though, the “NBA Championship” is just describing words, not a name. They don’t call the Pulitzer the “Award for the best piece of writing from the past year”. Hilarious points about Boston. Fans are freaking…. kinda can’t help but think Boston over-did the winning thing last decade, maybe the horrible, evening out thing is about to happen!
My totally unscientific and uneducated picks:
Niemi – He’s a Finn which to me means he’s less likely to crack under pressure.
Keith – It’s either him or Pronger and I can’t stand Pronger.
Toews – He played for UND and I’m still holding the Booth hit against Richards.
CHI in six – Dunno, just rolling with my gut here.
Hmmm, looking back at those choices, maybe my feelings toward PHI in general have influenced my picks?
As for the Puck Daddy post, nice job. I disagree with the comments, the ones making them are the idiots.
Boucher (Because hes the bestish of a terrible lot)
Pronger
Toews
Chi in 6
Massive Improvement over yesterdays polling method.
How do you think the Celtics would fare right about now if Rajon Rondo broke his wrist?
Chicago in six, mostly because I hate the Flyers with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns.
Check that. I like Claude Giroux. Make that 999 suns.
mikeB – haha, yeah that sucked balls. For the record, I’m gonna write about Carle…. at some point.
Char – I dunno, why, do you know someone who can get that sort of thing done on the cheap? As a Suns fan, I’ll chip in for that.
First time commenter, by the way– hello! Been enjoying your blog for some time. Keep up the good work.
And yes, the past decade has been absolutely dizzying.
I don’t know if there will be a regression to the mean (I think this is what you are referring to)… I do think the pace of 6 championships every decade is unsustainable but there’s no reason to think things will start going catastrophically badly across the board.
I think they call it the NBA Championship because calling it “the Celtics’ birthright” would make people whine too much.
There’s that video on youtube called “Thank Goodness for the Bruins” about how a guy who hates Boston teams loves the Bruins because without them teams from Boston would never lose.
I can’t make any predictions for the Finals yet though– still too painful. Cheering for the ‘Hawks though. Obviously. Sigh.
And if anything happens to Rondo, I’m printing this out and taking it to the cops.
My blood, it runs so green.
I am Biased and for that reason I picked other cause there is a goalie out there who has only ever lost one playoff series and is 4-0 lifetime in gm 7′s but plays for a team mr Bourne hates I picked Pronger 3 teams to the finals on his back WOW!!!!! I hate the man but the Human Rake is god like in the playoffs and I picked Toews cause the kid is a natural born leader!!!
MHCranberry – You’re way to well-spoken (typen?) to not comment more. Every good sports blog can use some ridiculously biased Boston fan that gets insufferable when their teams start winning. “Regression to the mean” is exactly what I’m talking about, but I guess when you consider the 90′s, maybe winning some in the 00′s was the progression? to the mean.
Ohhh, I like that theory! It would still be regression though– it goes both ways (I’m a statistics nerd).
And thank you, I think I will. Boston sports fans need good ambassadors– I know Char has been representing us well.
I hope I don’t get too insufferable though. Having grown up with Boston sports– all 4 of them– I’ve been humbled too many times to gloat. I celebrate, I talk trash with people I know, but I try to avoid the kind of douchery you’re referring to.
And to answer Char: if Rondo broke his wrist, they still make it out of the first round, and still have a shot in the next. They might lack in depth at PG, but their bench is excellent (arguably with players who would start on a lesser team, even) and you’d still have a starting 5 that includes some of the best players in the league. I get your point re: Krejci’s injury, but Ainge deserves credit in that he has put together a STACKED team in a way that Chiarelli simply did not.
The Celtics, in fact, are nothing if not astoundingly resilient at this point. The Bruins as an organization could learn a lot from their example, in fact.
Niemi – he’s a Finn and they seem to have a good history of breeding clutch at the right moment goaltenders.
Danimal – Yup, everyone has recently been raving about the Finnish goaltenders. You should change your name to “Dantti Niemi”.
Leighton, because he’s just been a beast.
Toews, because he’s a great two-way center and leader.
Flyers in 7. I just have a feeling.
For some reason the defenseman’s poll is not showing up for me. Ah well. One write-in for Duncan Keith.
Same, can’t see the defenseman poll. Keith is my pick though, dude’s a warrior.
Frustrating, that’s the one that was giving me headaches when I put them up. The HTML code is such a jumbled mass of complicated stuff I don’t get, i’m scared to try to tinker/re-paste or anything. I’ll just have to accept your write-ins for this installment of polls.
Yeah, HTML is a pain in the ass haha.
Based on the responses, I’m guessing there’s a poll asking which defenseman I’d rather have that I can’t see. Not that it matters, I think there’s only one choice. My answers:
Leighton – But really, I have no idea, I could see either guy coming up huge or falling apart in the finals. Interesting side note: at one point, Chicago had both Leighton and Craig Anderson. Considering that, combined, they still made less money this year than Huet, I probably just made any Blackhawks fans who read this throw up in their mouths.
Keith – Best defenseman in the league this year, for reasons that I think Bourne has done a good job illustrating.
Toews – He and Richards are very similar, just kind of a gut feeling that Toews will come up bigger in the series. Can’t go wrong with either of them, though (I can’t praise Richards any more than that or I’ll throw up in my mouth–Caps fan).
Hawks in 6 – The Hawks will be the best opponent the Flyers have seen in the playoffs, and I think the Flyers will be overwhelmed in Game 1. Once they get past that initial shock, I think the Flyers are good enough to adjust and make this a series. Honestly, I picked Chicago in 6 mostly for the entertainment value of a visiting team celebrating a championship in Philly.
I chose Niemi because for a big guy, he moves reasonably well (quick legs, fills the net well while in the butterfly). I’m a bit skeptic about Leighton. I wouldn’t call him the second coming of Craig Anderson yet (a big goalie who figures out how to use his body in his late 20′s) he lets in to many softies between his legs. He also hasn’t really had to win many games. The flyers defensive system does good job a limiting the chances opponents get. I think the Canadiens did this pretty well in the first two rounds for Halak too. Not to take away from either goalie but if you’re seeing the shots from from the point or they’re coming from a long the side wall or closer to the goal line, it’s not really whether you’re asking the goalie to save it, you’re more seeing where he puts his rebounds. You’ve talked about that over the past couple weeks when talking about how outshooting the other team isn’t always effective. It keeps the goalie focused, keeps him loose, and keeps him confident. I don’t really get Huet. I’ve watched a decent amount of him this year and he always seems to be in position but he lets in too many “that puck had eyes” goals.
I chose Mike Richards mainly for his effort in the last game against the Habs. The effort he gave on that first goal and empty netter (he didn’t score the last goal but he’s the reasoned it went in) made me, a boston fan, say “wow, they just wanted it more than us”. I would put Ville Leino in the same category of having a different gear when the games matter. I hadn’t heard of him before last years in the playoffs, but he was all over the place for the Red Wings. I was surprised they didn’t resign him. But I didn’t hear anything really about him until this years playoffs. He’s just a guy who in his mind says “I’m not going to be outworked today”. You can’t really argue with people who chose Toews either for the numbers he’s put up in these playoffs but once again after that game for Richards, you can really tell he wants that Conn Smythe.
Finally I chose Chicago in 6, mainly because offensively I think they will be able to exploit some of Leightons weaknesses and I think Niemis is pretty hot right now. I think their offenses both have a good mix of talent and roll players. I feel the Chicago has more offensive-minded defensemen while Phili is more defensive-minded. In the end I think it will be too much offense for Phili to handle.
Sorry for the rant. Keep up the good work
“If you’re not from LA and you like the Lakers, congrats on your Yankees winning it all last year, and best of luck to your Cowboys this fall.” Well said sir. You might be able to add the Sharks to that list too.
I gotta go with Niemi, I’m assuming you put Huet in there as a joke and although Leighton has been solid, Niemi has been solid for 3 series against better teams than Montreal.
Pretty tough to choose between Pronger and Keith, but I hate Pronger for getting away with cross-checking murder and I still picked him, so maybe not that close. I’d rather have Keith in the regular season and on a long-term deal, but Pronger is getting it done right now and somebody has to get Big Buff outta there (just ask Luongo and Nabokov, who are slightly better than Leighton).
Gotta take JT but great arguments can be made for Richards too.
CHI-town in 6, but if anyone from the East can handle CHI right now, it’s PHI. I’m glad MON didn’t win because now the series might actually be pretty entertaining.
One more thing: I hate that song… and I might have to make it my ring tone.
That was a great article you wrote for Puck Daddy, nice job!
I wrote in Craig Anderson. He is a great goalie who played for a bad team, and still got the Av’s to the playoff’s. If there is one goalie I want, it is Craig Anderson. If there wasn’t a write in option, I would have gone with Huet.
I have Keith, and I think these playoff’s has shown why he is the best defenseman in the leauge. He will no longer be underrated.
Toews. There is a reason why he is leading the playoff’s in points. The guy knows how to make a great pass/put the puck in the net when the Hawks need him too. Bolland, Kane, and Versteeg are also good at doing that.
Blackhawks in 5. I am a Blackhawks fan, so I have obvious bias, but I think the Hawks will win game one, lose game two, then win three straight and take the series in the United Center, and have that goal song go off
P.S. I’m taking a web design class in college right now so I am also learning how much HTML/CSS code sucks lol. HTML is pretty hard to understand, and it’s easy to mess up. My teacher’s tell me that CSS code is easier to use, but I think it is just as hard as HTML…
Oh snap a little face popped up lol!
I’m not sure how I can help you Justin…lol
I picked Niemi because he has only lost 4 games in 3 series and has had a great bounce back game each of those 4 times
I went with Pronger due to his nastiness and overall presence
Toews is on fire and it was a tough call vs. Richards but I have always been a big Toews fan
I took Chicago in 5 because I think it’s not a “Hossa HEx” but a Conklin curse…Hossa helped his respective teams get there, but Ty Conklin was also a constant on Detroit and Pittsburgh with him so….
//I get your point re: Krejci’s injury, but Ainge deserves credit in that he has put together a STACKED team in a way that Chiarelli simply did not.//
The problem, though, is that Krejci’s injury was simply the final straw. Savard was nowhere near full speed, Stuart was a mess (he hadn’t even broken a sweat for six weeks), Sobotka was playing with a shoulder that required surgery, and they were without Seidenberg and Sturm. And that’s just the major injuries.
IIRC, didn’t the Celtics struggle this year when Garnett was hurting?
A better analogy might be if the Celtics lost Rondo, and Pierce was just coming off a concussion, and Garnett was still limping with a bad knee.
// I dunno, why, do you know someone who can get that sort of thing done on the cheap?//
Sorry, Mike Richards is busy.
A visit to Minny, huh? Depending on where the wedding is (in the Cities, or a burb) and the exact day (on the 4th or around it), I will look for your reconstructed mug around some Metro bars.
- Niemi, for all the above reasons
- Hossa, because he has to win at least once with all the talent that ALWAYS surrounds him
- CHI in 6, because, with the exception of Boston, there is no other fan base that I like to hear bitch about things. On the other hand, it’s also nice to hear the whiners in Chi-town cry. Cubs? Bears? Hawks? In the past 20 years it’s been a lone Sox World Series, and they act like it’s been pre-Colonial since they won anything. (Sorry, I do not count titles won in individual sports like basketball.)
Niemi- story going around is Niemi never talks in the locker room either because he’s goalie crazy or his English isn’t very good. So never a word out of him this year until before game 2 of the Sharks series he yells over to Kane and asks how he feels about Backstrom making more money than him. Apparently everybody lost it. So despite his tendency to kick out beach ball like rebounds to the front of the net I go with Niemi based on the story.
Pronger- I love everything about Keith but Pronger is a fe-fi-fo-fum sized proven killer who will not allow parking in front of the net without taking Bunyan sized hacks and cross checks. This will crush Byfegelinuffelin’s (Holmstrom with more press) effectiveness.
Toews- He plain and simple gets it done. No matter what or where or when or who it’s against.
Hawks in 4- Flyers are not good enough on D for the lines Chicago rolls and Leighton is not good enough to stop the number of shots in double or possibly triple the quantity and quality he’s been seeing. Chicago D is better than the Philly ‘O’. The only chance the Flyers have to win a game is to trap trap trap and make it some real boring hockey.
JC – I adore that Niemi story, and desperately want it to be true. Nothing funnier than cracks like that, I can only imagine how funny it is when you’re stinkin’ rich and yukkin’ it up.
Leighton – mostly because the ‘canes dropped both him and the coach because they were “done” only to watch them go to the finals
Carle – because he’s an x-Shark., I refuse to vote for Pronger cuz he’s an a$$ (Not even talking about the cheap play, dude wouldn’t even help his brother in the minors with rent.), and I just don’t know enough about Keith.
Richards – because everyone was gonna pick Toews (though I was surprised Byfuglian didn’t come up 2nd)
Philly in 6 – see comments about Leighton and coach
Not where I heard the Niemi story first and doesn’t make it true but it’s in the Tribune. I howled with laughter when I heard it and loved it true or not-
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-spt-0525-brite-blackhawks-chicago-20100524,0,3806454.story
being in minnesota my name would have to switch to Danoklaus Backstrom.
Seriously, there seems to be a disportionate # of Finns that are good at goaltending compared to # of total Finnish NHLers. fact or false? For comparison sake, how many goaltenders does Sweden have in the NHL vs total Swedes in the NHL?
A lot of Finnish minor hockey teams have goalie coaches work with the kids right when they begin (age 4, 5, 6, whatever). That kind of focused attention is obviously very, very beneficial.
niemi cause to me they are all total crapshoots on the big stage at this point and i love finnish goalies, so that was edge
pronger- keith may be the best dman in the series right now, but for everything pronger brings to the table (defensive shutdown prowress, pp, pk, leadership, as pierre would put it ‘jam’, and other intangibles), in essence if i had a must win game and could have one dman in league on my team i’ll take pronger and his 30 minutes
richards- by a few hairs, notably it was a toss up between him an toews and i chose the one that doesn’t look like an overgrown hobbit with his playoff beard (can we call that thing toews has a beard?). like richards complete game and never say die attitude, can’t say anything negative about toews though. both great.
chicago in 6- seems like chicago is a team of destiny, however, they won’t knock philly out in less than 5. no idea really who wins series. toss up.
Seems to me like a heavy factor in picking Niemi for a few people is that “he’s Finnish”.
Hate the Lakers. Hate the Cowboys. You know my bearded heard beats for the Yankees. I know it’s gonna be hot as all get out when Darrell and I are there for the Yankees series in June, and that’s why I’m seriously sleeping in your pool. I can’t wait for Browny’s album to come out either. He’s awesome. See you in a month fella. Maybe we can drink a blaster.
Heart. Bearded heart. Dang,
Wait. I’ve decided to just crash with your upstairs neighbor.
Haha, Miller Lite cans too. I’ll let her know you’re on your way.
I picked Leighton because I think he’s done a hell of a job so far. He’s a goalie that I love to hate, which I did whenever he played against Bridgeport as a River Rat, but I love him when he’s on my team. The Flyers gave him a chance and I think he’s more than proven himself.
I picked Pronger because, and this might not make much sense, I HATE the man. I’ve hated him ever since I got into hockey in 2006. He’s SUCH a dirty player and, from what I’ve heard, a pretty big douche off the ice too. Buuuuttt…if I abhor him that much, to me that means he’s doing his job. So I’d want him to be able to do that to other players and get under their skin.
I picked Jeff Carter just because I think he’s a well-rounded player. He’s on the score sheet a lot and he’s got a quiet confidence about him on the ice that is just really effective.
And I picked the Flyers in seven. Neither team will go down without a fight, but I think the Flyers just have more pieces that fit together than the Hawks.
And yes, I realize I picked Flyers for everything. Though I do love the Flyers (except for Pronger!), I love the Hawks just as much. When it comes down to it, I just think the Flyers have a better chance. It’d be great if the Hawks could show me different though.
Niemi. to me he’s just a better goalie than either Leighton or Boucher. And I’ve (so far) not seen any confusion from him, or emotion for that matter. Leighton has been a bit panicky on a few occasions. Niemi manages to force the shooter to do something and then react.
Richards. I like Toews a lot but Richards (to me) just has a bit extra in snarl, I’m not saying Toews isn’t determined but his insticts do not emphasize physical play as much as Richard’s instincts do.
Cant’ see the defender poll but as a Sabre fan all I can say is Campbell. I get it, he’s a bit Mike Greenish on D and a tad overpaid for what he’s been showing, but his quick movement up ice (like Keith and Seabrooks) defenitly helps the offence out when the pressure is on.
Chicago in six, nor Leighton, nor Boucher can handle Byfuglien, and they definitly can’t handle Byfuglien AND Pronger. And If either Pronger, Coburn or maybe Timmonen manage to take Buff out, physically or tying his stick up, there’s still a Kane, Toews, Hossa, Sharp that are wickedly accurate. Flyer’s won’t go quietly, but when they go, they’ll be quiet. Karma.
Niemi – because he’s just such a cucumber. I don’t think we’ve seen him lose his cool yet, and he’s been clutch so far.
Keith – all those guys are good, but Keith is still my favourite for the Norris this season
Toews – I don’t know, because he’s Tazer? He’s been my favourite forward all season, and it seems like everyone else is coming around to my point of view *g*
CHI (of course). I think I said in 5, but I wanted to go back and change it to 6 straight away! I feel like Phi can do the stifling thing that causes Chi problems with teams like the Preds, but I do think Chicago will win it. I’M A HAWKS FAN OK.
Leighton because Niemi’s glove hand scares me and frankly doesn’t have a chance in hell of snagging a Jeff Carter shot.
Toews because he will automatically raise his game above anything Philly can produce and he’s somehow made Byfuglien relevant.
Chicago in seven because it’s as close as I can bring myself to say Philly before the thought of seeing Carcillo holding the cup makes me feel ill. Chicago haven’t faced borderline elite forward talent backed up by a Pronger yet and as I’ve said Niemi as the difference maker scares me.
Niemi- He has the best team in front of him so he won’t have to put up as much of a brick wall as Leighton will. Sort of like Osgoods cups with Detroit. He just has to hold the fort whereas Leighton will probably have to be spectacular at times.
Toews – He was the best player in the Olympics. You could argue that was as big of a deal Canada in this Olympics as the Stanley Cup Finals are. Plus, he’s also just so happens to be the best player in the playoffs this year as well.
Pronger – Until he stops showing up in the Stanley Cup Finals, he’s the #1 guy on that list. Teams that he is on don’t get here by accident. Edmonton, Anaheim, now Philly. Could Lidstrom even do that? Maybe but it’s still an interesting question. Plus he’s nasty. I hate him as a player but nastiness is exactly what you need out of a defenseman right now. Being able to manhandle guys in the trenches goes a long way in the Finals.
Niemi because I like his pads.
Richards because of the way he ran Halak and buried it.
Hawks in five because they have too much fire power for Philly to handle.