Matt Cooke on Tyutin, Two Beauty Goals, Subban and Gill

New Hockey Primetime: On Phil Kessel and being the whipping boy.  Haven’t even submitted it yet, was antsy to blog today.  Should be up by noon MST. (link to Hockey Primetime.com)

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As I’m sure you’ve heard or seen by now, yesterday Matt Cooke ran Fedor Tyutin from behind – and I mean, numbers showing, no turning, from behind from behind - and will likely recieve a suspension for that today.  He damn well better.

Adam Proteau of The Hockey News and I got into it a little bit on twitter after he made comments that it’s the NHL to blame, not Cooke for his actions (although he did end up going with “both,”).  He started his case with this argument:

Pit bull owners say the dogs are docile but can have anger bred into them. Matt Cooke is hockey’s pit bull: reared & rewarded by his owners.

We took our disagreement to both private messages and public, largely discussing this issue itself in private ones, with my argument being that every player in the league plays under the same rules, so when one idiot continues to be a repeat offender, we can’t deflect the blame from him to the league the way we would rightfully deflect the blame from angry pitbulls to pitbull owners (we can assume by “owners,” he means those that raise them to fight).  It’s just not the same thing – we’re humans, and are responsible for our own decision-making a touch more than dogs.  We can’t let that (on-ice) animal off the hook for his actions, which is what I felt Proteau was doing.

In the end, Adam and I really did come to agree on the issue, we just needed to work our way to that common ground.  Bottom line is, the NHL needs to be tougher on him, and he needs to quit putting players’ bodies and lives in danger with his reckless play.  If he doesn’t, and the NHL doesn’t suspend him appropriately for this, Adam and I will agree: both parties will be implicit.

At least he didn't leave his skates. (Screenshot via D. Chesnokov)

Part of me wonders if the Cooke incidents are happening more (if they aren’t, it sure feels like they are.  But maybe that’s social media) because his game is in decline – not so much statistically this year, he’s just less effective as an Alex Burrows-esque agitator. 

In that role (if you’re enough of a clod to choose to play with such disrespect), you’re “supposed” to get away with cheap shots behind the play, outskate your opponent up the ice and make him catch you for a retalitory penalty in front of the ref.  I feel like he’s losing it a bit, and has to do the blatant stuff to remind us what his “role” is.  Otherwise teams would say take your 30 points and go home.

Whatever it is, it’s awful to watch, and scary to think about what could happen if the NHL doesn’t put him back in his cage for awhile.

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Such a hard shot, from that angle, that high, against Fleury, off the post…. Just, wow:

And I mean…. can you sell that slapper any harder, any better before leaving your teammate with an empty-net tap-in?  McDonald to Backes, wow:

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Really good story here by Arpon Basu, writing about some media members misinterpreting comments from Gill to Subban, and writing a post about Subban being bad in the room. (Bob McKenzie tweeted the story this a.m., PD may have linked it yesterday.)

I never understood reporters in the dressing room drawing their own conclusions on stuff like this (and clearly Basu doesn’t either).

I can tell you first hand, the relationship between older veterans and rookies is hilarious, because oftentimes, the old vets intentionally ride the younger guys to the point of absolute hilarity.  It’s always tongue-in-cheek, it’s always very paternal, and once in awhile old man winter will smile just so everybody remembers it’s all a joke.

There are, undeniably, generational differences that lead those older players to dislike, or not get, some of the young guys.  But as the article mentions, you almost always find a way to at least co-exist.

As for Subban throwing his jersey on the floor?  Learning not to do that isn’t “becoming a pro.”  You know not to do that in junior hockey.  Bad form, PK.

In the end, I like Subban and all his flair.  Always exciting to see what he’s gonna do next.

Top Ten Canadians in the Game

NHL.com lists the ten best Canadians in the game today (in order) as:

1. Sidney Crosby   2. Martin Brodeur  3.  Jarome Iginla   4.  Marc-Andre Fleury   5. Chris Pronger   6. Ryan Getzlaf   7.  Rick Nash   8. Roberto Luongo   9. Joe Thornton   10. Vincent Lecavalier

Though not ridiculous, it’s a tad nostalgic.  Chris Pronger is the fifth best Canadian hockey player alive today?  Don’t take the following as not liking any of the above guys, I just thought I’d mix in my own thoughts, and hear some of yours (okay, you can take it as me not liking Pronger).

Oops, I'm really, really good.

{First, I’m finally impressed with a US hockey team, which makes me a tad nervous for Canada.  It was a hassle when every country in Europe starting getting really good (go back to producing bums with eight “i’s” in their name, Finland), but now the US?  That’s annoying.

Names like Parise, Stastny, Kane, Kessel, Kessler, Ryan and Booth point to a pretty strong future.  Young, fast and a talented — all of ‘em.}

But back to our Canadian top ten.

1. Sidney is a given.

But I just can’t give Martin Brodeur the title of #2.  This is always a tough point to make, because folks can drag up stats (career GAA of amazing-point-five, save percentage is ninetywhatever-point-awesome), but come on.  I could drag up Bobby Orr’s amazing numbers too, but you wouldn’t want him (the 61 year old him) starting at defense in 2010, would you?  Brodeur’s great, but on the downslope of his career (and never exactly been known for his fitness).

Marty has become a staple of Canadian big game hockey and I love him to death for that.  But, Canada should probably move on.  Cam Ward didn’t crack the NHL.com top ten, but wouldn’t you like to see him wearing a Team Canada jersey at the Olympics?  It’s not like Carolina’s teams have been stacked, but he’s made them successful – this guy is a big game goalie too.

Oops, I'm really, really good.

Our best Canadian goalies today are Luongo (what goalie would have won a cup backstopping the teams he has?  Don’t give me that argument), Cam Ward, and Marc-Andre Fleury (who I’ve always liked, despite the fact that everyone in Canada hated the disappointment he “was” before June of this year).

One – that’s right, ONE – defenseman made that list, and it was Pronger.  More than taking away from Chris, who admittedly is still in the upper echelon of defenseman (hanging on… losing… grip… must… hang on), I have to give credit to two other guys, Mike Green of Washington, and Shea Weber of Nashville.

I got more texts from hockey-playing friends watching NHL playoff games last year about Mike Green than anyone else.  He does some amazingly nifty little things that make a big difference.  To be a scorer in the NHL today is tough to do, but this guys’ stat-line from last year as a defenseman was 31 goals, 42 assists for 73 points… in 68 games.

Oh, and he’s 24.  His defensive game has gotten better every year, and will continue to.

As ridiculous as it seems now, I was Shea Weber’s instructor at Dave Roy’s “Edge of Excellence” hockey school.  I was 18, and Shea was 15.  He was probably bigger than me by three inches then and just under twice as fast.  I made a huge difference in his life. 

“Yep, you’re doing it right.  Yep.  That was good.  Uh-huh.”

At this point, he’s not even freaking human.  Punishingly physical, with a booming slapper and great foot speed, I bet there’s a lot of GM’s who’d take him over Green.  He’s Pronger 2.1 – the next edition.  Toting less lumbering largeness (a mere 6’3″ 210), he carries his size more like Duncan Keith than a Todd Bertuzzi, and is frighteningly better every time I see him play.

"Hi I'm Jon. I'm allowed to drink this year. Neato."

Oh, and he’s 24.

I think a list of our top ten Canadian players today needs to pay closer attention to the way the game is being played now.  Vinnie Lecavalier is a great player, and plenty physical to boot.  But remember how it looked when the international teams were bombing around and we were trying to Eric Lindros/Keith Primeau them into the ground?  We couldn’t catch them.

Vinnie isn’t that big slug type of player; I just think the new type of goal scorer is more evasive than invasive.  Doesn’t Jonathan Toews strike you as a more effective guy in today’s game?  The guys scored 34 times as a 21 year old captain last year.  He’s following in Lecavaliers footsteps as the young captain, but is already trouncing the numbers Vinnie put up at that age.

So without further ado… My list:

1. Sidney Crosby

2. Ryan Getzlaf

3. Jarome Iginla

4. Roberto Luongo

5. Rick Nash

6. Mike Green

7. Jonathan Toews

8. Joe Thornton

9. Shea Weber

10. Cam Ward

I’d put those guys out against any country, any day.  (Wait, except Russia.  Not sure what they’re doing over there, but it’s starting to resemble cheating).

The Players of Playoffs

A few short hockey thoughts prior to today’s action:

1.  Let me preface this thought by saying this is completely unfounded, it’s my own speculation, and it’s not rooted in any fact. 

The first thing I saw when I saw Shawn Thornton running around in the Habs/Bruins game was: “that guy’s on steroids”.  NHL steroid testing is slightly better than non-existent, and I played with a couple kids who openly used while I played.  Don’t think guys don’t - we’re not baseball by any means, but I’d speculate a guy per team.

And in all likelihood, Shawn isn’t one of them.  In fact, as a reader recently pointed out (and not in the kindest way), I was thinking of (and comparing him to) Scott Thornton in his early days.  Totally different player.  But it doesn’t change facts.  Players use, and the league’s testing policy is not all that stringent.

2.  Just cleaning out a few hockey notes here:  Are you serious with that Fleury save on Carter?  It’s not even like Fleury got all the way across the net, it looked like Carter took a moment to savour it, which let Fleury get halfway there (which was an exceptionally feat in itself).  Then Carter compounded the nightmare (score and the series is 1-1) by sliding it mid-net.  That was the series turning point.

3.  Okay, Scott Hartnell, the hair isn’t exactly trendy or cool now that you’ve done it long enough for us to think you’re serious.  Now you’ve just been making a bad decision for way too long.  You look like Sideshow Bob.  Or Anderson Varejao.  Which brings me to today’s picture comparison center:

, Mats Sundin’s eerie Terminator black eye: , And Luongo / Jon Decaro (my college goaltender, both 6’4” and Italian):

3.  Lastly, for now, I saw Marty Havlat’s interview yesterday, and thought he sounded like a Newfy pirate.  Great player and all, and more than likely just French, but yeah.  Newfy pirate.

Okay!  Caps/Rangers is underway, battle of the Red, White and Blue!  See you back here tonight!