MDK's Rant of the Calgary Flames

The title says it all ladies and gentlemen!

The NHL's Black Monday

The day after the NFL regular season is known as the day coaches hit the unemployment line after a bad season. It is usually referred to as "Black Monday" (or Tuesday...I'm not 100% on the day)

Today was the NHL's version.

The Capitals fired Bruce Boudreau, something that has been a loooooooooong time coming. It's hard to put all of the blame for the Caps problems on Bruce. The Alexs aren't producing (and for a guy with the last name Semin you expect that), the poor giveaways on defense, and the slipping in goaltending are all hurting the Caps right now. You got to admire how Boudreau went out though. Having the balls to bench Ovi in a crucial last minute of the game and scratching Semin, and BOTH of those moves worked. I hope he is back in the NHL soon, especially for the entertainment value.

Dale Hunter is in to replace Boudreau. It's nice to see the Caps give one of their all-time greats the gig, but having only coached in the OHL, I don't expect the Caps to improve immediately (like Hitchcock with the Blues).

In other firing:

The Hurricanes fired Paul Maurice...neh

The Hurricanes hired Kirk Muller...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Carolina Hurricanes are your 2012 Stanley Cup Champions

Saturday Night Hockey: What Happened?

Who has two thumbs and has been burnt out since Tuesday from work and school?

(Points to self) "this guy"

Seriously, Crosby had a hell of a comeback then what happened?

NOTable Lineups

Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche

The Nuge's: Taylor Fedun (femur), Cam Barker (ankle), Andy Sutton (groin), and Corey Potter (ankle) are out. Nikolai Khabibulin is expected to start.
Colorado: Peter Mueller (concussion) and Mark Olver (head) are out.

Winnipeg Jets vs. Boston Bruins

Winnipeg: Tobias Enstrom (collarbone), Brett Festerling (upper body), Randy Jones (ankle), and Derek Meech (lower body) are out while Ron Hainsey (lower body) is questionable. Ondrej Pavelec starts tonight.
Boston: Only Marc Savard (concussion) is out. Tim Thomas will start.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens

Crosby: Dustin Jeffrey (knee), Ben Lovejoy (wrist), an Brian Strait (elbow) are out. Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start.
Not Crosby: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov, Andreas Engqvist (lower body), Ryan White (hernia), Chris Campoli (leg), and Jaroslav Spacek (upper body) are out while Andrei Kostitsyn (lower body) and Scott Gomez (lower body) are questionable. Carey Price...you know the deal

Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks

Vancouver: Mason Raymond (back), Byron Bitz (groin), Andrew Ebbett (foot), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder) are out while Kevin Bieksa (hip) and Roberto Luongo (upper body) are questionable. Cory Schneider might start.
San Jose: Frazer McLaren (hip), Alex Stalock (knee), and Antero Niittymaki (hip) are out. Antti Neimi is starting.

Merry Cros-mas

And on the 62th game, he shall returnith

(How's that for a pun headline NHL!)

Yes, the prodigal son of the NHL returns, and he shall be televised!

Something tells me this is how NHL's office and Penguins fans are taking the news of Crosby's return:

Saturday Night Hockey: Hockey Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame

Congrats to Mark Howe, Joe Nieuwendyk, Doug Gilmour, and Ed Belfour for being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The moment of the night was definitely when Mark Howe put his dad's jersey on.

This segment is still longer than Eddie's speech.

My guess for next year's ballot:

• Joe Sakic - virtually guaranteed
• Brendan Shanahan - if he's not inducted, he'll produce a Shanaban video for each board member that voted against him
• Jeremy Roenick - just out of shear awesomeness
• Pavel Bure - he's been snubbed for a few years, he's due. And speaking of being due...
• Pat Burns - HOW IS HE NOT IN YET!!!!!!

The Leafs New Goalie: An Empty Net

Need I say more?

Links

Check out Puck Daddy's seven top player/goalie collisions

Must Read: Micheal Farber on the demise of the slapshot

All your information about international games from the past week is here.

Lineup NOTables

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Winnipeg Jets (DAMN EARLY GAME!!!)

Philadelphia: Jaromir Jagr (lower body), Ian Lapierrere (concussion) and Blair Betts (knee) are out. Sergei Bobrovsky gets the start
Winnipeg: Tobias Enstrom (collarbone), Derek Meech (lower body), Randy Jones (ankle), and Ron Hainsey (upper body) are out. Ondrej Pavelec starts this afternoon.

Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Washington: Mike Green (groin), Jay Beagle (concussion), and Tom Poti (groin) are out. Tomas Vokoun will start.
Toronto: Matthew Lombardi (arm), Clarke MacArthur (upper body), Mikhail Grabovski (leg), Colby Armstrong (ankle), Mike Komisarek (arm), James Reimer (whiplash or concussion...take your pick) are out. Jonas Gustavsson might start tonight.

New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens

New York: Mike Rupp (knee), Wojtek Wolski (hernia), and Marc Staal (concussion) are out. Mathieu Biron gets the start tonight.
Montreal: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov, Andrei Kostitsyn (lower body), Ryan White (hernia), Chris Campoli (leg), and Hal Gill (illness) are out while Jaroslav Spacek (upper body) and Andreas Engqvist (lower body) are questionable. Carey Price is in net.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers

Chicago: Michel Frolik (shoulder) and Brent Seabrook (lower body) are both questionable. Ray Emery will get the start.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins': Darcy Hordichuk (knee), Taylor Fedun (femur), Ryan Whitney (knee), Cam Barker (knee), Andy Sutton (groin), and Corey Potter (ankle) are out. Nikolai Khabibulin is expected to start.

Lucic/Miller Incident

"Last Saturday, an incident occurred between the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres..."

*wakes up*

Whoa, had a Shanaban dream...anyways, by now everyone knows about Lucic's hit on Miller, and if not, here it is:

Obviously, it's legal to hit a goalie. It's actually stated in the rule book TWICE.

The Hit

The hit was legal (if it was a skater - nice shoulder-to-shoulder check) but it was also avoidable. Lucic just glides into it. From the second angle (first replay) it looks like Lucic was off-centre to Miller, making the hit easier to avoid.

Lucic wasn't suspend, which was the right call, but I still wanted to see him gone for a few games.

No, your bias against the Bruins.

The Issue

Since the hit, a lot is being made about more protection for goalies. It's either "not enough" or "too much". Right know I think it's good, but if I had to pick a side, it would be for goalies to stay near the crease. A great analogy is that goalies in hockey are like quarterbacks in football: high-price investments meant to lead a team to victory. They also have specific rules to protect them.

Personally, I think having more physicality between goalies and players would make the game more entertaining. Here is an easy solution: add a new crease.

Better artist rendition than last time

Inside this crease, goalies are untouchable. It will allow for goalies to come out and possess the puck without having to worry about opponents not allowing them to cover the angles. Once the goalie handles the puck outside the outer crease, it's goalie season.

So come on NHL, lets make it happen.

Oh, and one more thing: GET RID OF THAT F***ING TRAPEZOID

Quick Word On Habs/Islanders Tonight

Be back later on (or maybe Friday) with a take on the Lucic/Miller incident last weekend. But right now an interesting point I heard during the podcast of Marek vs. Wyshynski today.

The 4 Swiss players in the NHL are playing in one game tonight:

Raphael Diaz and Yannick Weber for the Habs
Mark Streit and Nino Niederreiter for the Islanders

Three conclusions about this:

• Just wait until David Aebischer gets called up.
• For a neutral country, Switzerland produces a lot of defense(men).
• I'm betting this will be the first game (post-shootout) that we will see result in a tie.

Saturday Night Hockey: No Crosby

Busy day, going to keep it short and sweet this week.

Still No Crosby Yet

After weeks of playing the guessing game on his return, Crosby is still not playing in an actual game yet. While it was regarded as an estimated date, yestarday Sid was not dressed, and it's the smart move for Pittsburgh.

With back-to-back games, there would be a lot of questiuons flying around if he was only able to play in one of those games. With their next two games on Tuesday and Thursday, the day in-between can be used to evaluate him to see if he needs more time off or he's ready to go (provided he plays Tuesday)

The Only Goal Legally Scored By A Broken Stick

During a Swedish Allsvenskan between VIK Västerås HK and IF Malmö, this happened:

Two things pain me about this clip

1. I like Malmö
2. As a goalie, seeing the puck go off a teammate and in the net is one of the more painful ways to be scored on. 

Links

The NHL released it's All-Star Game fan ballots. Speculation on if Crosby can take the physicality of this game begins.

The Deutschland Cup is on and...wait, why is Canada not in it?

Speaking of international tournaments, also check out the European Hockey Tour

Congrats to L'henry Fabrice for defending France's net for 20 years.

Lineup NOTables

Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (Hall of Fame Game)

Ottawa: Peter Regin (shoulder) and Matt Carkner (knee) are out, Chris Neil (scared of Colton Orr) is questionable. Craig Anderson starts tonight.
Toronto: Colby Armstrong (ankle), Tim Connolly (Tim Connolly Syndrome) and James Reimer (whiplash? concussion? I dunno, ask his mom) are out while Mike Komisarek is questionable. Ben Scrivens is expected to start.

Winnipeg Jets vs. Columbus Blue Jackets

Not-Winning-peg: Eric Fehr (shoulder), Tobias Enstrom (collarbone), and Derek Meech (lower body) are out while Randy Jones (ankle) and Ron Hainsey (upper body) are doubtful. Ondrej Pavelec might start tonight.
Colum-bust: Kristen Huselius (pectoral surgery), Radek Martinek (concussion), Mark Dekanich (ankle), and Curtis Sanford (groin) are out. Steve Mason will start.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Nashville Predators (Nashville`s 1000th game)

Montreal: Ryan White (hernia), Andrei ``Right Knee`` Markov, and Chris Campoli (leg) are out while Mike Cammalleri (knee), Scott Gomez (upper body), and Andrei Kostitsyn (lower body) are listed as questionable. Peter Budaj is in net...wait...NO PRICE?!?!
Rinne-ville: Nick Spaling (lower body) and David Legwand (upper body) are out. Pekka Rinne is going to start.

Calgary Flames vs. Colorado Avalanche

Calgary: Brendan Morrison (knee) and Anton Babchuk (hand) are out. MMiiiikkkkaa KKiipprruussooffff starts tonight.
Colorado: Brandon Yip (arm) and Mark Olver (head) are out while Peter Mueller (concussion) is doubtful. Seymon Varlamov will start.

About The 1-3-1

Ladies and Gentlemen, the most exciting hockey play you'll ever see:

Ok, so "most exciting" might be an over-statement.

Basically, Tampa bay is set up in a diamond-plus-one with no pressure on the defense. Obviously, there is a lot of opinions on this. There is no way to beat the 1-3-1...or is there?

Here is a list of ideas I came up with (plus one I stole but give credit for) to beat the system:

• Do What The Flyers Did: Stall, just stall. Pass the puck around in the defensive zone and see if the lone "forecheck" will bite.
• Draw A Penalty: Looking at the video, there are a few times Lightning players had one hand on their stick and out to guard. Why not leisurely skate bye and "trip" over the stick, causing them to be penalized...or maybe you...either way, a penalty will eliminate the trap (for 2 minutes)
• Hit The Player...With The Puck: You remember the scene in The Longest Yard were Crewe throws the ball directly at the ref for not calling the game fair? Well drastic times calls for drastic measures. If the first guy isn't letting you do anything, then why not send him a message. Hey, technically it's legal (aka no penalty). Plus, if you hit him in the same spot as Crewe did to the ref, you get a highlight for the blooper reel.
• Fight: Yes, this does go with the first point. With everyone in the neutral zone standing around, go up a Lightning player and agitate them into dropping the gloves. BONUS: The crowd will wake up. 
• Install A Shot Clock: Via Puck Daddy comes the idea of installing a "shot clock" so teams have to advance the puck. The downside is that this opens up for more 1-3-1's to be used across the league.
• Ask Marc Savard: Apparently he's psychic.
• Get Jacques Lemaire To Coach All Games Against The Lightning: What better way to combat a trap with the trap.
• Constant Give-and -Go's: Speaking of short passes...Since the defense is more zone-oriented, set up so passing is constant. See below (yes, it was rushed together on Paint, but you'll get the point)

Artist Rendition...A horrible, horrible rendition

• Flying V: If the Mighty Ducks series taught us anything, is that the Flying V is unbeatable. 

Saturday Night Hockey: Standings/Realignment

There will be more later. Right now, your stuck with this:

Monthly Standings

Remember when I said I would try to milk every bit out of our division board's teet before realignment? (ok, so not the exact words used). We are going to use it to do a month-by-month look at the standings. Here is the first installment:

A few interssting things:

• The Atlantic Division looks like the only one that could end up that way
• Leafs first?!?! Bruins last?!?! The Hockey Gods must be crazy!
• Looks like Florida's offseason spending is paying off (for now)
• Only team out of place: Detroit
• First Place: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Not First Place: Not Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
• Anaheim off to a slow start. Did Teemu come back?

Realignment

Another day, another realignment plan. Here's what the NHL is now considering:

Right now, just Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are angered over this since it lessens their rivalry. There is an easy fix to this. Put Philly in Pittsburgh's division. Yes, it does get rid of the New York area rivalries, but its the only way to satisfy this situation.

Also, for the survival of the franchise, Columbus has to be in the "Northeast" Division. Detroit can stay "Central" and not have to complain about the long road trips.

Links

If the Devil(s) go bankrupt, who do they sell their soul to? (Forbes)

The man behind hockeydb (Globe)

Ever wonder where the cheapest beer in the NHL is? The Wysh has go you covered (Puck Daddy)

You now how people say its "politically correct" to rename teams nicknamed after Native Americans? Here's the other side to that. (Grand Forks Herald)

Lineup NOTables

(Before I being, does the CBC run the NHL schedules on Saturday? There is always at least 3 eastern Canadian teams playing but only 1 western team.)

Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Last place Bruins: Marc Savard (concussion) is out while Benoit Pouliot, Rich Peverley, and Dennis Seidenberg are questionable. Tim Thomas is in net.
First place Leafs: James Reimer (whiplash) and Colby Armstrong (ankle) are out. Ben Scrivens gets the start.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators

Pegula-ville: Jochen Hecht (concussion) and Tyler Ennis (ankle) are out. Patrick Kaleta is suspended. Jonas Enroth will start.
Ottawa: Daniel Alfredsson (concussion), Peter Regin (shoulder), and Matt Carkner (knee) are out. Craig Anderson is expected to start

Winnipeg Jets vs. New Jersey Devils

Winter-peg: Eric Fehr (shoulder), Tobias Enstrom (collarbone), Ron Hainsey (upper body), Derek Meech (lower body), Chris Mason (groin) are out while Mark Stuart (upper body) and Randy Jones (foot) are questionable. Ondrej Pavelec is expected to start.
New Jersey: Travis Zajac (achillies) and Jacob Josefson (clavicle surgery) are out, Ilya Kovalchuk (leg), Andy Greene (lower body), Johan Hedberg (back) and Eric Boulton (hand) are probable. Martin Brodeur starts tonight.

Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers

Montreal: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov, Scott Gomez (upper body), Ryan White (hernia), and Chris Campoli (leg) are out. Carey Price gets to start.
Softest. Team. Ever: Mike Rupp (knee) and Marc Staal (concussion) are out, Wojtek Wolski (groin) is doubtful. Henrik Lundqvist is in net.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Phoenix Coyotes

Kids and the Hall: Ales Hemsky (shoulder), Darcy Hordichuk (knee), Taylor Fedun (leg), Ryan Whitney (knee) are out while Cam Barker (shoulder) is questionable. Andy Sutton is suspended. Nikolai Khabibulin could be in net tonight.
Phoenix: Michal Rozsival (head) is out, Martin Hanzal (lower body) and Cal O'Reilly (groin) are questionable. Mike Smith might start tonight.