All-purpose hockey thread...

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

The Rangers beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions tonight, 4-2 at the Garden. A very strong effort by the Rangers tonight.

After Christmas, the schedule becomes progressively harder (games at Ottawa and Detroit, along with hosting Tampa, Philly, Calgary, Edmonton). It will be interesting to see if the New York branch of the Czech National Team can continue its solid play. Or, does Sather make a move to upgrade the on-ice product while altering the proverbial "team chemistry."

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Slats is always willing to tinker and never shy to pull the triger.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Since this is the main hockey thread, don't forget the World Junior Championship starts on Boxing Day in Vancouver and environs.

This is the tournament that TSN turned from an "Oh, how nice the kids are playing in the Soviet Union" to one of the most watched sporting events up here. Don't know whether our friends south of the border get it, but if you do, tune in. It's exciting hockey.

Lots of info on the Hockey Canada site:

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/3/5/2/0/index1.shtml

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Pretty good hockey game between the Hawks and Wings tonight.

Hawks control the action for the first two periods. Wings control the third period, but can't get one past Khabibulin. But score two goals in the last minute with the goalie pulled to tie it up and force OT.

Ends up 4-on-3 Wings power play with about a 1:49 left in the game. Datsyuk wins it with a one-timer with about two-tenths of a second on the overtime clock.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Oilers once again with a big comeback win. Four come from behind wins in the third period in a row. finally got some decent goaltending. first time in weeks it seems, now sitting first in the division and second in the conference. and one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch, ewvery game is a shootout.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL



Many snubbed players deserve Olympic action

Those left behind by a national team often say as much about the team's strength as those players selected to represent the country in question.

Thursday marked the deadline for the submission of final rosters from the national federations of the teams involved in February's Olympic tournament in Italy. Every team, except for the United States, Canada and Germany, waited until the final day to name their 23-man rosters, using every allotted minute to formulate the most complete team possible.
Today, meanwhile, marks the beginning of the second-guessing, especially in those countries with a strong hockey base and a legitimate shot to take home a medal.

And, as always, there was plenty to second guess as the dozen rosters were digested by hockey-mad fans across the globe.

Great players were left off of the rosters of every traditional hockey power, angering not only the players left behind but various factions of each team's fan base.

Many Finnish fans are shocked that two very good NHL goalies did not receive the call, although one may soon be summoned after the surprising withdrawal by Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff, who was expected to be Finland's No. 1 keeper.

Canada has been divided about the exclusion of Pittsburgh rookie Sidney Crosby. Many thought he would inherit the spot vacated by the injured Mario Lemieux, but that did not happen. Now, Super Sid will have to wait until Vancouver 2010.

The Czechs left behind a raft of talented players, suggesting they may well have the depth to make a legitimate run at dethroning the Canadians.

The Americans, meanwhile, felt confident enough in their emerging youth to leave a number of core-group veterans on the sidelines. Among those dissed were Jeremy Roenick, Tony Amonte and Brian Leetch.

Sweden remains confident enough in its defense that it felt it could leave three more-than-serviceable NHL defensemen in North America. Niclas Havelid, Dick Tarnstrom and Andreas Lilja were all considered excess to needs by Team Sweden management.

Both Sergei Samsonov and Slava Kozlov were left off a Russian squad already hurt up front by the decisions of Alexander Mogilny and Sergei Fedorov not to take part in this tournament. Yet, Pavel Bure, the Russian GM, feels he is still deep enough up front to leave behind two of the game's most dynamic offensive players.

So, as you can see, the list of disrespected players is extensive and, for the most part, arbitrary. But, as a public service, FOXSports.com has decided to present a pair of All-Snub Olympic teams — highlighting a dozen of the best players not asked to strut their stuff in Turin in two months time.

First-Team All-Snub
F Mike York, United States: A speedy, shifty skater, York is ideally suited for the national team. He is also versatile enough to assume almost any role once there. With nine goals and 18 assists, York has the sixth-highest point total among American-born forwards in the NHL this year. He has more points than both Jason Blake and Mark Parrish, Islanders teammates afforded the honor of representing their country this time around.

F Patrick Marleau, Canada: Joe Thornton is the only member of Team Canada's 23-man roster with more points than Marleau. Thornton has 49 points to Marleau's 40. Jason Spezza and Eric Staal also have more points, but they were named to Canada's three-man taxi squad. Marc Savard, who has 48 points, was also left off the team. Both Marleau and Savard seemingly fell victim to the incredible depth their country enjoys at the center position.

F Patrik Elias, Czech Republic: Elias has yet to play this year because of his recovery from hepatitis A, which he contracted playing in Russia during the lockout. But, reports suggest he is close to returning to the Devils, which means he would have more than a month to get into top shape for the Olympics. Elias' past body of work certainly suggests that he is worth a selection, especially with the new luxury of the recently introduced taxi squad to lessen the blow if he was not ready come the second week of February.

(MORE)

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

D Niclas Havelid, Sweden: The only Swedish-born NHL defenseman to average more ice time per game than Havelid's 25 minutes, 42 seconds is Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom. Havelid has also managed two goals and 11 assists this year, ranking fourth among Swedish defenseman in scoring. Most importantly, he is plus-4 for the Thrashers, who have used five goalies — including two untested rookies — this season. That, as much as anything, suggests that he is the ideal defenseman to play the two-way game demanded by Team Sweden's management.

D Dan Boyle, Canada: The Lightning defender has more points than every defender named to Team Canada. Only Toronto's Bryan McCabe, who leads all NHL defenseman with 40 points and was named to Team Canada's taxi squad, has topped the 28 points Boyle has produced. Boyle, an excellent puck-moving defenseman, showed his big-game credentials last season in helping deliver the 2004 Stanley Cup to Tampa Bay. Boyle had 10 points and a plus-7 rating in that tournament. He has scored 120 of his 179 career points in the last two-plus seasons and is a very pleasant plus-27 over that same span.

G Jussi Markkanen, Finland: Currently the Edmonton Oilers' No. 1 goalie, Markkanen is good enough to crack the top three on just about any national team involved in the Olympic Games, except perhaps the loaded Team Canada squad. Yet, he is no better than fourth on Team Finland, falling behind Kari Lehtonen, who has barely played this season because of injury. Markkanen has a 12-9-3 record this year with a 3.08 goals-against average. For his NHL career, the 30-year-old is 35-35-8 with a 2.54 goals-against average. Markkanen may still get the call now that Kiprusoff has excused himself from duty.

Second-Team All-Snub
F Tomas Holmstrom, Sweden: A big, power-type forward, Holmstrom is adept at banging home rebounds and scoring an assorted variety of garbage goals. He is the type of banging, working-man forward that most teams embrace, especially with his prowess as a disrupting crease-crasher on the power play. In fact, he is invaluable as a member of the Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings, a team with which he has won three Stanley Cup championships. But his credentials — 11 goals, 14 assists, a plus-7 rating — were not good enough to crack Sweden's group of forwards.

F Slava Kozlov, Russia: One of just six Russian-born NHL players to have already topped the 30-point plateau, Atlanta's Kozlov was not asked to the Olympic party. Kozlov has 32 points in 35 games for the Thrashers and is a plus-3 for a team that has struggled to keep the puck out of its own net all season. Perhaps even more damning is the fact that New Jersey's Viktor Kozlov, a player with 11 fewer points and in disfavor in New Jersey, was one of the players selected ahead of Slava Kozlov.

F Ales Kotalik, Czech Republic: He is the leading goal scorer on the Buffalo Sabres, the NHL's hottest team, and he has the third-highest total of goals among all Czech forward playing in the NHL, yet Kotalik was not included in the Czech Republic's plans for Italy. Only Jaromir Jagr (23) and Petr Prucha (16) have more goals than the 15 Kotalik has produced this year. Vaclav Prospal also has 15 goals. All three of those other players were named to the Olympic squad. The 27-year-old Kotalik is well on his way to establishing a career-high in goals, topping the 21 he potted three seasons ago as a rookie.

D Brian Leetch, United States: The Boston Bruins defenseman would not have been a snub if Team USA went with a youth movement, as expected. Although still better than many younger American-born defenders, Leetch's exclusion would have been understood. That all changed, however, when Team USA officials named aging vets Chris Chelios and Derian Hatcher to the roster. Suddenly, there is no possible way to rationalize the omission of Leetch from the team. Leetch still skates well enough and moves the puck adequately enough to have an impact in an Olympic tournament, plus he has a wealth of international experience he can bring to the table.

D Roman Hamrlik, Czech Republic: The 31-year-old Hamrlik has fallen off the Czech radar despite recently playing some of the most polished hockey of his career. This year, Hamrlik has four goals and 15 points for the Calgary Flames. He has also showed a commitment to being a two-way player by logging his fourth consecutive season with a positive plus/minus rating. Although never the game-breaker he was expected to be after being selected No. 1 overall in 1992, Hamrlik has matured into a solid defenseman that can be counted on to provide more than 20 minutes of ice time, contribute in all situations and provide the occasional jolt of offense. What team can't use that?

G Antero Niittymaki, Finland: This young Finnish goalie continues to state his case for moving up Finland's depth chart. Last year, he bested Lehtonen head-to-head as Nittymaki's Philadelphia Phantom's defeated Lehtonen's Chicago Wolves for the American Hockey League championship. This year, with the Flyers, Niittymaki has been a lifesaver as No. 1 Robert Esche, one of Team USA's three goalies, has battled injury problems. Nittymaki is 9-4-3 with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. Certainly those are credentials that suggest Niittymaki has earned a place on the Finnish club.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Some interesting tidbits...

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/5189620

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/5189338

http://www.nypost.com/sports/60264.htm

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Atlanta has had a team since the 2001-02 season. It's okay, though, Moddy. It's only been four years.

If you really want to have some wait, watch the Russian team at the Olympics. Ovechkin and Kovalchuk will be on the same line.

And, for those who think hockey sucks...well, we have Elisha Cuthbert blogging for NHL.com! WHOOOO!

http://www.nhl.com/blogcentral/cuthbert_dec.html

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

You can probably add Pens first rounder Evgeni Malkin to this list too. He is still playing in Russia and he will probably tear it up at the World Juniors beginning tomorrow in Vancouver.