Midseason NHL Awards

Martin at HockeyDirt asked hockey bloggers to take part in a midseason NHL awards survey. The results have been posted. You can see how the 31 hockey bloggers, myself included, out of around 45 responded here at HockeyDirt.

Like Jes Golbez and Eric McErlain, I wanted to give my picks. However, I forgot to jot down my picks while filling out the survey so I'll do my best to correctly recall my choices. I also have put in italics below my pick who the majority of those polled chose and my comments on the poll results.

I wrote this on January 2nd and waited until the results were posted to upload this entry so some players' stats may have changed over the past 4 days. I also want to add that since I live in a dorm at college and thus have no choice in cable options, I'm extremely limited in watching other NHL teams aside from the Detroit Red Wings. The only time I can catch any other hockey club's game is when I come home where I have Center Ice. So if my picks seem a bit off, well I haven't been able to catch that many games so I based it off stats or from what I've read from my fellow hockey bloggers' sites.

Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP)
Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers
I chose Jagr because he's not only leading the NHL in points with 61 (third overall in goals and assists), but I believe that he is the most valuable member to his respective team. And the Rangers are second in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference in part thanks to Jagr's offensive success.

Poll Says: Jaromir Jagr 48% & Daniel Alfredsson 19%
I'm not surprised by those two choices. Like Eric McErlain said in his post, if you were to pick a top player from the top team to be MVP then Alfredsson would be an easy pick. But if you were to pick the MVP based on how valuable a player is to the team then you'd probably look elsewhere.

James Norris Memorial Trophy (Top Defenseman)
Wade Redden, Ottawa Senators
I was trying not to be biased and pick the Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom, because Lidstrom is so important to the Wings' success. While Redden may have been injured and has only played 26 games this season, he has 30 points, +25 rating (third highest on the team), and 34 PIM.

Poll Says: Wade Redden 45% & Zdeno Chara 29%

Eric McErlain: I thought Chara should have won it in 2003-04, and he's only gotten better since then. As for many of the others, I don't think we ought to put as much weight on scoring when it comes to this award, as the proliferation of power play goals has distorted those figures so much this season (sorry Mr. McCabe). The only serious competition for Chara here is Redden, but I'd still give the trophy to Z.

Calder Memorial Trophy (Top Rookie)
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Senators
Ovechkin is my choice because of his team leading 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists), which is 11th in the league. Sidney Crosby is 22nd with 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists). Ovechkin seems to have more of a physical prescence than Crosby and when the Capitals played Detroit, Ovechkin earned the Check of the Game in a hit on Andreas Lilja at center ice. Henrik Lundqvist has also been pretty impressive in net for the New York Rangers so it's a tough choice to make.

Poll Says: Alexander Ovechkin 71% & Henrick Lundqvist 13%
I'm a tad surprised that Lundqvist didn't get a higher percentage. However, I figured most bloggers believe Ovechkin is a better all around player and that certainly showed in the poll where Sidney Crosby earned 3% of the poll's vote.

Vezina Trophy (Top Goalie)
Dominik Hasek, Ottawa Senators
To be honest, I didn't know who to pick. It's a close call between Hasek, Manny Fernandez (Minnesota Wild), and Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers). Since I couldn't make my mind up, I went to the stats page at NHL.com and found that Hasek was one of the top three in the four goaltending categories. Hasek is second in GAA (2.10), save percentage (.929), wins (19), and shutouts (3). Fernandez was first in GAA and save percentage with Lundqvist third in those two categories as well.

Poll Says: Dominic Hasek 48% & Tomas Vokoun 23%
Vokoun is certainly a goaltender to be reckoned with. If he plays well, Nashville usually has a great game. He's a key reason why I'm so scared for the 8 games that Detroit has to play against Nashville starting tonight. I was unsure if Hasek was going to be the clear victor, but not that surprised.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportmanship)
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
In the poll, I picked someone else but I'm totally blanking on who it was. Thus, I'm going with my next pick of the Wings' Datsyuk who has 43 points and only 6 PIM.

Poll Says: Brad Richards 29% & Pavel Datsyuk 25%
Well, I didn't pick Richards so looking at the other choices, I want to say that I picked Patrick Marleau (14%) but I can't say for certain.

Frank J. Selke Trophy (Best Defensive Forward)
Rod Brind'amour, Carolina Hurricanes
The Selke Trophy should be awarded to the player who excels at the defensive aspects of the game as a forward. This player should have a strong +/- rating, high face-off winning percentage, and an important member of the penalty kill. A strong offensive showing doesn't hurt either. Admittedly, I based this on Kris Draper's performance in 2003-2004. While Draper remains key to Detroit's penalty kill, I don't find him as deserving of this award. Thus, I picked Rod Brind'amour who has 34 points in 35 games along with 11 power play goals and 8 power play assists.

Poll Says: Rod Brind'amour 35% & Jere Lehtinen 26%
After "researching," Lehtinen would've been my second pick so neither came as a surprise.

Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year)
Mike Babcock, Detroit Red Wings
I picked Babcock because he has made a positive change in how the Wings work, has helped to revive Brendan Shanahan's game, and seems to be just what the Wings needed. I'm not going to deny the fact that I feel incapable to determine which coach is the best at this point in the season when I don't follow any other team as close as the Wings, much less their coach. I probably should've picked either Carolina's or Buffalo's coach because both teams have made a tremendous jump in the standings. In 2003-2004, Carolina was 22nd overall and Buffalo was 18th at the end of the regular season. At this point in the midseason, Carolina is fourth and Buffalo is fifth.

Poll Says: Lindy Ruff (Buffalo Sabres) 23% & Peter Laviolette (Carolina Hurricanes) 16%

Comeback Player of the Year
Dominik Hasek, Ottawa Senators
After causing the dramatic goaltender situation in Detroit in 2003-2004, Hasek has recovered from his ongoing groin injury and is an important factor in Ottawa's success this season.

Poll Says: Dominic Hasek 42% & Curtis Joseph 22%
It's amusing to me that both were the Wings' goalies in 2003-2004 causing the crazy goalie circus. Both are doing much better for their new teams, Hasek because he's healthy and actually wants to do well. Joseph is doing better because a coach, team, and the fans are all behind him. I'm happy to see both doing so well with their respective teams.

Jerk of the Year
Sean Avery, Los Angeles Kings
Enough said.

Poll Says: Sean Avery 54% & Jeremy Roenick 10% (write in votes) & Darcy Tucker 10% (write in votes)

Flop of the Year
Sergei Federov, Columbus Blue Jackets
I would've picked Nikolai Khabibulin (Chicago Blackhawks), but he doesn't have a strong team like Tampa Bay in front of him anymore. However, Federov wasn't doing well with Anaheim or even leading the team in scoring for Columbus (only 8 points), yes that's right – Columbus.

Poll Says: Sergei Federov 32% & Nikolai Khabibulin 29%

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

I'd like to address the other awards that weren't in the survey because these are based on statistics. Again, these statistics are from January 2nd so they may have changed over the past 4 days.

Art Ross Trophy (Most Points)
Jaromir Jagr, New York Rangers
With 61 points, Jagr is the best in the NHL offensively.

Maurice Richard Trophy (Most Goals)
Simon Gagne, Philadelphia Flyers
Gagne has 27 goals placing him at the top of the league.

President's Trophy (Best Record)
Ottawa Senators
The Senators are two points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings making them the team with the best record (27-6-3) at 57 points.

William M. Jennings Trophy (Best GAA)
Manny Fernandez, Minnesota Wild
Fernandez has a 2.05 GAA, the best in the league, and slightly above Dominik Hasek and Henrik Lundqvist.

Gretzky’s mother passes away

Phyllis Gretzky died two nights after Wayne Gretzky returned home to be with her. She was suffering from lung cancer and passed away Monday night. It is not known if or when Gretzky will return to coach the Phoenix Coyotes or continue to direct Canada's Olympic hockey squad. My prayers are with the Gretzky family.

Gretzky relinquishes coaching duties indefinitely

Wayne Gretzky, Phoenix Coyotes head coach, has announced that he is relinquishing his head coaching duties indefinitely due to family reasons. He is heading to Ontario, Canada to be with his mother, Phyllis, who is currently battling lung cancer. Associate coach Rick Tocchet will step up as interim head coach until Gretzky returns.

"We respect and support Wayne's decision," said Coyotes General Manager Michael Barnett. "Family has always come first to the Gretzky's, as it should. The thoughts and prayers of the Phoenix Coyotes organization, and most surely, those of the entire hockey world, are with Wayne and the Gretzky family at this most difficult time."

12/16 Notes

I finished my last final exam this morning and I am officially on winter break, finally! So updates will now resume as normal. I'm sorry for the pause in updates over the past two weeks. Now onto the rest of the entry, which will hopefully help make up for my exam hiatus…

Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is at it again. Previously, all Caps season ticket holders received a free replica jersey and blogger Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion was invited to attend a Caps game with Leonsis. PJ at Sharkspage recently conducted an interview with the owner by telephone. You can read what he had to say to PJ here.

My buddies at On the Wings kept the blogosphere up to date on the Wings during my exam hiatus. You can read about Jiri Fischer's press conference, which I missed due to taking an exam. They also have you covered on the Wings recent games against the Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers, and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Across the hockey blogosphere, one can find numerous bloggers picks for Team Canada's squad in the upcoming 2006 Winter Olympics. Among them are The Puck Stops Here, Battle of Alberta, and James Mirtle. The Hockey News have their own picks for the roster along with news that the WJC Canada roster has been set.

Speaking of the World Junior Championships, three Michigan Wolverines will be playing for the US and another for Canada. Freshmen Jack Johnson and Mark Mitera along with sophomore Kevin Porter will be playing in Vancouver for the WJC instead of playing with the rest of the Michigan team at the annual Great Lakes Invitational (GLI). Freshman forward Andrew Cogliano will be the sole Wolverine to represent Canada in the tournament. Only four collegiate athletes will play for Canada in the WJC, an increase from recent years.

The Michigan Wolverines swept Nebraska last weekend with 4-2 and 7-3 wins. Wondering how a former Wolverine is doing in the NHL or AHL? Check out this site. The Blog That Yost Built has some thoughts on the Wolverines' recent games along with the WJC player invitations.

For those Carolina Hurricane fans, your prospect Jack Johnson is doing quite well playing college hockey for the University of Michigan. In his 17 college games, Johnson has five goals and 16 assists with a +9. Less than a month ago, hockey.com conducted this interview with Johnson. From the couple of games that I've seen, he's a smart and strong defenseman. I'm just bummed that he'll possibly go pro next season and the Wolverines won't have his talented defensive abilities.

Back on December 9, Michael Fedor at Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic talked about Sidney Crosby stepping up as a leader to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Only 7 days later Michael was able to talk about Crosby being named Assistant Captain. Jes Golbez also chimes in on Crosby's promotion at The Sidney Crosby Show. The Hockey Pundits also talk about Crosby's "A."

After articles like this one about the Carolina Hurricanes struggling attendance, Acid Queen has a thought or two on the topic.

Wondering which NHL team Sports Business Journal thought had the best website? The top three picks, in order, are the Atlanta Thrashers, Washington Capitals, and Chicago Blackhawks. The Detroit Red Wings came in 10th place, which surprises me because I don't care for our website and it isn't updated enough (in my mind).

The Vancouver Canucks Op Ed blog pointed out an interesting column from Cornell University's sports editor of the college paper. He couldn't believe the 'craziness' of the Cornell hockey fans and was embarrassed by their chants and actions. A friend of mine has season tickets to the Cornell hockey games and says that the games are a blast but the chanting can get pretty crazy, as in personal "attacks" to the opponents. But you're going to get that at a lot of college sporting events. Hockey at Cornell is big like football here at University of Michigan (not that hockey isn't big at UMich either).

Carnival of the NHL #13

Welcome to the Carnival of the NHL #13, which features a wonderful assortment of rides for your pleasure. Whether it's the rollercoaster that is Sean Avery or the Rookie Ferris Wheel, you're sure to find a ride to suit your taste and interest.

Ride #1 – Merry Go Round of Officiating
It seems lately that fans and players alike have plenty to say about the officiating in the new NHL thus far this season. However unlike players and coaches who get fined for talking negatively about the officiating, us hockey bloggers can talk about the refs all we want. Dubi at Blueshirt Bulletin doesn't have a problem with the new rules, rather the inconsistency of calling them. In a few games he watched, "you couldn't get a call unless you dove (both teams)." Tom Benjamin noted in a Vancouver-Calgary game the numerous phantom calls made by NHL officials as well as critical penalties that were missed entirely. Mike finds fault with the referees going overboard on calling minor penalties and ignoring flagrant penalties.

Paul at Kuklas Korner helps clarify Steve Yzerman's comments about the officiating. He doesn't have a problem with the rules, but the fact that the refs need to use some judgment. Off Wing Opinion's Eric McErlain also had some thoughts on Yzerman's comments and other officiating observations.

Mike Chen steps up on his soapbox to proclaim that players control the outcome of the game and not the referees. Red and Black Hockey cover the controversy surrounding LA's Jeremy Roenick's shootout goal in this post.

Ride #2 – Rookie Ferris Wheel
On this ride, we'll view the rotating views on who is the #1 rookie thus far this season. It seems most everybody has an opinion on Sid Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, whether good or bad. A common view is that Crosby didn't deserve October's Rookie of the Month honors, but he is certainly proving his case this month. Among those views are James Mirtle and Eric McErlain. Michael was impressed with Crosby's shooutout goal that won the game for the Penguins over Montreal. You can read more at his blog, Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic. He also covered the Battle of Pennsylvania (Part 2) where Crosby also got the game winning goal. However, Jes asks that everyone keeps things in perspective when it comes to Sid Crosby.

Matt at Battle of Alberta thinks Dion Phaneuf is deserving of winning the Calder if he keeps up this pace, but unless Ovechkin and Crosby get injuries resulting in a loss of 12+ games, that won't happen. Greg at Puck Stops Here believes that Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers should be considered as a Rookie of the Year favorite.

Carnival Food
Let's take a break from the rides to enjoy some carnival snacks courtesy of Washington Capitals owner, Ted Leonsis. Lately he has become the league's most fan friendly owner as seen through his jersey giveaways and owner's box invitation extended to blogger Eric McErlain. Jordon at Hockey Pundits discussed the benefits Leonsis would receive from giving season ticket holders a black CCM Caps replica jersey of their choice. You can also read Eric's detailed account of game night in the owner's box with Leonsis here and here.

Ride #3 – The Sean Avery Rollercoaster
Avery's big mouth and brash actions continue in this rollercoaster ride. Martin at HockeyDirt.com pokes fun at Avery and his new "agent," Drew Rosenhaus. Red and Black Hockey takes a look at Avery's problem with a diving call and consequent $1000 fine and David believes he should just let it go. And like they say at Vancouver Canucks Op Ed, every time Avery gets a fine, an angel gets its wings.

Ride #4 – Poor Blues
Not until the two past games, the St. Louis lost 11 straight games. Eleven. Jes Gölbez talks about the Blues, both the good and bad. There's obviously a lot more bad to talk about then good. Just yesterday, Stephen at Back in Blue also gave his thoughts on the good, bad, and ugly of the Blues before they faced Detroit. He also believed Yzerman should stop whining about the rule changes and officiating. And now that David Checketts withdrew from negotiations to buy the St. Louis Blues, things don't seem to be looking up for the Blues.

Ride #5 – Small World After All
On this ride, we get to see that while fans may differ in their favorite team and hometown; they aren't so different afterall. Some of us bloggers, myself included, have debated over the type of fans and and others have asked if we can or should even classify fans.

Another common topic of conversation is hockey sweaters or jerseys. Michael Fedor talked about why he thinks its okay to wear a jersey with your name on it. Jes also added some more rules to keep in mind before wearing a sweater. David Lee at Red and Black Hockey has his own thoughts on the sweaters whether it's a couple of rules, his favorite sweaters, or the worst ones.

Ride #6 – Business Stop
Well, the next stop isn't as fun and enjoyable as making fun of bad jerseys, but it is an important ride. Here you can see the business world in the NHL from high atop Space Mountain. To the right, you can view the perils of the salary cap courtesy of James Mirtle. JJ, who recently got engaged (congratulations), had additional comments on this topic.

Go through the tunnel where Kevin at BFLO Blog takes apart ESPN's Scott Burnside's column through the eyes of a Sabres' fan. Outside the tunnel to your left, look as Jes compares ticket prices, beer costs, and attendance. And to conclude the ride, Tom Benjamin dissects the trend in goals whether its goals with even strength, shorthanded, or on the powerplay.

Background Music
Stop for a minute to observe the surroundings. Hear anything? Perhaps some classic hockey tunes? Martin uncovers the reasoning behind playing songs after a certain player scores and also finds a website run by Glen Gower, the Ottawa Senator's Director of Entertainment & Events, featuring the top hockey songs.

Ride #7 – The NHL As We Know It
Jeff at Sisu Hockey posted his Quarter Pole awards for biggest hit, best goalie name, most lethal shooutout team, etc. Ranger's Pundit, Mike, compares the old NHL to the new version. Matt Barr has a few suggestions in changes that need to be made in this new NHL.

Kuklas Korner's Paul is waiting for the day when _____ (you'll have to click on the link to read his list).

Matt at Battle of Alberta takes a look at home and road records and how that could impact coaching. The Puck Stops Here comments on Matt's theory.

Tom at Sabre Rattling examines the pronunciation changes in names of late. For more humor, don't forget to visit Vancouver Canucks Op Ed for their weekly quote sheets (posted every Thursday) and daily NHL Odds and Ends feature. Additionally, Habs Blog pokes fun at Sheldon Souray for his amazing performances of late [note the sarcasm].

Sidearm Delivery brings up the possibility of a NHL-IIHF series.

HockeyAnalysis.com came out with its Entertainment Index Version 2.0. David Johnson created a formula to rank teams based on their entertainment factor. He determined that Toronto is the most entertaining team thus far this season while Tampa Bay finds itself on the bottom of the list. You'll have to visit his website to find out where your favorite team falls in the rankings.

Ride #8 – Hockey Fights
Odd Man Rush covers the noticeable decrease in fighting majors this season; 42% less than the 2003-2004 season. Jon at Sharkspage features Drop the Mitts exhibition featuring hockey fighting. You can also view a "toughness preview" of all the teams at HockeyFights.com where you can also purchase Honor & Courage: Tough Guys of the NHL.

JP at Japers' Rink portrays the glitches in this season's scheduling and then provides an alternative with a solid explanation for his reasoning.

The Acid Queen also discusses the lessons we should take from the Bertuzzi incident at Sweet Tea, Barbecue, and Bodychecks. And that we all need to just let it go. Give it a rest. Move on.

Ride #9 – Hockeytown
This carnival wouldn't be right without a stop in Hockeytown, my hometown. Grampapinhead discusses who he thinks will take the Western Conference after reading this post. Be sure to check out Blue Line Comics take on Chris Chelios cheering for the Chicago White Sox.

Matt at On the Wings talks about the trade that brings ex-Wing Sergei Federov back to the Central Division. Grampapinhead rounded up some quotes on this trade aka salary dump. Steve Ovadia at PuckUpdate believes that this "trade" is more like a personality dump.

Kevin wrote in his Rinkside Ramblings about the Wings' past week including all the highs and lows. And finally, a tribute to the Red Wings captain, Steve Yzerman.

Ride #10 – Hail to the Victors
Not only have the Michigan Wolverines ice hockey team gotten off to a strong start (9-1-1), they are doing so with a large influx of freshmen. The Wolverines are coming off a sweep of the Wildcats and will face the University of Minnesota this Friday, which I will be attending.

Penn State seems to be slipping in their control over the ACHA division according to Michael Fedor. For other college hockey news, visit Inside College Hockey.

Michigan Junior Hockey covers all that is junior hockey in Michigan, including my favorite the OHL Plymouth Whalers. For more OHL coverage, visit Ottawa 67s Fan Blog.

SoVeryObsessed.com's Heather Creegan attended the AHL Manchester game to cheer on their opponent, Lowell. You can view her game recap and beautiful photos here.

In Conclusion…
We hope John at BoltsMag makes a quick recovery from his wrist surgery. I also hope you all enjoyed the many rides and stops that this Carnival had to offer and good luck to the next host of the Carnival of the NHL.

Around the NHL

My thoughts on a few happenings around the league (yes, I am talking about stories outside of Hockeytown – crazy, I know). Or just comments on things that aren't directly about the Wings.

Brett Hull retires
Before the Phoenix Coyotes played the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, Brett Hull announced his retirement in front of former players, friends, his 3 kids, and fiance.

"I was probably more emotional today about him retiring than I was the day I retired," friend and coach Wayne Gretzky said. "It's a new beginning for him and his family. I told him today he's going to look forward with a lot of great times with his kids and his fiance. His records speak for themselves. He's a consummate professional. My dad told me today that I ran an 800 goal-scorer out of hockey."

The emotional Hull was no different during the press conference where he choked up and wiped tears from his eyes numerous times. After playing only 8 minutes in his fifth game with the Coyotes, Hull realized that he no longer could keep up and play at the level he once could.

"I realized I wasn't who I thought I was," Hull said. "I wasn't Brett Hull at 30 or 35 even. I was 41 years old and after a year and a half layoff, I didn't have what it took to play in the new game that was so exciting."

Hull finished his 20 year career with 741 goals placing him at #3 in all time scoring. During his career, he played for the Calgary Flames, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, and Detroit Red Wings before finishing with the Coyotes where they unretired his dad's jersey number nine so he could wear it. Hull had two Stanley Cup wins, one with Dallas and the other with Detroit. He had one assist in the five games he played with the Coyotes.

"There's an old expression, and I don't know who said it – `The mind is willing but the body isn't,"' Hull said. "I wish no one had to do this because it's so hard, it's hard because you never think you're going to grow older and be unable to live up to the expectations you set for yourself."

Apparently Hull will sign a Voluntarily Retired List league form to help the Coyotes receive some salary cap relief. If he does sign this list, he can't return to the NHL for a year and his salary (except for what has already been paid to him) will no longer count toward the $39 million cap.

Personally, I was surprised and saddened to see Brett Hull retire. I really enjoyed his time spent in Detroit and he was a key player in our Stanley Cup win in 2002. While I didn't always agree with his opinions, I enjoyed his sniper-like shot and humor. I wish him the best of luck in the future.

OLN
I'm not very happy with the NHL TV situation. I have yet to see a game outside of the Detroit Red Wings' and I really want to. Why is that? Well as a freshman at the University of Michigan in the dorms, I have no control over my cable TV. Comcast is our cable provider, but I don't get OLN which I find really weird. So now I have to watch ESPN's Sportscenter just to get clips from other hockey games (which I hate). And of course the few times I'm actually home where I do have the OLN channel, there are no games playing that night. So frustrating. Secondly, I went to Comcast.net/sports to watch a game that was streaming live. But it wouldn't show up for me and it wasn't blacked out in my area and the game was going on. While I love my Red Wings, I want to watch some other hockey games as well and I'm struggling to accomplish this.

Calgary Flames
I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I'm surprised with Calgary's start this season. Like many, I thought the Flames would be finishing close to the top of the Western Conference and be a strong contender in the playoffs. While this still may be the case, their start to the season says otherwise. After being outscored 23-17 thus far in the season, they haven't looked like the team who lost in the finals in game seven.

Fantasy Hockey
I'm sad and embarassed to say that I've never played fantasy hockey before this year. Now as a college student, I have some more free time on my hands. While I was invited to numerous leagues against other hockey bloggers, I figured I'd be blown away with my inexperience so I'm currently playing against my brother to learn the ropes. Now I'm not asking you to give your secrets away, but if you have any tips or suggestions for a newbie, please leave a comment or drop me an email!

Upper Deck Deal
The NHLPA just signed a five year deal with Upper Deck for $25 million to make trading cards. Each player will make about $6,000 yearly from this deal for the rights to use their image on the cards. Nice way to make some extra money if you ask me.

Reactions to new scheduling format

With the introduction of a new scheduling format, fellow hockey bloggers and news organizations are voicing their strong opinions regarding the matter. I want to first present many of the opinions out there before presenting my own.

Before getting to the opinions, let me cover some of the basic highlights of the 2005-2006 season regarding the Detroit Red Wings schedule. The season opener is against the St. Louis Blues at home on October 5. Every team will be playing that day to start off the regular season with a bang. In total, the Wings will play seven home and home series. Each team plays their division opponents a total of eight times. In the Wings’ case, they will see Chicago, St. Louis, Nashville, and Columbus at home and then away four times a season.

They will also play all of their Western Conference opponents outside of the division (10 other teams). Against their Eastern Conference foes, the Wings only get to play a total of 10 games. Five Eastern Conference teams from one division will host the Wings. This season the Southeast Division, consisting of Tampa Bay, Florida, Washington, Atlanta, and Carolina, will all be visited by the Wings. Detroit hosts another five teams in the Eastern Conference. The Atlantic Division, composed of the Devils, Flyers, Rangers, Islanders, and Penguins, will visit Hockeytown. On December 12, Detroit will see Pittsburgh with their newly acquired phenom, Sidney Crosby.

For the traditional New Year’s Eve game, Joe Louis arena will feature Columbus v. Wings. On February 1, during Super Bowl week, the St. Louis Blues will visit Detroit. In the last week of October, the Wings play away in Columbus for two consecutive games then go on to play Chicago for three straight games.

While Hockeytown fans are pleased with the return of hockey, many aren’t overjoyed with the new schedule.

"It's an absolute joke," said David Miller, a 25-year season-ticket holder from West Bloomfield. "It used to be that there were games you wouldn't give up your tickets for, regular-season games you looked forward to. That isn't the case anymore."

Missing from this season’s schedule are fellow Original Six teams, Boston, Montreal, and Toronto. Instead, focus will be placed on divisional rivalries. Even Red Wings general manager, Ken Holland, acknowledges the increase of games against divisional foes. "There are some quirks in the schedule, where the league is trying to emphasize the divisional rivalries," Holland said.

Original Six teams have been rivals for ages and always marking special and competitive games. However, the new scheduling changes will only allow the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers to visit Joe Louis only once every three years. The Wings host the Rangers on January 14. In an exhibition game on September 30, Toronto will make a brief appearance in Hockeytown. Unlike other leagues, the NHL stands apart with the history of the game and its Original Six teams. Many fans view this new scheduling format as ridicule to the sport and its history.

Rick Schulte of Wyandotte: “You can't forget the history of the game, but with this schedule, the league is turning its back on that history.”Jennifer Starchenko of Woodhaven: “You're taking away from the tradition of the game. Those rivalries are a big part of the NHL.”

Laura Agemak of Flat Rock: “Detroit is part of the Original Six. The hard-core hockey fans are going to be upset with this. They'll miss those teams.”

Holland understands the fans’ frustration, but understands the NHL’s attempt to foster stronger divisional rivalries.

”I can go both ways,” he said. “On the one hand, not to play Toronto, Montreal and Boston, I can understand (fans' frustration). You need rivalries and those are, and were, great rivalries. But we're going to have to build other rivalries. The feeling around the league is when you start seeing teams more and more, you can build rivalries…I'd love to see more Montreal, more Boston and more Toronto. But there are some teams in the East that we don't have any relationship with. Could they have handpicked certain teams? Maybe that's something I can bring up at a general managers meeting down the road.”

The Detroit News conducted an online poll asking readers the following: “No Toronto, no Montreal, no Boston for the Red Wings this season. But plenty of Columbus and Nashville. Is an NHL schedule that emphasizes intradivision play good for the game?” 90.06% of those who responded believed that it was not good for the game while 9.94% believed that intradivisional rivalries would help the game. Fans were also given the option to leave comments regarding the poll and their individual opinions. Here are some of the comments left:

GhostofProbert from Toledo, OH – “In a way, this is a totally rational move by the NHL, in that it essentially pits Original Six teams with huge drawing power (Detroit, Toronto) against smaller market teams, the very teams that need that boost to revitalize their fan base. Having said that, as both a fan and student of the game, this strategy totally ignores the history of the game. There should always be a special category of match-ups, in my opinion, the "Original Six" match-ups. This category of games should be ranked very highly in any optimization model (which is the technique used to devise the schedule) with the goal of maximizing these matchups (with other constraints). Unfortunately, hockey fans such as Detroit fans (of which I am obviously a member) are the least of the NHL's worries…we are so loyal and Detroit such a strong market that, paradoxically, our wishes are ignored. I'm sure people in Toronto and Montreal are feeling the same pinch.T Unit from Sterling Heights, MI – “This is an outrageous demand that you put upon us as Detroit Red Wings fans. Gary Bettman and the NHL have already alienated so many fans with their stupidity in the last year, it is sad that we must go through yet another hardship. First we have to wait a year to see "professional hockey," although it was entertaining to watch the mechanics play on UPN in place of the Wings. Then we have to ship out fan-favorite players because we're not allowed to pay so much for them anymore under this new salary cap. Finally we have to play this annoyance of 24 games against St. Louis, Columbus, and Nashville. I'm not sure what the NHL is trying to do, but if they wanted the Red Wings to not be as dominant under this cap, it seems they might have made the wrong move. ‘Red-Wing-Proofing’ the NHL seems improbable when you give them 24 wins for free.”

Phil at The NHL is Back voiced his concerns, “Hey, at least you aren’t a Hawks or a Wings fan. They play each other back to back to back. That’s right. Three games in a row versus the same team.”

Brett at Red Line Sports believes that the 2005-2006 schedule really stinks.

This is how the NHL pays back the seventeen fans it has left? With all of the NHL's jabbering about fixing the game and making it more fan friendly, which one would reasonably think should include marketing the snot out of it, the best the NHL think-tanks can come up with is this flaming dung-muffin.

While Brett believes that emphasizing inter-conference especially intradivisional play will help build rivalries and limit travel costs/time, he is especially concerned with the inability to play most of the opposite conference. Forty percent of the schedule is spent playing within one’s division. You don’t need to play a grand total of eight games a season to develop a rivalry.

Some may say that the added divisional emphasis is long overdue. But, keep in mind that it comes with a price tag. A steep one. There will be no visits to Canuck-ville (or many Western teams) from the likes of Mario Lemieux, Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and the defeding Cup Champs, Dan Heatley & Ilya Kovalchuk, Martin Brodeur, Alexander Ovechkin, and more importantly, the NHL's new poster child, Sidney Crosby.As a fan of hockey in general, I'm a little ticked off. As a fan of the Canucks, I'm downright choked.

A reader of Brett’s blog with the username Rethinking the NHL voiced his own thoughts:

They should consider making each team play 4 games against each divisional rival (16 games), 2 games against each team in the other conference (30 games), and 3 or 4 games against nondivisional foes within the conference (32 games). All in all, a nice 78-game schedule where every team hosts each of the other teams at least once and NO team plays more than two home games against the same team. Also, they should return to the win-loss-tie format that they never should have messed with in the first place (2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, zilch for a loss).

Hockey Country, an Ottawa Senator blog, talked about how the new format affected the Sens:

With the new schedule set-up and a greater emphasis placed on inter-divisional play (which for the Sens means facing the Leafs and Habs eight times), we will unfortunately see less of the Western Conference clubs. In fact, the Sens don't play a Western Conference team until December when the Kings come to town on the 2nd. Under the new-set up, every year, a team only plays teams from one division of the other conference. For the Sens, it's the Pacific, which means the grueling West Coast road trips are still on tap (something I'm sure most Eastern teams are glad to be seeing less of).

Eric at Off Wing Opinion has similar concerns to many fans and in a recent entry, his thoughts were covered in sarcasm:

In Denver, this means two more games with Vancouver. On Long Island, that means two more games with the hated Rangers.Here in Washington, it means six more games with Carolina, Atlanta and Florida. I've died and gone to heaven!

David Singer at The Ice Block strongly opposes Eric and others with the same opinions. He believes that Wings fans and other Original Six team fans should stop complaining.

The NHL can do no right according to some.You want more passion in your games? Have some rivalries says the NHL, and out come the whiners. “We don’t get to see every ‘Original Six’ team every year!"

Huh?! So? Who cares – the Wings played the Canadiens once in the 2003-04 season. Memorable it wasn’t – but hey – the jerseys were old school and we wouldn’t want to miss that! Complaining that the Habs-Wings game is being replaced by a divisional game against the Predators or Blue Jackets is just asinine. The Predators and Wings are developing a nice rivalry, one that probably would have blossomed well if there was a season last year (as they played a six-game playoff series against each other during the 2003-04 playoffs). The Blue Jackets are another new team, yes, but you’re also talking about adding games against the Blues and Blackhawks – and remember, rivalries will only grow with the increase in number of games played.

The reality is the Wings will play the Habs, but instead of once per season, it’s twice in one season every three years. The reduction is one game per three seasons. Wow, break out the Kleenex, I can only imagine the intense game that we’ll all miss.

But David seems to be in the minority, Boltsmag doesn’t even want to think about all the games Tampa Bay plays against their divisional foes: “I get sick looking at how many times the Lightning play the Panthers or Hurricanes or Thrashers (sidenote – any other Tampa Bay resident mistaking THrashers for Threshers lately?). The Panthers and Bolts play a home-and-home series on the 7th and 8th of October and 2 games within a week in April.”

Melissa, who just started a blog covering Colorado for Most Valuable Network, believes that this format will make certain teams (like Tampa, Detroit, or even San Jose) easy conference titles while weakening other teams’ chances.

She points out that in the Central Division, Detroit brought in a divisional, conference, and league title with 109 points. St. Louis and Nashville nearly missed the cut with 91 points. Other division teams, Chicago and Columbus, weren’t even close. Respectively, they had 59 and 62 points placing Chicago second to last in the entire league. Melissa is worried about her team, Colorado. The Avs took fourth overall in their conference with 100 points placing only second in their division. The Canucks were up by one point and the Flames finished behind the Avs with 94 points (3 more than Nashville and St. Louis). While Minnesota and Edmonton did not make the playoffs, they at least were up on the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets by over 20 points.

By adding two more games against each divisional opponent, her worries only compound. Melissa can only hope that with the new salary cap teams like Chicago and Columbus will now be placed on a more equal competitive level with Detroit. This makes Colorado in a similar boat with Detroit instead of last season’s disparity. “That way, if the Avalanche are facing relatively equal and tough opponents, at least their non-divisional opponents will also have to work harder to earn their points.” Another chance to even out the field will be the new points format. Without ties, stronger teams in weak divisions won’t gain as many points. At least hopefully for her team.

She also noted a similar or even worse difference in the Eastern Conference between the Northeast and Southeast divisions.

The Northeast Division is probably the most competitive division in the entire league: 4 out of the 5 teams made it into the playoffs, and of the 4 teams, 3 teams had over 100 points. Furthermore, the only team that didn’t make the playoffs, Buffalo, was only 6 points behind the last 3 playoff teams, and ranked second among non-playoff teams, eighteenth in the league overall. Meanwhile, the Southeast Division was probably the least competitive in the NHL. Tampa was the only team in the division to earn a playoff berth; the other 4 teams, Atlanta, Carolina, Florida and Washington weren’t even close, together averaging a mere 72 points total.

In my mind, everyone brings up very valid points. As a hockey fan, I really don’t want to play any team eight times a season much less Columbus. While our rivalry with Nashville was already building in the 2003-2004 season, I don’t want to watch back-to-back games against the Blue Jackets. And the fact that I can’t watch my beloved team face off with historically strong Original Six rivals is really disappointing. I realize that even before the lockout the Wings didn’t yearly play Toronto or Montreal, but I had hoped that with the new CBA a change would happen.

My favorite aspect of the game is the rivalry. I remember last Christmas watching the infamous Wings game against Colorado with “The Turtle.” My Dad and I started off watching the game at a party. Within ten minutes, the room filled with cousins and uncles surrounding the big screen cheering on Darren McCarty, Brendan Shanahan, and more. I especially took great delight in watching Roy take a beating. While I realize that the Wings will play Colorado four times this season, they’ll be losing competitive rivalry games against the Rangers, Bruins, Canadiens, and Maple Leafs.

Hockey is back

Over the next few days, I'll be posting in regards to how the new CBA would affect the Red Wings, Mike Babcock as the new coach, and speculating about who will stay and who will go. The first section today features Mike Babcock, the new head coach of the Detroit Red Wings, who will help the team transition from big spenders loaded with hall of fame players to suppressed spenders relying more heavily on the youthful stars.

It finally came. The announcement that the NHL and NHLPA had finally reached a tentative deal after 301 lost days. All it takes to ratify the agreement is a majority vote by the NHL board of governors and NHLPA. Assuming that the new CBA deal is ratified, the Detroit Red Wings will come back as a different team. New coach with a fresh approach of coaching. Many of the older players will have to move on because the Wings simply cannot afford them or would rather go in a younger direction. In the 2003-2004 hockey season I started thinking that the Detroit Red Wings were becoming a stale team. Same core of players and coaches. They became stale. The younger Tampa Bay squad took the Stanley Cup.

Ken Holland started thinking the same way and decided to finally switch things up. When he saw the tentative deal on the horizon, Holland started shopping around for coaches. Mike Babcock was the coach for Holland. Holland believed that Dave Lewis, who has been with the Wings organization for the last 18 years, would be an amazing coach with a team other than the Wings. “I can understand where Kenny was coming from,” forward Kirk Maltby told WXYT-AM (1270). “Maybe the one downfall was that (Lewis) was too nice of a guy. That's not to say he couldn't make the tough decisions, but that he didn't. I'm not sure if he was afraid to step on toes.” A friend of mine recently bumped into Ted Lindsay at a funeral. He was quite upset that Lewis was leaving and believed that Dave was doing a solid job.

Holland thinks Babcock is exactly what the organization needs at this important time. “He has tremendous passion for the game. He has tremendous energy,” Holland said. “He's got specific ideas in mind on how he wants to the team to play, how he wants the players to play. He's the boss. He'll give the players the parameters whereby they can do whatever they do, and if they step outside the boundaries Mike will deal with it.”

As a team with a lot of veterans (we’ll see how the CBA effects that number), Babcock refuses to let them take it easy.

"I believe in leadership. I believe in being the best in the world at what I do…When you don't make people accountable, it leads to a superstar mentality where not everyone on the team is important…Maybe the most exciting thing is that I'm coming here to join a family in Detroit that's philosophy is based totally on a passion for winning," Babcock said.

Babcock received a degree in physical education from McGill University in Montreal and later performed graduate work in sports psychology. His education background helps him coach the players’ mental and emotional aspect. Babcock focuses on how the mental and emotional state of a player affects his game.

"Jimmy (Devellano, vice president of the Wings) and Ken (Holland, general manager) got a competitive, fiery guy, who can kick over a garbage can or slam a door," said ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, a former NHL coach with the Los Angeles Kings. "He's a motivator and a passionate guy. He got more out of those guys in Anaheim than other guys could have, and to me that's a sign of a good coach. Do the same with Detroit's lineup and you'll win a Stanley Cup."

Babcock loves to use a grinding style of hockey to physically beat the opponent when their on the defensive. This brand disrupts the opposing team’s offensive flow and creates offensive opportunities for his team. This style fits the Wings’ style of play – grittiness and hard work as seen in the “Grind Line.”

“He's a very intelligent coach who I think has been unfairly portrayed as a defensive-only coach,” said Al Strachan, a columnist for the Toronto Sun and a regular contributor on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada telecasts.

“He's a coach who has that ability to see what's needed to win and he has a subsequent ability to take advantages as they exist.When he was in college hockey, he was very offensive-minded. And if the rules are changed to reward offense (the NHL is considering changes ahead of the 2005 season), he's smart enough to institute a system that will take advantage of it.”

Strachan also believes that Babcock could put fear in his players where they’ll produce. Lewis couldn’t do that after being with the organization so long especially as assistant coach.

“People were terrified of Scotty," Strachan said. “Players will tell you fear is a good thing — that being afraid of losing, afraid of a coach, motivates better players to play as well as they can. I don't think anybody was afraid of (Lewis). He was just too nice of a guy. But Babcock can be tough, he can be very sarcastic. He can put guys in their place. He has almost a Hitchcock-like (current Flyers coach Ken) ability to be a friend and a psychotherapist. He's a modern coach and that's a good thing to have in Detroit.”

Babcock will be responsible in this upcoming transition season where he must develop younger players like Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Jiri Hudler, Jiri Fischer and Niklas Kronwall while pushing the veterans. These players will be whom the Wings rely heavily on over the next season.

“There are some great, great players here. Unbelievable passers. I think on the backend that you have some guys who can really get the puck going upfront,” Babcock said. “You have so much skill and obviously the leadership of Stevie Yzerman. You can't say enough about that. We want to play an uptempo game, we want to get after the other team and we want to be entertaining, but we want to win.”

Scotty Bowman has called Babcock a “passionate man.” While living in Cincinatti, Babcock grew close with the neighborhood kids who he’d spend time with whether it was hockey, football, etc. His neighbors’ son, Jeffrey Hayden, was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was coach of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Jeffrey died in September of 2003 where upon Babcock delivered the eulogy at the funeral. Along with Jeffrey’s parents, they created a website, www.jthf.org, to try to increase awareness of pediatric brain tumors. “He's been a great friend of our family,” Tim Hayden said. “He gave a wonderful eulogy that people still talk about today.” Babcock also lost his mother, Gail, to cancer. “Mike and his mom were extremely good friends,” Mike Sr. said. “When she died, I would say that was the biggest loss of his life.” Babcock’s agent’s brother and his friend’s son both died of brain cancer. With so many close ties to brain cancer, Babcock has remained involved in the Jeffrey Thomas Hayden Foundation since its start 10 months ago. “There were some kids in California that were going through some bad times,” Hayden said. “Mike gives the parents his cell phone and says, ‘Tell the kids to call when they're feeling down.’ And Mike ends up calling and asking how they're doing." He doesn’t mind giving his phone number to so many kids because “if I can talk to someone on the phone for five minutes and make their day, I’ll do it.”

During the lockout, he worked with the foundation, which hopes to give parents a place to share experiences and a safe place to disclose medical information with families who can’t travel far for a second opinion. Babcock then met with several cancer organizations and then got the NHL involved. "I'm not surprised," Hayden said. "That's Mike. It's his thing. What he dedicates his free time to, this is it."

The Haydens are excited for Babcock to move closer to Cincinnati and believe that Mike will appreciate Detroit. “He's not afraid to be in Hockeytown,” Tim Hayden said. “I think he's going to like it a lot better than Hollywood. Detroit's a hockey town, and he's a hockey guy. The guy breathes hockey. I hope the people take to him.”

Look for Post #2 of Hockey is back coming soon (sorry it wasn't finished Saturday like originally promised)!

Tentative CBA Deal Reached!

To be totally and completely honest, I don't have time right now to truly update but I plan to do so later. And I love how the baseball all-star game is going on in Detroit but the Detroit News' website places the hockey deal headline over all the all star events.

So there has been a tentative CBA deal reached and all that needs to be done for it to be finalized is a majority vote in the NHLPA and NHL. The NHL Board of Governors will vote to ratify the CBA next Thursday (needs 16 out of 30 owners). The NHLPA will vote on Tuesday with 350+ players needed to ratify the CBA.

The CBA consists of a six year agreement with a player out-clause after four years. The agreement itself is a whopping 600+ pages. Brian at On the Wings helped to summarize some of the important points.

Among the terms of the new CBA:-hard team-by-team salary cap between $21-39 million (for the first year and including all player costs). This range will move up or down in the following years with the changing revenues -player costs must not exceed 54% of revenues
-24% salary rollback for all existing contracts, 2004-2005 contracts nullified
-liberal free agency (UFA status at 31 in 2005, 29 in 2006, 28 in 2007, 27 in 2008)
-improve pension benefits and revenue sharing plans
-more restrictive entry level system ($850,000 with bonuses up to approx $4 million)
-two-way salary arbitration
-percentage of salaries put into escrow
-no player can earn more than 20% of the team payroll, meaning $7.4 million is the maximum salary for next season
-revenue sharing where top ten clubs donate funds to bottom ten
-buyouts at two-thirds
-participation in 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy

Yay hockey will hopefully be back!

6/27 Notes

CBA negotiations
Last week both sides worked to negotiate a deal to put a halt to the current lockout. However, specifics have not been disclosed from the meetings. "Obviously, we know that time is of the essence in working to conclude a new CBA, and both sides are proceeding on that basis," NHL executive vice president Bill Daly said in a statement.

Two weeks ago word leaked out that the NHL and NHLPA agreed on a deal that was based on a salary-cap system on a team-by-team revenue. According to the Globe and Mail of Toronto, each team will have its own salary floor and cap, which will be determined by team revenue. The cap could reasonably range from $34-36 million and the floor, $22-24 million. The Globe and Mail also reports that the cap would include benefits like signing and performance bonuses. In between the cap and floor, a luxary tax would kick in dollar for dollar. The players' original offer of a 34 percent rollback is believed to remain part of that deal.

"Progress has been made in a number of areas, but there remains a considerable amount of work to be completed in order to reach an agreement," union senior director Ted Saskin said.

While the draft was canceled in March, TSN is reporting that if a deal is reached, the draft date would be on August 6, 2005.

NHL players are "lab rats"
Bill Adams, a management attorney who specialized in labor disputes, views NHL players as "lab rats" after seeing the NBA close a deal and prevent a lockout for their next season. Adams believes that the NHL losing a full season to a lockout and its results will dictate sport league's negotiations.

"I think you're going to see a lot of modeling done in professional sports after the NHL situation. It probably will stabilize labor relations in sports for a long time," he said. "While the financial circumstances are different, I think all professional athletes, except golfers, have been scared by the way it unfolded."

NHL teams start to return staff
Today, June 27, the Nashville Predators extended head coach Barry Trotz's contract. Trotz has been the only coach for the franchise since August 8, 1997. In 2004, he led the team to its first playoff game with an overall record of 183-328-60-21.

"This is the coaching staff that we want leading the Nashville Predators when the National Hockey League returns," general manager David Polie said. "Our goal is for Barry Trotz to pick up where he left off and build upon our playoff run in 2004."The Predators on Monday also signed assistant coach Peter Horachek, associate coach Brent Peterson, goaltending coach Mitch Korn, video coach Robert Bouchard and strength and conditioning coach David Good to contract extensions.

The St. Louis Blues have also signed Mike Kitchen as coach. The Chicago Blackhawks and Mighty Ducks of Anaheim also have new general managers; coach Brian Sutter was fired from the Blackhawks. This recent flicker of activity among NHL teams and their staff are like the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, they have been led to believe a deal can be met and that a season will be in place for 2005-2006.

Some Red Wings tidbits
The Hockey News reported in mid-June that Steve Yzerman along with seven hockey friends went to Scotland on an eight day trip in celebration of his 40th birthday. The tour included many of golf's oldest and finest courses like Aberdeen, Carnoustie, and Troon. Yzerman's hockey buddies include Kris Draper, Steve Duschesne, Eric Lindros, Darren Pang, Robert Lank, Ray Whitney, and Steve Thomas.

The Hockey News also reported:

Top right wing prospect Igor Grigorenko has agreed to play for Severstal Cherepovets of the Russian Super League in 2005-06. The 22-year-old native of Togliatti, Russia spent 2004-05 with both his hometown club (Lada Togliatti) and Salavat Yulayev Ufa in the RSL (41 GP, 11-8-19, +8, 28 PIM). Grigorenko could find himself with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins–or possibly in Detroit–if NHL play resumes in September, but the organization may want him to continue to develop overseas. After all, he's still not all the way back following a car accident in 2003.