Hart Trophy Finalists and Redwing's prediction

The Hart Trophy was announced. For those who aren't familiar with the the names of the Trophies what they're awarded for, the Hart is for NHL MVP.

The three nominees are: Alexander Ovechkin (WAS), Sidney Crosby (PIT), and Henrik Sedin (VAN).

I think I'm going to take my biased opinion and relate to you all my thoughts on this topic by breaking down the three candidates.

Alexander Ovechkin:

This guy does it all. He hits (sometimes illegally and cheaply), he skates, he creates, and he scores. In fact, he's a far better overall scorer than any of the other candidates. He did a great job of driving his team to the playoffs and inspired his teammates towards greatness, even if he wasn't always the best player on the ice.

Why He'll Win:

He finished the regular season 3rd in goals scored (50; behind Crosby and Stampkos), 6th in assists, 3rd in points, 2nd to teammate Schultz in +/-, and 4th in Game winning goals. He also scored at a 1.51 ppg pace throughout the season (ok, he played 9-10 fewer games than Sedin and Crosby...)

Why He Won't Win:

Somewhat inconsistent. Doesn't have the clean reputation that Sedin and Crosby enjoy. Surrounded by a ton of talent but he couldn't help the team past the first round.

Henrik Sedin

This flying Swede is a smooth skating point machine. He finds himself not on the same platform as Crosby and Ovechkin for several reasons, but most notably his lack of ability to be a prolific goal scorer.

Why He Will Win:

83 assists. Most points in the league. Scored at a point per game pace identical to Crosby's despite scoring about 22 fewer goals. Leader throughout, including the playoffs. Consistent point producer.

Why He Won't Win:

Lack of goal scoring. 4 power play goals. Perhaps the perception that assists are easier to achieve than goals on a high scoring team. Other than points and assists, he's not statistically altogether superior to the other two candidates.

Sidney Crosby

This NHL Front Office PR machine appointed "GOD" of hockey is simply legendary... Ok, enough of the hype talking. Crosby is one of the top players playing today and probably one of the top players since Messier and Yzerman retired. He put up impressive numbers this year and is a consummate captain despite having the reputation of living in Daddy Lemieux's basement (I don't think he still lives there and probably hasn't since his rookie year).

Why He'll Win:

Unlike Sedin and Ovechkin, Crosby has more than just the Penguin fanbase rooting for him. Crosby has the NHL Front Office, led by Gary Bettman, the PR machine, and the Hockey Sports Media rooting heavily for him. This guy's media following as epic. In fact, those I've talked to who lived through Gretzky (Oiler and Kings years), Orr, Howe, Mekita, etc. eras can't remember there being the type and extent of hype being awarded to any of the "greats" that has been garnered to Crosby. You can argue about supposed "need" and the waning interest in hockey, but it's sometimes hard to withstand. That being said, he's got a clean reputation, a great scoring line, and has led their team farther in the playoffs than Ovechkin. He's fresh off a great performance last year that got him the Cup and he's leading the NHL in points in the playoffs.

Why He'll Lose:

He can't hit worth a darn. I can't think of anything else. He's far behind Sedin and Ovechkin in +/-. I can't put any more in without fabricating stuff.

Truth be told, I can't see anyone but Crosby winning the award. Does he deserve it? Yeah, as much as it grates my gears, he does. I'd rather it go to Sedin, though. I think Sedin did everything without the hype. He ended the season with 3 more points than Crosby and Ovechkin and no one really cared.

Kinda like how Stamkos finished the year with Crosby tied for the most goals but he was mentioned as a mere afterthought.

I'm not a Crosby hater. I hate what Crosby means to the NHL front office and to Gary Bettman. Hockey is so much better across the league than just what Crosby brings, even if it is that good.

I think Crosby has enough hype. I think the media has given Crosby more than enough attention and laurels. He's a great player, but I'd rather see the league pushed forward as great than one player. Right now, I can only hope that nothing bad happens to Crosby.

Imagine this: Crosby goes through a career ending catastrophe of some kind (god forbid, seriously, I hope note). What would the NHL do? Bettman might go on suicide watch.

I know I'd love to have Crosby on my team. I know anyone would. I just wish that the NHL did as much to promote the sport itself rather than just name recognition of one or two players.

Maybe R.J. Umberger was right

Last night I watched in awe as the Montreal Canadians disposed of the Washington Captials. As the game was over I recalled the comments from Blue Jackets forward R.J. Umberger who had said earlier in the year basically said that the Washington Capitals were not a going to win in the playoffs. Umberger's comments look spot on now.

Here's what Umberger said:

“I don’t think any team in the West would be over matched by them,” Umberger said. “They play the wrong way. They want to be moving all the time. They float around in their zone, looking for breakaways and odd-man rushes.

“A good defensive team is going to beat them (in the playoffs). If you eliminate your turnovers and keep them off the power play, they’re going to get frustrated because they’re in their zone a lot.” [Puck Rakers Blog]

This is what the Montreal Canadians basically did the last three games. They got good goaltending and score when they had to. The Canadians also capitalized on power play and made the Capitals pay for taking stupid penalties. Lastly, you can not go 1/33 and win a playoff series. That is about three percent on the power play.

Alex Ovechkin goal that wasn't

In my opinion I think the refs made the right call on disallowing the goal, from the video you can see that the Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau doesn't agree with the call and his comments what the f*ck.

Ovechkin and the Capitals get Halaked

I think we can put the Carey Price argument to bed it's no mystery who the staring goalie in Montreal is and Redwing77 pretty much covered it in the last blog post. Oh darn the Capitals aren’t unbeatable, I guess I am not very good at predictions.

The goaltender for the Montreal Canadians Jaroslav Halak was unbelievable in their first round series against the Washington Capitals. Against an onslaught of shots Halak was simply amazing and didn’t give an inch. If you didn’t watch any of the game and asked the question; how good was Halak? Jaroslav Halak stood on his head stopping 41 of 42 shots tonight and 131 of 134 shots in the last three games. The Canadians will now face Gary Bettman’s favorite team the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Bruins will face the Broad Street Bullies from Philadelphia in their second round series. The Bruins went 2-1 against Philly in the regular season.

Montreal made history tonight by winning the series 4-3 and becoming the first eight seed to erase a 3-1 deficit against a No. 1 seed to win the series.

Bruins schedule against the Flyers

Game 1: Saturday, May 1 at TD Garden at 12:30 p.m.
Game 2: Monday, May 3 at TD Garden at 7 p.m.
Game 3: Wednesday, May 5 at Philadelphia at 7 p.m.
Game 4: Friday, May 7 at Philadelphia at 7 p.m.
Game 5*: Monday, May 10 at TD Garden at 7 p.m.
Game 6*: Wednesday, May 12 at Philadelphia at TBD
Game 7*: Friday, May 14 at TD Garden at 7 p.m.

Hey Bettman and Gainey: HALAK SHALAK!

HOW ABOUT THEM CAPITOLS?

Hey Bettman, at least you still got Crosby!

I'm not going to say that the Pens will succumb to the awesome known as Jaroslav Halak, but I SURE AS HECK HOPE SO.

I may not be a big fan of Montreal, but I am of Jaroslav Halak. This guy can play. Vs. commentators said that he stopped 131 of 134 shots in the last 3 games. That's insane!

I say Gainey listen up because this is the guy YOU wanted to be backup to your precious Carey Price! This is a guy who wanted to be traded because he knew he was better than Price and so did his teammates (well, they play better in front of him anyhow) and Gainey's only smart move was NOT to trade him. In the end, the Habs ownership saw the light and removed the barrier towards getting Halak more #1 goaltending time: Firing Gainey's deadweight arse.

Halak reminds me a TON of JS Giguere the year he carried the Ducks to the Stanley Cup... only the Ducks had a bit more scoring.

Halak is, by far, the MVP of the entire playoff picture thus far.

On a side note, Vs. is interviewing Capitol Defenseman Karl Alzner... KARL FREAKING ALZNER! His playing time in this series? ONE BLEEDING GAME! What does he know? He knows he's the lowest guy on the totem pole so, "go get em champ!"

Varlamov wasn't that bad. I thought both goaltenders played well. The Capitols dominated in SOG.

The fact is: Halak carried this team to victory. I am doubtful they have the ability to keep it up.

This is the first time a #8 team beat a #1 team (according to Vs.) after being down 3 games to 1.

Vs. makes a big deal out of this and I suppose it is, by the fact that the Habs had to win 3 straight games to overtake them. However, epic upset? I dunno. I can see why it could be considered that. The Habs were the worst playoff team in the playoffs...

That's ok. All I care about is the fact that Gary Bettman and his PR monkeys are now down to one God-child in the playoffs. If Crosby gets knocked out in the semis.... HELLO CHRISTMAS IN MAY!!!

All Crosby all of the time.

Do you think the NHL networks have a fixation with Sidney Crosby? You bet they do. We all know that Sidney Crosby is a great hockey player, the new face of the NHL, there is no question about it.

My follow up question is; does anyone remember who the top point getting in the NHL was this season? I will give you a hint it wasn't Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin... I wonder how many people know the top pointer getter in the NHL was Henrik Sedin with (29 goals - 83 assists - 112 points)

Savard ready to return - who will the Bruins play next?

There is a very good chance the Bruins are going to play the Penguins in the next round because I think the Canadians are going to be hard pressed to beat the Capitals tonight, it could happen but It’s unlikely that the Canadians advance.

The emerging story line is Matt Cooke versus Marc Savard and the Bruins, most of us don't need to bring up the incident that led to the Marc Savard's concussion. We are well aware of it and I am sure the Penguins fans remember it as well. None the less, this discussion is becoming more prevalent with the prospects of Marc Savard returning from injury; both of players will end up being on the ice at the same time. It's just a matter of time.

I predict that if Matt Cooke even comes near Savard he is going to get blasted and I welcome it. I would love to see Milan Lucic go Evander Kane on Cooke. While I think Cooke is a disgusting piece of camel dung and the lowest of life forms, I don't want to see the Bruins spending all of their time trying to knock the crap out of Matt Cooke; they have to pick their places that won’t affect the team in a negative manner.

Ben Scrivens signs with the Leafs

Leaf general manager Brian Burke continues to sign former NCAA players as the Leafs have signed former Cornell Big Red goalie Ben Scrivens to an entry level contract.

he Toronto Maple Leafs continue to beef up their goaltending.

Sources tell TSN the Leafs have signed college free agent Ben Scrivens to a one year, entry-level contract.

Scrivens, a native of Spruce Grove, Alberta, starred with Cornell and was a top 10 Hobey Baker finalist for college player of the year. He just finished his fourth season with the Big Red, compiling a 21-9-4 record and an impressive .934 save percentage.

Scrivens is expected to challenge for a spot with the Toronto Marlies next season. [TSN.COM]

Savard cleared to play for the Bruins

Marc Savard has been cleared to play for the Bruins. This is good news for the Boston Bruins.

Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced during a conference call with reporters Tuesday that Savard was examined Monday afternoon by neurologist Jeremy Schmahamann at Massachusetts General Hospital and had passed all necessary tests.

"He (Schmahamann) examined Marc, he had some further discussion with our doctors and he has been cleared to play," said Chiarelli. "I'll leave it up to Claude (Julien, coach) as far as putting the lines together and who plays and who doesn't play. Marc is ready to go. We'll see how his conditioning goes, but I know from talking to him he's very anxious to play."

Savard began skating April 18, and has been practicing with the team since April 24. Chiarelli said he isn't exactly surprised Savard is able to play again, but admits he had doubts his top center would be available anytime before next season.

Worst Cliche in Hockey; The two goal lead...

I included this blog post for Sioux fans because the 2009-2010 Fighting Sioux hockey team had a propensity to blow/throw a few away games after they had taken a two goal lead.

In an otherwise excellent piece criticising the Ottawa Senators for their collapse in game six against the Penguins, Wayne Scanlan remarks that the pressure was building as the Senators “set out to defend what Don Cherry always calls the worst lead in hockey: the two goal advantage.”

Now I know what he’s getting at: With a one-goal lead, a team keeps its focus, and with a three goal lead it would require a serious collapse to lose. But two goals? It’s close enough that you need to stay focused, but big enough to convince you that it is OK to relax. But is there any indication that a two goal lead is, objectively, a worse lead to have than a one- (or three-) goal lead? I find it hard to believe.

First thing to keep in mind is that all failed two-goal leads are also failed one-goal leads. That is, on its way to squandering a two-goal lead, a team must also squander a one-goal lead. So, it is analytically the case that the number of squandered one-goal leads is equal to, and empirically a certainty that it is greater than, the number of squandered two-goal leads. [MACLEAN'S.CA]

Jaroslav Halak and the Habs "have" Bettman sweating...

I would imagine that the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is having kittens with the prospects of one of their league faces/money makers being bounced out in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. In reality there is a good chance that one or both the Penguins and the Capitals could be out by the time the league finals roll around, neither the Pens or the Caps have looked that good in the first round.

It also looks like the Montreal Canadians have finally found a serviceable starting goalie that is a lot more consistent than former starter Carey Price in Jaroslav Halak. Halak has been nothing short of amazing in the first round.

Bruins gut out series win...

The Bruins while not pretty in winning their first round series against the Buffalo Sabres did all of the little things that they had to do to win the series. The Sabres are a tough pesky team and didn’t just go away quietly into the night, they went down fighting. The Bruins might have also caught a break with the injury to Thomas Vanek earlier in the series. (S/T to Brad aka "Sioux Rube")

This was a hard fought series with a lot of one on one battles, this series was downright nasty at times, as we saw from the Chara and Gaustad incident at the end of game five, I can't imagine what would have happened if Zdeno Chara had been suspended for game six. To further illustrate the toughness of this series after the game during the post game on ice interview you could see a cut on the left side of Bruins tough guy Milan Lucic face, it looked like Lucic was in needed of two or three stitches.

Ryan Miller was a warrior all series long and gave the Bruins nothing during the six games. In my opinion, I think Miller kept the Sabres in the series and gave the Sabres a chance to win and can’t be faulted because he is one of the Sabres that brought it every game and played very well, without him the Bruins could have very well ended this series in 4 games. True to form and being the classly player that he is, Ryan Miller was the first one to line up for the hand shake at the end of the game at center ice.

The Boston Bruins now await the winner of the Habs and Capitals first round series on Wednessday night to find out who they get to play in the next round. If the Habs can manage to win their series against the Capitals the Bruins would get the Flyers. If the Capitals win the Bruins would play the Penguins.

Quit? No, the Sabres never quit.

Vanek scored with 1:13 left to make it interesting in the third. Tim Kennedy and Kaleta, the two Buffalo boys, certainly didn't back down and connected on a goal in the second period. Gerbe answered after Krejci gave Boston a 3-1 advantage.

Let's face it, the Bruins were better for most of the series. They played harder, were more resourceful, twice stormed back from two-goal deficits to win and twice rallied in the third period to beat a Sabres team that had been perfect in that situation. They had more experience, better special teams and more thump. [Buffalo News]

Bruins knock the Sabres out of the NHL playoffs.

I must admit that I am very happy tonight. I would love to see the Boston Bruins resign Miroslav Satan to a contract extension because he has been clutch in this series (2g-3a-5pts) in 6 games.

Next to the UND Fighting Sioux the Boston Bruins are my favorite hockey team and it's has been 18 long years since the Bruins last beat the Buffalo Sabres in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Last time the Bruins beat the Sabres Dale Hawerchuk and Pat LaFontaine were leading the Sabres in points. Rob Ray was their top goon and Daren Puppa was the Sabres top goal tender. For the non-math majors like me that was the 1991-1992 season.

The Boston Bruins now await their opponent for the next round, I hate to say this but it all depends on the hated Habs and if they can beat the Capitals in game 7. If Canadians can beat the Washington Capitals (I don’t think it will happen) the Bruins will play Daniel “the Hack” Carcillo and the Philadelphia Flyers. If the Captials win the Boston Bruins will play the Pittsburgh Penguins. I like the Bruins chances against the Flyers more than I do against the Penguins.

Top ten goals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs...

I had a blog post yesterday about my two top saves of the Stanley Cup playoffs to date. Here is a compilation of TSN's top 10 saves of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs so far. s/t [KuklasKorner]

End for a coaching legend...

Whether you want to admit it or not Jacques Lemaire is a coaching legend, and belongs in the NHL hall of fame in my opinion. Now! While I do think watching some of his Minnesota Wild teams were some of the most uneventful, mind numbingly boring teams to watch on the ice he was an effective coach that got the most out of his teams.

NEWARK, N.J. - The energy is gone, so Jacques Lemaire is walking away from coaching.

Only four days after the New Jersey Devils were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round for the third consecutive year, the 64-year-old Lemaire made the surprising announcement Monday that he is retiring as a coach.

"It's tough to leave what you like, but it's a decision that I made," he said.

Lemaire said he thought about retiring several times this season and that the loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games had nothing to do with his decision. He relayed it to Devils president Lou Lamoriello over the past 24 hours.

"It's not the team, it is not the result or the lack of result we had in the playoffs," a glassy-eyed Lemaire said. "It's not that at all. It's the end of the line. I'll be 65. It's just time."

Washington Capital Eric Belanger practices personal dentistry on the player’s bench

If you have a weak stomach you may not want to watch this. The irony is that these guys were former teammates with the Wild. Marc-Andre Bergeron knocks out eight of Belanger's teeth with a blatant high stick, no call on the play, then Belanger removes one of his teeth that wasn't knocked out. Hockey players are tough.

Speaking of Belanger, he said Marc-Andre Bergeron, his former teammate with the Wild, called him to a apologize for knocking out eight of his teeth with a high stick on Friday. (Belanger had just gotten thousands of dollars of work done on his teeth last year, and until Game 5, might have had the nicest smile on the team.)

"He felt so bad," said Belanger, who does not wear a mouthpiece because it makes him gag. "I spent a lot of time getting them fixed up, and here I am again."

On a positive note, Belanger is able to eat - just as long as it's cut into small pieces. So his energy level should be fine.

"I'm not going to eat crackers or stuff like that," he said. "But I can eat small pieces, chicken cut up or rice. I can chew in the back." [Washington Post]

Police: Booze Found In BC Student's Car After MBTA Crash

This is a story that emerged out of Boston over the weekend as three freshman hockey players from the defending national champion Boston College Eagles; Parker Milner, goaltender, and defensemen Phillip Sameulsson and Patrick Wey were involved in traffic accident with an MBTA trolley car. The driver of the vehicle a young woman was not drinking but there was alcohol found in the vehicle. Some of the beer cans in the vehicle were open. The part that makes it more series is some of the passengers in the vehicle fled the scene with their unauthorized alcoholic beverages. None of the passengers in the vehicle were of the legal age to drink alcoholic beverages.

It will be interesting to see how Boston College head hockey coach Jerry York handles this incident. My first question is how the hell do you run into a commuter train? Those things are pretty big, and I am not sure how you miss a big green commuter train. Also, what are 7 people doing in a Jeep it’s supposed to seat five.

BOSTON -- Three members of Boston College's national champion hockey team team are facing alcohol possession charges Monday after they and five other teenagers were in a car crash with a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority trolley car late Saturday and police found blood-smeared cans of beer and a bottle of Rubinoff vodka in the SUV.

Police said BC hockey goal tender Parker Milner, 19, freshman defenseman Phillip Sameulsson, 18, and Patrick Wey, 19, were in a Jeep that was hit by a Green Line trolley when the driver, identified as Jane Stanton, 19, tried to make a u-turn across the tracks near the Evergreen Cemetery on Commonwealth Avenue at Greycliff Road.

Eight BC students were in the Jeep at the time of the crash, police said Monday. They originally believed there were only seven students in the five-passenger vehicle. Four were treated for minor injuries.[The Boston Channel]

Links to the story

USA Today; Boston College hockey players charged after car crash with trolley

WEEI; BC hockey players in car accident

Boston Bar Stool Sports; Underage BC Hockey Players Crash Into the Green Line

WBZ.COM; 3 BC Hockey Players Involved In Green Line Crash (with video)

Top two saves of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs...

Here are my two nominations for best saves during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Personally, I think the Tuuku Rask save below is even better than the Roberto Luongo save on the shot from Ryan Smyth. I think both saves were the defining moments in their individual hockey games. I have included a poll on the right you can vote on your save of the first round.

Colin Campbell Wheel of Justice; No Suspension For Marian Hossa

First off this is the right call, in my opinion. Marian Hossa isn’t known as a cheap player nor is he a repeat offender and he isn’t going to be confused with a Matt Cooke or Daniel Carcillo type player/hack. While the coach of the Nashville Predators head coach Barry Trotz compared the hit on Hamhuis to one delivered by Washington's Alex Ovechkin that injured Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell last month. Whatever, the Predators coach is entitled to his opinion (no matter how flawed) the Marian Hossa hit on Predators Dan Hamhuis was not the same hit as the Alexander Ovechkin hit on Brian Campbell. There are not even the same type of hit. The Hossa hit was a push check or a shove the hit by Ovechkin was a blatant boarding/hit from behind.

I am not saying that I approve of the hit in question because I don’t, in watching the video (included above) it was a dangerous hit but I don’t think it’s worthy of a suspension. Also, I don’t think the NHL has to issue a suspension on every major penalty. If Hossa replicated the act again soon I would expect a suspension because they he would be a repeat offender.

The NHL said on Sunday that Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa won't be suspended for the major boarding infraction he incurred in Game 5 against the Nashville Predators.

Colin Campbell issued a statment after a hearing explaining the decision.

"I have made the decision that this play does not warrant supplemental discipline after considering all of the facts, including reviewing the video and speaking with Mr. Hossa," said Campbell. "This play is distinguishable from recent incidents by a number of factors, including the degree of contact involved; the fact that the consequences of the play do not appear to be as severe; that this was a hockey play involving a race for the puck; that Mr. Hossa is not a repeat offender and that the call of a major penalty by the referee was significant and appropriate."
[Read more]

Joe Pavelski game winning goal to knock the Av's out of the playoffs.

This kid scores some nice goals and this one is no different. This was the goal that knocked the Avalanche out of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The San Jose Sharks finally won a first round series and proved that they were not going to be a first round flop again this season. Of course Joe Thornton has been almost non-existent again with (0g-3a-3pts) in 6 games. Joe Pavelski (5g-3a-8pts)is tied for the team lead in points with Ryan Clow (1g-7a-pts). I have to admit that the former Wisconsin Badger is one of my favorite players.