New Hockey Primetime: Why we see more fights during the “dog days” of the schedule

New Puck Daddy: Why GM’s looking to rebuild should target prospects, not picks

*****

Unfortunately, the Washington Capitals/Phoenix Coyotes game didn’t weild a picture of a coach’s card, but it did get me plenty of the Great 8.  Whhhoooo I promptly wrote about being out of shape.

To clarify: his bursts are as fast and exciting as ever, it’s just that after he makes one, you rarely see another in a shift.  That full column is here (just had to go to the article to get the link, 105 comments, jeez).  Just make sure you don’t misunderstand me: dude is as incredible as ever, but given his age, teammates etc, most people expected more this year.

The second phlog (photoblog) of the week!

At the end of every warm-up (apparently), Semin fires a few lazy wristers for Ovy to tip.

Always cool to see the best of the best in person. Just wish he didn't insist on yellow laces.

Said laces, far too visible.

For Ms. Conduct. Bryz isn't used to pucks being behind him.

And we're off!

After a mind-numbing first, something happens!

Brian Engblom's notes.... really nothing comparably interesting to yesterday cheat sheet score, obviously.

Fiddler and Yandle post-win clowning...

And what did you think of that, Jovo?

 Obviously we were less interested in capturing every single thing that happened during the second game with those seats, given that at some point, you gotta watch the action, but still, some of those are pretty cool I think.

Check out my multiple columns if you have time!

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Update, from a comment below – I snapped a BizNasty pic from my phone:

2point0

Okay friends, it’s time to run some of the pics I took from sitting on the glass at the Chicago/Phoenix game (tomorrow I’ll run the Washington/Phoenix ones if I get the pics downloaded in time), sorry I’m a little late on this.  Complete with my own snide comments, as you’ve all come to expect.

Chicago Blackhawks @ Phoenix Coyotes

I have never, ever seen someone as OCD about their sticks in warmups as Duncan Keith. He'd use each stick for mere minutes before switching, testing each one, staring at them, evaluating them, trying to decide which one to use. It was bizarre, and frankly, dumb. He used like three of them in the game anyway.

See.

Turco made Bri go "whoa, that guy's old."

I got a lotta heat about the green hoody on twitter, but $20 at Target? Can't beat that. BTW, seats were so good we walked through player entrace high-fiving fans to get back to them. Whatta blast.

I look startled.

These two have an interesting dynamic.... Toews seemed really down, and as I tweeted, he came to the bench saying "eff me" more times than a porn star throughout the game.

And because we sat here.....

We got this picture!

Interesting things of note, at least in my opinion:

*The assistant coach was taking notes on Phoenix, not his own team (it was whichever assistant that runs the forwards – Mike Kitchen?).  I wonder if they have one guy watch their opponent and the other tends to the Blackhawks?

*Phoenix was apparently playing a 1-2-2 in the neutral zone, and was utilizing the reverse after winning d-zone face-offs (DZFO).

* The Vrbata note is from right after he scored - He seems to note that it was 8′s fault (Nick Leddy), who apparently effed up a hinge/pinch decision.

* He’d like to see more body contact, which I presume is out of obligation to the Laws of Coaching, which means you have to request more body contact from your team.

* Ummm apparently he wasn’t impressed with Pyatt’s goal off the wing, double underlining the word (WEAK).  I’m pretty sure after seeing the replay Corey Crawford was screened and it was tipped.

The rest is pretty generic.

Hawks tie it up at two with three minutes left...

Had to walk by this, Turco's helmet every time we walked to the bar/washroom between periods.

Crawford looked wiped before the shootout. He also looked like Marty Turco's son.

When you know you're not shooting, shootouts are a blast. Game is over, entertainment time.

Someone's nervous watching.....

This:

Bryz owned Kane on two straight breakaways, one in OT, one in shootout. And just like that, the Hawks were....

LICKED. /kitty-rolled

That’s a sentence that literally could have been written last season and still been 100% factual.

Pictured: A frustrating relationship for 'Nucks fans.

On May 13th last year, I was headed to the airport in Vancouver to fly the 45 minutes back to my hometown of Kelowna, after a three day vacation with my college roommates.  The day before we had ran into a big number of the Canucks downtown, day-drinking just like us, but they were black, blue and looking depleted.  And here I was the very next day listening to sports-talk radio abuse them.

To make the Conference semi’s, you have to advance past 22 teams, yet their sports personalities were trying to figure out who to nail to the cross first.  Apparently Luongo was the easiest target at the time (as he probably is today).

The Canucks growing ever-growing fan base has been treated to some great hockey lately

But Canucks fans, relax.  You have a good team that’s a serious contender – so much so that legitimate hockey personalities picked your boys to win the Cup (just being healthy might be enough to see round three next year, then who knows).  Most fans (Oilers, Wild, Flames, Leafs, oh I dunno, ISLANDERS) would kill to have the type of year your boys had.  You’re getting spoiled with great hockey, and acting like you’re watching the Blue Jackets.

You ran into a Hawks team with too many weapons to stop while using a d-corps that was probably eating a pre-game meal of spaghetti and percaset.  Your boy Lu made enough big saves and your forwards scored enough goals to win… there was just nothing left in the back tank.  Let’s be honest – it didn’t look like Salo was exactly having a ball out there. (*recycling is good for the environment)

Kudos to the Hawks, who look pretty damn dangerous going forward.

*****

Moments after getting a text that implied (said?) the deal to Winnipeg was finalized, it turned out the deal to stay in Phoenix was just getting started.  I was on an emotional roller coaster last night.

Two things I want to say to the fans of both cities before I mention the latest happenings:

Nooope, nobody's to "blame" for this up north.

This doesn’t have to be so personal.  The people of Winnipeg want a team, and are not to be blamed for that.  And on the other side, Coyote fans are not to be blamed for wanting their team to stay.  There are crappy people and great people on both sides of the border, I promise.  Let’s try to minimize generalizations and keep it classy.

The rampant pot-shotery from people who’re otherwise smart folks is weird, and hopefully uncharacteristic of the majority of hockey fans.

Quick summary of my understandings: Glendale has agreed to bend over and take it up the tailpipe to make hockey work here, and by the end of June, we’ll know with who and by what terms.  I don’t suppose either of these owners care to airlift the arena somewhere closer to me in Chandler, do they?

As I’ve mentioned before, best I can tell, supporters should back the Ice Edge bid – they’ve provided no hint of “we might move”, they’ve realized the importance of the fan base (and realized it exists), and most importantly, the guys I listen to here that have dilligently followed this situation for years support them.  Soooo, that’s good enough for me.  Support Ice Edge!  (On Twitter, if you like: @IceEdgeDJ)

*****

Blackhawks vs. Sharks

Should be a doozy

 My prediction is coming in the next day or two….. San Jose / Chicago… who ya got?

*****

Shorter entry today, as there’s a second one for you to take in.  Hope your week is going smooth.  And hey, it’s May!  Smile for spring.

In this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, there’s one series going the distance that Bourne’s Blog hasn’t really discussed yet.

The Phoenix Coyotes vs. The Winnipeg Jets

On the one hand, you’ve got a city with about a kabillion people, but with a kavery few hockey fans.  On the other hand, if you constructed a Venn Diagram of people in Winnipeg, and people who like hockey in Winnipeg, it would literally just look like one circle.  A hockey puck, if you will.

...could it be?

Still, this will NOT be a rip on Phoenix blog.  I live in Phoenix.  I badly want the team to stay.  Let’s just talk about the options a bit.

For gross generalizations, Phoenix is an awesome city, and balmy Winnipeg rarely receieves rave reviews from it’s own residents.  Got me?  It’s ass-cold.  Could you imagine being a player, and being told you have to spend next winter in Winnipeg instead of Scottsdale?  The old guys would just retire, or maybe make the commute from Scottsdale to the ‘Peg for practice everyday.  Just sayin’.

It appears Glendale is kinda hosed.  So wait, we pay for your losses, or don’t have a team here and lose money?  This is AWESOME.  Glendale would have done better with online sports betting than actually having a sports team.  But hey, maybe that’s what they get for negotiating a deal that gave the Coyotes nothing from concessions and no parking revenue in a city you were never guaranteed great gate receipts.  (Another question is, who accepts those terms from a rink that was being built halfway to Canada anyways?  Just how bad was Moyes?)

I’m one of the folks that thinks the team can work here, for a couple reasons: One, this Ice Edge Group has their heads together, if not their wallets.  They’re attentive, and want to be involved in owning/running an NHL team, where some owners  just want to display their ownership like a Mercedes logo on the hood of their car (check my Moyes story in the comments).  And two, because this is the bandwagonniest of bandwagoner towns I’ve ever seen, and I like their roster a lot more now than I ever have (starting with Tippett).

...we all hope not.

The bandwagon remark is meant in with good intentions, and I should mention there are some diehards.  In fact, there’s a hockey community of bloggers and fans I’ve come to know and respect that deserve hockey as much as anyone (which ignores the fact that for every one of those guys here, there’s 20 in Winnipeg, but still, they’re genuine fans that found a passion that may be ripped away from them.  And really, it’s not like the diehards in Winnipeg are at a loss to find hockey to watch, especially with an AHL team in town).

The thing is, it’s time to stop bluffing, Glendale/NHL/Ice Edge/Whoever.  You’re each others only option to save face.  There can be no back-room dealings.  There needs to be a sit-down with Bettman and representatives from Ice Edge and Glendale, and it needs to be discussed quickly and with full public transparency.  You can all see each others cards, fellas.  Glendale, which way do you lose less money?  With or without the team?  Chose that option. 

It’s playoffs, and you just made me waste 500 words on you.  You’re making me angry.

*****

Pittsburgh, Montreal, Game Seven

Hmm, didn’t like my “whites of his eyes” theory, huh Pitt?  Went for the “reds of the posts” instead, I see.

Also a sick goal, by the way.

Now THIS was an exciting game.  And Montreal – whatever it is they’re doing – are doing it.  Damn.

That Cammalleri snapper to start the game was ridiculous, and immediately prompted me to tweet that it’s time we induct him into the “shots you could easily miss in slow-motion” elite, with Semin, Stamkos and Ovy.  Good gravy, he shot that thing from the tops of the circles, unscreened and Fleury was just like…. “I have to get me a Cammalleri jersey to wear when I play out in road hockey.”

I’m still saying Pittsburgh will win, as most of the people out there probably are, but I know this much – I’ll be watching.

*****

Happy Tuesday ya’ll.  Lookin forward to game six Chi/Van tonight!

The Phoenix Coyotes are done.

They pushed the two-time defending conference champion Detroit Red Wings to the brink before petering out in game seven, effectively losing to the conference’s one seed dressed as a five.

Sadly, game seven looked like the last lap of a 1500 meter Olympic race, where the leader came out of the gate sprinting instead of pacing himself.  There was simply nothing left in the Coyotes tank.

Detroit took it to them for the majority of the game, starting from a Martin Hanzal penalty early in the first, and carrying on until Nicklas Lidstrom’s second goal, for which he immediately looked sincerely apologetic. 

Positives were few and far between for the home squad.  One, was that it might have been the best performance from a goalie who gave up six goals I’ve ever seen.  The Wings were just relentless, and as you expect from a proven team, just when they needed to get it done they got big performances from their stars.

GeeDubGee

Datsyuk looked unflappable.  Captain Nick Lidstrom sniped a pair.  Even some sasquatch named Bodd Tertuzzi or something scored.  When the core of a team who’s won the Cup once and the conference twice in the last two playoffs has the switch flipped to “on”, you expect it to look like that 6-1 win did.  (I found myself cursing the Coyotes for beating LA and Nashville down the stretch… wait for playoffs!  Dress your back-ups back-up!  LET GRETZKY COACH.)

The Coyotes were missing Shane Doan, arguably the biggest cog in their team-first machine.  With him in the lineup, who’s to say how momentum changes?  Doan played like a man possessed when he was in the lineup, which would undeniably affected Detroits older d-corp over a long series.  It could have been one more straw on the back of Detroits camel (what?).

Oh we're so totally gonna hug right now.

Between the pipes, there’s only one play I’m pinning on the Almighty Bryz – Brad Stuart’s goal, which was Detroits fourth, scored in the period’s dying seconds, HAS to be stopped.  I realize it’s a breakaway and a tough save, but great goalies come up big in big moments, and that fourth goal was a twist of the knife in Phoenix’s side.  And it was Brad Stuart half-falling, not Pavel Datsyuk opening up before pulling it cross-crease.  Phoenix needed a save there, and when they didn’t get it, I would’ve flipped to a different game had one been on.

At the other end, Jimmy Howard made 32 saves in a one (bad) goal against performance.  If you’re like me, you didn’t feel fully comfortable that he would play well in there (the same way Luongo makes me feel).  And though he did play well (great at times), he had the luxury of not facing any tough shots until his team was up about three goals.  Not taking anything away from the guy (who again, 1.00 G.A. in his first game seven, rookie year), but it’s a little easier to play when the team in front of you looks like they put in a pre-game cheat code.

So that’s where it ends for this year’s Cinderella story.  The carriage is a pumpkin again, but good will come of this, Coyotes fans.  You guys got your team “back”, a lot of attention, and plenty of hope for the future.  And Wojtek Wolski!

(I’m writing a more thorough analysis for a column I’ve pitched to the AZ Republic as a bookend to my pre-season column.  I’ll keep you posted on that)

*****

As we move closer to round two’s start, I’ve been thinking about a comment the blog received yesterday (totally random thought before I forget – blog hits have been killer for a non-team-specific site.  Almost 9,000 hits last week or something like that, so thanks so much for your support.  And that includes you crazy Maple Leaf fans sent this way via DownGoesBrown).  It’s a valid point on why predictions are interesting to read – basically, it’s fun to assess what’s fair to expect, not what will happen.  The comment is towards the bottom, by reader “Brett”.  Check it out here.

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Mini preview, Capitals Habs:

Here’s what’s “fair to expect” tonight.

Underdogs often succeed by outworking the superior club that’s trying to get by on talent alone.  And thus far, Washington has tried to get by on talent alone.

Now it’s like the Capitals are in the library working on a bonus credit project they need just to pass at the end of the semester, while their friends are out drinking because their semester is over.  Had the Caps just done the work in the first place, they wouldn’t be in this situation.  (*author may or may not be able to relate to this)

Halak's eyes are on Ovy.

Anyways, if work ethic is equal, which it should be in a game seven, the Capitals will smoke the Habs like salmon, the same way Detroit showed who they really were when the chips were down.

The Caps, for all the unnecessary abuse they take {and they do take abuse, it’s crazy.  I’m no Caps fan, but it’s like old school hockey people are annoyed that they have the gall to think they can win playing a tic-tac-toe style over a (*coughslightly-more-Canadian*cough) boom-bam-hit-and-jam playoff style}, the Capitals have won some playoff games with this team. 

Their style is money.  If they had half a goalie, they’d be unstoppable (I guess Theodore is small enough to qualify for half).  For all of you that want less concussions and more skill, cheer for teams like the Capitals that apparently have a team-imposed “everyone touch it before we shoot” rule.  Something about their style reminds me of ultimate frisbee.

Halak looked unbeatable in game six, but that had to be a tiring night.  Players always have trouble falling asleep after high-intensity games - more on that in the future, it’s awful.  So he gets a short sleep, hops on a plane, maybe touches the ice once in two days before tonights game, and tries to give a repeat performance.  But if (no no, when), the Caps generate another 40-50 shots (money on the higher number there), I can’t see him doing it again unless he’s in crazy good shape.  Hey, maybe Price’s start will end up helping him in this series after all. 

Montreal has one thing Phoenix didn’t – a couple guys who can make game-breaking plays.  Cammalleri (and even Gomez if he blacks out) can do it.

Montreal’s best hope is to challenge Washington’s shaky goaltending and offense-first defenseman in the first period (after weathering the initial storm), and see if they can’t get one more out of a jello-legged Halak.  Cause you never know.  You never know.

But sometimes, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

5-2 Capitals.

ITS MASTERS WEEEEEEEK!

And every other great sports week.  Let’s dive in:

The twenty-team BBHL (Bourne’s Blog fantasy Hockey League) is down to two, and somehow, someway, I’m still alive (didn’t expect to add that to my BWE {best week ever}), did ya?  And that’s with Carey Price as one of my two goalies.  Yeesh. 

I’ll admit, I got muchos lucky in the semi-finals – drew the guy who wasn’t paying attention enough to start the right guys or even have a chat (read: make a bet), but I’ll take it.  Also, if you’re the dude who wasn’t paying attention, you have no chance of being invited back into the league next year (…without heavy bribery).

But whatever, I’m still happy.  On to the finals!

*****

Le Tigre has a press conference at 11:00 a.m. my time (2 EST) – I’m not going to live blog it, mostly cause I have other stuff I’m supposed to be doing (like, um, my job), but still, expect a tweet barrage.  Expect that all week, really.  I predict Tigs to announce Dr. Drew as his new caddy.

*****

The funniest thing George Lopez does is call himself a comedian.  Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.  Back to being positive…

*****

Sick camera angle.

The Detroit Red Wings are only two points out of fifth in the West, just behind the Nashville Predators – If they catch them, Phoenix plays them in round one, which would but about as lucky as Ben Stiller in Meet The Parents (that poor guy just can’t catch a break!). 

 …..Oh god I just checked the schedule… Phoenix plays Nashville on Wednesday.  Who’s Phoenix’s ECHL affiliate?  Can they call those guys up?  Can I sign a one day deal to help them lose?  Can we dress reader “zyllyx”?  Make the Coyotes wear rollerblades?  SOMETHING?!?

*****

The worst thing to happen to the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup hopes is drawing the Flyers in round one, which as it stands right now, they would.

If it’s Boston or Montreal (Montreal especially), they’ll breeze through that first round.  Philly, unfortunately for the Caps, plays a bit of a physical game, and is suffering from the frustration of earning the awful moniker ”best team that never gets it done” in the East (maybe the league – San Jose has had a couple playoff collapses, but the Flyers have been legit contenders for a decade and never got it done).  It’d suck (for them) to have their dangly skill team to face a group of hungry, aggressive dudes.

*****

I got the right guy in the picture.... right?

This whole “Henrik Sedin leading the league” thing is pretty awesome.

Nobody in the league has chemistry like him and his brother, as evidenced by his highlight reel.  When you watch Sid or Ovy’s, for the most part, you get the miraculous one man rushes, nifty moves, clever dekes and the lightning shots.

Henrik’s reel is far more impressive from the “utilizing your teammates” standpoint.  He fires behind-the-back no-lookers that end up directly resulting in goals.  Not neat “almosts” or plays that guys go to the bench and say “that woulda been awesome”, but tape to tape, spinning, no look, tap in goals.  They (Daniel and Henrik) almost never have to shoot the puck through a goalie, since they can just dish it around him.

Very impressive stuff.

*****

THE MASTERRRRRSSSSSSS!

The par three tournament is tomorrow, the press conferences are today, my orgasm is Sunday and the tournament starts Thursday.

For last years list of “Why I Love The Masters“, follow that link – that was puked out stream-of-consciouness style, so I’m sure I could add even more to it. 

Expect Tiger to start slow, but be a threat if he can find a way to make the cut (even when he’s been active, his first round at the Masters is his worst, with a stroke average above 72 on day one).  I’m pumped!  I’ll be live blogging it Sunday from one of those Cover It Live things if you want to watch it with me!

Predictions coming Wednesday.

*****

What a way to start the baseball season – with a Yankees loss (in Fenway).  Ahhh, spring.  Inhale, exhale that loss…. smells fresh.  Go Mets!

*****

My buddy Nick gets to my place tonight, so I don’t expect a lot of double blog entries, even though this is the ultimate week for it.  But, like I said, expect the tweet barrage.  You’ll be hearing from me!  (Go RIT!)

Why aren't we wearing visors again?

Unfortunately, the Chicago Blackhawks were able to restore the natural order of the world, and all feels normal again for another day with them atop the standings.

After the Coyotes hot start, I repeatedly said what I thought was a simple truth – “their roster will catch up with them.”  You can only overacheive for so long, and over the long sample size of the NHL season, reality sets in at some point.

I actually stood by that concept until March third, when the Coyotes emerged from the shadows and killed the league in terms who made the most quality trades.  All the sudden they had a great start (“start” is a tad of an understatement), and a much improved roster.  Well ho-ly-crapsticks.

They still don’t have a Stanley Cup team, but the right draw could make them a favourite to get to the Conference Finals, which is only slightly more impressive than building an ark and putting two of EVERY kind of animal on it (especially after watching shows like Planet Earth and Life).  I hear you Yotes fans yelling at me for saying they won’t go the finals, but whatever, I’m right.

{Tangent: Watch ”Life” on Sunday’s, Discovery Channel at 5:00 and 6:00 PM.  You’ll thank me later.}

Nice white uni's. These? meh.

My buddy down here just bought a kamillion playoff tickets, so I’m scrapping press row for WHITE OUT seats (the way it should be), where I can feel the emotion and energy of the game, unlike those “actually” covering the game.  I’d love to see them make a deep run, especially since the team could probably use the ticket sales, and I kinda need them to stay in Phoenix.  I also (clearly) need to form a stronger bond with my hometown team.  Wolski and Stempniak have been the push I needed to find them watchable entertaining.

For those of you wondering why the Coyotes haven’t been sold to their hopeful new owner yet – Ice Edge Holdings – it’s apparently not the group holding up the sale, it’s the banks.  And for pretty obvious reasons, actually:

The Tampa Bay Lightning were recently sold for something like a hundred million.  Bettman is trying to sell the Coyotes for something like $160 million.  The banks, as they do with real estate, are looking at the comparables, and saying “wait…. why would we finance the Coyotes for this amount, when they have less attendance, no parking and no concession?”  Soooo, I guess they’re still trying to find someone willing to finance the deal (is the completely unsubstantiated rumour I heard from a guy who knows a guy in the Ice Edge Group).

*****

Of the top ten teams in NHL attendance from 2009 (top 13, actually), only four teams have won a Cup during my lifetime (and one was in 1989). Ahhh, the joys of fanhood….

*****

Once this head shot rule hits stores (maybe tonight, according to a Darren Dreger tweet…. he’s our Adam Schefter hey?  Kinda knows what’s up), the next issue we’ll end up being forced to tackle is visors.

And once the mandatory-visor rule is implemented, it won’t even be a year before we go “how was this not a rule before?”  I like getting to see player’s expressions and all, but HOLY CRAP WEAR A VISOR YOU F**KING IDIOTS.  It’s mind bending.  Not to chuck salt in Travis Moen’s 50-stitch wound, but really – was that risk worth “better” vision?  The game is getting faster and more dangerous, so it’s time to grandfather-rule this thing in (did the AHL ever do that?).

I went through about three visors a year, because I couldn’t see through the scratches and puck marks that would’ve been on my face.  But I guess you can’t blame some of the players that choose to play without, when you see how badly it’s damaging the careers of guys like Crosby and Ovechkin.

So, I’ll start the push now, since there’s gonna be nothing head-shotty to get on my soap box about soon.  MAKE A VISOR RULE MANDATORY!

Happy Wednesday. 

*****

A Link:  USA Today Power Rankings (Top ten teams, top five MVPs, Rookies, Goalies, Defensemen), and some Crosby/Ovechkin pre-game discussion: Who’s gonna win the Hart?  (Hint: Ovechkin is).  I weigh-in with comments in the left margin.

Not sure if you caught it yesterday, but David Booth squared up and fought Mike Richards last night, which was the greatest thing in the history of the NHL ever.  I think.  Oh, and he had a goal and three assists.  And he’s on my fantasy hockey team.  I love David Booth.

Puttin' on the foil.

Think Team USA could have used one more goal scorer?  God it sucks that he didn’t get to play for his country… If I were Booth I’d have waited til Richards dropped his gloves, picked my stick back up and tried to crush his hands.  I’m just really proud of the guy for sticking up for himself against a tough character in Richards, that’s old time hockey.  Toe Blake n shit.

*****

Mercifully, that trade deadline is over. The paint has dried.

But in the end, I like the paint colour.  I’m so excited that the Coyotes got Wojtek Wolski.  Living here in Phoenix, who did you want to go see play, who sold tickets?  Jovonovski?

Coyote fans are in for a treat.

I finally have some real insentive to go.  I love that they were so aggressive, I was just completely blindsided by it (seeing that they’re spending the leagues money and all.  But this makes so much sense!  This is what I’ve been saying!  If they want to make it here, they can’t do it without having a team worth watching!).  I’m not so sure if I stand by my prediction of “sell” now that they have five new guys in the lineup working to make a first impression on Tippett.

So yes – I like the moves my “hometown” boys made, trading for the offense I thought they lacked, and that I thought was going to catch up with them.  Even picking up Petteri Nokelainen was a great move, this guy is just waiting to blow up.  The only thing I don’t really get, is trading for Morris and Schneider.

The Phoenix Coyotes are leading the NHL in goals scored by a d-corp.  They’ve been solid defensively, playing in front of a guy they trust.  So what’s the point in bringing in offensive d-men when you’re doing great in that area, when the two guys coming in are both a “little” suspect defensively?  Now your defensive-liability-list is starting to look a little scary (and old).  It’s a good thing Tippett is such a good coach.  ….Plus, anytime you can get Vandermeer out of steady rotation you’ve improved your team, so good for the Coyotes there.

*****

The NHL Network asked the question “who improved more, Washington or Pittsburgh?

Washington added: Joe Corvo, Scott Walker, Eric Belanger and Milan Jurcina.

Pittsburgh added: Alex Ponikarovsky and Jordan Leopold.

Wait, I'm on a real team now?

So many people loved Olympic hockey, because you didn’t have to sit through the shifts of tough-humans-who-can-skate-but-not-play-hockey like, oh I dunno, Scott Walker.  Admittedly, I don’t know much about Belanger (step up, Wild fans) or Corvo (step up, that-one-guy-from-Carolina-who-occasionally-defends-his-team-that-we-haven’t-really-heard-from-much-this-year), so I’m not really sure what happenend with Washington, I just know that any team adding Scott Walker is confused about how winning happens.

As for Pittsburgh, they made two golden, golden moves.  For me, last years Stanley Cup win was so incredible, because I thought they did it on the backs of about four or five guys, not a full team.  I figured it was going to be a lot harder for them to repeat than people thought.

With these moves, they picked up depth on D – Leopold is a hell of a player – as well as some size and scoring in PonikathankgodI’moutofToronto.

So early ruling, until we hear from readers – Pittsburgh gets the verdict over Washington…. likel usual.

The battle for playoff spots in the West is always a little more intriguing when some unexpected teams blow up and have good seasons, and this is one of those years.  Phoenix, Nashville and LA are all better than I expected, and I think better than the rest of the West had hoped.

So without really any ado, here’s how I see the bubble teams finishing up:

4th, Vancouver Canucks, 52 games played, 66 points

The only reason the Canucks get a blurb in the “bubble teams” section at all is their upcoming road trip.  They set an NHL record by being gone for something like six weeks, and playing 14 straight road games (Olympic preparation in Vancouver).  They’re 22-7-1 at home, but below .500 at 10-11-1 on the road this year.  If they survive the trip at .500, they’ll be in great shape.

{Only Washington, Pittsburgh and San Jose have scored more goals than the Canucks this year, and only New Jersey, Buffalo and Chicago have given up less.  Not bad, VanCity.  Not bad.}

5th, Phoenix Coyotes, 52 games played, 63 points

The ‘Yotes have played the majority of their games to date at home in the friendly confines of Jobing.com Arena (29), where they’re a dominant 19-8-2.  On the road, the Coyotes are an even 10-10-3 (23 games), sort of how your record is supposed to look.  With a third of the season left to play, they’re in position to push for a quality playoff spot.

Have you noticed a trend in the teams that are “overachieving”?  The Coyotes, Sabres, and Avalanche all have similar team builds, to some extent.  They’re fast over big, mostly young over mostly old, they’ve got great goaltending and most importantly, their top six forwards are almost all interchangeable as ”first line” guys.  Instead of the NBA method – pay one player to be your star and build around him – they all seem to be deeper teams without “that guy” to watch out for (the top two scorers from the teams I just listed are Tim Connolly and Paul Stastny, both below a point a game at 48 points in 51 games).

The Coyotes are going to make playoffs this year, but to have any hope of moving beyond a quick round one exit, they need to finish in 5th or 6th – 7th or 8th (versus San Jose or Chicago) would be hopeless.

6th, Los Angeles Kings, 51 games played, 61 points

The Kings seem fragile, don’t they?  Points are always easier to come by before Christmas, just like wins.  When Anze Kopitar has Ryan Smyth to help him out, he’s useful, but his production has seriously slowed down.  He just doesn’t seem like a guy who can get it done when his opponents key on him, they way the real elite stars can.  That says to me he’s not ready to be “the guy” on a team that needs one.  They’re good enough to win even with him struggling, so they’ll hang on to playoffs, but you certainly get the impression they aren’t headed the right direction.

7th, Nashville Predators, 51 games played, 61 points

I almost included the Preds in the group of “overachieving teams with the same build” from the Coyotes paragraph, but in the end, I didn’t think their Dan Ellis or Pekka Rinne deserved to be in the same class as Bryzgalov, Miller and Anderson.  Nashville could be the best team to miss playoffs this year… and I see it happening.

8th, Detroit Red Wings, 51 games played, 58 points

The depressing part for the teams on the wrong side of the playoff cutoff line looking in right now is, you’re not trying to catch Detroit’s 58 points, you’re looking at Nashvilles 61.  Detroit has played with half a team all year.  They’re the best coached team in the league, with some of the best names in the entire NHL in their dressing room (even with all they lost from last year).  The Canucks and Avalanche can start stressing now about which one of them is going to get unfortunately stuck in a (4) vs. (5) battle with Detroit.

9th, Calgary Flames, 52 games played, 58 points

What the hell happened to the Flames?  I feel like I fell asleep for an hour and they dropped a half-dozen spots.  Hmm.  1-8-1 in their last ten, with six straight losses.  By all logic, the Flames should be okay:  great goaltender, maybe the best defensive trio in the league, and a couple of guys up front who can score.  For me, the major difference between their offensive firepower and the teams “overacheiving” this year, is that their goal scorers aren’t young and energetic.  They don’t have that legs churning, relentless effort type threat right now – they’re scary in the “HolyCrapDon’tLetHimShootFromThereAWww.  They scored.” type of way.

10th, Anaheim Ducks, 52 games played, 55 points

This is the difference between the Eastern and Western conference.  The 10th and 11th place teams in the West are still really good (so are the Isles, but um, I just…. crap).  The problem is, they can’t all make playoffs, and Anaheim didn’t get off to a great start.  I don’t think they’re good enough to have a huge second half and make up for it.

11th, Dallas Stars, 52 games played, 55 points

I was waiting for them to end up in this spot in the conference, and here they are.  Dallas is a good team, but when teams like Phoenix and LA are good too, it toughens up their usually soft division.

12th, Minnesota Wild, 52 games played, 54 points

I don’t know a lot about Minnesota this year, and that’s not a good sign.  I do know when you’ve pinned a chunk of your offensive hopes on Chuck Kobasew and Andrew Ebbett, you’re in a whole heap of trouble (both are good enough players, but very shutdownable.  Yep, I can make up words on my blog.)  I guess their go-to guy is Havlat, I’m just not sure what else they’ve got.  I’m sure my oddly heavy Wild readership can fill me in on them, but from what I can tell, they don’t have a hockey teams chance in Phoenix snowballs chance in an oven.

13th, St. Louis Blues, 52 games played, 54 points

I’m sticking to my guns on the Blues, especially with the addition of Davis Payne.  They’ve got good top six forwards, good goaltending, and hopefully enough D to get into contention during the last few weeks.  I still think they’ll make a push.

So, I’m sure I’m not alone in periodically liking (or disliking) something for reasons that are unbeknownst to even myself.  When the Islanders hired Scott Gordon, a guy I’d never heard of, I liked it, but wasn’t sure why.  Let me try to explain it to myself:

Part owner of a "waste management" company in Jersey?

Some owners hire coaches to give their fans the impression they hired a good coach.  You know, a guy with a name, something that won’t cause a huge negative ruckus.  This means you end up recycling coaches based on fame, not success, and before you know it, Mike Keenan is running your franchise.

I’d love to see more coaches with lower level success work their way up the ladder.  Mike Babcock didn’t get the Red Wings job based on his days as a player, he got it cause he won with every damn team he coached.  I think the game today is well-suited for a young coach who understands the more free-wheeling NHL (hint: defense-first is still your focus), and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the hiring trend in this direction continue (again, St. Louis hiring Davis Payne was exceptional – he’s doesn’t have Babcock’s NHL success yet, but I believe he’s got the same ability).

So good for teams that hire Davis Paynes and Scott Gordons – if Tampa Bay would do the same, they’d find out real fast what sort of team they’re actually dealing with.

Islanders are in a playoff spot in the middle of January, Rick DiPietro just got a shutout, and a 19 year old is leading the team in scoring.  And the Red Wings are currently in 9th in the West.  AND THE COYOTES ARE TIED FOR HOME ICE ADVANTAGE AT FOURTH.  I’m dizzy.  I need to sit down.

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I doubt many of you watch much ECHL hockey.  So far this year, I’ve watched zero minutes and no seconds, so I know where you’re coming from.

Well, the Victoria Salmon Kings (real name) scored a goal so ridiculous it ran on ESPN SportCenter yesterday.  Yeah, it’s that good.

The goal made me think two things – one, that at that level, there are a few kids that are going to be legit NHL studs mixed in with a few who’re going to be legit rec league duds (though not many, you’d be surprised at the quality).  What that means is, occasionally, someone gets burned so bad they should be forced to take their gear off and quit.  If that were the case, the Islanders Andrew Macdonald would’ve put entire teams into retirement during his months in Utah.

Secondly, it made me shudder at the sound of their goal song.  I was twice on teams that eliminated Victoria from playoffs, but when you’re on the wrong end of a game there, and that crowd gets fired up, it’s real easy to post a plus/minus that looks like Tiger got hot at The Masters. 

Oh, minus five, good hustle Bourne.

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Really, Dwayne Johnson… “The Tooth Fairy”?  I guess we can finally start calling him “The Rock Bottom”.

Goddamn.

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I watched the Golden (Halle Berry’s) Globes on Sunday night, and thought it might be worth mentioning that I, like pretty much everyone else, love me some Ricky Gervais.  That guy is money.  Also, Halle Berry continues to defy human aging laws.  ———->

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Puck Daddy wrote an interesting bit on Mike Richards battle with the media.  The guy is the perfect captain for that team o’ douches. 

Here’s what sucks about how fun it is hating them: if they can get some GD goaltending (I feel like I’ve written that before), wouldn’t you not want your highly rated team to play them in the first round of playoffs?  If I’m Buffalo or New Jersey, I’m praying the Isles or Panthers sneak in.  I’d be interested to see the betting lines on them come playoffs, they might make for a sneaky round one money-maker.

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That’s all for today!  Sorry no Monday post – I was super busy watching FIVE STRAIGHT HOURS of Dexter with Bri.