Shot Blocking

A recent tragedy in Edmonton has brought local attention to the most dangerous play in hockey; shot blocking.

16-year-old Kyle Fundytus, who played for the Don Wheaton Midget AA team in Edmonton, tragically lost his life on November 13 after being struck in the neck by a shot.  He went into cardiac arrest, and died later in the hospital.

It was a tragedy that shook the hockey world, and showed how much damage a puck can really do to someone.

Tributes for Fundytus poured in through social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  This facebook tribute was reposted by many in the hockey world.

Deeply saddened to hear the news of 16 year old, Kyle Fundytus, who played for the Don Wheaton Midget AA team...He passed away last week after taking a blocked shot to the neck, sending him into cardiac arrest...
Only a true hockey player can understand the meaning of "sacrificing the body". It takes a very special type of individual to make this sacrifice. For those of us who understand, we know that Kyle risked his life for the betterment of his team-his brothers in uniform. 
I am calling on those who have ever laced up a pair of skates and laid themselves on the line to honor Kyle's memory by re-posting this on their wall...
RIP Kyle you were a true hockey player

Here is a link from the The Province newspaper in Vancouver of the reaction to this tragedy on Twitter

The incident has raised the issue of whether shot blocking should be coached at the youth and amateur levels.  Trojans head coach Ken Babey doesn’t seem to think it is necessary.

“I don’t see the need.  Once you start making a decision around 16 and 17 that you are going to play serious hockey, then it becomes a bigger aspect of the game,” said Babey.

With the introduction of composite sticks to the NHL and other levels of hockey, players are shooting the puck harder than ever before.  And while no NHL players have died as a result of blocking a shot, there have been a few close calls.  

I apologize for the video quality, but this was perhaps the closest there has been to a player dying in the NHL from blocking a shot.  Trent McCleary suffered a fractured larynx on the play, and was never able to play hockey again after the incident.

What saved his life was the ambulance and medical crew which are on hand for every NHL game, a luxury that was unfortunately not available for Kyle Fundytus.

Shot blocking takes a lot of courage, but it is very important that it is done properly.  There is not much room for error.  Here are some tips for proper shot blocking techniques that coaches should be teaching players from the youth level and upwards.

North American players are known for their gritty style of play, and shot blocking is encouraged at the youth level.  The majority of players in the NHL are from Canada and the United States.  This means that players coming over from European leagues have to adapt to the North American style of play, and shot blocking is expected of them.

Canadian	54%
American	23%
Czech	4%
Swedish	6%
Finnish	2.50%
Russian	3%
Other	7.50%

        Stats are from NHL.com  

In terms of shot blocking, no one does it better on the SAIT Trojans than forward Garrett Watson.  Watson, who is currently injured, relishes his role for the Trojans and gives his team energy with his shot blocking.

“It’s not like scoring a goal, but when you get down and feel that puck hit you, you hear the bench behind you 100 percent, its just as good of a satisfaction,” said Watson.

Watson sees the incident in Edmonton as a tragic accident, but knows that young hockey players will do whatever it takes to win the game.

“It’s tough to tell a guy to avoid that, because at the end of the day you are just trying to do what you can to get two points for your team,” he said.

Shot blocking earns a player respect from his teammates and coaches, as it is a way to sacrifice your body for the team.

“It’s becoming a big aspect of the game and it shows the courage you have to put your body in the line of that puck.  It doesn’t feel good when you block that puck but it gives your team a boost,” said Trojans forward Matt Stefanishion.

There is much more to the game of hockey than scoring goals.  Each team needs a player like Garrett Watson, someone who will go to the tough areas, win faceoffs, and block shots. 

And while most of these stats don’t show up on the score sheet, Watson’s role on the Trojans is just as important as any of the leading scorers.

Always sacrificing his body for the team, Watson has earned a wealth of respect amongst his teammates and coaches.

“I miss Watty every day,” said Babey.

“His leadership on the ice, his commitment to the program, shotblocking, faceoffs, he reminds me of Joel Otto, a big guy who wins faceoffs and blocks shots.”

Brendan Shanahan

Brendan Shanahan is entering his first full season as the NHL's Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and head disciplinarian.  And while his job is one of power within the league, it is perhaps the most unenviable job the NHL has to offer these days.

The league is in the middle of a massive crackdown on headshots, and Shanahan is the one who has to enforce the new rules.

He has to walk the fine line of keeping the physical aspect of the game intact, but at the same time protect the players from concussions.

Shanahan has implemented a video system where he gives an explanation for his suspensions.  Here is an example.

And while Shanahan has taken a lot of heat since taking his new job, I think the league is going in the right direction with these explanation videos.

As a longtime fan of the game, my biggest concern was seeing a legal body check warrant a suspension based on how hard of a hit it was.  But after watching the Leafs and Senators battle it out on CBC the other night, I realized that Shanny and I are on the same page.

Ottawa Senators rookie Stephane De Costa cut across the blue line with his head down, and Dion Phaneuf drilled him with one of his signature hits that has made a name for himself in this league.  Here is the hit.

There is no question that Phaneuf caught a piece of his head, as the helmet went flying off right after the hit.  But the initial point of contact was at the chest level, and I commend Shanahan for not suspending Dion in this situation.

As for De Costa, he is a rookie who learned a valuable lesson, and he will think twice about doing that again especially with Phaneuf on the ice.

Sidney Crosby cleared for contact

The world's best hockey player is one step closer to returning to game action.

On Thursday, TSN reported that Sidney Crosby had finally been cleared for contact for the first time since his concussion suffered on Jan. 6.

Crosby's concussion has without a doubt been the most highly publicized injury in the NHL's recent memory.  But for some, it got too much attention.  On Tuesday night, the always outspoken Jeremy Roenick sounded off on the NHL network about the constant updates about basically nothing.

There is still no timetable for his return, but this is positive news for all fans of the sport.  Before Crosby got injured, he was playing at a level much higher than any other player in the league.

Despite being out since early January, Crosby was still ranked at the top of the list in TSN's top 50 players in the NHL.

If there's any silver lining in all of this, Crosby's injury raised awareness to an issue that has dominated sports headlines recently.  The awareness he raised led to action, and the NHL has implemented a serious crackdown on headshots since.  In early September, Crosby spoke out against headshots in the league, and said he wanted them completely taken out.  Clearly the league listened to what he had to say.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are still a very good team without Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (who is currently injured), but when these two are in the lineup they are the NHL's best team.  The HockeyNews posted their preseason predictions, and had Pittsburgh right at the top.

The hockey community has long awaited the return of Sidney Crosby.  And while there is no timetable, fans have to be patient.  For someone who has already won a World Junior Championship, Olympic Gold Medal, and a Stanley Cup, the most important thing for Sid now is to stay healthy.

2011/2012 Predictions

Western Conference Playoff Teams

1) Detroit
2) Vancouver
3) San Jose
4) Los Angeles
5) Chicago
6) Anaheim
7) Columbus
8) Colorado

Eastern Conference Playoff Teams

1) Washington
2) Pittsburgh
3) Buffalo
4) Philadelphia
5) Boston
6) Montreal
7) New York Rangers
8) Carolina

MVP: Alex Ovechkin
Vezina: Marc Andre Fleury
Norris: Drew Doughty

Stanley Cup Finals: Washington over San Jose

torres walks

To be completely honest, when I saw the Raffi Torres I thought he would be done for the rest of the playoffs.  But to everyone's surprise, Colin Campbell announced he would not be suspended and that the hit was within the rules of the league.  People tend to forget that certain checks to the head are still legal in the NHL, and it is only the hits from the blindside that are now illegal.   Over the past year, headshots have been the number one topic in the NHL and have everyone in the league ultra-sensitive about any hits to the head.  But don't forget, 5 years ago this hit would have had the majority of hockey fans on their feet and supplemental discipline would not even be considered.  If the current rules had been in place 20 years ago, Scott Stevens would have been suspended for half his games in the league.  The responsibility should be on the players to keep their head up in dangerous areas, such as behind the net where you know forecheckers are coming in hard especially in the playoffs.  Also, you have to be aware of who is on the ice.  Raffi Torres isn't out there as an offensive threat: his job is to make big hits and separate guys from the puck.

Western Predictions

(1) Vancouver vs. (8) Chicago

This clearly wasn't the most ideal matchup for the Canucks in the first round, but they also have an opportunity to get revenge on the defending champs and build some momentum going into the second round.  Last year, Chicago's depth proved to be too much for the Canucks and they bowed out in 6 games.  This year, the roles are reversed.  Gone from last year's Hawks are Byfuglien, Versteeg, Ladd, Eager, Burish, and Niemi.  The Canucks have added depth on the blue line, and fans in VanCity can rest assured that Shane O'Brien will not be killing penalties in the playoffs this time around.  For Chicago, the X factor in this series is Marian Hossa.  If he can play the way he is capable of playing and provide the Hawks with some secondary scoring, Van could be in trouble.  All eyes are on Roberto Luongo as he looks to rebound from the last 2 playoff series against the Hawks.  I think he is going to have a big series, as he is rested, and currently at the top of his game.  This going to be a tight, hard fought series, but in the end Vancouver's depth will prove too much for the Hawks.

Prediction: Canucks in 6

(2) San Jose vs. (7) Los Angeles

The Kings are banged up coming into this series, as they are missing leading scorer Anze Kopitar and second leading scorer Justin Williams.  A team that is already offensively challenged, they will need a lot out of guys like Penner, Smyth, and Brown to have any chance in this series.  No one wants to face the Sharks right now, as Heatley, Pavelski, Thornton, and Marleau are all capable of taking a game over.  I dont think LA stands a chance, but I would like them to prove me wrong.

Prediction: Sharks in 5

(3) Detroit vs. (6) Phoenix

The Phoenix Coyotes never really seem to get the respect they deserve.  In the ultra competitive Western Conference they are always in contention, yet they never have anyone in the top 30 of scoring and play in front of 5,000 fans a night.  They took Detroit to 7 games in the first round last year, and I think this series will be a lot closer than some people expect.  In the end, I think Detroit's playoff experience will be the deciding factor. More than any other team, the Wings know how to get it done in the playoffs.  Lidstrom, Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kronwall, Franzen, etc. always raise their level of play in the postseason, and the Coyotes will have their hands full defensively trying to stop these guys.  Bryzgalov will have to be huge for the Coyotes to have a chance, but Detroit is just too good.

Prediction: Red Wings in 6

(4) Anahiem vs. (5) Nashville

I think this will be one of the best series of the opening round.  The higher seeds in the West are happy these two are playing each other, because both of these teams will be dangerous to face in the playoffs.  Anahiem has arguably the best top line in the league right now, as Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan have been lighting it up lately.  Selanne has had a huge year at age 40, and is still very dangerous on the powerplay.  The deciding factor for the Ducks will be their play in net.  Jonas Hiller has been out since for the majority of the second half of the season, and if he remains out the Ducks will rotate between Dan Ellis and Ray Emery.  In the other crease, Pekka Rinne has been one of the best goalies in the league this year.  Nashville plays a very defensive style, and rely heavily on their Vezina candidate.  On the blue line they also have a Norris favorite in Shea Weber, and he will see lots of ice time against the Ducks top line.  This will be a very physical series, and I expect it to go the distance.

Prediction: Ducks in 7

Eastern Predictions

The playoff matchups are finally set, and today I will preview the Eastern Conference first round series...

(1) Washington vs. (8) New York

-This isn't the best possible matchup for the Capitals, as they have struggled against the Rangers this season.  That being said, the Caps have been one of the hottest teams in the league of late and are a different squad than the one who lost 7-0 at MSG earlier in the season when Ovi dropped the gloves with Dubinsky.  These teams went the distance in the first round two years ago, when the Caps came back from a 3-1 deficit to win in 7 games.  New York definitely has the edge in goaltending, and Lundqvist will have to be at the top of his game if the Rangers are going to compete in this series.  The pressure is all on Washington, as this team can't afford to lose to an eighth seed in the first round for the second year in a row.

Prediction: Washington in 6

(2) Philadelphia vs. (7) Buffalo

-The Flyers struggled down the stretch in the regular season, and eventually lost their number one seed to Washington.  Up front, the Flyers may very well be the deepest team in the league.  Their biggest question mark is in net, but don't read too much into this as they made it all the way to the finals last year with Michael Leighton between the pipes.  On the other side, Ryan Miller has proven to be among the NHL's elite in net over the last couple of seasons.  In my mind, he is the key to this series and I think he is going to have a big performance.

Prediction: Buffalo in 7

(3) Boston vs. (6) Montreal

-This is the series all hockey fans were hoping to see.  It is no secret that these original 6 rivals do not like each other one bit.  These two teams seriously went at it in the regular season, and played in some high scoring games filled with brawls.  This could be one of the most entertaining series of the first round.  As both teams play different styles, it will come down to who can impose their style on their opponent the most.  For Boston to be successful, they need to play a physical game and use their size to their advantage.  The line of Lucic, Horton, and Krejci will have to keep up their solid play for Boston to be successful.  For Montreal, the key to winning this series will be playing a disciplined game and capitalizing on their powerplay.  The Habs PP went 9/28 against the Bruins this season, and it is one of their greatest strengths.  As Boston has the size advantage, Montreal has an advantage in skill and speed, and will try to use that to their advantage.  Both goaltenders are key in this sries, and whoever outplays the other will go a long way in deciding this matchup.  Though I would like to see Montreal advance, the big bad Bruins are designed to win in the postseason.

Prediction: Boston in 6

(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Tampa Bay

-The Penguins proved to everyone that they are a much deeper team than everyone thought, as they locked up the 4th seed with 106 points, tied with Philly for the division lead and only 1 point out of first place in the conference.  And they did this without their two superstars, Crosby and Malkin.  Though Malkin is done for the season, Crosby could return in this series but it still remains unclear.  The Lightning are a streaky team, but if they can get Lecavalier going he would provide some much needed secondary scoring behind St. Louis and Stamkos.  In my mind Marc Andre Fleury is one of the most underrated goaltenders in the league, and is the main reason they are sitting where they are today.  Pittsburgh's edge in depth, playoff experience, and goaltending will be the deciding factors in this series.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 5


Western Conference predictions tomorrow....

final playoff push

The NHL playoffs are right around the corner, and there are currently plenty of close races that are certain to end in a photo finish.

With their loss last night, the Calgary Flames all but ended their playoff hopes.  All the teams ahead of them have games in hand, and the Flames have the fewest regulation wins amongst them which is the first tiebreaker.  The team has cooled off after a post-christmas surge, and it seems they dug too big of a hole for themselves at the start of the season.

4 thru 9 in the Western Conference looks like this: Phoenix, Chicago, LA, Nashville, Anahiem, Dallas.  Any of these teams could swap places over the next couple of weeks, and teams like Vancouver, Detroit and SJ will likely have to wait until the last day of the season until they know their first round matchup.

In the East, the Capitals have been absolutely on fire of late and find themselves only 1 point behind the Flyers for the conference lead.  If they can get the goaltending, this team will be very tough to beat in the playoffs.

Big game tonight in Boston as with a win the Habs can move within one point of the division lead.  This is the final meeting between the two teams and Boston has only beat Montreal once this season.  Don't expect any retribution for the Chara hit, as that is not Montreal's game.  The Habs have dominated the Bruins this season with their speed and skill, and Boston will have to come up with a better game plan other than trying to physically run their opponents out of the building.

Without their two superstars, the Penguins have kept themselves in the thick of things in the Eastern conference and are still within striking distance of the Flyers for their division title.  With Crosby back on skates and Fleury at the top of his game, no one wants to face this team in the playoffs either.

This is the best time of the year to be a hockey fan.  With so much more on the line, games are much more intense and the quality of hockey is rapidly increasing.  Teams are now resting banged up players in hopes they will be fresh for a long playoff run.  So grab some beers, sit back, and enjoy.

no suspension for chara

The Chara hit on Pacioretty has been a big topic for the last couple of days, and so it should be.  Max Pacioretty is still in a Montreal hospital suffering with a severe concussion and a fractured vertebrae.  Chara received a 5 minute major for interference and a game misconduct for the hit, but was given no supplemental discipline from the league.  A report out of Quebec today stated that the Montreal police are investigating the incident, but to me this is a waste of time.  Yes it was a brutal hit, which probably deserved a suspension, but in no way can anyone prove this was intentional.  Only Zdeno Chara knows what was running through his mind at the time.  In my mind there are a few flaws in the NHL's discipline system.  Firstly, they base way too much of it on reputation.  If that was Steve Downie making the hit, he would have received a minimum of 5 games.  Also, the league stated that they didn't think there was malicious intent from Chara during the hit, the key word there being intent.  How do you define intent?  No one will ever know if Chara meant to do it or not, as there was a bit of a history between the two players as I have mentioned in a previous post, but for someone in the front office in the league to look at the play and  write it off as an accident is just wrong.  The bottom line is that Chara made a careless play at a very dangerous part of the ice, which resulted in a player being severely injured.  How is this any different from the countless headshots and hits from behind we have seen this season?  An open ice headshot is usually not the intended result of the player making the hit, but the game moves so fast now and a split second can turn a big hit into a devastating one.  The league has made a point of it this year to make players accountable for their actions, and I think they really dropped the ball on the Chara incident.  Enough of this intent garbage, if you make a careless play like that you should pay the price.  Pacioretty could have been killed from that hit.  Chara is an 11 year veteran of the league, has played countless games at the Bell Center playing with both Ottawa and Boston, so don't try to tell me he didn't know where he was on the ice.  The league really needs to get some ground rules on hits like this, as the suspensions we have seen handed out this season have been all over the map.  I mean honestly, if a little Trevor Gillies forearm to the head of Clutterbuck warrants a 10 game suspension and this gets nothing, shouldn't the league reconsider their discipline policy?

deadline day

The NHL's trading deadline passed today, and with all the hype TSN puts up it turned out to be pretty boring and uneventful.  For anyone who was brave enough to watch it, they saw Bob Mckenzie playing brickbreaker on his Blackberry more than he was talking to his sources.

The biggest deal of the day was Dustin Penner going to the Kings, who gave up quite a bit in Teubert a first and a third.  Edmonton keeps getting younger, but the playoffs may be a few more years away.

The Florida Panthers held their annual yard sale making four separate trades.  It seems every year this team is trading away all their players without getting any better in return.  Maybe this is why Florida is such a shitty team: the players know if they start to play well their stock will rise and they will be dealt out of sunny Miami to a place like Calgary where it is currently -30.  Trust me it sucks.

The Canucks added some depth up front without losing any current roster players, and if Chris Higgins can figure it out maybe he'll pressure Mason Raymond for his spot on the second line.  Lapierre adds a bit of grit and playoff experience as well.

All in all, the trade deadline is not as big of a deal as its made up to be.  Teams often ask way too much for rental players, and sometimes its just best to add depth rather than overhaul your roster.  A big trade can mess with a team's chemistry.  I think we are seeing the decline of deadline day, and now more moves will be made at the draft and on free agency day July 1.

MVP

Over the past 30 years, the NHL MVP award has followed somewhat of a similar pattern.  The Wayne Gretzky era started in 1980 and he pretty much owned the award until the 1990's.  From there you have a mixture of Lemieux, Messier, Hull, Lindros, Jagr, etc.  From 2000 and on we have guys like Forsberg, St Louis, Thornton, Crosby, Ovechkin x2, and Henrik Sedin.  The trend here is that all of these guys had huge offensive seasons, either winning the scoring race or coming very close to doing so.  But every now and then the NHL goes off the map such as Jose Theodore in 2002, Chris Pronger in 2000, or Dominik Hasek back to back in '97 and '98.  I feel like this is going to be one of those years.  Crosby would have run away with this trophy had he not been injured.  Stamkos has had a big year and should definitely be considered.  Daniel Sedin leads in points right now with his brother right behind him, but dont expect the league to split the trophy in half and hand it to the twins.  Tim Thomas could draw some votes, but my nomination is Ryan Kesler.  Before you Flames fans start calling me biased and a homer, just hear me out.  At the moment he sits 12th in the league in points with 57, and 2nd in goals with 33.  His +23 rating is currently 5th in the league.  The Canucks power play is ranked first in the league, and much of this can be credited to having Kesler on the first unit.  There is no one better in the league at screening the goaltender, and this is something that doesn't show up on the stat sheet.  He worked on his wrist shot in the offseason, and it has paid off big time.  I have never seen someone cover as much ice as Kesler, as he is aggressive on the attack but is still always the first guy back on the backcheck.  But don't let Kesler's offensive numbers fool you; he made a name for himself in this league as a checker and the defensive aspect of his game is perhaps the best part.  He is without question Vancouver's best penalty killer, and is very dangerous shorthanded.  He was nominated for the Selke award for the past 2 seasons, and is certainly playing at the same level defensively this year.  Although he is not the captain, he is the emotional leader of the Canucks who are currently at the top of the Western Conference.  He really does it all, and is truly a complete player.  Right now I cannot think of anyone who is more valuable to his team than Ryan Kesler, which is what the MVP award is supposed to be all about.

blockbusters

Two massive deals in the NHL over the weekend.  Firstly, the Colorado Avalanche sent Chris Stewart, Kevin Shattenkirk and a second rounder to the St Louis Blues for Erik Johnson, Jay Mclement and a first rounder.  This was a huge trade for both teams, as each traded away what seemed to be key pieces to their future.  Erik Johnson is no doubt a solid defenseman, but if the Blues could go back in time to the 2006 draft they most certainly would select Jonathan Toews.  That being said, he is quite young and is still developing while playing at a high level.  In Chris Stewart the Blues are getting a 23 year old power forward who racks up points and PIMs, and is coming off a breakout season in which he scored 28 goals.  Shattenkirk is a promising young defenceman and I am very surprised Colorado gave him up this easily.  Im my mind, the Blues win this trade in a landslide.  Peter Stastny, hall of fame father of Colorado's Paul Stastny, also thought so and ripped the team saying the trade impeded their progress by 3-4 years.  In another blockbuster deal, the Dallas Stars shipped James Neal and Matt Niskanen to Pittsburgh for Alex Goligoski.  It has been no secret for the past 2 years Sidney Crosby has been urging the Pittsburgh front office to go out and get him a scoring winger, and now he finally has his wish.  You can bet his headache felt a bit better after hearing about this deal, as in Neal Pittsbugh gets a 23 year old winger with a heavy shot, and a lot of potential.  Playing on a line with Sid this guy could easily score 40 goals next year.  You can bet each of these players were scouted heavily by the organizations they now play for, and with the amount of youth involved it will take 3-4 years for us to figure out which of these teams benefit the most from the trades.

trading day

Big day for trades in the NHL today, and with 10 days until the trade deadline we have already seen a ton of action.  After hearing speculation about a Tomas Kaberle trade to Boston almost daily for the past year, the deal is finally done and Kaberle is finally a Bruin.  Kaberle will provide some depth for Boston's blue line, but deals like this can be risky.  If Boston makes a deep playoff run and resigns Kaberle in the offseason, it is a big success for the Bruins.  But if Boston coasts into the playoffs, get upset in the first round and watch Kaberle bolt off to another team the prospect and a first rounder they gave up for him is pretty expensive for 2 months of work.  In another deal Boston sent Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart to Atlanta, which I thought was a pretty steep price to pay.  Tampa Bay traded for Eric Brewer today, which gave them some much needed depth on the blueline.  If they can get consistent goaltending, they look like a team that can make a deep playoff run.  Kris Versteeg never really worked out in Toronto, and now Philly hopes he can repeat his playoff performance from a year ago.  There have been a bunch of minor deals that I won't get into, but this year it seems like the action is starting a lot earlier than usual.  But the NHL trading season really does have a domino effect, as with each trade teams start to get more desperate and GM's are much quicker to pull the trigger on a deal.

grabner

Islanders forward Michael Grabner has been absolutely on fire of late, and thrown his name into the mix for rookie of the year.  With his OT winner last night he capped off his second career hat trick, giving him 24 goals on the season which ties him with Logan Couture for the rookie lead.  What makes this even more surprising is how the Islanders picked up Grabner for absolutely nothing after he was cut by the Florida Panthers in the preseason.  Florida acquired Grabner from Vancouver along with salary dump Steve Bernier and a 1st round pick in exchange for Keith Ballard.  A lot of Canucks fans were upset to get rid of Grabner, as she showed flashes of brilliance in some of the few games he played for them last year.  The Canucks also have a lot of depth up front and at the time needed help on the blue line, so he was an asset they could afford to lose.  But is he an asset Florida can afford to lose?  What were they thinking?  If you can put up 24 goals playing for the Islanders you can pretty much do it anywhere.  Grabner showcased his speed at the NHL allstar game beating Taylor Hall twice to win the fastest skater.  But speed was never the question with him, it was more about his hands and his play with the puck.  He is now starting to show he can finish around the net, and he certainly creates a lot of chances with his speed.  This year's rookie class has been one of the best in recent memory, with Grabner, PK Subban, Jeff Skinner, and Logan Couture all playing big roles for their respective teams, and it will be interesting to see which of these guys takes the ROY award at the end of the season.

old time hockey

How rowdy has the NHL been the past couple of weeks?  Line brawls, goalie fights, guys hoppin off the bench to scrap, it feels like the 1970's all over again!  While there has been a lot of talk of how this has brought negative attention to the league, I personally love it.  The two games that really boiled over were Boston Montreal, and Pittsburgh New York.  In both cases we have division rivals who clearly don't like each other, and incidents in the previous games played carried over.  In the previous Bruins Habs game Max Pacioretty took a shot at Zdeno Chara which sparked a melee with no time left on the clock.  Pacioretty now knows that Chara is a giant that is probably better off left asleep.  Boston is a big, physical team, and Montreal is one of the smaller teams in the league.  While the Habs can't afford to play many games against the Bruins like this, I love how the team stood up for one another and didn't back down.  In the other game, the Islanders were upset about a Maxime Talbot's hit (which I thought was clean) that left Blake Comeau concussed, and a Brent Johnson one punch that left Rick DiPietro with a broken face.  The Islanders responded by rallying every single goon within their organization and sent them out to cause havoc against the Pens.  The game turned into a blowout fast, which certainly didn't help.  I thought Matt Martin's sucker punch on Talbot deserved more than a 4 game suspension, as luckily Talbot wasn't hurt but it was shockingly similar to the Bertuzzi incident on Steve Moore and I thought the NHL would have taken a tougher stand against such a play.  Islanders rookie Michael Haley, who had 27 PIMs in the game, will almost certainly be jumped the next time these two teams play.  You need to earn a little bit of respect in this league before you start running around like a mad man and picking fights with goalies.

beauchemin back to the ducks

The first domino of the NHL's trading season fell today, with the Toronto Maple Leafs shipping D-man Francois Beauchemin to the Anahiem Ducks for Joffrey Lupul, prospect Jake Gardiner and a 4th round pick.  This is a good deal for both teams.  Beauchemin was a big part of the Ducks' success when they won the cup in 2007, but didn't really raise his game playing in Toronto.  In return Toronto got a 3 time 20 goal scorer who is coming off two injury plagued seasons, but he will provide some much needed offense.  More importantly Toronto got some youth, and lets hope for Leafs fans this is the first step in the right direction for the team.  Beauchemin was certainly drawing attention from other teams, and with him being dealt we may see a few more trades sooner rather than later.  A D-man with playoff experience is one of the biggest assets a team can have this time of the year, and look for Chris Phillips to be traded before the deadline.  Washington, Boston, and San Jose would love to beef up their blue lines, and the deal today may  sweeten the offers for the Ottawa defenseman.

Canucks keep rollin'

Expectations were at an all time high heading into the season for the Vancouver Canucks this season.  Henrik had just won MVP, Ryan Kesler had a breakout year, and they addressed all their needs in the offseason.  The Canucks were a solid team last year, but had every single one of their weaknesses exposed in the postseason by the eventual Stanley Cup champions the Chicago Blackhawks.  Kyle Wellwood was the 3rd line center, and to me the difference in the series was the effectiveness of Chicago's 3rd line (Bolland, Byfuglien, etc.) compared to the ineffectiveness of Vancouver's.  With Manny Malhotra filling in for Well-fed this season, it is a significant upgrade.  Torres provides some much needed grit, and Tambellini has been a nice surprise this season adding even more offensive depth.  Shane O'Brien and Andrew Alberts were also exposed by Chicago in the playoffs, so Gillis responded by going out and getting Dan Hamhuis and Keith Ballard.  Another weakness in the playoffs was Luongo.  I am really liking what I have seen from him so far this season.  Under new goalie coach Rollie Melanson, Luongo is playing with much more confidence, and has changed his approach.  He is playing deeper in his net, using his big body and good positioning to keep pucks out of the net.  This also keeps him away from crease crashers like Byfuglien, and the Vancouver D is doing a much better job of clearing the front of the net allowing Lu to see the puck much better.  Not to mention, Corey Schneider is more than a capable backup, and if Lu gets lit up for 7 like he has in the last couple of playoff series Vigneault will definitely consider throwing in Schneider, I think he has that much confidence in him.  Last year Vancouver had the best home record in the league, but were mediocre on the road with a .500 record.  They are getting it done both at home and on the road this year.  They are #1 in the league in goals for, and in the top 5 in goals against.  Their power play and penalty kill are both top 5 in the league.  Plain and simple, this team is clicking on all cylinders offensively while getting solid D and goaltending.  With 77 points the Canucks are 9 points up on Detroit for first in the West, but whether they finish 1st or 8th this team's success this year will be measured on what they can do in the playoffs.

ovi's power outage

So who would have guessed at this point in the season Alex Ovechkin would be 22nd in the league in goals for with 19???  No one could have seen this coming.  Washington led the league in goal scoring last year with 313 goals, yet the entire team is having difficulty putting the puck in the net this season.  The stat that is the most surprising to me is Ovechkin's PPG total thus far: TWO GOALS!  Are you kidding me? Not to mention these two power play goals were scored 13 seconds apart from each other in a blowout of the Calgary Flames.  I watched the Montreal Washington game on TSN last night and Ray Ferraro on many different occasions pointed out Ovechkin's body language.  He was seen waving for the puck, and when he didn't receive it he would throw his hands up in frustration, turn around and half ass his backcheck like he was Zach Moe.  This is not something you want to see out of your star player, never mind your captain.  I personally do not think he should be the captain of this team.  I am aware that he is responsible for probably half the ticket sales and over half the jersey sales in Washington, but this is more about the team than the fans.  A captain needs to go out and lead by example, and play hard on both ends of the ice.  Ovi doesn't do this.  If I were Boudreau I would give the C to a guy like Brooks Laich.  It seems Ovi is constantly putting himself above the team, and I feel this has disrupted their chemistry.  Mike Green is having an off season.  So is Backstrom.  This team is clicking when Ovechkin is at the top of his game.  He is the key to their success, and he needs to pick it up if the Caps have any hope of competing with Pittsburgh, Philly, and Boston in the East.

Leafs

When Brian Burke took over the job in Toronto, his past success had Leafs fans optimistic about a quick turnaround.  Unfortunately for fans in Toronto, all Burke has done thus far is halt the progress of a rebuilding team.  He pulled the trigger on the Phil Kessel deal way too fast in my opinion, without having the opportunity to seriously assess his team.  For the second year in a row the Leafs find themselves at the bottom of the standings, without a 1st round pick to look forward to.  For a young team who lacks offense, these draft picks are extremely valuable.  Not to mention that the Boston Bruins, a division rival, are loading up for their future with Toronto's picks while currently having a very strong team.  They don't miss Kessel one bit, as Nathan Horton has filled in nicely.   Kessel had a few good seasons in Boston, but let's not forget he was centered by Marc Savard who in my mind is one of the best pure passers in the game.  There are very few guys in the league who are worth two high first round picks, and Kessel certainly is not one of them.  With limited draft picks and few prospects, the Leafs need to make a splash in free agency this summer.  Look for them to actively pursue Brad Richards, who is a UFA in the offseason.  Despite their struggles Toronto is still a desired place to play for many players in the league, but the question is whether Richards would want to be a part of a rebuilding team or wants to win another cup now.  Burke was quoted a week ago saying that they want to be buyers at the deadline.  My advice to you Brian, put the ego aside for a second, cut your losses and properly rebuild this team through the draft and acquisitions.  Toronto fans have waited far too long to have a winner on the ice, and they may have to wait a little while longer at this rate.

duds

Here are the top 3 disappointments from the first half...

1) Ilya Kovalchuk- Big shock here.  The Kovalchuk situation in Jersey has been a complete mess from the very beginning.  The team was so tied up with his big contract they could only dress 3 lines for some games at the start of the season, and Kovy isn't even coming close to earning that pay.  He has only 29 points in 48 games played this season, one less than the incompetent Olli Jokinen.  His +/- is the worst in the league at -29.  But what makes this guy a huge dud to me is how he has brought his team down to the very bottom of the NHL standings.  Jersey was a division winner last year, and have made the playoffs for the past 13 seasons.  He has clearly shaken up the chemistry of this team, and I am not sure as to how well liked he is in the locker room.  I think Kovalchuk is driven more by cash and individual stats rather than winning.  If not, why would he turn down a 10 year $83 million deal with the LA Kings, who apart from being an up and coming young team, have a solid fan base.  Kovy is just as content playing in Newark where the seats are as empty as Atlanta, on yet another team destined to miss the playoffs.  The Atlanta Thrashers this season look much more promising than they ever did with Kovalchuk, because they replaced him with character guys and are now more of a team.  Dont be surprised if Ilya attempts to bolt to the KHL in the next couple of seasons.

2) Joe Thornton-  For the past 5 seasons, it was almost a given that the Sharks would be in the top 3 of the west and Jumbo Joe would be top 10 in scoring.  This year Thornton's play has declined, and consequently the Sharks are now battling for their playoff lives.  His 44 points in 48 games is average for his standards, and his -14 will have to improve if this team wants to be playing in April.  It seems the Stanley Cup window is closing fast for this team, who have always proven to be a dominant team in the regular season but could never get it done in the playoffs.  I am big fan of Thornton and I have always thought his criticism was a bit undeserved, but at the age of 31 it seems he is slowing down ever so slightly.  San Jose is at their best when Joe is at the top of his game.  Joe missed out on the all-star game this year, despite being the captain of the western conference team 2009 in montreal.  He made a 50 goal scorer out of current zamboni driver Jonathon Cheechoo, and Dany Heatley relies on Thornton heavily to get him the puck.  San Jose will only go as far as Joe will take them, and his play will have to elevate in the second half for this team to get into the playoffs.

3) Drew Doughty- A preseason Norris favourite, Doughty's play has taken a step back this season.  The Kings are currently struggling sitting at 11th in the Western Conference.  It's not like Doughty has terrible this season, but his coming out party at the olympics followed by a strong second half and playoff performance set the bar very high for him this year.  But let's keep this in perspective.  Drew is only 21 years old, and seemingly has a hall of fame career ahead of him.  Part of me feels like he is playing a bit injured, but he is way too valuable for the Kings to shut down for a good portion of the season.  Look for Doughty's play to pick up in the second half and for the Kings to make a strong push for the playoffs.

surprises

So now that we have reached the all-star break of the 2011 season, it's time to look back at the league's most surprising, and most disappointing players thus far.

Studs

1) Tim Thomas- Coming off a dismal 09/10 season, Tim Thomas looks to be back in his Vezina form from 2 years ago.  At the moment he leads the league in Save %, GAA, and shutouts, while being 2nd in wins.   But more importantly, he has made Boston a legit contender in the east, and you can bet not many teams will be looking forward to facing this guy in the playoffs.

2) Ryan Kesler- Though Kesler didnt get the C in Vancouver, he has emerged as the true leader of the Canucks.  He has limited his on ice chirping and now lets his play do the talking.  He sits tied for third (with teammate D. Sedin) in the NHL in goals with 27, while playing on a second line in which both his linemates are having disappointing seasons.  At the same time, Kes is just as valuable to the Canucks for his defensive play.  He is the real difference maker for this team, and is a big reason why they are sitting atop the western conference.

3) Dustin Byfuglien- Big Buff has been huge for the Thrashers in the first half of the season, and it seems he is more suited to patrolling the blue line rather than terrorizing opposing goalies in front of the net with his 6'5'' 265lb frame.  His 41 points are good for 4th in defensive scoring, and his 6 game winning goals are tops in the league.  He has certainly benefited from Atlanta's system, as they have given him much more freedom than he saw in Chicago.  He is encouraged to jump up in the rush and let his big shot go from the blue line, as he has 217 shots on goal thus far good for 2nd in the league.  More importantly, Byfuglien has given this Atlanta team a bit of swagger, and they should be a playoff team come April.

Check tomorrow for the top 3 disappointments...

Yandle

Who is the best kept secret in the NHL?  Without a question, it's Keith Yandle.  Playing in the desert, and on the west coast in front of 10,000 fans per night certainly helps this cause.  If he played for the Leafs he would be considered a Norris candidate, which I think could be in the future for this young star.  I've been big on this guy since last year and at 24 years of age he is starting to show his real potential. Yandle didnt even make the US olympic team last year, but right now he is arguably playing better than any other D-man who was on that squad.  This just shows how far this guy has progressed in such little time.  With 42 points he leads the Coyotes in scoring, and is a big reason for the team's surprising yet continued success.  You can bet Yandle will recieve a big pay raise and lots of attention from the big name markets once his contract is up in Phoenix.