November 20, 2006
Brind'Amour leads Hurricanes' charge
He might be 36, but Rod Brind'Amour is still among the NHL's top scorers.
Rod Brind'Amour has had plenty written about him as captain, warrior and winner. And yet it's still not enough. At age 36 the Canes' leader is doing everything on offense and defense that one could ask. Nobody is saying Carolina is going to repeat but if they do, it'll be more Brind'Amour than any other Hurricane who'll be pacing the defending Stanley Cup champions.
Gary Agnew may not last beyond Thursday as the Blue Jackets' very-interim head coach. No matter. We're tickled that this good man, who has paid his dues, has made it to The Show. Gary climbed the ladder, first from the London Knights and then to the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL, where he excelled for six years. He tells a good story about an old cop who, to this day, provides him with inspiration. "There used to be a policeman in Montreal," Agnew recalls. "People would go out to watch him direct traffic because he did it with passion, excitement and enthusiasm. That's what I try to live by."
GOSSIP: Andy Murray appears to be frontrunner for the Blue Jackets coaching slot, but only if Ken Hitchcock nixes Ohio. Hitch already has talked to the high command; next is AM. It just might be that Hitch will remain a Flyers' aide for the rest of the season - and read more Civil War books. Pat Quinn, who does not appear to fit, is the longest of Columbus longshots. By the way, isn't it time for someone to consider a good, solid man like Robbie Ftorek for a head-coaching job?
Amazingly, for someone who continues to imitate The Invisible Man, Brian Leetch continues to stir conversation - if not a contract offer. One source tells us that BL is laying low waiting for a delectable opening; but only from a select few teams. The Rangers, we're certain, is not one of them. The Flyers? Perhaps.
No one has flown more deftly under the NHL radar than Teppo Numminen. Exhibit A: The Fabulous Finn broke Jari Kurri's record of 1,251 games played by a European in the NHL and hardly anyone in the world noticed; except Darcy Regier, who was wise enough to sign him.
Versus network is trying out a "rail cam," located just above the glass. It promises to offer viewers a closer view of The Game.
The Chicago Tribune's Bob Foltman has an interesting theory on the possible trading of Nikolai Khabibulin: "Dale Tallon immediately should let the rest of the NHL know the goaltender is available for a forward - preferably a center - who can score." Foltman believes Brian Boucher is ready to take over. "Boucher proved he can be a number one goaltender again, and it's unlikely the Hawks' record would be much different if Khabibulin had not been hurt," says the scribe.
Two problems in Columbus: 1. Sergei Fedorov no longer is SERGEI FEDOROV and Nikolai Zherdev has disappointed in more than one way.
John Tortorella's intensity doesn't jibe with referees with rabbit ears. We love JT but - officiating being what it is today - it's best that he up his boiling point.
Speaking of the Lightning, we're wondering when Jay Feaster will decide - if he ever does - that it's time to unload either Vin Lecavalier, Brad Richards or Marty St. Louis.
Our man in Vancouver, Ron Spence, has an interesting bit of advice for Dave Nonis: "Trade Brendan Morrison for Anson Carter. The Canucks would lose some money but regain a guy who played well with the Sedins last season."
Tom Renney, master of the $100 words, has come up with another gem - synchronicity; as in "There's synchronicity between my defensive pairings!"
IS HOCKEY TOO SOFT? The NHL's campaign to clean up The Game has been both laudable and successful - but not without a slightly negative fallout.
Some critics believe that the cleanup crusade has taken a certain bite or "edge" off the entertainment package.
As Gordie Howe liked to say, "Hockey is a man's game!"
By that he meant that fighting and other forms of occasional mayhem are as much a part of the sport's spirit as stickhandling and scoring.
Thus, the question: Has too much of the rough stuff been removed?
In a recent Toronto Globe and Mail column, Bill Houston found one or two critics of the current style.
"It's a myth that today's hockey is entertaining," co-host Bill Watters said on AM640 Toronto's Leafs Lunch program.
There's a feeling that referee's are over-doing it in terms of marginal calls. A good example was an incident in a recent Panthers-Sabres game in Buffalo, which was tied in the final minutes of the third period. Gary Roberts was called for holding in the neutral zone away from the action; a questionable penalty. On the ensuing power play Tomas Vanek scored, giving Buffalo a 5-4 win.
When Roberts sought an explanation, he was told to get off the ice but refused. His reward was two 10-minute penalties (misconduct and gross misconduct) as well as an unsportsmanlike conduct.
It wasn't the first time this respected veteran has objected to what Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean calls "chintzy calls."
As Houston notes, "many are unrelated to obstruction. A player gives another a push after the whistle and gets sent off. Or, a player is penalized after his stick brushes the sweater of an attacking forward along the boards.
"The calls not only disrupt the pace and flow of a game, but they also eliminate the emotional and aggressive component of hockey," says Houston.
There's a feeling among some insiders that the excess of marginal - unnecessary - calls is the product of young referees trying to please their NHL superiors.
One thing is certain: If at the end of the season attendance and TV ratings are significantly down, these complaints will have to be addressed.
MORE GOSSIP: Can you see Patrick Roy coaching some day in the NHL? The new Hall of Famer certainly can not but he's wise enough to attach an asterisk to that: "I should never say never," St. Patrick insists, "but I'd be surprised if it happened. I'm enjoying what I'm doing because I have a lot of free time, I'm able to see my children and watch them play hockey. It's a good time in my life right now and my job (owner, g.m., coach, Quebec Remparts) is a perfect fit."
Nobody knows for sure when or how it'll happen, but we get the feeling that Mark Messier is no more than a season away from an NHL team executive position.
Sid Crosby may be the best player in Pittsburgh, but he's not the funniest. That title belongs to Andre Roy. One of AR's gambits is having a "fight" with himself, including a pull of his jersey over his head and imitating Ned Braden of the classic ice flick, Slap Shot. "He's constantly making guys laugh," says Ryan Whitney.
Crosby allows that the difference between playing in the NHL as a rookie compared to his current sophomore status is the tighter checking. "Last year," adds The Kid, "I surprised some guys."
Martin Straka on Jaromir Jagr then and now: "He got a little bit bigger!"
You'll never guess who's handling Al Ovechkin as his interim agent: none other than his mom, former Olympic hoops Gold Medalist, Tatiana. The rep grapevine doesn't expect that to last long. Nor do we!
Glad to see that the Flyers got around to giving John Stevens a two-year pact. Philly needed the stability and leadership missing with the previous interim deal.
INTERVIEW: THE BLUES' JOHN DAVIDSON: A future Hall of Famer as a broadcast analyst, the legendary JD left his mike-work to become new leader of the St. Louis Blues.
In an interview with Stan Fischler, JD touched on the following issues:
HIS NEW JOB: It's bigger than I thought. I surveyed the scene and realized that whatever happened last year, our fans had been kicked around. The challenge was twofold; rebuilding the team and winning back our fans. I have to have patience because this is a real and expensive job to rebuild properly. We want to ice a team that will compete but we don't want to rush things by trading a good prospect for an older player. We won't do that.
EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITY OF HIS POSITION: It is what I thought it would be but there have been disappointments. We knew we had to pay a price to get better and sometimes the losses are very frustrating. But we have to stick with our formula and do what we have to do. I'm more emotionally involved than when I was broadcasting and, of course, I get frustrated when we lose.
MEDIA CRITICS: First of all, they care about the Blues. But the fact is that the Cardinals' World Series success overshadowed us in October. And when we got down, it was easy for them to kick us around. When we had our Western trip, hometown reporters in Calgary and Edmonton commented on our crowds. But that was the way it had been out there not too long ago and each of those teams were rebuilt the right way. That's the route we're taking but you don't get to the destination in two seconds. What we have to do is take care of the fans we now have.
HIS MOST PLEASANT SURPRISES ON THE TEAM: Some of the young guys have been impressive. Lee Stempniak, a right winger, is a good example. On defense, I like Dennis Wideman. Plus, Bryce Salvador really has impressed me as a warrior.
VIEW OF THE VETERANS: We need more of the older guys contributing; Doug Weight, Keith Tkachuk and Bill Guerin. What we need is our best players to lead the team. If they do that, the other things will fall into place.
MISSING HIS TV WORK: What I miss most is what we had at MSG Network. There was a special friendship there among the whole crew, from the broadcasters such as Sam Rosen and Al Trautwig to our producer Joe Whelan, director Bobby Lewis and Paula McHale, all of whom were part of this team. It was a great group and we all liked each other. That part was hard for me to leave.
BUSINESS: Too often the NHL did not get sufficient credit in the realm of business. The league has been eminently pro-active since the resumption of play and the latest example is a deal that Bettman, Inc. hammered out with Google. What's so good about it? "This is obviously an on-demand world where people want what they want, when they want it and where they want it," said Keith Ritter, president of the new NHL Interactive CyberEnterprises. "Google is a place where we definitely need to be."
In a Street and Smith Sports Business Daily front-pager, Eric Fisher observes, "Google video will create an NHL-themed area of its video store. The area will also include hockey-themed, user-generated video. The full-length games will cost about $2.99 each, with classic contests also available for purchase."
GOSSIP III: Coyotes center Jeremy Roenick is finally getting into show business. JR will guest star on the November 24 episode CBS drama "Ghost Whisperer" as an assistant baseball coach.
Despite Don Cherry's advice, Dan Alfredsson does not think a change of scenery will revitalize his career. "I don't want to be traded," says DA.
The Flames' renaissance can be attributed to their air-tight defense. Calgary has not allowed a 5-on-5 goal in more than 17 periods!
Marty Biron gets annoyed at the TV when his Sabres lose to the Leafs. "Lose against most teams, and there'll be the odd replay on the tube. Lose to the Leafs, especially in Buffalo, and the highlights don't ever seem to end. If they beat you, the next morning all they show and talk about on TSN and the other sports programs up there is Leafs, Leafs, Leafs."
Aaron Broten tells us that it's terribly unfair of the Hall of Fame to have bypassed Dino Ciccarelli despite his 608 career NHL goals. The former Devil visited New Jersey as part of the club's 25th anniversary celebration festivities.
Everybody loves Dave Lewis in Boston, but at least one pal would like to see him more assertive when the team is down.
Remember the negative uproar when the Flyers and Whalers wore the long pants as part of their uniforms many years ago? Well, traditionalists will be in for a shock again when the league introduces new, sleeker jerseys designed by Reebok. They may be on display as early as the All-Star Game in Dallas. Of course, if public opinion is totally against them, we may never see them again. A feature will be snug sweaters tucked into uniform pants.
As we approach season's quarter-pole, it's time to examine the leading candidates for each of the NHL's major awards.
Art Ross Trophy (Top Point Scorer): Jaromir Jagr (Rangers)
Playing with an injured shoulder from last year's playoffs, the captain continues to impress. He leads the league in points with nine goals and 23 assists. His unrelenting production is a must for any hope of Ranger success.
Honorable Mention: Rod Brind'Amour (Carolina)
A Stanley Cup hangover is out of the question when it comes to this relentless 36-year-old center. Brind'Amour, second in the league in scoring, is as motivated as ever.
Calder Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year): Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh)
After missing a handful of games due to a shoulder injury, Malkin took the league by storm, tallying goals in each of his first six games. He has proven to be a real talent, scoring points in all but four of his games.
Honorable Mention: Anze Kopitar (Los Angeles)
This slick Slovenian has emphatically proven scouts wrong. He's a dynamic player and should be a #1 center in the league for many years.
Hart Memorial Trophy (NHL Most Valuable Player): Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit)
No other NHL player has been more valuable to his club than Lidstrom. On a team accustomed to being offensive-minded, Lidstrom has adapted to a defense-first style. This results in more pressure on the new Wings captain. Still, he's a plus-21 with a paltry 41 goals against.
Honorable Mention: Zdeno Chara (Boston)
Big Z's offensive numbers are down, but his work on the backline has helped turn the B's season around. Ottawa misses him big-time.
Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year): Paul Maurice (Toronto)
After the media wrote them off in the pre-season, the Leafs have been one of the league's biggest surprises. The team plays hard for Maurice, who brings a soothing style of coaching to Toronto. Currently the Leafs sit fifth overall in the East.
Honorable Mention: Ted Nolan (Islanders)
He's accomplished the most difficult task; kick-starting Alexei Yashin. Nolan has also brought a high level of professionalism and stability behind the Islanders bench.
James Norris Memorial Trophy (Top Defenseman): Tomas Kaberle (Toronto)
Watching the Leafs play, I can only conclude that he's the one guy who stands out game-in, game-out. Kaberle makes everyone better; most of all Bryan McCabe. He moves the puck as well as any backliner, while his play in the defensive zone has been a key to the Leafs surprising start.
Honorable Mention: Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit)
See MVP.
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Player who Displays Gentlemanly Conduct): Daniel Briere (Buffalo)
Briere, a true gentleman on and off the ice, leads by example. The Sabres captain is among the league's top scorers as well, gaining 27 points in 20 games.
Honorable Mention: Patrick Marleau (San Jose)
The Sharks captain has scored 12 goals and has 12 assists, while only drawing four minor penalties.
Vezina Trophy (Top Goalie): Vesa Toskala (San Jose)
While splitting time with Evgeni Nabakov, Toskala has proven that he is the real number one goalie in San Jose, while turning Nabakov into trade bait. Vesa is 10-2, with a 2.06 GAA. What's amazing is his .927 save percentage. He should be starting a lot more than half of the Sharks games.
Honorable Mention: Marty Turco (Dallas)
In addition to being second in the league in wins with eleven, Turco has kept the Stars in many games with his stellar play.
P.O. Box 24024 - Edina, MN 55424 - ph. (612) 929-2171 - fax. (612) 920-8326