You Really Just Have To See This Stuff

My random thoughts for the day:

1) There should be a rule against goaltenders letting go of their sticks during the shootout. This is one of many incidents that could be avoided with more straightforward rules.

2) Sundin's choice of Vancouver's mega-money offer should surprise no one.

3) Moment of self-reflection: After years of wishing for more contests with scores like 8-5 and 7-3, I have nothing but worries after seeing the Bruins actually play that kind of game.

Ok, on to the lazy-Friday linkage. For some reason, this week has been full of stuff that you just have to see to make your hockey life complete:

- Check out this indescribably bizarre "If X mated with X" experiment. Chris Soppel looks like someone you'd run into at a deserted rest stop in Alabama.

- Brodeur Is A Fraud produced this insightful and detailed analysis of Tim Thomas' season to date, with the thesis that he will come back to earth very soon. The next day he allowed 5 goals in 2 periods....

- Blueland Outsider links to one of the best hockey commercials I've seen all year. Too bad I had to get it from an amateur blog instead of a major TV network. Way to go, NHL Marketing Department.

- If you're going to tomorrow night's game, bring Stanley Cup of Chowder's "Whale Watch '08" scoring sheet. There has got to be a way to convert this to a drinking game.

I'll try to get a preview put together for tomorrow night's tilt against the Canes... but just in case I don't, here's a brief summary:

Bruins > Hurricanes

Bruins vs. Leafs: Takeaways

What happened in this game? Better question: what didn't happen in this game?

Prediction validated: This morning, in the game preview, I prophesied:
The Bruins have consistently jumped out to large leads this season, only to let off the gas later in the game. If that happens again against Toronto, it might be costly.
Well, we might have gotten away with it, but when you're up 5-1 you shouldn't have to look over your shoulder at the end of the game.

Credit where it's due: Toronto is a much better team than they ought to be, and have shown a knack for surprising arrogant powerhouse teams. The Bruins are a young, flashy, slightly overconfident squad -- most nights those are good traits but not against a crafty team like the Leafs.

Criticism where it's due: While I'm glad to take the 2 points and run, we should keep games like this in mind as we get closer to April. Playoff-ready teams don't squander 4-goal leads to inferior opponents. Playoff-ready goalies don't relax when they feel like their teammates are going to carry them to victory.

Speaking of goalies: Let's hope Tim Thomas was simply in a funk after having played only three games in the past 23 days. Perhaps Julien let him accumulate a bit too much rust while Manny Fernandez was the hot hand, but it certainly has looked lately like Thomas is falling back to earth. Meanwhile, Manny plugs along having allowed only 5 goals in his last 4 full games (Timmy has allowed 14 in his last 5 games).

At what point does a goalie rotation become a goalie controversy?

Cringe-inducing moments:
Marco Sturm returns from a long injury, scores a goal, then leaves the game moments later with another injury.
Mike Van Ryn gets crunched by Milan Lucic, and looks wobbly as he heads back to the bench adjusting his helmet.
NESN generously allows a couple of young Jimmy V Foundation patients to provide play-by-play during segments of the first and second periods, but is unprepared to handle the sheer badness of the play calls. The only thing missing was a "Boom goes the dynamite".
1 game, 4 goalies. Ugh.

Looking ahead: The Bruins host the streaking WhalerCanes Saturday, before embarking on a crucial 5-game roadtrip to finish the Year 2008.

Other reviews:
Stanley Cup of Chowder
Hub Hockey
Hockey Journal
All the Leafs blogs are too busy talking Sundin to bother with a recap.

Bruins vs. Leafs: Stuff To Look Out For

Once again the Bruins have to shake off the rust of a half-week layoff, as the Maple Leafs ride into town on a 3-game winning streak. Stuff to watch for tonight:

The Sundin Saga continues - You've heard so much more about this than you ever wanted to. It's fair to say that Sundin has outdone even last year's Niedermayer Saga, by hemming and hawing away nearly a third of the season schedule. Meanwhile, several franchises -- especially the Rangers, Canucks and Leafs -- are effectively at a personnel standstill while awaiting The Bald One's final decision.

Let me get this off my chest, because I haven't had time to write a full article about it (yet). Screw Sundin. Last season I defended his choice to remain in Toronto against the popular consensus, because I felt he'd earned the option to finish his career as a Leaf if he so chose. And let's not be naive about his rights as a free agent; he's got leverage over the whole process and is only doing what's owed to him after a decade and a half of outstanding play.

But really. Screw this guy. The whole "team first" ethic went out the window when it became clear that he's willing to disrupt an entire season for several teams by dragging his feet through negotiations. More importantly, wherever he lands there's now going to be a media hurricane... and good friggin' luck to whatever coach has to integrate him into a locker room and convince everyone that he's good for the team's chemistry. This whole situation has set itself up to be the biggest letdown since Forsberg decided to make yet another comeback. Oh, wait.

Blake's revenge - I'm pretty sure THN had already gone to press by calling Jason Blake the 10th-most-overpaid NHL'er (#1 -- JovoCop!) before he busted out this wicked spin-o-rama to beat the Devils in the shootout. Let's avoid going to the shootout tonight, shall we?

Toskala sucks - That's actually just a personal opinion. The buzz around Toskala is that he's on a hot streak and almost has his GAA under 3.00 now. But seriously, why is this guy still wearing the Leaf?

Too tough - To be honest, I think the Maple Leafs are a little too good this year... too good for their own good. It seems like ever since the lockout, they've been expected to blow up the roster and start over. Every year they come out, fight just hard enough to get out of lottery contention, and then fizzle. Part of the problem is that they're actually not a half bad team -- they've beaten the Wings, Bruins, Rangers, Habs and Flyers this season. Part of the problem may be that the players actually feel pressure to perform in Toronto, as opposed to a town like Miami where they can just quit on the coach and get away with it. Either way, the Leafs are not an easy game and the Bruins would do well to play a full 60 minutes this time (as opposed to letting them back in a game... see below).

Home cookin' - Toronto is the only team to beat Boston at home this season, and one of only two teams to beat the Bruins by two points (though, to be fair, both games involved an EN goal). Meanwhile, the Bruins are eyeing a 5-game road trip in the second half of the month, so expect them to really fight for the home points.

Keeping a lead - If there's anything that can be said about Toronto this year, it's that they're tenacious.
Game one: Boston up 2-0 after one period, lose 4-2.
Game two: Boston up 3-0 after two periods, Leafs pull to within 4-2 in third.
Game three: Boston up 2-0 after half a period, stave off comeback to win 3-2.
The Bruins have consistently jumped out to large leads this season, only to let off the gas later in the game. If that happens again against Toronto, it might be costly.

Playing or Not?
Sturm: Maybe
Ward: No
Nokelainen: No
Fernandez/Thomas: Conflicting reports. My money's on Tim.

Other previews:
Stanley Cup of Chowder
Rink Rap
Bruins Hockey Blog
The Bear Cave
Pension Plan Puppets (Leafs linkage)
TMLFans

The Most Obscure and Unlikely 50-Goal Scorers Ever

Vic Hadfield, New York Rangers, 1971-72
78 games, 50g-56a-106p

Hadfield enjoyed the double-edged advantage of playing on the famous GAG (Goal-A-Game) line, alongside legends Jean Ratelle and Rod Gilbert. On one hand, his Hall-inducted linemates helped Hadfield nearly double his previous career-best of 26 goals. On the other hand, Hadfield remains an obscurity to most fans, and the only member of the GAG line not to be enshrined in the Hall. Hadfield is better remembered for his role in the 1972 Summit Series (leaving Team Canada on good terms as a healthy scratch but being skewered by the Canadian media) and for throwing Bernie Parent's mask into the crowd at Madison Square Garden.

Ray Sheppard, Detroit Red Wings, 1993-94
82 games, 52g-41a-93p

If Shep was as good at hockey as he is at golf, he might've scored 50 every season. Unfortunately, he simply couldn't skate worth a damn and found himself bouncing around the sunbelt after leaving a super-stacked Wings team just before their dynasty got off the ground. Nevertheless, a guy who scored 50 goals after being traded for $1 has got to be smiling at the end of the day.

Craig Simpson, Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers, 1987-88
PIT - 21 games, 13g-13a-26p
EDM - 59 games, 43g-21a-64p

Unlikely? He was the 2nd overall draft pick in 1985, won 2 Stanley Cups in Edmonton, scored a Cup-winning goal, was traded for Paul Coffey, and posted a solid 35 goals as a followup to scoring 56. Yet what makes Simpson's achievement unlikely is that he was actually traded in the midst of his career year. The move from Pittsburgh to Edmonton, where he was placed on a line with two guys named Messier and Anderson, accounted for the last 43 goals of his season. He later retired due to chronic back injuries and became the annoying color-commentator on the EA video game series.

Al Secord, Chicago Blackhawks, 1982-83
80 games, 54g-32a-86p

As one of the NHL's early-model power forwards, Al Secord always had the tools to score 50 -- he broke the 40-goal mark three times despite struggles with a severe hip disorder. What makes Secord exceptional is that he was actually on the ice often enough to score 50, despite also being one of the league's elite brawlers. In the '81-'82 season he managed to score 44 goals and an arresting 303 PIM. The following season he put up Cam Neely numbers -- 180 PIM, 54 goals -- a decade before Neely's prime. Sadly, Secord slipped slowly into obscurity and finished his career in the minors.

Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose Sharks, 2005-06
82 games, 56g-37a-93p

Of course, Cheechoo's career is far from over at age 28. But it's safe to say, based on his play since he won the Richard Trophy three years ago, that he will likely never match his 56-goal output of the 2006 season. 20 years from now we'll consider his '06 season a footnote to Joe Thornton's banner year -- unless, of course, Cheechoo once again finds himself skating alongside another Hart-winning center.

Rick Kehoe, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1980-81
80 games, 55g-33a-88p

The epitome of quitting too soon, Kehoe actually retired as the Pens' all-time goal scoring leader... 6 games into the debut season of a rookie named Mario (in his defense, the decision was forced by a neck injury). Kehoe was the centerpiece of the lovably awful early-80's Pens, earning a Lady Byng alongside his 55-goal tally in '81. Despite his record-setting outburst that season, Kehoe never did better than 33 in any other season.

Dennis Maruk, Washington Capitals, 1981-82, 1982-83
80 games, 50g-47a-97p
80 games, 60g-76a-136p

"Pee Wee" Maruk is the Rocket Richard of obscure superstars, following his 50-goal season with an astonishing 60 the following year. A familiar figure only to Caps fans, who have him to thank for numerous team records, Maruk skated alongside legends like Jean Pronovost and Mike Gartner in Washington. In the '83 season Maruk recorded an eye-popping 136 points and 128 PIM, perhaps one of the greatest unheralded feats in hockey history. Numerous injuries derailed his career, and he faded away as a consistent 20-goal scorer in Minnesota. Still, he deserves extra credit for sporting one of hockey's best handlebar 'staches.

Wayne Babych, St. Louis Blues, 1980-81
78 games, 54g-42a-96p

At face value, it seems startling that Babych scored twice as many goals in '80-'81 as in any other season of his career, and especially that he never again eclipsed 20 goals. But longtime Blues fans can tell you what a missed opportunity Babych's career represented for their franchise. He was one of the league's best up-and-coming players when he severely tore his rotator cuff during a preseason fight, an injury from which his career never recovered. Babych suffered the indignities of the waiver wire, stints in Quebec and Harford, and finally a 6-game exile in the AHL before succumbing to injuries.

Danny Grant, Detroit Red Wings, 1974-75
80 games, 50g-36a-86p

By dropping the name "Danny Grant" into a conversation, you can instantly separate a casual Red Wings fan from one who might slash your tires for wearing a Blackhawks jersey. Grant was a decent sniper for Minnesota, fives times scoring at or near the 30-goal level (at a time when scoring 50 was much less common). But his surprise trade to Detroit turned out to be the seminal moment in his career -- upon arriving in the Motor City he was placed on a line with Marcel Dionne. Dionne exploded for 121 points, Grant scored 50, and the Wings looked to have the basic tools for a dynasty despite a lousy record. But the next season Dionne was in Los Angeles and Grant was suffering the first of numerous leg injuries; five years later, the "Little Beaver" was in the middle of five consecutive 50-goal seasons, and Danny Grant had retired.

Guy Chouinard, Atlanta Flames, 1978-79
80 games, 50g-57a-107p

Playing for the Flames during their Atlanta days automatically labels any player as obscure, since it's a fair bet that no more than a few thousand people can actually remember seeing you in person. Chouinard had the distinction of breaking pretty much all of Atlanta's scoring records at the tender age of 23, when he abruptly doubled his scoring output from the previous season. Despite the promise of his young career, Chouinard quickly slid into mediocrity and retired before the age of 30.

Gary Leeman, Toronto Maple Leafs, 1989-90
80 games, 51g-44a-95p

This is the entire summary of Gary Leeman's career, as offered by Wikipedia: "Gary Leeman (born February 19, 1964 in Toronto, Ontario) is a former professional ice hockey player in the NHL". Leeman is probably the unlikeliest of all the 50-goal scorers, struggling for years to crack the 30-goal plateau while on a line with Russ Courtnall and Wendel Clark. Enter Eddie Olczyk, and inexplicably his scoring total nearly doubled... but he never got past 17 again. It was during this magic season that he engaged in the greatest non-fight of all time. His best-recognized legacy is that he was traded to Calgary for Doug Gilmour.

Honorable mention:
Rick MacLeish, Philadelphia Flyers, 1972-73
Rick Martin, Buffalo Sabres, 1973-74, 1974-75
Pierre Larouche, Pittsburgh Penguins/Montreal Canadiens, 1975-76, 1979-80
Danny Gare, Buffalo Sabres, 1975-76
Blaine Stoughton, Hartford Whalers, 1979-80, 1981-82
Mike Bullard, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1983-84
John Ogrodnick, Detroit Red Wings, 1984-85
Stephane Richer, Montreal Canadiens, 1987-88, 1989-90
Hakan Loob, Calgary Flames, 1987-88
Jimmy Carson, Los Angeles Kings, 1987-88
Brian Bellows, Minnesota North Stars, 1989-90
Kevin Stevens, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1992-93
Milan Hedjuk, Colorado Avalanche, 2002-03

Bruins vs. Thrashers: Resisting A "Sloppy Seconds" Reference...

It was a crazy one last night, with the B's flattening Atlanta 7-3. Can't believe I passed up the opportunity to see this game, in favor of the 12/28 matchup. On the other hand, live games don't have a rewind/slow-motion option for replaying awesome goals and fights.

You've gotta give respect to struggling teams who put up a fight. The Thrashers lost primarily on the basis of awful goaltending; having played a decent first 5 minutes and still finding themselves down 2-0, everything just fell apart from there. Ondrej Pavelec was F-minus bad, Johan Hedberg (what happened to this guy?) looked on the verge of a mental breakdown, and the rest of the team was playing with a pretty large chip on its shoulder. Unlike certain other teams, the Thrashers didn't just fold up their tent and wander off into the night. They played hard and fought hard, and a lot of it felt like old-time hockey.

Hard to know what to expect tonight in Boston. If past blowouts against struggling Dallas and Tampa are any indication, the Thrashers will have an internal meltdown on the team plane and arrive with no desire to play hockey anymore (Hedberg certainly looked like he was heading in that direction). But from what I saw last night, I wouldn't be surprised to see them come out with their foot squarely on the gas -- they've scored 7 goals in 2 games against the Bruins' top-ranked defense, and with an early lead they might stand a chance of pulling off the upset.

Items of interest -- Milan Lucic picked up a Gordie Howe hat trick last night. In his previous game against Atlanta, he scored an actual hat trick. Are there any other kinds of hat trick he could score tonight... perhaps a natural one? Also, the Bruins were the first Eastern team (2nd overall, behind San Jose and beating Detroit by a matter of minutes) to score 100 goals this season.

Other news -- Aaron Ward played only a minute before deciding he wasn't in game condition just yet. After seeing a pretty poor outing from callup Matt Lashoff against the Caps, I'd kinda like to see Johnny Boychuk dress for this one. [update: Patrice Bergeron will take the night off with the flu, which throws a monkeywrench in the Bruins' lines. For one thing, it opens up Bergeron's spot on the PP, where he plays the point. Best guess is Mark Stuart gets a chance, after scoring twice last night. Also, this means that Stephane Yelle will move up to center the second line, and Martins Karsums will make his NHL debut as fourth-line center. Karsums will skate with Shawn Thornton and Vladimir Sobotka, who will replace Petteri Nokelainen, who injured his shoulder last night. Got all that?]

Manny Fernandez starts tonight. He had won 7 straight until losing to the Caps, and Tim Thomas allowed 3 goals to a mediocre offense. Guess why Timmy looked so pissed off after that last goal? Manny is in a great position to pick up a few consecutive starts if he plays well tonight.

You could probably make some money by running a betting pool around who will be starting for the Thrashers tonight. Do they start Pavelec, who gave up 4 goals on 5 shots, or Hedberg, who was the backup AND got pulled in the same game, and went off on his teammates in the process? (anyone else catch his "fucking stupid" directed at Boris Valabik, accidentaly picked up by the NESN mikes?)

The Habs got bad news, as they have been bitten hard by the injury bug. They have lost 2 of 3, have a tought week coming up, and are now 7 points back of the Bruins. But forget all that... check out this awesome blog post from Four Habs Fans.

Meanwhile the Rangers lost a crazy game to the Devils, coming back from 5-1 and still losing 8-5. That puts the Rangers a solid 4 points behind the Bruins, with 4 more games played. Right about now, we should be looking out the corner of our eyes at the Flyers and Pens instead of the slumping Rags. As I type, the Flyers lead the Pens 2-0.

Link Cleanup and Adds

I've rearranged the blogroll by division, for your convenience (I hope) in finding what you're looking for. Also, I've cleaned out a bunch of old links to sites which are not regularly updated.

If you have an NHL blog and it's not on the list, leave the URL and team affiliation (if any) in the comments. The only thing I ask is that you reciprocate.

Bruins vs. Thrashers: Stuff To Look Out For

The Bruins' easy December schedule continues tonight in Atlanta, in the first game of a home-and-home with the Thrashers. I don't like to write off any team, least of all one with a player as explosive as Kovalchuk... but let's be honest, the Bruins should be shooting for 4 points this weekend. Otherwise we'll get to April Fool's Day and kick ourselves for being 1 point behind some schmuck team like the Pens.

Stuff to watch tonight:

Goaltending rotation: It's a safe bet that Tim Thomas will start this game. He and Manny Fernandez are back on an alternating schedule, and will probably stay that way until one of them cracks. On the other end, it's tough to say who will start -- Johan Hedberg is the "starter" but has a vomit-inducing GAA of 3.55. To his credit, his past 2 games against the New York teams looked much better: 1.50, 95% saves.

Early decision: The Thrashers have been involved in only one shootout this season, a win on October 18th.

Obscure but good: Everyone knows that Ilya Kovalchuk is being wasted on this team, but there are other quality players on the Thrashers roster who get virtually no recognition leaguewide. Toby Enstrom is one of the better young defensemen in the conference, and will have a large role in any future successes in Atlanta. Bryan Little is a promising 21-year-old from Edmonton on pace for a 40-goal season. And... yeah, that's about it.

Kovie watch: Kovalchuk isn't exactly known for being a gritty player -- in fact, he rather sucks at defense -- but he has been playing with some extra snarl lately. Perhaps it's frustration, perhaps it's showcasing to get the hell out of Atlanta. In any case, he remains one of the league's most dynamic goal scorers, so pissing him off is not a good idea. Furthermore, rather than lose him for 2 or 5 minutes, the Thrashers would be wise to protect him with some muscle... which leads me to...

Goon watch: Atlanta's enforcer is Eric Boulton. He's close to my heart because I remember seeing him rack up 325 PIM in only 44 games in Charlotte a decade ago. I mean, this guy fought in literally every game and frequently more than once per game. Crazy and fearless. The Bruins don't fight a lot, so it might not come to anything, but a bout between Boulton and Shawn Thornton would be an instant middleweight classic.

On the forecheck: This game will probably boil down to good forward pressure by the Bruins. Atlanta has a pretty weak defensive corps, and no elite puck-mover, and therefore spend quite a lot of time in their own zone. If the Bruins forecheck aggressively, they should be able to cause turnovers and use their skill to score early and often. Then again, they played a pretty solid game against the Caps and simply couldn't beat the goalie. That's why they play 'em.

Other previews:
No other previews up yet, but you can check the links to the right side of the screen to see them as they roll in.

Thrashers blogs:
The Thrashers have a surprisingly strong blogosphere following, for a struggling team in a so-called non-hockey market (pfft.). I am guessing that at least a few of these will offer previews.
Thrashers 411
Blueland Chronicle
Firewagon Hockey
Blueland Outsider
I have no idea if Do The Thrashers Have Large Talons? is planning to do a preview, but his last one was pretty good and it gives you a ton of insight into the inner workings of the Thrashers roster.